Ive been sitting with this question lately: Who are you outside of the roles youve had to play?What do you say when someone asks, Who are you?Do you lead with mother, caretaker, child of God, strong Black woman?Do you find yourself naming al

2025 had hands but it also had layers. This 2025 reflection for Black women holds space for all of it the joy, the grief, the growth, the tiredness that doesnt always go away with sleep. In this season of goal-setting and high expectations, this episo

When it comes to holiday support for Black women, it often looks like doing everything for everyone else with little space to be supported yourself.In this short but powerful Support Snippet, Shirl offers a tender nudge to come back to yourself. To sto

Rest isnt something we earn its something we deserve. In this episode of Shades of Strong, Im joined by writer and self-care coach Tara Pringle Jefferson, author of Bloom How You Must: A Black Womans Guide to Self-Care and Generational Healing, for

We talk a lot about what it means to be a good friend. But what happens when the support were giving doesnt match what the other person actually needs?In this episode of Shades of Strong, Im joined by best friends Alyson Brown and Mia Brinson for a he

At 56 years old, Im walking into a Black womans dream Ive carried for decades sitting in New York, preparing to speak with agents and an editor from one of the Big Five publishing houses about my book.This moment didnt come fast, but it came faith

We say it all the time check on your strong friend but do we really know what that means?In this Support Snippet, Shirl goes deeper than the surface-level reminder and speaks directly to what it looks like when strong Black women go quiet. When the o

Are you tired of being the strong one? The one everyone depends on but rarely checks in with? That’s what we’re getting into today… ewhat happens after you finally lay that weight down when you stop over-functioning, stop fixing, stop

Sometimes the support we need doesnt come with a loud arrival or a clear answer. Sometimes, it shows up in the in-between. The pause. The waiting. The quiet moments where nothing feels certain but youre still held.In todays reflection, we explore wh

Youve put down strong. Youve tried the self-care Sundays, the soft life rituals, the silence and the scented candles. But somehow, you still feel like youre holding it all by yourself.In this episode of Shades of Strong, Shirl unpacks why self-care an