Affirmations for Black Girls

Episode 441: "Homecoming: Slowing Down to Reconnect with Roots, Family, and Self"

Host: Tyra The Creative
Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this reflective and heartfelt Pep Talk Wednesday, Tyra The Creative explores the rejuvenating power of “going home.” She shares her recent extended visit to Louisiana and how slowing down amidst family, familiar routines, and old memories helped her reconnect with her truest self. As the holiday season approaches, she encourages listeners—especially those far from family—to intentionally pause, reflect, and find ways big or small to honor their roots and restore their sense of belonging.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Restorative Power of Home

• Trip Home as Self-Care:
  Tyra shares how an uncharacteristically long stay in her Louisiana hometown helped her decompress and regain mental clarity after feeling “life had been a little too loud.”

  "That trip did something for me. It was good for my mind, my body, and my spirit in a way that I didn't even realize I needed. There is a peace that hits you when you go home to where you're from—a stillness, really." (07:22)

• A Slower Pace and Being Present:
  She contrasts the hurried, hustle-driven LA lifestyle with Louisiana’s gentle pace:

  "Being home for an extended stay filled every cup that had been craving familial closeness." (09:18)
  "Slowing down is how you regulate, how you reset and how you realign yourself with what is truly important in your life." (09:53)

2. Challenging the Stigma Around Rest and ‘Going Back’

• Rest ≠ Wasted Time:
  Tyra challenges the notion that returning home is regressive or unproductive. She emphasizes that it’s about returning to one’s foundation, not moving backwards.

  "Going back home isn't about going backwards. Sometimes it's about returning to the place that built you so you can remember who you were before the world told you who to be." (08:30)

• Refilling Your Emotional Cup:

  "You cannot pour from an empty cup. And sometimes that cup needs to be refilled by returning to the people, places, and rhythms that once made up your entire world before you moved away." (23:44)

3. Navigating Family Dynamics and Appreciating What You Have

• Taking the Good with the Bad:
  Tyra humorously acknowledges the challenges of family life but expresses deep gratitude for still being able to gather with her loved ones.

  "There were moments when my family got on my everlasting nerve. But even in those moments, I enjoyed the fact that I had family to get on my nerves. Because being home reminds me that you gotta take the good with the bad." (07:56)

4. Home as a Place for Identity, Culture, and Healing

• Roots as a Source of Renewal:
  Tyra describes “hometown magic”: porch conversations, regional food, sensory triggers, familiar routines, and community interactions that nurture her spirit.

  "Sometimes peace can look like... a porch conversation. And that cousin who still laughs the exact same way. Sometimes it looks like flipping through old photo albums or driving past the cornerstone that knew your order before you came in the door.” (14:19)
  "Home has a way of whispering, do not forget who you are. Remember who you are. Just like you know in Lion King how Mufasa is saying that." (15:44)

• Roots Metaphor:
  Tyra uses a tree analogy to explain her need to “drink from her groundwater”—her Louisiana roots—even while growing elsewhere:

  "My deep, deep roots are in Louisiana. Trees can take in water from the topsoil... but the deepest roots of the tree only drink from the groundwater. For me, my groundwater is Louisiana and Louisiana culture." (27:09)

5. Practical Ways to Reconnect with Home, Even from Afar

• Actionable Tips:

  • Call a family member and ask for a childhood story
  • Cook or eat a childhood meal
  • Visit a place that reminds you of home
  • Create a playlist of songs from your hometown (Tyra’s “Louisiana Bops”)

  "If you don't have time to go home ... there are some actionable steps you can take to help put you back in those modes where you can recharge." (11:13)

• Using Sensory Triggers:

  "The best way to do that is through all of your sensory triggers... Smells from home, sounds from home, foods from home, those things can always transport you back to your roots." (29:07)

6. Challenge of the Week

• Tyra encourages listeners to do one thing this week to reconnect with their roots, however that looks for them.

  "This week's challenge is to do one thing this week that reconnects you with your roots... It can be visiting a place that reminds you of who you are, or you can even create a playlist of songs from home." (24:43)

7. Reflections on Growth and Success

• Societal Pressures vs. True Fulfillment:
  Tyra references Mark Manson’s "The Subtle Art of Not Giving an F" to highlight the futility of “adding and adding” responsibilities, and how sometimes, the most courageous act is to simply pause.

  "Sometimes the most courageous thing that you can do is stop. Stop adding and start releasing, stop performing, stop proving and just breathe." (31:12)

• Rest as Growth:

  "Growth doesn't always look like hustling and collecting achievements... Sometimes growth looks like resting, sometimes it looks like remembering where you came from." (31:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family Frustrations and Joy:

  "Even in those moments, I enjoyed the fact that I had family to get on my nerves." (07:56)

• Slowing Down for Self:

  "Because I was thinking about this today, actually. I need to spend as much time at home as I can. That does not hinder my success, right?" (10:16)

• Reuniting with Roots:

  "The pace forced me to breathe and not rush. And for a moment I remember a version of myself that I hadn't seen in a while. The slower and more grounded me." (07:45)

• Returning to Peace:

  "Sometimes peace is not something that you chase. It's not something that you do, but it's something that you return to." (12:05)

• On Hitting a Wall:

  "It took me hitting a brick wall...to say, oh yeah, I need to...reconnect with things that really matter. I need to ground myself." (30:45)

Important Timestamps

• 07:22: Tyra describes the sensation of homecoming and the unique peace it brought her.
• 09:53: Critique of hustle culture’s equation of rest with weakness.
• 14:19: Sensory and emotional triggers from home (porch talks, food, local routines).
• 24:43: Challenge of the week—ways to reconnect with your roots.
• 27:09: Tree-and-roots metaphor—how to stay grounded when far from home.
• 31:12: Reflection on Mark Manson’s perspective & the courage in pausing.

Episode Takeaway

As the holidays approach and the year winds down, Tyra’s pep talk is a reminder: reconnecting to your roots—wherever or whatever “home” may be—can be a radical act of self-care. Whether with family, food, routines, or music, intentionally slowing down and honoring where you come from provides the safety, clarity, and grounding to move forward with resilience.

Remember:
"Don't lose touch of who you were and who you are now. My foundation was built in St. Francisville, Louisiana, and I'm still that little Southern country girl. ... Those things look like community, family, love. Right? Slowing down, living at a slower pace. Those things are super important to me, and I hold them very closely to my heart." (32:31)