What would you say to your younger self today?
In this deeply personal Support Pause, Shirl reflects on sitting crisscross applesauce on the living room floor watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show and dreaming about becoming a writer long before life got loud.
This support pause explores what happens when responsibilities, caregiving, survival, and being “the dependable one” slowly push our dreams to the background. It’s a conversation about reconnecting with the parts of ourselves that still need support, creativity, softness, rest, and room to dream.
Because sometimes the dream never really leaves us.
And maybe… we really are gonna make it after all.
Listen to the support pause here:
About Shades of Strong®
Shades of Strong® is a space where Black women come to breathe, reflect, and reclaim strength without the struggle. Support Pauses are short, soulful reminders that you don’t have to carry it all alone. New episodes drop every weekday.
Resources to Support You:
- Take the Support Language™ Assessment and learn how you actually receive support best.
- Schedule a 1:1 Support Session
- Get the Guide: “You Know Your Support Language™—Now What?”
- Get Support Right in Your Inbox: Gentle words, real-life reflection, and soft reminders every week
- Download Sistah’s Connect Radio in the Apple Store
- Download Sistah’s Connect Radion in Google Play
Let’s Stay Connected:
- Subscribe to Shades of Strong on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform
- Share this episode with a sista who’s tired of being the strong one
- Leave a review if the episode spoke to your spirit — it helps more Black women find this space
- Submit your questions to hi@shadesofstrong.com
- Follow Shades of Strong on Instagram and Threads for daily reflections on what it means to be suppoted
- Be a Guest on the Show: shadesofstrong.com/beourguest
- www.shadesofstrong.com
Shirl Hubbard is the creator of Support Languages™ and host of Shades of Strong® — a movement shifting the narrative from Strong Black Woman to Supported Black Woman™ through language, rest, and real support.
