
Gabrielle Union Learned This Life Lesson After Putting A Positive Pregnancy Test On Her Vision Board

It's no secret that going from internalizing our ideas to visualizing them increases the chances of our thoughts becoming things.
Cue in the power of vision boards — a crafty way of using pictures and objects pasted onto a board that you reflect on daily. The irony is, while vision boards are great at displaying and ingraining our dreams, many people are sleeping on 'em. But not Miss Union.
Recently, actress Gabrielle Union got honest about her more intimate goal initiatives when she revealed she keeps a pregnancy test on her own dream board. And not just any test, but a positive one. The author told Redbook:
"I make a vision board every year. Some of the pictures on my first one were of a haircare line, Kenya, and a Clearblue pregnancy test.... The only things that have not come to pass are a cosmetics line, Machu Picchu, and a baby."
But perhaps as important as the power of intention, is the necessity of specificity, something even Gabby is learning. Too often we are modest with our personal demands, as if we fear God or the universe will deem us greedy or ungrateful if we were to "ask for too much," in turn punishing us with absolutely nothing. So we can be very general in asking for our wants, versus being very specific about our desires.
"I've had the positive [pregnancy test] stick, but also a number of miscarriages, so maybe I just have to go more specific and show a woman with a human being traveling through her orifices. I'll put those things back on this year's board and see what happens."
Last year, the wife and stepmom opened up about coming down with a case of the (Clear)blues after suffering 8-9 miscarriages during her attempts at getting pregnant via IVF. However, despite the losses, Gabby doesn't discredit her wins, but instead, only reaffirms the power of being intentional when it comes to goal-setting and being very detailed and specific when it comes to the life you want.
Despite her strengths, Gabby also has her weaknesses when it comes to staying true to her intentions. Part of what contributes to this is a lack of self-compassion, something even Gabby was quick to admit she also struggles with. The 45-year-old later goes on to open up about the dangers of the self-doubt that settles in once you actually get what you want:
"Over the years, I'd been approached with ideas for things like my own clothing line, and I'd have those momentary feelings of, 'I got picked! Yay!' And then it was, 'Oh God, they're going to figure out that I have no value.' Part of that is I didn't have my own style. I was always looking to others for outside validation, so I would've basically been like,'Well, who's popular right now? Let's try to look like that person.' If you don't have your own style, how are you going to design a line?'"
"As goals manifest, I've been able to look at my boards and say, 'Damn, I put in a lot of work and deserve it.' That's helped me to stop feeling suspicious of joy. To not sabotage something before I've had a chance to do it because I assume I'll be rejected."
Okay, serious question ladies — when will we start accepting that when it comes to our own joy, and the wonderful things that we manifest into our lives, that we not only deserve it, we've earned it?
Unfortunately, Gabby's feelings of self-sabotage are all too familiar and common, especially in the ambitious woman. And while being a perfectionist may have its perks, self-condemnation is the curse of perfectionism, and perfectionism turns into punishment real quick when we fail to forgive our naturally flawed selves.
In the meantime, it's important to keep in mind that life is not about perfection, it's about perspective. Gabrielle Union doesn't simply use or view her vision board as a "wish list," so much as she does a "checklist." She's done this, so she deserves that! And quite frankly, so do you!
And while the 45-year-old star is still waiting and anticipating adding "mom" to her resume, she is making sure to count her blessings along the way. Word of advice, make a "happy list," folks:
"I started working with a life coach who asked me to list things that make me happy, and one of my top three was imitation crab! You're not on the right track if you say imitation crab. So the life coach started to ask questions: 'What don't you like? What annoys you? Have you ever experienced euphoria?' Examine those moments and you'll start to figure out who you really are."
Duly noted, Mrs. Union-Wade!
Read Gabrielle's full feature story for the March 2018 issue of Redbook here.
- 10 Intentions To Set For A Fuller Life - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- Setting Intentions For The New Year, How To - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One | HuffPost ›
- Vision Board Ideas & How to Make Yours Better | Jack Canfield ›
- The Best Way to Make a Vision Board - wikiHow ›
- How To Make A Vision Board That Actually Works ⋆ Christie Inge ›
- Throw Away Your Vision Board | Psychology Today ›
- How to create a goal-setting vision board | Well+Good ›
- 10 Intentions To Set For Your Most Authentic Life - mindbodygreen ›
- 5 Steps to Setting Powerful Intentions | The Chopra Center ›
- Law of Attraction in Action: Start Your Day with Positive Intentions ... ›
- The Principle of Positive Intention ›
- 3 Steps to Setting a Positive Intention ›
- 25 Positive Intentions — Better Bones ›
A modest goddess who keeps it humble between mumbles. I'm a journalism graduate with a HERstory in digital media, print and radio. Roll the credits: Power 96, VH1, xoNecole, EBONY, SOHH. Deemed "Top 20 Women in Media" by Power 105. Bronx made me, Broward raised me.
'He Said, She Said': Love Stories Put To The Test At A Weekend For Love
At the A Weekend For Love retreat, we sat down with four couples to explore their love stories in a playful but revealing way with #HeSaidSheSaid. From first encounters to life-changing moments, we tested their memories to see if their versions of events aligned—because, as they say, every story has three sides: his, hers, and the truth.
Do these couples remember their love stories the same way? Press play to find out.
Episode 1: Indira & Desmond – Love Across the Miles
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but for Indira & Desmond, love made it stronger. Every mile apart deepened their bond, reinforcing the unshakable foundation of their relationship. From their first "I love you" to the moment they knew they had found home in each other, their journey is a beautiful testament to the endurance of true love.
Episode 2: Jay & Tia – A Love Story Straight Out of a Rom-Com
If Hollywood is looking for its next Black love story, they need to take notes from Jay & Tia. Their journey—from an awkward first date to navigating careers, parenthood, and personal growth—proves that love is not just about romance but also resilience. Their story is full of laughter, challenges, and, most importantly, a love that stands the test of time.
Episode 3: Larencia & Mykel – Through the Highs and Lows
A date night with police helicopters overhead? Now that’s a story! Larencia & Mykel have faced unexpected surprises, major life changes, and 14 years of choosing each other every single day. But after all this time, do they actually remember things the same way? Their episode is sure to bring some eye-opening revelations and a lot of laughs.
Episode 4: Soy & Osei – A Love Aligned in Purpose
From a chance meeting at the front door to 15 years of unwavering love, faith, and growth, Soy & Osei prove that when two souls are aligned in love and purpose, nothing can shake their foundation. Their journey is a powerful reminder that true love is built on mutual support, shared values, and a deep connection that only strengthens with time.
Each of these couples has a unique and inspiring story to tell, but do their memories match up? Watch #HeSaidSheSaid to find out!
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image screenshot/ xoNecole YouTube
Egypt Sherrod & Mike Jackson On Love, Business, And Financial Transparency On The First Date
Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson have captivated us on their HGTV show, Married to Real Estate, and podcast Marriage and Money.
Now, they have teamed up with TurboTax to assist small business owners with tax and financial support. The couple met while working in radio, and now they own multiple businesses together. While working with your spouse can have its ups and downs, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Besides the fact that I get to work with the person I love doing what I love to do, right? There's the aspect of our daughters, seeing us work together as a unit and actually doing it successful,” Mike tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview
“So they get to grow up and experience what it is to be entrepreneurs from ground level, right? Because Mom and Dad did it, and they did it in such a way that I want to emulate, even if they don't decide to do exactly what we do, but they get to see it. That, to me, means a lot.”
But owning a business, whether separate or together, comes with a lot of responsibility and mistakes can often happen, especially for novice entrepreneurs. Egypt opens up about mistakes her and Mike experienced working in real estate.
“On our journey of entrepreneurship, we made a lot of mistakes. We spent money, we did things backwards, we learned the hard way through the school of hard knocks. There was no road map for us,” she says.
“So our goal by partnering with TurboTax is to really open the eyes of fellow entrepreneurs, to show them that, especially when it comes to your finances, your taxes, and getting that right, there is a faster, more cost effective, more accurate way of getting the support that you need.”
“On our journey of entrepreneurship, we made a lot of mistakes. We spent money, we did things backwards, we learned the hard way through the school of hard knocks. There was no road map for us."
Being tax compliant is among small business owners’ top concerns, but it's often time-consuming and research-intensive to figure out taxes on your own. TurboTax Business provides small business owners and solopreneurs access to unlimited live expert help to get your taxes prepared and filed.
When it comes to their marriage, the money conversation never goes away. The couple owns six businesses together, multiple properties, and are parents to three daughters. So when it comes down to finances, they believe in transparency, even dating back to their first date 21 years ago.
“Our first conversation about money was that, ‘Hey, I don't have no money, okay?'” Mike says. “Because there's been past relationships that are no longer existing. There's been things going on that I had to take care of and get through. So you're meeting a man that is pretty much starting from scratch again. How do you feel about it?”
At the time, Mike was newly divorced and had a small child. Egypt says she found his honesty “refreshing” and was looking for someone to build with, so his finances weren’t a problem for her. “If you're building anything, and that's like first, second, third date, and you feel like, okay, this is someone I can be invested with, even beyond money, you have to just be honest about your circumstances,” Egypt shares.
“Our first conversation about money was that, ‘Hey, I don't have no money, okay?' Because there's been past relationships that are no longer existing. There's been things going on that I had to take care of and get through. So you're meeting a man that is pretty much starting from scratch again. How do you feel about it?”
“Otherwise you're building a house of cards that can fall at any minute, but I think money is one of the things. Finances are one of the things that even when people are in love, they still can't make it work and it breaks up marriages. It breaks up relationships because it's a stressor.
“So, yeah it is something that you want to ask about up front. What's your credit? How much do you earn? You don't have to be rich, but I just need to know if if the math is mathing.”
While they don’t believe you should have the money conversation on the first date, they do believe you should have it early to avoid any misunderstandings down the line.
To hear more about their story, check out their podcast, Marriage and Money, and watch the new season of Married to Real Estate on HGTV.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
“So they get to grow up and experience what it is to be entrepreneurs from ground level, right? Because Mom and Dad did it, and they did it in such a way that I want to emulate, even if they don't decide to do exactly what we do, but they get to see it. That, to me, means a lot.”
But owning a business, whether separate or together, comes with a lot of responsibility and mistakes can often happen, especially for novice entrepreneurs. Egypt opens up about mistakes her and Mike experienced working in real estate.
“On our journey of entrepreneurship, we made a lot of mistakes. We spent money, we did things backwards, we learned the hard way through the school of hard knocks. There was no road map for us,” she says.
“So our goal by partnering with TurboTax is to really open the eyes of fellow entrepreneurs, to show them that, especially when it comes to your finances, your taxes, and getting that right, there is a faster, more cost effective, more accurate way of getting the support that you need.”
“On our journey of entrepreneurship, we made a lot of mistakes. We spent money, we did things backwards, we learned the hard way through the school of hard knocks. There was no road map for us."
Being tax compliant is among small business owners’ top concerns, but it's often time-consuming and research-intensive to figure out taxes on your own. TurboTax Business provides small business owners and solopreneurs access to unlimited live expert help to get your taxes prepared and filed.
When it comes to their marriage, the money conversation never goes away. The couple owns six businesses together, multiple properties, and are parents to three daughters. So when it comes down to finances, they believe in transparency, even dating back to their first date 21 years ago.
“Our first conversation about money was that, ‘Hey, I don't have no money, okay?'” Mike says. “Because there's been past relationships that are no longer existing. There's been things going on that I had to take care of and get through. So you're meeting a man that is pretty much starting from scratch again. How do you feel about it?”
At the time, Mike was newly divorced and had a small child. Egypt says she found his honesty “refreshing” and was looking for someone to build with, so his finances weren’t a problem for her. “If you're building anything, and that's like first, second, third date, and you feel like, okay, this is someone I can be invested with, even beyond money, you have to just be honest about your circumstances,” Egypt shares.
“Our first conversation about money was that, ‘Hey, I don't have no money, okay?' Because there's been past relationships that are no longer existing. There's been things going on that I had to take care of and get through. So you're meeting a man that is pretty much starting from scratch again. How do you feel about it?”
“Otherwise you're building a house of cards that can fall at any minute, but I think money is one of the things. Finances are one of the things that even when people are in love, they still can't make it work and it breaks up marriages. It breaks up relationships because it's a stressor.
“So, yeah it is something that you want to ask about up front. What's your credit? How much do you earn? You don't have to be rich, but I just need to know if if the math is mathing.”
While they don’t believe you should have the money conversation on the first date, they do believe you should have it early to avoid any misunderstandings down the line.
To hear more about their story, check out their podcast, Marriage and Money, and watch the new season of Married to Real Estate on HGTV.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image courtesy