Life Has Been LIFE-ING... And I Can't Do Everything
I haven't posted a blog in almost two weeks.
Not because I ran out of things to say. Quite the opposite.
Life has been LIFE-ING, and I've been trying to do entirely too damn much.
So, where have I been?
EVERYWHERE. 😂
My final year of my bachelor's degree has officially begun. I'm putting the finishing touches on my new novel, Audrey Street Girlz, which reminds me—as soon as I publish this blog, I need to go take it off sale! 😂 We're holding that baby until its anticipated release date of September 12, 2026.
And somehow, that's just the beginning.
I Said I Wanted to Build a Space for Us
I've been thinking a lot about what impact actually looks like beyond social media.
I applied with our local library to potentially begin a once-a-month group for Black girls starting in the spring. There's another community initiative I'm pushing to become involved with as well because I truly want to create spaces where our girls can see themselves, hear themselves, and know there are people invested in them.
Then there's spoken word.
Whew.
Spoken word is a WHOLE thing for me.
I love it. I've performed live twice and have been invited to perform again several times. But right now?
It's on the back burner.
Not because I stopped loving it.
Because there are only 24 hours in a day, and apparently nobody plans on giving me any extras. 😂
That's something I'm learning to accept.
I'll Be Back Outside Soon!
Vendor events slowed down for me in August.
BY CHOICE.
Because baby...
IT WAS TOO DANG HOT!
I love y'all, but I wasn't about to melt behind a vendor table trying to sell some body oil. 😂
Now fall and winter are rolling in, I've found some great events, and I shall be back outside soon!
My Body and Perfume Oils continue moving in the right direction.
Root Authority?
I'm proud of what it's doing. I've watched people use it, I've watched the response to it, and I have BIG goals for where I believe Root Authority can go.
I'm building. I'm learning. I'm paying attention.
And I'm not rushing it.
Career Elevation Is Different
Career Elevation services are moving more slowly.
But if we're going to keep it real, so are a lot of Black women's careers right now.
I can't even lie about that.
Women are applying for jobs, sending resumes, rewriting resumes, interviewing, networking, doing everything they've been told they're supposed to do—and too many are still sitting without opportunities.
That's why next month I'm offering a FREE Resume Review course.
If I have knowledge that might help somebody get through the door, I'm going to share it.
That's my part.
And I'm going to keep doing my part.
Now Let Me Give You a Vulnerable Moment
Speaking engagements.
My first opportunity did not go as planned.
And no, it wasn't because I wasn't prepared or because I didn't handle my business.
It was the organizer.
But that experience taught me something I needed to learn early.
I am a professional.
I keep it real.
I'm outspoken.
I'm unapologetic.
I might say some things that make people uncomfortable.
But nevertheless, I am still a professional, and I handle business.
I refuse to accept anything less from the people I work with.
That experience taught me that every opportunity isn't my opportunity.
Just because somebody invites you into a room doesn't mean you belong in that room.
Before I say yes, I need to make sure the opportunity aligns with my brand, my standards, and who I am unapologetically.
And most importantly?
ALWAYS protect your interests.
Lesson learned.
Not failure.
Information.
SOCIAL MEDIA!! OMG!
TikTok.
Instagram.
Facebook.
YouTube.
LinkedIn.
Monday through Friday.
Posting.
Creating.
Responding to followers.
Building an audience.
Engaging.
And occasionally blocking somebody who apparently missed the class on basic communication skills. 😂
Each platform has become its own little world.
TikTok has Sis... Let's Talk and Saturday's Blues, and I absolutely love those spaces. We get to tell the truth, laugh, have real conversations, and connect with women who are living real lives just like us.
Instagram?
Baby, Instagram gets the RAW and UNFILTERED version.
I'm done having nice little watered-down conversations just to keep everybody comfortable.
ISWIS.
It Said What It Said.
And then there's LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Might Be One of My Proudest Moments
In May, I had fewer than 200 followers.
Today?
Well over 1,000.
And I've learned something from that growth.
I am supported.
Yes.
I'm supported.
And I think I understand why.
There are a LOT of people experiencing the same things I'm talking about.
Workplace discrimination.
Career setbacks.
Being overlooked.
Starting over.
Leadership.
Black women in corporate America.
Uncomfortable conversations nobody wants to have out loud.
I was simply willing to put my face on it.
I was willing to say:
Let's talk about it.
The truth.
My face.
My name.
No regrets.
And people showed me that I'm not standing there by myself.
And Then There's This Website...
The MsKnowledge Official website.
Built by ME.
From scratch.
Chile...
It is a journey every single day! 😂
Something always needs updating.
Something needs to be added.
Something needs to be removed.
A product needs attention.
A page needs attention.
A blog needs attention.
SEO needs attention.
Apparently EVERYTHING needs attention.
And that's part of why these blog posts slowed down.
Which brings me to the biggest lesson these last couple of weeks have taught me.
I Want to Do Everything
That's the truth.
Every area of my own life where something was missing makes me want to create something so somebody else doesn't have to experience that same gap.
If I struggled with my career, I want to help somebody with theirs.
If Black girls need spaces where they can see themselves, I want to help create one.
If Black women need somebody willing to say the uncomfortable thing out loud, I'll say it.
If somebody needs encouragement, knowledge, resources, or simply confirmation that they aren't the only one experiencing something, I want MsKnowledge Official to be somewhere they can find it.
I genuinely want to do all of it.
But here's what I'm learning:
What I want to do and what I have the capacity to do are two different things.
WHEW.
And learning the difference isn't failure.
It's growth.
Something Is Going to Have to Give
I already know it.
Something will eventually need to be paused.
Reduced.
Changed.
Or completely cut.
And truthfully?
I already have an idea of what it might be.
The old version of me might have considered that failure.
Not anymore.
Everything I start doesn't have to become permanent.
Everything I try doesn't have to work.
Everything I love doesn't have to happen right now.
An experience can become information.
A disappointment can become direction.
An ending can become an opportunity.
And something that worked beautifully during one season of my life can stop fitting in the next.
That's not failure.
That's living.
So, I'm Changing Something Right Now
This blog is officially becoming a once-a-week conversation.
Tuesdays. That's it.
One unapologetic topic.
One real conversation.
No pressure to publish something just because I think I'm supposed to.
I'd rather give you something worth reading once a week than throw something together three times a week just so I can say I posted.
And I want YOU involved in where this goes.
If there's a story you want told, an issue you think we need to discuss, or a topic you want me to bring to the table, send me a message through my contact form.
Because I meant what I said.
I'm building a space for us.
And that's exactly what I'm going to do.
I'm just learning that building it doesn't mean I have to build every damn room at the same time. 😂
Listen to your intuition.
Try something.
Change something.
Add something.
Remove something.
Change your mind if you need to.
Take the lesson.
Keep moving.
And believe in yourself enough to understand that changing direction doesn't mean you failed.
Sometimes it means you've finally learned how to lead yourself.
Breaking Chains. Building Knowledge. Creating Change.
— Andrea “MsKnowledge” Gatson
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