Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea (mo) James
Hi Andrea (Mo), we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I spent the better part of my life tightly wound, anxious, angry, and insecure. Writing has been my outlet since 2018 and my little safe space to express myself in a way that helps me reflect on who I am and the things that are truly important and going right in my life. It has done more for me than even therapy. Because I am a crazy person, I decided to publish my story and started my blog with hopes to evoke conversations about life where others may have felt alone or unsafe to express themselves.
I am Mo— a Black girl in STEM, a writer, a podcaster, and what I like to call a part-time “Acceptance Advocate”. It is a term that I made up for myself for the radical acceptance that it takes to operate in a healthy mindset every day. Acceptance and I have been in a dysfunctional relationship for a few years now, as it can sometimes lose the battle to my intrusive thinking. But we are taking it one day at a time.
In my 37th year, one of the biggest challenges that I face in this season of my life is taking everything as it is and not how I would like to have it, or how I thought it was supposed to look. This applies to self/body image, my career, my relationships, the political/economic climate, and life in general.
I am not a wife to a man, but I am married to the dedication it takes to be 1% better every day.
I am not a mother, but I do have one boy and one girl; two beautiful, elderly parents for whom I advocate for medically. That is the closest I have gotten, and with no prospects at 37, that may be the closest I will get. Radical acceptance.
My lifestyle is not what I saw for myself; I am a caretaker, so 60% of my energy goes to work, 35% to my parents, which leaves about 5% for myself.
And I am not sipping a margarita on the balcony of my Brickell high-rise because I can’t afford to. Acceptance.
I’ve got stretch marks, a tummy, and I get winded walking up 1 flight of stairs. But I take my health seriously and I make sure that I stay active regularly to fight disease.
I accept everything that comes with being this version of myself and I extend grace to the parts of me that struggle with it from time to time. Because nobody gets me like me.
I use my micro-influence to encourage acceptance of the things we can’t control, and to control the things we can. I use it to encourage self-discovery, healing practices, and finding peace within our own life and choices. I use it to promote health and wellness for the whole of us, not just in pieces. I hope to inspire everyone to see their value and to know what they have to offer the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Though my road was a lot smoother than most, I have had several obstacles that helped develop me into the woman I am today.
I grew up a dark chocolate little girl in an all white school for basically the entirety of my grade school career. It birthed a complex in me that took until my 30s to rectify. I also faced colorism from my own community that fed my growing insecurities.
I watched my mother manage the entire house, finances, her children, and her dying mother alone for several years of my childhood until my father found the strength to become sober.
I believe my feelings of intellectual inferiority inspired me to go into STEM to obtain some of the toughest undergraduate degrees I could get (Neuroscience and Biology). My crippling anxiety developed as a result of my pre-med studies. I became a caretaker in the middle of college which made my anxiety worse.
I have been traumatized by my rocky dating history, which prompted me do more self work to make sure I am putting my best foot forward. I simply do not have enough space in this excerpt to expand on that part, though.
Overall, it was not ideal, but it made for amazing character development.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My current role is a Quality Management Specialist at UHealth Hospital/Clinics for the University of Miami. I work in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine but I am licensed in Molecular Pathology, which has allowed me to perform genetic and COVID-19 testing as needed and in previous roles .
Some of my work history includes:
Performing testing for a biopharmaceutical plant as a Microbiology Analyst
Performing Zika and arbovirus testing as a Medical Laboratory Scientist
I am proud to be in an underrepresented population of Black and female scientists. Science is my passion; so much that most of my tattoos are science oriented.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I just really love to learn. I’d like to thank my thirst for knowledge as it pertains to the health sciences and a very unnatural fear of failure for fueling my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soflomo.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/o.v.o.mo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.m.james.754
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@moneyjames2211
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Soflomo
Image Credits
Sweet Lime Photography
