Holy Wellness Ambassador - Barbara Verneus - Tiny & Brave
First in our lineup of beauty-full Sage Women who will be helping us spread the message of self-care as an act of radical perseverance is Barbara, of Tiny & Brave. Barbara is a student midwife and doula, making powerful waves in the world of midwifery and birth work. Read more about her mission and her work:
Who am I? I am a spirit being first and foremost. I am Black. I am a woman. I am a mother. I am privileged. I am divine. I am an on-going student. I am infinite. I am powerful. I am God. I am glorious. I am endless. I am fragile. I am love. I am fearful. I am fearless. I am forever. I am beautiful. I am flawed. I am perfect. I am imperfect. I am intuitive. I am forgiving. I am protective. I am your sister. I am your friend. I am your supporter. I am you motivator. I am your challenger. I am YOU. I am trying to figure it out everyday. I am the mistakes that I learn from.
As I get older I am learning the importance of solitude for my well-being. But as a single mother it’s very hard to get that and care for myself. Sometimes I can’t even stop to just cry and breathe for a moment bc I have to keep going. Sometimes I feel I don’t know how to properly care for myself. I fail myself majority of the time because even self-care takes intentional work. Time management is my biggest area of weakness that I need to work on is and that trickles in other areas of my life. Currently I am a mother, student mother, doula and everything in between while trying to create a stable environment for my daughter and I. Self-care takes creating a village that allows you to do so. Currently, I live in Austin, TX and I’m trying to create my community but that’s hard. Many days I have to fight to stay motivated and encouraged but I have to remind myself and stay focused on the bigger picture. Along the way to your calling you will have many days of feeling alone. So honestly my only self-care right now is a cup a coffee in the morning, lol! So I guess more so I am asking how does one truly have self-care as a single mother while wearing so many hats and following her dreams and being a student midwife which requires being on-call for birth. Any piece of advice would help. I know I’m suppose be the one giving advice but this is where I’m at. And I figure it then I truly want to help the next mom. I’m actually working on a couple of things to give a temporary help to my fellow mothers and I can’t wait when the time is ready. But until then I guess I’m trying to become the very thing I need.
We asked Barbara - "If you had to define your ‘mission,’ the work you feel drawn to do with your energy and your life, what would you say? What do you stand for, fight for?"
To define my mission would be tough because I know my existence has a ripple of effect that is beyond my understanding. I am all-purpose. My existence is wrapped up in an omniscient/all-knowing; that encompasses all knowledge of the universe past, present, and future that my mortal self can not fully grasp because it’s too glorious. But if I had to define it in a laymans terms I think I love inspiring others to be the best they can be. By nature I am passionate-for people and life. I want to convince people they can be whatever they can be and live the life they want. I want to change people’s thinking and perspective from those things that hinder them no matter. I want to draw out the genuineness in others. I want them to face their fears and live in their divine and holy freedom-it’s your birthright. So I can’t simply define my mission as helping women and families and decreases issues like infant mortality because I am inspired and motivated by various people who do various type of work. I know I desire my legacy to be one that impacted the lives that she came in contact with. I want to know my life is a baton for the next person to continue the work in changing lives and making this existence here on earth a better place. Live FEARLESSLY AND IN TOTAL HAPPINESS AND PEACE AND LOVE. To live a life where humans see one another as God’s masterpiece and once we start doing that we will treat one another a whole lot differently. Anything you do to another person reflects how you feel about your Creator and in turn about yourself.