Calm & Cultured Collective

I didn’t realize how much of me was the performance of me.

That line stayed with me.

So many of us have spent years trying to be perfect, trying to please people, trying to say the right thing, serve the right way, show up the right way, and never let anybody down.

But somewhere along the way, we start carrying a load God never asked us to carry.

In this conversation, Donna shares what it meant to stop performing, release people pleasing, and finally receive the grace of God without feeling like she had to earn it.

The full episode is out now : https://youtu.be/f5xphYWiMKU?si=MwuVt...


#CalmAndCulturedCollective #DonnaFox #PeoplePleasing #Perfectionism #FaithAndHealing #GodsGrace #ChristianWomen #HealingJourney #SpiritualGrowth #FaithBasedHealing #ChristianPodcast #BlackFaith #PurposeAndGrace #WomenOfFaith #PodcastClip #YouTubeShorts

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Calm & Cultured Collective

Episode 2 of Reclaiming Fatherhood w/ Bo is now available.

In “Blended Family, Same Table,”Bo and I talk about the real work of building a blended family : trust, transition, presence, consistency, and what it means to become one family under one roof.

This episode is personal because I have watched Bo not only be a father, but become a father figure, bonus father, and grandfather with love, patience, and presence.

I also shared a new newsletter reflecting on the first two episodes and my gratitude for who Bo is to our family.

Watch Episode 2 and read the newsletter here. Then come back and tell me:

What has blended family, fatherhood, or chosen presence taught you?

#ReclaimingFatherhood #BlendedFamily #BlackFatherhood #FatherhoodMatters #BonusDad #PresentFather #FamilyLegacy #CalmAndCulturedCollective

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

Calm & Cultured Collective

Today, I’m sharing Part One of a three-part conversation with my husband, Bo.

This is his first time joining me on The Calm & Cultured Collective, and we’re beginning with a topic that is deeply personal to both of us: growing up without his father.

In this first part, Bo reflects on the moment he realized his father was not coming back and how that absence shaped the man, husband and father he would eventually become.

This conversation is honest, vulnerable and very close to our hearts.

Watch Part One: **When I Realized I Didn’t Have My Father.**

Parts Two and Three are coming soon.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0

Calm & Cultured Collective

In this season of the most notorious “hood” of them all ; parenthood, Angel is reclaiming her time by traveling more, nurturing herself, and making room for joy. And we love that for her.

Deneen is reclaiming grace. Grace for the times she didn’t know better, and even the times she knew better but didn’t do better. She’s learning to let herself off the hook while extending that same grace to her children and allowing them to live life on their own terms.

Collective, what are you reclaiming in this season?

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Calm & Cultured Collective

I’m creating a softer space beyond the podcast. 🦋

Introducing The Culture of Calm, a biweekly note from Calm & Cultured Collective for women reclaiming peace, purpose, identity, and joy in the middle of real life.

Each note will include personal reflections, podcast moments, journal prompts, faith-centered encouragement, and cultured recommendations.

Season Two has already been a season of reclamation, and I wanted a place where we could pause, reflect, and carry the conversations a little deeper.

Subscribe here: calmandculturedcollective.riverside.com/newsletter

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Calm & Cultured Collective

I am so excited about the conversations coming to Calm & Cultured Collective this season.

My episode with Cassandra is a beautiful, honest conversation about life after divorce ; the grief, the healing, the faith, and the reminder that your story does not end when a marriage does.

And my upcoming conversation with Donna is already sitting close to my heart. We’ll be talking about grace, becoming, healing, and finding purpose in the cracks.

These are the kinds of conversations I hoped Season 2 would hold; reflective, real, faith-filled, and rooted in reclamation.

I can’t wait to share them with you. 🤎

Which conversation are you most looking forward to: life after divorce or grace in the cracks?

Let me know in the comments.

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Calm & Cultured Collective

Hey Collective 🤎

Just checking in with you as we move through the summer.

How are you really doing?

Not the automatic “I’m good” answer, but the honest one.

Are you resting?
Are you overwhelmed?
Are you finding small moments of joy?
Are you giving yourself permission to slow down?
Are you in a season of rebuilding or releasing?

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to reclaim the parts of ourselves that life, responsibility, grief, motherhood, work, relationships, and survival may have slowly pulled away from us.

So I wanted to pause and ask:

**What are you reclaiming this summer?**

Rest?
Peace?
Joy?
Your voice?
Your health?
Your confidence?
Your creativity?
Your time?

Drop one word or one sentence in the comments. I’d love to hear where you are in this season.

And as always, I’m grateful you’re here. 🤎

2 months ago | [YT] | 1

Calm & Cultured Collective

Collective, we are officially stepping into Season Two.

First, thank you.

Thank you for listening, watching, commenting, sharing, encouraging, and making space for these conversations. Season One taught me so much about honesty, healing, legacy, faith, womanhood, and the power of simply telling the truth.

Season Two is called **The Reclamation Season**.

This season, we are talking about what it means to reclaim the parts of ourselves we may have lost, silenced, neglected, outgrown, or finally feel ready to hold differently.

We’re reclaiming rest.
We’re reclaiming peace.
We’re reclaiming voice.
We’re reclaiming purpose.\

All of it! 

I am so excited for what is ahead ; the reflections, the conversations, the stories, and the wisdom that will meet us along the way.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for growing with me. Thank you for being part of the Collective.

Season Two is on the horizon. Let’s reclaim what belongs to us.

Be kind to yourself and one another. We need more kindness in this world.

#CalmAndCulturedCollective #TheReclamationSeason #SeasonTwo #ReclaimingRest #WomenOver40 #MidlifeWomen #BlackWomenOver40 #FaithAndHealing #HealingAndRest #SelfCareForWomen

2 months ago | [YT] | 2

Calm & Cultured Collective

Hey Collective!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer.

Over the past year, so many of our conversations here at Calm & Cultured Collective have centered around growth, healing, faith, boundaries, grief, reinvention, and learning to choose peace in every season of life.

As I've reflected on those conversations, I've been considering creating a guided journal, a space where we can slow down, process our thoughts, pray, reflect, and document our journeys together.

Before I move forward, I'd love your input.

Which type of journal would be most helpful to you right now?

🦋 Finding clarity & direction

🦋 Managing stress & overwhelm

🦋 Growing deeper in faith

🦋 Healing from past hurts

🦋 Reinventing yourself in midlife

Thank you for helping me shape something that truly serves our community. 💕

2 months ago | [YT] | 0

Calm & Cultured Collective

My summer reading list is shaping up beautifully. 🦋

I’m currently reading Start With Yourself by Emma Grede and when I tell you this book has me in a chokehold… I mean it. I’m reading the physical copy and listening on Audible during my commute because I genuinely don’t want to miss a thing. Every chapter feels like a conversation about ownership, accountability, growth, and becoming the kind of woman who moves with intention.

Score by Kennedy Ryan is officially on deck because Kennedy never misses.

I just finished Joliet by Rae Lyse and whew… real tears were shed. I read it in two days and honestly cannot believe I had been so disconnected that I didn’t even know this book existed until last week. Beautifully written, emotionally layered, haunting, tender… just unforgettable. Easy 5 stars for me.

I’m saving A Good Cry by Nikki Giovanni and A Harlem Wedding by Tiffany L. Warren for vacation reading because both feel like books that deserve slow mornings, quiet moments, and uninterrupted attention.

Also adding Kin by Tayari Jones to the list because I already know she’s going to make me feel everything.

Reader friends… what’s currently on your nightstand? What are we reading this summer? 🦋

3 months ago | [YT] | 2