Who I Am and Why I Created This

My name is Anisa Kenyatta Parks. Most call me Ah-nee-sah. Some call me Ken-ya-tah. People who knew me from high school know me as Nee-sah. And my family still calls me, “Nee-see” to this day.

And for a long time, I lived in the space between who I was… and who I knew I could be.

On paper, I’ve built things.
Led things.
Created spaces for others to feel seen, valued, and empowered.

But internally?

I was still navigating procrastination.
Still questioning my voice.
Still shrinking in moments where I should’ve been standing fully in my power.

I often felt small.

Not because I didn’t have something to offer—but because somewhere along the way, I started believing I needed to be more before I could be visible.

More prepared.
More polished.
More certain.

And when you live like that, you delay everything that matters.

You overthink.
You second-guess.
You wait for the “right moment” that never actually comes.

And if I’m being honest, there were moments I felt like an imposter in my own life.

Like I had somehow found my way into rooms I hadn’t fully earned.
Like eventually, someone would realize I didn’t belong.

But here’s what I’ve come to understand:

That feeling wasn’t truth.
It was fear.
It was conditioning.
It was the result of navigating spaces that didn’t always reflect back who I truly was.

And I got tired of it.

Tired of holding back.
Tired of over-editing myself.
Tired of dimming my light to make things feel more comfortable—for other people and for myself.

Because the truth is, shrinking has a cost.

And eventually, that cost becomes too high.

That’s why I created Notes from The Curated Misfit.

Not because I have it all figured out.
But because I don’t.

This space isn’t about perfection—it’s about process.

It’s about telling the truth about what it looks like to grow, to struggle, to question yourself, and to keep showing up anyway.

It’s about unpacking the habits that keep us stuck—like procrastination, fear, and imposter syndrome—and replacing them with something more honest, more intentional.

It’s about choosing to be seen before you feel “ready.”

Because that’s the shift I’m making in my own life.

I’m no longer waiting for permission.
I’m no longer waiting to feel completely confident.
I’m no longer waiting for everything to be perfect before I move.

I’m showing up now.

Fully.
Honestly.
On purpose.

And if you’ve ever felt like you didn’t quite fit the mold…
If you’ve ever questioned your place in the rooms you’ve worked hard to enter…
If you’ve ever dimmed your light just to feel safe…

Then this space is for you too.

Because being a “misfit” was never about not belonging.

It’s about choosing yourself anyway.

It’s about curating your life, your voice, and your identity—on your terms.

So these are my notes.

Real-time reflections.
Lessons I’m learning as I go.
Truths I can’t ignore anymore.

And maybe, as I write them…
you’ll find pieces of yourself in them too.

I am Anisa Parks.

I am The Curated Misfit.

And I’m done playing small