Dr. Venus Opal Reese

{Hot Mess Millionaire} Kobe Bryant–A Father’s Love

Me and God are about to have words…

Kobe is gone. An icon who loved his daughter. He was an imperfect man who repped a good father. He was willing to be responsible. He was father–a model who showed us how to stay the course until it turned. There are a lot of things I could say, but I’m in my feelings right now—especially about how he loved and empowered his daughter. I never had a father. So, the way he loved Gigi, is how I imagined it would have been like to have a father who loved me enough to stay the course, even after he was untrue. He didn’t use his failings as a reason to bailout. He dealt with the impact on those he loved and restored trust. I wonder if my father knew how much of a missing he has been in my life, would he have been willing to look his failings in the eye and grown instead of retreat? 

Please view this 20 minute video to honor and bear witness to an icon. A husband. A father. A Black Man who didn’t leave. Who understood his presence was enough for his baby girls…

Hot Mess Millionaire: Kobe Bryant–A Father's Love

Me and God are about to have words…Kobe is gone. An icon who loved his daughter. He was an imperfect man who repped a good father. He was willing to being responsible. He was father–a model who showed us how to stay the course until it turned.

Posted by Dr. Venus Opal Reese on Monday, January 27, 2020

I can feel the sadness like a wave about to dash me into the rocks of loss. Crushing me. Drowning me in a missing that stands in for my daddy. I wonder will this missing, this absence that is so LOUD in my heart space, will it ever be filled?

I don’t know.

I don’t know God…

I. Don’t. Know.

#whydoiwanttocryrightnow

I love you,

Dr. Venus

Dear Black Woman Entrepreneur, I owe you an apology…

The past almost two years and a half knocked me to my knees.

I ended my 10 years of marriage.

I had to have an emergency hysterectomy.

My funnel broke, which essentially tanked my business.

I paid a marketer over $26k in cash and equipment—he refused to return.

My best friend went to jail.

AND—this hurt the most—I realized I wanted to have a baby and because of all the violence that had been acted out on my body, I didn’t try. 

The loss of having life grow inside of me due to the need to have the hysterectomy, sent me into an emotional tailspin where I hated my life.

So, I torched it. 

I threw out the baby and the bathwater.

Now at the beginning of a new era, I realize that in my haste to distance myself from my former life, I distance myself from you. It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t malicious. I just didn’t want that life anymore so I left it. I took my eyes off of you sis. 

For this, I apologize.

At my Raw Truth premiere weekend, when I took my final bow and looked out at the audience, I saw something that filled my heart with hope, with love: the majority of people in the audience (including the Men who love us!) giving me a standing ovation were Black Women Entrepreneurs. Yes, the audience was diverse with men and other races. But the overwhelming majority of people supporting, cheering, and celebrating me braving my past as I bared my soul to the world, were Black Woman. And what’s more: they flew in! New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Virginia, BALTIMORE, Oakland, etc.

Their collective presence screamed to my soul: your truth is valid Dr. Venus Opal Reese. We see you. We hear you. We love you. And we got you. No matter what.

So, I thank you for praying for me, and for holding space for me for two years. 

I thank you for your loyalty through all of the hurt and heartache that has refined me.

I thank you for letting me evolve and not penalizing me for exploring and expanding.

But this is what I realized as I shared my soul on stage: it’s time to come home. 

It’s time to get back to business with the community who made me and saved me each time I would fall: Black Women Entrepreneurs. I don’t know what this homecoming is going to look like but I do know this: I choose you. 

I thank you.

I love you.

Dr. Venus

Ps: I will be starting a podcast soon, Hot Mess Millionaire™ (#dopeasf) In the meantime, be sure to join me at 5pmPST on Monday’s Facebook Live. 

PPs: And if you haven’t subscribed to my Truth Tribe and claimed your free gift, go here to do so: www.venusopal.com/gift