#but OH MY GOD i am soooooo in love with CoS just from the campaign book i cannot WAIT for our first session

[dante-and-dragons]

OH! I never posted about it, but my first ever campaign (The Order of the Owlbears) which was running for four years ended recently, which is pretty cool.

And I am starting a Curse of Strahd campaign with some people who I don't know but who will be going to college with me next year. Which is also pretty cool!

And, along with continuing my second campaign (The Lunch Bunch—which needs to be renamed), I will be running a creepy circus oneshot with the people from The Owlbears plus a few others.

[prmaven]

4 years ago this day, I left home with a suitcase to go to work at that major financial services firm in Newark, NJ ... I had been asked by a colleague to assume responsibility for a quick overnighter to DC for a project we had been working on.

When I arrived at work that morning, nothing seemed different but that day would change the course of my life for the foreseeable future.

About an hour in, I was called and asked to meet the individual I used to report to in a conference room on the sixth floor.

By this time, I had been employed for the company for over 15 1/2 years and had been promoted five times. And I loved what I did and I was stellar at it too.

But new management wanted its own crew and to my dismay, the way I had earned my livelihood for the last decade and more, was snatched away.

That fateful day, I was told my role had been eliminated in such a glib and callous manner that I knew it would be challenging for me to ever place my life /livelihood in the hands of another.

It’s ironic, that former supervisor re-hired a woman that had left the company after cursing me out publicly in a meeting but she was not a woman of color so I guess rules were still different.

So, yes, I went home humiliated and in tears and I cried rivers because my losses didn’t stop there. It seemed both personal and business relationships that I thought were loyal also dissipated too. My world as I knew it just kept crumbling and I felt like I had failed, lost, was abandoned by those I loved, broken even.

After I couldn’t cry anymore, I began to travel far and wide and heal myself. I drew even closer to my faith and wouldn’t stop praying for answers. I read a lot and I learned how to enjoy my own company. I took time to remind myself what made me happy and what made me tick.

A few months later, a friend and I established a virtual PR firm called Metropolis Group US/Global Connect. It’s been challenging, we’ve earned clients and we’ve lost accounts too. It’s not for lack of trying — it’s just building awareness takes time and most individuals don’t have the time nor the resources to sustain the campaigns they want and need. I won’t give up though because my faith tells me that it’s only a matter of time before the appropriate client shows up and out.

I didn’t stop there either because I had time and energy to use. After walking out of an interview (yes, I did it) because I felt marginalized and disrespected by the interviewer, I got into a cab crying my eyes out telling God I know he takes care of babies and fools and I was no baby so I was going rest in him because I was lost and now feeling a bit suicidal.

Listen, I am an overachiever, never really experienced personal failure except for divorce. So all of this loss felt foreign and sickening. I started not to care about anything and became further and further depressed. But I never stopped praying.

That day, after walking out the interview, I got home and the tears wouldn’t stop AGAIN. I kept praying and God answered in a big way. I was shown CNN’s segment about Styles P’s juice bar, Juices Forlife and my life changed immediately.

Fast forward to March, 2016 with the help of my daughter and our attorney, we established the business. My son developed the logo and took care of securing appliances & equipment.

And then after a year of fighting with contractors, and getting invaluable guidance and support from the SBA, SBDC and Lisa Ennis, my NYC Small Business Services Advocate we officially cut the ribbon to open The Nourish Spot on September 9, 2017!! It’s a sorta kinda anniversary today too 💯

I am soooooo proud of me, my children, Jade and Owen, and our employees especially John and Sebastian and Amina (they hold longest tenure).

The Nourish Spot will open at 11 am TODAY because I am now a coach and mentor for WE NYC and will serve as a panelist for • Is it your dream to open a restaurant or food business in NYC?

Join us at the event between 9-12 TODAY to learn how to make your dream a reality.

Experts from ConEdison, Anita’s Coconut Yogurt, King Street Baking Co. and me will share experiences at 11 am, plus the NYC Department of Small Business Services will be on hand to share free resources to help you open your business.

Learn more and RSVP: https://bit.ly/2P1NFy4

I am so grateful today! And God is not through with me yet, I am working with some friends on the following ventures — The Prud3nt Planner, LLC and Harlem Born and Raised Productions!! Watch out world, we are coming to assist you!!

Oh yes, God gets all the glory today!! #gratitudepost #wenyc #aboutMYbusiness #unicornstatus #aboutHerBusiness