OUR STORY

Too many of us know the feeling of joining groups and clubs but still feeling out of place. Personally, I've always struggled to find my place in the world, and making friends never came easily to me. Sometimes, I felt like I didn’t fit in. Other times, I was that girl in the room who had nothing to say when it was time to share funny stories or witty comments about myself. For years, I accepted this as my reality–until the pandemic flipped the social script. Suddenly, the social awkwardness I’d battled all my life wasn’t just mine anymore. It was everywhere. As I navigated my early 20s in a world where even small talk felt foreign, I wrestled with an unbearable loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

When social clubs and meetups began sprouting up in Atlanta, I thought I’d found the answer. But after months of paying fees and attending Taco Tuesdays with new faces, I realized something was missing. The conversations were surface-level and fleeting. I was still craving a deeper level of connection; I wanted the kind of friendship where you could call someone up for a Target run or sit together in silence on a porch, wine in hand, just passing time and talking about life.

One night, after countless tears and venting into the void of my mostly undiscovered YouTube channel, I turned to the one thing I knew could break barriers and introduce me to new people: the internet. I posted a simple invitation to my 500 TikTok followers, calling Black women and femmes in Atlanta to join me in a courtyard if they wanted to connect—just to feel something. I thought a few might show up. Over 100 did.

That day in January 2023 changed everything. We wrote our names on tags, sat in small groups, and broke through the walls of awkwardness with icebreaker questions that sparked vulnerability and laughter. Seeing people show up, not just for themselves but for each other, was exhilarating. It was proof that community could still exist, even when loneliness felt too difficult to overcome.

From that moment, Free To Be Collective was born. Over the past 18 months, this space has grown into a movement to uplift Black women and femmes by addressing systemic inequities and tearing down the barriers that keep us from forming genuine connections. 

Today, we partner with small Black-owned businesses to host free and low-cost events that foster empathy, creativity, and authenticity - elements that set the foundation for authentic connection. We also share resources for mental health, career development, and overall wellness, all in the spirit of building a collective where everyone feels supported.

Our vision is ambitious, but it aligns so closely with our mission that keeps my heart full. We are a collective that exists to make the world less lonely for women of color, one meaningful interaction at a time. And with each gathering, each laugh, and each moment of shared vulnerability, I know that our vision is coming to life. Free To Be Collective is now a 501 (c)(3), established as a space for us to be free to connect and thrive. We don’t have to do it alone. 

Thank you for believing in us.

XOXO, Tsahai