“Make It Count”
Featured This Month:
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Tha Bay 2 ATL - Places to BE
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Keepin' It PHRESH
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To Each Is OM
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Hood 2 Hood
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The One Not the Two
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Featured This Month: 〰️ Tha Bay 2 ATL - Places to BE 〰️ Keepin' It PHRESH 〰️ To Each Is OM 〰️ Hood 2 Hood 〰️ The One Not the Two 〰️
4EVER INSPIRED: Volume 09 - A monthly newsletter featuring people, stories, places, tips, tools, and inspiration to be our best.
“The Bay To Tha A(TL)”
These are some of the places we’ve been (see above for more info). As we move around more, we will spotlight other cities! Where should we go next, in ATL or CA?
The Bay
BAY AREA SPOTLIGHT:
Tamara Morgan is a native of Berkeley, California. Her faves include the color yellow, peach cobbler, pizza, … live music, and the sound of her late husband’s laughter. Throughout her life, Tamara has been supported by a sister circle of women who pushed, pulled, prodded, and praised her as she worked her way through community college and UC Berkeley, graduating with high honors in Legal Studies, and as she entered Stanford Law School as a single mother of two daughters and guardian of her teenage sister. While at Stanford, Tamara juggled the roles of mother, law student, girlfriend, newspaper carrier, research assistant for a law professor, federal district court extern and summer law firm intern. The load was heavy but she kept her goals in sight at all times. Join the Tam Fam / https://www.tamaramorganauthor.com
Other Places To Be: Alibi Bookstore - Local books by local and indie authors. / https://alibibookshop.com Realized Potential Inc - Men's groups and wellness services. / https://rpicares.com
HER Collaborative - Women's group / overcomingtransitions@gmail.com
Smokin’ Woods BBQ / http://smokin-woods-bbq.square.site
ATL
ATLANTA SPOTLIGHT:
Cha Cha Martin: Natacha Martin is a powerhouse in the entertainment world, seamlessly balancing her roles as a mother of seven, poet, rapper, singer, actress, and visionary in musical theatre as both a writer and director. @iamchachamartin on Instagram.
Other Places To Be: Black CoffeeATL / Black-owned cafe in Historic Sweet Auburn District /http://blackcoffeeatl.com POETRY is LIFE: Poetry Events / @comegetsom_ /also in collaboration with Black Coffee ATL Euro Lounge: Open Mic Poetry / @euroatl / https://euroatlanta.com/menu/ Social Cafe: Creative space / @socialcafe
Check out the latest episode of TEA W/ Tri featuring PHRESH the CEO.
“To Each Is Om: Building Wellness for Every Body”
Hey y’all!
It’s your girl, Basu Lisa C., your soulful wellness guide here in Gwinnett County. I’m so
blessed to walk this journey with you, building something real, something healing,
something that touches the heart and nourishes the spirit. I created To Each Is Om™
because I knew we needed a space where we could come together, breathe, and just
be—no pressure, no judgment, just love, and light.
To Each Is Om: A Bridge to Wellness
Let me tell you—yoga wasn’t always a part of my life. It found me when I needed it the
most. Back when I was living that corporate life, stressed to the max, juggling deadlines,
panic attacks, and a trip to the hospital in the back of an ambulance. Baby, I was burned
out, and that’s when yoga came to me like an old friend, with open arms.
Yoga became my saving grace. It wasn’t just a workout—it was my lifeline. A space
where I could connect with myself, get still, and find peace in the middle of the storm.
Through that healing, I realized I wasn’t alone. So many of us are out here carrying the
weight of the world, trying to make it through. That’s why To Each Is Om™ is for
everyone. It’s where we move together, heal together, and honor each other’s unique
journey.
Nurturing Every Body, Every Soul
In my classes, workshops, and personal coaching, we go deeper than just stretching or
sweating. I am all about healing—mind, body, and spirit. We blend in ancient practices
like Smai Tawi (Ancient Egyptian Kemetic Yoga), meditation, and affirmations that lift
you up. And listen, I’m big on inclusivity. Every BODY is welcome in this space. No
matter your size, shape, or experience, I want you to know this: you belong here.
My goal is simple—to create a wellness space that’s accessible to all. We’re all on this
path, trying to get free, trying to find balance, and To Each Is Om™ is a reflection of
that. So come as you are. Meet your body where you are. Let’s heal, move, and grow
together.
Join me at To Each Is Om and let’s move, breathe, and heal together. Visit
https://toeachisom.com/ for class schedules and more info.
With all my love and gratitude,
By Basu Lisa C., Wellness Entrepreneur and Founder of To Each Is Om
“HOOD 2 HOOD”
Everything in between parenthood and adulthood; we’re just tryna make it out!
Parenting is not for the weak. It requires deep reflection, deep breaths, deep pockets, and deep patience. The older the children get, the more they become a reflection. A magic mirror that highlights all the sneaky mannerisms of our childhood selves. The white lies we thought nobody picked up on, the good old bait and switch, or the blatant rebellion. These kids today are something else. Maybe every generation says the same thing about the next. Honestly, this generation has access to all the information they could ever think of at their fingertips. I personally encounter the most fear around all the misinformation, counter-narratives, and many falsehoods. That experience, in conjunction with our reality of how our families function in the past, present, and future, makes it challenging to parent the “You” in your children.
Teaching them to have a teachable spirit when they fully think they know everything because of the internet is a hard horse to break. A horse that we as parents also have to learn to get familiar with and, to some degree, accept because this is where our society is headed. As a parent who is at least 13 years older than my oldest child, I am parenting the ‘me’ in my teenager that nobody ever parented. I was born in 1995; as a preteen, I also had access to the internet and social media before all the restrictions and a true understanding of how the internet and data impact young people. I certainly grew up before my time, so in return, most days I am sliding down the wall, crying because I am balancing compassion for the things I did not know at 13 and the conviction of being a mother who is determined to ensure her teenagers never have to find out the hard way is undoubtedly a task and a half. I had to learn how to nurture myself so I could nurture my children and talk to myself the way I need to talk to my children. I had to learn how to be positive and affirming. Building blocks to a successful life I rarely got or understood. I can safely share that my parenting was trial by fire for the first ten years of my children’s lives. Sometimes, the lessons my children teach me are the ones that hurt the most, such as how to deal with my inner being and honor that she doesn’t know everything.
I had to heal those wounds so my kids don’t have to pay the price for my own ignorance. The reminders of the scar that appears in my face are blaring, and of course, they usually appear on the days when everything and everybody has tried every nerve in my body. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I had to make 2 AM calls because I am two seconds away from losing my mind. Something swiftly reminds me, Oh, that is right, of course, they did that, of course, they said that, of course, they thought they were slicker than hot butter on a griddle because yeah, these are my whole entire children. I have marinated in audacity and given birth with anarchy-laced cries. Bucking up with passion and some sense of justice. Ideas of right and wrong.
This is where the deep breaths come in, the in-depth reflections and some patience. Most of the time my kids aren't actually being unreasonable. They are fully planted in their discovery. They are discovering self, boundaries, and how far they can take it before something like a retractable leash snaps them back into reality. They are testing every theory given to them. The laws that apply to my reality aren't those that govern theirs. Although my children and I aren't that far apart in age due to teenage parenting, I have learned that to understand my children truly, I have to understand all the bruised, broken, and tender parts of myself. That is what it is like to parent the “You” in your children. My daughter’s quick comebacks, my son’s determination, the white lies, the clothes shoved under the bed after they said it was clean, them wanting to be as free as social media says they can be but not understanding that “freedom” isn’t free. It costs to be the boss; for me, I paid the price of my childhood to raise my kids tax-free. I am raising them with grace, even in their shortcomings.
So when I say that most days, I am sliding down the wall, crying, I mean that it is so incredibly hard to parent the inner child me in me in order to raise the me in my children.
But like many of you, I am here. Certainly, parenting is not for the weak.
Stay Strong,
Jenna
ALWAYS THE ONE & NEVER THE TWO! Let’s be (crystal) clear.
Somebody recently told me life does things we can’t control (I was fine with that), and there’s nothing we can do about it (nope - wrong answer). I scoffed as I laughed and refuted - “Chile, not me!” they looked at me cross, but I felt betrayed. I mean the nerve of someone not to recognize my greatness simply due to failure of being shown their own. Don’t they know I’m magical? Don’t they know I am gloriously made and divinely gifted? Don’t they know I don’t have time for losing control or the luxury of doing nothing? But this month (eye roll), I was reminded that some people don’t get it and that both replies to life are okay. I am the one always singing Keep Hope Alive because giving up and settling for less than I deserve are two things I never want to do.
My mindset and self-talk prove I can do the unthinkable on days when my brain is so cloudy all I can understand is defeat. Keeping control of my health, internal conversation, and accountability are often the only anchor grounding me to sanity when tempted to sink into my ocean of problems and float into an abyss of not giving a damn or giving up, but just not giving any more work. Because I, too, get tired, fed up, confused, and worn down. In all of these moments, I have a conversation with myself about how I think, respond, and process. If I let someone else’s narrative sit in my head, it might become louder than the whispers of hope holding my dreams safe from doubt. I might actually listen and adopt the response that there is nothing I can do about my situation, my community, or the world. I don’t doubt that they are right though - in fact, I agree!
For some, perhaps there is nothing they can do about their situation, and if you believe it, you will become it. Similarly, intentional effort goes much further than complaining or procrastination, even if the outcome is unexpected. Life recently also reminded me that everything is to be unexpected because anything is possible. With the good and the bad tumbling towards me I felt forced into a corner; good thing pressure makes diamonds and I didn’t bust my pipes. I learned a new level of self-talk, honed in on using my own advice, and cried through a lot of shirts. Results require action, by force or by choice - and even when undesirable, I honor having a choice. So, I decided to get back to business after almost giving up (check the last blog for all the juicy details); I CHOSE to believe that continuing to serve the community, speaking my piece, and keeping my peace was better than complaining the time away. I also chose to increase my compassion for others and allow them to use their time in their own way. The most challenging moments require us to make sacrifices and changes, but often, they get us where we are meant to be. I encourage you to release, reset, renew, and restart as much as necessary to end this month with clarity and organization. Focus on yourself and take two steps back to look at things from a fresh perspective.
Here are a few ways to get some gains:
Clean/clear out closets, drawers, less common spaces, and baseboards.
Read a developmental or self-improvement book for 20 minutes a day
Call out 10 points of gratitude daily for 30 days
Plant your feet in some grass/soil (earth)for at least 30 minutes
Write a letter to the ‘you from 12 months ago’: tell them what you learned
Audit business admin & file management for storage, organization & incomplete projects
Increase sleep by at least 1 hour each night
Whatever you do, I hope you find more joy, more balance, and more you.
Love and light,
