Comadre Happy, Happy Time

January 2023

The new year is off to a start… lol. I hope you are all well as you read this blog post. The comadre happy hour was so much fun. Thank you to everyone that attended you are greatly appreciated.

Some pictures from the 1st Comadre Happy Hour of 2023. Pictured Clockwise starting top left: La Comadre Michelle, Mi Compadre Ismael and his wife Milly, My fellow Mamichula Yaya and her Bae, Middle School friends Jenn and Jackie, College friend Sindia, and fellow podcaster the 16th Letter P of the Men on Pause Podcast.

Updates

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Updates 📰

Hola Comadres,

Life updates:

This past week I was dealing with BS at work. Even though I love what I do I can’t help, but feel sometimes that I would be better off doing something else. I have been sitting on this thought I want to say since before the pandemic. This of course was heightened during since I was in a very toxic work environment that was affecting me to the point that it was damaging my mental health. That was the year that I was put on antidepressants. I was having panic attacks at work and having heart palpitations. Everyone kept telling me relax that not to take things so personal, but sincerely it was a terrible place to work at. I can’t completely feel comfortable anywhere in which I feel that I cannot trust the staff or supervisors. It keeps me constantly in a state of high alert and after prolonged exposure to that type of environment my mental health starts to decline.

Fast forward to now, I switched work places and everything was going okay. I knew there was drama but as usual I was keeping myself at the margins as far away from it as possible. It has come to my doorstep. I want to add a sidebar, I feel like the way that people are trained to work in schools it is very much an us (staff) vs. them (admin) environment.

When I think of it you would think it should be structured in that we are all there for the students, but that isn’t the case. I actually got in to the program to become an administrator and when I saw everything close up I declined my acceptance into the program. Why you ask? because I was naïvely thinking that I would be able to effect change in that way and I quickly realized it was a pipe dream.

I experienced one of my close friends doing the program and the way that she was then expressing herself about her fellow teachers really made me wonder what it was that they were teaching them in this program because it definitely wasn’t like her. It is a very divisive rhetoric. If you think you can go in an disrupt the way that they are taught to supervise then you have another thing coming because then you definitely will not be able to ascend the ranks. It is all very political. I think of the training that law enforcement goes through as well. It doesn’t matter who goes in there after a few years they start thinking like the rest of them and that gang mentality takes effect.

All that to say that I am currently dealing with some crap at work that has me pretty bummed, but I really am not surprised at this point. I am a disruptor and I am not here to kiss anybody’s boots and make them feel good about themselves I am there for my kids I don’t suck up to people and if you think that I will to get somewhere you have another thing coming. I will always, always, always speak up for myself. period. Anyway this should blow over soon.

In the meanwhile however it has had me sit down and really think about what I want in the long run. You know what is funny? right as I was going through it I came upon an offering by the Kundalini Guru, Siri Rishi, she is offering another cohort of Kundalini Raj teacher training and I decided I am going to do it. I am also going to work on getting certified to be a Vinyasa Yoga Teacher. Might as well merge two of my passions into one thing and look forward to what I do every day and eventually go into business for myself. 🤞🏽

I began a Sadhana with fellow Yogi Mirirai we are doing a daily 333 practice of Kundalini Yoga it is helping me a lot. I am also attempting to be more consistent with my Yoga practice since I am not drinking anymore (3 months completely sober) I am using Yoga to help me de-stress paired with Therapy.

This week’s episode is PHENOMENAL.

It features none other than the amazing Dr. Kerry Magro. Kerry is an autistic man that was non-verbal until the age of 3. After overcoming so many obstacles he now holds many degrees and the highest one is a Doctoral Degree in Educational Technology. More about Kerry, he is an award-winning autistic professional speaker, best-selling author and autism consultant to the HBO series Mrs. Fletcher that aired in Fall 2019 and the latest season of Netflix’s Emmy-Award Winning Series ‘Love on the Spectrum’ He started professional speaking 11 years ago via the National Speakers Association after he fell in love with theatre as a child to help with his social and communication skills. Today he has spoken at over 1150 events during that time include 2 TEDxTalks and a 'Talks at Google' presentation.

In addition, Kerry is CEO & President of KFM Making A Difference, a nonprofit organization that hosts inclusion events and has provided 100 scholarships for students with autism for college and counting since 2011. In his spare time, he hosts a Facebook Page called Kerry's Autism Journey that now has 218,000 Facebook followers where he does on-camera interviews highlighting people impacted by a diagnosis to breaking down barriers in our community. His videos he’s produced have been watched over 35 Million times. 

Kerry’s best-selling books Defining Autism From The Heart, and Autism and Falling in Love, I Will Light It Up Blue and his latest, Autistics on Autism have reached Amazon Best-Seller Lists for Special Needs Parenting. He is based in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Our episode together airs this Wednesday January 18th, 2023 at 5 am on all platforms where you consume your podcasts.

Last week I interviewed the amazing Tiffany Hammond author, mom to two amazing autistic boys and also autistic herself. she shares her story and tells us more about her book that is available for pre-order on Amazon. Pre-Order Book Here

Pictured here is Tiffany with her book which she is immensely proud of.

The conversation with her was so easy and relaxed it really was like comadreando with your bestie. Can’t wait for you all to hear and with that. Our season is wrapped. I am so happy to be finished with Season 3. The next season will be even better than ever.