Fearless Reloaded Conference

 

Fearless Reloaded

The Fearless Reloaded conference was an awesome and engaging experience. The 3-day conference consisted of a series of panels and networking opportunities. The conference presented many opportunities to engage with Black-Women owned businesses.

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Day 1 – Cocktail Reception

  • The cocktail reception was an awesome kick-off to the conference to engage with panelist and business owners in a relaxed setting.

Day 2 – Fearless Conference – This was a fulfilling 12-hour day!

Personal Note: What an awesome way to wake up on a Saturday. Excellent view (conference held on 27th floor), bomb music (DJ was poppin), and being in a room filled with #BlackGirlMagic!

Keynote Speaker – Pat Smith (Author/Actress)

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    • Theme: Second Chances & Transparency
    • For many years, Pat felt like she had to fake her brokenness and hide her imperfections to be accepted and respected.
    • Use your setbacks, rejections, and down falls as opportunities to re-direct your journey.
    • Losing in the Miss USA pageant altered her perspective and she saw 1st runner up as a failure. She tried to find things to fill the void she developed from losing.
    • She was hurting on the inside, and felt like she had to fake it to make it.
  • Use your test as a testimony and sharing how you encountered and overcame adversity.
    • In order to be fearless, you have to be transparent.
    • “When you’re broken, God can use you.” – Pat
  • Jealousy: She found herself being jealous of her husband for continuing to pursue his interest after football.
    • She had to check herself, and realized she felt this way because she was not walking in her purpose.
    • We can admire, but shouldn’t be envious. When you walk in your own purpose, you can genuinely clap for others success.
    • “If he’s called you for it, he’ll make provisions for it.” Pat

Finance – (Nicole Collette, Dominique Broadway, Erika Blair, Ngum Sue)

    • Theme: How to build wealth and financially invest for the present and future
    • Investment Portfolio should consist of stock, crypto-currency, and real-estate.
      • Stocks
        • Look at what products you use on a regular basis and look for investment opportunities there.
      • Cyrpto-currency
        • Put 5% of your investment portfolio in cryto-currency.
      • Real Estate
        • Buy Tax Lein Properties.
        • Look into Detroit and Baltimore for investment property.
    • Invest in yourself first:
      • Developing a good relationship with your finances
      • Financial Education
      • Monetize on things you enjoy
    • Multiple Streams of income
      • When evaluating multiple streams of income, perfect the first, before moving on to the second.
      • Making your streams of income relatable
        • I.e. Public speaking engagements, books, consulting.

Faith

Faith

  • Daily Spiritual Practices
    • Set aside time daily for personal devotion.
    • Set aside time daily for family devotion.
    • Time Management:
      • Set Priorities
      • Create to-do list
      • Set a strict schedule
  • Pivot in moments of failure and self-doubt.
    • Recognize that you are your biggest critc.
    • Speak positive affirmations to combat the self-doubt.
    • Realize that success is defined by how you fulfill your purpose.
    • “It takes a tribe to launch a successful business” – Christina
    • Surround yourself with people who are ahead of you in business and/or faith to pour into your life.
    • Allow every situation to grow your faith.
  • Refill your cup – Self Care
    • Taking daily & weekly time for self to quiet the noise, shut-down, and unplug.
    • Therapy is an important part of self-care
    • God can’t use you if you’re empty
    • Be careful not to become addicted to busy!
      • You can’t be everything to everybody.
      • Analyze life and lean-in to what needs your attention and what can wait.
      • Evaluate if it’s the time or season for this endeavor.
      • Say yes to important
    • “If you’re always doing, we’re not growing.” – Aventar Gray

Hustlers – (Karen Civil, Karleen Roy, Angel White, Necole Kane, Tahirah Joy, Cesily)

Hustle

  • Handling Rejection:
    • Why did we receive this no? Is this an opportunity to re-direct or go harder?
    • When you start feeling uncomfortable in business, it’s time to evaluate your presence in this space.
  • Monetize without overshadowing passion
    • Creating goals for every networking event
    • “Don’t chase the check, chase the relationship!” – Karleen Roy
  • Success
    • In your 20’s, success is doing what brings you a check.
    • In your 30’s success is doing what brings you peace.
  • Strengths / Weaknesses
    • Doing an accurate evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses. Get a clear understanding of things that bring you joy and move forward in that space.
    • Outsource things that are not a strength and focus your energy on things that make you happy.

Family Business – (McBride Sisters)

  • Theme: Dreaming and Driving
  • Have Unapologetic tenacity: Never apologize for your passion or intelligence
  • Biggest Challenges:
    • No Money
    • No Experience
  • The Journey
    • Started as a wine import company
    • Hit the grown running and went from a wine import company to a wine company in 4 years.
    • Key – Created strategic relationships with large wine companies as mentors and partners and realigned once partnerships were no longer viable.
    • Mentorship
      • It’s important to have mentors and experts around to guide you.

Health & Wellness

  • Heart Disease is killing women
    • 80% of heart disease cases are preventable or reversible.
  • Fibroids
    • 8 out of 10 women suffer from fibroids
    • Fibroids are treatable and a hysterectomy should NOT be the option to treat fibroids.
  • Therapy is IMPORTANT
    • Therapy helps you learn yourself.
    • Vulnerability is a strength.
    • Sharing your highlight wheel is not the most important thing when sharing your journey, being vulnerable and sharing the obstacles are what help other people overcome their obstacles.

Fearless Reunion – (Michelle Williams, Keisha Knight Pulliam, Meagan Good)

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  • Consistent Self-Care Practice
    • Meditation
    • Prayer
    • Affirmation
    • Be Present
    • “Keep your power and not taking ownership of others opinions of you.” – KKP
  • Enjoy the Journey
    • Be aware that you’re in the process
    • Be Patient
    • Work hard until you manifest your dreams into reality.
    • Work to combat imposter syndrome
    • Everything we go through is a vessel to get to the present.
    • Share your journey with others.
  • What would you tell your younger self?
    • It’s ok to have standards. – MW
    • You teach people how to treat you by the way you treat yourself. – KKP
    • You’re AMAZING and UNSTOPPABLE. There is nothing you can’t accomplish. – KKP
    • You’re worthy. – MG
    • Relinquish the vision of how you thought things were supposed to go and embrace the way things are.

Guest Speaker/ Keynote – Devon Franklin

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  • Key Takeaways from this Talk
    • Success = Peace
    • God is the only one who can direct your story.
    • Make your fears your to-do list.
    • Keep your intentions pure.
    • Problems are an opportunity for reward.
    • Always serve others.
    • Owning your differences and be you you’re supposed to be.
    • We’re all given talent and time:
      • Disengage with people who waste your time
      • Time is like good seed, it produces something.

Day 3 – Fearless Brunch

Mother/Wife/Entrepreneur

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  • Key Takeaways from this Talk
    • You can have it all!!
    • You need to define what having it all is for you.
    • Success is not defined by money, but freedom and flexibility. -Monique Rodriquez (Mielle Organics)
    • Don’t think of trying to balance everything in your life, but how do you integrate everything in your life!
    • Parenthood: your presence is not important, you being present in their life is important.
    • Ruthless prioritization is important and designating time for certain things.
    • Surround yourself with people who are strong where you’re weak. To give you support where you need it.
    • Speak words of encouragement and appreciation to your partner.
    • Communicate with your partner what you’re thinking and how you feel.
    • Success is not Owned it’s rented, and rent is due every day. – quote Monique Rodriquez
    • Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone’s chapter 300. – Monique Rodriquez
    • In our lack, God is more than enough.
    • Stop serving from your fumes, serve from your over flow. – Nikki
    • Peace is the new success.

 

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HerFancy30thBDAY

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On December 17, 2016, I turned 30 years old. I have never felt so fulfilled in all of my life. I am a woman who experienced pain, embarrassment, love, loss, death, life, excitement, and accomplishment in my 20’s. I’m excited to close the door to the 20th chapter of my life, and open the door to Chapter 30!

I look forward to seeing my hard work pay off in my 30’s. I’m seeing it now in the first week! I look forward to being more carefree and enjoying every single moment.

I look forward to saying F the stretch marks, and so what if I’m squeezing into my size 6 jeans. Knowing next week, they may be an 8.

I look forward to traveling and seeing the world with my beautiful baby girl!

My 20’s taught me:

1. Strive for Greatness.
2. Stay humble.
3. Give Back.
4. Love yourself.
5. Be relentless about making your dreams a reality.
6. Knowing that what is meant to be will be.
7. Hard work pays off.
8. Be confident.
9. Know your worth.
10. F* your pride.
11. Do what makes you happy.
12. Self-Care is a must.
13. Work-Out.
14. Be kind to others.
15. Allow people to be who they are.
16. Your circle reflects you.
17. Eliminate toxic people from your life.
18. If you focus on you, you won’t see where others are lacking.
19. Have integrity.
20. TRAVEL! – See the world.
21. Use spellcheck.
22. Show appreciation.
23. Be Grateful.
24. Think before you speak.
25. Help heal and not tear down.
26. Write your goals on paper.
27. Be honest and have tact.
28. Privacy is important.
29. Be organized.
30. Slay.

Young People…. STOP F*ing up your life.

There is a young woman who is 23 years old. I’ve known her all of her life. Her sister is one of my Best Friends, and our families have been close since before I was born.

This young sista is beautiful and smart (or so I thought). She has not always made the right decisions but really who has? From the outside looking in, I thought she was trying. She had gone out of state for college, but a series of poor decisions brought her home to her sister’s couch without a degree. She ended up finding retail employment for about $12.00 per hour.

Me being the problem-solving diva that I am, I reached out to her to let her know about a free training program in her field of interest that could potentially double her income. This training program would be free to her for 5 to 6 hours a day for 16 weeks. Previous graduates of this program are making between $20.00 to $40.00 per hour.

She led me to believe she was really interested in this opportunity. She attended the orientation, completed the test, and participated in 3 interviews, just to not show up on the first day of class.

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This is a program that had over 100 applicants for 23 spaces. I spoke to the instructor and the counselors to ensure she got into this cohort. I feel like she slapped me in the face and F*d off an opportunity to change her life.

She’s standing still right now, with no direction as to where her life is going. She’s not thinking about her future and is consumed with getting her nails done and ordering the best hair for her sew-in. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing wrong with getting your hair and nails done, but that can’t be the purpose of your life.

I just want to yell, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re not living up to your potential and as an adult, it’s no ones fault but your own. Be accountable, be a woman of your word, and don’t drag other people down with you. I didn’t have to put my name on the line for you, I didn’t have to extend the olive branch to give you a life-changing opportunity, but I did because I love you, I respect you, and I know you could have a bright future if you apply yourself and commit to something.

What’s, even more, sad is the lack of accountability and the need to play the blame game instead of saying I F*d up. I took it back to our Shule Mandela Academy days and recited a portion of a pledge we recited daily that stated: “All learning is not fun, some learning is tedious, but we cannot be black and proud, and all so be dumb, therefore we must learn, we are the next generation.” I get crickets from her, so I’m done. I can no longer help people that don’t want to help themselves.

Fortunately, I don’t mind helping another young sista, I just can’t help her.

Call to Action: Young People, take control of your life and Live life to it’s fullest potential because we only get one. Take advantage of every opportunity and go for all of your dreams!

Teach.Inspire.Motivate.Empower

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Gratitude is a KEY to Success!

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“The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see” – Dr. Robert Holden

 

No Discounts in 2016

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Often times with relationships, all relationships including friendships, romantic relationships, and relationships with family, we let other people treat us in a manner that doesn’t make us feel good. We allow them to lie to us (discount), make fools of us (discount), and not be people of their word (discount). When we allow people to treat us in this manner, we feel hurt, we feel unworthy, and we feel insignificant. When we let people do this to us time and time again, we are giving them discounts, which show how we feel about ourselves as oppose to how another person feels about us. When you know your value, you don’t give discounts.

When you think of High-end Luxury brands, you’ll notice that they don’t discount their prices, because they know their worth, and understand that people, who value their product, will pay what is asked. We need to know our worth, and when people don’t value and/or appreciate us, we need to let them go. In life, some people will be leaves, others will be branches, and it’s up to us to figure out who deserves to be permanent fixtures in our lives.

I’m not allowing people to treat me like I’m a fool in 2016, it is true that I don’t have control over their actions, but I do have control over who is a part of my life, and this year I’m moving forward to live Happy, Healthy, and Wealthy. I have no time for people seeking discounts, people who are constantly taking and never giving, people who are not equally yoked, and people that don’t appreciate the value I contribute.

I wish you all a Joyous, Prosperous, and Happy 2016!

Teach.Inspire.Motivate.Empower

Picture from the amazing artist Pienele Chill

LIVE YOUR LEGEND

LIVE YOUR LEGEND

I was home this weekend and decided to watch a few TED TALKS that my friend recommended. OMG, I felt so intrigued by the idea of LIVING YOUR LEGEND! As humans, we are often faced with decisions that will change our life, and we usually choose what is safe vs. what we truly desire. We choose what is safe because we don’t feel good enough to have what we really want. We let our feelings of inadequacy and insecurity prevent us from following our dreams and desires. Living Your Legend is about finding your passion and unapologetically going after what you want and the life you want.

This came to me at a perfect time in my life. I’m in a place of transition and right now I’m sitting in a parking lot trying to figure out what path I want to take. I often feel beaten up, discouraged, inadequate, and fearful, because I’ve faced rejection so many times. After while you start to believe that you’ll never have what you desire, because it’s so hard to attain. I’ve realized that I have to encourage myself! I have to know that what is meant for me is for me and if I don’t get what think I want, it may be for the best.

I wish all of you a happy and productive week and remember to LIVE YOUR LEGEND!

Was the Thrill Worth it?

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My best friend has been seeing a guy off and on for 5 years. OMG……he is such a freaking DOGGGGGG. He is tall, dark, handsome, and very successful. A recipe for DOGG…..LOL. They have a very interesting relationship, he would randomly come around and whisk her away on mini vacations. As a responsible best friend, I expressed to her that something was up with him and she insisted that they had an understanding and I backed off…… I had a feeling he was in a relationship but didn’t want to stick my nose too far into a situation that didn’t belong to me.

Here we are 5 years after they met and the poop has hit the fan. They were getting ready for a long weekend trip together, and she was looking for a good book for the ride. She enjoyed reading the first book he wrote, so she asked him for suggestions for books by other authors in his genre. She didn’t hear back from him soon enough and decided to google him to see what other book suggestions arise. Well, the google search gave her more than she bargained for.
She found out he got married last year and has a newborn baby. Yes, married last year and they’ve been dating (well knowing each other) for 5 years. I could not believe it. How do you lie about your whole life?

To his credit, he never promised my girl long-term, he never made any commitments or sold any dreams, but he lied about his relationship status for years. He never said he was in a committed relationship, never once said he even had a girlfriend, let along a fiancé or a wife, and these were questions she asked on a regular basis. When they met, he told her that he had just gone through a divorce and was enjoying being single. When she confronted him, he said we have a good thing going, and my relationship with my WIFE is complicated. Let’s continue what we have. This man must be crazy to think she would be comforatble being his mistress.

Why are men so freaking selfish. Just going around lying and hurting people. Let’s not even discuss the health risk, when you’re sleeping around with multiple partners and your partners are sleeping with multiple partners. This shows the lack of respect that he has for his marriage and his wife.

What’s even sadder is his amazing, well educated, well-accomplished wife doesn’t know who he really is. This man has a secret life where he is taking other women on trips with their money and sleeping with them. He is putting his family at risk, and I wonder is it really worth the thrill.

I’m shocked that it took my girl this long to google this man. These days, that’s the first thing you do.

Please note: I received her permission to blog about her experience.

Missing my Mommy!

 

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7-18-2008Screenshot_2015-05-08-07-59-46 was the hardest day of my life and now 7-18 any year has become difficult for me to deal with. It was the day my mom passed away. I will never forget that phone call, that moment, that feeling, the hurt, pain, and devastation I felt. This year, I vowed that I was going to celebrate my mom in a way that didn’t make me feel overwhelmed with sadness, but to celebrate the love we shared, the bond we had, and memories we made.

So on 7/18/2015, I stayed busy, spent time with friends and enjoyed myself, but 7/19/2015 was the worst. I was sad, crying, everything reminded me of her, everything hurt my feelings. I don’t know how to stop hurting, they say it gets easiBaby Ber to deal with over time, but 7 years later and it feels the same.I love my mom so much and miss her dearly. I miss loving her and her loving me. I was pregnant with my daughter when I lost my mom, it makes me love my daughter even more. I’m grateful to my creator for blessing me with a mom, who thought my light was brighter than the sun, she was my number 1 fan, and I am forever grateful for everything we went through together, it prepared me for a tough world.

Rest in Peace Mommy! I love and miss you with everything in me!

So, I tried a new barber………Barber Chronicles…….the Struggle

So, I’ve been asking people about barbers, and it seems as if no one in my immediate circle goes to a barber on a consistent basis. A co-worker of mine referred his father to me, but when I called him he seemed a bit aggressive. After our first conversation, I thought to myself I’ll pass.
I didn’t want to drive all the way to Richmond to see my previous barber, so I decided to just test one out. I found a small barbershop near my house. I wanted my hair cut on a Thursday, so I went in on Wednesday to check out the place. The place was packed and everyone had a client in their chair but the guy in the front. (note: I would not take the barber in the front of the shop with no clients.) As soon as I walked in, everyone smiled, greeted me and made me feel welcomed. I just walked to the man who I seemed to have made eye contact with first, and his name was ED. I looked a mess to in my gym clothes and feeling tired from my workout. He first tried to have me sit in the barber’s chair that I was avoiding and I said no. He then asked me when I wanted my haircut, and to take his number down and let him know when I wanted to come in.
As soon as I got home I sent him a very professional text letting him know the date and time I wanted my hair cut. He proceeded to ask me “what’s up with the purple hair”, first off bra, that’s not good customer service, but my co-worker said I can’t be sensitive with this hair cut…LOL, so I let it slide. I went and got my hair cut the next day, and was dolled up. I didn’t want to go in looking a mess two days in a row with all these handsome men around….LOL. I was turned off by the smoking section in the front…..(gross)….I can’t stand people smoking in public places, but I was there so I went in. I sat in his chair and he was very nice and pleasant. He asked me a few questions about what I wanted and a few questions about life while other barbers chimed in. It was cool.
Once he was done, I was satisfied. Not excited, but not disappointed. After getting home, I started getting all these text messages from him. He felt the need to tell me how great I looked without make-up, but how I know how to not do too much with the makeup. He even requested I send him pictures of myself after I sponge roll my hair. I was like damn dude. Did you really just try and push up on me. I just want to get a good haircut and mind my business. Now I’m scared to tell him I’m not interested, because I don’t want him to mess up my hair, but I don’t want him to think that he has action at anything with me. The struggle is real……I’m going to continue my search in finding a good barber in the Bay.