The Mediocre Black Woman

We’re taught so many things about God that make us afraid to listen to ourselves.Afraid to leave. Afraid to change. Afraid to disappoint the image of who we were supposed to be. And quite frankly, afraid of God.For some of us, it starts in the church. For others, it’s in the family systems that told us to be good, to endure, to make it work. And when we don’t — when we choose differently — we’re made to feel like we’ve failed. The real tea that we discuss in this episode is that there can often be self-imposed fear and expectations. 👀This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.When I sat down with Netta Fei, certified spiritual coach, author of A Most Useful Betrothal, and founder of True Self Society, we talked about what it really means to come home to yourself after being shaped by those systems — especially when it comes to love, marriage, and the courage to walk away.For Netta, divorce was something she once believed wasn’t in her DNA. For me, I didn’t even have a template for it. But both of us had to confront what happens when the versions of us who were trying to be “good” starts to feel unrecognizable.We talked about:💔 The guilt that comes with choosing yourself🔥 The power of unlearning fear-based love🌙 The difference between suffering and surrender💫 And how, maybe, God isn’t punishing you for walking away — maybe God’s been waiting for you to finally say yes to yourselfThanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.🪞 ReflectionsThere’s a point in many women’s stories where choosing yourself feels like disobedience. But what if that moment is sacred? What if it’s the divine saying, I’ve been here all along — waiting for you to choose you? Waiting for you to co-create with us.This episode of Flowers for the Living is a love letter to every woman who’s ever stayed too long, apologized too much, or mistaken endurance for devotion. It’s about learning that liberation is holy — and sometimes, faith looks like freedom.Episode Resources:* Power and Control Wheel - a tool used to understand relational abuse and its many forms.* National Domestic Violence Hotline - tip, if you know someone in a domestic violence situation like this do not forward them the link as internet usage can be tracked instead give them the following number to call: 800.799.SAFE (7233).* Learn more about our guest Netta Fei in The Mediocre Black Woman Directory we’ve created a beautiful page for her, displaying all of her great works.🎙️ From The Mediocre Black Woman | with Goddess TheadoraTwo ways to pour into this work and this community right now:* 🎧 Frequency Podcast Workshop: A hands-on experience for creators ready to birth or relaunch their podcast with clarity, rhythm, and authenticity. Learn to craft your trailer, art, and structure your show to last.👉🏾 Join the Frequency Podcast Workshop* 💖 The Love Offering: If The Mediocre Black Woman has poured into you, this is your invitation to pour back — through gratitude, generosity, and good energy. Every contribution helps sustain the stories and spaces that honor Black women’s voices.👉🏾 Leave a Love Offering* Add your songs to our collective Mediocre Black Woman Mash Up playlist on Spotify.Ways to Tune In* 🎥 Paid subscribers can watch the full video replay, including our pre-show energy check-in and guest pre-connect.* 💫 Free subscribers can still join live when we stream future episodes — the room is open to all in real time, though replays are reserved for paid members.🌹 Drop a rose in the comments for Netta Fei and share what stayed with you.Because maybe… God’s been waiting on you too.xoxo,Goddess Thea This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Someone recently shared a memory about me from when I was a little girl. They described me as defiant.I wasn’t trying to be defiant. I was just existing. I came into a room, in my body, in my hair, just myself — and that read as too much.I’ve been sitting with that word all week. Because I think a lot of us got a version of that message. Maybe it wasn’t defiant for you. Maybe it was aggressive. Or difficult. Or just a silence. A room that went still when you walked in and spoke.Somewhere along the way your voice learned it had to earn its place.And right now — Mercury retrograde in Pisces, eight days from a New Moon, the eclipse portal from March 3rd still open — the sky is asking all of us to go inward. Your exhaustion is not a malfunction. Your body is doing something real.This episode is about the throat chakra wound. Where it lives. How it spreads — into your relationships, your work, your money, your ability to ask for anything at all. And what it actually feels like to stop collapsing your own voice.xoxo,Empress Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.comIf you’re a free subscriber, you can hear the preview of this episode above. And I want you to know — what came through in this reading is the kind of thing that doesn’t leave you quickly. It’s going to sit with you. I used the Body Knows Spread for this reading. Three questions. Six cards. And everything that came through was about one thing: How long have you been defending yourself to people who have already decided how they see you? The full episode unlocks for paid members, along with the complete written reading below — all three positions, the integration, and the body-based practice to help you actually move this through your system instead of just thinking about it.And if the preview of this reading is already doing something in your body — that tightening, that recognition, that quiet oh — that is your sign.The House is $55/month. There’s a 7-day free trial so you can feel the space before you commit.JOIN THE HOUSE NOW.I’ll see you inside.

Are you the emotionally responsible one? The mediator. The “let’s all calm down” friend. The one who takes the high road even when you don’t feel like it.Yeah. This one’s for you. This Aquarius New Moon Solar Eclipse came in a little wild. Because instead of telling you to be wiser…it asked: What if you stopped fixing everything?In this Threat to the Script spread we get into:• The role you’ve quietly outgrown• Why you don’t have to call everyone to the carpet first• What happens when you speak from your heart without over-filtering yourself• And why choosing yourself doesn’t make you reckless — it makes you balancedThere’s Scorpio depth in here. Mars heat. Devil card desire. And a reminder that just because you can hold it together doesn’t mean it’s your job to.If you’re always the adult in the room… maybe it’s not your turn anymore.Take what hits. Leave what doesn’t. Don’t come back saying Empress Theadora told you to wild out. You know if this is for you or not.✨ Download the Seen. Simple. Sustainable. Sovereign. Manifestoxoxo,Empress Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.comThank you Netta Fei, Lexie | Strategic Astrologer, LaMakhosi (La Mar), zink, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓, NO LIMITS NO BARRIERS, Courtney J. Harrison and many others for tuning into my live video with Lakeisha, High Priestess! We originally planned to release this live publicly in full. After the conversation ended, I had a clear intuitive nudge to place the rest of it behind the paywall. Once we moved into the spiritual portion, so much was shared—by us and by y’all—that it needed to stay within a protected container. You either had to be there live or be a paid subscriber to access it. This is part of how we protect our communities. We’ve included free audio and video previews so you can get a sense of the conversation before deciding to continue. Below, you’ll find links to the offerings mentioned during the live, and beneath the paywall there’s an overview of what was discussed today.Writing From the WoundLakeisha, High Priestess | The Story Temple Lakeisha’s offering, Write From the Wound, sits at the center of this conversation for a reason.This seven-day challenge is not about productivity. It’s about safety. It’s about understanding that what we call “writer’s block” is often the nervous system saying, I don’t trust this environment with my truth.Designed especially for Black and Brown writers, the work focuses on shadow, witnessing, and integration—rather than fixing or censoring ourselves for palatability. The wound is not something to write around. It is something to write from, once it has been seen.Clocking In Without Clocking Out Spirituallywith Empress Theadora My upcoming 8-week experience, Clocking In Without Clocking Out Spiritually, exists for those navigating work, capitalism, and calling at the same time.This container is for people who are tired of choosing between survival and spirit. Who know their jobs don’t define them—but still require energy, boundaries, and discernment to navigate.

In today’s episode, I’m talking about a moment that doesn’t get named enough—the space between the Fool and the Magician. We talk a lot about the Fool leaping. We talk a lot about the Magician having tools.But we don’t talk enough about what happens in between. That moment right after the leap, when the excitement settles and you realize: Oh… I actually need to know how to hold this.That heart-drop feeling. That brief panic. That “wait—am I ready?” moment.That’s the space I’ve been living in.The Mediocre Black Woman is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I was benched from the workforce in July of 2025, like many Black women were. And during that pause, Spirit spent time refining me—clarifying my purpose, forcing me to practice boundaries, slowing me down enough to actually hear myself think.At the time, it didn’t feel like preparation. It just felt like being stopped.But looking back, I can see that I was being handed tools—even if I didn’t know what they were for yet. What made it click for me was the timing.I was laid off on the Capricorn Full Moon—a moment tied to endings, work, structure, and legacy. And now I’m starting a new chapter during the Capricorn New Moon.Same sign. Different phase.That’s when it hit me: the pause wasn’t a punishment. It was a clearing.Thanks for reading The Mediocre Black Woman! This post is public so feel free to share it.This episode is about what it looks like to come back into structure without losing yourself.About the fear that shows up when you’re tapped back in—not because you can’t do the work, but because you don’t want to betray the version of you that was born in the pause.About realizing that the Magician doesn’t bring anything new—he just points to what’s already on the table.And the work now isn’t asking for more tools. It’s learning how to use the ones you already have.Over the next few weeks, the writing here on Substack is going to expand on this in real time.I’ll be sharing pieces on:* the grief that comes with realizing who you actually are* how language gets used to dodge responsibility and how it should really be a tool* why not everything uncomfortable needs to be labeled and run fromThere’s also a live conversation coming up on January 19th with Lakeisha, High Priestess of The Story Temple to help close out this Magician phase before we move into what’s next.Toward the end of this run, we’ll also start bringing Chiron into the mix.xoxo,Empress Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new to my voice notes—this is literally how I talk to my friends. Voice notes, Marco Polo, all of it. When I started The Mediocre Black Woman, I wanted y’all to feel that same rawness and intimacy. These voice notes come whenever they come—any time, any place, even if there was already an episode earlier that day. That’s the intimacy. That’s the beauty of them.After last night’s live / this morning’s episode with Qubilah Huddleston —and a prior convo with Netta Fei —I kept circling one thought: it all comes back to love. And I was like… when did we get so confused about what actually matters?Also here’s that Janet interlude because I knew I wasn’t tripping lol. But sit with this with me for a second… what really matters more than love? And where can I show up with more love in the world?xoxo,Empress Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve been thinking a lot about how often people talk about healing as if it’s somewhere you arrive. Like there’s a point where you’re finally “there.” Where triggers stop showing up. Where old patterns stop activating. Where you can confidently say, I’m healed now.And I think a lot of people are tired because they’re chasing that idea. They keep asking themselves questions like:* When am I going to get there?* Why does this still come up if I’ve done so much work?* Why am I still reacting like this?What doesn’t get said enough is that those questions aren’t signs of failure — they’re signs that the framework itself is flawed. Healing is not a destination.The problem isn’t that we have wounds. The problem begins when we expect healing to erase them. We are exploring all of this in today’s episode.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Listen… if y’all only knew the spiritual whiplash I’ve been experiencing behind the scenes. Spirit really had me out here getting snatched, humbled, stretched, initiated, and lowkey bullied into my purpose — and somehow, it all led us right here.Season 2 of The Mediocre Black Woman Podcast has officially entered the chat, and this time? We’re not just making a podcast or a publication. We’re building a House!A spiritual house. A healing house. A house where shadow work meets humor, where revelation meets humanity, and where we stop abandoning ourselves for belonging.This new season wasn’t planned. It was assigned. And if you listen to the trailer, you’ll hear exactly how Spirit lined every moment up — the layoff, the clarity, the posts that turned into community catharsis, the conversations that shook something loose, and the downloads that wouldn’t let me rest until I moved.Somewhere between asking a recruiter how “conservative” their company was (a question I had never asked in my entire career) and realizing I was already shrinking myself in my imagination… the truth hit me: If I have to dilute to enter, that door ain’t mine.And that moment spiraled into the next, and the next, and the next — until Spirit finally said: “Gurl… build the damn House.” So I did.I pulled a spread one morning, not thinking about anything except getting centered, and Spirit dropped the entire framework for Season 2 right into my lap. The Moon. The Death card. The Sun. A three-stage journey through the hidden, the shedding, and the rising. A full Fool’s Journey woven through it all. This season isn’t just content — it’s curriculum. It’s initiation. It’s medicine. It’s a mirror back to you.And here’s the part I resisted for a long time: The Mediocre Black Woman has always been spiritual work.It has always been a space of visibility, vulnerability, and reclamation disguised as storytelling and laughter. It has always been a classroom. A sanctuary. A place where we practice being enough — even when we don’t feel it yet.But now? Now the House is named. Now the foundation is poured. Now the doors are open.What You Can Expect This Season:🔥 Honest conversations about healing, shadow work, and personal transformation🔥 Deep dives into Chiron, the Moon/Death/Sun framework, and the Fool’s Journey🔥 Reflections on purpose, identity, and shedding who you thought you had to be🔥 Laughter, messiness, softness, and real-time growth🔥 A community space that honors intuition over dependency🔥 And of course… the mantra remains: If you never did another motherfucking thing, you are enough.This trailer is long because it had to be. It’s the grounding for everything to come. So welcome in. Welcome back. Welcome deeper.Season 2 of The Mediocre Black Woman Podcast starts now. And I can’t wait to walk this next chapter with you.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

As we close out Season 1 of The Mediocre Black Woman, I wanted to leave you with a bonus episode — a story that reminds us what it means to heal, to transform, and to keep moving forward with grace.In this conversation, I sit down with Mahogany Purpose — an artist, poet, musician, and founder of Black Greeting Cards — to talk about how trauma can become a pathway to purpose.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Mahogany’s journey began in loss. After losing her brother to gun violence at 19 and later experiencing a miscarriage, she turned toward art — or as she beautifully says, art found her. What started as simple handmade cards for her girlfriends blossomed into a business built on love, community, and healthy representation.Together, we talk about:✨ Turning pain into purpose and art into service✨ Breaking generational cycles of busyness and survival✨ Creating from love rather than lack✨ Raising our frequencies through healing — for ourselves and the collectiveThis episode isn’t about trauma itself. It’s about what happens after. The rebuilding. The returning. The reclaiming of joy.🎧 Listen to the full conversationThen ask yourself: How are you choosing to move through what you’ve been through?* 🌿 Connect: Check out and Connect with Mahogany in our Directory! * 📖 New Offering: Underworld Goddessqué: The Guide for this Season* A 33-page seasonal guide channeled for this exact moment — a spiritual workbook, journal, and ritual companion designed to help you release, transform, and return to a full-body yes. Rooted in the energy of Oya, the Yoruba Goddess of storms and transformation, this guide invites you to move through your own endings and rebirths with intention. Inside, you’ll find reflections, rituals, tarot insights, and journal prompts to help you navigate the death of old patterns and the emergence of new power.* 💌 Support the Work: If this episode spoke to you, offer what feels aligned — a Love Offering, a restack, a comment, a subscription, or share the incredible Black voices in our directory.💌 A Note of GratitudeThis is the final free bonus episode of the year — and I just want to say thank you.Thank you for listening, for sharing, and for letting this space hold you through the journey of Season 1. Every comment, every quiet reflection, every moment you’ve spent here has helped this house grow.Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.Tomorrow, my final paid subscriber episode of the season drops — a closing offering. As we prepare for Season 2, know that everything we’ve built here — the stories, the healing, the honesty — is only the beginning. We are moving into deeper purpose-filled waters. And will officially launch our Season 2 Trailer on December 2nd 2025.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

It’s 3:33 in the morning and I’m sitting straight up in bed, mind blown. I’d already finished writing this post to go with the episode, had it ready to go, and then Spirit was like, nah, we got more to say. I saw a random clip on YouTube earlier tonight, tracked down the show — American Gods — and decided to watch it. Season 1, Episode 2. What’s wild is, the clip that pulled me in wasn’t even in this episode or this scene. But within minutes, I’m like, what in the actual f*ck? Because this—this right here—is exactly what I was just talking about with JD.This is my whole frustration with labels. Like, yeah, I’m Black, obviously. I’m a Black woman. But I don’t identify in my heart or spirit with that, because that label wasn’t ours to begin with. It was something done to us — some arbitrary shit built to subjugate and divide, to dominate both people and resources. And we’ve been carrying the weight of that identity ever since. I identify as the meaning of the name my mother gave me — a gift from God, Divine Love itself.And then this scene shows up, right on cue. Go ahead and press play on the clip below.Thank you Carma Jean, No Kept Secrets Podcast, and many others for tuning into my live video conversation with this week’s guest JD Johnson, founder ofJ² Elevate Consulting and host of Fixin’ Your Crown, Boo!, to talk about leadership, identity, and the moment you realize—oh… I’m Black-Black in America.JD grew up in Toronto with Caribbean roots, spent years navigating corporate spaces across North America, and eventually built a business.But this conversation went way deeper than career paths and coaching. We talked about what it means to be labeled “aggressive” when you’re really just passionate, how age and power show up, and how moving between cultures can shift the way you see yourself—and the world around you.There’s laughter, honesty, and a few detours 😅. Underneath it all is the theme of realizing how the world sees you, and how you decide to see yourself anyway.Listen to the full conversation. Then pause and ask yourself: when did you first recognize how the world sees you—and how have you learned to move through it, and continue to, now that you know?* 🌿 Connect: Check out and Connect with JD in our Directory! * 📖 New Offering: Underworld Goddessqué: The Guide for this Season* A 33-page seasonal guide channeled for this exact moment — a spiritual workbook, journal, and ritual companion designed to help you release, transform, and return to a full-body yes. Rooted in the energy of Oya, the Yoruba Goddess of storms and transformation, this guide invites you to move through your own endings and rebirths with intention. Inside, you’ll find reflections, rituals, tarot insights, and journal prompts to help you navigate the death of old patterns and the emergence of new power.* 💌 Support the Work: If this episode spoke to you, offer what feels aligned — a Love Offering, a restack, a comment, a subscription, or share the incredible Black voices in our directory.As we prepare for Season 2, know that everything we’ve built here — the stories, the healing, the honesty — is only the beginning. We are moving into deeper purpose-filled waters. And will officially launch our Season 2 Trailer on December 2nd 2025.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Before we begin — it’s Election Day. If you’re reading this before the polls close, go vote. Vote with your heart. Vote with your ancestors in mind. Vote like your livelihood depends on it — because in many ways, it does. Now, let’s talk about becoming.Over the last few weeks, we’ve been in this portal — a stretch of time where Spirit has been asking us to surrender, release, and transform. I’ve been writing through it, channeling through it, sometimes crying through it — this season of death and rebirth that God(dess) has us walking through together.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.A couple of posts ago, I talked about the Daughter of Cups — how she invites us to look again. How she challenges us to reframe what we think of as endings. How she teaches us that not everything unexpected is punishment; some of it is preparation.And that brings me to today’s conversation. I had the honor of sitting down with Dakarai Larriett, candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama. But beyond politics, beyond the campaign, his story is about what we’ve all been feeling this year — what it means to be tried by fire and still rise.Dakarai was wrongfully arrested. He lost his freedom, his sense of safety, and for a moment, the faith that the system would ever see him as human. But instead of letting that break him, he decided to run. Not away — for Senate.That decision, that moment, is the Daughter of Cups in motion. That’s what it looks like to take the most painful part of your story and let it become your platform, your prayer, your purpose.We’ve all been in our own version of that story lately — being stripped, stretched, and asked to remember who we are without the titles, the jobs, the relationships, the things that “kept us safe”. It’s not easy. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s sacred work.Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.Because what if the breaking wasn’t punishment? What if it was permission? Permission to stop performing. Permission to stop proving. Permission to start becoming.This conversation with Dakarai isn’t just about politics — it’s about transmutation. It’s about what it means to keep your integrity when everything around you tries to pull you out of it.So as you listen, I want you to ask yourself:👉🏾 Where in your life have you been invited to rebuild?👉🏾 What part of you is being resurrected through the rubble?👉🏾 And what if this — right here, right now — is the beginning?Listen to the full conversation and when you’re done, take a deep breath. Light a candle. Thank yourself for surviving long enough to see what you’re becoming.* 🌿 Connect: Check out and Connect with Dakarai in our Directory! He has a powerful story to share.* 📖 New Offering: Underworld Goddessqué: The Guide for this Season* A 33-page seasonal guide channeled for this exact moment — a spiritual workbook, journal, and ritual companion designed to help you release, transform, and return to a full-body yes. Rooted in the energy of Oya, the Yoruba Goddess of storms and transformation, this guide invites you to move through your own endings and rebirths with intention. Inside, you’ll find reflections, rituals, tarot insights, and journal prompts to help you navigate the death of old patterns and the emergence of new power.* 💌 Support the Work: If this episode spoke to you, offer what feels aligned — a Love Offering, a restack, a comment, a subscription, or share the incredible Black voices in our directory.xoxo,Goddess Thea This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Margaret Williams, MS, ACC, Warrior Womanhood, Mac, and many others for tuning into my live video with LaMakhosi (La Mar)! Join me for my next live video in the app.We’re early with this week’s episode — because this one really couldn’t wait. Before you press play, I want you to pause and read the reflection I shared on Saturday — and LaMakhosi (La Mar) beautiful response in the comments that brought us right here, right now, to this Spirit-led conversation.Sometimes Spirit doesn’t wait for our calendars to clear. It moves when it moves. And this conversation? Whew. It’s one of those moments that moved me — and I know it’s about to move you, too.In “Is It an Absolute Fuck Yes?”, we’re diving into that tender, in-between space — the moments where you’re deciding whether to shrink or stand tall, to settle or to stay rooted in your truth.It started with a question I asked myself after being considered for a job:“Do I really want to take something that requires me to hide parts of myself — my piercings, my tattoos, my energy — just to fit in?”That question turned into a reflection, which turned into LaMar’s response, which turned into this — a conversation about authenticity, belonging, self-trust, and the courage to honor our “no” even when it’s inconvenient.Together, we explore:* The tension between survival and self-expression* How to recognize when your body and Spirit are saying no, not this* The art of honoring your own energy — even when you can’t fully explain why* And what it looks like to release every version of yourself that no longer feels “juicy”It’s emotional, raw, and divinely timed. I cried reading LaMar’s story out loud as it gave voice to my own. I feel myself constantly reminded why I started this platform in the first place — to have this kind of conversation. So before you tune in, read Saturday’s post. Read LaMar’s response in the comments. Then come back and get this medicine.This is for anyone standing at the crossroads of faith and fear.🤎 If this episode spoke to you, offer what feels aligned — a Love Offering, a restack, a subscription, or share the incredible Black voices in our directory. It all keeps the current moving.xoxo,Goddess Thea This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s episode, I sit down with my friend Lakeisha | Temple Priestess— for a conversation that’s sacred and necessary. We’re unpacking what happens when Black women’s creativity, labor, and leadership are constantly extracted, praised, and imitated — but expected to compromise our value and safety. Somewhere in the middle of our laughter and incense smoke, I said:“I don’t want to hear another motherf***ing thing about women’s empowerment…” and I meant it — but not because I don’t believe in empowerment. It’s because that language often stops short of including us.I’m talking about the kind of “empowerment” that celebrates women in theory but ignores Black women’s expertise, undercuts our rates, sidelines our contributions, and is riddled with scarcity thinking. The kind that expects our moral leadership but withholds material support.So when I say I’m tired, I’m not rejecting the idea of women’s empowerment — I’m demanding that it evolve. Because real empowerment can’t exist if it doesn’t fully extend to Black women.💬 What We Explore* Why the world is so obsessed with monitoring, mimicking, and managing Black women* The spiritual and emotional cost of being everyone’s moral compass* What extraction looks like in creative and professional spaces✨ From a Recent NoteThis conversation echoes something I wrote recently:“Black women are expected to keep showing up for everyone else while we’re barely holding it together ourselves...Maybe the question isn’t why Black women aren’t showing up this time — maybe it’s why we’re being singled out at all.Sounds less like solidarity, more like scapegoating. It’s giving your guilt is showing.Because when you’re truly doing the right thing from the heart, you don’t need to point out who isn’t. You’re too focused on why you are.”That’s the energy of this episode. Because if we’re going to talk about empowerment, it has to truly include Black Women and all of our parts.Reflect:When was the last time you truly celebrated your own labor — not just what you produced, but what it cost you to bring it into being?💎 Offerings & Ways to Pour Back🕯️ Get to Know Lakeisha | Temple Priestess: We created a beautiful profile for her inside the Directory on our website — a living altar of black voices who are shifting culture through their work. Take a moment to get acquainted with Lakeisha and explore all that she offers through The Story Temple — her sacred space for writers and storytellers learning to weave the elements (earth, air, fire, and water) into their creative practice. 👉🏾 Meet Lakeisha and explore The Story Temple offerings🎙️ From The Mediocre Black Woman | with Goddess TheadoraTwo ways to pour into this work and this community right now:* 🎧 Frequency Podcast Workshop: A hands-on experience for creators ready to birth or relaunch their podcast with clarity, rhythm, and authenticity. Learn to craft your trailer, art, and structure your show to last.👉🏾 Join the Frequency Podcast Workshop* 💖 The Love Offering: If The Mediocre Black Woman has poured into you, this is your invitation to pour back — through gratitude, generosity, and good energy. Every contribution helps sustain the stories and spaces that honor Black women’s voices. 👉🏾 Leave a Love Offering🌸 A Final Blessing: May you remember that your work is not just what you make — it’s what you carry forward. Every time you honor your worth, you heal something that once went unpaid in your lineage.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Stephanie Graham, Spoken Black Girl, and many others for tuning into my live video with Daniëlle van den Stoom! Join me for my next live video in the app.We were just supposed to test the mic… but the conversation was too rich not to share. 🌹 So welcome to the Pre-Party — a spontaneous live with Daniëlle van den Stoom that set the tone for tomorrow’s Flowers for the Living episode. We talk bridging generations, remembering our power as Black women, and asking the big spiritual questions like: why do we keep coming back? 👀If you’ve been craving deeper wisdom, laughter, and goosebumps-level truth, this one’s for you. Tap in before tomorrow’s main event — you’ll want to be in the room.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

We say we’re protecting our peace all the time—but sometimes, if we’re being honest, we’re really just protecting ourselves from the possibility of being hurt again.This week’s episode with India Monee' was such a vulnerable share. India is a lifestyle content creator and wellness advocate who wrote a post about being “the girl with the big personality”—the one who walks into a room full of light, laughter, and joy, only to be told she’s too much.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Sound familiar?That message—that who you naturally are is too loud, too extra, too big—seeps into everything: how we date, how we show up at work, even how we ask (or don’t ask) for help. In this conversation, we talk about:✨ The fine line between self-protection and self-sabotage in dating✨ What it means to move through the world as a “chameleon” and the cost of always dimming your light✨ How being labeled “too much” in love and at work mirrors each other more than we realize✨ The ongoing journey of learning to ask for help without guilt or fear of being a burden✨ Why reclaiming your joy doesn’t mean going back to an old version of yourself, but stepping fully into who you are nowIndia shared so many relatable moments—from being told she was “extra” as a teenager, to dating men who tried to dim her spark, to finally realizing that if she’s too much for someone, they can simply go find less. Period.Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.So here’s the question I want you to sit with after you listen:👉🏾 Are you protecting your peace… or are you protecting yourself from love, visibility, and the fullness of your own joy?Because the truth is, every single one of us is worthy of kindness, respect, and the space to be all of who we are. And if someone can’t hold that? That’s their limitation, not yours.🎧 Tune in to this week’s episode of The Mediocre Black Woman: Protecting Your Peace or Self-Sabotage?Then come back and tell me in the comments—where have you caught yourself editing, dimming, or second-guessing yourself “too much”?xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Tuesday y’all. It’s been a little while since I left you a voice note, so consider this a love note from me to you.A little over a week ago, I took a trip with my family and friends to celebrate my baby sister’s birthday. And oh did we CELEBRATE! But then something happened I wasn’t prepared for.When we attended the concert at the end of the trip, El DeBarge came on stage. And the very first song he sang was Love Me in a Special Way.The moment I heard the song, I just started crying. So here’s the thing: my mom passed when I was 14, and this was the first concert my sister and I had ever gone to together. It didn’t hit us until we were sitting there, hearing the music our mom made sure we knew growing up. And suddenly, it felt like she was right there with us. Song after song, I could feel her presence.So I let the tears come. I let the moment take me. The funny thing about music is—you can hear a song for years, but in a certain moment it’ll land on you brand new. The line that got me this time was:Love me now ‘cause I’m special, not the average kind who’d accept any lines.That lyric hit me like a sermon. It wasn’t just for me—it was for all of us. Black women, we are special. Period. We don’t have to accept the bare minimum, the half-effort, the lines that sound good but don’t honor who we are.I know so many of us have taken public and private Ls lately. Life has been heavy. But this is the reminder: you are worthy, you are valuable, you are wise, you are resourceful. And even if you never did another motherfucking thing, you’d still be worthy.This is the moment to raise the price. Hold the line. Don’t for less than your standards. In the short term, yes—we may have to strategize, pivot, get creative (as we always have). But don’t let the outside noise convince you to lower your worth.When you feel forgotten, overlooked, or just plain tired, repeat this to yourself:“I’m special.”Say it until it sinks in. Say it until the tears dry. Say it until “no” feels like a complete sentence. Because the truth is, you are special. And you deserve to be loved in a special way.That’s the heart of my message today before we dive back into our next wave of interviews and guests.And if you’re ready to go deeper with me—into the workshops, Sunday Soul Sessions, Midweek Mantras, and our new podcasting hub Frequency—come join us on Patreon. Substack will still be home for updates and posts, but Patreon is where the full experience lives. More depth. More access. More community. https://www.patreon.com/cw/themediocreblackwoman However you tap in—free or paid—I’m grateful you’re here.🌟 In Case You Missed It: Our Other Podcast LaunchesIf you’ve missed our earlier releases, catch up here:🎙️ The Creative Code Switch by Lakeisha | Temple Priestess🎙️ W AP KOUTE M MAP KOUTE M by Aurelie Zephir LMFT🎙️The Sacred Care Plan by Zakiyyah🎙️Rooted and Rising by lashanda brownxoxo,Goddess Thea This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Hey y’all, This conversation with Dr. Eboni Truss made me think about how many of us are living lives that don’t actually belong to us. Not because we’re lazy. Not because we don’t know who we are. But because somewhere along the way, somebody else’s voice got louder than our own.You know the ones:* “Tone it down.”* “Be seen, not heard.”* “Speak when spoken to.”* “Do as I say, not as I do.”* “You’re too much.”And just like that, we start trading our shine for approval. We start wearing masks, making “safe” choices, following paths that feel respectable on the outside but empty as hell on the inside. Before we even realize it, we’ve enrolled ourselves in somebody else’s dream and called it our own.Dr. Eboni calls this the process of unbecoming — the unraveling of everything we were told we should be so we can get back to who we actually be. And whew, when I tell you that hit? Because I’ve been there. Hiding in plain sight. Denying my own impact. Letting people convince me to shrink so they could stay comfortable.And here’s the kicker: people will clap for the version of you that fits their picture, even if it kills your spirit. They’ll say, “I’m proud of you” when you hit a milestone that matches their expectations, not yours. But what about when you deviate? What about when you say no to law school, or to the job that looks shiny on LinkedIn but feels like a slow death? What about when you finally stop pretending?That’s the tension we sit in on this episode: the fight between the life you were told to want, and the life your spirit actually came here to live.Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.And let me tell you — it’s exhausting trying to serve two masters. It will tear you up from the inside out. But the moment you catch it? The moment you realize, “Wait. This isn’t my dream. I’ve been living inside someone else’s story”…that’s the beginning of your freedom.This episode is an invitation to start asking yourself:* Where am I actually in alignment?* What am I proud of me?* Who am I outside of the masks and titles?Because the truth is, God didn’t create you to be beige when you were born red. You don’t have to apologize for being the big fish. You don’t have to apologize for being too much.So if you’ve ever felt the ache of living in a life that doesn’t feel like yours…if you’ve ever wondered who you’d be if you stopped carrying other people’s expectations…this one’s for you.Let’s unbecome, together.Connect with Dr. Eboni TrussLoved this conversation with Dr. Eboni? Visit her directory page to learn more about her work, explore her books, and grab her free guide, When Success Isn’t Enough.xoxo,Goddess Theadora This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

This week on The Mediocre Black Woman, I sit down with Dr. Ebony Stone—executive coach, author of The Power of the Pause, and a truth-teller about what it really means to take the cape off.Dr. Ebony opens up about the moment she realized she had been “functioning in a deficit” for years, and the journey that followed—crying in her car during therapy sessions, learning to protect her peace, and discovering sanctuary in writing and gardening. She reminds us that burnout doesn’t mean you failed. It simply means something in your life is asking for change.Together, we talk about:* Growing up with the message that Black girls must work twice as hard for half as much* The pressure to collect accolades, titles, and roles—even at the expense of self* Finding identity outside of résumés, status, or job titles* How gardening blossomed into both self-care and community care* The expectations placed on Black women in corporate spaces and why many of us are over “proving”* Building community, finding therapy, and holding space for emotions while staying hopeful for the futureDr. Ebony challenges us to sit with the question: Who are you, really, when the titles, roles, and résumés fall away?📚 Don’t forget—Dr. Ebony is offering The Mediocre Black Woman listeners an exclusive 20% discount on her book The Power of the Pause. The code is in the show notes.* www.drebonyston.com/my-book (20% discount with code $2025Mediocre$ * www.drebonystone.com/freebies This conversation is a reminder that our worth is not measured by the letters after our names, the companies on our résumés, or the titles on our business cards. It’s measured by how deeply we allow ourselves to live, rest, and simply be.xoxo,Goddess Thea This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe

Compassion & Accountability The Pisces Lunar Eclipse carries powerful, emotional energy—a call to release illusions, strengthen boundaries, and reconnect with intuition. Pisces is compassion, surrender, and softness. But under an eclipse, those qualities get tested.Over the past week, I kept seeing the same theme arise in conversations around me: the tension between compassion and accountability. It showed up in friends’ lives, in unexpected situations, and even in my own reflections. Spirit kept pulling me toward this message like a mirror.We live in a world that often treats compassion and accountability like they’re opposites—as if you can only choose one. Compassion without accountability can become enabling. Accountability without compassion can feel like punishment. But when they walk together, they create freedom.What Came Through During the LiveI started by sharing what was already in my spirit before I even pulled cards: compassion and accountability are not enemies. We can care deeply and tell the truth. We can be gentle and set boundaries.Community has been reminding me of this too. When people come together around a mission—like the women in the podcast workshop I hosted this weekend—fear gets pushed aside. Community holds accountability. And accountability, when rooted in care, becomes compassion in action.That was the energy moving through me as I went live.The Cards I PulledEarlier that day, I pulled cards to ground this message. Here’s what came through:* King of Swords + Queen of Swords → Truth, clarity, accountability, boundaries.* King of Cups → Compassion, emotional steadiness, heart-led leadership.* Ten of Pentacles → Community, legacy, and how our choices ripple into what we build together.* Eight of Pentacles → Practice and discipline—this is a skill we refine daily.* High Priestess → Intuition, inner wisdom, the third eye. A reminder that speaking truth in real time strengthens our sight.It made me laugh when the High Priestess came out in the middle of all that sword energy. She’s Pisces energy through and through—and the heart of this eclipse.The cards confirmed what I’d already been feeling: that compassion and accountability belong together.Speaking Truth as PracticeIn a reading I had on Friday, I was told that one of my assignments in this lifetime is to speak my truth more—especially in real time. The more I practice using my voice, the more my third eye strengthens.That’s why I knew I couldn’t just write this message—I had to show up live, face and all, even though that makes me uncomfortable. Because compassion is the intuition side, the softness. Accountability is the throat chakra energy, the voice. And together, they sharpen each other.BTW, it is Wyclef, lol! And City High!A Real-Time ExampleSo what does holding compassion and accountability look like in practice?A friend suggested I handle a sudden situation face to face. But I had to be honest—I couldn’t. If I sat down in person at that moment, all my compassion would’ve gone out the door. I would’ve gone off.So instead, I chose to send a text/voice note. Not to avoid the conversation, but to keep it open. To hold accountability—“this needs to be addressed”—while still leaving space for compassion. That was how I built a bridge instead of burning one.That’s the balance: choosing the channel, timing, and tone that allows both compassion and accountability to exist together.The Eclipse InvitationThis Pisces lunar eclipse is asking us to release the illusion that compassion and accountability are opposites.Compassion without accountability keeps us stuck.Accountability without compassion breaks us down.But together, they heal us and lift us up.So as you move through this week, sit with these questions:* Where are you being asked to show compassion with accountability?* Where are you being asked to ground accountability in compassion?* What illusions about conflict, care, or boundaries are you ready to release?Because the High Priestess whispers: you already know. Your intuition has been pointing you there. The invitation is to trust it—and maybe even speak it out loud.✨ Compassion and accountability are not opposites. They are partners. And when we let them walk together, we step closer to freedom. ✨ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themediocreblackwoman.substack.com/subscribe