Just Me —
Storyteller,
Restorative Justice Circle Keeper,
Life Transition Counselor
Supporting people in integrating the parts of their inner child they believe are "too much" or "unworthy" that have been silenced or abandoned in order to feel safe in this society.
A small town country girl from Thibodaux, Louisiana. A home to the Chitimacha & Houma Nation Native people, who were some of the original Stewards of this Land. A city belonging to Lafourche Parish and nestled along the banks of Bayou Lafourche, 50 miles Southwest of New Orleans. Thibodaux- A French word meaning bold and brave, is where I grew up and lived for most of my life. In 2014 I was guided by the courage of my Ancestors, to leave my home and I migrated to Chicago, Illinois. While living in Chicago, I started working at Cook County jail, which at that time was named the largest single-celled jail site in the US. It housed 9000 individuals living behind bars and 3000 staff members….a small city. Out of the 9000 individuals behind bars, 90% were people of color - Black and Latinx specifically. While working here I soon realized that this was a place where the trauma was so loud, it was giving voice to my own trauma. It awakened a pain in me that was so deeply embedded into my DNA, it was invisible to the naked eye. I couldn’t explain away the pain and the anger. I didn’t have words for these emotions that no longer laid dormant within me.
Our collective suffering in this place was so rich, it spilled over into our daily interactions with each other, it rattled the jail cells, dominated our work culture, and followed us home. These emotions needed attention, this pain needed to be heard, but none of us knew the words that needed to be spoken. At times the suffering was so intense, I believed I was losing my mind.....and in a way I did lose my mind and everything I thought I was. The roles and identities that I'd held on to for so many years, were finally crumbling under the weight of the stress. That's when the real inner work began.
The wisdom that emanated from within soon led me down a roller coaster path of experiences and emotions that guided me closer to a journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance & a reclamation of the practices and prayers that I needed for my own healing. As I began studying emotional intelligence and trauma integration, I quickly began to realize that this journey was deeper than learning cognitive concepts of healing, this wisdom already lived in my body through my lived experience. The healing path lead me to re-member that as a descendant of the Yoruba tribes of Benin & Nigeria, I come from a long lineage of Storytellers, Root-Cause Practitioners, Circle Keepers, & members of Tribal Counsel who helped to restore peace and wellbeing in the community during times of transition, loss, great change, disaster, and conflict. I now do that same restorative work of my ancestors and the ancestors of this land. This was a continual process of death, transformation, and rebirth of my old self and the parts of me that were no longer serving my highest good. A Heroic Journey; in which I continue to access my strength and inspiration from tribal art forms passed down to me from generations of ancient traditions, forms, and techniques that live in my body.
With the loving and constant support of my community, my Ancestors, and the ever-present wisdom in Nature, I was guided deeper and deeper into the most courageous and edifying journey of my Life….the Journey to align with the Feeling of Freedom.