The Reroute Was the Assignment: What Happens Between Dream and Destiny

For the builders who know the middle is where the magic happens.

Tashara Parker & Tamron Hall | NABJ Bootcamp, Houston 2025 | Two Women. One Legacy.

It was one of those sticky Houston mornings where even the air felt like it had a story to tell.

I was behind the wheel, weaving through traffic, Jordans laced up, salmon pink suit catching sunlight through the windshield, and my bob, a quick weave with leave-out laying just right.

But deep down? I already knew it was only a matter of time before those 4C curls started rising up, plotting against me like, "We outside too, sis. Don’t fight it."

Texas Southern University was only a few exits away, and I was determined to make it in time for the NABJ Journalism Bootcamp’s opening session with Tamron Hall.

But Houston traffic had other plans.

Cars were backed up like it was the day before Thanksgiving. Brake lights stretched out like a red carpet that nobody asked for.

I kept glancing at the clock, whispering little prayers, trying to keep my nerves (and my hair) together.

Finally, I made it to campus only to pull right into the wrong parking lot.
Because no, I hadn’t double-checked those last-minute emails from the organizers. Rookie mistake.

Had to reroute myself, circling the campus, low-key arguing with my GPS and my frizzing leave-out at the same time. By the time I found the right spot, my quick weave was hanging on by a prayer and a little extra holding spray.

I hustled across campus, sneakers pounding the pavement, bob swelling just a little bigger with every step.

No time to pat it down. No time to re-lay nothing. Only time to move.

And cousin even through all that? I made it.

I slipped into the back of the room just as Tamron was speaking cool, composed, commanding every inch of the space.

She wasn’t just delivering a speech. She was laying down a charge.

Tamron spoke about the importance of building your own tables, creating your own platforms, and not waiting for someone else to hand you the mic.
She made it clear: It’s not enough to just show up. You have to own the space you walk into.

She didn’t ask for agreement. She spoke like someone who had already lived it, and left the blueprint behind for the rest of us.

And standing there, sneakers dusty, suit clinging to me in the humidity, bob starting to puff up like it had dreams of its own I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

This read is for you if:

• You’re building something only you can see right now.

• You’re feeling the shifts in your body, your mind, your purpose and still saying yes.

• You know reroutes and resistance are part of the promise, not signs to quit.

Let’s talk about the sacred middle.

Everyone loves the highlight reel. The magazine covers. The panel discussions where it looks like everything was smooth sailing.

But they don’t post enough about the messy middle. The wrong turns. The sweaty suits. The leave-out stages of life.

That’s where the real work happens. That’s where I’m living. And cousin, if you’re there too? Welcome. You’re right on time.

3 Reasons Nobody Talks About the In-Between:

1. It’s not Instagram-ready.
Dr. Brené Brown said it: “We like recovery stories to move quickly through the dark” (Daring Greatly). But the real work? It’s slow. Gritty. And absolutely sacred.

2. It’s too raw for neat captions.
Dr. Arne Carlsen names it “liminal space,” the threshold where you’re shedding the old you but haven’t fully stepped into the new (Organizational Liminality). It’s messy. It’s stretching. It’s holy ground.

3. We’re scared to be seen still figuring it out.
But that’s where the beauty is, in the realness. In the messy middle that births new beginnings.

Tamron’s message was clear:

You don’t sit around waiting to be crowned. You build your platform with your own hands. You bet on your own voice. You move with the authority of someone who already knows they belong, even if your leave-out is rebelling.

She didn’t just leave NBC quietly. She launched The Tamron Hall Show, her way, her vision (The Tamron Hall Show, 2019–present).

And cousin, so will I.

That’s the work we’re doing here.

Not asking permission. Not performing perfection. Just showing up, sneakers and sweat and soul intact.

And the best part? You’re building it right alongside me.

Thank you for riding with me through the reroutes and all.

If this spoke to your spirit, pull up in the comments. Tell me where you’re building.
Tell me what your middle looks like today.

Let’s keep becoming — curls rising and all.