December 2025

I took the picture above in November from a plane window in leaving Ga

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Hey Hey

Hope you are well and taking good care.

     I got to spend a couple weeks traveling around Ghana with my grandparents and a group of now friends. The whole experience was incredible. Doing it with my grandparents + sister in law and meeting new friends truly made it a trip of a lifetime.

Honestly all of my systems felt more nourished and supported while in Africa.

More on the trip another time 🙂.

I am officially settled at home. Back at the table and in the lab.

     If you pre-ordered body butter, lips scrubs or other goodies from me they’ll be ready this week! Speaking of that whipped body butter - it has been a staple in my winter routine for years. This year it has been extra supportive literally from head to toe.

Between re-adjusting to a winter climate here in Georgia (It was about 94 degrees F the entire time I was in Ghana and it was 45 degrees F when I landed home in Atlanta.), running the heat, and enjoying long hours in front of a lit fireplace or space heater, my skin has been so THIRSTY. I’ve been using body butter on my scalp sometimes in addition to a black castor oil mix. On my face as a double layer of moisture after a light weight oil. And of course, my hands, feet and body. It makes an incredible moisture barrier. I just made one last small batch for the year. If you weren’t able to grab any on the previous preorder, be looking out for a small drop in the next few days. They go fast and make great gifts!

     Something else I’ve been doing is increasing my hydration intake. I know it’s easier for me to get additional hydration during summer months when fresh juicy in season fruits and melons are in abundance and I grab a piece or bowl of fresh fruit basically every time I walk through the kitchen. With that in mind, knowing this is not the case during the cold season, I try to intentionally eat more hydrating foods and drink more water, even warm or hot, in addition to several cups of tea, of course.

     Another well sung hero in my regular care and support during a season change is Self MLD- manual lymphatic drainage. Most recently I’ve been using it to help clear congestion and support immunity . I can actually feel my sinuses clearing when I do it. It also reminds me to slow down and breathe a little deeper.

     I try to momentarily turn inward with each of these practices. Not always but sometimes I’ll remember to slow down. To really notice the temperature of a warm beverage flowing from my lips into my mouth, over my tongue, down my esophagus, around the inside lining of my belly. The parts of me that feel softer or squishier than they used to when I apply moisturizer to my body. The contrast of short coils + smooth skin of my bald fade when I moisturize my scalp. The stretch in the skin of my neck and the opening I feel in my ear canals as I perform MLD on myself.

This is a good time of year to incorporate Lymphatic Drainage. Ask me about it at your next session, I’ll show you some techniques you can do yourself at home.

Slide into the new year with care plans in mind. Some intentional TLC can help support all things new as well as the things that are not not changing. My books just opened for the new year. To schedule your time on my table book here or reach out if you have my contact info.

There are now packages available for bodywork and sound therapy.

Think of it as a care package. This is a great option to encourage consistent self-care. If you’re seeking bodywork for relief of a specific condition or ailment (physical and otherwise), consistent regular care could be best to see effective change. A package or gift card for care is another great gift idea for yourself and a loved one.

*If you are in need of bodywork or energy work and my listed prices are out of reach please contact me. Services may be offered at a sliding scale in certain cases.

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Entertainment I’ve been enjoying in November & December

The long travel days were great for whole albums and finishing audio books.

Please feel free to share what you’ve been entertained by lately, I’d love to hear about it!

Podcasts

• Telepathy Tapes season 2

• The Nature Of - Willow Defebaugh

Documentaries

• Love + War - Lynsey Addario

• Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix doc by 50 cent)

Books

• The Book Of Juju: Africana Spirituality for Healing, Liberation, and Self-Discovery - Juju Bae

• Between Heaven and Earth - a guide to Chinese medicine (on going read)

• Every Shut Eye Ain’t Asleep: An Anthology of Poetry by African Americans Since 1945 (on going read)

• Audio book - Of Water and the Spirit-by Malidoma Patrice Somé

• Audio book - Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices

Music

• Wale - everything is a lot.

See below for photo evidence of me practically kissing the equator and thriving in Ghana. And me also thriving in north Georgia in a full winter coat right after. Love.

Check out my Instagram if you're interested in more pics from life + travel.

With Love,

Porter