About Me — Queen Lysh. Cooler than an iceberg; chillin’ in a…
Tags: Introduction, About Me

Cooler than an iceberg; chillin’ in a snowstorm

Skiing in Colorado for my 32nd birthday (photo taken by author)

Ever since 2006, (the year I barely graduated from high school and the year I joined Facebook) I’ve been using the bio section to describe how cool I think I am. And what is cooler than an iceberg…in a snowstorm? I know. I know. Metaphorical genius.

Besides being cool, and by cool I mean super introverted and nonchalant, I also daylight as an operations manager at a public charter school. But at night — that is where the real magic happens. At night I am a writer. I write mostly about my own life-shaping experiences; being a boss ass woman; and surviving millennialism or, as I refer to it, the quarter-life crisis. I also muse over the emotional and psychological barriers that keep us from living our best lives. I’m no expert so take my thoughts and opinions with a grain of pink Himalayan salt. But I have been known to know what I’m talking about from time to time.

BLM Protest in DC after the murder of George Floyd (photo taken by author)

I am a DC native, which means a lot these days considering, you know, gentrification and whatnot. Much of my worldview and perspectives are rooted in growing up in and around the nation’s capital. Being this close to the seat of power and seeing democracy play out each day, especially under this presidency, has been interesting, to say the least. I’ve been to countless protests over various civil rights issues. We welcome civil dissent here. But out of all the protests that have been welcomed in our city, we’ve welcomed The Proud Boys the least. But I digress.

I go by Queen Lysh on Michelle Obama’s internet but my government name is Alysha. It’s a variation of a German name that means of noble character. I did not relate these meanings when deciding to call myself a Queen on the internet but I’m glad that it all worked out. Calling myself Queen Lysh was a power move. It is my not-so-subtle way of tricking my brain into believing in herself. I recommend all women try it — put Queen in front of your name for a week or so. You’ll be sipping lime Fiji water out of a wine glass with your pinky in the air, I promise.

I joined Medium to write more. I reckon since I’m calling myself a writer these days I should develop a consistent practice of writing, right? Medium seems to be the perfect place to practice my writing, share it, get feedback from other writers, and then do it all over again. My only hope within this process is that people actually get inspired or motivated by what they read when they visit me. That’s literally the point. Oh and to one day make money from this talent of mine (shout out to the Medium Partner Program and all the articles related to getting to the bag).

When I am not writing or managing operations, I’m somebody’s daughter, big sister, boo thang, stepmom, and sister-friend. I am also a runner and a hiker (see photo below). And when I don’t feel like being any of those things, I am just a cool, down-to-earth black girl from DC that loves fish tacos, jollof rice, and mambo sauce. Feel free to join me on my corner of the web at queenlysh.medium.com.