![Quantcast](http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-GS-HF4BKvzCmv.gif)
![Dead Seasons Might Be Painful But They Are Necessary](https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzg5MjcxMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc0OTgwODY1NH0.S8K08EkhL-1VLTQ0DEcNqtzWYNtU5XHUTf1hLEH2Flg/img.jpg?width=1200&height=600&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C215%2C0%2C215)
Dead Seasons Might Be Painful But They Are Necessary
I personally couldn't wait until the winter was over. I can't stand the winter. It's disrespectfully cold and doesn't care about the moisture that I'm struggling to keep in my skin. There's not much sunlight, and did I mention the snow?
The other day, I sat at the park and looked at the trees. The park was covered with dead branches and fallen trees that covered the grounds with its limbs everywhere, a mess in all its emptiness as it prepared itself for its next stages. There, I realized why dead seasons are necessary.
Dead seasons are necessary because they prune away what can't go with you to the next season.
And in life, that's exactly what happens to us. We go through dead seasons that purge the friends (branches) that are connected to us and can't go with us. It kills the character, the attitude, and the habits (which are the trees) that won't fit in the next level. It's the process of shedding skin, the process of becoming new again.
This mess of renewal can look like drama, frustration, and unexpected situations that may make you scratch your head and ask God what is going on or why you. It can be quite painful because people that you've grown to love may start to show you sides of them that you've never seen before. Bae may start distancing himself without warning. You may even lose your job that you love in this season.
Dead seasons are not predicated on the seasons of the man-made calendar and can happen at anytime. What matters the most is how you go through them, because they come with lessons, and if you don't learn the lesson the first time, you will have to relive it.
So, how do you go through a dead season?
Meditate and Pray
In order to know what season you are in, you have to go back to the source. Schedule time to meditate and pray daily in a room or area with no distractions. Answers come in times of worship. Play music, sing, and indulge in your truth.
Focus
What is easy this season is to get distracted with social media, what everyone is doing or not doing, and gossip. It's easy to get on the phone and realizing two hours later that you have completed nothing but completely caught up with all the reality shows and hood gossip. This is the time to get focused on yourself, working on you, developing your skills, and preparing yourself for what you are expecting to come once this season ends.
Surround Yourself With Positivity
Your mindset is attacked in this season, so it's best to surround yourself with uplifting friends, family members, or coworkers. In addition to being around positive people, you can also read motivational books and watch motivational videos such as Ted Talks, sermons from Sarah Jakes Roberts, or listen to Koereyelle Confessions of a Werkaholic podcast.
Related: 12 Podcasts For Women Trying To Glow Up This Year
Speak Where You Want To Go
Affirmations are life because you have to speak where you want to go and speak what you want to happen. This is what affirmations are, they are short sentences that you must speak out of your mouth daily, before you actually see it in real life. For example, I am richer and richer by the day until wealthy. I am strong, I am beautiful, I am happy. And I am focused, I am grounded, I am thankful, this is temporary.
Once you have identified that you are in a dead season, know that there will be purging, it's going to get uncomfortable, and you are going to lose a few people close to you.
But after the dead season is over comes a blooming season of blessings that will fill you in all the areas that were pruned in your dead season.
It may not feel great, you might drop some tears, your hotline may no longer bling, but remember, the quickest way to move into your next season is by letting go of what or who can't go with you.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here to receive our latest articles and news straight to your inbox.
Sharena is a writer, mother, and loves to empower and encourage women of color. She lives in Detroit, MI. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @xoxosharena. Read her work on xoxosharena.com
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image courtesy