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Kristen Nicole Mann

Helping You Remember the Art of Who You Are
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Welcome to With Gratitude

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Welcome to With Gratitude - Welcome to With Gratitude -

With Gratitude

Welcome to With Gratitude, a lifestyle blog dedicated to inspiring individuals to live creatively and authentically. Our mission is to cultivate a colorful community that celebrates personal growth, creativity, and meaningful living. Here, you'll find a rich tapestry of content, from empowering stories of women creatives to practical tips on embracing your artistic journey.

Why “Praying It Away” Isn’t Always Healing — and What We Can Do Instead

Kristen Mann June 2, 2025

I recently watched an interview with Dr. Rheeda Walker, and something she said lingered in my spirit long after the screen went dark:

“In the Black church, we were taught to pray things away.”

That sentence hit me deep.
Because if you grew up in Black church culture like I did, you know exactly what she meant.

We were handed hope, but not always help.
We were given faith, but not always tools.
We were told to be strong, not always soft.

When life fell apart — through job loss, divorce, grief, burnout, or unimaginable pain — we were often encouraged to just pray through it.

And while prayer is powerful, it was sometimes used to bypass the pain instead of walking through it.

We weren’t taught to process the trauma.
We were taught to perform through it.
We were functioning, but not functioning well.

Creating a New Way to Cope

That’s why I created something for women like us.
Not the version of us that shows up to everything smiling and organized.
But the version of us who cries in the car, overthinks at night, and feels stuck between “I’m fine” and “I’m falling apart.”

“Notes to the Woman I’m Becoming” is a 14-page downloadable journal for women who are high-functioning but also healing.
It’s for the woman who was never taught emotional tools — only religious language.
It’s for the woman who wants faith and function.
Prayer and processing.
Hope and help.

What’s Inside the Bundle?

💭 30 Journal Prompts — to help you unpack, reflect, and reconnect with your truth
📝 Guided Brain Dump Pages — for when your mind is racing and you don’t know where to start
🌀 Control Sort Pages — to help you gently sort what’s in your power… and what’s not
💡 Creative Space — to explore emotions without judgment

This is not just a journal.
It’s a soft landing spot for women who are done pretending, performing, or powering through pain in silence.

Why It Matters Now

We are in a collective emotional crisis.
Layoffs are rising. Mental health needs are growing.
Black women, especially, are navigating transitions with very little room to fall apart — even though we deserve that room.

So if you’re in a moment where the prayer rug feels like the only place you’re allowed to bring your pain — I invite you to try something different:

📥 Download “Notes to the Woman I’m Becoming” for just $8
Let this be your space to reset. To feel. To find clarity.

You can hold your faith and still need a framework.

You can believe in God and still need a journal.

You can be strong and still be soft.

The woman you’re becoming deserves more than survival.
She deserves space to breathe.

🖤

← Boring Habits, Beautiful Life: Why I Had to Rewire My Mind to Save My Future5 Ways Stay-at-Home Moms Can Use AI to Elevate Their Personal Brand or Business →

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