Brown Girl Wisdom: Set the Boundary. Don’t Second-Guess It. | Storytime

Sis, let’s talk about the moment you choose you.

In this Brown Girl Wisdom audio episode, I share a real and raw storytime about what happened when a long-lost family member reached out after 10 years... not to reconnect, but to manipulate me into paying a bill.

But here’s the part that matters:
I said no — calmly, clearly, and without guilt.

This wasn’t just a “no.”
It was a sacred reclaiming of my energy, my softness, and my emotional safety.

In this episode, you’ll hear:
✨ The exact moment I leaned into my discernment and trusted it
✨ How I avoided the emotional buildup trap and kept it respectful but real
✨ Six tips for setting boundaries without guilt or overexplaining
✨ A grounding affirmation to help you walk in your power

This is for the women healing from people-pleasing, breaking generational cycles, and choosing peace over performative loyalty.

You are not wrong for setting boundaries. You are just finally loving yourself louder.
Let this be your confirmation.

📚 Recommended read:
Dodging Energy Vampires by Dr. Christiane Northrup – a powerful guide for empaths learning to protect their peace and energy.

🎧 Listen to the full audio episode and let it pour into you.

Therapy Ain’t a Luxury: A Healing Talk with Professor Drea

Some of y’all might’ve caught the previews 👀 but now the full conversation is up in blog form.

I’m talking:
✔️ Why therapy isn’t just for “rich folks”
✔️ What happens when we keep skipping healing
✔️ The excuses we use to avoid doing the work
✔️ How therapy saved me — and why it might save you too
✔️ Resources to actually start your therapy journey

Whether you’re in therapy, thinking about it, or still side-eyeing the whole thing — this post is for you. I’m writing from the heart, as a professor, a social worker, and someone who’s had to do my own healing. 💛

Share it. Sit with it.
Drop a comment on the blog if it resonates. Let’s normalize therapy and break the cycles.

Boston to Bama: Why I Chose My HBCU (Audio-Only Episode)

In this audio-only reflection, I share my journey from Boston to Tuskegee University, how I chose my HBCU, and what it means to honor legacy, identity, and purpose as a Black woman in higher ed.

🎧 Listen to the episode

Long-Term Growth Without Burnout: A Realist’s Guide: Featured Blog Article by Kevin Ogle

Progress that sticks doesn’t rely on sheer force. It relies on structure, the kind you can return to when motivation dies. In a world obsessed with reinvention, the real power lies in rhythm and repeatability. That means development shouldn’t feel like a firework. It should feel like a steady drumbeat. What follows are practical, sustainable moves for people who want real progress without wiping themselves out.

Trade Urgency for Continuity

Most people default to intensity when they want change; think sprinting through projects, pushing hard, collapsing, then starting over. That cycle might work once or twice, but it doesn’t hold over the years. What you need is a durable cadence, a system you can show up to regardless of how you feel. That starts when you shift from quick fixes to long-range thinking, letting your development become a background process, not a crisis response. It’s not about chasing outcomes; it’s about removing friction from forward motion. Build a loop that you can live inside, not just survive through.

Use Compassion as a Stabilizer

Ambition without emotional stability burns hot and fast. What keeps people from imploding isn’t just discipline, it’s kindness applied to their own pace. You need to protect your drive from turning on you. That means building in recovery time, emotional recalibration, and compassion-focused strategies to prevent burnout so that effort becomes sustainable instead of self-destructive. The harsh voice in your head doesn’t keep you going; it just wears you down. A gentler one helps you return faster.

Let Habits Carry the Weight

Discipline fades. Habits stay. When your progress hinges on how inspired you feel, it’s already unstable. Instead, design rituals that reduce friction, not willpower. In Japan, a practice called Shukan focuses on slow, cumulative habit building, not grand gestures, but small behaviors repeated until they stop being negotiable. And once something stops being negotiable, it starts becoming inevitable.

Turn Reflection Into Fuel

If you’re never adjusting, you’re drifting. The best growth systems don’t just run, they review. Momentum improves when you build in space to look back and make changes, not just push forward. That’s why deliberate reflective practice matters more than most people realize. Reflection isn’t indulgent — it’s diagnostic. It prevents wasted energy and reinforces clarity.

Anchor to What You Can Sustain

You can have solid goals and still sabotage yourself if the process ignores your energy limits. Too many people design systems for their best day and then wonder why they collapse on an average one. Sustainability means structuring your inputs around your actual capacity, not your idealized one. That includes your time, attention, and stamina. Build habits that flex when needed, and center your daily actions around managing your energy to stay sustainable. That’s not laziness. That’s smart load management.

Add Support to the Loop

Progress stalls in isolation. Systems break when no one else sees the cracks forming. Whether you’re chasing career growth, personal change, or a new identity entirely, you need people in that system. Not as pressure, as presence. Accountability is fine, but what you really need is stability. Building a support network boosts resilience and helps momentum outlast your bad days.

Structure Bigger Moves Strategically

Some inflection points require more than habit tweaks; they need scaffolding. A formal education path can serve as both a skill builder and a credibility lever. When flexibility matters, online programs offer a structure that doesn’t derail your life while helping you climb. For example, you could earn an HR degree to learn how to recruit and manage employees, shape company culture, administer benefits, and set policies. A bachelor's in human resources unlocks specialized knowledge that translates across sectors. Whatever your career direction, there’s likely a program that fits without breaking your rhythm.

The best development systems aren’t about keeping pace; they’re about still being in the game years from now. That means skipping the drama, the massive overhauls, the self-punishment. It means showing up, not showing off. Sustainability isn’t passive; it’s deliberate design. And the person who learns how to keep going without breaking down? That’s the one who wins by default.

 

Discover a world where culture, clarity, and creativity converge at Brown Girl from Boston, and let every ‘Dear Sis’ letter guide you on your journey to personal evolution and mental wellness!

 

Review of Katrina: Come Hell and High Water

In this timely and powerful conversation, I joined as a co-host to reflect on the legacy of Hurricane Katrina—a disaster that was far more than a storm. Nearly two decades later, Katrina still stands as a symbol of systemic failure, racial and economic inequality, and the resilience of displaced and devastated communities.

We dove into what really made Katrina so catastrophic—not just the wind and water, but the collapse of levees, delayed emergency response, and long-standing neglect of vulnerable communities like the Lower Ninth Ward. We explored how the aftermath of the storm reshaped the population and soul of New Orleans, why some neighborhoods recovered quickly while others remain scarred, and how failed recovery programs like “The Road Home” left thousands behind.

Our discussion also highlighted the deeper truths about housing injustice, infrastructure failures, and how disaster response must be rooted in equity. With climate change bringing more intense storms, the lessons of Katrina remain painfully relevant.

This is not just a history lesson—it's a call to remember, rebuild, and demand justice.

🔗 Tune in to the full conversation and join us in honoring the stories of those who lived, lost, and survived.

💛 Burnout, Breakdowns & Breakthroughs: Why I Took a Sacred Pause

Hey sis,
It’s been a journey.
I took a sacred pause from social media, creating content, and even parts of my personal life, not because I wanted to, but because I had to.

In my latest video on the Brown Girl From Boston YouTube channel, I’m sharing the raw, real, and reflective story behind my hiatus:
– Navigating burnout
– Holding space for my family during life-changing transitions
– Losing my beloved cat
– Taking a pause from my engagement when our values no longer aligned
– And ultimately… surrendering to God, therapy, and healing

This isn’t a glam comeback — it’s a faceless one.
Because even when I couldn’t show my face, I never lost my voice.

If you’ve ever found yourself in survival mode while trying to stay strong for everyone else…
If you’ve ever had to let go of a version of yourself you once prayed for…
If you’re rediscovering your strength in the quiet…
Then this video is for you.

🖤 Watch it now:
🎥 Burnout, Breakdowns & Breakthroughs: My Brown Girl Healing Season

👇🏾 Leave a comment if you've ever had to pause to protect your peace.
Let’s normalize resting, rebuilding, and rising in our own divine timing.

With grace & gratitude,

Drea

🌺 Where Culture, Clarity & Creativity Meet: Welcome to the Fly Girl Shop by Andrea

 

Sis, let’s talk about legacy, intention, and the fly life.

You know that feeling when something just clicks — when your culture, your clarity, and your creativity come together in divine alignment? That’s the heartbeat of the Fly Girl Shop by Andrea, and I’m so proud to finally share this sacred space with you.

This shop isn’t just a collection of pretty things — it’s a love letter to you, the bold, radiant, and evolving Black woman who dares to live life on her own terms. Whether you’re walking in your healing era, your soft life season, or your creative comeback — you’ll find something here that speaks directly to your soul.

🖼️ Art That Reflects Your Journey

Every acrylic photo block in the shop captures a moment of beauty, power, and peace. From the sunset over Key West to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, each image tells a story — our story. These aren’t just photos; they’re affirmations in visual form, reminding us to pause, breathe, and remember who we are.

📓 Tools for Soul-Centered Goal Setting

You know I’m all about keeping our vision sharp and our goals rooted in purpose. That’s why I created digital workbooks and goal-setting templates specifically for women like us — dreamers with depth. These tools aren’t about hustle culture. They’re about aligned ambition. Reflection. Healing. Clarity.

💎 Jewelry That Speaks to the Spirit

Sometimes you don’t need to say a word — your presence, your light, your energy speaks for you. That’s what these pieces are made for. The Fly Girl Bangles, statement earrings, and curated adornments are more than accessories — they’re declarations of self-love, confidence, and power.

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You’re Not Just Shopping. You’re Curating a Life.

When you support this shop, you’re not just buying a product. You’re investing in a vision — one built on creativity, culture, intention, and freedom. You’re affirming the dreams of a Black woman artist who believes deeply in storytelling through design. You’re helping me — Andrea — continue to create, to teach, to give, and to show up fully as a vessel of light and love.

This space is for all of us who are reclaiming softness, honoring our voices, and designing lives we don’t need to escape from.

Whether you're gifting yourself or someone you love, I pray each item brings joy, connection, and inspiration into your space.

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🛍️ Shop the Collection

💫 Visit the Fly Girl Shop on Etsy
🖤 Thank you for supporting this Black woman-owned business.

Everything is 10% off! Make sure you use FLYGIRL for the promo code at checkout. 

Stay fly & full of purpose,
Andrea 💫
Creator | Chief Fly Girl |Visionary