“The time is now to prepare for HER.”

We had the pleasure of doing one of our self-care card activities at The Picnic Experience hosted by Brenda Lynn of To Her Future Self. This event was an indoor picnic gathering to build community discussing faith, mental health, self love, corporate life, and personal development.

The event kicked off with a cute icebreaker activity led by Ori Onazi, a counselor in training. We were each given a red rose with a question taped on for us to answer as we stood in a circle. We were able to share something about us and connect with one another.

photo by: Papa Kele

After the ice breaker, we did our Unleash Your Melanin Magic card activity #9 Say What’s on a Sticky Note, which we always enjoy doing for in-person events to emphasize the importance of embodying self love. We had women write their affirmations on heart sticky notes and recite what they wrote in front of a mirror their partner held up. It’s one thing to write out affirmations, but when you say it aloud it’s much more powerful. Some women even stood up in front of the group to recite their affirmations.

photo by: Papa Kele

And throughout the event, we discussed meaningful topics led by guest speakers.

Josie Adeoye of I M.E.T Myself Inc. discussed incorporating faith in our therapy/mental health practice. We discussed how faith can be used to complement and be a guiding force for our mental health journey

“Use self-awareness to know what to pray for.”

Sade Luwoye of Tribe Meets and host of the Win in STEM podcast discussed navigating the workplace being the only Black woman in the room working as a systems engineer. We discussed healthy ways to deal with microaggressions, the importance of having allies in the workplace, and using our voices to advocate for ourselves.

Shelly Ackah, aka theafricanbombshell, discussed having a healthy work-life balance when you’re multi-faceted and taking control of our finances in your 20s to be prepared for the future. We discussed the importance of budgeting and educating ourselves on investing.

“The time is now to prepare for HER.”

In addition, we discussed how to choose the best therapist, dispelling misconceptions with therapy, understanding cultural differences, establishing boundaries with family, and more.

It was truly a beautiful event that was filled with purpose being able to support and uplift one another. We thank Brenda for putting together and inviting us to participate!

photo by: Papa Kele