A New Thing is a newsletter meets open journal meets audiohug. Here, I share about my walk with God and the intrinsic healing found therein. In doing so, I hope to gently nudge you forward in allowing God to do a new thing within you, as well.

Created by Lauren Ash, formerly of Black Girl In Om.

A New Thing is the next chapter of me doing what I’ve always done: storytelling and sharing my experiences as authentically as I can. Meaningfully documenting my life in a way that, I hope, inspires and awakens something powerful and transformational in you. Affirming to our community that it is never too late to allow God to do a new thing in and through your life. I truly believe that we are all uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and I trust that God is doing something powerful here.

I anticipate covering many of the topics that I’ve always been enthusiastic about—from faith, wellness, beauty, culture, relationships, and travel. I’ll invite guests here to share in conversation, too. My core intention is to illuminate what one example of a human life, and intentional spiritual journey with Christ, looks like.

About Me & My Journey

Thousands of community members around the world journeyed with me for a decade as I shared many aspects of my journey building the leading holistic wellness platform for Black women and girls around the world, as well as seeking my own healing and piecing together what wellness and an intentional lifestyle meant for me.

From 2014 to 2021, I had a very public facing career as a founder and wellness influencer. I shared vulnerable stories of my life in my podcast, newsletters, and across social media, especially Instagram. I cultivated an online community of hundreds of thousands. I led a team of brilliant women many of which went on to create, incredible companies, organizations, and brands.

My work was featured in Forbes, ESSENCE, The New York Times, the OWN Network, and more. I was featured in national and global campaigns with Loropiana, Athleta, Squarespace, and more. I curated experiences for my community in partnership with HBO, Fenty Beauty, and Nike.

My team and I curated a national tour, and I hosted it, traveling across to six cities and creating space for Black women to breathe easy through guided meditation and conversations with empowering Black women including Rachel Cargle, Erica Chidi, and Deun Ivory. I found myself living a very exciting, beautiful, and inspired life. One that I felt carried so much meaning for me, and so many others.

Throughout all of these years, I identified myself as a ‘spiritual seeker’ and as ‘spiritual, not religious.’ From yoga to Vedic meditation to breath work and energy healing, I bounced around from one spiritual practice to another and always shared from a place of sincerity and enthusiasm what I found helped me feel more whole, more healed, more enlightened. From 2019 through 2022 I shifted towards African Traditional Religion that I was told was my inheritance and what would heal me. Ultimately, deepening into it (against persistent whispers from the Holy Spirit to withdraw) almost ended my life.

In my pursuit of healing myself and my lineage, I ended up entering the darkest of spaces. And in the midst of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, I was saved by the God that I had rejected ten years prior in my pursuit for healing outside of Him. In returning to a relationship with Christ, I have been gifted a peace that passes all understanding, a deep gift and promise of eternal life in the presence of the Creator, and I long for more of us to expand into that peace and eternal life, too.

Wherever you find yourself, however you find yourself, you are being pursued by a God who loves you fiercely.

I am a testament to this.

If you’re open to journeying with me, be sure to subscribe.

If you’re open to the possibility of God doing A New Thing within you, be sure to subscribe.

You’ll get full access to A New Thing, publication archives, and more.

This is more than a newsletter, we’re a community

Being part of a A New Thing, you’re joining a diverse community of people. Whether you’re here to support my voice and perspective in the world, you’re a believer of Christ or not, I welcome you here.

Whether you stay subscribed to my free tier or choose to support this work monetarily for more access (to my monthly prayers and meditations, the comments section, and more) I’m glad that you are here.

What’s next?

A New Thing is where I invite folk of all backgrounds to gather. I am also developing experiences and products specific to Christ-centered Black women and women of color, and community led entrepreneurs and creators, and more. If you’d like to stay connected to my general announcements stay tapped by subscribing to my existing here.

Here’s what our community has already shared about A New Thing.

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