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Book Cover for: Drink Water and Mind Your Business: A Black Woman's Guide to Unlearning the Bs and Healing Your Self-Esteem, Donna Oriowo

Drink Water and Mind Your Business: A Black Woman's Guide to Unlearning the Bs and Healing Your Self-Esteem

Donna Oriowo

Self-esteem ain't self-taught--and it does see color.

Let's be real: society was not built with the needs of Black women in mind. And as a result, we learn that the only way to feel good about ourselves is to prioritize everyone else's needs over our own. We find our value in being the perfect partner, mother, daughter, employee, and friend. But that is exhausting. Instead of feeling good about how dope we are--regardless of our service, bank account, or looks--we only feel good about what we do for others.

Supremacy culture teaches us to hate Black people, to hate women, and to especially hate Black women... except when they need us to either save them or serve them. So in a world where our service is required for acceptance, how could we ever feel good about ourselves while also giving the middle finger to systems of power? How can we possibly live our best lives? How are we supposed to feel confident, secure, and fabulous AF in our bodies?

The answer: Self-esteem. Self-esteem as we know it has been gatekept by the white and male supremacist delusions for far too long. It's time to put power where it actually belongs.

In Drink Water and Mind Your Business, Dr. Donna Oriowo helps readers understand the basic foundations of self-esteem--what it is, how society molds it, and how it affects us all--and offers real, meaningful solutions to feel like the most glorious and badass versions of themselves. Based on years of research and Dr. Donna's career as a licensed sex and relationship therapist, this book will help you set boundaries, prioritize your needs, understand your immense worth, and pursue a life that brings you pleasure and joy.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Sourcebooks
  • Publish Date: May 13rd, 2025
  • Pages: 256
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.50in - 0.70in - 0.75lb
  • EAN: 9781728281513
  • Categories: Personal Growth - Self-EsteemSexualityBlack Studies (Global)

About the Author

Oriowo, Donna: -

Dr. Donna Oriowo (oreo-whoa!) LICSW, CST, is an award-winning DEI advocate, international speaker and certified sex and relationship therapist in the Washington D.C. metro area. Dr. Donna is the owner of private practice, AnnodRight, which specializes in working with Black women on issues related to colorism and texturism and its impacts on mental and sexual health. Dr. Donna specializes in working with Black women to feel Free, Fabulous, and F*cked! She is the author of Cocoa Butter & Hair Grease: A Self Love Journey Through Hair and Skin and the host of a weekly community space for Black women called In My Black Feelings. Dr. Donna collects inspiring quotes, eats donuts, loves pasta, travels to learn, gives COVID safe handshakes, warm hugs, and (figurative) knocks on the head.

Dr. Oriowo served as DEI Co-chair and Communications Steering Committee Chair for AASECT. She is a member of the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN). She can be found on social media @Dr.DonnaOriowo, or you can visit her on the interwebs at DonnaOriowo.com.

Praise for this book

"This book was truly written for us and by us.... You will walk away feeling empowered to tackle any of life's issues in a way that only a black woman can." -- Kiaundra Jackson, LMFT, Licensed therapist, bestselling author, award-winning speaker, TV personality
"This book is thoughtful, with exercises that are helpful and contribute to the healing and self-reflection process." -- Dr. Lexx Brown-James, sexologist and creator of The Black Girls' Guide to Empathy
"Finally! A book that speaks directly to us, for us.... In a world that tells us who we should be, how we should look, and what we should tolerate, this book is the unlearning we didn't know we needed.... For any Black woman who's ever questioned her confidence, struggled with embracing her desires, or felt like she needed permission to put herself first, this book is her permission slip. It's time to heal, unlearn, and thrive on your own terms!" -- Dr. Shamyra Howard, LCSW, Certified Sex Therapist
"Being a Black woman in a world not built for us can be so draining. We are tired. Thankfully, Dr. Donna Oriowo is here with the soul medicine we need to help us protect our boundaries, kick people-pleasing to the curb, and take control of our own narratives. Drink Water and Mind Your Business is a funny and empowering read that's layered with professional insights, raw experience and seasoned wisdom. Written for us from a place of deep love, this is the self-esteem guide that every Black woman needs to become the fullest version of herself." -- Uju Asika, author of Bringing Up Race, A World for Me and You, and Raising Boys Who Do Better
"An essential book for surviving and thriving in the current era--or any era. Practical, funny, empathetic, shame-free, and joyful." -- Emily Nagoski, PhD, New York Times Bestselling Author of Come Together, Come As You Are, and Burnout