Wednesday Waffle Formal
- Bernadette Henry
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
š WEEKLY RECAP (October 28, 2025)
The Vibe
This week reminded me that life doesn't stop throwing challenges my wayābut it also doesn't stop giving me reasons to smile. I've been navigating family stress, health concerns, school, internship, work, and the emotional weight of simply being the person everyone depends on. Yet in the middle of all of that, I intentionally made room for joy. This wasn't a perfect week, but it was a meaningful one.
The biggest lesson? Healing isn't about waiting until life gets easier. It's about learning to experience joy while life is still messy.
Top Wins
I made the decision to return to therapy because I recognized I needed a consistent space to process everything happening in my life. That wasn't weaknessāthat was wisdom.
I completed my shoulder MRI and started mentally preparing for surgery instead of continuing to ignore the problem.
I was accepted into the I HELP Fellowship, which affirms that I'm continuing to grow as a future mental health counselor while also providing financial support.
I intentionally chose joy by attending the Harlem double dutch meetup, reconnecting with the jump rope community, creating content, and meeting people who have been following my journey.
I embraced the reality of my hair loss and finally made the decision to stop fighting it and move toward a hairstyle that works for where I am today instead of holding onto what used to be.
My internship continues to challenge me, but I can feel my counseling skills becoming more natural with every client session.
I completed another major practice assessment for the NCMHCE, even though it stretched my patience and concentration.
I kept showing upāeven when life felt like it was asking everything of me.
Growth Edge
Choosing myself before crisis forces me to.
One thing I noticed this week is that I often wait until everything feels overwhelming before investing in myself.
Returning to therapy reminded me that maintenance is healthier than emergency repair.
I don't have to earn rest.
I don't have to earn support.
I don't have to wait until I'm drowning to ask for help.
Letting go is also growth.
Whether it's unhealthy hair, old expectations, or the version of myself that believed I had to do everything perfectly, this week reminded me that letting go isn't failure.
Sometimes release is exactly what makes room for what's next.
Joy deserves to be scheduled.
Some of my happiest moments this week happened because I intentionally said yes.
I drove to Harlem.
I met new people.
I laughed.
I jumped rope.
I ate good food.
Joy didn't accidentally happen.
I created space for it.
Areas I May Be Missing About Myself
I'm becoming someone who asks for support.
That's new.
Between therapy, pursuing additional healthcare, accepting mentorship, and continuing to develop professionally, I'm no longer trying to carry every burden alone.
That's growth.
My community is bigger than I realize.
Every time I attend a jump rope event, someone recognizes me.
People have quietly been following my journey for years.
Sometimes I forget that the seeds I've planted are already growing.
I keep choosing purpose, even when life is inconvenient.
Family challenges.
Health concerns.
Graduate school.
Internship.
Counseling clients.
Projects.
Leadership opportunities.
Yet I continue saying yes to becoming the woman I know I'm capable of becoming.
That isn't luck.
That's commitment.
Quote to Remember
"Joy doesn't have to wait until life settles down. Sometimes joy is what carries me through the storm."
Content Sparks
Why Going Back to Therapy Was One of My Strongest Decisions
Finding Joy in the Middle of Chaos
Hair Loss, Identity, and Learning to Let Go
What the I HELP Fellowship Means for My Counseling Journey
Double Dutch, Community, and Why Adults Still Need Play
Why Midlife Reinvention Requires Both Healing and Action
What Internship Is Really Teaching Me About Becoming a Therapist
Choosing Progress Over Perfection in Graduate School
How to Create Joy When Life Feels Heavy
Suggestions for Improvement
Protect your focus.
You mentioned feeling scattered and behind at times. Instead of trying to do everything every day, identify the one or two priorities that truly move the needle.
Celebrate milestones before chasing the next one.
You were accepted into the I HELP Fellowshipāpause and celebrate it.
You returned to therapyācelebrate it.
You continue showing up for internshipācelebrate it.
You're often onto the next challenge before acknowledging how far you've already come.
Continue making joy a priority.
This week proved something important:
You don't recharge by doing less.
You recharge by doing things that make you feel alive.
Jump rope.
Community.
Movement.
Good food.
Meaningful conversations.
Those aren't distractions.
They're fuel.
Mantra for Next Week
"I don't have to wait for life to calm down before I choose joy, healing, and growth."
š¤ J.U.M.P. Mic Drop
This week reminded me that progress isn't measured by how easy life becomes.
It's measured by how I continue showing up when life is difficult.
I chose therapy instead of pretending I was okay.
I chose healing instead of hiding.
I chose joy instead of isolation.
I chose growth instead of comfort.
Because that's what reinvention looks like.
Not waiting until everything is perfect.
But becoming the woman I'm called to be while life is still unfolding.
J.U.M.P. isn't about having a perfect journey. It's about becoming stronger, wiser, and more authentic with every step forward.
J.U.M.P. ā Journey of the Underdog Making Progress.Ā š
Happy Wednesday Waffle recap, y'all. Here's the week played back to me, from me:
The Vibe
Chaotic but glowing. This was a "life is lifing" week ā the home situation with my child, the shoulder, school, internship, the hair, all of it stacked up ā and yet I kept finding these little sparks of joy that reminded me I'm still here and still moving. I even recorded on a Tuesday because it was such an up day. That's the vibe: heavy load, light in the cracks, still showing up.
Top Wins
I got accepted into the I Help fellowship (with a stipend!) after interviewing back in September ā a big yes for my future in mental health counseling. I went back to therapy on purpose, and this time with an LP who's a Black woman I clicked with, choosing support instead of white-knuckling it. I got the MRI done and made peace with a plan for the shoulder: likely surgery, end of year, on my timeline. I said "I ain't leaving until we do something together" and actually met Showda Movement, jumped double dutch, collabed on a video, and connected with Warrior for Goals plus a follower IRL ā pure joy. I kept the internship moving, with sessions flowing, more comfort in my skill set, and my needs assessment interviews underway (5 staff, 5 clients is the goal; I'm partway there). And I ate my grilled fish and jollof at African KinĆ© and gave myself alone time without guilt. That counts.
Growth Edge
The honest one: I'm behind in a few places and I keep having to do extra credit to patch over late assignments. Some of that is supervisor-timing outside my control, but I named that I feel "all over the place," which is why I'm chasing focus support too. My edge isn't working harder ā it's building systems so I'm not finishing needs assessments the night before at 1 a.m. Small, boring structure now protects the May 2026 finish line.
Something I might be glossing over
I keep listing everything I'm doingĀ and moving fast past how I'm actually feelingĀ underneath it ā the home situation, the shoulder, "something going on with Steve." I mention the hair loss as vanity, but I also said I sometimes start plucking the pieces out when I'm frustrated. That's worth bringing to my new therapist ā not as vanity, but as one more thing my body's carrying stress about. I'm allowed to grieve the hair andĀ the harder stuff without calling it shallow.
Quote to Remember
"I just can't let that get me down." ā Said about my hair, but it's the throughline of the whole week.
Content Sparks
The double dutch meetup reel: "I told her I wasn't leaving until we made something together" ā joy, community, Black girl fitness. A raw, gentle hair journey post about the braids reset, why I'm letting go, and reframing it from vanity to self-compassion ā this will resonate hard. "Grad school + therapy at the same time," normalizing being a future counselor who hasĀ a counselor. Behind-the-scenes of the NCMHCE grind (11 cases, 13 questions each, midnight energy) that future NY counselors would eat up. "How I find joy when life is lifing," a mini-series pairing each hard thing with one spark. And a supportive-housing reality check on why "they're not there for therapy" changes everything about the work.
Mantra for Next Week
Finish, finish, finish ā and feel it too.
J.U.M.P. mic dropĀ š¤ā¬ļø Journey of the Underdog Making Progress: I got the acceptance, I got back in therapy, I jumped the ropes, and I recorded on a Tuesday because joy couldn't wait. Behind on paper, ahead in the ways that count. Underdog still up. š„
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