Take Care.
Toward the end of 2024, I found myself in desperate need of care. Saying yes to what excited me and no to what didn’t. Saying yes to rest and relaxation, no to deadlines, and circling back. Luckily for me, I have leaned heavily into the practice of taking several weeks away from work, from doing at the end of the year, and being in tune with the season. Care was on the menu, and I surely took all the care I could get. With no intention of opening my laptop unless it was to watch one of my current favorite YouTube series, House Guest, hosted by Scott Evans — I found myself working on this here portfolio incessantly. Something in the atmosphere shifted for me during this time. Dwntwn Brwn has been my baby since 2016, perhaps before. And here I am in 2025, acting as a doula, bringing it to life and sharing it with those open to accepting the invitation.
Anyone who has ever had an idea, a vision, or a dream has probably experienced it going through multiple iterations until it just felt… right. Dwntwn Brwn was no different. It’s hard to remember what its early iterations looked like, but I’m sure it was a brand of some sort; it morphed into a business idea that would support the health and wellness of Black and brown women in New York City back when those were my stomping grounds. After graduating college, it was my entry into graduate school to study social impact (impact-driven entrepreneurship). Dwntwn Brwn was going to be something, eventually. I shared the vision with my life partners, and I always found support and interest. However, nothing was curling over— until I started taking care.
“Something in the atmosphere shifted for me during this time.”
With no wellness retreat in sight, I had to create the space for myself to be well and take care. Putting myself back in therapy, finding the time and energy to move my body, opening a book, and having almost daily bath rituals got the ball rolling. At the time of this writing, two months later, the ball is still rolling. Can’t you tell? I’m writing as proof! It took stillness and silence for me to realize that constant movement, being knee-deep in the hustle, and trying to prove something to someone disconnected me from the vision— a purpose instilled in me by the most high. What a disservice to me and the collective. There’s barely a recollection like that of knowing you’re not fulfilling your purpose, at least for me, that will call me to make a change. And it was quite simple. STOP OVERTHINKING IT. The most high gave us skill, talent, and put something on our spirit to bring to fruition. The hard part is knowing what that thing is— the easy part is doing it if only we allow ourselves to. And that is how we got here, to this iteration of Dwntwn Brwn.
The desire to tell stories has been in my heart since I was a child. From reading incessantly, looking forward to going to the library on Flat Shoals Rd. to becoming an editor of my high school newspaper. Being able to communicate through various mediums and, most importantly, having the ability to allow people to feel something from what I shared was a gift I knew I had to lean into. And yet, every chance I got, I tapped out— until it got so uncomfortable doing something that brought me no value or joy that I had no choice but to lean in. That was how I took care of myself; that is how I continue to take care of myself and, now, others.
Once I leaned in and stayed close, everything became so clear and quite easeful. And a life of ease is what I prayed for, I just had to do my part.
I broke up with hustle culture three years ago and started living a life of ease in order to take care of myself. In many ways, I’ve been rewarded for it. I knew making this agreement with myself didn’t mean life would be easy, but I knew I didn’t have to try so hard at [fill in the blank]. Making an agreement of that magnitude, a behavior/attitude change requires practice; so I made it a daily practice. I’m still practicing, and it requires me to take care. I’ve seen the impact of how slowing down, being in active partnership with my agreements, and inviting ease into my life have transformed the work of storytelling. I am dedicated to telling the truth, being justice-centered, agreeing to projects that are intentional and impactful, and rejecting those that don’t. I am more conscious of the way of working that invites collaboration and equity, encouraging all voices to be heard and valued versus taking the white supremacist approach of extracting content and moving at a pace of urgency when none is required. Practicing care has allowed me to do meaningful work, not just professionally but personally, that I can take with me wherever I go.
Reader, I invite you to take care of yourself. Take care of yourself the best you know how, whether that is going back to a habit of your childhood, declining invitations, or eating your food more slowly the next time you sit down for a meal. This is a personal practice, a practice of liberation and grace. Look at where it brought me. Where will it transport you?
Take care.
With Ease,
Lauren
