Relationships are connected to our strongest emotions. In successful, positive relationships we feel safe, happy, confident and hopeful. They are a vital part of our every day and contribute to our health and well-being. In life, we are expected to create and maintain important relationships. We are told to place great importance on familial and romantic relations and continue to invest in and support these ties to ensure they remain intact. We are made to understand to treat friendship as a second-tier emotional placeholder until we find the traditional relationships of a partner, family and ..read more

by Priyanka Roychoudhury We get introduced to new things as children regularly. Learning is second nature to us. We are not only expected by society to learn but also provided with the space to fail while learning. However, as we grow up, both these aspects diminish in our lives. But the need to learn doesn’t. As a result, we struggle to rise to our potential as adults. Adulthood is often associated with expertise. Yet having a beginner’s mindset as an adult can determine the quality of our life. This is more important today as we see the world around us change at a pace faster than ever befor ..read more

Has anyone else hit that point in their twenties or thirties where you can not help but feel an almost existential dread and lack of interest in everyone and everything? Every day you wake up to go about your normal routine and fall asleep to do the same thing tomorrow and can’t help but wonder if this is it. Is this the life I’m meant to live? I want more. These daunting feelings amplify our dread, angst and loneliness and leave us feeling like we are not doing enough, that we are behind in life or that we should have achieved more by now. These feelings are not only exhausting but damaging a ..read more

A community is a collective. It is a theory that emphasises support, solidarity, companionship and sharing of resources, knowledge and more. The concept of a community has been cemented for generations and has progressed and developed as the world has. For Women of Colour (WOC), inclusive communities created for them and by them have existed for decades in the western world as liberating, safe, protected spaces where they can exist authentically, with comfort. WOC-exclusive communities have, for generations, held particular importance and continue to do so in the changing face of the world. In ..read more

If you’re anything like us, you probably took some time ahead of the New Year to sit down, think and plan for 2023. You likely reflected on the year you had and looked ahead to what you would like from your next year. It seems almost natural to reevaluate how our year went and look at the highs and lows, and plan our next year based on this. We want our new year to be better, we want to be happier, and we want to achieve more and become more. All of which is perfectly fine and completely understandable. It’s so reasonable to want more. It’s natural, in fact. Why can’t we have it all? However ..read more

Setting expectations, intentions and goals for yourself is a beneficial tool that supports you in creating the life you want. It’s something we all do. We work towards our goals and will all of our expectations to fruition. Providing clarity, direction, and accountability expectations offer us stepping stones to becoming our best selves. It is natural that in a new year, we examine our year and set new expectations for the year ahead. We do not know about you, but for us, we feel like our list of expectations grows and becomes more elaborate as the years go on. We want it all! And while there ..read more

Wellness has been a trending topic for a while.  Even here at GirlDreamer, we talk about it a lot! For us, it is a none negotiable. We don’t see wellness as a luxury but as a necessity that contributes to our self-love, self-care and healthy living, which improves our mental health.  While wellness is something we should all prioritise and have access to, the industry is dominated by whiteness, with white women at the forefront. Despite most wellness trends originating from ancient and long-standing traditions of people of colour (POC) and their cultures, POC are not genuinely repres ..read more

Will I get my dream job?  Will my loan be approved? Will my appraisals come out great so I can get the promotion? Really, there’s just so much to worry about. Sometimes, it could seem like everything is spinning out of your control, and you’re barely keeping your head above water. Through the different responsibilities and realities of living as a woman of colour,  it’s okay to feel tired and worried about the different possible outcomes.   So, what do you do when you just can’t stop worrying over something?  The first step is to ask yourself this: is this a situation ..read more

Advocating for yourself is a natural part of adulthood. Expecting, asking, and even demanding more, is something we should all feel comfortable with.  Advocating for yourself means setting boundaries and expectations, ensuring others understand what you require of them and communicating the importance of all of this. Self-advocacy applies to every aspect of your life, especially in spaces of education, healthcare and your professional life.  For Women of Colour, learning how to confidently advocate for yourself is critical to your overall happiness and well-being.  In place of e ..read more