I’m Back… But I Never Really Left: The Year I Reclaimed Me

At the beginning of this year, I made a decision.

I was going to take a break.

Not forever. Not even for a year.

Just the first quarter.

After everything that came with the previous year—running businesses, serving my community, planning events, showing up for people, and running for public office—I knew I needed some time to myself. I thought three months would do it. Then something happened.

I started feeling good.

Not the kind of good that comes from accomplishing another goal, checking another box, hosting another successful event, or hearing somebody say, “Girl, I don't know how you do it all.” I mean I felt good!

I started paying attention to my body. I became more intentional about my health and what I was eating. I started moving my body differently. I paid attention to my hair. I paid attention to how I felt. I paid attention to what gave me energy—and what took it away. For once, I wasn't just maintaining everything around me.

I was tending to me.

And when the first quarter ended, I wasn't ready to give that up. So I said, “You know what? I'm going to give myself another quarter.” And I did. Now here I am in the third quarter of the year, and I've made another decision:

I'm staying here.

I'm giving myself the rest of this year. I'll step fully back out around my birthday in January. But until then, I'm going to continue honoring this season for exactly what it has become.

Tijuana A. Gholson sits gracefully with a radiant smile, embodying the spirit of self-reclamation and personal renewal.

YOUR TURN TO RECLAIM

Maybe your season doesn’t look like mine. Maybe you can’t take a year. Maybe you can’t take a quarter. Maybe right now, you’re wondering how in the world you could take a week.

That’s okay.

Reclaiming your life doesn’t have to begin with a sabbatical. It can begin with a decision. A decision to stop moving simply because everyone expects you to move. A decision to ask yourself what you need in this season—not what your title needs, not what your business needs, not what your family needs, not what everybody who depends on you needs.

What do YOU need?

For me, this year has been about rebranding, refreshing, renewing and reclaiming. And somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t just changing how I presented myself to the world. I was getting reacquainted with the woman underneath all those titles.

And maybe it’s your turn.

You may be entering a new season in your career, your business, your leadership, your family—or simply in your life. You may know something needs to change, but you haven’t quite figured out what the next version looks like yet.

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

If you need a place to think out loud, sort through what’s next, and strategically design your next chapter, come sit down with me.

Let’s talk.

Let’s strategize.

Let’s figure out what you’re ready to keep, what you’re ready to release, and what you’re ready to reclaim.

Put something on my calendar. Your next chapter may be closer than you think.

— Tijuana A. Gholson

Transformational Strategist