A New Year with New Direction

A New Year with New Direction

I launched iamdrlassiter.com in 2021 … all while working a full-time job, being a full-time student, and leading a full-time life. 

It started with me wanting to be able to market myself once I finished my PhD program. I wanted to have more than a LinkedIn page and thought having a personal brand would be the best way for me to distinguish myself. Little did I know, this would be a transformative experience. 

I am all for getting out of one’s comfort zone. Actually, I encourage it. Last year was all about taking risks. My word of the year was COACH, and I found one with Dr. Shanell T. Smith. She gave me critical tools to help navigate a full-time course load and prepare me for future semesters. 

I also found other coaches in family and friends (and Dr. Smith) when I made the most important and affirming decision of 2021: I quit my job. 

The first six months of 2021 were all about structure, stability, and security. 

The last six months of 2021 were all about liberation, self-care, and manifestation. 

July was all about ME. I went home to MS for a couple of weeks, slept in, joined a gym, and praised God for giving me a major moment of clarity. I decided to unlearn living a life that I thought I was supposed to live and instead embrace doing exactly what I wanted to do. 

I wanted to run The Lassiter Firm, build my brand, teach on the collegiate level, secure an assistantship, and do contract work. 

By the end of August, I’d secured all of these things! God is good, y’all. 

I’m still doing me: Working out regularly, thriving professionally, spending more time with family, and doing everything on my own terms. 

And that includes speaking more about what has motivated me for as long as I can remember: Representation. 

As I shared here, an absence of Black girls in mass communication spurred me to study journalism. Throughout my career, I have been intentional about making sure Black girls and women are represented, as well as other identities, whether it be race, ethnicity, gender, and more. 

I have enjoyed sharing my life with you via my blog and social media, but I want to share more in 2022. I spend hours researching, writing, and teaching about issues such as workplace trauma, the concrete ceiling, leadership, Black Feminist Thought, gender inequality, institutional racism, and more. While these topics are not as fun as content featuring my dog, Cookie, they are important. 

I’m a whole person: I relish excitement and things that bring me joy. Hence, reels with the dog. And Beyoncé. #IYKYK

But, I also acknowledge that the conversations about those serious topics are still very critical. So, you’ll be seeing more of that from me. 

Furthermore, I want to hear from you: What have your experiences been like? What does workplace trauma look like for women, Black women, and other women of color? What does life look like through your eyes? Are you isolated? Are you supported? Do you have advocates? 

These are the stories that are important to tell. As I write this, the possibility of a Black woman serving on the Supreme Court is drawing support on one side and ire on the other. 

All of the potential candidates are qualified, ready, and exceptional. Nevertheless, this potential appointment is being labeled “radical” by someone whose unconscious bias continues to spill out of his mediocre mouth. And then, there’s this.

Racism isn’t only slurs and lynching. It’s microaggressions, hurtful language, and actions that continue to unfairly plague the advancement of non-white people. Sexism is another added layer of bias (google “patriarchy”). 

Imagine navigating life experiencing both. Simultaneously and endlessly. 

Ask a Black woman: She can tell you how it feels. 

There are some experiences that I cannot speak to: Such as being a non-Black woman of color or someone who identifies LGBT, nonbinary, disabled (for example). But that doesn’t stop me from listening, learning, and advocating for as many people as possible. I hope you will do the same. 

From “Ain’t I a Woman” to “The Combahee River Collective” to Nikole Hannah-Jones, Black women have been revolutionary in demanding equality for not only themselves but for entire communities of people. 

With that said … continue to count me in. And stay tuned.