← Affirmations for Black Girls
Affirmations for Black Girls
427 | Healing Old Wounds and Finding Joy at 31 | Happy Birthday To Me ✨
00:34:45
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- [00:01]
Tyra
Y', all, Do y' all feel that breeze in the air? The weather is starting to cool down and the days are getting shorter, and I want my apartment to feel like a cozy little retreat, y'.
- [00:10]
Bria
All.
- [00:11]
Tyra
That's why Wayfair has been my go to and September is my birthday month, y', all, and I always take the opportunity to pour some extra love into my space. Y' all know how I am. So I just upgraded my kitchen with bar chairs from Wayfair, and let me tell you, y', all, they complement my new wallpaper so perfectly, and they add.
- [00:28]
Bria
The perfect pop of color.
- [00:29]
Tyra
Now every time I walk past, I stop and I smile. It's those small details that pull the whole room together and make it feel like me. That's what I love about Wayfair. It doesn't matter if you're into bold statement pieces, neutrals, or you just want a subtle seasonal touch. They've got a huge curated selection that fits every budget and every vibe, plus free and fast shipping, even on the big stuff. My chairs came in two days, and with fall creeping in, I've been inspired to keep layering in cozy touches like candles, throw blankets, and little accent pieces that make my place feel even warmer. So now is the perfect time to cozy fy your space before fall really starts to settle in. From warm bedding and autumn throw pillows to espresso machines for that perfect homemade latte, they've got everything you need to make your home feel like a safe space that you deserve. So cheers to another year, another cozy refresh, and and a little more Wayfair Sparkle. Cozify your space with Wayfair's curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates. From comfy recliners to cozy bedding and autumn decor. Find it all for way less@wayfair.com that's W A Y F A I R.com Wayfair every style, every Home so let me ask you guys a couple of serious questions. Do your joints feel older than you? And do you really know what's going on inside of your yeah, me either, y'.
- [01:56]
Bria
All.
- [01:56]
Tyra
Now y' all know whenever I go home to Louisiana, family time is everything to me. When we're all together, I'm always so grateful for that quality time. It always reminds me to take care of myself so that I can keep making memories with the people I love for years to come. And I'm ready to get even more serious about that. So I just learned about TRU Diagnostic and their True age Truhealth test, y'.
- [02:21]
Bria
All.
- [02:21]
Tyra
This Ain't nothing like a grade school test. Okay, but the more research I do on it, the more I'm interested. Did you know that a single painless finger prick at home can lead you to over 180 personalized insights into your health and how you're aging? On one hand, TruHealth runs tests to look over 100 biomarkers, which is stuff like your vitamin levels and nutrient balance, your immune system, and even stuff like gut and cognitive health. On the other hand, truage goes even deeper, y'.
- [02:52]
Bria
All.
- [02:53]
Tyra
Their test shows your biological age, which is the pace of your aging. And it shows how important organs and systems like your heart, your brain, your liver, and your immune system are aging. Which means I'm 30 years old, and my biological age could be more than 30, or it can even be less than 30 years old. And this test will help to show me where I'm at. So this is a full snapshot of how your body's really doing on the inside. And with an easy to read report and personalized recommendations, I honestly feel like.
- [03:25]
Bria
This is a tool that can help.
- [03:27]
Tyra
Me actually stay on top of my health and put energy into the right habits where I'm not just guessing all the time. So if you want to dig a little deeper, and if you're serious about living healthier and longer, visit truediagnostic.com and use my code affirmations for 20% off your entire order or subscription. That's truediagnostic.com code affirmations for 20% off YOUR future self will. Thank you.
- [03:54]
Bria
When I was in the fifth grade, I had a birthday party, and I invited all of my friends at the time and no one came. Well, there were still people at the party, but no one showed up for me. My brother and I shared parties growing up. His birthday is September 12th and mine is the 14th. So naturally, our parents had them together, which I have now grown to love. But at 10 years old, it wasn't my favorite thing. My parents would buy us both a set of invitations, and that was the number of people that could attend the party that year. We each had a pack of 12 cards, and none of the 12 people that I invited showed up. Now, of course, we can't blame kids. It could have been a lot of things. The parents said they couldn't go or whatever the case may be. But I was in fifth grade, and that feeling stayed with me for a very long time. I told you guys back in 2023 that my therapist made me have a party for my 29th birthday. So I did. And a lot of healing took place, because that party back in 2005 traumatized me. It made me believe that no one would show up for me if the reason for celebration was just me. And for the longest time, I didn't really want to touch that icky part of my childhood. I mean, I went to extreme lengths, y'. All. One time, I even had my birthday party the following February, which was my sweet 16, to be exact, just so I could be happy on the day and not worry. Because in my childlike mind at the time, it wasn't truly still my birthday. So if people didn't show up, it wouldn't hurt as bad. People showed up for me then. But that party in 2005 started something that I'm still getting over to this day. And as I enter my 31st year of life, I am more and more grateful for my family each and every day. Powerful. Few things are as powerful. What is going on, beautiful people? You are listening to the Affirmations for Black Girls podcast, where we focus on personal growth and cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves. I am your host, Tara, the creative actress, content creator, and mental health enthusiast. And you guys, your girl is 31. Oh, my gosh. I am 31 years old. My birthday was on September 14th, so I've been 31 for a couple of days now, you know, and this. I always want to make sure that I leave room in our podcast schedule for me to just give my open reflections on how I brought in my personal New year. So that is what this episode is going to be about. And the one thing that I will say is I have truly. I'm still at home, by the way. I have truly been enjoying being back in Louisiana, and a lot of things can happen in a month. This has been. This has been fun. It truly has. But before we dive into my birthday and what's been going on, let's go ahead and jump into our affirmation of the week. This week's affirmation is I choose to celebrate who I am becoming, not just who I've been. Let's go ahead and drop in, y'. All. I choose to celebrate who I am becoming, not just who I've been. I choose to celebrate who I am becoming, not just who I've been. I choose to celebrate who I am becoming, not just who I've been. I choose to celebrate who I am becoming, not just who I've been. I choose to celebrate who I'm becoming, not just who I've been. Let's Go ahead and say it one last time together. I choose to celebrate who I am becoming, not just who I've been, y'. All. This year has been a little. A little icky and weird for me, but not because I didn't think people wanted to celebrate me. It's because there is. Well, this is exactly why I chose this affirmation for this week, but it's because there's a lot in life that I wish I had accomplished by now that I haven't. And looking at what I don't have, especially as a woman who is from the south, has filled my heart with a little bit of sadness. And I am currently in the process of learning how to work through that icky feeling in this new season of life that I'm in. So this year for my birthday, and my birthday just passed, I wanted to spend it at home and really reconnect with my family and celebrate with the ones who always show up. Because what I did mention in the intro story is that my family was at that party. They're always there. It was the friends part, the friends that I so desperately wanted that didn't show up. And of course, there is a little more to the story, but I'm choosing to celebrate who I am becoming because even though I'm not where I thought I would be by 31, I'm still a dope person. And my family thinks I'm dope. So why should I think anything less? So with that, I say I am choosing to celebrate who I am becoming, whoever that person is, and not just look in the rearview mirror over and over at who I've been. So I know a lot of y' all are probably like, Tyra, what is the deal, honey? Let me start at the top. I just want to run y' all through my experience with parties. So my party in 2005, I'm in fifth grade. How old am I? I'm 11. I turned 11 that year. So, yeah, 10, 11 years old. And long story short, that party at school, I had just started trying to hang out with new people. A couple of my friends had moved away and started going to other schools. So I needed to find a couple of new friends. So I did that. And the people that I started to try to friend weren't the type of people that I would, I was about to say, play with, that I would hang out with in this, like, as this Tyra. So I was very interested. I was very, like, curious as to why my 11 year old brain was like, oh, I want to be friends with these people, not because they're bad people, but in a general sense, they were students who didn't make the best grades. They were. Some of them were mean girls, and I desperately wanted to be accepted. So a lot of them I invited to the party were in that group. And since they were newer friends, maybe their parents were like, who is this girl inviting you to this party and why is she inviting you there? I don't know their parents. It could have been all types of stuff. We're 10 and 11 years old. So the reason I was so upset at that party is one, because nobody came for me from my invitation set. But I remember me and my brother sitting at the dining room table, and we were literally going down our list, like, who we gonna invite? Cause we only have 12 invitations each. Who are we gonna. And I remember saying, okay, pj, well, can you invite this person? Because we're friends, Both of them, Because I need to give all my cards to these people over here. And he was like, okay, I'll give one of my cards to one of my friends who did end up coming. And she was the only one who came for me. But my 11 year old brain was like, well, she didn't come for me because she got one of PJ's invitations. So my friend Courtney was the only one that came to my birthday party that year that was like, my friend. And we still had a good time, but I definitely did have to go inside. And I cried for a long time. And my mom was like, okay, draw your eyes, because we still got a party. And I mean, I still make the best of it. But, yeah, none of those people came. And I realized that it just traumatized me a little bit that no one showed up. So I don't remember a lot between fifth grade and this next party. I really don't think we had another party where we outwardly invited people because that I didn't want to invite nobody to nothing no more because y' all ain't even coming. So. Well, birthday party specifically because we actually had something called end of the year bashes. We threw two of those and people came to those. But for my birthday party, I was like, I don't want to have birthday stuff if it's for my birthday, we're not doing it because I don't need that stress. So we fast forward to my sweet 16, y'. All. I wanted to have a sweet 16, you know, my super sweet 16 was big at that time. I was like, I want to party like this. So I was nervous about It. Because again, this thing that happened when I was 11 years old. So I said, you know what? We're going to have my party in February. We rented out an event space. We. I had, like, a Hollywood themed. I had a red carpet. I had a dj. I remixed my own song. It was a very, very good time. And the only thing that kept me from being, like, nervous about it was the fact that it was in February and it wasn't in September. I went all the way from September to February to have my sweet 16, y'. All. That is how crazy I was about making sure that I was okay on the day that I was, you know, celebrating me. And it was a fun party. I had vip, y'. All. It was so fun. I really want to be able to find some video and stuff from that party because we had a party bus. We had all types of stuff going on. I drew my cake and sent it to the lady to make it. It was a three tier topsy turvy cake because those were popular back then. And I just had a really good time. I went a lot of years without having a party for my birthday. Past My sweet 16. Yeah. I want to say that was like the last party party that. That I had. And that party was just for me. It wasn't for me and PJ. I had that one separately because I was turning 16 and birthdays moving forward, I just. I just shied away from parties. I said, okay, we can do dinners, but no parties. And I. The crazy thing is I always wanted to celebrate my other friends or celebrate others. But what about me, Tyra? What about you? This is something that I have been trying to just marinate on as I get older because I'm quick to throw together a surprise, something for somebody. I love doing that. I love showing up for people in that way. And I'm just really believing, God, that more people are put into my life that do that outside of my family. I have my family, but I don't live close to my family, so that can fill in the gap. When there is a need for someone in that way in my life, whether that is a friend or look, God, my partner, my husband, like him. You know what I mean? Because one thing that I will say, my best friend Bria, y', all, she shows up and shows out for me, and I aspire to be as giving and as loving as she is each and every day. Some of the things that she does, I'm just like, oh, how do you even. How does your brain even work to think about stuff like this, because I would have never thought about this. So on my actual birthday this year, she. So our birthday party was on Saturday, and my actual birthday was on Sunday. So it was the perfect date for me and my brother to have our party, because his birthday was Friday and mine is Sunday, since his is the 12th and mine is 14. So Saturday the 13th is the perfect day for us to have a party together. And on the 14th, she was like, we're going out and doing stuff. And she had a whole day planned, and we got beignets, we went to a comedy show. We played arcade games. I just felt so loved. And I just pray that my life is filled with people who show up in that way for me, because I love to also show up for people that I love in that way. So, anyways, fast forward. I'm having dinner parties, like, you know, going out to dinner and things for my birthday, but I don't want to really want to have a party. When I was in college, this is when me and Bria first became friends in college. So we had been friends for, I guess, like, two years at the time. Bria decided to throw me something at our apartment. We lived together in college, and she decided to throw me something, and I felt weird. This was the first time where these feelings really started to bubble up for me. So she wanted to surprise me with a birthday party, and I obviously went along with it, but inside of me, I felt uncomfortable. I felt weird. I was like, oh, why are we doing something for my birthday? Oh, my gosh. But I couldn't really pinpoint where these feelings were coming from, so I kind of just pushed them to the back of my head and didn't think about it again. But I'm so glad that Bria still did that for me, because I wouldn't have done it for myself. And I just. I just love her so much for always being willing to celebrate me. And even at the time, she. I tell her this now, but at the time, she didn't know that, you know, I was going through whatever I was going through with my birthday trauma and all of that type of stuff. So I just really. I'm so grateful for her. So fast forward to my 25th birthday, y'. All. For my 25th birthday, I went to Italy. I said, you know what? I want to go to Italy. I want to do something big. This is a milestone birthday. Let's go. At the time, I was in a unhealthy relationship with the guy that I moved from Jersey to la. With. I was with him And I was like, I don't want to go to Rome alone, so who I'm gonna go with? Of course I went with him. But the entire trip was tainted by that unhealthy relationship. Still had a lot of fun, but I really want to go back and rewrite my experience of Italy to not include something like that. So then let's Fast forward to 2022. This was for my 28th birthday. I spent that one in San Diego with another guy that I was in a relationship with at the time, and he didn't have any money to celebrate me, granted. I mean, the other guy from my 25th, he didn't have any money to celebrate me either. But this guy didn't have any money to celebrate me. But he let me know that up front. I'm not, you know, he let me know that up front. But Tyra still wanted this man to go when I could have just went by myself. We had a great time, y'. All. But for my birthday dinner, I paid for it. He said, I'll pay you back whenever I get money. Which he did. He paid me back. But I fell into this not trap, but I fell into this cycle of always accepting the bare minimum, and I don't want to do that anymore. So Fast forward to 2023. I'm chatting with my therapist. I'm telling her all of this stuff, and she tells me that I must have a party. And I was like, girl, why must I have a party? I'm turning 29. Let's wait until 30. And she cut me off, and she was like, no, we're not waiting till you turn 30. You're gonna have a party this year for your birthday, and that's that, y'. All. I was like, this lady is about to piss me off. So I said, okay, you know what? I'll do it. And I was so nervous because I hadn't had a birthday party in so long. So I decided to go all out. And beignets and Bubbles was born. That was the party that really helped me start to heal my inner child and give my inner child that celebration that she so desperately wanted. In 2005, my mama flew in. Bria flew in, my line sister flew in. A couple of my other friends flew in, y' all to la. And in my head, I was like, nobody's gonna fly in for this, or I don't not. Nobody's gonna fly in for this, but I don't want anybody to. It's not that big a deal. It's just my birthday and Bria was like, stop making decisions for me. She really, like, she got. She got on me, y'. All. She was like, stop making decisions for me. Let me make my decisions by us. Let us make our decision for ourselves. How you gonna tell me that it ain't worth it to come? Let me decide? And I was like, you know what? You're right. But that stems from me being nervous about people showing up for me. So it's something that I need to work on. So I'm glad that she said that to me. And my party ended up being so fun, such a blast. I felt so loved. It was so great. I cried my eyes out the. At the end of the party. Like, I just absolutely loved every piece of it. And so for my 30th birthday, since it was another milestone birthday, I said that I wanted to go to Thailand. And I told y' all about the Thailand trip. It was beautiful. I also went on this trip with Bria and one of my line sisters, who was also at my 29th birthday party, and we had a great time. But I came to the realization on that trip that I hadn't spent my birthday with my loved ones, my family, in over 10 years. And I don't even know when the actual last time was. But I know it's been a while since I spent my birthday with family because I would come home for my mama birthday or my daddy's birthday and not mine. And I mentioned that to my brother in his birthday message. As I was in Thailand, I was just saying, like, because he was turning 29, I was like, this is the last year of your 20s. I'm scared to go to 30. I love you. And I just realized as I'm typing this that we haven't spent our birthday together in over 10 years. And I started bawling. I was like, you grow up with this person, and especially in our case, you spend all of these birthdays together, you celebrate a new chapter of life together, to just go your separate ways and just not celebrate together anymore. And for some reason, that just really struck something in me. And I was like, that has to change. And on my 30th birthday vacation to Thailand, I said, I really don't care about none of this. I want to spend my birthday with my brother, with my mama, with my daddy, with my grandma, with my pawpaws, everybody, because this is fleeting. I can always go to Thailand later in life, but I'm not going to always be able to have my immediate and extended family all in one place celebrate me. I'M not going to always have my grandparents. I'm not going to always have my mom and daddy around. I can go to Thailand later. It's not the most important thing to me. And that's why I said, you know what? We going home for 31. We celebrating it with the people who have been there since day one.
- [24:21]
Tyra
So be honest.
- [24:23]
Bria
When was the last time you walked into your space and you genuinely felt at peace?
- [24:27]
Tyra
Like no piles of laundry staring at.
- [24:29]
Bria
You, no dishes in the sink, no clutter on every surface. Just calm. Because I don't know about y', all, but when my place is in chaos, my mind feels the same way. That's why I've been looking at Homoglow as a way to give myself the reset I need before fall kicks in. Homaglow, that's home. Iglo is a top rated home service platform that makes it super easy to.
- [24:50]
Tyra
Schedule trusted local cleaners in your area.
- [24:53]
Bria
You just hop on their site, choose the time that works best for you, and they'll connect you with a background check. Hello cleaner in your area. You can even read reviews before you book. It takes about five minutes tops. And it's affordable, y'. All. It's reliable and it makes a clean home feel more doable even in the busiest seasons. And if you like it, save on.
- [25:10]
Tyra
Regular cleanings with their ForeverClean membership.
- [25:13]
Bria
Let me tell y', all, a clean home changes everything. I think more clearly, I rest more deeply and I actually enjoy being in my space. And that's what self care is truly to me. So whether your dorm is getting out of hand, your house needs a back to school reset, or you just want a refresh before holiday hosting sneaks up on you. A homoglow cleaning can take that weight off of your shoulders. Take home cleaning off your plate this fall by using Homag glow. Head to homag glow.com affirmations to get.
- [25:43]
Tyra
Your first three hours of cleaning for only $19.
- [25:46]
Bria
That's H O M E A G L O W.com affirmations.
- [25:53]
Tyra
Now, y' all know I love the host, right? So a few weeks ago I turned my apartment into an ice cream parlor and I named my ice cream parlor Honey Child. And listen y', all, when I host stuff, I do not play small, okay? I ordered a whole slushy machine and an ice cream maker which were obviously non negotiables for this event. Add in the grocery bills, the festive cups, the little details like sprinkle decals on the wall, baby. It started to add up quick. But all of those purchases weren't just for one afternoon of fun. They were also helping me invest in my future thanks to the Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa Credit Card Chime understands that every dollar counts. When you set up direct deposit, you get access to fee free features like getting paid up to two days early and access to over 47,000 fee free ATMs. Every swipe I made for this party was actually helping me build my credit score. Okay, now it feels great knowing that something as simple as hosting my friends can also contribute to my long term stability. Chime honestly lets me have it all y'.
- [26:54]
Bria
All.
- [26:54]
Tyra
I get to live my life fully in the moment and take some small steps towards a future where my credit is strong and I feel secure. So whether you're planning your own party, stocking up for the back to school season, or just making your very regular degular runs to the grocery store, don't sleep on how the little things can add up. So if you're ready to make your everyday purchases count and start working on your financial goals, listen up. Make everyday purchases count with Chime's Secured Credit Builder Visa Credit Card. Work on your financial goals through Chime. Today open an account@chime.com affirmations that's chime.com affirmations Chime feels like progress.
- [27:34]
Chime Representative
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stripe Bank NA members FDIC Spot me Eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file fees Apply at out of network ATMs. Bank ranking and number of ATMs according to US News and World Report 2023 chime checking account required y'.
- [27:48]
Bria
All.
- [27:49]
Tyra
Listen, meal prepping is hard and don't even get me started about how expensive it is to hire a nutritionist just to fig what you should be eating.
- [27:58]
Bria
My goal is always to eat right.
- [28:01]
Tyra
But I refuse to sacrifice flavor baby. And sometimes I fall off. I do hit workouts, boxing and even run the occasional 5K. But when I don't fuel my body properly, I can feel it. I'll mess around and get overwhelmed, start skipping meals and then wonder why I'm dragging through the day. And as I'm getting older, it is even more important to nourish my body when properly so I don't hurt myself. So Green Chef has low key been a game changer y'.
- [28:27]
Bria
All.
- [28:27]
Tyra
Now I know y' all have been.
- [28:28]
Bria
Hearing me talk about it lately, but.
- [28:30]
Tyra
It'S basically like Having a food coach in a box. Everything I need for a nutritious meal arrives at my door with properly packaged, fresh, organic ingredients. And the meals are balanced, but they're never boring. I actually have loved every single one that I've tried. Now I love being able to switch it up, play with ingredients that I don't use, usually buy, and actually get back into enjoying the process again. And getting the four person plan leaves plenty of leftovers for easy meal prep. For me. That's the one I like to get. Now what I'm loving most is that Green Chef helps me stay consistent even when I'm visiting family in Louisiana with a bunch of picky eaters. My mom and my brother. Everybody's happy because there's always something flavorful to try. It feels good knowing that I'm nourishing my body, but also enjoying the food and sharing it with the people I love. So if you're ready to fuel your body and keep meal time fun, head to greenchef.com 50 affirmations and use my code. 50 affirmations for 50% off your first month plus 20% off for two months with free shipping. Green Chef healthy, flavorful meals that meet.
- [29:34]
Bria
You where you are. I told my mama that I wanted to spend my 31st birthday in Louisiana surrounded by family. And she was like, really? You want to do that? And I was like, yes. I. I said I wanted a party. I wanted to party like it was the early 2000s again. Just like one of the parties that me and PJ had when we were kids. And she delivered on just that. Y', all, y'. All, My mama went all out. And now I know where I get my extra ness from because as she continues to get older and, you know, just more into her life and, you know, doing things with herself, she has gotten so into parties, hosting all of this stuff that she didn't really do much of when she was in, like, school and when we were younger. Younger. But she is in her bag with all of that. She went all out. And the most beautiful part was that my daddy was there and his new wife was there, her son, all of my grandparents were there. And everybody played a part in making this thing work for me and my brother. My grandma, which is my mama's mama, and my mama's sister, they did the decorations. My mama's new husband and my daddy cooked the food. And Kenya is my daddy's new w. She helped with the planning of all the food because she does catering and stuff. Everybody had a job and they did it the planning. There were games. They made shirts for the party. They had these super cute goodie bags. One of my older cousins, Sean, was the dj, y'. All. They even got this super cute banner maid. I posted it on Instagram, but I need to, like, make something else. But they got this super cute banner made, and I was like, this is so cute. I had a couple of my high school friends show up, and one of them ended up grabbing my camera and was taking pictures for the whole night. And I loved it. All I did was dance for five hours straight surrounded by family, and I was in heaven. There is literally no other way I would have wanted to spend my birthday. No other way. I am so happy that I got to see my brother on his birthday. I didn't see him on my birthday because he had something to do, but I was like, boy, we were supposed to be seeing each other on our birthdays, but I was able to see him on his birthday and our birthday party day, which was the next day. And then I talked to him on my actual birthday. But, yeah, I just went out with Bria and we had birthday beignets, y'. All. We went to this beignet spot and they did like a beignet flight, and Bria put candles in it, sung me happy birthday. After that, we went to this little arcade that was so fun. I played pinball and old school arcade games. So fun. And then we went to a comedy show. Now, the comedy show, it wasn't that great, but we loved it because it was a new experience and we. We still laugh about that. We went to another comedy show and saw. Saw two of the comics that was at that one. And we looked at each other and bust out laughing. I just love that girl so much. I am so blessed to have her as a best friend. There are not many people on this earth outside of family that love me like she does. And I. I'm very lucky to have somebody like her in my life, but I had a blast for my 31st birthday. I think it's very important for me to make sure that I come home and I get back to my roots and just take it all in. Because living in a place like la, you forget about the little things. You forget about the familial connections that you have, and when you get back to it, you're like, oh, shoot, why was I so worried about X, Y, and Z in la? So I don't know. I. I'm at a time in my life where I'm not really. I don't really care too much about the big trips. For real. Like, I love to travel, but if I have to choose between spending time with family and going on a trip, at this, where I am in life right now, I'm gonna pick spending time with loved ones over a trip, because the trip will always be there. So I had a blast. I didn't sit down at all, y'. All. I just screamed. I. I ate some chick, had some cake. I danced. I just felt so loved for my birthday. And then something literally last night, so. Well, let me back up. September is a very busy month for my entire family. There are so many birthdays. Literally, this weekend is. My papa's birthday is Saturday, and my. My. That's my daddy's daddy. And my mama's mama's birthday is. Well, we're having her party on Sunday, but her birthday is on Tuesday. Then two of my mama's sisters, their birthdays is during this next week as well. Again, my brother and me. And then on the 16th, two days after mine, is my cousin Jazz's birthday. So for Jazz's birthday, we went out to. She wanted to go out to the club. How is jazz? Jazz, like, 26, 27, something like that? No, she's probably like, 26. 20. Yeah, 26, I think. And we decided. They decided to go to a nightclub, and they got a section, y'. All. I ain't never bought no sect before. I am not that. I don't even go to the club, for real. So I was like, you know what? I've never done this with my cousins. I want to go out and do this. Just, you know, creating memories, having a new experience with them. So we went out. My cousin Josh bought a section, and then Jazz had the section next to us. And why did they bring. So, you know, you have to buy, like, a bottle whenever you have a section or whatever. Why did they bring out the bottle? And they have the little marquee, the lit. The light. The light marquee sign. And he said, happy birthday, Tyra, y'. All. I screamed, of course. I felt so loved. I felt so loved. And I don't. I'm not saying that being in LA means that I can't feel like that and all that type of stuff, but it's just a different type of feeling here at home. And I just. I just loved every second of it. And I'm just soaking up every second of me being home right now again. Wouldn't change my birthday this year for anything. This. It was honestly the perfect way to bring in 31 it's easy to get caught up in who shows up for you, especially when it comes to friends or people you've invited into your life more recently. But sometimes we forget the people who have always been there for me. That's my family. They've celebrated my milestones, my wins, my awkward transitions in life. Even when I didn't realize I needed celebration, even when I thought I didn't really deserve it. As I reflect on birthdays as a whole, from that fifth grade birthday party to my 31st in Louisiana, I see a pattern. Life isn't always about the big gestures or the people who didn't show up. It's about the love, presence, and effort of those who consistently show up in their own ways. My family's unwavering support has reminded me that even when plans fall apart, even when moments don't look perfect, there is joy waiting when you choose to celebrate yourself. Celebrating yourself doesn't have to be loud. It doesn't have to be extravagant. Sometimes it's just showing up unapologetically for yourself, claiming your joy, your milestones, your moments. The people who truly matter will show up. But even more importantly, you can allow yourself to let them show up. Let them people celebrate you, even when your past tells you that no one will. That fifth grade party planted a seed of fear that no one would ever celebrate me just for me. But standing in Louisiana with a chicken wing in my hand, doing the bunny hop on my 31st birthday, surrounded by my people, I felt that little girl finally exhale. I realized that I've never really been alone in the ways that I once believed. And as I move on into this next chapter, I am holding on to that so tightly. I'm holding on to that love that has been consistent, the joy that I can create for myself, the healing that comes from allowing myself to be fully celebrated, and not just by others, but celebrated by me, too. Oh, y', all, you know what time it is. It is time for our fun closing segment. And today, y', all, I have recommendation of the day. Yay. Yay. I love a good recommendation of the day. This is the one that we do so often, but it's always good and y' all be liking them, so we're going to keep it going. So today's recommendation of the day. This is something that I would absolutely love for each and every one of y' all to take part in, because it's something that I just started doing myself. I am recommending the artist way, so my friend Bria and I are starting it We. Well, we just started it this week. This was our first week. And it's a 12 week course that helps people unlock their capacity for creativity. Creativity, whether it's in art, at work or in life. But at its core, it's a great practice to access more delight, curiosity and creative inquiry within your daily life. I have been wanting to do this for a long time. There's a lot of people who have done it recently on TikTok. It was trending at one point. I have the book and the workbook and basically what you do is you go through each week and there are a series of tasks and challenges that you need to do. One of the challenges being doing morning pages every morning. That has been a little bit of a struggle for me, but I'm so excited to really dive in and really get into it. But the thing that I love about it is you have a weekly artist date and in this artist date, you just do something that feeds your creativity in some way. They don't really give too many parameters on what it is, but it's for you to get back in that creative state to pour into yourself. I have been in a space where my creativity has felt blocked a little bit. So I think this is. And as you know, I just turned 31. I think this is a great time for me to start something like this. So Bria is my accountability partner and we're having our meetings every Sunday to go over what we did this week and, you know, if we're excited about the week to come. And I just think that it's going to be so dope to do, especially with my best friend. So the book is on Amazon. You can go and grab it. I'll also link it below because I have the book and the workbook. So if you're the type of person who loves a good workbook moment, that then that is for you. So I'm linking them down in the show notes and you can check it out, grab a friend and do it together. It's honestly not that bad. The bit, the hardest part is making a habit of it. So I'm super excited and I love that I have Bria together to do this with me for the accountability. But yeah, I'm gonna keep y' all updated on that. I haven't done my artist day for this week yet because I'm still home in Louisiana. So I'm like, I really have to make time to do the things, but that's neither here nor there. I hope that you guys think about it at least. Look it up. Look into it a little bit more because I just started. Maybe I should have recommended this in like two, three weeks. I. I'll definitely bring it up again. I'll keep y' all updated on my journey with it. But I'm gonna super excited to see where this takes my creative brain, where this takes me as an artist, what it unlocks for me. I think it's going to be a very rewarding experience. So, yeah, y', all, I'm 31. I am 31 years old. That is so crazy. And life can just change in an instant. Life is just so crazy. Anyways, we'll get into that another time. I'm so glad you guys stayed to the end of the episode. That is all that I have for you guys today. I hope that you guys tune in again next week for another episode of the podcast. And again, if you are not subscribed to the YouTube channel, go over there and subscribe. This is the audio only episode, but we be doing video too. You already know. Rate the podcast. Leave us a review. I'm trying to be Apple's top 100. Okay, we don't listen. Send this to everybody. You know I want to be Apple top 100. We need to get this together, y'. All. We need to stop playing. But I love each and every one of you. Thank you so much for listening. I will see you again next week. This is affirmations for black girls. If you thought goldenly breaded McDonald's chicken couldn't get more golden, think Golder because new sweet and smoky special edition gold sauce is here made for your chicken favorites at. Participate at McDonald's for a limited time.