Hey Everyone
A quick note <3
Hi Everyone,
It’s been a minute since I’ve made my way into your inboxes, and I have big feelings about that. For those of you who know me personally, you know social media is a very hard thing for me. It’s why, after my dad died, I didn’t have an Instagram account and why, when I’m feeling most stressed, the first thing I do is delete or deactivate all of my accounts. I remember I had a close friend who always used to comment on this: “If you want to be a talk show host - why don’t you have an Instagram account? That’s stupid.” It was as if I wasn’t allowed to take things at my own pace. It was as if I had to live my life in a way that only made sense in the way she lived hers. It made me feel really unseen and unheard. It made me feel bad.
I think that’s the purpose of today’s letter. I go back and forth on what Bre’s Breakdown is supposed to be on a regular basis. I love interviewing women of color who I think are interesting, and I love using Bre’s Breakdown as an outlet to talk about whatever I want. However, sometimes, when people talk to me about what it should be, it makes me feel bad. I remember I interviewed one woman who told me off camera how her endeavors were deeper, more intelligent, and more evolved than mine because of the conversations she had. How interesting, I’m inviting you into my community of young Black women, and you, as a non-black woman, are quick to critique and put down. Outside of people telling me I needed to become an influencer, that was the first time I felt bad about Bre’s Breakdown.
While Bre’s Breakdown started as a weekly blog style of me documenting being laid off, it evolved into me working on my passion for women of color - specifically, young Black women and their careers. I always talk about how hard post-grad was for me and how it really took me a long time to find my footing with friendships and my career. As my late 20s creep upon me, I don’t feel as unsure about who I want to become and where I’m going. I do, however, feel the continued importance of community and supporting others. Given the recent election results, I wanted to take this newsletter to talk about the importance of community and how, now more than ever, you need to lean into people/decisions who make you feel good. For me, it’s important to do my best to make decisions that make sense to me and may not to others. As a Black woman, it is a serious act of rebellion to choose yourself, and I encourage each and every one of you to do the same - especially right now.
As someone who recently went to the hospital earlier this month for one of the worst anxiety attacks I’ve ever had in my life, I am urging you to choose situations that limit your stress and increase your peace of mind. I would say things are about to get strange, but transparently, I believe things have been strange and will only continue to become even more strange. That being said, I plan to start picking up the cadence of Bre’s Breakdown more because, behind Pinterest, Substack is my favorite platform. I can fully flesh out my thoughts and don’t feel this intense pressure about how I’m perceived here. I’m deleting and/or deactivating all my other platforms right now because I do believe we are about to see an ungodly amount of stupidity and hate within the upcoming months - and I want no parts.
Be smart, be vigilant, and be vocal.
