Back to It!

Hi friends,

I’m back to updating the website after several months of self-care! Since releasing my book “Who Are You: Elevating Civil Service” in May, I’ve still been supporting my ever inspiring partner, Emma G, and never stopped following current events and sharing about critical (and accurate) news with my ever-relevant commentary. :) I’ve also participated in a couple events to connect with others, build my brand, and hone my message. In October, I attended a conference hosted by Marsha Guerrier and Women On The Rise New York, where I met some fabulously motivating women, like Dr. Stacie NC Grant, Sheniqua Johnson RN, and Sarah Madras (wait that is my aunt!) Vera Moore and Bershan Shaw were there too. Look for their television talk shows in coming months!

Also in October, I attended a local event hosted by 202Creates, where I consulted brand management specialist, Bailey Sessoms, who helped me come up with a brand statement for myself. I am now “YOUR Organizational Life Saver: cultural healer and catalyst for social progress regarding race, gender, and class through HIP Tools and Talks.” Oh yeah, and I modified my signature system approach from CF-MOP to HIP, which stands for Heal, Inform, Progress. This is based on encouragement from Sarah Madras and others, to be less alarmist and focus more on healing. Let me know what you think!

Mostly what I have been doing though, is focusing on BEING better. Most of us think about being BETTER, which relates to our actions and the intent behind them; yet BEING is about inner peace, grace, general attitude toward life, and the wellbeing of our soul, which I didn’t believe existed for most of my life. I’m a work in progress, yet I’m making some adjustments that are improving my wellbeing. First, I got off coffee. It’s a for-real drug. I had one the other day and I was very noticeably turned into a hyperactive nine year old who couldn’t stop singing, whistling, and drumming on things. Real quick, I wanna mention that I haven’t done any other drugs either, since I’ve gotten that question a couple of times. Second, I did some traveling, both on my motorbike, and in a motorhome, that grounded me in that way we all need at least once a year. Third, I’ve devoted more of my time to creative activities like gardening, painting, and cooking (while getting my BMI down closer to where it should be!). And fourth, I’ve dug deep into reading. I mean a lot of reading, in fact studying, especially in ancient history, mythology, and scripture, which I believe is helpful knowledge during these crazy times. What ways are you taking care of yourself?

Other than that, work continues on our HIP products as well as books 2 and 3, so stay tuned for more updates, and our Annual Report next month (holy moly, its been a year! Finally I want to apologize to you if you have emailed me and I have not gotten back to you. Please forgive that I had to shut the email off for a time, and let this work go completely while I restored my sanity and my sense of purpose. I will be climbing back into the ol’ inbox life again, and responding shortly and punctually from now on.

Peace, Love, and Light,

Mark