Forward.

Wellness, for us.

Don’t worry. The memes aren’t going anywhere.

When I determined that I was well enough to write again after, begrudgingly, upping the dosage of my anti-depressants, I was stuck on how to announce that I once again wanted to shift the purview of my newsletter. Mostly, it was perfectionism-fueled fear. I’ve pivoted this newsletter so many times that I have lost count, and I worried that maybe you hadn’t. Perhaps you were keeping the score and thought me incapable of seeing anything through. Truthfully, that was me talking to me. That’s all part of my health and well-being journey, though, one I’ve taken privately as I’ve dipped in and out of the spotlight of being “a well-known writer.”

It wasn’t just my mental health that sidelined me, though. My divergent interests did, too. I felt incapable of squaring my deep love of and reverence for history, health, wellness, culture, science, and technology with my core belief that lessons learned from our past can propel us toward a brighter future, a better world even, should we learn the right ones.

It’s easy enough to do that in the prose. Figuring out what to call this new endeavor is another barrier. I spent months pouring through articles, books, and academic journals and bothering several group chats with all of my ramblings. I was desperate to articulate the route I wanted to take. On an icy day in late November, I finally landed on a title and elevator pitch that made sense: Healthy Futures, a newsletter that discusses health, wellness, health equity, health histories, and the role the internet and technology play within it all.

Healthy Futures is a figment of my imagination made real on the page. I’ve dreamt of a voicey health and wellness space rooted in care for Black folks and scientific, ancestral, and historical knowledge. This space also had to tackle health misinformation—which has the potential to affect everyone—with love and understanding. The majority of our health landscape exists online now. It’s where most people get most of their health information. It’s also a bastion of misinformation. As a writer dedicated to improving the health of communities, especially Black ones, it is pertinent to take on that work and help people live healthier lives using accurate information explained plainly.

Healthy Futures aims to be that space. It will contend that past innovations—alongside ancestral practices—in health and well-being can and will continue to inform the present and the future. It will be forward-thinking. It will address health habits, trends, advice, data, initiatives, practices, etc., that can push us forward into a world where people can better care for themselves, their families, and their communities. And my goal remains the same as it has always been: to leverage my skills in storytelling and media to promote healthier, more equitable communities.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a few changes to the substack—new logos, a new color scheme, and a new domain name: healthyfutures.blog.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re creating an inclusive, informative, and transformative space. I’m so excited to share this undertaking with you. The first post will be published on January 14.

Onward into the future where wellness is tailored to us and for us.

xoxo Juju