Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog

“You have to know yourself, well enough to trust yourself, well enough to be yourself and know that that’s enough.” — Onami



When someone asks, Do you know yourself? what do you say?I’ve noticed that many of us respond with what we are not.“I’m not a morning person.”“I’m not into cars.”“I’m not a people person.”Or we reach for roles: “I’m a mother,” “I’m an accountant,” “I’m a wife.”Sometimes we name our struggles: “I’m anxious,” “I have anxiety,” “I’m messy.”But rarely do we answer from the inside out.
Rarely do we say: I am curious. I am tender. I am resilient. I am joy.Why is that?
The External MirrorIt’s easy to define ourselves by what we do, who we’re with, or what we’ve survived. Careers, relationships, identities—they offer structure. They give us language. But they’re also temporary. If I am only “a wife,” what happens when the marriage ends? If I am “an entrepreneur,” who am when the business folds?I’ve learned that when I tie my sense of Self to something external, I risk losing myself when that thing shifts. And everything external can shift. That’s the nature of life.
The StrippingIn my own journey, especially in intimate relationships, I struggled with worth. I felt more “myself” when I was with someone I admired—smart, funny, charming. Their presence validated mine. But when the relationship ended, I felt less than. I questioned my value. I thought: If I couldn’t keep this, maybe I’m not enough.It took being stripped of the externals to see me.Not the partner. Not the title. Not the performance.Just me.And in that quiet, I found something unexpected: Self Trust.

The KnowingTo know yourself is not to list your achievements or your affiliations. It’s to sit with your own rhythm. To name your values. To feel your essence. It’s to say, I am here. I am whole. I am enough. Even when the roles fall away. Even when the relationship ends. Even when the job title changes.That kind of knowing builds trust.And trust builds freedom.
The InvitationSo I ask again: Do you know who you are?Can you answer without the “nots”?Without the roles?Without the relationships?Can you name your Self in a way that remains true, even when everything else changes?If not yet, that’s okay. The journey is the knowing.And every time you choose to sit with your Self, you choose wholeness.
Peace and Blessings

 

Affirmation:   Even in uncertainty, I am rooted in grace.

This month, I do not arrive with a plan.
I arrive with presence.
I do not demand certainty.
I offer surrender.
The grants have faded. The contracts dissolved.
But I remain.
Not as a fixed point, but as a living question.
What does it mean to serve when the structure shifts?
What does it mean to lead when the map disappears?
October is not asking me to hustle.It is asking me to listen.To show up without armor.To feel without flinching.To trust that the ground beneath me, though unfamiliar, is still holy.I am not lost.I am being rerouted.I am not broken.I am being reformed.This month, I will not chase clarity.I will cultivate courage.I will not grasp for control.I will practice trust.I will show up.I will feel.I will be.
Peace and Blessings
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Rooted in Obedience: A Companion Reflection Module: Courage & BelongingSometimes courage looks like a phone call.Sometimes belonging begins with a whisper on a beach walk.Sometimes joy arrives in the form of a transformed venue, a panel of truth-telling women, and a room full of resonance.

Rooted The Series - Begins on October 5th

This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  

Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:

- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  

- Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  

- Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  

- Week 4: Rooted in Belonging

Save Your Spot

Affirmation: Today, I choose presence over performance, trust over control, love over fear. I am rooted in awareness, and I return to myself with grace.

 This week, I’ve been sitting with the ego. Not the kind that struts and boasts, but the quieter one—the negative ego. The one that whispers stories when I’m not paying attention. The one that pulls me out of presence and into performance.

I’ve noticed how it shows up:

In the need to know everything—before, during, and after.

In the distraction that feels like urgency.

In the craving for external validation, applause, approval.

In the stories I make up to feel safe, seen, superior.

When I listen to the negative ego, I act from fear.

I compare.

I control.

I conquer.

I want to win—at all costs.

And the cost is high.

Peace becomes scarce.

Confusion becomes familiar.

Connection becomes conditional.

This week, my practice has been self-awareness.

Noticing when I slip into fear.

Noticing when I speak out of turn.

Noticing when I judge, when I people please, when I perform instead of presence.

It’s been shocking, honestly.

To see how often I live from that place.

To see how much energy it takes to maintain the illusion of control.

But here’s what I’m learning:

Surrender takes courage.

Trust takes intention.

Love takes practice.

So I pause.

I breathe.

I set the intention—daily—to be rooted in love.

To choose collaboration over conquest.To choose presence over performance.To choose trust over fear.It’s not automatic.It’s a choice.A moment-by-moment remembering.And when I forget, I begin again.With grace.With gentleness.With the quiet power of self-awareness.Peace and Blessings
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Rooted in Obedience: A Companion Reflection Module: Courage & BelongingSometimes courage looks like a phone call.Sometimes belonging begins with a whisper on a beach walk.Sometimes joy arrives in the form of a transformed venue, a panel of truth-telling women, and a room full of resonance.

Rooted The Series - Begins on October 5th

This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  

Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:

- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  

- Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  

- Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  

- Week 4: Rooted in Belonging

Save your Spot

 Reflections on the Nina Documentary Launch – Sunday 21st September 2025

Affirmation:  Obedience births alignment. Trust the nudge.

There was no budget. Let me start there.

No grand sponsor, no overflowing account. Just a deep knowing: this must happen.

The launch of the Architects of Change documentary was more than an event—it was a calling. A whisper from the Most High that said, share these stories. And so, I listened.
I wrote to a few corporate companies. Some responded, some didn’t. I wasn’t discouraged. I was determined. And then, on a quiet Saturday morning walk along the beach—my usual rhythm—her name came to me: Tisha Jack, founder of TCJ Events.Now, I hadn’t spoken to Tisha in years. A brief hello two years ago, nothing more. But the nudge was clear: Call her.So I did.She gave me a quote—beautiful, but beyond what we could pull together. I was honest. She was gracious.
Her words: “Have no fear. We will make it happen.”And happen it did.The venue was transformed.The ambience—warm, intentional, sacred.Everything clicked.The panel discussion with the  young women of the NiNa program featured in the documentary was raw and real. Emma, in particular, brought the room to life—articulate, funny, deeply human. There was laughter, tears, nods of recognition.I stood in the back for a moment, just watching.Grateful.Proud.Relieved.We did it.We shared these stories with the world.We honored the  young women who are building, shifting, and reshaping our their lives despite the challenges.And the biggest lesson of the evening?Obedience.To the call.To the nudge.To the whisper that says, trust.Sometimes, we just have to surrender.To the Most High.To the process.To the support we didn’t know we needed.This wasn’t just a launch.It was a reminder:When we move with intention, when we ask for help, when we stay rooted in purpose—miracles unfold.Peace and Blessings
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Rooted in Obedience: A Companion Reflection Module: Courage & BelongingSometimes courage looks like a phone call.Sometimes belonging begins with a whisper on a beach walk.Sometimes joy arrives in the form of a transformed venue, a panel of truth-telling women, and a room full of resonance.

Rooted The Series - Begins on October 5th

This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  

Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:

- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  

- Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  

- Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  

- Week 4: Rooted in Belonging

Save Your Spot

Affirmation: I show up with intention. I stand on my values. I honor myself and others in every exchange.

 Lately I have been practicing to  ask myself: What is my intention? Not just in the big, sweeping gestures—but in the quiet moments, the conversations, the choices made when no one is watching.

To me, intention is not a vague hope or a distant goal. It’s a living compass.

It asks:

• What am I hoping to achieve?

• What am I hoping to share with those around me?

When I move with intention, I move with clarity. I am less likely to be swayed by the need to please or perform. I am more likely to stand rooted in truth.

Living My Values

My values are what I stand on.

They are the quiet truths I carry whether the world is watching or not.

• I value kindness—not as niceness, but as a radical act of care.

• I value mutual respect—where dignity is not earned, but honored.

• I value authenticity—even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it’s not liked.

These values are not just ideals. They are practices. They are the way I  want to show up, the way I  want to  speak, the way I  want to listen.

When I fuse my intention with my values, I feel at ease—even in difficulty.

I show up to make people feel seen.

I do it with honor.

And when I forget—when I slip into people-pleasing or the hunger to be liked—I lose myself.

But today, I return.

I remind myself:

Let your intention and values be present in every conversation.

Let them guide your tone, your choices, your presence.

Let them be your quiet power.

Peace and Blessings

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There’s a quiet revolution unfolding—and it begins with you.

I created Rooted for the woman who’s ready to stop shrinking.  

For the one who’s tired of betraying herself to belong. 

For the one who knows that joy is not frivolous—it’s revolutionary.

This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  

Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:

- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  

- Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  

- Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  

- Week 4: Rooted in Belonging

Save Your Spot

Affirmation : I honor the process 

When we’re called to do something new—whether through prayer, intention, or a quiet whisper from within—what’s the first thing we focus on?

For many of us, it’s what we don’t have.What we can’t do.What must be perfect before we begin.We start scanning for certainty, for guarantees, for ease. We want the path to unfold exactly how we imagined it—smooth, predictable, affirming. And when it doesn’t, fear creeps in. Doubt takes the mic. We start rehearsing reasons to delay, to shrink, to wait for “the right time.”
But here’s what I’ve learned:Anything new comes with a process.And that process will ask something of you.
It might ask for discomfort.It will definitely ask for discipline.It may ask you to stretch, to stumble, to start again.There is no shortcut to transformation. If I want to get healthy, I have to move my body. If I want to learn Spanish, I have to practice. If I want to grow—spiritually, professionally, personally—I have to show up for the work.And yes, sometimes that work is messy.Sometimes it’s not how I pictured it.Sometimes it feels like I’m walking uphill with no map.
But once I accepted that the process is part of the gift, my eyes opened. The dream doesn’t come fully formed. The talent doesn’t unfold without tending. The spark needs fuel. And that fuel is your effort, your belief, your willingness to keep going—one step at a time.
So if you’ve been given the vision, the calling, the nudge—trust it.Even if it’s hard.Even if it’s new.Even if it doesn’t come wrapped in ease.You got this.Start where you are.Let the process shape you.And remember: the work is not punishment. It’s preparation.
Peace and Blessings
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There’s a quiet revolution unfolding—and it begins with you.I created Rooted for the woman who’s ready to stop shrinking.  For the one who’s tired of betraying herself to belong. For the one who knows that joy is not frivolous—it’s revolutionary.
This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  - Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  - Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  - Week 4: Rooted in Belonging
SAVE YOUR SPOT

Affirmation -  Presence is my power source

Lately, I’ve been asking myself—what’s taking up bandwidth? Not just time or attention, but the deeper current of energy that fuels how I show up in the world.

Is it overthinking?

Future thinking?

Emotional labour?

Energetic dependence?

It’s astonishing how easily the mind slips—into the future, into the past, into loops of what-ifs and should-haves. We rehearse conversations that haven’t happened, replay ones that already did. We try to solve what isn’t ours to hold. And in doing so, we abandon the only place where life is actually happening: here.

Now.

Presence isn’t passive. It’s a practice. A training. A remembering. I have to remind myself—daily, hourly sometimes—to return. To breathe. To feel my feet on the ground. To notice what’s in front of me, not what’s behind or ahead.

Because the energy of presence is powerful. It’s what allows us to make decisions that are rooted—not reactive. It’s what helps us choose from clarity, not fear. And in a world that often rewards speed and certainty, choosing from the now is a radical act of trust.

So I ask again:

What’s taking up bandwidth?

And what might shift if I reclaimed it—not by doing more, but by being here?

Peace and Blessings

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There’s a quiet revolution unfolding—and it begins with you.I created Rooted for the woman who’s ready to stop shrinking.  For the one who’s tired of betraying herself to belong. For the one who knows that joy is not frivolous—it’s revolutionary.
This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  - Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  - Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  - Week 4: Rooted in Belonging
Save Your Spot

There’s a quiet revolution unfolding—and it begins with you.I created Rooted for the woman who’s ready to stop shrinking.  For the one who’s tired of betraying herself to belong. For the one who knows that joy is not frivolous—it’s revolutionary.
This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.  Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to your center:- Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness  - Week 2: Rooted in Courage & Joy  - Week 3: Rooted in Boundaries  - Week 4: Rooted in Belonging
You’ll receive guided reflections, affirmation cards, journaling spreads, and live sessions designed to help you reclaim your voice, your rhythm, and your sacred no.We begin October 5.  Registration is now open.If you’ve been waiting for a sign—this is it.  Your yes is sacred. Your truth is welcome here.
Peace and BlessingsSave Your Spot

 I am safe. I choose discernment over fear. I trust myself to stay.

What Does “Uncommitted” Mean to Me?

I’ve been sitting with this word lately—uncommitted. Not in the dictionary sense, but in the way it lands in my body. To me, it means someone who jumps ship when something shinier comes along. Someone who abandons the cause, the conversation, the community—without warning, without weight.It’s not about them, really. It’s about how I feel when it happens. I’ve noticed that when people around me act uncommitted, I react. I cut them off. I move on. I tell myself I’m protecting my peace, but underneath that is a deeper truth: I want to feel safe. And when someone leaves, I feel abandoned.
I’ve been learning not to take things personally. I’ve been practicing self-awareness—not to judge myself because when I don't judge myself I don't judge others, but to understand the why behind my reactions.So now, when I feel that sting of someone pulling away, I ask:• Are you safe?• Is this about now, or are you being triggered?• Are you being judgmental, or are you discerning?These questions don’t always give me answers, but they give me space. And in that space, I find my breath again.
The Root of It All: Safety What I’ve deduced in my quiet deliberations is this: I crave safety. Not just physical safety, but emotional safety. Relational safety. The kind of safety that says, I see you, I choose you, I stay.And when someone doesn’t stay, I feel exposed. I feel like I wasn’t worth the commitment. But here’s the truth I’m learning to hold:
My worth isn’t measured by who stays. My safety begins with me.

 I used to think my reaction was strength. That cutting people off was clarity. But now I ask—am I walking away from them, or toward myself?There’s a difference between judgment and discernment. Between fear and intuition. Between abandonment and alignment.So I’m choosing to center myself. To root myself in self-trust. To ask, What do I need to feel safe? and Can I give that to myself first?
 Moving Forward with Grace When I find myself in a space where others feel uncommitted, I pause. I breathe. I remember:• I am safe.• I am consistent.• I am rooted.And if someone leaves, I let them. Not because I don’t care, but because I do. I care enough to stay with myself.
Peace and Blessings

Rooted - The Series  I created Rooted for the woman who’s tired of shrinking.For the one who’s ready to reclaim her joy, her boundaries, her truth.This is not just a course—it’s a homecoming.Begins October 5.#RootedSeries #AkosuaDardaine #ReturnToYourself
Save Your Spot

 

Rooted Series | A 4-week online immersion begins October 5
There’s a quiet revolution unfolding—and it begins with you.
I created Rooted for the woman who’s ready to stop shrinking.
For the one who’s tired of betraying herself to belong.
For the one who knows that joy is not frivolous—it’s revolutionary.
This 4-week online immersion is a homecoming to your truth, your boundaries, your joy.
Each week, we’ll explore a theme that invites you to return to yourself with grace and clarity: Week 1: Rooted in Self-Awareness Week 2: Rooted in Courage & JoyWeek 3: Rooted in Boundaries Week 4: Rooted in Belonging  We begin October 5.
Registration opens soon.
For now, save the date—and begin listening for the yes inside you.
Peace and Blessings
Akosua Dardaine
Save Your Spot