Harnessing The Power Of Personal Agency
On Starting Reflection When I first received my copy of the Rooted Reflections Journal, I sat down with enthusiasm and committed to writing an entry every day. I loved the cover, the design of each 2-page entry, and found all…
How To Take Care Of Yourself: Sustainable Female Rituals
Growing up, I associated rituals almost exclusively with religion. Rituals were performed during festivals, or to commemorate auspicious personal occasions like a housewarming or buying a new car, and to mark rites of passage like coming of age, getting married,…
Life Lessons From A Beagle: Pets And Your Mental Health
What Rhymes With Beagle? One of my favorite poems, Wild Geese by Mary Oliver, opens with the lines: You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the…
Resources And Networks: Millennial Woman Of Color In Grad School
This article is the second of a two-part follow-up to my first article on navigating graduate school as a Millennial Women of Color. You can read Part I here. In this article, I discuss finding resources & building networks You…
Millennial Woman Of Color Code-Switching In Grad School
This article is the first of a two-part follow-up to my first article on navigating graduate school as a Millennial Women of Color. I discuss code-switching & appearances “You don’t look like a (scientist, mathematician, economist, engineer, etc.)” Do you…
Emotional Eating Disorder: Am I Eating My Feelings?
What is emotional eating disorder?: any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits (such as anorexia nervosa). Perhaps I should begin by admitting that this piece is way behind the deadline. I committed to…
Anthony Bourdain: Women Of Color Reflect On His Impact
As news of Anthony Bourdain’s death by suicide broke around the world, it was met with a wave of profound sadness. Bourdain’s colleagues and fans recalled the enormous impact he had made, not only as a Chef, Writer, and Television…
Abhyanga Massage, “Columbusing” Of A Traditional Ayurvedic Ritual
Introducing Abhyanga Massage, The “Exotic” Indian Practice You’ve Probably Never Heard Of … Yet! Abhyanga massage, huh? Sounds exotic! Abhyanga is Sanskrit for… I honestly don’t know, and I don’t fully trust the internet. But it describes an oil massage, a…
Navigating Graduate School As A Millennial Woman of Color
When I started graduate school to pursue my Ph.D., I received an abundance of warnings, advice, and cautionary tales. I was warned about navigating the difficulty of the qualifying examinations. A student a year ahead of me advised that my…
My Boyfriend Wants An Open Relationship, But I Don’t
So, my boyfriend of three years recently told me that he wants an open relationship. If that wasn’t bad enough, he brought it to my knowledge in a way that makes it seem like I have no choice but to…
Mother, I Don’t Want To Get Married
My boyfriend and I have lived in the same community for pretty much our whole lives. We’ve known each other for so long that, at least to me, we’re more like brother and sister than anything else. My mother is…
