1. I operate with cultural fluency, not just skill. I understand Black beauty, language, energy, and community instinctively. My work honors culture, not trends. 2. I read people and rooms instantly. Tone, intention, motive — I see the truth before anyone explains themselves. 3. I innovate from necessity, not privilege. My creativity comes from survival intelligence. Pressure sharpened my talent. 4. My resilience is proven, not theoretical. I’ve rebuilt myself through depress

When systems fail you, it’s the time to lean on your own creativity and your community. I’ve been learning that firsthand. Most mornings look the same. Eggs, a protein shake, and a big cup of water mixed with Propel and creatine. It’s not glamorous, but it’s fuel — for my workouts, my goals, and for Nola waiting by her bowl. That routine keeps me anchored while everything else keeps shifting. I’m in a season where stability and discomfort exist side by side. I don’t ignore th

My new therapist introduced EMDR, the eye movement technique that’s supposed to help your brain process old trauma. He told me to find a “safe place,” and all I could think about was how much it felt like a Get Out scene. I’m trying to heal, not be hypnotized by a white man with calm eye contact. Still, I stayed. Because I’m learning that healing doesn’t always feel comfortable. Sometimes it’s awkward, confusing, or just plain weird, but I’ve come too far to keep quitting thi

I just picked up a couple of pairs of scrubs for the upcoming conference. It’s more than just looking professional. It’s stepping into a mindset of guidance and mentorship. I’m creating space to learn from other stylists, get my own hair done, and soak up techniques and insight. Funny thing? My business degrees actually make this work make sense. Who knew all those finance classes would come in handy calculating braids per hour? I started off dorm based, then apartment based.

A reflection on vulnerability, mental unraveling, and the ache of feeling spiritually close but emotionally alone There was a connection...

When Adult Debt Pulls Up Without a Warning There’s no car in my driveway. No fresh keys. No dealership photo moment. And yet, somehow,...

Here I wrote this title months ago and immediately closed the app like it was too loud in the room. I was deep in a “Cranes in the Sky” era — trying to shop it away, work it away, braid it away. Truthfully, I didn’t want to write it. I wanted to feel better without saying the hard part out loud. But here I am, finally facing what I’ve been dodging. Not because I’m over it. Because I’m done moving like I don’t still feel it sometimes. That includes the ways I avoided hard trut

The Early Phases: Understanding the Journey When I first started my loc journey, I didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t just about...

The new year is always a good time to reflect and think about the changes we want to make. But, let's be honest-it's not always easy to...