Recently, I took a trip back to the place of my birth, Guyana. It prompted me to reflect on my journey from Georgetown to my Global work and travels around the world.
Growing up in Georgetown, Guyana, I lived with my grandmother, Mommy Irene. I didn’t know why I wasn’t raised by my parents, and in those days, you simply didn’t ask. What I did know was that she loved me deeply, raised me like her own, and made every moment with her feel special. She was a seamstress and made all my beautiful dresses by hand. I was her little prize. I was also taught to be seen, not heard… unless she stopped to chat with someone on the way to the market, which was often!
At age 10, my world shifted. I was sent to join family in England - part of the Windrush era, boarding a BOAC plane alone, holding tightly to my mother’s and father’s hands, not knowing it would be the last time I’d see my baby sister or my mother. My sister would pass from leukaemia, and my mother from cancer, two years later. I never got to say goodbye. But I carried my mother’s whispered words with me: Be good. Study hard. Don’t go anywhere without permission. Walk straight and don’t look back.
And I didn’t look back. I walked forward like a little soldier. Heartbroken, yes. But determined.
From that moment on, everything I did, I did with my mother in mind. I wanted to become the voice she never had — and I have kept that promise.
Over the years, I’ve worn many hats: publicist, celebrity make-up artist, Beauty Editor, then Editor at Pride Magazine, Editor in Chief of SHE Caribbean, and Transformational Life Coach. Each chapter in my life has been an act of reinvention, not out of vanity, but out of necessity. Because when the world didn’t see women of colour, especially Black women, I made it my mission to make us visible.
I wrote our stories, championed our beauty, and educated women on how to love themselves. I studied cosmetology while raising children. I became a journalist because I believed our voices deserved space on the page. I spoke from podiums across the world because our stories needed to be heard.
At 52, I thought I was retiring… but really, I just needed a break. That’s when Women on the Crossroads was born - a movement that created space for women to uplift and motivate one another. I saw so many talented women hiding their gifts behind self-doubt. That couldn’t sit right with me. So, I trained in confidence building, assertiveness, and CBT to better serve them.
Then came my journey of coming home — not just physically, but spiritually. In 2017, I took myself to Barbados for three months of reflection and restoration. Each morning I walked the beaches of Hastings, reconnecting with the Caribbean blood that runs through my veins. I explored my great-grandfather’s history. I spoke at events, shared with women, and even sat close to the Prime Minister during the Independence celebrations.
And then Guyana called. My home welcomed me with open arms. I gave speeches, hosted workshops, spoke on radio and TV, and was even taken to Rupununi to speak to indigenous youth near the Brazilian Amazon. I had come full circle. And I know, deep in my soul, that Mommy Gloria would be proud.
So, am I done now?
No, darling.
There’s no retiring from purpose. On this recent trip to Guyana, I feel the gratitude for where I started and this journey I am on, appreciating all that I had seen and done and the wisdom I have to share now with the next generation. I may not be chasing titles, but I am still committed to empowering, motivating, and reminding women, especially Black women that reinvention is our birth right. When life gets tough, don’t shrink. Go sideways if you must. Reinvent. Reclaim. Rise.
Because I am me. And I’m still becoming.
