Boots, Blackness, and Becoming: Lessons from Cowboy Carter

Whew. Let me just say—Beyoncé is that girl. Always has been, always will be.

I had the privilege of attending the Cowboy Carter concert, and listen... I’m still processing. I danced, I cried, I cackled, I got free. And yes, I’m still a little salty that Destiny’s Child showed up for Vegas and even Hov popped out. Meanwhile, Night One in ATL? Crickets. Not a single cameo. Not even Solange on a tambourine. But let me not get too shady—because what Beyoncé did give us was a masterclass in embodiment, power, and unapologetic Black liberation.

This concert wasn’t just a show. It was a mirror.

Beyoncé & The Mirror of Liberation

Watching Cowboy Carter live felt like watching someone who has done the deep, uncomfortable, spiritual and emotional work. Beyoncé didn’t just perform — she embodied self-energy. If you’re familiar with Internal Family Systems (IFS), you know what I mean. Self-energy is that grounded, calm, curious, and compassionate presence inside us. It’s the part that can hold all the other parts — the one that isn’t reactive, performative, or trying to please.

That’s what I witnessed.

Watching her command the stage so fully, so securely, made me reflect on what it takes to be that grounded. It’s more than talent or even hard work. That’s Self Energy. It’s the You that just is. Beyoncé has clearly done her inner work. You don’t rewrite the American narrative in rhinestones and fringe without some serious internal alignment.

It reminded me that this kind of public reclamation doesn’t happen without deep internal work. You can’t challenge white supremacy, gender norms, and the narrative of what it means to be American without some serious inner safety. The kind that allows you to move through a world built to break you — and still stay rooted in your joy.

Reclaiming Patriotism, Black Girl Style

Here’s the thing that caught me off guard: Beyoncé had me reflecting on my relationship to patriotism. When the country you live in often doesn’t feel safe... when your ancestors were enslaved to build it... when you’re still fighting for basic rights and recognition... what does patriotism even mean?

I know. That word feels uncomfortable. For a lot of us, especially those of us descended from enslaved Africans, being American has never felt like something to be proud of. The flag doesn’t feel like it waves for us. “Freedom” doesn’t always feel like it includes us. And being Black in America often comes with a level of vigilance that makes rest, joy, and pride feel... rebellious.

But then here comes Bey. Dripped in denim and leather, crooning about the South, legacy, and bloodlines. Telling us in her own way that we’ve always belonged.

Cowboy Carter reminded me: we are America. Our music. Our stories. Our labor. Our style. Our resilience.

So why wouldn’t I be proud?

We built this country. Our ancestors laid the literal and cultural foundations

of this nation. So who better to reclaim it? If Beyoncé can wrap herself in the complexity of Black Southern womanhood and declare herself Cowboy Carter—if she can dare to love the land and still critique the systems that tried to erase her—then maybe we can too.

Maybe it’s not about feeling patriotic in the way we’ve been taught. Maybe it’s about reclaiming pride in what our people have survived, built, and become.

Beyoncé isn’t waving a flag to say, “everything’s fine.” She’s holding the mirror up and saying, “This is mine too.” She’s rewriting the narrative and doing it from a place of embodied truth. She’s not performing patriotism — she’s redefining it.

Liberation Starts Within

This show reminded me that liberation is an inside job first. You can’t challenge white supremacy, patriarchy, and erasure without a deep sense of inner safety. That internal knowing that says: I deserve to take up space. I don’t have to prove my worth. I get to exist in my fullness.

Beyoncé’s ability to stand ten toes down in her art, in her message, and in her identity is the result of doing the kind of internal work that many of us are still afraid to start. And that’s not a judgment—that’s an invitation. Because when you connect with your Self (capital S), when you unblend from all the parts that were trained to shrink, you start to feel it: the freedom. The fire. The clarity. The you underneath the survival.

And from that place? You’re unstoppable.

Final Thoughts (and a little shade)

I may not have gotten a surprise guest in ATL. No Michelle harmonies. No Jay-Z bars. Not even a "Hey y’all" from Solange. But what I did get was Beyoncé holding up a mirror and saying: You are allowed to be soft, strong, Southern, spiritual, and sovereign.

So to my fellow Black and Brown professionals navigating work, systems, and survival: take this as your reminder that liberation isn’t a destination. It’s a daily practice. It’s in how we treat our bodies, how we unlearn shame, how we reconnect with our Self, and how we dare to be proud of who we are—even in a country that doesn’t always love us back.

Beyoncé reminded me that I am already free. Now it’s my job to live like it.

Journal Prompts:

1. What does “inner safety” feel like in your body?

2. Have you ever felt conflicted about being American? What would it mean to reclaim that pride on your own terms?

3. Which parts of you still feel like they have to hustle for belonging? What might they need instead?

4. What parts of yourself feel unsafe taking up space?

5. How has your relationship to being American shifted over time?

6. What does liberation look and feel like in your body?

7. What would embodying your own “self-energy” look like this week?

Cowboy Carter Healing Playlist

Ready to Reclaim Your Own Liberation?

If Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter era had you reflecting on your own identity, inner safety, or what it means to take up space as a Black or Brown professional — you’re not alone.

At Revived Soul Wellness, we specialize in therapy and consultation rooted in liberation, rest, and radical self-connection for high-achieving BIPOC clients. Whether you’re navigating burnout, generational pressure, or just craving a deeper relationship with yourself — we’re here to support you.

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