Happy New Year!
Ahem…
Lemme start this off like testimony service right quick:
Giving honor to God who is the head of my life…
No, but seriously. First and foremost, I'm profoundly grateful to be here. I know too many people who didn't make it to see 2025, and that's weighing heavy on my heart right now. (I’m working on an essay about this very thing and I’ll share it here soon.)
Despite what the Gregorian calendar says… some argue we're not even technically in the new year until after the spring equinox. But, I'm still here, still reflecting, still unpacking all that 2024 was for me.
2024: The Year That Brought Me to My Knees
Truth is…
I'm TIED.
I'm kidding, but I'm kinda serious.
2024 - particularly the last quarter - tried my entire life. It humbled me. It brought me to my knees. If I'm honest, I was eager to turn the page of the calendar without a backward glance.
Every part of me wanted to just rush past the hard parts and skip straight to a fresh start. But that’s not how life works.
2024 ended with me feeling the weight of so much: of America's collapse, of the deflated optimism because of the US election, of the genocides happening worldwide, and of the collective exhaustion so many Black women like me are feeling as we wait with bated breath on what's to come.
As Zora Neale Hurston once said, "There are years that ask questions and years that answer them." 2024 was definitely a year of questions. My prayer is that 2025 brings us some answers.
When I Really Sat Down to Think About It...
Now that I can lift my head above what felt like treacherous waters, I can say that for me, 2024 was an initiation of sorts. The trial by fire, if you will. Maybe it was for you, too. So, If you're reading this, you made it. WE made it. That alone is enough to celebrate.
The unpredictability that 2024 brought at nearly every turn gave me a lot of anxiety, but in many ways it served me because it forced me to surrender. The control freak in me resisted initially, but I soon got tired of the fight and relented.
There were multiple times I would simply look up, wearily raise my hands and declare, “it’s above me now.” And every time I let go and let God, things turned out okay.
I think I'll start doing that more this year.
Looking back, I also realize that I had more space and time than ever to focus on my creativity. And for the longest, my prayer was to have that time and space. And so I can't forget to remember that I'm sitting in my answered prayers.
I was able to prioritize community more and connected with some incredible souls as a result (I credit a lot of this to living in a place like Mexico, where relationships and connection feel like core values in the fabric of this country's society).
Professionally, I pivoted into a new industry (screenwriting) and got paid for it. We started gaining real momentum with Black Expat Stories and I’m proud to share that I:
Made a sacred commitment back to my first love - writing - by launching this MUSELetter. Here, I get to share my intimate reflections on life abroad, unpacking the complexities of building home in new spaces as a Black American woman.
Recorded, produced and shared 8 incredible episodes, including a special on-location episode, wrapping up a season of powerful conversations amplifying the pioneers of the Blaxit movement through Black Expat Stories. (Need a holiday binge-watch? Dive into all episodes right here! 📺)
Hosted a Watch Party Fundraiser that donated over $800 to a Black woman, expat-owned business in Playa Del Carmen (Catch the full recap here!)
I was featured as a subject matter expert on NPR's nationally syndicated radio show 1A, discussing why so many Americans, specifically Black Americans, are choosing to leave the United States. The broadcast reaches over 4 million people weekly! (Listen to the conversation here 🎧)
I was featured on the nationally syndicated news magazine show InvestigateTV, where I shared my journey of making Playa Del Carmen, Mexico my home and building a new life abroad. (Catch the full segment here! 🎥)
I was honored to join the informal White House Advisory Committee for Americans Overseas, serving as one of just 9 global leaders chosen to represent the interests of U.S. citizens living abroad during the Biden-Harris Administration. In this advisory role, I'm bringing our stories and concerns directly to America's highest offices, creating space at tables where our voices have historically been absent.
More importantly, this year I did what I set out to do which is: share some of the most riveting stories about international living, as told by Black expats (and immigrants).
I marvel at the fact I’m doing it by any means necessary. Very much giving Malcolm X vibes.
How could I not share all these amazing things?
None of this would have been possible without people like YOU who support this work.
THANK YOU for:
Embracing the content ebbs and flows with nothing but love
Subscribing to the Black Expat Stories YouTube channel and watching the show (One of our goals for 2025 is to monetize our channel and we need 1,000 subscribers to do that. We're only a couple hundred away. If you haven't already, please subscribe)
Staying connected through incredible conversations on Instagram & TikTok.
Joining our inner circle as a FRIEND OF THE SHOW on Patreon, where your support fuels the creation of future Black Expat Stories episodes. (As a thank you, our Patreon fam gets first dibs on new episodes - ad-free! - plus behind-the-scenes magic and extended conversations with our incredible storytellers.)
Being the real MVPs and spreading the word about Black Expat Stories with your friends and family. (I can't tell you how many times I hear "my friend/aunt/cousin/momma told me about your show!") It means the world.
Believing in me. Believing in this vision. Believing in this movement.
I gotta be honest with you. I don't know what 2025 will bring.
It feels like we're on the precipice of so much change and I can't call it, friend.
But here's what I do know: I'm choosing joy.
Not happiness—happiness is fleeting, ephemeral, temporary.
Joy is different. Joy is abiding. Joy endures.
Listen – I'm claiming 2025 as my year of JOY & JUBILEE, and I say that with my whole chest.
Because here's what I know for sure: Black joy is revolutionary resistance and the world always needs more of that.
My deepest prayer for you in 2025 is threefold: may your body know abundant health, may your spirit dance in liberation, and may your wildest dreams catch fire and take flight. And through it all, may you discover that unshakeable joy that sustains us even in life's most challenging seasons.
Welcome to 2025. Thank you for walking with me.
-Courtney
Resources & More Ways to Stay Connected
Curious about what it’s really like to live abroad? Black Expat Stories brings you the unfiltered, inspiring, and unforgettable journeys of those pioneering America’s Next Great Migration: The Blaxit. We’re capturing some of the most riveting stories about international living—told by Black expats and immigrants. Click to watch now!
Whether you're pondering making a move abroad or reflecting on what freedom truly means for you, check out the Blaxit Soundtrack & Soul Work Journal. This beautiful blend of curated music and guided prompts will help you chart your path - from decision to departure. Download it for free now.
Thinking about making a move abroad and want find our where your people are? Check out my curated guide: 14 Countries With THRIVING Black Expat Communities.
The Beauty in the Blaxit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts directly in your inbox, and to support my work, please subscribe!
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