Audrey Davis-Dunning: Get Your Goddess | WOC Live — The Reclamation Series

Deneen L. Garrett:

We're told to make ourselves smaller, quieter, more palatable. But what happens when a woman decides to fully take up space in her body, her voice, her power? Today, we find out. Let's go. Welcome to Women of Color, An Intimate Conversation. I'm Denine L. Garrett, the creator and host of this top 5% worldwide podcast. We center and empower women of color. We also have a free newsletter built specifically for black women 50 plus, the Dream Lifestyle Collective. Go to deninelgarrett.com to get started. I want to shout out our production team at the Leon Thomas Group, and especially Orrin Stewart Sr. Today's guest is Audrey Davis Dunning, powerhouse innovator, motivational speaker, educator, and founder of Get Your Goddess, a women's empowerment organization she built in 2015 by combining African dance and personal development. Audrey holds a master's from Cornell University, serves as a college professor and academic advisor, and is the author of Kucheza, The Basics of Beauty and Power of African Dance, and creator of the Kucheza online African dance course. So this month, we opened the Reclamation Series, Reclaim Your Voice, Own Your Power. Audrey's work is a masterclass in reclaiming space in your body, your joy, and your power without apology. Audrey, welcome to the show.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Yes, yes, yes. Oh, thank you so much for having me. It's a joy to be here.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Oh, it's my pleasure. And we were having a great time before we got started. So we're going to continue that energy.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

I love it.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Let's do it. OK, let's go. All right, so you founded Get Your Goddess in 2015 after redefining what it means to be a goddess in your own life. What did that redefinition look like? And why did goddess feel like the right word for it?

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Oh, well, first of all, goddess is such a big, juicy word. And I know this to be true because every time I introduce the whole notion of women calling themselves a goddess, they're like, ooh, wait. You know, it takes them back. But then when they kind of put that goddess label on, it's like, yeah, I'm a goddess. It feels different. It makes you sit up. It makes you poke out your chest. And it really makes you kind of reconfigure. how you see yourself, and how you want to walk into this world. So I wanted a big juicy word to kind of interrupt the patterns that this woman get into. This is what I saw happening. No matter what the woman did, what they had accomplished, what they're doing, no matter how big a powerhouse they were, once you start talking to them, here comes this undercurrent of what they're not doing, They don't think they're doing enough. They don't think they're pretty enough. They don't think they're cute enough. They're not enough something. And it never failed. And these are, I mean, high-powered, beautiful women. And I was like, we need to interrupt this pattern. So I said, let's let's put something together, the educator in me, let's put a curriculum together, let's put some things together. And then the African dance piece came in, because when I think of the thing that roots me and anchors me and really revolutionized the way I thought about myself and my body, it's African dance, because the greatest gift of African dance is it taught me to appreciate my body, not for what it looked like, but for what it could do. That was revolutionary. So it wasn't about, am I size this or size that? It was like, but did you see me do that jump though? Did you see me jump round though? And then when you go and you see an African dance performance, you look on that stage, you see young folks, you see mature folks, you see sisters of all sizes doing it, killing it. So it revolutionized the whole notion of a good body, a good, you know, all of that changed for me. So if my body's moving and dancing, it's a good body.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Thank you. I know right and you know what so several things come to mind when you're talking so first of all remedy, who is a she's been on a pot actually she's been on the podcast three times so she's a try alumna. But she embodies goddess right so she's definitely constantly you know referring to us as goddess. as we are. Another person who comes to mind is someone I'm connected with on threads, Jazz Laughter. And you know what? And Remedy is a musician as well. Jazz Laughter, I believe she's a musician as well. And she's definitely one who I stop and think and refer to her as a goddess. And then when you talked about dancing, I think of another podcast alum, and this is LaDonia. Lawrence and she talks about dance and movement and how we can embrace that. And then the final person that comes to mind when you're speaking, when you talked about like the body positive or what my body can do is Lizzo. So Lizzo had a show on, I think it was on prime and it was like the big girls dance or something like that. Now these women were big, big girls. You know what I'm saying? No doubt. Right. They have to be in order to even be part of this contest. And let me tell you, I can't do not nan bit of what they were doing. Okay, not nan bit. Okay, man. So I don't care what y'all say about sizes or whatever. It's not that, like you said, it's not about the size is what that body can do is what you were able to get your body to do. So yes to all of that. Yes, indeed.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

And I watched that show, too, and was amazed. It was. It was. Phenomenal.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Phenomenal. Yes. Yes, absolutely. I mean, she's singing, she's dancing, she's playing the flute, she's doing all those things. I think they said like 90-minute shows, and these women are like high energy for 90 minutes. That's right, not easy to do. Yeah, no. Listen, let me tell you going upstairs. Sometimes for me it has me winded so we were working on it. Hey, putting it out there just to be true. I would listen. I was. I was in Portugal last year, and I had signed up to do this tour. And they ended up canceling the tour because of rain. And I was like, you know what? After I thought back and looked at what was involved, I said, you know what? Thank God, because there was a lot of climbing up stairs.

Deneen L. Garrett:

I wouldn't have been able to make that. I would have been half an apartment getting up to the fifth stair.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Oh, I tell you. Divine intervention.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Divine intervention. Right? Listen. Right. OK. So there's that. All right. You combined African dance and personal development to build Get Your Goddess. What made you realize those two things belong together?

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

When I was thinking about my life and like every significant milestone, every mental shift in me, you know, African dance was a big part of it. I've always been a student of personal development, but when African dance entered my world, it really kind of elevated everything, because there's so much you learn in African dance, because African dance isn't just like a collection of cute steps, right? There's a whole protocol to African dance, the way you greet the drummer, the way you interact with your dance sisters. the end of dance class when you enter the bantaban and you have to hold center that space and dance solo and improvise and just kind of let yourself go and let yourself be. All of those lessons, all of those things that happen in African dance, those are transferable skills and abilities that can help you when you're in a meeting, when you're giving a presentation, when you just have to walk through this world and navigate and sometimes have to advocate for yourself. You have practiced showing up, holding space, taking center, having people look at you, and just being and expressing what's coming and is true to you in that moment. So those are great skills that'll help you walk as the goddess you are, because, you know, the name of the organization is Get Your Goddess, because I tell women, you have to get your goddess every day, because this world will try to, Take her off of you, strip your goddess crown off, tell you you're this. So every day you need to do something that helps you get your goddess. And for me, it's African dance.

Deneen L. Garrett:

And I love that. And so you know what? So actually, I want to just kind of like pause for a moment. So those who are watching, tap in, right? Drop a comment.

Deneen L. Garrett:

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Deneen L. Garrett:

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Deneen L. Garrett:

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Deneen L. Garrett:

Hey, hey, hey. All right, so listen. We tried. We put it out there. We went to the guys and the universe and everything like, please, please let us get through this, OK? Come on with the technology. But you know what? That's just how life is. And as we were talking before we got started, Audrey and I were talking and I was sharing with her the difficulties that I've had for this month of October. I think somebody's just trying to say, girl, you took September off, so you ain't coming back when you want to. You gonna come back when I want you to be back. But we were talking about how sometimes the universe, God has given us signs of things and how you're supposed to move when you get those signs. It's just a reflection of life, right? And you're seeing it live. Those that are there, patient with us, watching, you're seeing in real time how life is, how you experience life. And it doesn't go the way that you expect and want it to all the time for whatever reason. But the key is, what do you do with it? And so we're demonstrating live. OK, it was planned. It was all planned. We're demonstrating live that you just keep it moving. You know what I'm saying? And so before I got cut off, disconnected, kicked out, I was asking those that are watching to tap in, let us know that you're out there. And thank you for your grace, okay? Thank you for being patient with us because this is some good stuff, learning about African dance. And Argie, I know she was breaking it down as to how she combined the dance and the personal development. And what I want to know a little bit more about is what got you to African dance? Because before we got started, we were talking how you're Jamaican. Your parents were both born in Jamaica. And already your Jamaican card is on the line. And you might get a little bit more online with this. Because how do you get to African dance and not Jamaican dance?

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Well, it's interesting. I do know a Jamaican folk dance, and I've been exploring more Jamaican traditional dances. So I'm solidifying the Jamaican card. I'm actively working on that. But I got to tell you, in terms of African dance, I call it the summer of heartbreak. I had been a dancer before. I did jazz and modern and all that good stuff. And in college, we had a dance called Black Gold. And I was in it. I was in all of that. But during the summer of heartbreak, when you get your little heart broken, I was down. And my good, good friend was just over it and over it it for me. And she was like, actually, he was like, come on, let's go to this class. So I walked into this African dance class. So you hear the live percussion, right? Because when you go into a traditional West African dance class, there's live drumming, right? And then you see these beautiful women wearing all these vibrant, beautiful African fabrics. And then I saw her, Yewande Kelly Johnson. who became my primary African dance teacher, standing there just as tall and beautiful and welcoming, welcoming. And I was just drawn in immediately. And I was like, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, this is it. This is it. Once I started doing traditional West African dance, I put everything else down and I focused exclusively on traditional African dance. And it has been, life-changing on multiple levels. I mean, the places African dance has allowed me to go, to do, freedom, body appreciation, strength, just the community. It has been a blessing, a blessing, a blessing, a blessing. Yeah. I'm in a heartbreak.

Deneen L. Garrett:

And so as far as where it's taking you, we were also talking about how tomorrow we'll actually be in the same place, because I'm traveling. So that's part of why I'm having these tech issues. It ain't me, OK? It's not me. It's the hotel and their Wi-Fi, OK? So we're going to blame it on them. However, we'll both be in Philly tomorrow for different reasons. And so now you said you're coming and you're teaching a class. elementary school or?

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Yes, it's for elementary school. So I do school residencies, I do classes, I do senior centers, I take individual clients, I have my African Dance Lab, which is an African dance personalized mentorship program, and performances, performances. Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, Black History Month, weddings. I love doing weddings. Weddings are amazing. Multicultural dance expos. So there's always something going on. And of course, I have to tell you this, cause I'm not going to talk about African dance and not tell you how you can get down with this deliciousness. A free African dance class online. The 17th of every month, whether the 17th falls on a Monday, a Saturday, a Thursday. It doesn't matter the 17th of every month from 730 to 830 PM Eastern Standard Time. I do a free African dance class that I call African joy. A lot of joy in that class. I call this month. my kiss to the community, my way to get anybody who wants to do some African dance, a way to do it, all they gotta do is press play, get on the Zoom, they don't have to reach in their pocket for any money, and just dance with me. And I have people from all over on that Zoom. I mean, you would not believe where people, sign in from. So it's wonderful because, again, I have people of all races. I have some guys who come in and dance. I have people who dance seated, because I modify the steps for people who are seated. There's some people who do seated African dance. And, you know, there's a place for everybody. And even if people aren't feeling well, they will sign on just for the vibes. Yeah. It's just a great community. And check it out, African Joy. If you go to my website, get your goddess, remember you gotta get your goddess, getyourgoddess.com. You'll see my free African joy class. Just sign up, you'll get the link. And then the 17th of every month, me and you get to do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Hey, hey. So yeah, you'll be able to, if you didn't catch the website, you'll be able to get that from the show notes. So, Audrey, you've performed everywhere from the George Street Playhouse to Channel 9 News. And you hold a master's from Cornell. Somewhere between a stage and a classroom, you found this specific mission. And you kind of told us how you got there as far as through the heartbreak. Is there another part of the story that you want to share? for another piece of your journey? Yes.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

So with Get Your Goddess, I have a junior goddess program for the little bittles because what I find, yeah, because, you know, I'll just speak for myself. I was a good and grown somebody before the whole notion of being a goddess and walking in your power and your beauty and moving in a way, you know, where you're in command of how you walk through the world. I was a good and grown somebody before that thought process really anchored in. So I'm like, what if we could get these little bittles, you know, the teenagers, in that mind frame, in that thought process, before they have to go through the angst and the ugh and all the stuff we had to kind of wade through and push out of. So my Junior Goddess program, really, really is a source of pride where I work with these young ladies and talk them through the get your goddess principles of power, beauty, movement, music, and achievement. So they can be the junior goddesses that they are right now and evolve into mature goddesses with ease and grace and kind of bypass some of the lumps and bumps that we had to go through. Yeah. And so like what age group is this? I usually work from 13 and up.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Okay.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

13 and up. Yeah. And, um, the moms really appreciate it. Cause they're like, they'll listen to you. That's how it is, right? Your kids always listen to somebody else cook and then they listen to you. Um, but yes, I'm very proud of the junior goddess program and the junior goddesses are amazing. They do some remarkable things. They're leaders. They're performers, they're intellectuals, they are all the things, and they are beautiful. They're just everything. So that's a real source of pride. Yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Yeah, I love that. I know. I absolutely love that because it just makes me think about probably around that same time I had started the Homie Book Club for my son and his friends. And it was to encourage him to read more. And as a matter of fact, this person, I believe, is from New Jersey as well, but Principal Caffelli. So Principal Caffelli, he was administrator, schools in New Jersey, et cetera. And I read several of his books. And what I learned from his books and from other books was that boys need to see other boys and men read. Because in school, the readers are girls. And then a lot of times, mostly your teachers are women. So you have women who are telling you to read, and you have girls who are reading, and you're not necessarily seeing boys do it. And it didn't matter what you read as long as you saw reading. So whether it was a comic book, whatever, those are ways to encourage them to read. So I started this for him to get him to read. And then also with that, there was the development, right? So let's bring in let's bring in some mentors, let's bring in some role models, let's have development, let's have programs and field trips and those things like that, because I wanted to tap into them, into their fullness, right? And then also I brought that energy into when I was the president of the Basketball Booster Club, because Coach Gog at the court, and let me work on outside of, to be able to develop them. But where I'm kind of going with this is my son was also part of this other program. And what I had said to them is, and we were in the suburbs, and we actually were in a very wealthy area, right? So what I was offering wasn't really needed because of the other people, what just came natural for them. And so I suggested to this organization hey, come tap into some of these guys because they're there, right? They're close. And if you come and get them, they can help you and pull back with the others as opposed to going to those who are so far away from it. It's a harder pull. And so for whatever reasons, they didn't agree. And that's fine. But the thing is, is get them where they are and then tap into them to reach back and pull others. And so I like that you're doing that with your junior goddesses.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Yeah, yeah. It's so important because, I mean, we all probably have friends, good friends, women, right now, good and grown goddesses, as I call them, that right now, to this day, will not be in a picture. You take your camera out, no, no, no, don't take a picture of me. Or they'll hide behind this. And, you know, at one level you just think, okay, she thinks, you know, she's not happy with the way her body changed over the years or menopause or whatever. But the bigger issue, and I always say this to people and they make some pause, every time you're not in the picture, you are literally erasing your personal history. You are literally erasing your personal history. And I said, let me create the scenario. Some youngster, with lessons forward ahead, they heard about auntie so-and-so. They heard about auntie Savannah, let's say. And they hear all these wonderful stories about how she's A, how she's B, how she's D. They're like, oh, can I see a picture of her? And then somebody's got to tell her, no, Auntie Savannah don't take pictures because she didn't like the way her thighs look. Oh, Auntie Savannah didn't like, because she didn't like the way her, this high-powered woman you described to me is not in pictures because of her stomach or thigh. So when you frame it that way, people are like, yeah, you are erasing your personal history. They won't go to reunions. They won't go to the weddings. They won't be in the picture because of whatever, thought processes they have about the way they look. We got to interrupt that, goddess. We have to interrupt that. We have to interrupt that. You bring too much to the table to let that be a deterrent. So. Absolutely.

Deneen L. Garrett:

No, and I'm with you on that. And so me with pictures, if I'm taking a group picture, I'm most likely in the center. OK, because you're going to see me. I center myself. As often as I can, I'm going to be front and center. So even when I'm like going to presentations, whatever I'm in a center in the front row. That's mostly where I put myself because yeah, I want to be seen and I should be seen right for the reasons that you just just. put out there, and then not only just for myself, but for others to give them permission, because that's what representation looks like. People need to see you out front and center. They need to see, because a lot of times we are in spaces where we are the minority. So guess what? I'm going to stand out. You gonna see this little brown girl in the front. You gonna see me, so. I'm not going to be in a bag where you know I am in the front and i'm giving others permission to be in the front to be seen to be visible all the things as well.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

And I gotta tell you i'm chuckling it makes me think of a story that that delights me to know and every time I tell it, so you know I always look like this i'm always wearing traditional attire. And I was at a space that I frequent. And I noticed this young girl. She would always look at me. She wouldn't smile or anything. She was a little, you know, a little tough and rough. But she would always look at me, always look at me. And I always greet her with love. Hey, how you doing, sister? Every day, see her, see her. And then one day she went. You make that look good. She said, I don't know how you do it, but you make that look good. I said, what? You rock that and you make it look good. And I fell out because the whole time I see her eyeing me, again, no smile on her face. And she's processing. right and it's a disconnect like wait one you're not supposed to be dressed like that two why do i think it looks cute three i gotta study this because i'm having cognitive dissonance so much so that she had to blurt out Make that look good! And I tell you, it delighted me to no end. Why? Because somewhere in my mind, I'm like, there may be a day where that little young sister will be reaching for a African caftan or reaching for a dashiki or wearing a gele. At least now it's an option for her. It is not off the table. And that, that brings me joy. That brings me joy.

Deneen L. Garrett:

And it goes back to what I said as far as representation, because people are always looking. So she also wanted to see how consistent you were with that. She wanted to see were you authentic with it. And so at that point, yes, yes, yes to the things that she was waiting to see and giving her permission. And that's what we're talking about. We're talking about reclaiming space. in your body, in joy, in your power. That's what the Get Your Goddess is about. So Audrey, you've said movement, music, and self-reflection are how you help women become empowered goddesses. Why does a body have to be part of this work? Why can't it just be a mindset? because sometimes you can't think your way out of a stuck place.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Sometimes, you know, what they say, sometimes your best thinking has gotten you where you are, and sometimes you need a little intervention. And for me, when you move your body, Along with some other inputs, but moving your body changes your energy. It changes your energy, particularly contractions, undulations. There's a reason why every traditional dance form, particularly that people of color do, oh, there is an undulation. There is something about that movement that kind of reconfigures, refires. That, along with, again, some new inputs, some new thought processes. The movement piece is critical. The movement piece is critical. Just to shake it off. Because it's like, you know, if you're depressed, you'll probably have a certain body position, closed off. You might stomp in a chair. You might be down, as opposed to this. Your body positions, they, you know, they'll give different energy, different feelings. They do different things to your body, literally. So that movement piece is paramount and center. And then you couple it with the music, the live drum. There's a reason why they wanted to band the drum, the communication, the vibrancy, the DNA memory that is in us. The minute we hear the drum, people get to tapping and shoulders get to moving automatically because it's in us. It's in us and it's healing and it's healing. Yeah, that's the trifecta right there. The movement, the music, and the mantras, right? I mean, you got his mantras. I'm a masterpiece. I'm a masterpiece. From every angle, I'm a masterpiece. Masterpiece. Masterpiece. From every angle, I'm a masterpiece. Masterpiece. Masterpiece. From every angle, I'm a masterpiece. Yeah.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Yay.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

That's that body stuff. Because you know, sometimes when people get in the picture, they're like, only take this side. Only take this side. No, I can only. Yeah, yeah, yeah. From every angle, I'm a masterpiece. You catch the back and you catch my big booty, hey, masterpiece. You catch the left, masterpiece. You catch the right, masterpiece. Whatever. You have to redefine the whole situation. Because as good and grown goddesses, or I'm a good and grown goddess, things have switched up over the years. Things changed. But you know what? It's all good.

Deneen L. Garrett:

name listen right here i'm so glad you did that because i'm a fool I feel it in the shoulders, because I am you know a little stiff but i'm like okay. And that was goes to show what the movement does do you know what i'm saying again y'all y'all getting this lab y'all getting a real. You know this is real life happening right now, and so I feel better when i'm moving right so. Yes, that's what movement does. Love it, love it. Now, so you've had the program for like 11 years, but you mentioned the heartbreak and when you were first introduced. How long ago was that?

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

The heartbreak was in the summer of 98. That was my intro to African dance exclusively. That's when I was like focused in, yeah. But that was years ago, married, a mom, all that good stuff. Married for 17 years, like, I'm good.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Yeah, so it took you a minute before you started the program, Get Your Goddess. So what happened in between from your introduction to getting there? Well, I was studying this ancient art form.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

African dance is a study. I like to tell people there's not one type of African dance. There's warrior dances. There's courtship dances. There's harvest dances. There's welcoming dances. There's initiation dances. So there's an African dance vocabulary that you have to study. You could literally spend your whole lifetime studying African dance. My specialty is in West African dance, Guinea dance, to be more specific. But what about North Africa, South Africa, East Africa? They all have their particular ways of doing traditional African dance. So you could study your whole life. And when you're studying African dance, which is what I love, It's a holistic study. You have to study the music, the drums behind me, right? You have to know what the drums are. You have to know the rhythms. The communication is through the drum. The drummer's not going to announce, hey, we're going to do dumba. Hey, we're going to do lamba. They're going to play the rhythm, and your ears have to be trained to know the appropriate steps that go with that rhythm. So there's musicianship that is part of that African dance education. adornment. There's certain dances where there's certain colors that are worn. You'll notice that African dancers and drummers may have cowrie shells are very prominent, right? For back in the day, fun fact, cowrie shells used to be used as a means of exchange for money, right? So prosperity will wear that now and you'll see that, you know, cowrie shells on people will put it on their costumes, wear it as jewelry, wear it as earrings on their hands. on their drums, all like that. So learning that, again, the protocol when you're interacting with the drummer, the protocol with your dance sisters. So there's so much to learn. So all of that to say, that's what I've been studying. So now, you know, when I come to my students, I come with a whole wealth of knowledge, a whole wealth of experiences, and I'm still learning. I'm still studying. I'm still taking classes.

Deneen L. Garrett:

OK. And so what that lets us know is, you know, you weren't playing.

None:

Oh.

Deneen L. Garrett:

OK.

Deneen L. Garrett:

No, I'm about this life.

Deneen L. Garrett:

You were about your business. Right. You were about this life. OK. We were talking about being about that life earlier. So yes, you were about this life. And it's OK. So for those women who are like, OK, I'm studying. I'm doing this. It's fine to go ahead and put in the work to get to what it is that you want to do. And it's OK that it may take a while. Don't get caught up in, you know, thinking that, oh, It only takes a minute, you know, because it doesn't and some stuff you can just go ahead and do it like me. The podcast for me has been about building a plane as you fly. And there are some things that you can build as you fly versus other things that know you want to go ahead and take the time and study and learn because you want to master it. if you will. So it's fine. There is no right way. It's the right way for you. And you just have to determine what that right way is. So earlier, and for those who are familiar with the podcast, we're about empowering women. And so what we've been talking about, moving our bodies, recognizing that we're goddesses, whether we're junior goddesses, we're good and grown goddesses, wherever we are on the spectrum of our goddessness, That's what we're doing. We're empowering one another. We're letting each other know that these are some things that we can do to empower ourselves, embrace ourselves, all our different sides regardless. Don't be out the frame, be in the frame, like I say, front and center. So I want to do these last few minutes, I want to really tap into empowering specifically. So you didn't wait for someone to tell you it was okay to combine African dance and personal development into a business. You built the table yourself. So for those who've been watching or listening later, who've been told to shrink their joy, their body, or their fullness, what is one thing she needs to do today to reclaim it? Decide.

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

Decide. Being a goddess, you don't have to take a vote. You don't have to ask anyone's opinion. You just have to decide. I'm living as a goddess. You have to decide. You know what? I'm combining these two loves, African dance and personal development. You don't need permission. And ladies, our training, our upbringing might be like, you know, you want to keep everything nice. You want to be a people pleaser. You don't want to do anything that may be considered ooh, uh, uh. You got to let that go. You have lived your life. You may be good and grown. You may be starting out on your journey, but here's the real message. It's your life, and only you can live it. So craft it in a way that brings you joy. Craft it in a way where you feel like you're living your purpose. Craft it in a way that will make you smile, that at the end of your days, and we hope that's far, far away, but at the end of your days, you can look back and be like, I did that. That's dope. That's the goal. Love it.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Love it. Love it. And I love that you said decide because that's actually one of my three plus D's to live in your dream life. So the first one is the dream. Then it's decide, design, and then it's the drive towards making it happen. So you are not too much. Your joy is not indulgent. Your body is not something to apologize for. Reclaiming your power starts with taking up the space you were always meant to hold. That's the dream lifestyle standard. Before we wrap, Audrey, what would you like to leave those watching or listening with?

Audrey Davis-Dunning:

This is how I end my class all the time. Until I see you again, remember to always walk like, talk like, and act like the goddess that you are.

Deneen L. Garrett:

Love it. So Audrey Davis Dunning, thank you for opening the Reclamation series with your energy, your joy, and your goddess wisdom. This is exactly what the series is about. Enormous thank you to the Leon Thomas group, and again, specifically to Orrin Stewart Sr. for holding it down behind the scenes. Every single Thursday that we're here, the show runs because of you. And those, again, who are watching, listening, share this with a woman who's been told to make herself smaller. This conversation is for her. We will be back next week with Suprat Gupta continuing the Reclamation series. See you then.