I spent 30 years in Corporate America as a forensic investigator, navigating high-stakes underwriting and anti-money laundering cases. I was  “That  Woman” everyone leaned on. I wore the suits, I carried the titles, and I kept myself “busy” while my mother, the real explorer of our family, showed me what living actually looked like.

My mom was a force. She never had a driver’s license, but that never stopped her. She went anywhere she wanted, solo and unafraid, while I was tied to a desk and a “Professional” mask.

In 2017, everything shifted. I was sitting by her bed in hospice. Cancer and diabetes had taken her strength, but they hadn’t touched her spirit.  In what turned out to be one of our last conversations, she looked at me and asked what I’d been doing with myself lately. I gave her the answer we all give: “I’ve been busy with work, Mom.” She didn’t buy it. She told me she remembered the young girl I used to be—the “hard-headed” one who got on her nerves because I was never afraid to try something new, the one who got into everything just to see how it worked. She looked at me from that bed and told me: “Time doesn’t wait for no one. When are you going to start living your life?”

I founded Y.O.G.O.L. (You Only Get One Life) because I realized I had spent decades being an anchor for everyone else while I forgot how to drift.

I didn’t just build this company for travel; I built it as a sanctuary. On this trip, I am your shield. My job is to protect your peace so you can finally remember that “hard-headed” girl you used to be before the world told you to be “serious.” No code-switching, no corporate fluff, no “Strong Black Woman” cape—just us, some 5-star luxury, and the permission to start living.

I’ve got the table ready, Sis. Are you coming?