• A lone person arms up and open down an empty road during golden hour, their silhouette backlit by a warm amber sunset breaking through moody storm clouds.

    Are You Really Learning from the “Last Time”?

    The very last time. Because it’s been 50–11 times now, so really, really… this is the last time. I love not only thinking about growth, but also actually growing. It’s not, nor will it ever be a perfectly straight path, but in my Big Age, the path is less curvy, less wobbly, and less riddled with self-inflicted obstacles. Paid to Learn, Paid to Leave “Lessons learned” at work is one thing. There’s more clarity there. You’ll do better with the time, budget, scope creep foolishness, or switch out the drama queen who contributed to the downfall. Simple. And believe me, I know there are those projects that will absolutely test…

  • Beautiful black curvy woman confident happy

    Take Five Minutes for the Best Case Scenario

    You know what we’re exceptionally good at as humans? And I am 1000% speaking to myself on this one too: I prepare for the absolute worst. Not always successfully, mind you, but still. And I don’t just mean casually thinking about it either — I mean fully preparing. Like studying for it, taking copious notes, then taking the metaphorical exam over and over until we ace it. Like that crazy-cakes level of preparation. Brace for Impact: Our Default Setting We mentally rehearse every possible outcome where things spectacularly and catastrophically fall apart, roll off a cliff, or land somewhere between going sideways and being hella awkward. At too many points…

  • Death Meets Beauty Traditional tattoo design featuring a detailed skull opposite vibrant red roses, separated by light and connected by butterflies.

    Are you Team ‘Need’ or Team ‘Want’ in a Relationship?

    Yet another slight shift in my SincerelyIreneB posts, but not by my conscious choice, but this has been all over all my feeds for months, and my friend visiting got us talking about this exact subject. Not to mention, a week or so ago, two other friends of mine touched on this topic as well. What is it? The male loneliness epidemic. I’m gonna begin right out the gate with I know many, many a good man. Not the fake, mask-wearing kind, I mean, I do know too many of those, sadly, but I’m stating this so if you want to come at me as a man-hater type, then knock…