My World Pulse Journey and Lady that made it possible

This story has so many angles Im not sure which to begin with , but I have thirty one minutes to do it , because when the clock strokes 12.00 am it would be the 25th of March.

But this is a story I intend to tell about for a long time .When my dear sister /friend Sherna Alexander Benjamin sent me the link in 2016 to join the platform , I did so somewhat nonchalantly , where would I find the time I taught , school ,work , life ,so I let it just fill my inbox , sometimes browsing ,sometimes just paying no attention

But pretty soon the years rolled on , and in 2020 in the midst of the Pandemic , timso when the e was literally handed to us and decided to browse and I was awestruck , now 2021 was a year of discovering and utilising hidden talent ,I guess globally as persons would show off their various skill ,now that the pandemic had made being at home more possible for us all

The pandemic was a teaching moment for me , I found myself wanting to truly find my purpose and explore the talents and dreams I had that lay dormant for so long , I loved writing and notification came that year , I took time to go through the platform and I read people s stories and realized I could do this and I could do it well

I won my frist feature story not too long after ,We All Shed Tears , written on the spiralling scurge of Domestic Violence on the island ,intensified by Stay home orders at the time ,to say I was elated is an understatment .,I was an advocate for a very long time and its something that also touched my life and others around me so I have always wanted to add my voice to the cry for it to stop .I would follow Sherna around as she built her NGO and work on her iniative ,I didnt know all those organised marches around the savannah and projects targetting women facing abuse were for that reason , I just found it empowering to be a part of it .

As the months rolled on I become so engrossed in this platform , I made new friends , read so many interesting stories and had the chance to reach out to others , imparting words of encouragement that came from a place of divine wisdom and my badge count added up .

Because the atmosphere was so charged with emotions as we all seemed to exist in the virtual room from our living rooms ,and because the constant news of death globally ,the presence of God was essential in staying sane and focused and there seemed to be a constant download of stories to my mind , I would get up so excited to on to type what was now flooding my system ,gathering the research and presenting the facts . I went on to do so win features a second and a third time , I was grateful beyound measure including being a part of the Top 50 Rising Voices in 2022

By this time I was interacting with others on the platform , I had a self appointed mentor in the form of Jill , she was the frist to reach out to me extending that hand of friendship and sisterhood ,encouraging me to attend the ,welcome parties or training or sending me opportunities she thinks I could benefit from and still does up to today .

I hold my badges with honor as the trainings from this platform have strenghten me , given me knowledge and brought awareness , I love making others feel welcomed and having a space where your voice and your taughts are respected is golden .I have grown , become more confident ,I was able to host my own training with the help of my dedicated Mentor EJ, her bubbly personality drew me to her and when the time came I choose her and Im grateful for her support and encouragement ,it wasnt just mentorship it was sisterhood .I went on to host two successful Digital Spas,with a lovely group of ladies joining me each time from different parts of the world as we discussed relevant topics surrounding women , abuse and leadership .

My BookClub @ FB THE BOOKCLUB HOSTED BY LIZ is still up and running, its an initative I started last year to highlight the books of female authors and have them come on to share their incredible stories and journey . Looking forward to resume our regular meet ups , and all this are projects that came out of the training s

And for the years I have been here , I have seen the platform ,rise and go through technological , changes persons have come and gone ,but for the most part continue to be a solid foundation , persons like Dawn and Anna who have moved on but their contribution was invaluable ,its so nice to be able to have persons reach out to you with genuine sisterly concern from on the opposite side of the globe ,It was such a joy to see their smiles at meet ups ..And now Kirthi and Vaishnavi have filled those big shoes so seamlessly , this platform raises leaders

Memorable moments on this platform I have a few , top of the list is being called to meet with the board ,it was such an honor and too today feels surreal ,Im so proud of our founder Jesmine , whose name I only learnt to pronounce recently , and all the other amazing women that are part of planning strategies to impact women the globe over and providing safe space for growth , empowerment ,and opportunities to see dreams become realities

2.Having someone jump into my inbox to say thank s and to let me know that after reading my story a piece written about intimate patner violence ,finding the strenght from her hospital bed to decide ,it stops with here. That hit home for me ,because the words I penned achieved its goal , if I can impact one life ,it matters .

And #3 Watching photos of my sister headlining our local newspaper after recieving a National Medal of Merit for her outstanding accomplishments in the field of social work .That in itself served to inspire me and so many , as I have seen Sherna ,s growth ,the road wasnt paved with gold , but rock and sink holes and moutains , but she has persevered ,although the very thing that hurt her to fuel her to soar and this platform has provided a network of support . As like sherna I witness so so many of our sisters come in as caterpillars and grow into beautiful butterflies accomplishing what was only a secret vision . My sister Olatusin out of Nigeria ,who,s journey i have followed from day one is a prime example of what faith ,sisterhood and networking can accomplish ,she keeps me reminded that with Gods help ,through his earthly angels ,if we believe it ,we can achieve it . Pallabi out of India , Sister Zeph , and Queen Sheba, and even my young mentee Harriet Afandi who recently got an opportunty to present to a UN Womens Conference and so many other s ,watching them grow is phenomenol as they make global impact .

I am proud to see my national representation jump from double digits to triple digits with many persons I have invited coming on board and participating ,this area needs some beefing up ,because i know theres so much more we can do as a Caribbean community , but I must highlight the impact of the amazing persons and connections I have made on thIs platform ,the list is long, but I will share one that has yielded opportunities to network ,and sisterhood ,my beautiful buddy Nuria , from Mexico,well she was based in Mexico at the time , my dear cousin Josette Blackburn New York ,she is no longer on the platform but we communcate on the socials, the beautiful and creative Megs Natasha Lombard , we share a common bond with being digital fabric designers ,she more that me and artist .

I met Karla Scipio on this platform , our Trinidad and Tobago roots connected us , and we are in separable since , Karla is a Registered Nurse / Entrepenur/ Change Maker/ Digitial Content Creator ,beautiful ,vibrant woman of God ,the list goes on . She has connected me to other strong women of influence ,and vice versa and we have been able to collaborate on projects without her having to leave LA where she resides .She has stood in prayer and support of me whether it was my own zoom sessions for THE BOOK CLUB , DIGITIAL SPA or a podcast or zoom I was invited to speak at and I do the same for her . We share similar objectives in terms of social visions and are planning to physically meet up this coming month ,to explore further collaborations Im so looking forward to that ,to meet my WP sisters in persons is a dream , especially my darling Mama Tam who is a source of constant encouragement ,Beth , Arrey , Honorine , Jefiter , Kath, Kirthi , Vaishnavi, EJ, Jennifer Mang, Harriet , Modecaire ,Stella, Olatusin ,Jensine , Corrine , FristLady Bio Hacker ,J Brenda , Busayo , Sister Zeph ,Dr, Jasmin ,Elena Georgiou ,anyone I forgot blame it on my head not my heart , you sisters rock ,all of you ,all the young ones that jump into my inbox and inspire me that I inspire them .Those whose stories , articles , post have encouraged or inspired me .

Theres so much more , on my journey to being a Story teller , Change Maker , Digital Ambassador, Encourager , Power Encourager , Mentee , Mentor and researcher with REG.

I am because World Pulse IS

To say I have not grown ,found my purpose ,gained insight and confidence, intensified determinaion to let my voice be heard ,to embrace leadership and become a better human being since I became active on on this platform would be to tall a lie of grave proportion