🖤 Wisdom Wednesday: I’m Not Okay—And That’s Okay

Today, I’m sitting with a heaviness that words can’t hold.

Grief has wrapped itself around me again—unexpectedly but all too familiar. Today marks the birthday of my daughter’s father… my best friend… the one who was taken from us too soon. The pain doesn’t get smaller. I just get better at wearing the mask. But today? Today the mask cracked.

I cried. I screamed. I sat in my car because I didn’t want my babies to see me breaking.

I’m grieving more than just him—I’m grieving the version of me that had someone who got me in a way no one else ever did. I’m grieving the friendship, the laughter, the inside jokes. And I’m grieving for my daughter, too, because she deserves more memories with him.

And as if that wasn’t enough, July also reminds me of another loss. Someone else I loved died by suicide. It’s like this month is laced with sorrow and reminders that the people I thought would always be here… aren’t.

Some days, the pain whispers. Today, it screams.

But here’s the thing I’m learning and reminding myself of—even in the middle of all this:

✨ You don’t have to be strong every second of the day.

✨ Grief is love that has nowhere to go. So let it spill. Let it scream. Let it ache.

✨ You are allowed to fall apart and still be healing.

✨ Your children don’t need a perfect mother—they need a present one. Even if you’re quiet. Even if your eyes are puffy. Even if all you can say is “I love you.”

To anyone else who feels like the world is moving while your heart is paused in pain:

You are not alone.

You are not broken.

You are allowed to honor your grief without rushing your healing.

So if today you find yourself barely holding it together…

If you’re sitting in your car to breathe because the walls of your house feel too loud…

If your tears have dried but your chest still aches…

This post is your permission to feel it all.

And then—when you’re ready, not a second before—pick up the pieces, one breath at a time. Not to be who you were before the loss, but to become someone softer, wiser, and even more full of love.

I’m not okay today. And that’s okay.

I’m grieving. And that’s okay.

I’m healing. And that’s holy.

– Alazè 🖤

You Are Not Too Much — They Were Just Unequipped

Say it with me: I am not too much. My emotions, my dreams, my energy, my story—they were just too big for small containers. Don’t shrink. Expand.

Poetry Line: ‘I wasn’t loud—I was overflowing.’

💬 What part of you are you learning to embrace?

Leave a 🔥 if you’re done dimming your light.

Wisdom Wednesday: 5 Reminders

5 Reminders for When You’re Doubting Yourself

1. You don’t have to do it all today.

2. Someone is rooting for you right now (me!).

3. Rest is productive.

4. You’re not behind—you’re on a divine timeline.

5. Who you’re becoming is worth the discomfort.

💚Save this for the next time doubt creeps in.💚

💬Which reminder hit hardest? Comment below.

Drop the number that spoke to your soul.

Truthful Tuesday (Joy + Identity)

Joy Isn’t Always Loud—Sometimes It’s Soft

Joy doesn’t always scream. Sometimes it whispers. Like the peace I feel when the kids are sleeping. Like the first sip of tea on a quiet morning. Like not needing to explain why I’m smiling to anyone.

I’m learning to make room for quiet joy. The kind that doesn’t perform, just *is*.

💬What quiet moment brought you joy recently?

Leave a 🌼 if joy showed up gently for you today.

Soulful Saturdays: What My Kids Taught Me About Grace

They love me even on the days I can’t stand myself. They forgive me when I raise my voice. They teach me softness, every single day. Parenting is hard—but it’s also holy. And I’m learning as I go. I love being a mommy more than anything in this world even through the chaotic days when I wanna scream😂 I love my 5 babies.

Comment: Moms—what’s something your child has taught you?

Leave a 🧸 if your kids changed how you love.

What It Really Means to Thrive — And How You Can Too

By Alazè The Poet

Thriving isn’t just about surviving the chaos. It’s about choosing joy. It’s about healing out loud. It’s about planting seeds where it seems nothing can grow — and blooming anyway.

We hear the word “thrive” all the time, but what does it truly mean?

To thrive is to live with intention.

To thrive is to honor your growth, even in the mess.

To thrive is to rise with purpose — not perfection.

🌿 So, How Does One Truly Thrive?

It starts small.

Thriving doesn’t require you to have it all together. It just requires you to keep choosing yourself. Here are a few steps to get you started:

1. Check in with your truth. Ask yourself — How am I really doing? What do I need? What can I release?

2. Give yourself permission to grow. Growth is messy, non-linear, and uncomfortable. Thrive anyway.

3. Create sacred routines. Whether it’s journaling, crocheting, praying, or morning tea — find what grounds you and do it often.

4. Set boundaries that honor your peace. Saying “no” isn’t rejection — it’s redirection back to your own soul.

5. Celebrate your wins — even the tiny ones. Showing up counts. Resting counts. Healing counts.

💫 How Alazè Is Choosing to Thrive

As for me? I’ve been learning how to thrive in real time.

Pursuing my Master’s in Social Work with a 3.833 GPA while navigating bipolar disorder hasn’t been easy — but I’ve learned to show myself grace through the sleepless nights and long papers. I’ve leaned into my calling. I’ve allowed myself to cry, rest, and rise.

Thrive With Alazè isn’t just a brand — it’s a lifestyle. I create courses, write poetry, coach others, and pour into community because I believe healing is contagious when we live out loud.

Lately, I’ve been reminded that thriving is just as much about giving as it is about receiving. So I’m putting that into action…

🧶 My Random Acts of Kindness Challenge

Over the next two weeks, every time I leave the house, I’ll carry a little bit of love with me — literally.

✨ I’m crocheting face scrubbies to give away.

✨ I’m making keychains stamped with powerful words like worthy, resilient, enough.

✨ And I’ll attach a handwritten positive note to each one.

No strings attached. No “special” reason. Just to remind someone they are seen, valuable, and loved.

Because sometimes, the smallest gesture becomes someone’s turning point.

💛 Your Turn: Thrive With Intention

This week, I challenge you to join me in spreading intentional kindness.

🎯 Choose one random act of kindness — big or small.

🎯 Do it quietly, without expecting anything in return.

🎯 Watch what happens… to the world and to you.

Thriving isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. And when we move with love, we create a ripple effect far greater than we’ll ever know.

Engagement Prompt:

What’s your random act of kindness going to be? Comment below or tag me in a post to inspire others to thrive on purpose. 💛

#ThriveWithAlazè #ThriveThursday #RandomActsOfKindness #LiveWithIntention #HealingInAction #CrochetForTheSoul #MentalHealthMatters #CreativeHealing #AlazèThePoet

Balancing Books, Bipolar, and Big Dreams: My MSW Journey

Thrive Thursdays Keeping it Real With Alazè The Poet

By Alazè The Poet

They say chasing your dreams will test you… but they never said it would be at 2 a.m., halfway through a 10-page paper, eyes heavy, mind racing, and your heart still whispering, “Keep going.”

This is Thrive Thursday, and today I want to speak on my journey as a graduate student in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program — not just the highlight reel, but the honest, in-the-trenches, still-going kind of story.

I’m currently taking my 7th and 8th course at Capella University, on track through the middle of September. And as of today, I hold a 3.833 GPA and was recently inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Yes, I’m proud. Yes, I’m humbled.

But also — I’m tired. I’m healing. I’m still learning to balance all of it.

Because see, I don’t just do this for a paycheck. I do this for the people — for the kids in underfunded schools, for the adults who never learned to name their trauma, for the women who carry everything in silence.

I do it for the communities that look like me.

I do it because this is my calling.

But being called doesn’t mean it comes easy.

Sometimes I reread the same paragraph three times and still can’t retain it because my mind is caught in a storm of everything else.

Sometimes I lose track of time while writing, only to look up and it’s nearly sunrise.

Sometimes I stare at the screen in full-blown writer’s block, while my bipolar 1 mind fights for focus.

Sometimes I just… don’t feel like doing it at all.

But every time I feel like quitting, I remember the nonprofit I’m building. The therapy practice waiting for me at the finish line. The generations of healing I want to ignite. And I press on.

I take notes. I watch the videos. I do the work — even through the fog.

Because this is more than a degree.

It’s more than a resume booster.

It’s a revolution I’m preparing for.

So if you’re in school, working toward something bigger than yourself, or trying to show up even when your mind makes it hard — know this:

You’re not alone. And you’re not behind. You’re just becoming.

And baby, becoming takes time.

Keep showing up. Keep choosing your purpose.

Because one day soon, the tassel will turn, the vision will manifest, and all the sleepless nights will make sense.

Engagement Prompt:

How are you showing up for your dreams this week — even when it’s hard? Drop a comment or share this post on social media or with someone who needs the reminder to keep going. 💛

Use these hashtags on social media so I can see your posts: #ThriveWithAlazè #ThriveThursday #MSWJourney #BipolarAndBrilliant #SocialWorkStudent #MentalHealthAdvocate #CapellaUniversity #BlackExcellence #HealingInProgress #PurposeDriven #StudentLifeUnfiltered

Thrive Thursday

Building Thrive With Alazé: The Messy Middle

Everyone talks about the launch day. The big reveal. But no one talks about the late nights, the imposter syndrome, the re-recorded videos, the tears between breakthroughs. That’s where Thrive With Alazé is being built—in the messy middle.

📌Real talk: I don’t have it all together, but I have the vision and the fire to keep showing up.

💬Drop a 💼if you’re building something from scratch.

📣Comment with one word that describes your current hustle season. If you want, take it further and explain why you chose that word.

Signed,

Alazè The Poet

Loading….

Healing Isn’t Linear and Neither Am I

One week I’m journaling, singing, working out, feeling whole… the next I’m crying over things I swore I was done with. Dragging to get out of bed. Healing isn’t a straight line—it’s a loop, a spiral, and a dance. And that’s okay. Everyone’s healing journey is different. Sometimes I’m very productive and depleted at the same time having racing thoughts and triggers I thought I was past. I just take it one day at a time learning to give myself more grace than criticism. More compassion than judgment. I encourage you to do the same.

📣Have you had a spiral moment recently? Share with grace.

#HealingJourney #SelfHonesty #TruthTeller #MentalWellness

Everyone’s healing journey is different even if the stories are similar.

Truthful Tuesday

The Lie I Told Myself to Survive

I told myself I had to be strong 24/7. That if I broke down, I was weak. Crying was weak especially around others. That lie carried me through chaos but cost me softness. Truth is: strength is being seen, even when you’re not okay. Strength is being vulnerable. Strength is having feelings whether negative or positive. Strength is sitting with your feelings. Having a moment of weakness doesn’t always have to be bad.

If I’m keeping it 100 I still struggle sometimes with my ability to be vulnerable because my sensitivity, empathy and feelings weren’t viewed as strong when I was a child and teenager growing up. I was always referred to as the sensitive one or the crybaby. I can’t help that when I feel I feel hard. And why is it that society makes us think it’s weak, Idk, but I’m raising my kids to know how to express themselves, how to sit with their emotions and also how to cope in many different healthy ways. I’m teaching them crying is healthy. Feeling is healthy.

✒️Today’s Poetry Line: ‘I stitched my smile with survival thread, but the seams still bled truth.’

📣What truth are you learning to sit with?

✨Truthful Tuesdays with Alazè The Poet✨

This space is sacred. A soft moment to pause, reflect, and write from the heart. Whether it’s grief, growth, or gratitude—you’re invited to show up as your full self.

Let your truth rise with the steam of your morning tea ☕️, settle in your spirit like candlelight 🕯️, and bloom—no matter what you’ve been through. 🌸

#TruthfulTuesdays #AlazeThePoet #WhatBleedsStillBlooms #ThriveWithAlaze #MentalHealthMatters #PoeticHealing #UnmaskedVlog