As the Empire Crumbles, the Exhaustion Is Real For Many Black Women.
I’m gonna ask you a question and I want you to be honest.
Are you exhausted? Spent? Depleted?
I've been talking to a lot of high-achieving, high-performing Black women professionals lately, and there's a common thread: they're burnt out. Depleted. Running on fumes.
If this sounds like you, you're not alone.
Maybe it's not just the grind of your career, though.
Maybe you're tired of the constant socio-political turmoil in the States. Maybe it’s *gestures wildly* EVERYTHING: all the breaking news, the constant barrage of scandal, the circus of an Election.
Does it have you quietly plotting your exit strategy? Are you dreaming of a life where you don't have to constantly explain, defend, or shrink yourself?
If so, then…
I have a conversation you need to see.
I recently sat down with Stephanie Perry and Roshida Dowe, the founders of the ExodUS Summit. It’s THE move abroad and sabbatical summit for Black women.
In this candid conversation, we’re talking about how Black women and their families can make a quick exit from the U.S.
For some, even before Inauguration Day. Yep. You read that right.
You might be wondering, "Why the urgency?"
It's not just about who sits in the Oval Office. Even with the buzz around VP Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate, there's a sobering realization among some that systemic change doesn't happen overnight - or even over four years.
Plus, what do you do when you’re in a burning building?
You get out before you’re crushed or consumed.
My conversation with Stephanie and Roshida reminds me of where I was not too long ago.
In 2020, my world was crumbling. Amid a global pandemic, I lost a dear friend to suicide. The grief was paralyzing. My husband had been laid off, leaving my business as our sole income. The pressure was suffocating.
Then came the other wake-up calls. Twice in six months, our white neighbors called the cops on us. Once for music, once for a delivery truck blocking the cul-de-sac for 30 minutes. There I was, living the supposed "American Dream" in a nice suburb, and I couldn't even exist without being policed and surveilled.
It hit me: no matter who was in office, this day-to-day reality wasn't changing fast enough. The big house, the "good" schools - it was all costing me my peace.
That's when I knew: like Stephanie and Roshida, I had to GET OUT.
So, in 2021 my husband and I dipped.
Mexico wasn't an escape. It was my reset button.
For the first time in years, I could breathe. No constant vigilance, no need to prove my worth. Just...the freedom to be me.
This move rewired my whole life. I healed. I grew. I remembered what it felt like to dream on my own terms. The creativity I thought I'd lost came flooding back. Time seemed to slow down, giving me space to rediscover myself.
But along the way, we made a ton of mistakes because we didn’t know what the hell we were doing.
There were a lot of surprises and hiccups along the way that I could have been better prepared for had known about the ExodUS Summit.
Back then, I wasn’t a part of that amazing community. I didn’t even know the conference existed.
I wish I did know about it, though, because that move was one of the most trying and isolating moments of my life. I knew we were doing the right thing, but because we didn’t know anyone personally who had done it, we had to wing it and do the best we could. Plus, we had to deal with some (well-meaning) folks who didn’t understand and tried to speak fear into our plans.
Thankfully, my husband and I were able to unite, block out all the noise, and make our move - pretty stealthily, I might add. See, at that time, most folks would look at you like you had two heads if you told them you were leaving the States. So, we kept it under wraps for a whole year before sharing more widely about it.
Now, as the world is on fire and the sun sets on the American empire, moving abroad doesn’t sound as far fetched as it once did.
I’m finding that more people want to, they just don’t know how.
If you’re one of those people who is overwhelmed at all the planning, the logistics and the very idea of making a move abroad, then I strongly encourage you to attend this year’s ExodUS Summit.
It’s like the Move Abroad School every Black woman needs before she uproots her life.
It’s happening October 11-14th and attendees can expect to soak up practical information from talks, workshops, and breakout sessions within a supportive community of over 18,000 Black women who are ready to take the leap (or already have).
Whether you're considering a career break, a sabbatical, or a permanent move, this summit is for you.
I've seen firsthand how this kind of move can change everything for the better. It's not always easy, but it's worth it. The freedom to just be, without constantly explaining or defending your existence is priceless.
The only regrets I have are:
1). I didn’t make my exit from the U.S. sooner, and
2). Not attending the ExodUS Summit leading up to my move.
Now in its 5th year of helping Black women and their families create better lives in new countries, it’s where you need to be if moving is on your mind.
If you go, I’m confident you’ll leave with a strategy that will take what might seem like a pie-in-the-sky dream into a reality.
Learn from those who've done it, connect with a community of like-minded women, and start planning your own journey to freedom - perhaps even before the next Inauguration Day.
The best part is it’s completely virtual so you can attend from the comfort of your home as you plan you way to your next home.
Remember, you don't have to wait for systemic change or stay in environments that drain you. There's a whole world out there waiting for you to explore, to heal, to thrive. There are places in the world where you don’t have to constantly fight for your very life.
The next chapter of it is waiting to be written. Are you ready to take that next step?
-Courtney
More Ways to Stay Connected
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