We recently connected with Simone Reynolds and have shared our conversation below.
Simone, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
This is a great question, thank you for asking. Resilience is birthed within the trenches of uncomfortable circumstances. I developed my resilience through life experiences that have aided me in becoming a strong individual. Through each trial, regardless of age, I have been able to transmute that pain into purpose and have continued to build and work toward the goal of becoming my optimal, most healed, and happy self.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am the Founder of The Black Nanny Network, which is a platform made for black and brown women childcare providers and specialists. We launched in April of 2023, and I am thrilled about our growth and the support we’ve received. We encourage empowerment through wellness, resources, conversation, and community. We seek to speak to the woman beyond her career and to help her reset, release, and reclaim her joy as a whole person. We bring childcare providers and specialists onto our platform and give them a space to share their expertise and topics they are most passionate about. It’s been really exciting to connect with like-minded, phenomenal women who are leaders, and change-makers in this industry. In the new year, our goal is simply to continue expanding our community, creating more useful and creative content, and hosting more conversations, workshops, and events! Though we do have structural plans, I am also allowing the brand to unfold organically as I love watching how the community reacts and responds to our content and what we’re building together.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Hmmm… Again, great question and I love that you’re asking this! First and foremost, I think that your greatest belief must be in yourself. I had to learn that I am the conscious connection between my dreams and reality and that I could achieve anything I desired simply by being certain in myself, visualizing what I wanted, and taking actionable steps to get it. The second quality that was most impactful in my journey was learning to be my own support system. When I was younger, I relied heavily on the opinions of others and lacked confidence in my own decisions. I felt as though I needed confirmation from my mom and dad to tell me that I was making the right choice. Much of my journey entailed getting out of my own way and trusting myself. Building an internal support system helped me learn to listen to my intuition, trust my instincts, and follow my heart when making decisions. Now, I have the confidence and clarity to forge my path and it feels incredible. Lastly, I think accountability is critical. Accountability gives us the space to receive and acknowledge feedback, grow, and elevate. It is a foundational quality that attributes to personal and professional success.
All of these skills have prepared and propelled me into creating The Black Nanny Network. My instinct felt that this community was an essential piece to the Nanny industry, which I wholeheartedly believe it is. We do not talk enough about self-preservation and self-care for those who are selflessly caring for and assisting families. We need a space where childcare providers can create identities outside of work, and it begins with this call to action to find our village. Ultimately, if I had to choose a quality to pass down it would be the quality of belief. Believing in our abilities holds incredible power. The belief of being worthy and strong. To be proud and confident in our industry. To release the shame of our ancestral trauma within caregiving that brown and black women have been holding for years, and to reclaim our pride and power in our innate purpose.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed I first acknowledge it and think about the stressors that are currently impacting my mental health. Being able to identify the ‘why’ is important because it allows me to name the feeling and examine the situation(s). I then calm myself with meditative breathing. Conscious breathwork helps me clear my mind and focus solely on the inhale and exhale. I do this for about 5 minutes. After, I think about the things in my life that I can control and look at this with a sense of gratitude and affirmation. For example, “I am loved, I am protected, I am safe, and I am supported.” All of these things I know for sure and can control because I can provide all of these things for myself. 9 times out of 10 the things I feel overwhelmed about come from an outside source and I know that I’m not in control of that. So I really double down on doing the best I can to make my immediate environment as gentle and kind as possible. Existing in a state of panic only creates more anxiety, thus leaving me worse off than where I started. Another thing I find myself doing is writing down the overwhelm by describing the situation or the feeling. Afterward, I ask myself “Is this true?” (the statement), and more than likely it is not true. My thought grew into something bigger than its reality and brought more fear to it because I never verbalized it. Writing down worries and confronting them, feels like a physical release. It allows me to move on and find peace amongst uncertainty.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theblacknannynetwork.com
- Instagram: @theblacknannynetwork
- Linkedin: Simone Reynolds
Image Credits
Mary Yemen
