The Quintessential Perspective

Let’s talk boundaries —because leadership without them is a fast track to frustration. As someone who has spent years leading teams, mentoring others, and serving in multiple spaces, I’ve learned this the hard way: when you’re wired to serve, it’s easy to confuse availability with effectiveness. But being constantly on doesn’t make you faithful—it makes you fatigued. Here’s the truth I had to learn for myself: God didn’t call me to burnout . He called me to balance. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” ( Matthew 6:33 NIV ) That verse is my reset button. Whenever life starts pulling in too many directions, it reminds me to realign and put God first and everything else next. When I keep His priorities at the center, my boundaries stop feeling like barriers and start looking like balance  because “God is not a God of chaos or confusion, but of peace ( 1 Corinthians 14:33 ) ." It’s not about doing less but it’s ...

  There’s something about the wilderness that strips us bare. In Exodus 3 , Moses is tending sheep on the far side of the desert when he encounters the burning bush . He isn’t in a palace. He isn’t in a position of prestige. He is hidden, exiled, and surrounded by silence. It’s in the wilderness that God interrupts his ordinary day with an extraordinary assignment. When I look at the current federal government shutdown , I can’t help but see parallels. For thousands of employees, it feels like a wilderness season. Work is on pause. Paychecks are uncertain. Plans are disrupted. Leaders are stretched. And yet, even in this uncomfortable pause, God has a way of showing up in burning-bush moments. This is my fourth shutdown experience but not my first wilderness. Each season has carried its own lessons, challenges, and hidden blessings: 1995 (age 22) : My very first shutdown. I was just starting out as a government contractor . Even though the government shut down, I was blesse...

There’s something powerful about a name. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wrestled with how people respond to mine: Tilantine. Too often, it gets mispronounced, shortened, or brushed aside as “too difficult.” People ask if I have a nickname, and for years, I gave in. I would respond with, “Just call me T, or Dr. T.” It was easier—for them. But deep down, I knew I was diminishing a part of myself to make others more comfortable. The Weight of a Name Names are more than labels. They carry meaning, history, and identity. In the Bible , names were never random. They pointed to destiny, legacy, and God’s promises across generations. Entire chapters are filled with genealogies, not as filler, but as lineage. Each name marked a story, a covenant, and a promise. When Abram became Abraham ( Genesis 17:5 ), it reflected his calling as the father of many nations. When Jacob was renamed Israel ( Genesis 32:28 ), it marked a transformation in his identity and destiny. Isaiah 43:1 reminds us tha...

In my primary workplace, I am surrounded by veterinarians and wildlife biologists . While I am not an animal scientist , my expertise lies in understanding and shaping human behavior. This mix often leads to lighthearted conversations where we compare animal behavior to the ways people think, act, and lead. Reflecting on those exchanges reminded me of a Bible study I delivered in 2017 on leadership lessons from geese , as well as a comparison I once heard between chickens and eagles. It struck me that birds of all kinds carry powerful lessons for leaders. Most discussions about leadership center on case studies, corporate strategies, or best-selling books. Rarely do we turn to nature—especially birds—for guidance. Yet creation reveals patterns that mirror the challenges leaders face every day. From the speed of the ostrich to the consistency of the chicken, the instincts of the buzzard , the teamwork of geese, and the calming presence of the dove , each bird reveals something about v...

Last week, I hit a wall. Not the kind of wall that a quick nap can fix, but the kind that makes you stop in your tracks and question everything. I was physically tired, mentally drained, and spiritually depleted. I was carrying responsibilities that felt heavier than usual and showing up for others while silently running on empty. I realized I couldn’t push through this one. I needed to pause. So I did. I stepped away from the noise, the demands, and the constant pace. I took time to clear my head and my home. I created space for God to breathe on me again. What I expected to be a brief rest became something sacred. I found myself in the middle of a divine reset . As I sat in that stillness, I reflected on who I was becoming. I thought about how so many of us Black women are expected to carry so much. We are the backbone of our families, the heartbeat of our communities, and often the glue holding our workplaces together. We show up strong, even when we feel stretched thin. We pour out...

Lately, I’ve been diving into John Maxwell’s The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth , and one line in the Law of Intentionality stopped me in my tracks: The Perfection Gap . As soon as I read it, I smiled because it hit me right where I live. Not only have I wrestled with that gap in my own journey, but I actually led a mini workshop on this exact topic for my sorority sisters about a year and a half ago. It’s funny how God has a way of circling us back to lessons we thought we already learned. This time, He brought the reminder with a little more heat and a whole lot more clarity. Let me be transparent with you. There have been so many times I’ve sat at my kitchen counter with my laptop open, heart full of ideas, vision clear, candle lit, background music playing, atmosphere set… and yet I still couldn’t bring myself to start. Not because I didn’t believe in the dream God gave me, but because I was waiting for it to be perfect. Maybe you have powered up your tablet with big “this is it” ...