What if softness wasn’t an escape, but a strategy for days that won’t slow down? Tajuana opens up about rebuilding calm inside a loud life—motherhood with two energetic boys, a body moving through hormonal phases, and a schedule that never quite empties. Instead of chasing an idealized version of ease, she walks through a practical soft-life toolkit: habit stacking that keeps essentials on autopilot, cycle-aware planning that honors shifting energy, and tiny joy rituals that reset the nervous system in minutes.

We unpack how stress tricks us into dropping the routines that work, and how to make them frictionless again by anchoring new behaviors to ones you already do. Think: checking your cycle phase before email, journaling after skincare, and slipping in a short meditation without re-negotiating with yourself. Tajuana also shares what she’s learning about menstrual phases—why luteal days call for warmth, simpler tasks, and more rest—and how period tracking apps can guide food, movement, and focus choices without becoming rigid rules.

This conversation gets specific about micro-moments that matter: a quiet lap through a bookstore, fresh flowers on the counter, a vegetable-heavy salad that sparks genuine delight, and the grounding power of breath and mantras when the room turns rowdy. The theme isn’t perfection; it’s pattern recognition and kindness—choosing inputs that soothe instead of spike. If you’ve felt “always on,” this is a gentle blueprint for building calm into the cracks of a busy day, protecting your energy with boundaries, and finding pockets of peace that actually fit your season.

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Hair carries memory, culture, and the everyday work of showing up. I open up about life with thick, curly hair—from toddler photos where my curls were bigger than me to a present-day silk press that finally feels like balance. You’ll hear the real differences between a “perm” for straight hair versus Black hair, why heat is both a tool and a threat, and how I weigh the trade-offs that come with shine, swing, and scalp health. This is a practical guide and a personal story in one, built from years of braids, weaves, trims, and do-overs.

We get into the fine print of protective styles: the hours they demand, the take-downs that test your patience, and the small techniques that keep them fresh—sealing ends, gentle wash routines, and scalp access. I share what changed when I moved away from chemicals, wrestled with shrinkage and dryness, and learned a silk press could give me ease without losing myself. Expect concrete details on tools and routines, from brush-dryer combos that won’t snap off in coils to heat protectants and wrapping at night with flexi rods or pin curls to hold shape.

There’s mindset work here too. Two sisters, same parents, different textures—proof that comparison robs joy. I talk about releasing length envy, prioritizing healthy ends and low manipulation, and embracing grays when I want to and dye when I don’t. Biotin, prenatal vitamins, rosemary mint oil, and weekly wash habits show up as supporting players, not miracle cures. If you’ve ever juggled identity, practicality, and beauty through your hair, you’ll feel seen and leave with strategies to try next wash day.

Enjoy the conversation? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend who gets the Black hair journey, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find us. Your stories and tips make this community stronger—what routine is working for you right now?

Episode 15: What Is Dry Shampoo?

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-what-is-dry-shampoo/id1677891195?i=1000638393181

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The reading life doesn’t wait for perfect conditions, so I hit record from bed and opened the door to a TBR that just did a plot twist. I used to swear I wasn’t a fantasy person. Now I’m racing through A Court of Thorns and Roses, loving the romance inside the magic, and comparing notes with my work book club on a modern witch story that feels like found family. That pivot didn’t erase my old favorites—memoir, self-help, and historical fiction—it gave me new ways to find the same heart: complicated love, moral choices, and characters who want to be better.

I break down how I keep reading alive with kids, work, and a calendar that never sits still. Libby fuels my audiobook habit with library holds; Spotify lets me jump straight into new titles, even if I have to watch the monthly hour cap. Paperbacks anchor bedtime, ebooks live on my phone for surprise five-minute windows, and audio powers errands. That format mix stops momentum from dying when a hold expires, a nap ends early, or a book light goes missing again. Along the way I add heritage reads—Things Fall Apart and The Shadow King—to deepen my connection to African and African American history, and I shout out Awfully Hilarious, a collection of period and menopause stories that lands with humor and truth.

If you’re juggling multiple books, you’ll hear how I keep the worlds separate and why I think bookstores are still the quietest rooms on earth. I also preview our November mystery pick, talk about nine-week library waits, and share where to find more recs, including Sheree's Bookstagram, BookishAndBusy_. Come for the fantasy conversion, stay for the practical reading hacks and the community energy that makes stories stick.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reading spark, and leave a quick review. Then tell me: what’s the one book I should add to my nightstand this week?

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