Redefining Strength: A Journey Through Grief and Healing

The second worst call of my life came on September 11, 2019. The worst call came on May 19, 2021. The second worst call? They suspected my mom had pancreatic cancer, we just weren’t sure how bad, yet. The worst call? My dad saying three words that shattered me. “She died, Ivy.” All of the healing I had done previously …

We Are Always Becoming

Hi, reader! Abby here, I’m grateful to be the new Office Manager at 1N5. Thanks for spending some time on our blog.  We are always becoming. It’s a beautiful reminder about our shared human experience, acknowledging that we are dynamic individuals; that we are malleable, we are impressionable, we are wildly adaptive, we are capable of transformation and growth.  Allowing …

Reclaiming My Power as a Single Mom

After losing my mom one week after finding out I was pregnant, I didn’t think life could get much worse. But life had other plans for me and things did in fact, get worse. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be where I’m at right now. I never thought I would be going through a divorce …

The Diary of a Creative Mind

My name is Kamiah Vickers — I’m a NYC-based playwright and actress. As a creative, it’s important that my mental health is prioritized, as so often it’s easy to forget about it in a fast-paced industry. My goal is to help fellow creatives understand their creative conscious, and prioritize mental wellbeing. I think a lot—there are rarely moments when my …

Make It Sticky

By Kimberly Koland As the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, a whole new year begins. Perhaps you, like me, often find yourself making grand resolutions, promising to improve your self-care life in significant ways. THIS IS YOUR YEAR FOR SELF-CARE! But, what happens after the initial excitement fades, and the real work begins? It is not like you wake …

Finding My Own Path to Self-Care

Bennett Turan  Self-care shouldn’t be defined in a certain manner. Self-care means a lot of different things. Finding the right self-care routine for myself felt like a struggle for a long time. Everyone had their own input on what would make me feel better. For a long time, self-care was a foreign concept. I was always on the go. Whether …

You Have The Power To Reclaim Your Voice

My therapist today asked me what I want my future to look like. We talked about many things, but at the end of my session, I realized that what I want my future to look like is to have the ability to come back to the me that I want to be and begin reclaiming myself and my voice and …

Eradicating the Myths of Self-Care: Let Me Share My Truth

My name is Cofi. It’s pronounced just like the beverage, and we share a few things in common: I am bold, I am strong, and I am Black. Like coffee, I wake people up—not with caffeine, but with truth.  I am a 44-year-old woman who resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, and I own and operate a lifestyle brand intentionally named By …

Divorce Celebration!

This is your sign that even the endings in your life deserve to be celebrated. I threw myself a divorce party this weekend and it was one for the books!! Some people may question why I would want to celebrate something that completely shattered my expectations for the future and turned my world upside down. But why not celebrate? Why …