Why i’m starting a publication on self-care for Black women

I’ve been writing for over 15 years as part of my self-care practice even at a time when I didn’t really know what self-care was.

When I was writing poems and stories as a kid, I was just trying to find my way to freedom and understanding. As I became an adult, much of my personal writing is still very much about those things and even more so now it’s about connection. I’ve been growing my self-care brand Taylor Rachelle for 2 years now and I’ve always wanted to do more than sell products but for a while I couldn’t figure out what that should be.

These past 2 years i’ve learned a lot about the importance of leaning into myself, what I’m good at and what feels good to me. For a long time I just felt like what I had to offer naturally was not enough and that I needed to do something different. But you know what? I miss writing and sharing with folks and I miss being in a mental space that allows me to read and learn from others too.

I’m starting a publication because I want to hear from other people about what they’re doing to take better care of themselves. I am especially passionate about healing Black women which is why I’m choosing to dedicate more media and content about what that looks like for us.

I’ve battled with chronic pain and anxiety for the last 10 years and it wasn’t until recently when my pain became more apparent that I decided to finally go see a doctor about it. I was formally diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder which explains a lot of the symptoms I’ve been living with over the last 10 years. It’s amazing to me how much we will endure and ignore because we’re too busy focused on everything else going on in our lives. As Black women, we’ve been given a superwoman title that “rewards” us for putting so many things on our plate even when we can’t handle it all. Much like I’ve just gotten used to living with the pain as a way of life, we just get used to putting everyone and everything else first.

I want to create more opportunities for Black women to slow down and to love and care for themselves. I want to show what this looks like because many Black women want to do something to help manage stress but simply don’t know what to do. I’m going to help with that.

There’s a lot of work to do but I pray for guidance and endurance all the time so that I may be able to see it through. We all have talents and visions. Sometimes those things scare us or make us uncomfortable. Sometimes they force us to go outside of our comfort zones or they’re so big we don’t know how we’re going to manage it. But have faith in yourself.

What you have to offer is exactly why you’re here and that is more than enough. Don’t run away from the things you’re being called to do.

I will keep you updated as I get further along the process. Thanks for listening.

Taylor