If you’ve been connected with me online, you might already know that I tend to close out each year with reflections about the past 12 months of my life and share a word—or sometimes words—that I use as my guide for the year ahead. Sometimes, these reflections are joyful; others get super vulnerable. And keeping it 100, I know there have been years where I’ve shared things that might have made some people uncomfortable to read. But that’s who I am; authenticity is one of my core values, and I’d rather be genuine than popular. 

I want to leave this place with a heart lighter than a feather, knowing that God will greet me with a job “well done, good and faithful servant!”

Last December, I chose two words for 2024: kindness and grace. And while I won’t say I “failed” at them, I certainly didn’t embody those words as much as I’d hoped. I have learned that these words weren’t about perfection; they’re reminders to move through this life with more kindness and grace toward myself and others. This past year, I did a lot of work on myself—mentally and emotionally. My anxiety and depression continued to DO THE MOST. Still, I’m so grateful for the guidance of my incredible therapist, Jasmine. I can’t recommend her highly enough—she’s helping me sort through my emotions and feelings and organize my thoughts to make sense of it all. If you’re looking for a therapist, hit me up; I’d be more than happy to pass along her information.

But 2024 wasn’t just about inward work—it was also a year of showing up for the community in person and virtually. I stayed consistently busy throughout the year with my financial activism and advocacy work. I am leading a campaign at work called Bank Black & Green to mobilize impact investors to move $180 million to Black banks that pledge not to finance the growth of the fossil fuel industry and mass incarceration. My work has been incredibly fulfilling, but this year also drained me when the heaviness of the world around me, mainly the madness of the election cycle, was added.

While I am disgusted with the outcome of the Presidential and Senatorial results of the 2024 Election, I see the pathway to some semblance of peace of mind because I know I did everything I could, in a professionally nonpartisan way, to get out the vote (GOTV). I helped put on a GOTV Party at the Polls event with some incredible people and organizations in Oak Cliff; I was nominated for Community Leader of the Year for the 7th Annual COSIGN Awards and received a President’s Leadership Award from the Dallas-Fort Worth Urban League Young Professionals. So, I do have a lot to be proud of. However, I, the self-professed “political newsaholic,” have not turned on the TV to watch any of it since election night. I am still feeling some type of way, especially about the normalization of absurdity and the prioritization of profit over people. I promise you will hear about it all in future posts from me, “I GAR-ON-TEE!” 

And then there was fear—a feeling I never thought would control me so much. I realized I had let fear take the wheel in many areas of my life. It drove me away from showing up for key moments—personally and professionally. 

Fear had me stuck, but now I’m ready to move. 

I’ve let fear sit in the driver’s seat for too long. It’s time to take control of my body and mind again. I must revoke its license to operate in my life. It’s time to build connections and create meaningful change with others. It’s time to move. 

And that brings me to my word for 2025: Movement.

This word feels right for where I am now. It has so much versatility for me—the movement of my body, mind, and sociopolitical movement building. These are the pillars I want to focus on this year. I’m committed to moving forward physically, mentally, and socially. I didn’t hit the physical fitness goals I set for myself in 2024—if anything, I might have gone in the opposite direction.

But now I’m too uncomfortable feeling uncomfortable in my own body and mind to ignore it any longer.

I have made progress on my mental health goals, and there is more that I want to do. Additionally, while there is only so much we can do to move things forward on a federal level, there is SO MUCH we can do on a regional, state, and local level. I am all in for that type of work. So, here’s to movement in 2025. I hope we can do more together—through conversations, actions, or building something greater than ourselves. Let’s move forward together.

Before I sign off, I want to shout out a big thank you to my amazing friend and fraternity brother, Justin Nash, who created this website to help me share my thoughts, updates, and resources in a centralized place. He’s been rocking with me from the beginning, supporting me every step of the way, and I’m incredibly grateful. If you’re looking for someone to help visualize your ideas, he is THE MAN. You can find him under the “Build with the People Around You” section the About Stephone page. Also, if you don’t see your name there, don’t worry—it’s coming! I am showing the construction phase and not just the finished product. I am so serious about building with the people around me. Issa Rae, you ate that when you said that in an interview some years ago, and I took that seriously. I want to use all my tools and resources to build a collaborative ecosystem.

So, more to come. Here’s to movement. Let’s make it happen.

P.S. If you want to be a part of this movement, stay tuned for more updates and posts! You’re an important part of this journey, and I’d love for you to be with me as we move toward something greater in 2025.