10 month mark: Major Victory

Today, I celebrate the completion of my work with Leadership Miami and my 10 month mark of moving to South Florida! I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished in less than a year.

For the past 9 months, I have been involved in the annual program which is sponsored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. The program is targeted towards men and women interested in making Miami a better place to live.

My group, More4Miami, worked with Chapman Partnership. Chapman’s mission immediately

More4Miami

resonated with me. I started Leadership Miami only after living in Miami for one month after relocating from Chicago. Joining the program was a way to get involved and educated about the issues of the community in which I work, much like my civic engagement in Chicago. Learning about Chapman’s mission and how they have single-handedly help decrease homelessness in Miami impressed and inspired me. Jumping into the work and making sure the team did an excellent job was my primary focus, but not the primary benefit I received. WATCH OUR PROJECT COMPLETION VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ygvmEFdwlg&feature=share.

What I gained from this program was a reevaluation of my own leadership strengths and weaknesses. I learned that I thrive when I have work with people who are self-starters and take initiative, like me. I tend to like them more.

This program also revealed my lack of patience for non-workers/self-starters. I set really high

expectations and when people don’t meet them, I dismiss them. Leadership Miami taught me that my approach as a leader should be to help my teammates identify their own strengths.

In all aspects of my life, I’m intentional. I engage in purposeful behavior. Developing my leadership and cultivating life-learning skills are my objectives in all of my work. Leadership Miami increased those skills. This program also helped me in my personal goals of being versatile and knowledgeable about multiple business sectors. I’ve served in corporate companies, marketing advertising agencies and the nonprofit world. The best brand strategists have a diverse portfolio. They think holistically, far outside operational silos. Being part of the Leadership Miami has sharpened those proficiencies which will benefit FIU and me. I will be better at directing FIU to communicate more effectively with integrity, excellence and tenacity.

In the words of DJ Khaled, Leadership Miami helped me discover “major keys to success.”

SAG's hurricane prepardeness must-haves

So apparently Tropical Storm Erika is making her way to Miami and will be a category one hurricane Great… 

My spec, Kelli, was the one to break the news to me. She sent me a frantic Google Talk message on Wednesday about the storm. *scratches head* My reply: What storm?

Next, she sent me a link to the National Hurricane Center and then….shit.got.real.

In my lifespan, I’ve lived through snowpocalypse Chicago, polar vortex, blizzards, ice storms, extreme droughts, and tornadoes (freshman year at BGSU...I cried). But, the thought of a hurricane sweeping through my place of residency is a bit unsettling.

Having lived through all that I mentioned, I’m going to live through Erika’s rude arrival to my new home. I put together a hurricane must-have list of all the things I think you should have, in addition to the real hurricane preparedness list:

My shoes, in a tupperware box: Look, I’ve spent some critical money on awesome shoes. Plus, who wants to start their shoe wardrobe over?

A Bible, not on a tablet: Once I got my iPad, I downloaded the Bible app. But seeing that I might need the tablet to contact people, I will pull out my good ole paper copy that I used in college and grad school. I have some good highlighted notes in it anyway.

Bricks: One of the boss ladies (both heads of my department are women. Boom.) at work told me a story about the time her car floated as she approached the ramp to get on the turnpike...the same route I take home. She said the water from a tropical storm or hurricane is what is dangerous. Thanks. That's comforting. I need some bricks to keep in the trunk of my car.


Rope: Along those lines, if it looks like I might be taking a ride, I'm going to strap myself to a palm tree.

Vaseline: Seeing that I might be without water, I should make sure my skin and are moisturized. I need to look good when I’m rescued. 

Water-proof mascara: Speaking of looking good, I will also have on my waterproof mascara. I need to have the right look of fright but beauty so that people will send me money and food.

Captain Jack Sparrow

Rum: Captain Jack Sparrow swears by rum. He survived a hurricane and a tornado. I’m taking a cue from my favorite Disney protagonist.

Photo albums with pictures: I have pictures that span 30 years of my life. I want those rescued, too. I’ll keep them close.

Although this list is in jest, I am taking this hurricane thing seriously. What would you have in your hurricane must-have kit? 

Running in Florida= gnats for dinner :(

First marathon with Veronica and Mira

In 2011, my friend Veronica had an idea; let’s train for a half-marathon. I usually loved all of Veronica’s ideas (they usually consisted of football and/or good food and cocktails), but this one was crazy . Run...a half-marathon…like 13 miles...in one day...

I was already active. I went to the gym about 2-3 a week and enjoyed it. But the idea of running scared me. I hated running. I tried to negotiate training for a 5K instead, but she eventually convinced me to train for 13.1 miles of running. I thought about dumping her as a friend in the beginning!

Second half-marathon

Veronica recommended the training because in 2011, my world literally crashed. My parents divorce, my cheating/lying ex-boyfriend, and my job transition all had me shifting to a very dark place. I wasn’t the same person and she saw that. Running prevented me from slipping into a darker place. Running saved my life.

Third half marathon

Since then, I have completed three half-marathons and several races. The sport has become part of my lifestyle. My initial introduction into running was all about escaping my reality and today, it still gives me that same feeling. I feel accomplished, relaxed and in charge of my life when I’m out there.

I went on my first Floridian run last week after work. I purposely left out when it was cloudy so that I wouldn’t have to deal with the sunshine. What I forgot was that Florida’s “cloudy” weather only lasts temporarily. I was sweating profusely by the 5 minute mark.

Along the route, I saw another runner in the distance. As the figure got closer, I could see it was a black woman! I started to run faster. I didn’t want to appear slow and sluggish! As we crossed each other, she started clapping for me and nodded her head, the standard “hello” that us runners give each other.

After my first Florida outdoor run
The black specs on my chest=gnats

On my run back to my apartment, I saw her again. This time, I couldn’t hide how much the sun was killing me; I was walking. Besides the sun, I had eaten four gnats, one was stuck in my left eye and my sweaty chest was covered in them. I really wish I could’ve called an Uber to take me home. I decided to jog as I got closer to her.

As our paths crossed, she clapped for me again and pointed towards her head while saying, “All mental.” I nodded in agreement and ran the rest of the way home. My training in 2011 consisted of a lot of crying but it helped mentally helped me. She was totally right.

My 4th half-marathon is scheduled for January 2016 and I’m super excited. This will be my first race running alone, but hopefully I’ll find some running friends here in Miami. Training for it is going to be a new challenge. This sun and humidity is no punk and my sinuses still are adjusting. Next time I see that woman, I’m going to give her a high five and thank her for the reminder!