Saying Goodbye...
Goodbyes have always been challenging for me. The finality of them is debilitating. Saying one last farewell to someone—something—carries an emotional weight that never gets easier to bear.
When I started this brand seven years ago, I never thought about a goodbye. I never wondered what it would look like to end something I had such a grand vision for. I didn’t think I’d be here forever, but I also didn’t think I wouldn’t. I started this brand with excitement, optimism, and a bright pink notebook full of ideas. I saw visions of hosting national conferences and changing the lives of thousands of women by making spirituality practical. I wrote my first post on what it meant to practice salvation and shared years of award-winning content on self-love, black womanhood, and spiritual development — all with an overarching goal of encouraging women to tap into their Queendom.
I supported and helped teenage girls through their battles with identity and worth, and ushered young women through their spiritual journey. I launched podcasts, apparel, and a scholarship fund. I won two weblog awards, hosted a slew of workshops & speaking engagements, and started my side hustle as a freelance writer. I even obtained a life coaching certification and opened a private practice so I could have more direct interaction with the women I was impacting. I did incredible things as the creator and sole contributor of DEAR QUEENS.
But, “it’s served its purpose.”
That is all I’ve been hearing for the past 9 months. God’s voice, saying those words, echoed in my mind every time I thought about reviving my presence on this side of the internet. I fought—longer than I probably should have—to keep this afloat. I asked God many times to allow me to hold onto this for one more year, with empty promises of pouring more of myself into this like the good old days. Only, this isn’t the old days and I am not the old Zoe. I am new. And if you’ve spent any amount of time here, I’d like to believe that you are too.
Many of us grew together from the things I’ve shared here. We were on this journey together, and because of that, a part of me feels like I’ve let you all down. Like I’m disappointing you by pulling the plug on something we all got so much out of.
But I have to come to terms with the fact that God is pushing me toward something new—and I’ll never find out what that is if I don’t let go. I’ll never see what’s next if I don’t honor what He’s been so clearly speaking to me.
My work here is done. Our work here, together, is done.
But the work we’re meant to do next is just beginning.
I had to realize that the incredible work that started here, doesn’t stop when this website expires. It doesn’t end when I log out for the last time or change my social media handles. That work continues because my work continues. Our work continues. And I think, through all of this, that’s what God has been trying to remind me.
The legacy of this brand isn’t a physical space on the interwebs, it’s in the hearts of the people that have been impacted by this gift God lent me. It lies within the lives that have been touched. It’s displayed in my own life that has been transformed because of this.
If there’s one thing I’ve ever wanted you to learn from me it’s that obedience is critical to our faith walk; this is an act of obedience.
While this may be goodbye to DEAR QUEENS, this is not a goodbye to me. I will always have a thirst for writing. I will always have words to share. I will always have inspiration and testimony to lend to the world. It will just have to be without DEAR QUEENS.
That doesn’t make this any easier, though. This is the end of an era. And while I’m excited for whatever God is calling me to next, I am heartbroken that our journey here is over. I am filled with extreme grief about leaving behind one of my greatest contributions to this world thus far. Yet, I am also extremely grateful that through DEAR QUEENS I was able to cultivate a community of friends, writers, and supporters that I otherwise would have never met. That through this small corner of the internet, I was able to impact the lives of women and men worldwide. And that, through this entire journey of creating and writing and learning, I was able to become who God needs me to be for what’s next.
While I am uncertain about where my next journey will take me, I am thrilled that my purpose here has been fulfilled. As I navigate toward what’s next, I relish in the beauty of faith—what I’ve been teaching since starting this brand—knowing that even when I’m unsure of where I am going, I always know that I will get there.
So cheers to what’s coming, and may it be even better than what’s been.