the story
When a dream becomes reality, it feels so special. You start with a little seed that requires all the tending you could possibly give it and you just keep going, hoping that one day it’ll all pan out the way you planned…
As the women streamed into Radiate What’s Real, my sold out anniversary event last weekend, my heartbeat sped up. Creating community spaces for black and brown women to gather in healing and movement has always been a huge goal, and now it was being fulfilled. I gazed around at the beautiful circle of black women — the fact that they were waiting for me to get started because I put this thing together (!!) made me smile. I began the guided journal prompts I’d prepared.
“What is a story you’re currently telling yourself that might be holding you back?”
Y’all know me, I be going for the hard hitters. As the guided journal session continued, I saw each woman begin to uncover an unhelpful narrative about themselves and sort through it. Honestly, some really brave stuff. The session came to a close and I invited everyone to share anything that came up, if they felt comfortable. More people than I expected began to voice their experiences, thankfully feeling that the space around them was safe to do so.
Then for the complete vibe switch. If any of you have taken my class, you know it’s a good one to use for releasing mental gunk through physical movement. So that’s what we did ☺️ The girlies were strong AF! It was 90 degrees outside, the air conditioner was working as best it could, and a woman (me) with a playful smile on her face was telling them to sit one inch lower as if the move wasn’t already hard enough. True determination from these ladies and I was absolutely living for it.
It all went by way too fast. Soon everyone had their goodie bags in hand, smiles on their faces, chitchatting amongst themselves about where they were headed next. I saw some people exchange information, which is always the best. And just like that, Radiate What’s Real was over.
the lesson
Find a way to do what you love. I’ll tell you right now, nothing has made me happier this year than pulling off my first community event. It felt so good to step back and find gratitude in the fact that I did that, and this event was only the beginning. The work it took to get to a place where I could sell out an event because people trusted in what I was providing was a bit of a rollercoaster, but it was totally worth it. It may take awhile to figure out what you’re passionate about but once you do, hold on to it. It’ll make life that much sweeter.
The Universe will show you when you’re in alignment with your purpose. The funny part about putting on this event is that I never once got that nervous. Not before or during. Now, I can teach a barre class any day. Finding a photographer, reaching out to brands for product, buying the perfect bags, tissue paper, and cute little name tags, searching TikTok on how to properly fold tissue paper and then packing 12 personalized goodie bags were all things I did for the first time. It may have taken some work to get my little intro down and figure out just the right questions to ask for the journal prompts, but it all just kind of came together without much stress. When you’re walking in alignment with what you’re meant to be doing, the Universe will show you.
Ask for help, seriously. As my friend Imani and I debriefed the event later that day, I told her I must’ve been getting old. I’d packed each goodie bag by myself, careful to handwrite the name tags, cut each tie the same length, allocate the shea butter jars, latte samplers, and granola bars to each bag and make sure the leggings were the right size for each person. It all came at the expense of my lower back, which was hurTING well into the next day.
“I walked into that room and said ‘now I know Ayorinde packed all these bags herself’ so next time, you need to ask for some help!” Imani said.
She was right, lesson learned!
the light
I did it, and it felt even better than I could’ve imagined. I achieved my dream of providing space for people to grow, learn, and move their bodies. A space for them to connect and leave with a new friend. A space to tune in to themselves, even if just for two hours. I couldn’t have asked for a better moment or better people to spend that afternoon with. To everyone who joined, thank you so, so much for believing in Bright-Eyed Joy.
And on that note, go after your dreams. Just do it. I believe in you, and the next step is for you to believe in yourself. I don’t care how corny the idea sounds or how unrealistic you think it is. It starts with a step, a leap of faith, and some consistent work. Next thing you know (lol jk this stuff can take awhile) you’ll be like me, skip-walking down the street with a huge grin on my face after finishing out the best day I’d had all year.