Shedding Our Skin
Last year was the year of shedding my skin both personally and professionally. Just as a snake sheds when it has outgrown its skin—when its eyes have become cloudy and its current skin is marked and dull from parasites and injuries. The skin is no longer serving them, and keeping it around is riskier than letting it go. While I can’t speak for the snake, I know this process for myself has been painful, invigorating and slow. It doesn’t happen overnight, but over a series of events that remind you that the skin you are in is no longer needed.
If you know me at all, you know “slow” is not in my vocabulary. However, without the slow process of shedding their skin, the snake might tear or damage the new and vibrant skin waiting to be revealed. I’m learning that when I don’t value the “slow”, I lose. And if you know me at all, you know I also like to win.
2025 was a year of letting go of people, beliefs, and negativity, making space for new and vibrant ideas, connections and intention. A similar process to when ROOTs was created – but this time with a new skin, wise mind, and even deeper understanding of and commitment to who we choose to be.
Kami Black, LCSW
Founder, Executive Director
An Invitation to Reflect
What did I shed in 2025 that I’m not meant to reclaim?
What does leaning into the “slow” mean for me?
What is possible with my new skin that was not available to me before?
