Rebuilding my businesses from the ground up continues to be a journey of discovery. It’s also a grieving process that I’ve not heard many talk about. The moment when you come to realization that things haven’t gone according to plan. As a recovering strong friend, perfectionist and “one-women” show, I’m learning a lot in this season of life about how my business progress is happening in a weird opposite parallel with my person life. Let me explain…

At the moment I’m navigating life post marriage …figuring out how to find joy in solitude and enjoying my own company. Meanwhile. in business I’m seeking out partnerships and collaboration very intentionally. I’m no longer ok with holding all the pieces by myself. Collaborations this time around looks like finding the people that I have alignment with and strategizing on how we can create a mutually beneficial working relationship that has impact. I’m pretty excited by both. I

I’m currently typing this as I’m in Ghana on a trip I curated to accompany for my good friend and coworker and her family on her first trip to Africa. At the beginning of my decision to end my marriage I had to consider the financial changes that my life would undergo. How I would pay my mortgage and begin a new life on a single entrepreneur income…. needless to say I was stressed. I considered reaching out to my old company to explore possibilities there and even started applying for positions in project management and retail management and anything I could think that spoke to my strengths and passions. But to be honest it was hard getting back to this idea of working for someone else and putting my own dreams on the back burner.

One day a good friend of mine mentioned how she was flying to Europe on her friends buddy pass. I was curious and intrigued…I have always thought how cool it would be to work for an airline. I thought maybe I could work remotely and those benefits would help me travel more freely. So that day I applied to a few airlines…. the very next day I had two interview invitations! In all the corporate positions I had applied for previously I heard nothing back, but in less than 24 hours I had two opportunities on the table! I was elated! I truly believe that when you ask God for his guidance in any area of your life the doors that are intended to open do and the ones that aren’t don’t. I have so many examples of this happening in my life and I’m always so amazed at how these opportunities are so timely and perfect for me even if I can’t see it at that very moment!

I’m recently celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being hired at Delta. Its had its ups and downs but overall I really love the flexibility it provides along with the exposure to the inner workings of the airline cargo industry in both imports and exports. I’ve always loved learning so this had absolutely fed my desire to learn especially in an industry so aligned with my business.

So back to this trip I curated for my friend. Since being at Delta I’ve traveled a lot and met really great people in the process. I’ve also gotten to share food and insight about Africa and encourage my co-workers to go themselves. So when my work friend who is originally from Trinidad found out her ancestry was connected to Ghana she immediately wanted me to plan her trip! This is what I do! I was obviously excited to plan the trip and accompany her as she and her family connected with a deep part of themselves they had never known. This is what this work is all about for me. Not just catching flights, the aesthetics and immaculate drone footage of beautiful locations; but moreso the opportunity to connect a person to a deep sense of belonging to their culture and roots. Even those who may not have roots in Africa have an opportunity to see beyond themselves and share in the learning of culture and history of the amazing countries and of the mother continent.

As I rebuild… I’m committed to embark on this journey to create a life worth enjoying, to cultivating community and create content centered around my love for all things Africa. I am learning quickly that the journey is the destination and I want nothing more than to share this journey with you. Whether it be my Delta stories, or my foodie adventures, or the impromptu trips on my days off or my journey of rebuilding my life and business I want to share them with you. In as much as it’s about travel and sharing my love for Africa it’s also healing for me . It’s a chance to be more open and to allow the light in with a friend. So thank you friend.