Showing posts with label sisterhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sisterhood. Show all posts

Friday, December 19, 2025

Free Me From the “Girl’s Girl” Label


I want to say this carefully, because nuance matters.

I’m not anti-women.
I’m not anti-sisterhood.
I’m not anti-community.

However, I am deeply uninterested in performative labels that don’t align with my actual behavior.

Somewhere along the way, “girl’s girl” became a badge people wear instead of a practice they live. And in my experience, many of the loudest claims of sisterhood have come from spaces that felt unsafe, competitive, passive-aggressive, or quietly cruel.

I’ve learned that not every woman who smiles at you is for you.
Not every “sis” is safe.
And not every space labeled empowering actually empowers.

And that truth doesn’t make me bitter.
It makes me discerning.

I no longer need to be called a girl’s girl.
I need integrity.
I need emotional maturity.
I need accountability.
I need women who can celebrate without comparison, support without competition, and communicate without manipulation.

I’ve been in rooms where the language was “support,” but the energy was envy.
Where the connection felt conditional.
Where success made people uncomfortable.
Where vulnerability was collected, it was not protected.

And I’ve also been blessed by women who showed up quietly, consistently, and without performance. Women who didn’t need to announce their loyalty. Women who didn’t need a label to be decent.

That’s the difference.

Real sisterhood doesn’t need branding.
It needs character.

I also noticed something else this year, and I paid attention.

When I got engaged, the energy shifted with certain women. Subtle at first. Then obvious. Women who once checked in consistently when I was single and healing suddenly went quiet. The “hey sis” texts slowed down. The likes disappeared. The shares stopped. The calls became nonexistent.

So I did what I always do: I observed.

I went ghost from social media for a few months, not to test anyone, but to protect my peace and heal from my breakup. And in that silence, patterns revealed themselves. Support that once felt abundant evaporated the moment my life expanded. And that told me everything I needed to know.

I realized some people weren’t connected to me; they were connected to a version of me that felt non-threatening. A version they could relate to, advise, or feel superior to. When that version evolved, so did their discomfort.

I didn’t confront.
I didn’t explain.
I didn’t announce anything.

I simply peeped the energy and did a full sweep.

No warnings. No speeches. Just boundaries.

Because I’m not in competition with anyone. I’m not auditioning for space in anyone’s life. And I refuse to stay connected to people who only celebrate me when I’m struggling, but grow distant when I’m chosen, loved, or aligned.

What stood out most was the irony.

Many of the same women who claimed “girl’s girl” and “women empowerment” energy were the ones moving strangely online and in person once they realized I wasn’t engaging in the nonsense, the comparison, or the unspoken tension.

That’s when it clicked for me.

Labels mean nothing without character.
And empowerment that collapses under another woman’s joy isn’t empowerment at all.

At this stage of my life, I’m choosing relationships rooted in alignment, not optics. I’m choosing peace over proximity. Discernment over belonging. Depth over labels.

If that means I don’t fit neatly into someone else’s definition of a “girl’s girl,” I’m okay with that.

I don’t need a title.
I need truth.
I need safety.
I need a grown-woman connection.

And I trust myself enough now to choose that quietly, cleanly, and without apology.


Sunday, June 7, 2020

Surviving Sisterhood TeleClass




By a show of hand or slow head nod, how many of you have been hurt by someone you called “Sis”? If you have answered yes, let's chat! You don’t want to miss out on this honest but essential conversation! Register for this event! Bring a friend or two!

It’s free!

Register Here———-> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/surviving-sisterhood-tickets-108625363386?fbclid=IwAR2HWXpKzO8-MVz9fKpQf1KvoDR1c-uPMarfVSCiEKkbxjbI3w6KBhTZOFc

Friday, December 15, 2017

MICC Virtual Class with Brown Girl From Boston





Make sure you check out the teleclass from last night hosted by Moore Impactful Career Consulting, LLC! I discussed how I got started on my entrepreneur with Brown Girl From Boston, why 44 Million Americans have side hustlers and why sisterhood is important during the entrepreneurship journey.

Friday, May 6, 2016

What About Your "Friends"?





FLY Friday: What about your friends? Do you know who your true friends are?
1. Friendship is a two-way street. In order to be a friend, you must show up and show out unconditionally in your life and also in their life. 
2. Dismiss friends who target you in every conversation or situation. If a friend aka the known hater is always talking down and nasty to you but cover it up as a joke. It is time to address them and dismiss them because life is too short to tolerate negativity and unkind behavior.
3. Friendship is being able to have the courage to have hard conversations when someone unknowingly offended you. Have the tough conversations, apologize, and forgive your friend. Don't get ghost, stop talking to them and drop off the face of the Earth because of your unforgiveness. No one should he left in the dark because you are upset at someone. Talk to that person versus sending subliminal shots, stop liking and commenting social media stuff, stop attending events or just off the face of the Earth. You are only hurting yourself by doing the childish behavior. 
Remember, there are 7 billion people on this planet. If one person doesn't want to rock with you, that's too bad for them. Keep it moving and attract like-minded, loving, and supportive people to rock out with.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

For Brown Girls: Be Better, Not Basic! Stop Associating with Haters



"What they do

They smile in your face

All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)" -The O'Jays, Backstabbers 1972

Eddie Levert and The O'Jays were ahead of their time in 1972 when they released Backstabbers. Backstabbers is an ole school term of calling one of your "so-called" friends who turned against you. In 2014, we call them haters. Haters are not your motivators! See we can have hidden haters within our tribe but haven't adhered to the writing on the wall nor peeped the red flags. 

Haters are easy to detect, you can see them coming a mile away but somehow you are existing in an abusive, highly dysfunctional pseudo-relationship. Let me tell you, end that craziness quickly because hating and negativity are bad for your health, chile. How do I know? I had to terminate and ousted a hidden hater from my village.  I was in fakefriendsisship, (I just made that term up) from middle school to high school until I woke up and had enough.  We did everything together from volunteering, play basketball and even work together. She even came to visit me during my freshman year at Tuskegee University in Alabama. But during our tremendous pseudo best friend sistership, she was preying and praying for my downfall. From name-calling to her negative attitude; all in the name of "Girl, l I'm just playing with you. Let's stop right here and dissect this one. 

Now there is a time in place in which you do call a friend out in a firm and loving matter to bring attention to some unhealthy matters that are dimming your light and no longer serving you.  You want to empower and encourage your sister-friends in your village to do better. You hold them accountable and responsible for their actions. You just don't tear them down and act foolishly because you think that's going to bring out the best in them. Not! You certainly don't go around and bash them to any and everyone who wants to hear. That's how ish gets started! 

Therefore, I classify individuals like this as a hidden hater.  Hidden haters are the ones who want to be like you, celebrate your mistakes/downfalls, have a fragile and untrained ego and tons of insecurities and mask it by being rude, overly and harshly opinionated and abusive.  I digress....back to the topic. I had to finally let my hidden hater go because she brought to much pain, drama and dark days into my life and I allowed that to happen. I had to put my big girl panties on and admit to the negativity. 

Ways to spot a hidden hater
He/she is miserable, bitter, resentful, ish starter loves conflict and controversy and love and thrives from seeing people beefing.  These people are the ones who will show up and show out negatively. When you hear their name or realize they are going to be at a specific occasion you cringe because you know he/she is going to bring the pain like Method Man. 

Hidden haters say things like 
You think you are better than people? Who do you think you are to do (fill in the blank)? Take slick jabs at you. Covertly make slick remarks trying to cover up as a joke. You know such and such don't like you. Blah blah blah! They have nothing positive or nice to say because their life is filled with unresolved issues, fragile ego and miserable. Unfortunately, they are terrorizing someone else's life right now.

How and when to dismiss the hidden hater
Other people notice the handwriting on the wall before you do. Each day is a day closer to dismissing the hater. You have to be absolutely "sick and tired" of the nonsense. Once YOU get tired, you will release and surrender them with love and peace. You don't want to get on their level of basic bitterness. You want to hold yourself to a higher standard, forgive them and release them. 

Forgiving is an action and practice in which you wholeheartedly forgive them for their actions and mistreatment because they don't know better, surviving at their basic level and they don't know how to love and be authentic because hurt people, hurt people. Hidden haters are hurt people who haven't healed and they go around and hurt others.  You have to release them with love to clear the negativity. You can forgive and keep it moving. Forgiveness and surrendering don't mean to constantly deal with torment and abuse. Whether they accept your forgiveness that is on them but you did your part. Forgive yourself as well. Many times we beat ourselves up because of we "coulda", "woulda", "shoulda" ourselves to death but we now know better and decide to take action. 

Also, keep an open heart and don't allow the days, weeks, months or years of damage to bring bitterness into your life. When you see hateration coming don't greet it, ignore it and run from it. Say no to basic bitterness.  Get some hater spray and spray the haters away. Remember this scripture and apply it: 1 Cor 15:33: "Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits."  Hating is bad for your health and life is too short for fake friendships and sisterhood. 

Thank you for reading Brown Girl From Boston! We appreciate you!

XOXO your sister-friend,

Drea

Coaching Question: Do you have a hidden hater disguise as a "friend" in your village? Have you terminated the fakefriendsisship?

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

For Brown Girls: Sisterhood is Powerful

"Show me your friends and I will show you what kind of person you are." -Annie Mae Dailey-Gulley/Josie Mae Gulley-Jacobs

Annie Mae (my grandmother) and Josie Mae (my mother) was not lying in regard to the quote above. You can tell a lot about a person, their character, and lifestyle by evaluating their friends. The people you spend time with are usually your biggest influencers and supporters whether it is a triumph or tragedy. Some of your "so-called" sister-friends are your biggest "Debbie Downers", "Nagging Nancy" or "Hannah the Hater". If you are not cautious these characteristics will rub off on you.

I decided to blog about sisterhood because I am discovering a reoccurring theme not only in my circle of sisterhood but in various circle of sisterhoods. Many sister-friends are often being taken advantage of, outgrowing their sister-friends and holding onto sisterhoods that no longer serve them purpose. If you find yourself in any of the unfortunate circumstances, don't panic, realize that you are not alone, and start doing the work and start healing.

We are going to discuss the dysfunctional sisterhood and healthy and functional sisterhood:


  1. Nonreciprocal Relationship/Creating a healthy friendship. Around this time last year, I found myself in an one sided association with someone who wasn't interested in being apart of my sisterhood. I listened and trusted my intuition and ran to the nearest exit. Unfortunately, you have people who are only out for self. They usually can sniff out someone who is giving and vulnerable. When establishing new sister-friends, listen to your intuition, associate with those who are calling you higher and maximize your potential, and create a healthy boundary with you and your new found sister-friend.
  2. When To Let Go/Freely and Lovingly Set Your Former Sister-Friend Free. In an ideal world, we would love to have everyone in our life to mature, evolve, and grow every step of the way. In reality, life doesn't work that way and we have to respect that sister-friend's life journey. When you discover that you and a sister-friend aren't in sync or friendship is stuck, that's when you have to reevaluate, be transparent and have an open conversation about your sisterhood. However, if you find yourself outgrowing your friendship while your sister-friend is comfortable with being stuck, it is the time to freely and lovingly set your sister-friend free. You can love your sister-friend afar but at this point in your life, you are looking to live life to the fullest, discover your innermost passion and purpose in life. In life, you outgrow people, friendships and relationships and it is okay to love from afar. No love lost!
  3. When your sister-friend only communicates with you via social media/group message/ignores you. When you go from communicating with your sister-friend weekly to virtually never communicating with your sister-friend that's when you need to let them go freely. Life is too short to chase after someone'e love, life to too short for the wishy washy attitude, friendship or attention when they clearly don't want nor value your sisterhood no longer. Liking a photo on Facebook, not responding back to missed calls or voicemails or receiving a mass text message when a relative of the sister-friend in question dies doesn't equate to a sisterhood, it basically says "Hey, you are no longer apart of my sisterhood and I passively moved forward without informing you." That's so hurtful because you valued, respected, and love your sister-friend but obviously she no longer feel that way about you. Sister-friends should be honest and open about the obvious dysfunction or lack of communication. If a fellow sister-friend offended you, instead of being passive-aggressive, lovingly and assertively discuss the issues because that sister-friend is probably in the dark about the offense or underlying conflict/issue.
I value, respect and love my circle of sisterhood. Sisterhood is powerful because we are all interconnected, have similar stories, tragedies and triumphs. When I evaluate those who are in my sacred circle of sisterhood, I am proud because my sister-friends are amazing, strong, educated, diverse and different. I am able to be transparent, vulnerable and authentic with them. My sister-friends deal with my business side, my cray cray side, silly side, and the Brown Girl From Boston side. I appreciate them and love them very dearly. I am also able to celebrate, cry, coach and call out my sister-friends when needed.

I also learn how to love my former sister-friends from afar and release them with love. It is never easy to release nor love a close/best sister-friend from afar. When a sister-friend is constantly negative, stuck in life, doesn't communicate and don't respect the circle of sisterhood, they no longer serve you purpose.

I am going to end this post with a powerful song lyric from a strong sisterhood, TLC from one of their early hits, "What About Your Friends"

What about your friends
Will they stand their ground
Will they let you down again
What about your friends are they gonna be low down
Will they ever be around or will they turn their backs on you


Question to our readers: Do your circle of sisterhood empowers you or drain your energy? Let's talk about it. 

Thank you for reading Brown Girl From Boston blog! We appreciate all the love and supporter from our dedicated fans and readers. Remember, we love you and thank you for your time reading this blog.
XOXO,
Drea
#iamthatgirl #FLYmovement #browngirlfromboston