From Pruning, To Prosperity

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From Pruning, To Prosperity

A look back at 2024, and the exciting journey ahead.

Wishing you all the happiest New Year!

2024 was one heck of a year. You can tell since you haven’t received a blog post since JULY. My word for the year was LIGHT - I called in a lighter workload, more ease, less physical weight and more. I guess you can say 2024 did just that in its own unique and transformative way. I was thrusted into a health journey that found me going from appointment to appointment and treatment to treatment. A pruning of sorts took place. The journey has been uncomfortable, in some moments painful, but man, I am learning a lot. I focused on building healthier habits, explored new forms of movement like pilates and distance walking, plus, took time to care for my mental and spiritual health. The power of intentional living shone brightly, and for that, I am deeply grateful.

If I were to do a Simply Shakera Wrapped, it would look something like this:

  • 366 Days of gratitude 

  • 120 Consecutive days of walking

  • 75 Carnival Spice events including Blue Jays Carnival, Caribana with Guinness, Breakfast Television & more

  • 52 Weeks of cultivating ‘light’ness

  • 15 Hundred+ supplements

  • 12 Months of personal and professional development

  • 3 Blog Posts 

  • 2 Media Appearances including a new CRAVE TV feature

  • 1 Dream Come True for my Inner Child: Featured in Yorkdale Mall At KNIX

  • 1 New Amazing Partnership: Canadian National Institute for the Blind

  • Too many blessings to count!

Your Blessings Are Bigger Than Your Burdens

Nothing that I achieved this year could’ve been in my own strength; there were so many times I felt defeated or not like myself. I give God all the glory for guiding me, and ensuring that I never went without.  

Beyond these career highlights, I celebrate: 

  • food in my fridge

  • never missing a home or car payment

  • clean water

  • access to an excellent team of health and wellness practitioners 

  • being surrounded by some friends and family - that lifted me up when I couldn’t go any further

  • and somehow, even on the tumultuous days, God maintaining my sanity.


God has always had my heart, but for my birthday, I decided to publicly surrender my life to him through a water baptism. 2025, the year of rebirth and intentionality.

My life is already an example of your goodness, but now that I have answered the call, Lord, I am excited to see where you take me next… even the irregular parts of me, the broken parts, and the imperfect parts.

WATCH MY TESTIMONY HERE

Thank you to my KOR family for guiding me into this new journey (@korchurch), my Global Mystical family for my anchoring through the wilderness, and @tiphanimontgomery for your leadership and teaching. ✨

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Journaling For Your Wellbeing

As we move into 2025, I invite you to set your intentions for the year. Whether it’s embracing healthier habits, exploring new wellness practices, or simply finding more moments of joy and gratitude, let’s make it happen together. True success isn’t measured by numbers but by the impact we make in our lives and those around us. Let’s continue to inspire and uplift each other.

Before you go, I have homework for all of us. One of my favourite business women, Emma Grede, shared these journal prompts and I’m challenging all of us to complete the questions within the next 7 days.

Journaling isn’t just about putting pen to paper; it’s a powerful tool for personal growth and well-being. If journaling isn’t already a part of your wellness practice, start now. It goes beyond writing, it can allow you to reflect, turn your emotion into words and unload our burdens in the most cathartic way. It’s also a great tool for tracking goals and celebrating achievements

My favourite use is for gratitude journaling, a practice that encourages you to fully embrace and cherish the beauty of the present moment.

On a blank page in your journal or notebook, complete the following questions:

  1. Looking back at the goals I didn’t achieve this year, what were the main reasons I couldn’t get there?

  2. What are the three things I wish I did more of in 2024?

  3. What am I avoiding and what am I scared of doing?

  4. How do I plan to learn and grow in 2025?

  5. What habits do I want to create and what boundaries should I establish?

If you made it this far, thank you for your reading and being a part of my community.. Sending you love and light and looking forward to the wonderful things we create and birth in 2025.


So I Modeled For Knix at the Confidence Tour

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So I Modeled For Knix

Event Recap of The Knix Confidence Tour (Toronto)

November 3rd, 2022 will be a night I will never forget!

As an ambassador for Knix, I was invited to apply for their model casting. All I knew about the casting was the following: “We're choosing 80 people (and their BFFs, of course!) to join us IRL in Toronto and LA for a once-in-a-lifetime event that involves hitting the catwalk for a celebration of self-acceptance, love, and empowerment.”

The night that unfolded was magical. The room was filled with beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and colours! Plus we all were decked out in lingerie. The Knix team took such good care of us with a hair and make up station, food and live dj! Shout out to: @djmetime! Glad I finally met my birthday twin. @thebirdspapaya - such a full circle moment because her content introduced me to Knix years ago! Within the event we experienced a 360 Photo Booth, had our portrait captured by @briony and were challenged to walk the runway in front of everyone. I am proud to have taken up space with my melanated curves and curls while the sounds of soca filled up the room as I hit the catwalk. See Video Here*

Photos By: Briony Douglas

Vulnerability

We had the time of our lives at the Knix Confidence Tour - but I must admit, a huge part of me was terrified. People assume that because I’m from the Caribbean Carnival scene, it must’ve been easy to strut around in my underwear. The environment was different - for some reason wearing lingerie added another layer of vulnerability that I needed to move through. But nonetheless, I did it! Grateful to have had the opportunity to celebrate my body in such a way… the body that has kept me alive and resilient through so much adversity. I hope me sharing this experience encourages someone else to love on their body just a little bit more - and I mean all of it. Every scar, jiggle, dimple and stretch mark!

Let’s talk outfit:

I wore the oh so soft “Revolution Bra”, “Leakproof High Waisted panty” and the “Waffle Robe”. Use my new code: SIMPLYSHAKERA_KNIXLOVE when shopping for a percentage off.

HUGE THANK YOU TO KNIX TEAM FOR TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF US!

Can’t wait to see where the Confidence Tour heads next!

Carnival In New Brunswick?

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Shakera on the road

Carnival In New Brunswick?

Event Recap of Carnival Spice at Summer Soulsa 2022

This Labour Day I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Fredericton, New Brunswick for Summer Soulsa 2022.

Summer Soulsa can be described as “a vibrant and dynamic music festival that celebrates the diversity and beauty of Caribbean, Latin, and African cultures through art, music, dance and cuisine.”

Carnival Spice was invited as performers to bring our Caribbean Carnival flair to a series of events throughout the weekend.

Although the weekend had a heavy workload for the team and I, we managed to find many bright moments throughout our time in Atlantic Canada.

The People

It was quite lovely to see Black and Brown culture and artistry on full display at the festival. It allowed for many to learn and many to feel connected to parts of themselves that they haven’t tapped into for a while. The most common statements I heard was: “we’ve never had anything like this before in our city” or “we are so happy you are here”.  You can tell Summer Soulsa was the first event of its kind and executed in such a way simply by looking in the eyes of the attendees. There was such a sense of joy and inspiration that flickered when they heard the music or saw their favourite acts come on.

I have hosted hundreds of classes in my career and have performed on countless stages, yet it NEVER gets old seeing someone hear soca or dancehall for the first time and watching how their bodies naturally respond to it. It’s quite beautiful actually.

I also met a young girl who reminded me so much of myself when I was her age - she was about 10. She was so curious; I’ll never forget the smile she made when one of the dancers let her wear their costume feathers.

The Music Circle

The Music Circle is a dance workshop concept where instructors from across Canada joined together to lead Frederiction through a day full of dance. The room was filled this day with folks of all ages and ethnicities. I vividly remember the first person to arrive - a gentleman who came alone and mentioned it was his first dance class. I loved this for him and appreciated his courage to try something new. I had a great time hosting the event and leading a Carnival Spice dancehall workshop to the excited audience. My fellow instructors were Cherelle from Soca Fit (Edmonton) who taught a soca dance workshop and Zumba with Corey (Fredericton) who taught us a bachata workshop.

Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiDp2hBJVc7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=


The Food

Atlantic Canada never disappoints when it comes to seafood. My diet for the weekend was made up of haddock and chips. As a seafood lover, I was in my glory. Everything was so fresh and flavourful. If only I could bring some of those fresh oysters back in my suitcase.

Di Road

Carnival Spice were one of the groups of masqueraders that lead the Fredericton community down di road for the first carnival parade since the pandemic. The weather was perfect, the tunes were running by Dj CJ, and yours truly was on the mic keeping the vibes going. I had the perfect view of hundreds of smiling faces. The children were my favourite - they were so enthusiastic and kept up with us the entire parade.

Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjOvV9_q-Ny/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=


The Comradery

There were a wide variety of performers from all across Canada present at Summer Soulsa 2022. From latin dancers, to reggae bands, to hip hop artists. I appreciated how everyone supported each other and/or worked together.

Kudos to everyone who was apart of the festival - it truly made a positive impact on the community and I look forward to seeing how it grows.

AND HUGE THANK YOU TO CHEICK FOR CAPTURING THESE PHOTOS!

New Year Reflections

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Shakera is in a stand up pose and smiling as the header photo for the blog post

New Year Reflections

What lessons from 2021 am I carrying with me.

Hello? Is this thing on?!


The blog got abandoned ya’ll! OMG - I apologize! All I remember is starting a plant based meal plan back in June and the world became foggy! lol. (ref: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPZuIL8FQNQ) Like seriously. I was so locked in to the world around me. Although I enjoyed creating monthly recap videos on my instagram, I really did miss how therapeutic writing was. Happy to be back and happy to start sharing here again. Consider this a reflectionary, welcome back post.

2021 ended so long ago but it left us with so many lessons. There were downs, loss and much grief but there was also much to be proud of. 2021 taught me to be present in each moment and celebrate my wins. 

Here are a few highlights I would like to share with you from this past year:

  • Named one of the top 100 health leaders in Canada: https://www.optimyz.com/optimyz-top-100-health-leaders-2021
    This was such a nice surprise and felt even better seeing my melanin skin take up space in a wellness magazine.

  • Partnered with Lululemon on a community wellness event: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSkYXbYlhWy

  • Selected as a keynote speaker for the CanFit pro fitness conference: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSdEGVfHP-i
    Had such an incredible time delivering the opening keynote speech to the beautiful souls at the 7th annual “Women Who Influence” event during the conference.

  • I went 60 straight days on a plant based meal plan. Thank you to the Alldunamis Wellness Center for supporting me through this experience. It was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences ever. I developed such a strong understanding of my overall health and how to manage it through lifestyle practices for my specific needs.

Shakera is seated on the floor beside a plant. She is wearing a cream sweater and blue ripped jeans.

False Evidence Appearing Real.

“The fears we don’t face become our limits”
— Robin Sharma


2021 reminded me that some decisions may be scary but it is important to push past your fear and bet on yourself. Release limiting beliefs about your capabilities.

Fear is a normal human response.

When we imagine things outside of ourselves that we have little or no control over, we tend to panic.

The thing is, fear can be a great motivator if we redirect the energy in a positive way. Harness that energy to motivate yourself into action.

Cultivate Joy.

“On the healing journey, feeling worthy of joy and rest is a massive step. It requires a consistent practice to be able to surrender into it. Embodying authentic joy can be the greatest challenge faced because of the immense amount of vulnerability required to feel at ease.”
— Devi Brown

2021 reminded me to prioritize joy and do more of what lights me up. Joy raises your frequency causing you to attract similar energy into your life. Joy is a source of light within you.

When you’re not operating in your purpose, you are always going to feel like you are dim… like you’re made to do more. Cultivating joy keeps you plugged into your light so make your best efforts to stay connected.

You can also help keep that light shining by eating bright and nutritious foods, participating in activities that fuel you, and being mindful of your choices for the future. This isn’t always easy to do - but daily consistent practice and intention will help. Stay committed - your future self depends on it.

There is so much to navigate and the world seems to shift day by day… but none of that can stop your greatness. A lot of good can happen in a year so continue to do your best. Sending love and encouragement to you all… plus a friendly reminder that you got this. WE GOT THIS!

Shakera is in a standing pose where she is laughing and wearing a cream shirt with jeans

Photos By: Anthony Berot