Opening the Heart to Love: A Reflection & Rise Journey
December arrives not just as a calendar close, but as a mirror held to the soul — a moment to honour how far a woman has travelled, and to dare what’s next. This ― the theme of Reflect & Rise ― invites a deeper kind of introspection. It’s about recognizing growth, owning wisdom, and preparing for the next chapter with bold intention.
One woman’s journey into love began with a choice. Rather than waiting for a romance to rescue her, she saw a relationship counsellor to guide her inward — not because something was “wrong,” but because she was ready. In the space of attentive support, she began to unravel what had kept her heart half-closed: patterns of self-protection, doubts about deservedness, a fear of receiving what she truly wanted.
Her counsellor drew on attachment theory, somatic awareness, and culturally-responsive healing — a method championed by Maya Dajon, who emphasises that high-achieving women must also heal relationally and systemically. Through this work, she discovered that love is not something to chase, but something to become.
Parallel to this process, she built a Vision Board of Love — not pinned images of “the one,” but visuals of peace, alignment, mutual joy. Words like trust, harmony, devotion replaced wanted lists and timelines. The vision board echoed what Valorie Burton teaches: that intentional clarity precedes transformation.
Her heart then did three things:
Recognize: She learned to read the signals of self-worth and expectancy, rather than dismiss them.
Receive: She practiced receiving — kindness, presence, affirmation — knowing that openness is not weakness, but readiness.
Reward: She chose to reward that love with her own love — self-respect, choice, celebration.
As December’s reflection deepened, the year’s end ceased being simply an ending. Instead, it became a consecration of her becoming. She rose from what she once was into the woman she is and the woman she will be.
In doing so, she made space for love that would not ask her to shrink and for life that would not ask her to dim her light.
To open the heart to love is one of the most sacred acts of the Dream Lifestyle™ journey. It is to stand in your truth and whisper to life: “I am ready.” And when you are ready, love — authentic, reciprocal, abundant — finds its way home.
Deneen L. Garrett is a Dream Lifestyle™ Coach, International Speaker, and Writer, and the Creator & Host of Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation, a 100 Best Women’s Empowerment Podcast. Deneen helps women design lives they love through intention, creativity, and bold self-belief. She also contributes to Culturs Magazine and Medium, sharing stories that inspire transformation and authenticity. Deneen is also launching the Dream Lifestyle™ Collective, a community for Black women 50+ to live boldly and build the lives they dream of.