05/25/2026
Happy MANIFEST It Monday.
What saved your life?
Running has saved me then and now.
I walked away from a toxic + verbally abusive relationship in Orlando and caught a flight to Maryland.
EVERYTHING I owned fit into a red, cheap 3-piece luggage set and a few boxes. At midlife, my entire world was contained inside my sister’s sewing room in Bowie, MD.
For 5 months, that room was my restart.
On Valentine’s Day:2018, I began driving a Lyft in DC as my ONLY Plan. There was No Plan.A-B or C. 🚕
My friend of 20 years, Sekou, refused to let me stay down. He was in my ear daily: Focus on your fitness, reclaim your body, and let's get you into your own place within 6 months.
I listened to him. . In less then 6- months, I packed up my sewing-room life and moved into a beautiful 2-bedroom apartment in the historical neighborhood of Reservoir Hill in Baltimore.
My first month there, the isolation hit heavy. 💔
I was working 7 days a week, up to 10 hours a day.
Insurmountable camera light tickets were piling up. There were moments I truly didn't want to live anymore.
I would pull over and take naps in East Potomac Park just to survive the exhaustion. No social life. No dating. Just work, workouts, prayer, and meditation.
It was lonely, but it was cathartic. I chose radical forgiveness and took 100% responsibility for my life choices. I was healing.
Then COVID-19 hit. Sekou and I joined a WhatsApp group with our friend Korby Marks and out of nowhere... a new type of attraction entered the room. 👀
I resisted it so hard. I told myself, "I cannot risk losing Sekou as my friend. He’s been my safe place to land for 20 years."
I was so wrong. My soulmate had been right under my nose the entire time.
We transitioned into a beautiful, long-distance relationship. Until a sudden phone call changed everything. 📞
Sekou had a stroke. And the heaviest part? I realized I hadn't even told him that I loved him yet. 😭
In an instant, everything shifted. True love requires True friendship. You realize what actually matters.
He survived that small/silent stroke, and then a second BIG ( hemorrhaging) one. Running didn’t just become a fitness goals—it saved his life, and it gave us OUR purpose.
Now-We run these NYC streetz daily. We aren’t just training for a wedding day... we are building the endurance, stamina, and faith needed for a marriage. 💍Needed to run for Love for Our Country-Our Community-Our Culture and to shine a Spotlight on Stroke Awareness.