Stories of Reflection
A collection of stories reflecting on some of life’s most impactful experiences.
Community Engagement, Civic Renewal, and the Work of Belonging With these recent developments: ➡️ The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Voting Rights Act that seriously curtails voting rights and protections especially for Black Americans… ...
I had a dream about shining shoes. In the dream, I had a profound vision of shining a pair of brown dress shoes. And no matter how hard I tried, I could not get a ...
This is the first year in a very long time — decades — where the end of the year didn’t cause me to feel deeply anxious. When it was corporate life, I felt the pressure ...
November 17, 2025. Makes me wonder… how long has it been, Maya? Let’s see… (does math. j/k. uses laptop to do math.) It’s been… 3 years and 5 months. Which is 41 months, exactly. It’s ...
In this time, it might feel like all hope is lost. It isn’t. There is a way. Stay in love. With your family. With your friends. With your neighbors. With your God. With your passion. ...
On May 15, I had the privilege of speaking at the Triangle2 Member Innovation Summit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, alongside YMCA leaders from across the country. My Big Idea Talk focused on something simple yet essential: relationships. We ...
I’ve been exploring questions of America and of belonging for some time now. I’ve also been exploring the question of how we get to a shared vision – if ever – amidst so much division ...
Listen on YouTube instead. So… I’m practicing what we preach. Vulnerability in leadership as a key to inviting understanding of experiences – mine and other people’s, too. And I want to do this in the ...
If you’re building something, this is your reminder that the story takes time. Last night, I got a chance to hang with my teammate and Share More Stories CTO Andy Sitison at the AI Ready ...
The last 11 days of American life have been hard to handle. As I experience it, this all-out assault on DEI is, at its core and at its origin, an assault on Blackness. That doesn’t ...
