Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Robinson
Hi Sierra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After moving from Philadelphia in elementary school, I spent majority of my life growing up in Prince William County in Northern Virginia. As a little girl, I was independent, adventurous, curious and always wanted to be the best at everything I did. After high school, I attended Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Asian Studies. While at ODU I was blessed to be able to study abroad in Shanghai, China for a semester which completely changed my world view. I don’t think there is a better way to gain an appreciation for the different perspectives of people and the world other than actually exploring it. There are so many different ways of living and cultures outside of the little bubble that we experience on a day to day basis. Studying abroad truly changed my outlook on life and it’s always the #1 advice I have for anyone heading to college, so please do it if you are able!
After graduating, I was 100% sold on being a United Nations Peacekeeper and obtained my Master of Science in Peace Operations and Public Policy from George Mason University. I did not become a UN Peacekeeper but, I was able to find my own way to give back to the world by being a founding member of Free Flow, Inc., a menstrual hygiene focused non-profit organization, a founding member of the Forest Park Black Alumni Association where we have given scholarships to graduating Black seniors form my high school and my travel business where I have been able to help people explore the world. My latest endeavor is my travel themed alphabet book, Girls Like Me from A to Z which I published in March 2024.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
They say nothing is accomplished without a little adversity right?
It was during Covid, when I was unable to travel that I realized I was using my love of travel and exploring as a coping mechanism. If I were feeling overwhelmed, I’d book a trip; feeling angry, I’d book a trip; feeling down about myself, I’d book a trip, etc. With that gone, I was forced to learn to deal with my thoughts and emotions on my own and realized I hadn’t quite learned how to do that and my mental health diminished. I fell into a state of depression where nothing excited me, I began slacking on my commitments to Free Flow, my travel business, communicated with my friends and family less and let my book just sit on my computer; I became stuck and stagnant for years. I was going through the motions and on the outside things appeared well, I was excelling in my professional career, in a ‘happy’ relationship, making money and all smiles on the outside, but completely empty and hollow on the inside. I kept pouring from an empty cup to keep myself busy until I couldn’t anymore and broke down and found myself a therapist. Therapy along with medication saved my life. I learned the go-go-go mentality I had been comfortable in for years was not sustainable and led to my eventual burn out. I also learned tools and techniques to better process and deal with my emotions.
I have been very blessed throughout my life to have supportive friends and family that continued to shower me with love even when I had no love to give back.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
After graduating from ODU, traveling became such an important part of my life; I had gone on a few trips where I did some volunteer work; in Colombia I donated children’s books and toys I had collected and donated them to a local children’s center, as well as volunteering at a women’s shelter in Haiti. It was in Haiti that I reconnected with one of my former Monarchs, Morgan Brown, a true Global Citizen with a heart of gold! Not long after that trip, Morgan reached out to me to help her execute her vision for a menstrual hygiene focused non-profit organization and a few months later, Free Flow the Movement, Inc. was created!
Free Flow, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization that focuses on the impacts and affects of menstrual hygiene management for women and girls around the world. We have a three-pronged approach to Educate society on the implications of poor menstrual hygiene and the affect it has on women and girls around the world. Advocate on behalf of women and girls through service projects, programs and events, and to Eradicate the stigma and taboo attached to menstruation by creating a space for period positivity. Since our inception in 2018, we have collected and donated tens of thousands of menstrual hygiene products to 7 countries and facilitated various Period Parking parties where we create hygiene kits for local distribution. We have even been able to partner with our alma-mater ODU to give back to the student community. When I relocated to Houston in the summer of 2023, I was excited to expand our vision within the Houston community. We have been able to partner with local organizations such as Her Down There for a Menstrual Hygiene Day Q&A Session, and are currently working with Women Connection Inc. to continue to spread information on menstrual hygiene management and provide products and assistance for those in need.
After getting Free Flow off the ground, I was thinking of a way that I could give the gift that traveling had given me to others, so I decided to open a Travel Agency called Change of Scenery Travel. I think I was averaging 6 countries a year at one point, working 2-3 jobs to afford my trips. Nothing made me happier than visiting new places, and learning about the different cultures throughout the world, and every trip people were asking for advice, tips or help planning their own trips so it just made sense! It was in 2020 during Covid when the world stopped that I thought. “there has to be a better way for me to give the gift of travel that can survive during times like this when traveling isn’t an option.” So, I decided to pull back from the travel agent side of things and wrote an alphabet travel themed children’s book: Girls Like Me from A to Z.
In 2023, I decided I needed my own Change of Scenery and packed up my dog Chole and my belongings and came to Houston. I visited in December 2022, found my hone by April 2023 and was moved in by July 2023. Something about the city just felt like home. It was in Houston that I finally felt free enough to put my book out there and finally published Girls Like Me from A to Z in March of 2024. I wrote Girls Like Me from A to Z to highlight the diversity of Black and Brown little girls, and to help them find comfort and safety in knowing they can travel the world and see people that look like them anywhere they go. Each page represents a different country and features a Black or Brown girl dressed in that country’s traditional clothing, as well as the Capital and the location of the country in the world. I wrote it to not only celebrate the differences in our cultures, but to also educate and encourage little girls to visit these places. It’s one of my most proud accomplishments to date.
As I continue to lay down roots in Houston, I plan to expand the series to include Boys Like Me from A to Z, flashcards and workbooks all aimed at inspiring Black and Brown youth to explore and see the world.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was definitely a curious, somewhat talkative child who excelled in everything I did. As an only child, I was a natural leader, very independent and always wanted to be the best or first, and when I wasn’t my competitiveness would show. My mom always had me involved in an activity, from dance, basketball, piano, violin, gymnastics and cheerleading. I ended up sticking with cheerleading and cheered in high school, competitively and in college.
Since I didn’t have any siblings, I was a little shy but was always able to make friends wherever I went. I was the kid that was outside everyday, and had to be yelled at to come in before the street lights came on. When we moved to Virginia, I was really tested to come out of my shell and meet new people. Like I said, my mom kept me busy in activities so that’s where I made most of my friends, but back home it was me, her and our dog Bernie.
Growing up I had watched my mom travel a lot for work so I think that is where I got my first bite of the travel bug from, I remember her taking my grandma and I with her on some of her trips and family vacations. She said I had a question for everything and would make sure that I got my answers!
Pricing:
- Girls Like Me from A to Z – Hardcover $24.99
- Girls Like Me from A to Z – Softcover $16.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yourchangeofscenery.com/shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidslikemefromatoz/
- Other: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girls-like-me-from-a-to-z-sierra-robinson/1144966877;jsessionid=DB4E0A0CB5F3FE378A24EFD5D13A9F72.prodny_store01-atgap09?ean=9798869091321
