A Year-End Thank You

I appreciate you for being part of the EBWH Community.

Many end of year activities pile up on our to-do lists. Some of them are painfully unfun (budgeting, I’m looking directly at you). But there are a few things I genuinely look forward to every December.

One of them is pausing to say thank you.

I know it might sound corny, and you may be inserting the epic eye-roll 🙄. However, I truly am grateful to you and the Enhance Black Women’s Health (EBWH) Community. If you weren’t here reading these weekly letters, I’d have no reason to write them.

As 2025 winds down, I want to acknowledge the people who helped make this community what it is. From leaving a thoughtful comment to sharing a post to recommending this newsletter to a friend, every bit of support matters more than you probably realize. This work doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and I don’t take any of it for granted.

Those Who Blessed the Community With Knowledge

One of the EBWH Community’s most significant milestones this year was hosting interviews and guest contributions from people whose work I deeply respect.

That started with my first-ever interview for the newsletter, a conversation with Dr. Venice Haynes of United States of Care. You know how sometimes you talk to someone for the first time and it feels like you’ve known them forever? That was this interview. Dr. Haynes brought so much clarity, depth, and humanity to our discussion on Black maternal health. Even if you think you know this topic well, I promise you’ll walk away with new insight.

I’m also incredibly grateful to Julie Duffy Dillon for agreeing to be interviewed. Having supported book launches before, I know how valuable an author’s time is and how selective they are about interviews. Julie saying yes was truly a gift. If you haven’t read our conversation yet, add it to your list!

And speaking of firsts, Jessica Thiefels guest post thoroughly impressed me. Disordered eating is something I care deeply about because it’s so often normalized in wellness spaces. As Jess reminds us on Nope That’s Not Normal, unlearning what we’ve been taught about food and bodies is not a small task. If you haven’t read her guest post yet, bookmark it and come back to it when you have a quiet moment.

Communities I’d Recommend You to Bookmark

One of the unexpected joys of Substack has been discovering other creators whose work aligns so closely with my values. You’re likely already following a few, but if you’re not, make sure to bookmark them for the future.

Megrette Fletcher (She/Her) Creator of No Weight Loss Required was one of the first people I interacted with on Substack. As an RD and diabetes care specialist, she brings grounded, compassionate expertise to conversations that desperately need it. She brings a nonjudgmental tone to conversations about weight-centric care and provides tangible resources to help in unlearning diet culture.

My first interaction with Mara Gordon, MD on Substack Notes made it immediately clear this was a community I wanted to be part of. As a primary care doctor working to make medicine more fat-friendly, she writes not only to the head but also to the heart on Your Doctor Friend.

I met Chrissy King years ago at a conference and instantly knew she was someone to watch. From her book The Body Liberation Project to her publication The Liberation Collective, her work has consistently pushed me to think more deeply about body liberation and justice.

Even though Instagram can feel like an echo chamber, I’m glad that I first discovered Shana Minei Spence there. Her publication, The Nutrition Tea, brings a mixture of knowledge and lived experience to discussions on food neutrality and social justice that are needed in the wellness space.

And finally, I stumbled upon Meg of Nutrition Needs Nuance somewhere on these Substack streets, and I’m so glad I did. I couldn’t agree more with her premise that nuance is needed in conversations around nutrition. Nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all, which is why the conversations she’s facilitating are thoughtful, timely, and very necessary.

As I’m recommending all these incredible creators, I’m also going to take a moment to toot my own horn just a little.

As 2025 comes to a close and I look ahead to 2026, I’m filled with gratitude for this corner of the internet. Some people say you shouldn’t mention Substack itself, only your newsletter. I respectfully disagree.

I’ve built community on a lot of platforms over the years, from Periscope (yes, that’s a throwback) to Clubhouse. And hands down, Substack has been the most meaningful. This is where my people are and where real conversations are happening.

I’m grateful for the platform, thankful for the readers, and appreciate the providers and advocates I’ve learned from and shared with you.

My hope for the year ahead is to keep growing this community and expanding the resources that help you better understand what actually shapes Black women’s health.

So, thank you for being here. Happy Holidays!