
Lisa Monique
Family over everything. Natural hair enthusiast. Writer. Lover of love.
21 Minutes
“As I sat there, phone shaking in hand, I knew this was it. I was finally going to meet my match. My last first date.” I’ve achieved success in almost every area of my life. I’m the youngest and only female data scientist at my company, I recently purchased a beautiful home in downtown Vallejo, and I have the most amazing group of friends and family. There’s one area though that has pretty much been a fail my entire adult life.
Lisa MoniquePublished 2 days ago in HumansFlex Zone
As much I try to stay away from self-diagnosis (aka Dr. Google), this one is pretty clear. Symptoms include anxiety, micromanaging, placing my unrealistic expectations on others, and engaging in passive aggressive behaviors until I get my way. Yes, you guessed it. I'm a control freak. Recognizing the problem is nice, but actually dialing it down a notch and relinquishing said control? Whoo. I'm stressed just thinking about it.
Lisa MoniquePublished 15 days ago in BeatMama, I'm Sorry It Took So Long to Say This
Hey Ma, Until I became a mother myself, I didn’t realize what a hard and thankless job motherhood can be. The long hours and sleepless nights. Let’s not forget the dark cloud of mom guilt anytime you want a break from your child. Sometimes I just stare in the mirror and the little voice in my head says “WTF, you have to be someone’s mom 24/7 for the rest of your life?” What a huge responsibility!
Lisa MoniquePublished 19 days ago in FamiliesNetflix’s ‘Strong Black Lead’: A Curation of the Best in Black TV & Film
Ask anyone who truly knows me, and they’ll tell you I’m a movie buff. I’ll give pretty much any movie or TV show a try. Give me action, comedy, historical dramas, and everything in between. I’ll even turn on closed captioning to watch a foreign language film (talk about a mental workout). Due to the pandemic lockdown, most people are making big plans for what they will do when things are back to “normal”. A trip to Punta Cana, an outdoor festival, or the next big sporting event is probably on the list. Me? I just want to sit in a movie theater again!
Lisa MoniquePublished 21 days ago in GeeksMy Home Birth Turned Into a Hospital Birth
I’ve been with my now fiancé since I was about 15 years old. I always knew I wanted to be a mother and we always talked about having a family. So you can imagine that when we learned we were having our first child, we were both overjoyed.
Lisa MoniquePublished 28 days ago in FamiliesThe Best Impulse Purchase I've Ever Made
Temptation and impulse. The perfect combination to fulfill every marketer's dream. Have you ever wondered why the checkout lines at stores are lined with candy bars, magazines, and other random grab-and-go items? Hawkins Stern described this phenomenon as Suggestion Impulse Buying in his paper titled The Significance of Impulse Buying Today (1962).
Lisa MoniquePublished 30 days ago in BlushAllow Me to Reintroduce Myself
As a wife, mom of a very active toddler, and full-time employee, this past year navigating life amidst a global pandemic has been challenging to say the least. Trying to maintain a sense of control feels nearly impossible. I’m sure many of you can relate. Can we all just take a collective deep breath together? (Breathe in through your nose…3, 2, 1…and out through your mouth.) That felt a little better, right? It’s currently 12:41 AM and in a little over an hour, the clock will “spring forward” as Daylight Saving Time begins. This also means the first day of spring is exactly one week away. I’ve always loved the spring season and what it symbolizes: coming out of winter hibernation and moving into a state of renewal. This year, I really want to take full advantage of this time as an opportunity for a fresh start.
Lisa MoniquePublished about a month ago in LifehackBrilliant, Bold, and Unapologetically Beautiful
We as humans all seek validation from other humans (whether we want to admit it or not), and feeling beautiful is one of those things that's hard to accomplish without it. One of my favorite quotes from actress Emma Stone is "I can't think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself." So in that spirit, I want to highlight a fearless, innovative black woman who has taken the beauty world by storm: Melissa R. Butler, founder and CEO of The Lip Bar.
Lisa MoniquePublished about a month ago in Blush