Breath Work Wednesday is finally here!

Hi everyone👋🏾

I hope you are well today! I have had a very hard day mentally. Just a ton a few things going on that are out of my control! But I googled some scriptures on God being our provider when we are struggling to understand the wait. I instantly felt better! I have been going to hit yoga since 2006! It is in a really hot room and you sweat out all of the impurities and it makes your skin feel like a baby’s booty! When I went back in 2006-2009, I would go for a run right after! It was amazing! I was living in Charlottesville, VA at the time working at UVA, my Alma mater. After my run, I would stop at this deli across the street and pick up a sandwich and a giant chocolate chip cookie! I felt like I had earned it after my run. So, long story short, I learned breath work in yoga. I learned breath work techniques for calmness. High performing athletes use breath work to balance their nervous system! Or in other words, it’s all in how you manage stress. 

I practice breath work all of the time now. I practiced it in physical therapy for the 3 months I was there! It just helps to reset your brain and body! To start doing breath work, you would begin by breathing in for 4 seconds-holding for 4 seconds- and then breathing out for 4 seconds! And then you repeat that sequence until your body calms down 😌

We all have trauma and stress in life, you guys! It’s just the way life is! Everyone has a battle, every single day! And it will be like that until the day we die. But I like to try to create spaces where there is less stress as possible! I like a clean space that smells good. I will dim the lights and turn the tv off a lot of times. I do not like a lot of noise! Coming from a football background, there were screaming fans in my ears for 12 years straight! I just think in this season, I need as less noise as possible.

It helps me to relax and focus! I think doing the breath work will help you to reset your nervous system a lot. The more your nervous system is relaxed and the more you heal from trauma, the more your natural personality will come back to life. A lot of people are not mean, they just have an unhealed nervous system! We need healing❤️‍🩹

practice these breathing exercises consistently and I’ll be back next Wednesday to see how they went🌺🌺🌺

keep the faith, beautiful🥰

It is Temple Tuesday! My Favorite Peloton Instructors and Why They Inspire Me So Much!

It’s Temple Tuesday, cool people!

I will start off by saying that I have a MAJOR praise report💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾 I started going to physical therapy on March 23 of this year for general mobility issues and stiffness in my body. My last day was yesterday! I am SO proud of myself for not quitting!!! My issues I was having with my body and my gait have improved by 99%! I had the best help! My physical trainers Ryan, Jessica and Jackie were super professional and they took excellent care of me! If you are having any kind of arthritis, stiffness in your legs or just want to preserve your body for your future, I suggest that you get a referral for your local physical therapist🔥🔥🔥

During my time in recovery, I started paying close attention to what and how my favorite Peloton instructors eat and how they recover after their workouts! For all of 2025, I had trouble moving my body. It was so hard! I kept moving and motivated my walking at work and staying positive. I had previously been to PT for a rotator cuff issue a few years ago. The same physical therapists helped me to heal that issue in less than 2 months. I don’t know if you follow Peloton but they are based in New York, NY and all of them are so powerful and strong! That community is absolutely amazing. They are so kind and are always so joyful🤩🤩🤩 Their bodies are beautiful and strong! I had a Peloton subscription back in 2017 and I would follow Robin Arzon, the Vice President and Head Instructor at Peloton. She is super motivating and is like a light that does not even out! Always super uplifting!!! I love her and here are the other instructors that I love❤️

Alex Toussaint-KING of Peloton👑

Tunde Oyeneyin-an African Princess👸🏾

Kirsten Ferguson-Sexy Goofball with a little pizazz🔥

Ally Love-my favorite Today show host📺

Rad Lopez-so bubbly and fierce with the weights🏋🏾

Jess Sims-she hosts College Gameday during football season and has the best personality and spirit!!!🏈

And last but not least, there is Kendall Toole-she is a former Peloton instructor who now has built her own brand NKOClub🚴‍♀️…she is so strong and she has the cutest chin dimple!

They have all inspired me to keep going throughout my time of recovery! I pray that God allows me to connect with them sometime in the near future💕 You can connect with them on Instagram and I promise you, their stories will change your life! 

The Land of Milk and Honey!

Happy Mindset Monday, you guys!

I hope that you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! I spent most of the day in bed just resting, reading and getting prepared for this week! I have alot to do in this season..I have been thinking about my journey and all that I have experienced to get to this moment. It truly has been the fight of my life. Having 2 brothers in the NFL at the same time and then going through so much in my personal life all at once sent me into a bit of a tizzy but God brought me out and on TOP! I have worked so hard on myself in every way imaginable. Countless hours of effort spent on my mental health, my physical health, my spiritual health and well-being. It has been years on persaverance and years of work but I am so healthy in ALL 3 of those areas. Sure, I have lots of work to do but I have true and lasting peace and JOY! I love my flaws and all. The experiences that I have had make me who I am. There is no copy cat Knetris and there is no copy cat, YOU! 

I was on IG a few years ago and I saw this really cute influencer that had an online boutique called, Milk and Honey!' She had previously been on one of those reality shows, I forgot which one. But she was super cute and her apparel was super cute too. She inspired me to build my own brand and that's one of the reasons I started my boutique idea. The idiom "land of milk and honey" refers to a bountiful place of great wealth , ideal living conditions and endless opportunity where life is easy and prosperous. I think our trials in life are meant for us to persevere, overcome and then with God's help and perfect timing, we enter the promised land or the land of milk and honey!! A land where everything just starts working out for your good. Only God can determine when and where it happens for us. I think my time is now. I have suffered so much and I am stronger for it. I am entering a season where everything just works out for my good! If you are reading this, my prayer is for you to keep the faith and keep moving forward. Your personal promise land is on the brink😁

I hope you have a beautiful day, love and I'll see you later.

Taylor + Travis are newlyweds!!!

Happy Friday, you guys!

It’s 4th of July weekend and I wanted to pop in to say 👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾

What are your plans? What are you guys eating this weekend??? I haven’t decided yet but I’m getting my hair braided tomorrow and I’m super excited about it! I’m getting beads on to and they are going to be super cute! I wish I had a picture but I don’t know how to fit one in!

But back to the topic at hand! 

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married!! I’m so happy for them! I started appreciating Taylor’s music a few years ago and her ‘Folklore’ album is in constant rotation on my Spotify account! I love the song ‘Cardigan!’ I think I saw somewhere that she’s now worth 2 billion dollars. 💸 She literally outworks everyone and I think her talent deserves that kind of reward! 

Travis Kelce is a powerhouse of a linebacker (I think that’s the position he plays) for the Kansas City Chiefs! My brother Thomas played with them for 3 years!!! That stadium is the loudest in the NFL! I’ve been there countless times. I’ve had so much fun in that stadium! 

I’m SO happy for them and they make the perfect couple. Super quirky and goofy, and filthy rich! They will have fun spending all of that money🤑🤑🤑🤑 I think it’s the greatest work that God does when you work really hard on yourself and your career, and then boom, God sends your equal! Your special someone to spend your life with! I’m waiting for my husband to find me in this season! I have done SO much work on myself! Hard work! Years worth of work! I know that when God sends him, it will be perfect timing! God is perfect like that! I trust him and his plan for my life…God writes the perfect MOST beautiful love stories❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I am ready for mine! My husband will be so well taken care of and SO well loved! I can’t wait to picnic in the park and watch action movies together! I will drag him to yoga and to play basketball with me! Go get NY style pizza together and just love all over each other💕 it’s going to be beautiful! I wonder where Taylor and Travis will honeymoon together??? I’m thinking about my honeymoon and what I’ll wear🤑🤑🤑 The wait will be worth it🥰🥰🥰 One thing is for sure, my husband will be getting a woman who has been anointed just for him! Our wedding will be the biggest party and celebration in history!!! I’m so excited! 

Dear husband, I say this with love… hurry up🤣🤣🤣

Huge congratulations to T + T❤️❤️❤️

Iconic then, iconic now: 90’s IT Girl Fashion Returns!

It's Focused on the Fruit Fridaaaayyyy!!!

We are talking 90's trends that are coming back in style! As a fashionista, I consider myself a fashion KILLA (cues ASAP Rocky😁) and the 90's era was one of my absolute favorite times in fashion! There are so many things that I like about that particular time in fashion but today, we will be talking about 10 vintage pieces in particular...

10. The denim-on-denim moment: I have always loved the denim on denim look! I recently bought a gray denim oversized shirt and paired it with some gray denim jeans. The denim shirt had rhinestones all over it. It was so cute👽 I have always loved an oversized jacket...OR denim shorts with a deniim vest! 

09. Mini Skirts: Being an athlete, I have always had bigger legs so I haven't always been able to find mini skirts in my size but I have owned a few in my day. I think mini skirts look extra fresh on women who have longer legs. I was on Pintrest the other day and I pinned a Prada silver mini with sequins and it was so cute. I am working on toning my legs so that I can buy it at some point in the future!!

08. Faux Leather Jackets: I bought one of these earlier this year in a chocolate brown tone. It was so cute but someone ended up stealing it from me at my job. It was faux leather and it fit me like a glove! I would eventually like to cop one in black, tan and chocolate brown. 

07: Leather Pants: Leather pants are so cute in the winter months. I have always liked them in a winter white color or in black. 

06. Tracksuits: I bought a tracksuit last year in a money green/kelly green color! It was so cute and comfy. Tracksuits are usually worn in the fall months and the brighter they are, the better, IMO! You can usually find them on sale at like TJMAXX or Walmart if you look hard enough!!

05. Slip Dresses: I have always liked slip dresses during the spring months. I like to pair mine with a flat, a sandal, a kitten heel or a basic tennis shoe of some kind!  

04. Mini Bag: I have never been a big fan of the mini bag! They are just too small for my items that I carry to fit into. I have always liked a tote bag instead. OR a cluth purse. 

03. Claw Clips: LOVE these! I have several in different colors. I have been using these for years. You have to be careful with them because sometimes they can dig into your scalp, escpecially if they are cheap! Make sure you buy quality ones that last and will not break!

02. Scrunchies: I remember using scrunchies as a little girl. My mother bought my sisters and I different colored scrunchies and barretts to wear to school and to church. She would let us pick them out on our own. They usually would match our outfits. There is this really dope boutique where I live called 'Gracious Me' that sells scrunchies and they are the best quality!! They even have some that are tie dyed. I have a very interesting taste when picking out colors for the hardware that goes into my hair! I have even bought some at the Dollar Tree before and you know everything there is $1.50! Check them out..

01. Headbands: I have been wearing headbands for years. They will never go out of style to me. The more blinged out they are the better in my opinion! I like wearing them with my hair straightened or in a bun. I think they kinda play up your look. They will always be vintage glam to me!

It is Temple Tuesday! Heirloom Recipes-4th of July traditions in my family.

It's Temple Tuesday, my love!

I hope you already got your workout in and are at work or taking a much deserved day off! I am working as usual and I think we are all looking forward to the holiday weekend!! July 4th is what I am talking about. I cannot believe that July 1st is tomorrow...This year is literally dissolving right before our eyes!! In my family, we have several long standing traditions that will probably always remain in our family. When my brothers were playing in the NFL, all of us would fly to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida during the off season. That time of the year was usually during the 4th of July! We would get dressed and go to fancy dinners, bake chocolate chip cookies and stay up really late watching movies and playing UNO and TABOO... at that time in our lives we were clubbing so we would go to out spot, Prive, LOL! We had the best time together. But now we are older and most of my siblings are married with kids of their own.

During those summers in Florida, we would turn on the grill and lay out all of our burgers, hot dogs and bbq ribs! My mom would make the deviled eggs, sweet potato pies, cake, and banana pudding. My sisters and I would make potato salad and macaroni salad...we always had cookies and a cooler full of drinks💗 It would always be so hot in Florida for the 4th and we were just happy to be together for another holiday, with our health in tact! 

We have so many memories as a family and I am so blessed to pass these down to my kids when I am blessed to have my own family someday! 

I wish you a very happy 4th and a beautiful weekend!

eat some for me!!!

love you, mean it!

peace☮

My Williams-Sonoma Letter!

Happy happy Mindset Monday!

I hope you guys are enjoying this hot girl summer☀️

It’s SO hot today and it is supposed to be in the high 90’s the entire week!! When it gets hot like this, it can only mean 1 thing!!! MY BIRTHDAY is coming soon!!! Whoot Whoot👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

But back to the topic at hand! I wanted to reveal something to you guys that I actually forgot about until a few days ago! This is SO cool and I was so excited when the Holy Spirit brought it back to my attention. During the COVID pandemic back in 2020, like everyone else, I was looking for ways to make some money. I was looking for a job and I was trying to get creative. I remember watching CNN one evening and I think it was Anderson Cooper saying that because of the Black Lives Matter movement, fortune 500 companies were looking to hire more qualified black people! I mentioned it to my Dad and he suggested that I make a list of several I could find, get their mailing addresses and mail them a letter introducing myself and tell them I’m looking for employment! I immediately got to work. I vividly remember mailing letters to the Williams Sonoma CEO, Laura Alber!!! My brother, Thomas helped me to craft a really professional letter!! I typed it out and printed it AND mailed it with a wing and a prayer!!! I was so excited but I was not sure if my letter would make it all the way to San Francisco, California🔥🔥🔥🔥

I have always loved that store and I have previously studied Interior Design so I figured I had a good shot at landing a job if their team did receive my letter!! SO, I waited! And waited AND the I got an email!!!! It was from Patty Claauss, the Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition for the Williams Sonoma, Inc!!!! It was dated Thursday, September 10, 2020❤️❤️❤️ The email read…

…Hope this finds you well. Laura Alber shared your kind letter with me and I would be more than happy to learn more about you and your experience. Do you have a resume you can share with me?!!!!!!!

I was speechless! I immediately responded by sending her my resume! We chatted back and forth over the phone and even had a few phone interviews but it just wasn’t a good fit for me at the time! But I was honored to get that email! God was definitely the one orchestrating the entire situation!!! Later, I went back into my email inbox, printed the email and put it in a frame! 🖼️ 

The moral of the story is… NEVER GIVE UP! Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, my love! I never thought my letter would reach the CEO of Williams Sonoma BUT God, hunny!!!!!! Anything is possible when you believe. ANYTHING! Apply for that job, send the email, make that call, ask that person out that you like!!!! You never know what could happen when you step out on faith!

I hope you enjoy this day and I’ll see you next week!

love you, mean it❤️❤️❤️

✌🏾 

Our First Focused On The Fruit Friday! One of my Favorite Health Hacks….Juice Plus.

Happy happy Friday, love!

I hope you are having a beautiful day and are enjoying the sun wherever you are! I am SO happy and proud to bring you guys a new segment that I like to call, ‘Focused on the  Fruit Friday’s’! I have so much to say and give and I want to share my hopes, dreams and desires with the world! I will be bringing you my favorite music, food, beauty products, skincare, health hacks and SO much more every single Friday! Just think of it as a fun kickoff to the start your weekend! We are focused on the FRUIT! Bearing fruit is a metaphor for a Christian’s growth in Christlike character. In other words, fruit are the blessings that flow in and through your life when you are a child of God! 

Today , I want to talk about a product that I was introduced to about a year ago by a really good friend of mine! I was experiencing lots of fatigue and a lack of energy. I had gained a lot of weight and I was sleeping until 10 every morning. I was just really lethargic and in need of some major changes with my health! My good friend Abi Nowlin is a top tier spokesperson for a company called Juice Plus! It took me a while to commit to buying it but I finally decided to commit to it in April of 2026! They are a packet size of berries and veggies that you put in your water! You take one every day with water and ice. I have mine in a mason jar because I am from the country! I started taking a pack a day at the beginning of April and it has totally changed my body from the inside out! I feel better, look better, have lost 23 pounds, sleep better, AND feel extremely blessed to have Abi as a new sister and FRIEND!!!!! She is so sweet and kind! When I met her, I knew something was so special about her! I will continue taking Juice Plus for life! 

If you are struggling with chronic fatigue, arthritis, sleep deprivation or sleeping too much, Juice Plus is your guy. You will really appreciate it. They also have capsules and gummies! If you have any questions, please reach out to me🥰 I would be happy to help you on your health journey!! 

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you next Friday!

love you, mean it!

peace☮️

MY ON-ONE Playlist!

Happy Wednesday, cool people! 

I hope you are having a wonderful day and are getting some Vitamin D! The sun is shining bright where I am for sure. There are days in life where we feel on top of the world, like we can accomplish ANYTHING! AND then some days, we are fighting for our lives. I have experienced both but today was one of those days where I felt like I could conquer the world. I was going to get my nails done and I was just feeling so bossy on the way there. Here is my playlist that I had playing on the way there...These are all 90's and 2000's Hip-Hop tracks. I hope you enjoy!

10. No Problem-Lil Scrappy

09. In da Wind-Trick Daddy

08. Blow the Whistle-Too $hort

07. Wipe Me Down-Boosie Badazz

06. Shine-Lil Wayne

05. Get Like Me-David Banner

04. Money Maker-Ludacris

03. ASAP-T.I.

02. Bout It, Bout It-Master P

01. Freakum Dress-Beyonce

It is Temple Tuesday! My 1st Disaster Recipe!

Happy Temple Tuesday, my love!

I hope that you are well and are having a great day so far😃I was thinking of what kind of content to bring to you guys today and then I started researching a few weeks ago topics that might be relevant to food and millenials for such a time as this! My content is for everyone but I speak from a millenials perspective because I am one. Before I became a professional writer, I was an educator for around 8 years. I taught abroad and all of the United States and hopefully touched hundreds of childrens lives. I really enjoyed my time as a teacher but it was only my calling for a season. God pulled me out of the teaching world in 2022, right as the Covid pandemic was ending! I will always remember my time as a teacher. I learned alot about myself during those years and I will always remember the impact the kids made on me! 

Between 2013-2016, I was a teacher in Eastern, North Carolina. It was a very rural part of the state. Our principal would give all the staff a free turkey for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. One of those Thanksgiving's, I could not make it home to visit my family so I decided to cook the turkey on my own. I had mac and cheese and collard greens as my sides. I got the recipe from my Mom. Because it was my first time making all 3 of them, the turkey came out really dry, the greens were not properly seasoned and the mac and cheese was runny😓 In the black community, we put vinegar on our greens to add flavor! I tried that but they were still bland as I don't know what. I ended up throwing all of the food away and I think I cooked some chicken soup in the crockpot to replace my Thanksgiving meal. 

The moral of the story is, we all have more than one experience with a disaster recipe! I definetely bake more than I like to cook. Maybe it is because I do not have any kids yet. When I get married and start having kids, I am sure that I will become better in the kitchen! Nourishing your body properly takes alot of trial and error. I have started following tons of food influencers on IG and I also love The Kitchen and Girl Meets Farm on the Cooking Channel! The best of the best cooks have made mistakes in the kitchen and I believe that is what gives them their badge of honor! 

Keep Cooking, you guys! 

I hope you have a great Tuesday and I will see you next week💜 

love you, mean it. peace☮

Delayed Gratification💪🏾

Happy happy Mindset Monday, everyone!

I hope you all had an amazing and truly blessed Father's Day! We took my Daddy to a resturant named Clyde's in Clarksville, Tennessee. He really likes the vibe and the food is amazing! They had a good playlist yesterday and we had a great time just talking, eating, and laughing! My father is an associate minister at a local church in Clarksville! He has been in the ministry for about 12 years now! I have learned so much from him about God's way of blessing us during and after a storm. That is the thing that most of us do not understand is that storms in our lives do not come to break us but to shape and mold us, to bless us, to equip us to share our testimony with the world and to ultimately, prepare us for eternity! I have seen and experienced many storms in my young life. None of them I would have been able to survive without a strong foundation in Christ that was built by my parents but mainly my Father! He is such a kind and gentle, loving father who has taught me that waiting on God always has its challenges BUT the rewards it produces are so valuable!

Today, I want to talk to you about delayed gratification! I spoke a little about this when I was writing for SHEEN Magazine in 2021. We are all using social media these days and the reels and pictures will have us thinking that everyone's life is picture perfect! No ones life is problem free and I really believe that you have to have a really strong relationship with God to understand that when participating in social media. I had to learn this lesson over time but it is locked in to my mind at this point and when I log into social, I have the mentality that I am posting for God's glory only! Delayed gratification is pleasure or satisfaction that cannot be experienced immediately, but that you must wait for or work for. I think the joy in waiting and working really hard for something that may be typically handed to someone else is rare! Most people are not willing to put in the work. My personal journey has been so rocky but I have been blessed tremendously by waiting on God to deliever what I need in each season of my life. I have had to perserve and develop lots of patience and endurance during my trials. It has taken me years to finally become a professional writer. I got my Bachelors degree in 2003. I just became a writer in 2024. That was one of my dreams and I had to work really hard to make it happen! I am such a better person for having gone through those delays, denials and trials. Ultimately, that recipe leads to massive success! 

The bible says that delayed gratification is the ability to resist a small immediate reward for something more valuable in the future. Hebrews 12:2 Instant success never lasts, my friend! It will make you happy only for a short time. The real blessing is in doing the real work when it gets difficult and leaning on God for strength and courage to get through your specific trial. He WILL bless you during and after your test. I know because he has done for me! Time after time, in my Cyndi Lauper voice! smiling.

You've got this, Love muffin!

I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you guys next week!

love you, mean it. 

peace.

Women In Leadership!

It’s Temple Tuesday! My Food Philosophy.

Happy Temple Tuesday, everyone!

I hope you are well and have had your peach smoothie and chocolate chip granola bar this morning! That is what I ate for breakfast. I usually eat 2 boiled eggs or a bowl of oatmeal with butter and light brown sugar but I had a taste for something different today😉There are times when I am not in the mood for food when I wake up in the morning. I bought a juicer a few months ago from Amazon but I have yet to open it! There are times when I just get a cup of ice mixed with water and light OJ in one of my favorite mason jars. I am from the country and we use mason jars for everything!! AND then I sometimes drink pure, organic pineapple juice from Walmart. You can tell its organic because its in a glass jar. 

I always try to eat lunch, which is usually a salad with cheese and a protein. And dinner is usually salmon and some kind of starch. I have been eating salmon for dinner for years now! It makes me feel refreshed and it fills me up!

SO, I am telling you all of this because this is my food philosophy. My personal guide to eating, nutrition and wellness. I am from a very small town in Virginia and we did not have access to alot of different sorts of foods growing up. We made it work. It wasn't until I graduated from high school and enrolled at The University of Virginia that my food palate expanded. I was pretty much a vegetarian in college. I ate extremely healthy! I would say that that was the healthiest I have ever been inmy life. I ran like a maniac. Sometimes several times a day. lol. I ate lots of sushi, salads and peanut butter and jelly on bagels. I did not have alot of money to spend on food so I had to learn to shop on a budget. After graduating from college, I moved around alot. Life began to life and I became an emotional eater. My introduction to adulthood immediately started with trauma. During my periods of grief, I just found food to be so comforting. AND then in 2012, my twin brother, Julius saw me and saw that I was in need of a big change in my life. He told me about this weight loss facility in St. George, Utah and it turned out to be one of the Biggest Loser Resort facilities. He really loved me and wanted to see me happy. He paid a pretty penny for me to fly to Utah and spend 6 weeks retraining my mind on how to eat better. OH My Goodness, it was LAVISH!! We had a chef, trainers, therapists on call, hiking, a pool and just unlimited time to rest and reset! I learned how to swim there!! Every morning we had a 5 am call time to go hiking! We hiked Snow Canyon Park every morning. I met some of the wealthiest, most successful, kindest and most genuine people at the Biggest Loser Resort. We had a blast every single day. I think this was the first time in my life that I actually learned real self love and self respect

💓💓💓💓💓💓

We had group fitness classes together! We sang, danced, laughed, cried and were completely transparent those 6 weeks. It was so freeing. I met this dope chic named Sammy who turned out to be a former assistant to Beyonce!!! She was super cool and told me all these stories about Beyonce's work ethic and overall aura. After 6 weeks, I was ready to come home. I ended up losing 25 pounds during my stay. I will never forget my time there and all of the wonderful people I met. 

Now, I eat to live! I am still learning how to balance a healhy lifestyle while pursuing all of my hopes and dreams. I am moving my body on a regular basis. I go to bed at a decent hour. I am no longer an emotional eater. PRAISE HIM!! I am a more intuitive eater and I like to use different ingredients so that I can enjoy my food. I believe that when you truly enjoy your food, you do not have to eat as much! I eat real, whole foods and try to stay within the recommended guidelines for calories and etc.

Your body ia a temple--1 Corinthians 6:19

I think it takes alot of trial and error, along with prayer to learn how to eat better. If you are struggling to learn how to properly nourish your body in this season, do not be hard on yourself. It is a daily lesson and we can all do better. This is just a little about my food philosophy. Take what you need, love.

Take it one day at a time and be honest with yourself💗 

Navigating Seasons of Transition and Change!

Happy Mindset Monday, love!

Here we are, at the beginning of a brand new week! I hope you had an amazing weekend filled with all of the things that you love. I started learning Spanish a few weeks ago so I spent this past Saturday with my Spanish tutor! We are having an absolute blast and my Spanish is improving every time that we meet up. I used to speak Spanish pretty well when I was living and teaching in Mexico City, Mexico back in 2004 but I have forgotten most of the language. It is a huge blessing to get the opprtunity to learn all over again. 

While I am in a season of transition, I am trying to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone and try new things! Navigating seasons of transition and change can be very hard to figure out sometimes. I try to surround myself with people who genuinely love and care for me and my well being. I have about 6 or 7 really good girlfriends that I can go to when life is just hard and challenging. I also started going to physical therrapy a few months ago to help with overall mobility for my body. I run at the gym and practice yoga about 2 times a week. I have been consistently attending yoga since 2007. I believe in it. The breath work that we learn in yoga is so helpful when I find myself needing to calm down. I have really good coping skills to manage stress. I have learned those in the years of going to therapy!

Here are some suggestions I will give you to help you navigate difficult seasons of change and transition that work for me now:

• Go to bed at a decent hour
• Eliminate too much scrolling on social media
• Hydrate-I like drinking organic pineapple juice from Walmart
• Eat lots of fruits, veggies and protein, limit sugar intake
• Create a couple of good playlists, music is so healing
• Move your body!
• Get your Dr.'s visits in, meaning get bloodwork checked. I get me A1C checked every 3 months, ladies-get your mammogram and pap.
• Try to keep a clean space! It helps to reduce anxiety.

Last but not least, I have really been leaning on this scripture in this season of my life. 1 Peter 5:7, 'Cast all of your cares on the Lord for he cares for you!' AND he does!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a happy happy Monday and I will see you tomorrow!

love you, mean it. peace and blessings😘

It's Temple Tuesday! How To Stop Emotionally Eating!

Hi everyone👋🏾

This is my 1st Temple Tuesday post in a minute! I started this movement a few years ago and kinda stopped posting in it because life began to life! But then the Holy Spirit nudged me to bring it back to life again! SO, here we are. Temple Tuesday is my mantra! Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 6:19, which means that it should be treated with respect✊🏾 I have talked about my relationship with food when I was blogging for SHEEN Magazine back in 2021! During my early 20’s to early 30’s, I was an emotional eater. I yo-yo dieted for years. I ate my feelings! It took years of therapy, renewing my mind through prayer and reading my Bible, and consistent exercise to reprogram my brain to not want to turn to food when I was in my feelings. I had to really dig deep and allow my faith in God to reign in my life! 

I understand that it’s natural to want to eat when you are upset about something, happy, or feeling anxiety! Women have raging hormones all of the time and it has been said that it’s easier for men to control their eating habits and can also lose weight faster and easier than women! When I was heavier, I had this all or nothing mentality that if I did not lose a significant amount of weight faster enough, I would just eat as a form of punishment. I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect! I was a people pleaser and it was a straight up lie from the enemy. To break those beliefs, I started running again! I used to be a huge runner in college! I bought the audiobook, The Four Agreements, and listened to it everyday while out for an evening jog. It definitely allowed me to free my mind from those negative thoughts and allow positive affirmations to come in.

Some triggers that might cause you to emotionally eat could be: 

Relationship Conflict

Work or other stressors

Fatigue

Money Issues

Health Concerns 

When negative feelings threaten to trigger emotional eating, you can take these steps to manage cravings! To stop emotional eating, try these tips!

Keep a food diary

Tame your stress

Have a hunger reality check

Get support

Fight boredom

Take away temptation

Don’t deprive yourself

Snack healthy

Learn from setbacks

If you cannot control emotional eating on your own, consider seeking help with a mental health professional. Therapy can help you understand why you emotionally eat and teach you ways to cope. This is the route I took and it has worked wonders for my life and healing! ❤️‍🩹 

I hope this helped you in just a small way and let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to leave me a comment!! 

have a blessed day🥰 love you, mean it. 

peeeace✌🏾

Why You Should Really Be Thanking Your Haters!

Happy happy Mindset Monday, people!

I hope you are well rested and are ready to tackle this Monday with a vengeance💪🏾 I’m actually writing this post on Saturday because I was so excited to share it with you! I just finished working on a project that I was talking over with my therapist this past week! The assignment was to create my fantasy island! 🏝️ which means to write or draw out my personal fantasy island to include things I love to see, touch, hear, smell and taste. Kinda like a vision board but with a twist! I worked with a Canadian author named Melanie Maure several years ago about my goals and together we spent a few hours creating a vision board so this activity was kinda like a copy cat version of that. Mel and I talked about where I was then in my life, where I wanted to be and the gap/work I would need to put in to get each goal accomplished!! She sent me a picture of ‘My Beautiful Board’ to my email and I have had it in my inbox ever since! I dearly love and ADORE that board!!!! It has all my hopes and dreams on it and it is super sweet, specific and special to ME and MY journey🤩 

I have been working on my relationship with God more and I started watching Jerry Flowers 🌺 sermons on YouTube! They have literally broken years of pain off of my life!!! He is so anointed. Google him and you will see what I’m talking about! I was watching one of his sermons this week and he was talking about how we should ‘THANK’ our haters!!! First off, what they are saying to you is, we LOVE YOU!!!!! That’s what they really want to say to you but it comes out as Verbal Vomit instead🤢🤢🤢 They are really just mad at themselves for not being as cool as you are!! Instead, they should ask God about their specific path in life and explore their personal gifts and talents! It’s hard to look within sometimes! It’s easier to place the blame on someone else when you aren’t happy with yourself and your current situation! Haters are REALLY mad at themselves but it is turned towards YOU! Thank them, love! They are pushing you into YOUR destiny! YOUR calling! YOUR fire prayer life🔥🔥🔥🔥 YOUR strong and authentic relationship with the Lord! YOUR dream life and ALL of the blessings that were created to fall on you and your loved ones before you were even created in your Mother’s womb!!! It’s all working for your good! Romans 8:28 

Thank your haters! They are doing you a favor! Please, have a great week and I’ll see you next week! 

love you, mean it! peeeacce✌🏾

Verbal Vomit🤮

Happy happy Mindset Monday, everyone!

I hope you had an eventful weekend🤩 I did and it felt like I literally batted my eyes and it was over! I have been seeing a new therapist for the past month or so and it has been so therapeutic. She looks like me and is also my age. We have a really great time together just talking and trying to regulate my nervous system! And that we do very well!! Some days get pretty intense and I’ll leave needing to rest. And other days are a bit easier for me! We get deep in our sessions and that is the point! I want and need healing because I am not going there just for my health! My future self, husband and kids are depending on me to heal so I can create and build LEGACY! A legacy of healing, health, joy, wealth, etc. A few days after my session, I always feel 100% better about myself and my life. I started going to therapy in 2012 and have been going on and off up until now. I’m so glad I decided to love myself enough to begin therapy all those years ago because I am definitely reaping the benefits now. 

I decided to go to therapy in this season because I have experienced a lot of rejection! It has been so painful. I needed to get it all out to someone who is neutral and could see my story from a very transparent perspective. I know everyone will not be comfortable going to therapy but it is just what the Dr. ordered for me! It’s feels like a huge weight lifted when I am done and therapy also helps you to communicate more effectively! In the Bible, there is a scripture that says, ‘For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!’-Luke 6:45 In other words, when you people speak to you negatively, they are speaking, Verbal Vomit! That is an old saying that I heard from my Dad years ago! Most of the time, what people say to you has nothing to do with you and has everything to do with them! I try not to take anything personal these days! Because most times, people who talk down to you are often speaking to you from an unhealed place! That is why I continue to advocate for and attend therapy every week! I don’t want verbal vomit to be my portion! Let that marinate for a minute! 

Maybe you are in a season where you are thinking about therapy and just don’t know how to get started. I suggest you start looking online for therapists in your area! Better Help has tons of therapists and you can even start online! Most of the time, your insurance will pay for it! Please, leave a comment if you are in need of advice on how to begin looking for a therapist in this season!! You’ve got this, love! I promise you, it will change your entire bloodline!!! Have a wonderful week✌🏾

My Faith Playlist!

Happy Wednesday, cool people!!

The sun is out and it’s about to be a great day! I have a semi-busy day today and got the chance to sleep in a little so I’m refreshed and ready to tackle this day🙏🏾 I’ve been in a season of trying to find more worship music when I’m writing, reading or working out at the gym! I found some good gems for you guys and have compiled a list of 20 songs to worship to! Hope you like it.  

20. Smokie Norful-Nothing Without You

19. Smokie Norful-Dear God

18. Smokie Norful-Run Til I Finish

17. Smokie Norful-In The Meantime

16. Embassy Worship-He’ll. Draw

15. Naomi Raine-Find My Peace

14. Naomi Raine-The Story I’ll Tell

13. Kirk Franklin-Without You

12. Naomi Raine-Definition of Good

11. Naomi Raine-I Love You

10. Naomi Raine-Wet Cement

09. Kirk Franklin-Love Theory

08. Kirk Franklin-Looking For You

07. Kirk Franklin-When

06. for King & Country-joy.

05. Fred Hammond-You Are The Living Word

04. for King & Country- TOGETHER 

03. Fred Hammond-More of You

02. Naomi Raine-Where You Lead

01. Fred Hammond-No Weapon

BONUS 2: Sunday Service Choir-More Than Anything

BONUS 1: Moses Akoh-Only One Thing Is Needed

Being Used By God.

Happy, Happy Mindset Monday, love muffin💕 AND a Happy Memorial Day to you + yours! I hope you are chilling by the pool with a cool, cool beverage! I am not a big fan of the traditional palate for Memorial Day but I do like a good hot dog, with chili, bbq sauce, mustard and ketchup! YUM! This holiday is very special to me for a number of reasons but it stands out most because it’s the anniversary of my 1st boyfriend’s death! Yes! I know! I have spoken about my experiences with grief in the past but most people don’t know that my 1st experience with grief was due to the death of my boyfriend! He was really ill due to diabetes, before I even knew what that was. We were very much in love when he passed away but I could kinda feel it coming! God put us together for only 9 months and it was blissful! We had a great time together but it was just his time to go! We all are predestined to die at some point in life! But what I did learn most from that experience was to take excellent care of my body!!!!

Diabetes is a silent killer, especially in the African American community. I am an advocate for diabetes prevention and soon I will have a blog post dedicated solely to that❤️ BUT today, I want to talk about being used by God. That experience of losing my boyfriend at 21 years old has taught me a lot about God and how he uses our pain for a greater purpose, usually later in life! I am now 44 and will be 45 in 2 months. I am a  COMPLETELY different woman since Jason and I were together! The evolution is extraordinary! I was scrolling on Instagram a few years ago and the great and beautiful, Lauryn Hill was saying that in order to be used by God, sometimes you have to literally be USED. You have to be humiliated, kicked and beaten and the person/people kicking and beating you are feeling worse than you! I can definitely relate to her in this moment! I know what it feels like to be humiliated, kicked and beaten by the ones you expect to be there for you! It’s such a downer. BUT it was in these moments that I was introduced to The KING OF KINGS🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 God has taken their places and he had a plan for all of that rejection! I am at a place in my life where I am literally in LOVE with Jesus🥰🥰🥰🥰 I just cannot explain it but by saying I hope and pray that this is something everyone will be able to experience in their lifetime❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️  I feel SO FREE! Some scriptures I want to leave with you. These strengthened me!

Psalm 34:18 (KJV): "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Psalm 27:10 (KJV): "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up."

Psalm 118:22 (KJV): "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.;''

I hope you continue enjoying this holiday with your loved ones! Please, take care of your bodies and your mental health! Life is so fragile and take it from someone who knows! I love you and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it! NOW, GO be great! peeeaceee✌🏾

Why Don't You Just Date Yourself!

 Happy happy Mindset Monday, everyone! I hope you had a fun but restful weekend💜 Mine was pretty eventful but I did get lots of rest, which I needed! I am in a season where I believe God has me hidden. I am totally surrendered to Christ and what he wants to do in my life. Some might mistake it for loneliness BUT I believe God is just giving me a reset that I so desperately need. Its a new start, a fresh perspective, new relationships, new traditions and routines to replace old habits. New people to replace the toxic ones from the past! I am SO grateful for this reset! I have been taking my time with everything in my life. Because when God is in control, there is no need to rush! I am working like it all depends on me AND praying like it all depends on God. Because you know why, I VALUE MYSELF AND DESERVE all that God has for me in this next season. I have sacrificed alot to get to this point in my life. I am so grateful!! I say all of this to say, I was talking to my Father and he said, in this season, Knetris, 'Why don't you just date yourself?'.... Take yourself to the movies, to the coffee shop for coffee, to the gym for a good workout, to brunch, lunch and/or dinner. Just YOU +God, Knetris! I was very humbled by that conversation. My Father is a very wise and powerful man of God and he has helped me to overcome lots of obstacles in my life. I am SO grateful for him! In this season, I am preparing for what is next, alright! I would like to be married someday with a family of my own. Maybe God is preparing me for those things and so much more in this season of my life. I am really using this season of isolation to become a force to be reckoned with! smiling....I am SO excited for this next chapter of my life. SO grateful! Ready to have some fun because my future is calling! If you are in this same season, Let's GOOO!!! I am so excited for you and can't wait to hear your testimony of how God transformed your season of isolation into destiny! love you, mean it! peeeacce👥  

You Have Talent! Just Get Started.

 Happy happy Mindset Monday, you guys! I hope you had a very restful weekend. AND a very Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends who are Mommas! I hope you had a BEAUTIFUL day yesterday💓 We are back with a very insightful Monday message for you to take annd do what you will with. I will start out by saying this..YOU HAVE TALENT!!! YES! YOU. I know you may not feel like it sometimes but God has given everyone a talent(s) of some kind. He wants you to discover your talents and share them with the world for HIS glory. I discovered my love for writing during a very difficult time in my life. I created my blog, 'The Word Nerd' in 2013. I was living in Orlando, Florida with a friend and was looking for employment at the time. I felt called to start my blog in order to build my relationship with God. Since 2013, I have been writing for 16 years and SO many doors have been opened for me in my writing career. I now have 2 PAID writing gigs going and am currently looking for more. I have trusted God with the little that I had, stepped out on faith and he has multiplied my efforts in order to bring HIM glory!

Let me tell you how this works in biblical terms!

Matthew 25:14-30 In the parable of the talents, a master entrusts servants with his property or a lump sum of money based on their abilites before travelling. 2 servants invest and double their talents, receiving praise and a reward while the 3rd servant buried his money out of fear, resulting in punishment. This story emphasizes active stewardship of God's gifts, faith and accountability upon Christ's return! What I am saying to you is, use your gifts and talents. Focus on what you do well with little to no effort and go forward. I found writing when I was trying to find out my passion. AND after much searching and praying, I found my gift and calling in life! Sometimes, it can be a little lonely discovering your calling but God is always there with you pounding the pavement alongside you😁 He will never leave you, love! Just remember that! You are strong enough and quite capable of living your dreams and bringing Glory to God simultaneously. God is SO proud of you and so am I! You've got this, champ!! NOW, Go Be Great💜

Best Self 365...

Happy happy Monday, friend! 

I hope you guys are doing very well. I am back with another 'Mindset Monday' for you today! I saw another IG influencer posting about a best self 365 challenge and I decided that this was something that I wanted to be a part of. We have made our way into February 2026 and I have so many goals that I want to accomplish the 1st quarter of the year. Best self 365 is basically a call to action! It is a call to becoming my best self spiritually, financially, health wise and overall happiness! It is easier said than done but I want to keep the promises that I make to myself in this season! Being consistent is something that has been more of a challenge for me lately. I have been out of my normal routine for quite some time because of my hunt for a full time job. I have been making it work with several part time jobs and its working but I have the capacity to carry more. I am learning that at times, when God wants to give us more, he will begin to subtract things that no longer serve us. I understand that more and more each day but that does not mean that it is easy to grasp. That is definetly the case for me in this season! I am learning that just continuing to show up for myself is half the battle. Here are some ways that I have been showing up for  myself in this current season: Trying to start my day with my bible, walking for 30 minutes several times a week, reading and trying to learn more about money management God's way, trying to remove the coffee and making water my 1st drink option and praying more and worrying less!

Starting Over in my 40’s and Rebuilding with God!

Happy happpy Monday, love!

Happy happy 2026!!!

If you are anything like me, you have been hibernating inside for the past few days due to inclement weather and the snow and ice outside! I’m not going to lie, it has been kinda nice. We’re starting the new year off with snow which is a nice change. The eastern KY area has not seen snow in a long while. 

So, here we are! Beginning a brand new year. Alot has happened since my last post. 2025 was a year full of transitions. From work to my personal life, soo much happened in those 12 months. Some of which I will talk more about later but I feel life God has me on a path of rediscovery in this season. I am starting over in alot of ways; but not from sratch. Ever heard someone say, you are starting over from experience? That is where I feel like I am in this season. I have alot of time to spend with God and on the things he deems are important for me to become the woman he has called me to be in 2026 and beyond. The changes are exciting BUT extremely uncomfortable. I am being challenged from every direction. I have struggled through lots of unsure seasons to get to this one. Just like a catepillar strugging to become the beautiful butterfly! Letting go of the past. I HAD a past, I don'thave a past. Therefore, I should not dwell on it. I have been laboring over whether to try to contibue looking for a full time role or try to begin turning my side gig in writing into a full time freelance writing business. I am trying to pay off my car in 2026, as well as begin tackling student loan debt. The good Lord knows that I am trying so hard to do my best to stay encouraged. The world is so different these days. I hold on to every sliver of positivity

I know that God has BIG plans for my life and even though I cannot see how he will work things out on my behalf, I KNOW HE WILL. This is the freedom I have been waiting for.....this is the freedom of the Lord.

Stay tuned for more.