Self-love.

In this episode, Dr. Makeba is joined by her friends Edwina Price and Maureen Mays for a crucial conversation about self-care and wellness, especially within communities of color. As we navigate through this era of self-love, it's evident that prioritizing self-care is essential for our well-being. Our guests shed light on this vital topic, offering insights that challenge traditional stigmas and offer practical guidance.

Edwina Price, a wellness advocate and health education blogger, emphasizes the importance of holistic health. She introduces the concept that wellness encompasses various aspects, including physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and financial dimensions. Edwina's passion lies in making wellness relatable for people of color, who often lack resources tailored to their specific needs. She discusses the disparity in health resources and the need for tailored solutions within communities of color.

Maureen Mays, a six-time published author and co-author of the book "Love Warriors: The Conscious Experts guide to Healing, Joy and Manifestation," adds to the conversation by sharing her personal journey towards self-care. She highlights the cultural pressure on black women to prioritize others before themselves, leading to burnout and neglect of their own well-being. Maureen emphasizes the significance of self-love as a foundation for being able to care for others effectively.

The conversation takes an insightful turn towards mental health awareness within these communities. The stigma surrounding mental health issues often prevents individuals from seeking help. The guests advocate for the importance of seeking professional mental health support, acknowledging therapy as a crucial tool for addressing mental well-being.

Throughout the episode, we reflect on the impacts of the pandemic on mental health and self-care practices. The isolation and uncertainties of the pandemic have underscored the need for intentional self-care strategies. The guests also share their personal experiences, discussing how the pandemic has affected their mental health and the steps they've taken to prioritize their well-being.

As you listen to this episode, consider your own self-care practices and how they contribute to your overall wellness. Reflect on the cultural influences and stigmas that may have shaped your perception of self-care. Take action by educating yourself and seeking support, whether through therapy, meditation, journaling, or setting healthy boundaries.

Remember, self-care is a journey, and by embracing it, we empower ourselves to thrive mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Transcript

opem: 0:00

Bridge to Nairobi. Bridge to Nairobi. Jah, Show us the light This movement phonetic the chi is kinetic You know what's up We just leveling up eternal life Children of light blessings upon you the truth and the pride Women heal Earth Cherish your worth Get us back on track like rebirth.

Dr. Makeba: 0:22

Welcome to Sol Social with Dr. Makeba and Friends, the soul nourishing podcast that takes you on a journey of spirituality self-discovery and healing. I'm Dr. Makeba, and I'm thrilled to be your guide on this metamorphic path toward embracing your purpose, trusting your intuition and igniting your inner light. In this episode, I'm joined by my friends, Edwina Price and Maureen Mays for a crucial conversation about self-care and wellness, especially within communities of color. As we navigate through this era of self-love, it's evident that prioritizing self care is essential for our wellbeing. The conversation takes an insightful turn toward mental health awareness within these communities. As you listen to this episode, consider your own self care practices. And how they contribute to your overall wellness. Reflect on the cultural influences and stigmas that may have shaped your own perception of self care. Alright. Let's talk! Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Today we have a really important conversation about self-care and wellness, particularly in communities of color. So without further ado, I'd love to introduce Edwina Price. Edwina is a native of Georgia. She's a health education blogger and a wellness advocate, community activist and influencer. She is also a wonderful friend of mine and I'm so happy to have her. Edwina.

Edwina: 1:56

Thank you so much Makeba for that wonderful introduction. First, thank you for inviting me on to your podcast with your beautiful audience. It is such an honor and a privilege to be here cause I know it's a community of love. And I wanna share that same love. I truly believe that love conquers off. And on top of that, Wellness wise, there are a lot of things that we could recognize. So Makeba as mentioned I am a wellness ambassador and essentially what I do through my business, How in the Health is I connect people with resources. So I have a concept and a theory of holistic health. And when we think about holistic health, we think about like herbal medicines and all those great things, but holistic is total so totality. I like to give attention to every area of wellness physical diet, nutrition, fitness spiritual, social financial, whatever. It is all encompassing because. In order for us to be totally healthy and totally well, we need to give attention to all those areas. That is essentially what I do. I promote health and wellness through many avenues, whether it's event hosting, connecting with people, partnering with people, published literature, volunteering, all that great stuff. That's how I put love into the universe through health and wellness.

Dr. Makeba: 3:22

I love it. One of the things that you mentioned it is that you like to focus on people of color. Can you elaborate on that a little bit more?

Edwina: 3:32

Yes. People of color, particularly African Americans, are disproportionately affected by every disease. Very, very terrible, right? But the thing is, is that we don't have enough resources that target people of color. A lot of the resources historically that have been published or they're available they aren't prepared in a way that is appealing to our community. A lot of what I do is make it relatable for, people of color. When it comes to, statistics. Like a lot of statistics when we do those longitudinal studies, there's so much stigma involved with those things. Mm-hmm. A lot of people of color won't be part of those studies. Right. So the research isn't applicable to our community. And while we're disproportionately affected by every disease, we don't have enough resources and enough people advocating for us. So times are changing. I love to partner with people who look like me to help the community that looks like me. And so that's a lot of the work that I do. I think. Everyone should be totally healthy. And I'm not biased in that area. It is just, I know people of color and being a person of color are disproportionately affected. And so a lot of my events, a lot of my resources, a lot of my collaborations, they're for people of color. One of the things that I know within our community when we talk about health and wellness, it's a small percentage of people who actually listen. So you have to find different avenues and you have to make it relatable. That is what I do through how in the health.

Dr. Makeba: 5:04

I definitely agree with that, and I know as you do, having gone through Covid over the past few years, early on in the Pandemic, we saw how obvious it was that people of color were disproportionately affected dying, not getting the care that they needed. And then also in terms of wellness, there was a hesitation in the black community for sure, to get vaccinated. Especially due to the history that we have as a people in being used as Guinea pigs A lack of trust of the government, I think really popped out as an issue and a concern, so focusing on people of color makes sense to me. I am a person of color myself as well, so I can relate. I understand where you're coming from, and that's really awesome. So I would love to introduce Maureen Mays. Maureen is a six time published author, her latest read could be found in chapter three of Love Warriors: The Conscious Experts guide to Healing, Joy and Manifestation. I'm a co-author in this book with this beautiful queen, and I'm really glad that she agreed to join us to talk about her chapter and her work. Her chapter is called Self-Care 1 0 1, which is high on our list today. Talk a little bit more elaborate on what it is that you do and, about your chapter as well.

Maureen: 6:32

Oh, well, thank you. I just wanna thank first Edwina for the information that she shared and, and just totally in agreeance in regards to the importance factor and us being of color, how it's slightly different for us. It's important for us to really have this discussion because traditionally as black women, we don't take care of ourselves first. We manage to take care of everyone else first, whether that is the children, the husband, our parents being care givers to others and our families. Everyone gets put in the front and we get tossed in the back burner. That's pretty much what I'm discussing in my chapter Self-care 101: Loving Yourself First, because in order to love all those people that I just mentioned, you have to first love yourself? We have to start teaching and learning a new narrative, which is: self-care is important and the self-care of myself is important for my ministry to be able to pour into others. So I just wanna thank you for this platform because this is a very. Important conversation that we're having.

Dr. Makeba: 7:58

Yeah. I talk about self-love a lot as well, and the fact that it's not selfish. I think a lot of times we believe that when we focus on ourselves and, and wanna be alone or wanna take care of ourselves, that. We're neglecting our responsibilities. We're not there for those folks that you mentioned, but we can't be there, as you said, if we're not taking care of ourselves, if we're not a hundred percent, we don't have what we need to give, we're gonna deplete ourselves completely, and then we're no good for anybody. So it is not selfish. It's necessary.

Edwina: 8:35

Now when we show a different practice, it's frowned upon, you know? And I think this movement of self-care is something that's essential and I'm so happy to see black women thriving in this, this movement of self-care, because now we're teaching a new way. We're teaching them that we're gonna put ourselves first. Just as Maureen said, we can't be whole, we can't be everything we need to be for those people, and we don't take care of self. And I, I know so many black women who struggle with that. The guilt of, of taking care of themselves so that they can be whole and, and they still try to give so much to other people, myself included. it is processes unlearned, you know? Yeah. So I, I think this movement is awesome. I'm so happy to see people like you saying it's not selfish. It's making sure that I improve my quality of life and add more years to my life right through putting me first.

Dr. Makeba: 9:31

And I think the more that we do it The, the more it will become accepted because our children will see absolutely that we're doing it and they'll understand that it's necessary. That is part of being a whole human, is taking care of yourself. Is, is loving yourself. So Maureen, would you please share a couple of the, the practices that you suggest in your chapter to help people understand what you mean by loving yourself first?

Maureen: 10:00

Oh, absolutely. I would love to. Getting the nails in the hair is great, but there's another side to this self-care. It could be just taking a bath and locking the door. Yeah. And not allowing the kids or explaining to the kids. Mommy needs some time. Do not knock on the door. Give me a half an hour. It's also about having the difficult conversations that you need to have so that you can have an inner peace when you move forward. Go to work, making decisions, driving in the car, or what may have you Self care is so many different things. It can also be a form of prayer. It could be a form of journaling. It can be something as simple as getting eight hours of sleep. Amen. So we definitely have to move toward understanding what self-care means to the individual. It may mean hair and nails to me, but it may mean, again, eight hours sleep to the next person and we have to get out of that definition of it's only hair and nails. It's only you know, going to the store and, and shopping and so on and so forth. Health self-care is also budgeting. Making sure that you have a budget, making sure that you have a plan for your eating habits for the week. Making sure you drink eight glasses of water. That day. So some of the things that I talk about in the chapter are those things and just getting the whole definition of self care.

Dr. Makeba: 11:50

I love that. I love that. It's so true. I mean, it's so easy to get through a whole day and forget to eat or forget to drink a glass of water, or to be so busy that you don't make it to the bathroom. I'll hold it until I finish sending these last five emails, and then you're like, wait a minute. That is so important to make time for your self care. You are taking care of your body. This human form that we have needs fuel, it needs sleep, you know, all of that. I appreciate that

Maureen: 12:27

I do wanna add one more thing, Dr. Makeba that I didn't share. I wanna also throw in therapy. Yes. Mm-hmm. That is a taboo that we don't necessarily talk about. Oh yeah. In our community, you know? Yes. That's great to have a good girlfriend that you can chit-chat and you know, child and you know, go in with, but it's even better to have a professional license to provide an unbiased opinion in regards to things that you may be going through. So again, difficult conversations.

Dr. Makeba: 13:03

Agree. Agree.

Edwina: 13:04

I'm glad you, I'm glad you mentioned that, Maureen. Yes. I was gonna add that. If, if nobody else mention it because that's another thing that I advocate for is mental wellness in our community against something that's always had a lot of stigma when it comes to those conversations. They look at it and they say, oh, that's a, that's a white person thing, and it's not, it's a maintenance. It's, it's okay to hire a professional so that you're not burdening, burdening your significant other or your girlfriend to have a professional that can actually give you tools to help you get through things. But another thing that I also wanna add, when it comes to self-care, is also taking the time to set boundaries, healthy boundaries with friends or family, or even at work, deciding that I'm not going to take my work home with me. Mm-hmm. Or maybe spending less time on social media. I know for me there was a time. Where self-care meant to me, digging really deep and forgiving the people who I felt hurt me. that was a form of self-care for me which also transitioned to self-love. So self-care again, as you said, is just deciding what works for that person and not just pey as vacations and bubble baths. Self-care means sometimes doing the difficult work, digging deeper where it doesn't feel good, so that long-term that you can thrive and, and fully flourish in every, every bit of yourself and so that you can move forward and be successful in every area of your life. So I, I love, love, love the conversation, and I cannot wait to read the chapter. I can't wait.

Dr. Makeba: 14:44

Well, the whole book is really excellent because there we've got 20. Plus authors 20 something chapters. And for each chapter it focuses on a different aspect of being a love warrior. And a lot of it has to do with being strong in, in yourself and loving yourself. And there are lots of important strategies and, and ideas about how to prioritize that in your life. We are very knowledgeable on this call. We understand that it's important, but we have to make sure that we prioritize those things as well. We have to practice what we preach and learn different techniques, cuz our way might not be the right way all the time. So continuing to learn and grow in this area is very essential. Maureen, you've written many, many books and self-care is a passion for you, but how did you get to this point? When did you recognize that this was super important? How did you get here?

Maureen: 15:44

I, I'm definitely gonna have to say that the pandemic was very instrumental. And I guess a lot of people can echo those sentiments in regards to the world stopped, right? God put the whole world on pause and we just. Kept trying to push play, but the radio wouldn't work. Right, right. And so during that time, there was a lot going on around the world, but it was a time where I was able to get quiet. I had started going back to therapy and I was trying to put some things in place like what's going on here? Yeah. Why am I having these feelings? Why am I so restless? Why am I so tired? And one of the things that me and my therapist talked about was that even in, even during the pandemic, I didn't know how to rest. I didn't know how to, Take advantage of the opportunity that there were no noise. There was nowhere to go right, and kind of dial it back and get back to me, self-care 1 0 1 and love myself first, and to do those things that I needed to do to pour back into myself. So that I could pour into others. And it was those simple things that I discussed. Starting with therapy, but I'm a writer, getting back into journaling, making that time to journal, to write, to read, to paint, to cook, to garden, yes. To have difficult conversations that I needed to pick back up. That I wasn't having those difficult conversations with. And just like Edwina said, also establishing those boundaries. Right? So that was one of the things that had me to come back to my self care because again, even in the pandemic, I actually was working three jobs. Wow. And you know, really putting some things back into perspective regarding my budget. Regarding my purpose, my intention, my goals, and that circled right back to my self-care whether I'm going to be intentional or I'm purposeful, I need to be the best me. You know, we talking about"Better me in 2023". In order for me to walk those things out, it comes right back to me and loving myself first.

Dr. Makeba: 18:20

I mean, you got me thinking about all kinds of things. My head is swirling. I remember when the pandemic first began, just the level of anxiety turned up a notch and it had a lot to do with security. Safety and in my line of work with reiki energy healing, that's all about the root chakra. And so if your foundation is rocked, all your other stuff is off. And so absolutely for at least a year, that first year of the pandemic, I felt really off. And I too sought therapy. I had to get on medication, which again is another thing that's taboo. I needed some Zoloft. I was like, praise the Lord. This is what I need to get me balanced again, because the needle had tipped so far off because of the news that I was consuming, because of the uncertainty about my job security, because of the fear of getting sick. All of those things made it very hard to be. To be still and to be focused, to enjoy the quiet solitude. I was home worried, like, oh my God, what's gonna happen? So, thank you for sharing that.

Maureen: 19:47

Oh, you're welcome and I thank you for sharing your story cause. I definitely can relate Yes. That that whole time during the pandemic was real. And we definitely need to start opening that up to have those conversations. So that people know that you're not alone. Yeah.

Dr. Makeba: 20:05

For sure. For sure. Edwina, please. I would love to hear how you got into this space. Share. I mean, I, I know a lot about you because we work together right? For, for some time, but this aspect is new for you as well. Yes. Mm-hmm.

Edwina: 20:26

So the space of self-care and self-love. How did I get into this space? Much like you guys, I experienced the trials, you know and to be very transparent, I saw it my entire life when it comes to mental health, mental illness per se. And it was always that stigma centered around it. the thing was, oh, you don't wanna be crazy like uncle so and so, you don't wanna be running around the street like, uncle so and so, so this is what you don't do. There was no education piece to it to let us know this is passed down from generation to generation and then also circumstantial and situational. All I knew is whatever I felt growing up, I had to suppress it. Okay? Mm-hmm. So that's what I did. I suppressed it because I didn't know what getting help looked like. And as I got older, became a mother dealt with relationships and all of life's transitions, all of that childhood trauma came up. And now it's right here in front of me. And I had to face it and I was like, there has to be a better way to deal with this. Okay. It has to be a better way to deal with this. So that is when I started researching. I started researching what it looked like to heal this part of myself. And I sought after a little knowledge, a little piece at a time. And then it wasn't until I had seasonal depression consistently, and I contemplated taking my own life on a consistent basis is when I said, now I need that help. Mm-hmm. Now I'm okay with getting that help. If I need medication, if I need whatever, because. I wanna be here. you know, I, I thank God for these little people who were truly my reason for being here. And I said, this is, this is when I need to love myself more and I need to implement practices of self-care so that I can live a little bit longer. That's when I really. Dove into what it looked like to truly be engulfed and inflamed in self-care and what that looked like for me from time to time. we know the struggles Whether it is work or whatever. I question a lot, you know, certain news is a lot to deal with and I'm losing control as someone who's always had to be in control, I'm losing control. And I don't know what to do, So, I, started to gain this new sense of self and I started to get his education piece and I I need to push this out some other way. This is when I gave a lot of energy to how help, and it became blogs and series and events, and I said, God, I don't wanna be as transparent. I'm a private person. Nobody know what's going on. People see me and they think, oh, she's so pretty. She got all together stuff like this. This is a time when I gotta, I gotta open up. I gotta be completely honest with everybody what, what I have going on. He was like, it's not about you. It's not about you. It's about telling the story so that you can help someone else. that was the most difficult time in my life. The most difficult time in my life as an adult, and it really stripped me down so, so, so much. Even though I've had those moments where I've been stripped down like this is very difficult only because I thought I had done so much work to regain self and was easily taken back by all of those circumstances. So I did a a maternal health series and it focused on every area, particularly black women, when it came to self-care and self-love and maternal health and what that looked like. you know, and again, all transparency I have a two-year-old, soon to be three year old. And I just, I put everything into that series and when I say I was completely depleted, but I felt so relieved because it was so, the response was so great. Everybody was like, I'm glad you did this. Yeah. Like, you don't understand how much I needed this. And I'm like, girl, you don't understand how much I need. Right. And it was like, there is a need for this. There is a need for this and I can't let up. So that's really when I really took off and I continued to pour into people through How in the Health and through different avenues when it came to self-care and education about mental health and mental illness. Yeah. And what it meant to truly love yourself through trial and error. And I had to be transparent because we're not perfect. We're not perfect at all. And tap into practices like Reiki and meditation and therapy, all those things that are truly beneficial when it comes to total wellness. So that's essentially my inspiration behind it. And I love that it's relatable because you can see the passion behind it and when you talk to people, they feel you a little bit deeper. And I think that's where we also connect too, is cuz we get it We get it. So that's essentially where the inspiration comes from and I don't regret going down this path at all, and I look forward to seeing where this is going.

Dr. Makeba: 25:27

Well, let me just say first of all, I am thankful, so grateful to God that you made the decision to be obedient, to share to do your own self-care by making yourself so free and open to people to see that you can look like one thing on the outside, but there could be so much going on on the inside. it is really our job to love each other through it all. Just not to judge because we don't know what anybody's going through. Right. Agreed. I was there with you during this pregnancy and looking at you wondering, are you okay? Are you okay? Yes. Because it was difficult. I know that it was difficult, but there's only but so much we could do sometimes in these professional situations? So, I thank you that you got through it and that you're opening yourself up and that you're sharing like this because it's so needed. Yes. It's so needed and you are not alone. I know that you know this now even more because Right. I battled with seasonal depression myself. Every year I would get all excited about Christmas, spend all my money, and then want to like, Jump off the building cause I couldn't pay my bills or because it would get so dark, so early, there wasn't enough sunshine so I was down and didn't know why. And people, we don't talk about that kind of, we don't talk

Edwina: 27:06

about it. We do not talk about it. And it's, it's a real thing. it's okay to have these conversations, People always ask me all the time, why are you just so friendly? And I'm like, I know what it is like to just walk through life and nobody knows what you're dealing with. Right? So one sentence, one thing can really shift somebody's perspective.

Dr. Makeba: 27:27

I wanted to just comment on is what you said about family not really being helpful in those situations because I recall my mother and love my mother to death, but I recall her asking me to snap out of it. And I'm like, I can't. And, and just because I can't, doesn't mean I'm weak. It just means something's up, something's wrong. if I have a bad cough, I need to go to the doctor and get that checked out. I am depressed. I am crying or at the verge of tears every day. That's not normal. I know that's not normal and I can't just snap out of it. So what's the other alternative. A lot of people would say, well, go talk to your pastor. But then that goes back to what you said, Maureen, we need licensed professionals who know how to deal with these types of situations. And a pastor is not gonna cut it nine times outta 10, cuz that's not really their specialty unless they've got some kind of licensure or degree in psychology or something So we have to give our children, our relatives, our friends, other alternatives, the right alternatives, which is to seek professional counseling, professional help. They need somebody to talk to that understands. What they're dealing with, who can diagnose their situation and who can help them work through it.

Maureen: 28:54

I'm so glad that you, you touched on that because we just need to start having the conversation we're very ignorant in regards to a community. Yeah. We just don't know how to have that conversation, Like you said Makeba, snap outta it. Get it together. But that is the learnt behavior where a lot of us come from. I know that is the learnt behavior where I come from and even as a parent, I am starting to learn and not be ignorant toward, I gotta educate myself. This is something different. Especially as our suicide rates go up, and especially as we become such a more sensitive nation as a whole, we are very sensitive. You know, right now jokes aren't jokes. That's real. And it's not funny. So I, I really appreciate you opening up that dialogue because yeah, it resonated with me. Thank you.

Edwina: 29:55

I regretted it. The minute that I gave it to her, she was like, what do you mean you were depressed and nobody was able, you weren't able to talk to anybody. You thought about killing yourself. And I was like, you know what? I don't have a space for that. And as time progressed, because it showed up in my sister and it showed up in my nieces and nephews, I was like, this is a, a learning opportunity for you. Let me educate you on what this looks like because you don't know any better. You know, generationally we've been taught there's no such thing as having these conversations. And it's a meme. That's funny, but it's so relatable. It's like, oh, you depressed, depressed, you're hiding and you're washing dishes.

Dr. Makeba: 30:36

But it, that's right. Yeah. It's so,

Edwina: 30:38

it's a real thing. And it's like we need to be comfortable with the conversations. When I, the very first time, When I was in, I'm sorry if I get emotional, but when I was pregnant with my daughter and I was going through it and I was like, I think that the only thing just not to be here. And my friends were just like confused as to why I wouldn't answer the phone, why they couldn't reach me. It was about them and I was like, as much as I don't wanna have this conversation, this is what my life looks like. And their responses were, a couple of'em were like, I hear you. Yeah, but what about me? And I'm like, you don't hear me, right? Like you don't hear me. Like, let me educate you. Like when you go to sleep at night, you go to sleep and you wake up and go. I go to sleep and I hope I don't wake up. Yeah. And what's gonna happen is you're gonna be at my funeral and you're gonna say, oh, you know, she, we didn't know she was struggling. This is a time where you sit and you listen and you educate yourself. And that's another thing that I do through health, What resources can I give to people when they have a loved one who suffers from depression, who suffers from suicidal ideations, who suffers from anxiety? These things, like Maureen said, we're very sensitive. A joke is not a joke anymore. We're so on edge and my conversations look so much differently now. The guy that I'm dating, I appreciate him so much cuz we're able to have those very transparent conversations to say,"hey, something as simple as taking a shower right now means the world to me because I'm struggling." Yeah. And, and you know, and it's just right. It's so beautiful, Because we, we can't have those conversations. We don't have those safe spaces we're made. Like you said, Makeba, we're, we're told that we're weak. You know, we're told that we're weak and I just, my, my goal and my hope is that these conversations become the norm. I love that you know, the organization is developing this behavioral health hub so that we can get more funding to that. I wanna take it to even a political area where they stop taking away funding from behavioral health and that it's free for everyone so that we are comfortable with these decisions. I totally understand. I totally get it. And Maureen, I applaud you as a mother for being open to understand we say, oh, you just a kid you don't have any real problems. But they do. It's so much different now. And we wanna be able to be resourceful as possible, as loving as possible, so that we can also teach them self love through that. Love yourself even if you're different mentally. Love yourself through the tough situations and know that you have a safe space here with, right. So I love that.

Maureen: 33:18

And I just wanna say Edwina, it was a hard lesson because I wasn't that parent at first. I was the parent where if you don't go in there and take a shower, what is wrong with you? Why are you sleep? You know? So I had to learn the hard way. And so my prayer is that, you know, God will restore me and my daughter's relationship during this time as I get more information, as I educate myself and as I love myself, as I love myself first, so that I can be ready to pour into her when that time comes back around.

Edwina: 33:56

Amen.

Dr. Makeba: 33:58

Well, you know, I hear you. I understand too. my daughter went through some stuff with her first year in college where she was so depressed and failing, but I didn't wanna pull her out cuz I felt like she needed to do better. And it, it took me understanding how to read her chakras, to feel that her heart chakra was so off. She was trying so hard, but she just couldn't get it. She couldn't do it. It wasn't in her. She was so depressed. And my spirit guide swooped down and they were like, Pull her outta school. And I'm like, but she's gotta go to school. I have a bachelor's, a master's, and a doctorate. How's she not even gonna get a bachelor's? So I'm like, she has to do this. She has to do that. In my head I'm thinking about me. Like you said, Edwina, like your friends were like, well, what about me? I'm thinking, what about me? What's that gonna look like if you drop outta school? But it is not about me. And so I was able to thankfully, pull her out, get her together mentally, and now she's thriving in a school that is for her, learning fashion, which is her passion. Wow. It really took me as an empath, taking the time to really focus my attention on her energy and feeling the authenticity of it. She wasn't just fooling around making stuff up. She felt it deeply in her soul that it wasn't right for her. I'm saying all of this to say that even as attentive parents who are open to therapy and things like that, we can miss things. Don't beat up on yourself. We don't know everything. We're all learning and growing, and we have to be compassionate with ourselves in the same way that we are with those around us. I have really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you all for being so open and sharing your stories. I mean, we talked about self-care and wellness, but we really got down to some deep realness and I appreciate that because that's what the people need to hear. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode, you can take action by educating yourself and seeking support whether through therapy, meditation, journaling, or setting healthy boundaries. Remember self care is a journey and by embracing it, we empower ourselves to thrive mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Take care. Love you. Bye-bye.