Tag: Parenting

Categories
Uncategorized

The Unspoken Part of Conference Travel

How did I know my social battery was depleted before the conference got started? I walked into the networking session and physically just didn’t feel like saying a word.  I scoped out the hors d’oeuvre options and left.  One of my own action items for myself is honoring my instincts.  This wasn’t a push through moment.  It was a conversation with myself to myself, “Grab some dinner and go watch the Real Housewives of Potomoc.” I hear you, girl!

Professional development and learning from others in the field is absolutely essential to growth and frankly, a privilege. Being able to network with other practitioners and create new connections is only going to help and the students I work with benefit from these connections.  For all the learning, it is important to realize how taxing attending a conference can be.

The work day is longer from attending breakfast, breakout sessions, meals and post-conference gatherings.

Your brain is in brainstorming mode, trying to figure out how you take what you learned back to your team and implement it.

Home life is still happening.  Your partner, your children, pets and whoever else you love still needs you in some way.  

What can you do to find integration that is best for you?

  • Understand your own needs – don’t feel obligated to go to every single part of the conference. Think of it like a buffet: pick and choose what works for you.
  • If you can, adjust your travel so you are not rushed going to the conference or heading back home.
  • Level set with your colleagues if you are traveling as a pair or a group – everyone might need space, even if they don’t say it outloud.  Teams don’t always have to coordinate sitting together at every large gathering or going to dinner each night of the conference.
  • Decide what your goals are before you go.  What are you looking to learn? What is going to make you feel like attending was worth your time? 
  • Honor the out of office message you set. It is impossible to be present at the conference and constantly check your email. Give yourself time and grace for responding to messages.

As I wrap up my time at the CEIA Conference in Tampa, I’m leaving full of ideas, thinking about what I have the capacity to implement, while still ready to get back home to the hugs and kisses that await.

Categories
Uncategorized

The Mari and Mommy Move It! Book Launch

On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, I officially became a published author. The road to publication has been nothing short of a journey, however, I am proud of this project.

To celebrate the release of the book, my publisher, LaunchCrate, hosted a virtual launch party. Rae Daniel, reporter and anchor for KSHB and one of the sweetest souls, served as host for the event. Of course, Mari, the inspiration behind the book, made a noteworthy and memorable apprearance.

Check it out here!

Categories
Uncategorized

A Mom and Much More

For me, the calm and still that fill the house first thing in the morning are priceless.  Simply being able to move around, gather my thoughts and brew some coffee before diving into the morning routine are both necessary and essential.  Everybody’s day starts off better when I’m able to correctly gather myself.


Being a mom to the most beautiful, most intelligent brown skinned girl in the world for the last four years has brought out a type of strength and resilience that I hadn’t experienced before.  Being married to the most handsome, most knowledgeable husband who can come in with the right words at the right time has also given me a soft place to land and lay my head when times get tough. 

Even as those things are true, this is also true: I am more than a mom and wife.  The journey to figuring that out has been tricky, not always a straight path, but one I am committed to figuring out, for myself.  I know that a strong, sturdy and solid individual ultimately makes me a stronger partner and parent.  For me, it is being able to define myself first without needing to include my proximity to other people.  I think about it like this: a kid screaming “Mommy” from the other room when she first wakes up will end soon and I hope she will be off continuing to live her best life.  How can I help her be the best version of herself if my sole purpose is tied up in my relationships with other people? Tough to say out loud, but the reality I sit in. 


As I mentioned, this journey is not as simple as it sounds. Yet at the same time, I’ve been able to identify simple ways to show up for myself and remember who I am.  This includes the self-care activity of a bubble bath, wine and candles.  For me, it also means a daily journaling exercise to capture the joy from the day and sometimes the joy is as simple as being able to watch TV.  Writing it down now is helpful to revisit when I need a reminder of the good things that are right in front of me. 

Being more than a mom and wife means understanding when a timeout is needed.  Being able to say, “Y’all are getting on my nerves” isn’t comfortable, yet having the awareness is critical.  I also recognize that being Superwoman is not actually #goals.  No, I will not be packing Pinterest perfect meals for my kid to take to school everyday (shoutout to my husband for helping me to see this) and she will not have us running around every weekend from activity to activity.  

This also means saying yes to myself by committing to keeping my therapy sessions, setting time aside to hang out with my friends and giving myself permission to rest without guilt.  Being more than a mom means saying what I need outloud from my husband as well as calling on the village (read: my mom) to keep the kid for an overnight stay.  

The journey to being the best me isn’t easy, but well worth it, for everyone I love.

Categories
Uncategorized

Conversations with Crystal: Education is Mandatory

In this week’s episode of Conversations with Crystal, I chat with Jaedda Hall, who serves as the STEM Promise Program Coordinator at Tidewater Community College.  Jaedda and I had an opportunity to meet last summer as participants in the AAWCC LEADERS Institute, a week-long experience for women who aspire to leadership roles at the community college level.  

We connected on a number of levels as the millennial moms with young daughters in the group.  As we discussed in our conversation, we both struggled with the idea of imposter syndrome and not believing that we should be in the room with people bearing titles such as vice president or director.  

But she’s doing it! In her role, she has been at the forefront of developing a scholarship opportunity for students that was developed in response to the pandemic and leading initiatives that support students dealing with food and housing insecurity.  Service at the community college level is special and Tidewater is lucky to have someone so personable and so passionate.  She takes the time to develop relationships with students and works to identify both their academic and personal needs.  

Above all, Jaedda is definitely about that #MomLife.  She takes the time everyday to ask her daughters about something they learned, so when she says education is mandatory, she means it and it starts at home.
Categories
Uncategorized

Conversations with Crystal: Education is the Bridge to What’s Next


In the latest episode of Conversations with Crystal, I speak with Eric Thompson, who currently serves as the Adult Learner Innovation Manager and an Adult Learner Coach for KC Scholars.  His 20 years of experience in higher education have included roles in residence life, student support services and most recently, Eric served as Dean of Students at MCC – Penn Valley.  We talk about his journey in higher education, his experience as a student at Jackson State University, as well as the need for our education systems to demonstrate a clear path for students to follow and see all of the opportunities available to them.
Enjoy!