| OK–let’s start by getting the stats out of the way:
Name: Jakita Thomas
City: Bay Area, CA (originally from Decatur, GA)
Status: Married and mother of a son with one on the way
Ok, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Real Talk On Relationships (RTOR):
Real Talk On Relationships was born out of my personality and quarky habits and statements made to me by family, friends, and contacts (some of whom I’ve met and some I have not). I love people. I love watching people. I love understanding what makes people tick and what makes them quarky and different. I especially love the messy dynamic of inter-relational exchanges between people (I study these kinds of things in my professional life as well).
In observing people and their interactions, I’ve begun to put some things together and form some ideas around the things that keep those exchanges from being the best they can be or even from meeting the expectations that those involved in them have. Like any exchange in business or in personal relationships, feelings and perceptions always play a critical role and color both the outcomes and the benefits (or harm) people walk away with based on those relationships.
I began giving relationship advice quite randomly. I’m not sure if people think I’m an expert on relationships or they just notice that I tend to really think about things very deeply and so they expect me to have some profound insight, but whatever the reason, people (both those I know and those I don’t really know) ask me questions about their relationships all of the time. Not knowing how to do anything but say in a very frank way how I feel or what I think, I give advice. Some people actually tell me they would pay for my advice (I’ve had people solicit me to counsel them on relationships and actually ask me what I’d charge). So instead of taking people’s money to reveal insights that have come to me through close observation, I’ve instead started a blog. I feel as though relationships are the real final frontier–a frontier we’ve been exploring since the dawn of time and one that’s just as enigmatic now as it’s always been. Many people have the same questions about male/female relationships, and if I can help shine even a small light on the landscape, I’ll feel I’ve served my purpose.
My friends always say that I’m the person that asks the really hard questions–the questions that really get to the essence of the issue but that people are often afraid to ask or examine. That’s the impetus for the “Real Talk” on this blog. I don’t believe in sugar coating–things are what they are, and though relationships are indeed messy, they deserve to be talked about and experienced in honest authentic ways.
So, in that vein, I’ll be posting about relationship dilemmas, topics, etc. that strike me as being worth examination and discussion, but this is an interactive community, so feel free to ask me specific questions to which I’ll post responses (send those to info@realtalkonrelationships.com). I only ask that if you submit a specific question, you give me at least a week to respond. I’m a researcher and investigator by nature, so I like to do a bit of research and pull together some helpful resources that might relate to your question, but that kind of inquiry requires time.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you, talking with you and growing with you. |