(New Video Post) What Do You Need to Succeed? #SelfLoveSaturday

Happy Self Love Saturday,

This post is going up late because I was speaking on a panel for The Toronto Black Film Festival on “How to Make A Web Series” It was a great panel with a packed room and it gave me a good boost. Literally last night I was feeling a little doubtful and confused and today I was reminded that I’ve done a lot of work and still have more to go. I’m grateful.

Anyway today’s video goes with my thoughts for today and I ask a simple question? What Do You Need To Succeed? Once you think about it, then ask yourself if any of this stuff currently in your life? The environment? The people? Whatever it is, whatever you need, start today.

(New Post) 5 Ways To Have The Most Productive Year Ever




Happy New Year!!

Its the first day of the year and all of the plans, the resolutions and all of the other wishes are starting today! Like many others I am very excited for a fresh start and a new chance to apply the lessons I learned from 2016 into this year and form better habits to allow me to dream bigger and reach for more. I’ve been very fortunate to naturally be a self motivated person but I realize not everyone is like this and we all could use a pick me up every now and then, myself included to set us up in the most productive way. So to kick off my 2017 I made a list of my top 5 tips that I’ve used for staying motivated and having a productive year. Read below and let me know what are you doing to ensure that 2017 is your most productive year ever?


breaking-bad-habits

1.Get Motivated and Break Your Bad Habits

It takes 21 days to make or break a habit and a lot of people say it’s easiest for their mentality to start a new challenge on the 1st of the month. Take advantage of this day and mark it on your calendar as the start of your challenge and then mark off your completion day. Start with identifying the habit that you want to break ie. smoking, cursing, sugar, negative thoughts or the habit that you want to gain like reading daily, meditation, positive thoughts, daily exercise. Now take the baby steps to motivate yourself daily by starting everyday with a list of the tasks for the day and highlight the challenge on your list. Highlighting it is making it a priority for your day. I’m currently doing the 21 day detox again and on my daily task list I have the detox highlighted with a note to do a food journal through my day. Making the food journal one of my priorities helps keep me on task for my goal and learn healthy eating habits.

21-days-to-break-a-habit

i-am-typography

2.Meditation and Daily Affirmations

“I am _____” Look at yourself in the mirror and say 10 positive things about yourself and your life daily. This practice is proven to act as a confidence booster and personal motivator. Putting positive intention on your life aligns your thoughts with your daily work. Using daily affirmations and adding in meditation are the perfect way to keep you zen all year. I love meditation because I think it’s like having a very relaxing conversation with God. No words, just deep breathing and clearing your mind of stress, worry and daily distractions. The practice of meditation can be difficult to start, but if you focus on short periods of time, 5-10 minutes to begin it makes it a lot easier to build your practice up. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, relax your body (I prefer to be sitting, that way I don’t fall asleep lol) and focus solely on your breathing. I’ve also added in using meditation music to help keep my mind focused and the music is a big help in making me relaxed.

fullsizerender-4

3.Get Creative

Get a notebook and write down 5 creative ideas that you’d like to do this year. Coming up with creative ideas is a great thing to aim for and look forward to in your year and can be equally as motivating and exciting as booking a vacation! So have some fun, dare and dream and ask yourself “what do you want to do?”

4.Plan Ahead

It’s time to make your plan for the next few months. Get a big white board, or a note book, or just a plain piece of paper, anything that you can keep in front of you daily. Take those creative ideas that you wrote down in the step above, and now it’s time to realistically write down a plan for them with a deadline for starting and completing. Plan out for the next 4 months, take the time to daydream about what your ideal work load looks like? Are you working like crazy from now till March because in April you’re taking a spring break? Or is the last Saturday of every month the deadline for a new chapter in the book your writing? All that matters is you write the plan down in a simple way and you have it somewhere in your room or home that allows you to see it everyday. Seeing it daily will act as a reminder and is the most helpful way for you to actually complete your goals.   

creative-notebooks-passion-planner

5. An Accountability Partner

My mom always says “one hand washes the other” so ask for help from the people around you. We can’t do everything by ourself, and our friends shouldn’t just be in our life to look cute, so don’t be afraid or too prideful to ask them for help with your ideas and to hold you accountable. Ask a friend to remind you about your deadlines or even be a nag about completion dates. Send them a screen shot of your calendar and in the nicest way possible ask them to remind you about the important things and do the same for them.

I hope these tips will help, wishing you guys nothing but productivity and success in 2017!




(New Blog Post) The Analysis of ‘Choice’ #SelfLoveSatuday

ac01c497624dc93f6a382ef38eea045b

Happy Self Love Saturday. Today I’m talking about choices.

Lately I’ve been analyzing my choices and why I do what I do, where it stems from? What these choices say about who I am, and what I want in my life and as well what my choices are highlighting about my mistakes?

Why does “drama” and stress come into my life,  And did I make a choice to invite it in? Because I really do believe that even in the negative or not so good things that happen in our lives we still had a choice in how we dealt with it and sometimes we had a choice in letting it in all together.

How many of us say, I don’t like “drama” but still have friends, people or situations regularly in our lives that invites drama or we may in directly find ourself involved?

I’m naturally very maternal and I find that along with this trait comes my need to help solve and fix the problems of others, especially if I feel like I have a lot of knowledge or understanding of the scenario. I’m also an empath,

Being an empath is when you are affected by other people’s energies, and have an innate ability to intuitively feel and perceive others. Your life is unconsciously influenced by others’ desires, wishes, thoughts, and moods. Being an empath is much more than being highly sensitive and it’s not just limited to emotions

I will easily scroll through my twitter or Facebook feed and read 2 or 3 stories, watch a couple videos and be in tears for a multitude of reasons. And my intuition is literally like a wifi signal for my friends moods and problems. I’m only realizing now that I’m like this, and in order to not feel overwhelmed with the problems of others I have to protect my energy and time because I will easily give myself to people and situations that can  drain me. I’m still learning this lesson and adjusting it regularly though.

I recently experienced a situation where my time and effort were taken for granted and the best way for me to explain the way I felt was, played. I was definitely disappointed, but my intuition kept saying to me in this moment “you played yourself”. Somewhere in this situation, I let my maternal instinct get the best of me and I made the choice to give my energy and my time. I made the choice to be forthright and involved in a way that I should’ve known would naturally put me in a place of vulnerability because I would end up expecting reciprocation or face disappointment. But either way my maternal and empath ways were going to end up depleted and I didn’t need to be. I made the wrong choice. I should have made the choice to help from the sidelines instead of carrying the baggage of someone else.

But I couldn’t help but ask myself why I made this choice? Why did I set myself up for disappointment? Did I not listen to my intuition or did my ego think I was capable of fixing something that was meant to be a lesson for someone else? I’m still not sure to be honest but all I know is somewhere I made a choice and the choice has made me analyze a simple and subtle problem that I think could’ve been avoided. I don’t like stress and drama but I walked right into it, I opened the door wide open and invited it in, so being annoyed in the end is no ones fault but my own.

But the loop hole that I missed has made me think, and think and THINK about what my choices say about me and how do they help me to move ahead in life? Do I make positive choices for myself? Am I self sabotaging even within a good intention because I am ignoring clear signs of “drama”? Sometimes self sabotage is not as obvious to us as we think it is, and one simple choice can lead you down a wrong path.

There’s nothing wrong with helping your friends, and there’s nothing wrong with being empathetic but taking on baggage, or parenting grown ups, these are choices that can lead to problems. And even within a good intention you can be making the wrong choice. A good intention should help both me and you in the end and that’s not being selfish, that’s just being smart.

I sincerely hope to learn and have a better understanding of my choices in 2017 and to leave the unintentional drama and stress behind.

 Have analyzed your choices? How have your choices affected you? Let me know in the comments below and have a wonderful Self Love Saturday & Christmas Eve! xo




(New Written Post) 2016, Discomfort, Patience & Faith

11069405_807381966021034_6685602655875753131_n

I broke my camera. I honestly feel lost not being able to use it everyday, edit and post a video. I hate missing a #SelfLoveSaturday so today I’ll be writing instead.

I’m in between apartments right now so my life feels a little more chaotic than usual, and even though I think I’m doing a pretty good job of riding the wave I can’t wait for just a bit of calm and to be settled. I think Mercury is in retrograde though so the uneasy feeling I have doesn’t surprise me. I have a mix of emotions going on that I need to settle but i’m not exactly sure how, which is why this post is going to seem like a big vent session. For the Leos:

Mercury enters Capricorn, one of the hardest working signs in the zodiac, on December 2. Mercury in earthy Capricorn will stimulate the sector of your chart that rules your day job and your responsibilities, as well as your health and habits. Expect to do a lot of talking about these issues this month! But don’t expect everything to move full speed ahead: Mercury retrograde begins on December 19.

I have a friend that I love dearly but there’s a few things that are annoying and concerning me that have come up in the last little while and truthfully my guard is up. I have a love/hate relationship with my own guard because 1. I hate the uneasy feeling & 2. It takes a while for it to go back down.

I know that my intuition is sharp and I don’t gain these feelings for no reason, but I haven’t figured out yet how to deal with the emotions & energy in a positive way. In a way that helps me to understand myself, my boundaries and my friends. In the last 5 years of my life I’ve had a few changed friendships because of this feeling but I’ve yet to come to terms with it. I still blame myself for the discomfort and loss of friendship, I question if I’m just a bitch or too sensitive. And I get frustrated that I haven’t learned how to channel and express these emotions in a clear and positive way.

I want to, I need to.

I’m ready for 2016 to be done with, it was a rocky year for me. I made a lot of upward progress in 2015 and then ’16 came and said “lets walk through this Quick Sand instead.” I fell into a depression again, I gained, lost and gained weight. I’ve struggled all year with what I’m supposed to be eating, if i’m not on a detox, then I regularly wake up with an upset stomach. Literally as I type this right now i’m in discomfort. I lost my relationship with my boyfriend (though I’m in a better place with it now) and I had a good chunk of the year where I had no clue what I was/should/need/want to do. And i’ll be honest I’m only holding on by a thread to the few confirmations that I’ve had in this later portion of the year. And that’s probably the most interesting part of it all — normally in my business as soon as Thanksgiving approaches things slow down a lot, but right now for me, its actually picked up. I’ve been filming for my production company like crazy, and its great! Its rewarding and exciting! I’m doing my best to have a different new year, a different outlook and experience and I actually think the work is going to pay off.

Like I said 2016 was not my favorite year of life but through it all I’m still optimistic for next year. I think a lot of good is going to happen so i’m anxious and ready for it to start. I’m going to try to figure out how to deal with my discomforts in a positive way that serves myself and those around me. And i’m going to continue to apply patience and faith to myself, and my years. Patience while in a struggle and faith that in the end it will all be okay.




(New Post) A Quick & Beautiful Stay @GodfreyHotel #SoloTravel #Chicago

fullsizerender

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking my first solo weekend getaway to Chicago and staying at The Godfrey Hotel and I had an amazing time!

img_3155

Chicago reminded me of my home town, Toronto it had a small-big city energy and my uber driver told me people refer to it as “A cleaner NY” which is the same thing that people say about Toronto. Chicago is a beautiful city, full of friendly people and it really was as clean as an average Canadian city lol.

I stayed at The Godfrey Hotel in downtown Chicago and the staff treated me amazingly! Big shout out to Molly and Joey for being so gracious! My room was huuuuuggggge, with a simple but elegant decor, 2 big screen TV’s and an amazing view of the city. This was my first time having a solo getaway, I was in Chicago for my #BlackActressEvent but normally my work trips are a day in and out of a city but this time I wanted to treat myself and have a chance to be in a new city and have a bit of quiet time. The Godfrey Hotel has an amazing italian restaurant located in the lobby called, “Dolce” and italian food being one of my favs naturally I had to go and they had my favorite fish, Branzino, on the dinner menu and they did not disappoint. I did a couple vlogs (watch HERE & HERE) while I was there, a lot of meditation and put into action the practice of gratitude in the present moment. I felt very happy and at peace focusing on the present and loved every moment of my trip. Thank you again to the friendly staff at The Godfrey, Molly and Joey, The Creative Cypher and everyone who made my trip to Chicago so much fun.

14990917_1226148200811073_2544278383332510156_o

img_3134

img_3143

14976503_1225654290860464_1239974645681181429_o

img_3163

img_3177

img_3172

img_3148




(New Video Post) 21 Day Detox Complete! [Vlog] #SelfLoveSaturday

Happy Self Love Saturday!!!

I did it! Woop! Woop! Completed the 21 Day Detox and look and feel great! Like seriously, so much more energy, focus and positivity was brought into my life over the last 21 days. My next challenge is a 5 day raw challenge, I’ll only be eating raw vegetables and fruits and nuts, seeds, juices and smoothies. Writing it out, it sounds pretty extreme lol but it’s only for 5 days and I really want to cleanse my system in every way possible so I’m excited for the challenge. For those of you who are doing the 21 day challenge with me, keep going! And if you’re thinking about starting it, I strongly encourage you to! You can find all the rules HERE

To follow my 21 day Detox Vlogs, click the links below

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7 &8

Day 9 & 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15 & 16

Day 17 & 18

Day 19

Day 20 & 21

 

(New Video Post) “Make Lemonade” [Vlog] #SelfLoveSaturday – Day 14

Hey guys!

It’s day 14 of 21 in the detox! Woop! Woop! I’m so glad I started the detox and that I’m this far in! I’ve seen so many positive changes and that’s what I was seeking in the first place so I’m very thankful.

Today I’d like to do a check in for any of my friends who have been suffering from anxiety and depression? How are you doing and feeling? If you’re comfortable, please let me know what you’re doing, if anything at all to help with your feelings? If you haven’t started the detox I greatly encourage you to do it because cleaning up your diet helps a lot of depression.

As well today’s video is all about “making lemonade” out of the lemons that life throws you, leave me a comment about a time in your life that you made lemonade. Check out the video below and enjoy your weekend!

(New Video Post) #21DayDetox Days 7-12

This detox is flying by! I’m now really getting the hang of it and loving the way I feel so it’s been easy for me to resist the breads/grains and sugars and dairy. I’m already planning want permanent changes I want to make when I’m finished the 21 days, so far I’m thinking I’ll definitely cut the dairy, I had already greatly reduced my cheese intake but doing this detox has showed me that I really don’t need or miss the cheese and even though I absolutely love bread I’m not a fan of how it makes me feel so I’ll probably do a big cut back on that as well.

How is the detox going for you? What day are you on? Check out my update videos below! xo

(New Video Post) “Let’s Get It Together” [Vlog] #SelfLoveSaturday #21DayDetox

godin_quote

Happy Self Love Saturday!

This video marks day 7 of the my 21 day detox, for those of you who are doing it, how are you doing? Today I woke up without gas or tummy aches so I’m feeling pretty happy.

In this video I want to reflect on Self Sabotage and why/how we do it to ourselves and why its important for us to try our best to stop! If you notice a certain pattern of behavior that you do that always ends in the same result of NOT getting what you want, then it’s time actively do something different. In the book “The Artist’s Way” they use a great analogy of treating your talents/potential like a young inexperienced horse that you need to pull along because they are going to have fears and doubts and resistance.

Looking at self sabotage in this way is really helpful, but along with talking about self sabotage I want us to start to hold each other accountable and I believe it’s time to look amongst your friends and talk about your wants, dreams, desires and goals and how we can all help each other to grow and ultimately WIN.

Check out my video below and let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Xo

(New Video Post) #21Day Detox Update Days 1-3

Hey guys!

How many of you started the detox? How’s it going so far? It’s Nov 1st so this is the perfect day to start and you’ll be finished before Thanksgiving! (That’s for my foodies who may be worried).

I started 3 days ago and so far it’s been interesting, I’ve been traveling so my food in take has been adjusted naturally because I’m not in my comfort zone. But I’ve been doing pretty good, the challenge for me is always the sugar! Sugar is in everything and I’ve yet to feel like fruits were ever enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Don’t get me wrong I always enjoy the fruits, but it doesn’t compare to a donut and cupcakes or chocolate. On this reset I really want to gain will power, often times thats what I feel is my hurdle when it comes to eating healthy and sticking to a clean diet. I’ll be going strong and then go to an event and I just have to try one dessert or I’m invited to a game night and there’s a bread or dip or pizza or something that I know I shouldn’t be having but I’ll go for it anyway and five pieces later and a sore tummy and I’m filled with regret. The indulgence just isn’t worth it but my eyes are bigger than my stomach so this is a lesson I keep learning over and over again.

I’m hoping this reset is going to be the trick to keep me on a path of sticking to an eating plan that helps my body and puts me in a position of control with my body rather than feeling like I have none. If you’re subscribed to my youtube channel than you would have seen my first 3 daily vlog videos tracking my progress, it’s been a very interesting process to do the daily vlogs along with eating healthy but I’m glad i’ve committed to it because it’s holding me accountable. Check out the first 3 vlogs below and let me know in the comments how your detox has been going. Best of luck! xo