A Year of Building, Learning, and Becoming
2025 has been a beautiful, challenging, stretching, and deeply transformative year for me. I’ve spoken about relaunching QueensConnected in many posts already, but I still cannot believe what has been accomplished this year.
I have always been—and will continue to be—a serial entrepreneur. Since childhood, I’ve pursued ventures that allowed me to explore my passions. At 12, I started my first business tutoring French, both one-on-one and in small groups, so I could earn pocket money for the things I wanted. In the following years, I ran a snow cone business one summer with my childhood friend Jodi, launched a holiday gift-wrapping service (with my mother as my only customer), and played piano in nursing homes. Later, I even opened a kitchen/restaurant in Dominica with a million-dollar patio view.
Waitukubuli’s Authentic Kitchen - the kitchen/restaurant I started with my husband in 2013 in Dominica’s Kalinago Territory.
I was raised to value passions, hobbies, and side businesses, but also taught that entrepreneurship should never replace the stability of a government job with a pension—that was supposed to be the ultimate goal.
When I co-founded QueensConnected in 2018, my vision was to create spaces for conversations among Black and Racialized women—discussions that weren’t happening in my circles or community. After our second successful Sexual Health Conference for Women of Color, I was leading the business alone. I hoped QueensConnected could become more than a passion project, but I didn’t know how to transform it. Then the pandemic hit, and I made a major move to Ottawa with my young children and husband.
UsNow 2019: Sexual Health Conference for Women of Color
Almost five years later, in November 2024, I relaunched QueensConnected after encouragement from friends and family. Worn down by institutional DEI work and feeling helpless about the state of the world, I was once again searching for spaces where mid-career women could gather for conversations that weren’t happening elsewhere. I still didn’t know how this business could grow, but I hoped. One year later, QueensConnected has facilitated four events—including its first-ever conference exploring the harms of anti-Black racism—and launched a Sisterhood Community with more than 20 women.
UsNow 2025
Lessons Learned
Growth lives outside the comfort zone. Getting out of my comfort zone has been nerve-wracking, but that’s where growth happens.
Seek wisdom everywhere. I made it my mission to connect with anyone recommended by friends or family to learn about entrepreneurship. Hearing others’ journeys—their ups, downs, and lessons—has been both informative and encouraging.
Try new things. I even took a roller skating class, despite my mind’s fixation on visions of broken limbs. Eventually, I skated with ease.
Hold onto your vision. Having a vision and sticking with it is hard, especially when others doubt or second-guess it. Staying true, bringing people along, and being the cheerleader—while quietly carrying challenges—is exhausting but essential.
Celebrate impact. Seeing my vision come to life, hearing how QueensConnected events or the Sisterhood have impacted women, brings me soul-deep joy. It’s humbling to know my work can play a role in someone’s growth or transformation.
Accept limitations. QueensConnected won’t meet the needs of every Black or Racialized woman—and that’s okay. Some may find the cost prohibitive, others may not connect with the offerings. As someone who wants to please everyone, I struggled with this at first, but I’m learning to accept it.
Value care work. Work like this must be properly compensated, just like other forms of labor. Society undervalues feminized work—especially roles historically filled by Black and Racialized women, such as childcare, nursing, cooking, and cleaning—even though they form the backbone of families and communities.
Try, learn, adjust. I used to feel I needed a full plan before executing an idea. Now, I remind myself that life is fragile and short. I might as well try what makes me happy, push myself to experiment, and trust that even if things fail, I’ll be okay.
The power of community. I continue to learn the strength of a community of women who uplift, hold space, support, and share when it’s needed most.
Closing Reflections
I feel profoundly grateful for everyone who encouraged me to relaunch, those who joined, those who held space for me to unravel and rebuild, and those who remind me that I—and this work—matter. The challenges, anxious nights, and struggles have all been worth it.
I look forward to another year of celebrating, growing, and learning together.