Beginning with Gratitude
As we welcome a new year, I would like to express my gratitude for the people I worked with in 2023. Our connections were professional, but I am filled with a deep sense of personal pride when I reflect on our work together. The learning events, interviews, YOU Better! workshops, Culture Forums, artistic showcases…all of it was filled with soulful nutrition for the people we reached.
When I left my director role in big tech in 2021, I saw it as my chance to fully lean into my vision for the world. A world where more people respect the uniqueness and inherent value of humanity in themselves and others. My mission towards that vision has been to connect people to the insight, resources, and experiences they need to thrive in their fullest self-expression. I do this with love as an event emcee focused on moments that promote human connection & cultural empathy, and as a teacher on personal discovery and self-reclamation. And when I’m extra lucky, the artist in me is fed by collaborating with other artists as a narrator, serving as the storytelling glue for the audience. It all ties to my “why.”
So, when I am hired it not just a job to me. Each time, I feel blessed with an opportunity to invest in the future I hope to live in. Given that, I thank my clients across all my arenas of work for their trust and the opportunity to walk in my purpose-full path and do a bit of good in the world.
An Offering
I dedicate a good portion of my professional life to teaching and taking in info about self-discovery (particularly with focus on the impact of systemic oppression on people), so I come across a lot of interesting media. And, as we humans like to do at the beginning of the calendar year, many people are thinking about where they have been and where they are going in life. With that in mind, I would love to share with you some of the media that I have found useful and am leaning into these days.
I hope any one of the items below is valuable to you wherever you are in your pursuit of wholeness. Enjoy!
Looking Forward
In my corner of the world, I’m looking forward to my birthday this month, launching Hey, Black Seattle!, a new culture and community connection resource I’m building for the city I call home) and learning more about how to be a better global citizen in supporting people suffering from oppression. And of course, I look forward to meeting all the new people I’ll get the chance to work with this year. Reach out to me if that should be you!
Here’s to a 2024 that leaves you feeling fulfilled & whole.
Kiesha
Kiesha’s January 2024 Media Resources
Setting new goals? Listen to this.
In this episode of the Balanced Black Girl, the host, Les, looks back on 2023 and realizes she didn’t achieve any of the goals she set for herself. Not a single one. I loved her thoughtful reflection about how her life unfolded instead and how she is looking at goal setting going forward. And FYI – this episode has application for everyone – not only Black women. Give it a spin. I am including the YouTube link, but it is available on all podcast platforms.
Processing your humanity amidst societal turmoil? Read this.
The The Source of Self-Regard is a collection of one of my favorite author’s essays, speeches, and meditations written over the course of four decades. In it, Toni Morrison looks deeply at humanity through her lens to offer important context for how we are situated in the world. It travels across history, society, literature, art, race and gender and issues important calls to action for those of us living today. It feels like a timeless resource as we continue the experience of being human in a deeply imperfect world.
I am including the Bookshop.org link, but you can also access this book for free on Libby.
Feeling your Self shifting inside? Read this.
As we grow and learn, it is inevitable that ideas we’ve clung to get challenged. The Invitation by Oriah offers beautiful questions and prompts for how we make meaning of our lives when long held anchors of value and meaning start to fray. It is a clarion call for living more deeply, more honestly with oneself.
The book is based on a poem that is pretty powerful on its own. You can read it in the sidebar here: Oriah Mountain Dreamer
This book is also available for free on Libby if you’d like to save some coins!
Need to get invigorated to move forward? Listen to this.
One of the songs I played constantly in 2023 is called Hamba Wena by Deep London & Boohle. The Zulu lyrics, loosely translated, are about encouraging someone to go forward. They repeat “We’ve been waiting for you! Go you! Go!” It’s 6 minutes of a big energy boost. Play it when you need a vibrant reminder to get going on your way – or just to shake off some stress. Go you!
Want a reminder that you are part of something bigger? Watch this.
And finally, I offer this gorgeous video clip. It is a piece of an interview with climate activist Mikaela Loach on Channel 4 News Podcast. In it, she is offering encouragement for people investing their hearts into changing the world and feeling like their efforts are insignificant or not working. It echoes a message I tried to land on LinkedIn last month. Your contributions to the world matter. You matter. And you are not alone.
ABOUT KIESHA GARRISON
Kiesha Garrison is a Seattle, WA based professional emcee and public speaker. She leads high-impact events & conversations that spark positive personal, professional, and cultural shifts.
