S6E2 FINAL
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[Soundbyte]
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[00:00:00]
There is a very big difference between the things that are important in your life and your life's work
[Intro]
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Hey, you. Yeah, you. You didn't stumble here by chance, so you might as well stick around for a while. This is a space where we don't just talk about becoming, we embrace it. I'm your host, Taj, and in this safe corner of the internet, we're exploring everything that it means to come home to ourselves, mind, body, spirit, and everything in between.
This is a place where awareness meets embodiment, where we question what we've been taught, we reconnect with what we know, and most importantly, we give ourselves permission to evolve. So whether you're here for the holistic wellness [00:01:00] tips, the wisdom, the real-life conversations, or simply just the reminders that you're not alone on this journey, you're in the right place.
So take a deep breath, get comfy, and let's get into some things, because I got a lot to say. This is the Melanated Mindset, a Ground Guide Collective production
[Acknowledgements]
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What's up, y'all? As always, I would like to start this episode by taking the time to thank you, yes, you, for sharing space with me today. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I don't take your time or your energy for granted
[Mindful Moment]
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Continuing in the theme of wellness that we talked about last week, I want to try to start each episode by guiding you back to yourself, 'cause that's what this entire conversation is supposed to [00:02:00] be for, remember?
Before we jump into our time together, I want to first remind you to be where your feet are. And the quickest way that I'm able to do that for myself, I have found, is with short breathing exercises
It's very woo-woo, very hippie, but it works. It really does bring you back to yourself. So if you don't mind, I'd like to do one together real quick, I promise.
If you haven't noticed, every episode so far, I mean, we're only two in, but this entire season, there is frequency music playing in the background ever so slightly of the episodes, and I hope that that serves as a subconscious reminder for you to do what we're doing now and what we're about to do, which is come back to yourself [00:03:00] and remember to be where your feet are
I am well aware that statistically, you're more than likely doing something else while you listen to this. So I figure we might as well sprinkle in a little grounding intentions into that subconscious of ours. In other words, you're leaving here with something, whether you like it or not, okay? So take a second to just pause whatever you're doing real quick.
Close your eyes if you feel called to. No pressure, I swear. Roll your shoulders down your back, away from your ears. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold it at the top for three, two, one. Exhale back out through your nose
Take one more deep breath in through your nose. Hold for five, [00:04:00] four, three, two, one, and this time exhale out through your mouth
Release all that stale air, stale energy, and know that whatever you brought with you to this moment right now, you officially have permission to put down. Matter of fact, leave it at the door Enter this space just as you are, free of all expectations. With one last deep breath in through your nose. No hold this time.
Exhale out through your So your eyes open. If you close them, feel free to resume whatever it is you were doing. Now let's get flowing, shall we?
[Flow]
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We left off last week talking about holistic wellness [00:05:00] and how that is really the direction that we're going in as a collective here, and that we would be diving into each of the pillars throughout this season. If you don't know what holistic wellness actually is, like by definition, go back and listen to the episode before this so we're all on the same page.
You know? You feel me?
This week, we have to get into the base of it all first because it all boils down to alignment. In every area of your life that you are unsatisfied with, something within you is out of alignment with your reality. And when that happens, it causes a lot of resistance. Life literally starts feeling like it's swallowing you whole.
We have all been there. during these past few years and even before the podcast took a break, I knew exactly which areas of my life weren't in [00:06:00] alignment. The problem was that it was multiple areas all at the same time, and I had no idea which one to tackle first.
When I recorded the last season, I was stressed, unsure, anxious, and honestly preparing for the worst that the future could bring me. And at first, what's crazy is I didn't even know all of those things. My therapist is the one that pointed it out. Shout out to therapy. Here I am sitting on the couch just telling her what's going on in my life and telling her how I feel like I'm getting crushed under the weight of life.
And she was like, "Oh, honey, you feel like you're drowning because you are." And you know what? Somehow that was enough for me. Sometimes we just need our feelings validated. What [00:07:00] really gagged me is when she made me realize that I was stressing about things that hadn't even happened, things that weren't even guaranteed to happen.
I was wearing myself thin about the what-ifs. What if this don't work out? What if this happen? What if this go wrong? Very pessimistic. like so deep into worrying about the what-ifs that I wasn't even sitting in the what is. And I needed to hear that because that is when I realized I was truly operating out of alignment if I'ma be real with y'all, being out of alignment in multiple areas of my life simultaneously is really what led to my hiatus, for real, for real.
I was so deep in my journey of becoming, and I had [00:08:00] no idea who I would be at the end of it. no idea which direction I was going. I knew deep down that I was in pursuit of my purpose. I just didn't know how to get there, how to put all the pieces together. I felt like I had a piece here, a piece here, a piece here, but like what?
You don't buy a puzzle without seeing what the big picture is. You know what I mean? And I couldn't see the big picture. I just had these puzzle pieces. It felt like they didn't fit. It didn't come in a box. And I'm like, "What, what am I supposed to do with this?" And being the very, you know, type A Virgo that I am, I actually started d- doing real deal research.
Like I knew I could not be the only person to be feeling stuck at this place in life. And one thing about me, I'm a visual learner. Always have [00:09:00] been. I just need to see it done one time. So I was on a hunt for someone or something, hell, anything that could show me how to put the pieces together. And that is where the Fendi fact of the day comes in
[Fendi Fact]
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Because of AI, and that's a story for another day, the girls are not doing research the way we used to do research. So this is your daily dose of research, okay? Today's Fendi fact actually comes from the government of Japan, and by the government of Japan, I mean, like, quite literally, this is on their government website.
So it, that, that's the source. I'm citing my source, the government of Japan
It is an article titled Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Joyful Life
I'm gonna read a little bit from it. [00:10:00] "Although a broad concept, ikigai refers to that which brings value and joy to life, from people such as one's children or friends, to activities including work and hobbies. 'There is no word like it anywhere in the world,' says Hector Garcia, co-author of the book "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life," which helped push ikigai to the global spotlight, explaining that having an ikigai is the key to leading a happy life with a healthy body and mind."
Now, if you listened to last week's episode, you, you see where I'm going with this. holistic wellness is the umbrella term, and we're gonna get down into what each of these pillars are, right? 'Cause this is what I was trying to do during this, this time away, and I needed to figure out how to put the pieces of my life together, and I needed a way to do it [00:11:00] visually.
And lo and behold, a way to do that exists, and it is Ikigai. And let me just put this disclaimer out there. My apologies to anybody who is Japanese. If I am butchering that word, I am sorry. Please correct me. But I believe it's pronounced Ikigai.
And once I came across this Ikigai chart, because essentially that's what it is It is a chart to help you essentially find your purpose. And I discovered the concept of ikigai, and by the time I was done filling out the chart, it shined a light on all of the areas that I needed to focus on, all of the areas that were the most out of alignment for me.
And for me, It came down to three things. Those three areas were career, location, and relationships
[Flow]
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[00:12:00] Let's start with career, because I discussed last season that I was starting to feel like my work wasn't a part of my purpose anymore. There is a big difference between the things that are important in your life and your life's work, and this is when I realized that
And, you know, and to be honest, it was made abundantly clear when I was unsure where real estate fell in my ikigai chart. So just to briefly explain, if you want to get a visual of what this chart looks like, you're welcome to look it up. There's also a link to one in the description of this podcast.
There's always links in the description for where I'm citing all of this information for my girlies that like to, you know, just read, browse and, you know, educate yourself a little bit further. So if you're not looking at the chart, let me explain it. It's pretty much like a double ven- [00:13:00] Th-think of like a double Venn diagram.
So a Venn diagram being the, you know, the circles that overlap, but This Venn diagram has four... I guess it's still called... Is it called a Venn diagram if it has more than one circle? I mean, more than two circles? Child, that's why you gotta stay in school. Anyway, there's four circles.
They overlap, andIn each circle you write something different. One being what you love, the second one being what the world needs, the third one being what you can be paid for, and the fourth one being what you're good at. And when those circles overlap, so you would write that at the top of each of those circles and you would fill it out.
So what are the things that you love? What are some things that the world needs? What are things that you can be paid for? You write it out. You fill out this Venn diagram about yourself and where all of these things kind of interlap would be where, like, your passion would lie or your profession or your mission or your vocation and smack [00:14:00] dab in the center, that small little piece in the center where all four of those circles overlap, that is your ikigai
So let me paint the picture. I'm sitting at my desk just going through the motions. One of those days where I don't know whether I'm coming or going, and I need a roadmap, and I come across Ikigai, and I'm filling out this chart, and I don't know where to put real estate in the chart
And the confirmation came when, just when I was in the thick of it. Like I told you guys in the last season, I didn't know whether real estate was aligned with my purpose anymore, whether it was still part of my big picture. And if you wanna hear more kind of in real time motions how I was feeling, go back and listen to season five.
But I just, I knew something wasn't in alignment in that space anymore. But at the [00:15:00] same time I just, I wasn't ready to, to give it up. You know what I mean? And just when I was in the thick of trying to decide what to do, I end up being forced to take a step back because one thing about life, it's gonna keep going regardless of what you got planned.
So here I am not knowing whether I should stay in this career, not knowing whether I should, you know, really give it my all, and then I was forced to take a step back. And by forced, what do I mean by that? Malik got hurt again. If you're new here and you don't know who Malik is, Malik is my husband of, at this point, 13, 14 year.
I don't know, y'all. Don't, don't judge me, but I'm really getting to the point where I cannot keep up and I gotta do the math every time. It's [00:16:00] been forever. But that is my husband, and an active duty soldier, and he got hurt. And, you know, that comes with the territory, and it's no secret that when he gets injured, it usually changes our life in some small way, or at least in a way that feels small until we step back and realize just how that one thing set off a chain of events that got us where we are.
This isn't his first injury, this isn't the first time we've had to pivot, but this is the first time I've had to take on more responsibility because he's injured and we're parents and we own a home, and we also share one car. And not only did he get hurt, this was a injury that was kind of life-changing a little bit.
Not to be dramatic. He ruptured his Achilles, [00:17:00] which means he couldn't walk. He has to relearn how to walk. He has to go to physical therapy for months to regain the ability to walk. In the beginning, he just was on crutches or on a scooter, and not only did he injure himself to where he couldn't walk, he injured his right foot.
And think about that, y'all. That means he couldn't drive. So just when I was in the thick of not knowing what to do with my career, I had to forcibly take a step back because my partner got hurt. Mind you, I'm already wearing mad hats as it is. Entrepreneur, wife, mother. At the time I was homeschooling, like, supportive friend because at the time, you know, the connections that I had, required a lot that I was trying to pour into the best I could based onmy bandwidth and what I had to offer everybody and, you know, [00:18:00] their individual situations But because this is my life partner, this is the person I want to do life with, this is the man I've been doing life with, I had to take off every other hat but wife, and mom of course.
But the wife one had to take a priority, and that was the in sickness and in health that they be talking about. It sound real cute, everybody boohoo crying on your wedding day. Yes, I do, I do, I do, but do you? And I know the girls want a husband, and I know we're in our 30s now. We're gonna talk about that, not today though.
I know everybody wants to settle down, rightfully so, and who am I to speak? You know, I've been ducked off for, for ages from the beginning of time, right? I get it. But if you take-- If you don't take anything from me, don't rush it, for my single girlies, because ask yourself, "Is this someone," when you are dating and, and you are courting, "am I-- is this someone that I'm willing to [00:19:00] pick up because our future depends on it?
The life that we lay up and dream about is on the line. Can I pull 80 because they only have 20 to give right now?" And even more importantly, ask yourself, " Can I do it without being resentful?" Can I do it without thinking I need praise? Because this is what being a life partner is all about, right? Y'all, those days, ugh.
And it was such a humbling experience For our connection, my husband and I, I knew where we wanted to be, and I knew what his capacity was at that time, and our future was more important to me than our current circumstances
And I'm gonna be so honest, y'all, in the beginning, being so servant, it was weighing on me [00:20:00] heavily because I had never seen it done before. I come from a lineage of working women, like breadwinning women, likeWest Indian women. So to be consciously making the choice to step back from my lucrative career to take on a more homemaker role because my man need me after just having my best financial year at that, I made the most money I've ever made in my life
and was living good. We were going on trip, like it was lit. Am I going to step away from that to be at home literally waiting on this man and this baby hand and foot
And now that I reflect on it, that might have [00:21:00] been my ego death. Oh, I miss the clarity that doing the podcast brings me. I really do hope that these conversations are just as healing for y'all, 'cause just saying it out loud, my ego had to die. And if you've ever met a Virgo, uh, like, come on, let's be for real.
But I had to lay my ego to die. I had to, because I promised myself when I was a little girl that I would choose different, that I would make different decisions than the women that came before me, that I would put my household above all else. And I had spent my entire life saying that when the time comes, that's what I'm gonna do.
Hell, that's why I ended up homeschooling. I made that choice f- honestly, low-key from a, a place of childhood trauma, like trying to redo that so my children experience something different. You know what I mean? [00:22:00] So that, that's what I did. I did what I said I was gonna do. And if you know me, you know I'm a woman of my word.
So I had to call my team lead up and pretty much tell him that the promotion he was building me towards, I would actually have to decline. Oh, and um, actually, I need to take on even less of a load because my husband, yeah, he can't walk or drive, and now he has to have somebody drive him to work and all of these physical therapy appointments, and now, like, the VA has to get involved.
Like, there's, there's a lot going on that he needs to be present for to set up our long-term financial future that is important. So yeah, I have to chauffeur him around, so I cannot any longer contribute to our seven-figure real estate portfolio business
[00:23:00] yeah. I honestly thought that would be where we would part ways because there's no way he's gonna continue to pay me to do less work. But it's what I knew I had to do. So now here I am, stressed out because my main source of income was about to be cut. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
Stressing about things that hadn't even happened yet. Remember? Like my therapist said. Just making sure you're following me After that conversation, he comes back to me a few days later and I just know he's about to let me go. And I work for myself, so it's like, all right, but it's not like I'm getting fired, but he's just gonna be like, "Yeah, like this partnership can't work anymore."
But to my surprise, he gives me an offer where I could actually work fully remote if I'd be willing to take a pay cut
I was so shocked because what do you mean I can still make money and do less work? That's all I [00:24:00] heard. Like, wow. It had never even occurred to me that that was a possibility in my reality. The decision that I struggled to make for months, that I ended up being forced to make anyway, ended up being the one that bought me back my time, which is what I wanted.
Of course, not how I wanted. And Not to mention, his injury didn't just change my career track It also changed his. I'm sure you might have caught me referring to the fact that he was an active duty soldier. Yeah, I am very pleased, very proud, very happy to report my man is free at last, free at last.
Thank God almighty, we are free at [00:25:00] last. Oh, we are civilians, y'all. We are no longer military affiliated. Now, he is still an honorable veteran. Okay? Put some respect on that. But baby, we are free of the shackles of Uncle Sam, and you can hear that grin in my face, okay? It has been a long, long, long time coming And we here now But that came with an ultimate lifestyle change, one that wasn't easy at first.
It was a little rocky in the beginning, but we have been thriving for over a year now, and that is, or that was my first nod that we were back in alignment, at least career-wise. Because everything we said we wanted one [00:26:00] day, I looked up and it was sitting right in our laps Next step Location.
Up until now, our location was always predetermined by forces outside of ourselves. What do I mean by that? I had moved around a lot as a child. I think I've talked about that before up here. High school was the first time I went to the same school for more than one year. And then after I graduated high school, went off to college, I got married and married somebody in the military, or someone who then joined the military, and we had to move
So, in all of the places that we had been, all the places I had ever lived, was never of my own free will. And I don't mean like this man dragging me around the world. Like, no.I'm just saying the places, we never got to pick the places. There was always a determining factor, whether it's my mom moving for work or h- the military telling us to [00:27:00] move.
It was never our choice. And that injury, Malik getting hurt didn't just buy us more time, it bought us autonomy over our geographic location, which was new territory for us. Astrocartography and traveling played a major role in planning our next move, and if you don't know what astrocartography is, highly recommend you look it up if you're into that type of thing.
If you're not, no pressure. But essentially, we came to the conclusion that this city, nor this country, if we're being completely honest, feel like home anymore We already have our next location picked
and, you know, it's taken a lot of time, a lot of planning, a lot of strategizing because there's no one orchestrating this move for us like they have been for the past 12, [00:28:00] 13 years that he was in the military. This is us doing what we want on our own terms.
But of course, I'm still a type A Virgo, okay? The, the details need to be, you know what I mean? the T's crossed, I's dotted So it has been something that has been in the works for a long time We are actively in the process of immigrating elsewhere. And for most people, moving your family abroad seems very scary, and it is.
But it's one that we've done before because if you're new here, we have lived in Italy for three years. Uh, Hawaii is obviously a state, but we lived there as well, and it might as well be its own world. It's six hours to fly anywhere from there, so it literally is its own world in the middle of the ocean.
We've lived there. You know, we've, we've moved all over. I lived all up and down the East Coast as a child. [00:29:00] So, you know, picking up and starting over somewhere new is not new for us as a family unit. although moving abroad permanently this time for most people would be scary, and it, it is a little scary if I'm being honest, the reality of staying in America is even more scary to me And most importantly, y'all, if you've been thinking about it, let me just be-- let this be your reminder that our ancestors have been doing it for centuries, moving for better opportunities.
Whether you are a FBA, and a very proud one at that, your peoples moved from the South to the North, and that's how your people ended up in New York, or whether you, your people migrated here from the Caribbean, whether your people were taken
In the age of misinformation, it [00:30:00] is your responsibility to make sure that you are not being willfully ignorant to the reality of where we are as a society in America. Educate yourself on your options. If you don't know where to start, hell, take a DNA test.
Figure out where your people actually come from. See what life is like in those countries. Do they have anything to offer you, like a residency, a visa, a passport? Because I know we talked about time being money last season, but let's be honest, having options, international options are the new currency.
Having an exit strategy in case shit hits the fan and, um, in 2026 when I'm recording this, any of the news cycles will tell you that shit has hit the fan. Yeah. Make sure you know your options. Another thing I would say if you didn't know [00:31:00] where to start, talk to your elders. Find out why your people ended up where you were born.
Do you even know? What was the mission for your family, for your bloodline? Has that mission been complete? Did we lose the plot? Did your grandparents move to that city so that so and so could be a nurse or so and so could work at the factory and do this? And what, what was the family goal? Why did you end up where you started?
Can that family mission, that lineage mission, can it be complete if you stay where you are? Those are all of the questions that I asked myself before committing to the decision to move my family overseas permanently Once I realized that the mission that my ancestors set out on could no longer be fulfilled in this place, I knew geographically that we were out of alignment [00:32:00] This is not new to me or my bloodline.
I am only the second generation American. I have not one, not two, not three, but all four of my grandparents are immigrants. They came to the United States of America for a better life for themselves and for their children, and they knew what they wanted that to look like.
Andyou know, everybody talks about being the curse breaker and, you know, the one that shakes it up, but are you really willing to shake it up? Because I'm the one in my lineage to look back, step back out of the matrix and say, "Wait a minute. I think we've lost the plot." And I think if all four of my grandparents,
God rest their souls. all of them are gone except for one If they knew what I knew, if they had the resources and opportunities that I had to take back [00:33:00] home to their countries to live a better life, a slower life, I know that they would take it. So I owe it to them to live out the dreams that they couldn't in the place that they called home, All in all, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. The opportunities that my family needs to ascend to the next level, they're not gonna find us in Columbia, South Carolina, and we knew that. So making the decision to leave for good was just that much easier.
But we'll discuss more at a later time. I want to bring you guys along on that journey with us. But until then, last area that needed realigning was my relationships. The past two and a half years, I have been so focused on [00:34:00] family, specifically the one that I'm building, because as you can hear, it became my world.
My husband, my son, like, they needed me equally. Everything else had to get put on the back burner. And with the career blocks finally out of the way for both of us, our marriage finally had the space that it deserved to breathe and evolve without the shackles of the military, without the hustle and bustle of me running around town showing houses and going to inspections and negotiating contracts in beds late at night.
We were both different people than we once were. The things we wanted became different. The way we approach new connections with others is different, and it all goes back to location Some of what I had to unpack about my connections [00:35:00] and how I was out of alignment in them during this time was I had to really ask myself, "Why do I make the connections that I do?"
I took it all the way back to grade school when I realized that every single friend I have ever made was made from a place of survival. What I mean is that I was a girl that moved around a lot, like I said, different schools until high school, married someone whose job made us move every three years.
So I walked into every single connection from a little girl up until my late 20s from a place of, "I'm here for a good time, not a long time. I don't know how long I'm gonna be here, so let's go deep and let's do it fast." And I have since learned that that is the quickest way to burn the flame of the connection.
And now that we have full control over not just our location, but our time spent at that location, I no longer have to feel forced to [00:36:00] rush connections, which is why they can start off so intense and impactful in my life, and then they're even more
impactful when they end because it's just like we came in hard and fast as friends. We know everything about each other, and then when we don't, it's like a piece of my heart is missing, you know?
I can finally take my time and examine how the current connections around me fit into what I'm creating for myself. And in doing that, naturally, some connections don't survive, and that's okay. I needed to go through the grief of mourning those connections, along with the version of my life that I thought they would be a part of.
This season of my hiatus has also kind of been a season of isolation for [00:37:00] me because my immediate family, my immediate life required so much of me. There was, there wasn't really much left to give, and when I did have more to give, I looked up and there was nobody to really give it to. You know what I mean?
And this season of isolation has allowed me to completely silence the outside noise. The only voice I hear is my own. And I'ma be honest, y'all, I thought I lost her for a while, but I fought long and hard so that she could be heard, so much so that I put a mic back in front of her, okay? We are back. I am so back.
I feel so good
Through it all, I knew deep down that returning to this space, to the Melanated Mindset, to [00:38:00] what we've built together over these years was my ikigai, because I kept feeling called to speak and share the lessons that I've learned during this time. I just had to get clear on our direction, and most importantly, I needed my time back.
But I promise y'all, the wheels never stopped turning. I was solidifying not only who I am, but how that connects with the brand identity. Even though I took a social hiatus, I have never been more present with myself. Getting back into alignment was just the first steps. Next was how I plan to stay in alignment, and for me, that looked like grounding myself in my wellness practices.
Journaling and yoga have been my go-tos for years, literally since I started this podcast, honestly. It's about the time I started my spiritual journey. I became a mom. Y'all know the whole spiel. If you've [00:39:00] been here from the, from the beginning, you know. You know how we got here And I had to really ground myself in those practices, so much so that I am working on some very special things to integrate them into my everyday life and maybe even yours.
Stay tuned. But behind the scenes, I was truly in the process of just stacking my first dominoes, and I knew from doing research, I knew that this was my ikigai right here, right now. This is my ikigai
And getting in alignment was the first step, which meant the second step was protecting my IP. That was my f- my first concrete step
Because yeah, you see that registered trademark logo at the end of the name. Maybe you haven't noticed. Take a look
It is official I own this. We own this. This is ours. [00:40:00] IP, and if you don't know what IP is, it's intellectual property. It is the only thing that we will actually own in the very near future in this subscription-based digital world. Think about all of the things that we used to own, you buy it one time, it's yours, that we are now forced to rent.
Movies, music, systems. When's the last time you tried to use Microsoft Office? They used to just pay for it. They used to just come on the computer. It's a subscription now. I know y'all heard about them printers that you need a subscription for, or the Oura Ring that you pay $500 for and need a subscription to read the data from your $500 investment.
I refuse for my ikigai to be licensed by anyone other than me
[00:41:00] Or my kids
So yeah, I had to run and go trademark that, and I got a couple cease and desists to send out now, 'cause that's also what I've been working on in this off-season. Life has been hectic, life has been crazy, and we have only scratched the surface. But one thing I was doing was making sure that I was prepared so that when luck finds me, oh, it's up from here.
And I learned a lot in the trademarking process. It's a very long process. It took about a year. What's crazy is I secured the trademark in February of 2025, days before Malik got injured. I was so excited to get ready to jump back in and start recording this season a year ago, and then everything had to get put down.
But it's done, and I did [00:42:00] it for the low. So if you have a business that you are trying to trademark, hit me up and I will tell you how I did it without spending thousands and thousands of dollars, because yeah, I did some consults, and trademark attorneys do want thousands and thousands of dollars. I am here to tell y'all, I own my trademark.
I did not pay thousands and thousands of dollars, and I did it very legally. Let, let me put that out there. But if, if you need some trademarking tips on how to get it done, save money, hit me up and I'll put you on
This episode was not supposed to be this long, but it's, it's been a while. It w- we were short last week. This week I wanted to really give y'all some meat and potatoes. You know what I mean? So here we arekeeping on the theme of wellness,
[Herb of the Week]
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I would like to introduce herbs of the week. And this week's herb of the week is mullein leaf
Few studies suggest that mullein [00:43:00] leaf may act as an expectorant, helping your body clear out mucus, offer anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, soothe irritation in the throat and airways.Ease dry coughs. You know, it's just an all-around good herb to have.
I like to use mine in a tea. Usually I'll mix it with, like, some spearmint, and it's just really, really good, especially the cold months are soon upon us. Flu season is soon upon us. It's something that I keep in rotation. I make a big pitcher of it. You can drink it hot, you can drink it iced, and it just helps, you know, keep that nasal passage clear.
And we all know that mucus is what brings the viruses, the germs into your body, so getting rid of that mucus keeps everything clear and keeps you healthy. So that is the herb of the week maybe you can implement into your wellness practice
[Closing]
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Now, [00:44:00] I have said all of those things to say that operating out of alignment for so long caused me to hear the noise above myself, and that is gonna be a reoccurring theme this season as we go through these pillars, because like I said, I was just out of alignment in so many areas of my life simultaneously that we gotta break it down one by one, and then y'all will get the big picture.
It wasn't until I, uh, really sat down and mapped out my Ikigai chart and did some honest reflecting that I found the courage to go after the life that I wanted And I am here to say you can do that too. If you don't know where to start, maybe try like I did. There's a link in the description for a free Ikigai chart that maybe I hope will be helpful to you.
It definitely was helpful in helping me find my [00:45:00] way back, like we talked about last week
my intention for this episode was to be your reminder that alignment is in fact the assignment And on that note
That's where I'll leave you today. If something in today's conversation resonated with you in any way, do your girl a favor and make sure that you rate and review the show on whatever platform you're listening on. It really helps me out because it tells the algorithm that people actually want more content like this, and it helps us grow our tribe.
Oh, and while you're at it, please share this episode with anybody that you think needs to hear the message. And lastly, as if I'm not giving you enough to do, make sure that you're following The Melanated Mindset on socials so you never miss what's coming next. Until next time, stay conscious, stay grounded, and remember, the work isn't becoming someone new.
It's remembering who you've always been. [00:46:00] This is The Melanated Mindset, a Ground Guide Collective production