Oh, hello #DontSettleSummer

Welcome to the official kickoff of the #DontSettleSummer!

The vibe? Massive female empowerment, baby. 'Cause there's an epidemic in this world. Of women afraid to live their best lives. Yup. Instead of having the faith to believe there's something even more amazing on the horizon, too many girlfriends are willing to grab what's easy and in front of them, whether it be a man, job or a clearance handbag.

That my friend is called settling. 

And it needs to go the way of the mullet. File under extinct.

The #DontSettleSummer festivities are gonna pop off with a bang, way before any 4th of July fireworks, with exciting giveaways across the big three social media channels:  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Stick around if you:  

• Are a voracious reader of women's fiction, ya know, like my debut novel Settling Down.
• Like your stories to go down with humor, sharp wit and the undying expectation that you, as a smart chick, can be entertained without packing away your intelligence. 
• Enjoy cheering on other ladies on their life journeys, while internalizing their lessons to improve your own situation.
• Are committed to growing into your best person. And then growing some more. And then...you get the picture.
• Wanna stomp on stereotypes that there's a one-sized journey of life.
• Like free stuff, like beach bags, luggage tags, autographed vacation reads AND jewelry.

Settling is about giving up your power.

The #DontSettleSummer is about taking it back.

Back to Life

"When the place that you were born is not where you belong.

Tell me baby, what stops you from wearing a crown"

This is how my birthday kicked off this year.

In NYC. At 4am. In the sidewalk shadows before sunrise.

With these soulful lyrics by Ms. Alicia Keys that almost made me cry.

Because (vulnerable moment alert):  This. Is Me.

The place where I was born, is not where I belong. 

(And trust. No one mentioned anything 'bout any crown.)

So, how do become your own queen? The empress of your own kingdom? Especially when there's roadblocks at every turn? Easy (in concept):  Learn to love your damn self. Fiercely. Passionately. Above anything else. In spite of everything else. With wild reckless abandon.

And while it's a simple concept, the journey to get there isn't.

That path is incredibly hard. And so rocky most don't even try to scale it. Often times it's littered with the broken dreams of others and their truths (read: falses) for themselves, and you.

But you can, and need to claw your way beyond the negative voices. The ones that put down your choices. The ones that say that you're not good enough. The ones that say that you don't matter.

Because, dammit, dear girl. You do!

You deserve to wear that crown, polished to a blinding brilliance, with your head held high. You deserve to stride away from any negativity that binds you to the past. From the hurtful lies that kept you from growing. And achieving. And owning the fearless one of a kind Y-O-U.

You deserve to shine. Brighter than any damn diamond.

Years after embarking on this journey, here I was, in the darkness right before the dawn. On the Today Show Plaza:  Whole. Healed. Happy. Proud as hell of who I am now, and what I've already accomplished. But more importantly, who I have the potential of becoming. 'Cause that chick? She got mad untapped potential.

And then, that song, ironically called 'Back To Life'. A truly beautiful birthday blessing.

A reminder that not only am I wearing that sparkly crown that I designed myself.

I'm working it like a boss.