Because of Condola, Issa Did

Yes, Issa and Lawrence had a magical closure/reopening/where did we go wrong/come on and let’s get it right or not evening but this is not about that.

This is about Condola and the spark she provided for Issa to step into her whole self.

We met Issa as the awkward, go with the flow young Sista who preferred to have confrontations and conversations in the mirror instead of in real-time. She couldn’t find her words in front of people and when they came, they were hella awkward. It made her endearing to us and we hoped she’d eventually get it together.

Then came Condola. With Condola, we met a confident Issa. In the beginning, Issa still looked to Condola for guidance but when Condola had to remove herself from all things Lawrence, that included Issa. Issa had to step right into her power and make all the decisions without second-guessing herself and our girl DID IT! Ever since the successful block party, can’t nobody tell Issa she ain’t the one and the two.

Issa’s out here curating her life, her career, and who she wants to be around. Issa before Condola would have never. She saw how smart, articulate, successful, and had it together Condola was and she wanted a piece. Some would argue that she could easily see that in Molly, Kelly, and Tiffany but y’all know how hard it is to take family and friends seriously. You have to be seen with new eyes, preferably eyes that just see you as you and not have all the history attached. Condola had those eyes. She also encouraged Issa gently and showed her how she could do it. Her girls had too much history and only saw Issa as the awkward one who could possibly get it right by a long shot. I’m positive they had speeches prepared for a failed Block Party.

Issa needed Condola. Condola was the visual she needed.

I have had several Condolas in my life. I had a teacher that saw me slacking and getting bored in the 10th grade and got me together. As a young mother working an overnight warehouse job, a manager from another site asked me about my degree and I told him I had dropped out and he saw me and encouraged me to get my degree. I registered for school the very next day. Both these people weren’t the first to mention any of this to me but their words came exactly when I needed them to.

Entrepreneurship was never in my cards. I’d tell anyone that it was not my Ministry. Then I met my love and saw his entrepreneurial spirit and thought, hmmm I can do this. Then I found myself surrounded by successful black women entrepreneurs because of course UNIVERSE. All these Condolas around me and now I am Condola.

Life is beautiful if you let it play out and pay attention.