healthandwellness_nsmlcsw

07/22/2026

🧠 Mental Health Reminder: Healing isn’t measured by how quickly you reach “the top.” It’s measured by your willingness to keep taking the next step, even when the path feels steep.

📍 Lempuyang Temple , Bali, Indonesia
🎼 Green Mic

07/03/2026

Fun fact… I used to hate my legs. 🫣

I spent years trying to hide them. It wasn’t until college that I started embracing my “big thighs.”

Now I’m 20 weeks away from stepping into the final year of my 40s, and somewhere along this Road to 49, I’ve found myself looking at my legs a little differently.

These thick things have carried me through so many seasons of my life. They have danced, walked, stood, climbed, traveled, and kept showing up for me.

My legs were never the problem. My perception of them was.

For years, I judged them by how they looked instead of appreciating what they were capable of.

Maybe that’s one of the greatest gifts we receive as we grow older: the ability to challenge the stories we’ve been telling ourselves. Because some beliefs have expired. Some ways of thinking no longer serve us. And maybe the way we see ourselves deserves a second look, this time with less criticism and more curiosity.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I had been asking the wrong question about my legs.

Instead of asking how they looked, I started asking:

How are they functioning?

And the more I sat with that question, the more I realized it wasn’t just about my legs.

It’s about every dimension of my life.

Maybe it’s a question worth adding to your journal this week.

How is it functioning?

Not, How does it look?
Not, What will other people think?

But…

How is it functioning?

The more I sit with that question, the more I realize it’s not just about our bodies. It’s about our relationships, our faith, our work, our finances, our habits, our boundaries, and our emotional well-being.

Sometimes we spend so much time evaluating things by how they appear that we never stop to ask whether they’re actually healthy, serving us, bringing us peace, or functioning the way they’re were designed to.

Maybe that’s one of the greatest lessons I’m learning on this Road to 49.

So this week’s journal prompt is simple:

What area of your life have you been evaluating by appearance when what it really needs is an honest evaluation of how it’s functioning?

06/28/2026

06/28/2026

One thing about me…
I’m going to bed after these events… and I’m probably falling asleep in that makeup too! 😂😂

If you’ve ever planned conferences, coordinated speakers, managed volunteers, handled logistics, and managed all the things in between… then you already know.

My next destination will always be my couch or my bed. And 10 times out of 10, I’m going to record myself a quick little video before I completely check out or when I wake up. (I journal two ways: video and written.)

I’m still sharing photos, speaker spotlights, behind-the-scenes moments, and videos from the women’s summit and the men’s conference.

➡️ Women’s Health & Wellness Summit: Head over and follow LV Women’s Summit for highlights and memorable moments.

➡️ Men’s Health & Wellness Conference: Head over and follow Men’s Health & Wellness for highlights and memorable moments.

Sn: I intentionally don’t post everything. When I create wellness spaces, I want people to feel safe enough to be present, vulnerable, and authentic without worrying that every moment will end up on the internet.

Year 6 planning for the Men’s Health & Wellness Conference and Year 2 planning for the Women’s Health & Wellness Summit will begin after my resting season.

I’m excited to collaborate on what’s ahead for 2027!

06/26/2026

🛋️💚

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day to the man who taught me that love is action.

I’m my father’s only child. Years ago, I asked him why he never had more children. Without missing a beat, he smiled and said, “Maybe because I got it right the first time.”

That’s my dad. 😂

What I admire most about him is that he always gave me room to grow. He let me challenge ideas, find my own way, make my own decisions, and learn from my experiences. But whenever life got hard and I finally said, “Dad, I need you,” he was there. Truthfully, he had been there all along.

Now, let’s be clear. 😒 If you were raised by a retired military father, then you already know there was going to be a conversation. 🤦🏾‍♀️ But those talks were never about judgment. They were about helping me learn, heal, and keep moving forward. Because he didn’t raise a quitter. 🥹

Watching him be a grandfather these past few years has been one of my greatest joys. From school runs and Costco trips to making sure my children have what they need, he shows up every single time.

Fun fact: My parents were never married and had me at the young ages of 17 and 18. Yet they, along with my stepmother and stepfather, taught me something invaluable: family is bigger than relationship status. They showed me what coparenting, sacrifice, respect, and unconditional love can look like.

When my mother became ill, my dad and stepmom packed up their lives and moved across the country so my children could have their maternal grandparents close by at my mama’s request. 😭

That’s the kind of father I have.

Steady. Patient. Protective. Present.

A man who has spent my entire life showing me that love isn’t just something you say, it’s something you do.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I love you endlessly. ❤️

06/19/2026

In honor of Juneteenth, I want to point out two important facts: I don’t play about two groups of people: my children 💙🩷🩷and my siblings💙💙✊🏾

Flashback to last Friday…

The big sister urge while moderating the panel not to stop mid-sentence and say, “I’m so proud of you, baby brother,” in the most country Mississippi accent I know how was REAL. 😂

Fun fact: the Sergeant on the stage is my baby brother, Sergeant Kashif Summers.

There’s an 11½-year age difference between us, and yes, I still tell him to call me when he gets home safely. Never mind the fact that he’s law enforcement. That’s just the big sister in me.

While writing his bio for the conference, I found myself smiling from ear to ear. As I read through his accomplishments and reflected on his journey, all I could think was, “I’m so proud of him.”

Then I watched him pull up, walk onto that stage, and do what he does best. And if you know me, you know it took everything in me not to cry. I am absolutely a crybaby when it comes to my children and the people I love. Seeing my siblings live out their dreams and walk in their purpose gets me every single time.

This was the first professional event I’ve ever hosted where my brother was part of the program, and it was a full-circle moment I won’t forget.

I also found myself thinking about our mother. She passed away before she had the opportunity to see him begin this career journey, but I know she was smiling down watching her baby boy on that stage. I know she’s smiling down watching all three of her children doing what we were called to do.

Mom would be SO proud. 😭😭

And baby brother, your big sister sure is too. 🌱🫂💙

06/18/2026

Health, Wellness & Integrated Care is on a recharge break. 🔋☀️

If it involves UNLV School of Medicine, good food, laughter, road trips, or airplanes, you know where to find me. ✈️🚗☀️

For anything else, the answer is no. Respectfully. 🤍💋

06/15/2026

✨💙

06/12/2026

YES. The answer is YES!!! The piece I was missing just came through. God, I thank You.

Now the builder can rest. 🥹

Good night. Whatever tomorrow shall be, shall be. 🙏🏾💙🤍

Tomorrow, we kick off Year 5 of the Las Vegas Men’s Health & Wellness Conference with our It Takes a Village Social Gathering.