New Year, Same Me...But Better

As 2017 came to a close, I decided to set aside some time to reevaluate myself. These last 12 months have been exciting, challenging and heartbreaking. I experienced some career highs in the author world. Wrote a book. Had it published and took a blogging opportunity. Picked up an internship. Upped my networking game. Connected with some awesome people. And the list continues to grow.

      What’s a life of highs without the lows to balance it out? Suffering from loss, death, slight depression, wanting to give up and mental warfares took a lot out of me. My soul has taken major hits this year to the point where the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. Sleep was my answer to everything. Am I upset? Sleep it off. Am I mad? Sleep it off. Bad day at work? Sleep it off. Fighting with my loved ones? Sleep it off. Frustrated because I can’t write? Sleep it off. The minutes turned into hours and into days and weeks. Before I knew it, months were going by and the only thing that was getting fed was the negative box that I had put myself in.

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Behind The Brand: Forever Karley

This month I had the opportunity to interview one of my business besties Karlet Hewitt who is the founder of the brand Forever Karley. Karlet always gives it to you straight and she is always asking the tough questions that will make you get your life together. If you dont have someone in your life holding you accountable you defintely need to get in touch with her.  Read below and get a glimpse behind the brand. 

Hey Sis, I know you, but let everyone know a little about you and your business?
I’m Karley, Lifestyle Manager and creator of ForeverKarley.com, a Lifestyle management
consulting firm, specializing in Accountability Coaching
. My focus is holding women accountable
in order to achieve their goals in life &; business by developing innovative solutions for a more productive lifestyle.

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That Toxic Relationship is Killing Your Creativity

It started in 2010. 

I call it my first "real experience" as an entrepreneur. 

 

He and I were friends...OK, maybe a little more than friends and he made me feel as if I shared every aspect of his world. 

 

Lies

I was in my early 30s and at the height of my creativity. I even toyed with the concept for the Gemini Moon Rising series, but they were still just concepts. For nearly three years, I plunged myself into someone else's business and got no ROI. I had no knowledge or experience with the industry and designed an eco-system that still stands as I type. I became a one woman show for a man who simply "OK'ed" an idea for it to move on to the next stage. 

When I finally accepted writing as a profession and not a hobby, I couldn't write for myself. Why? I was too busy writing for his ass! I ran the online mag, created ALL the content, and managed the social media. When the hell was I writing for myself?

Never. 

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Behind The Book "Hola, Morocha!", by Jennifer Poe"

I had the chance to read ,and interview the author of "Hola, Morocha!" by Jennifer Poe. This book was a great read. Reading this book will make you feel like you are sitting down with your sis, and she's giving you all the goods on her travel experiences! This book is a must read for women of color, and all women.  Read below and get a little insight on " Hola, Morocha!" .

 

First and Foremost I wanted to tell you that after reading “Hola, Morocha!” I felt like we were friends, and I wanted to hear more lol.  Before I give away everything can you tell people a little about yourself ,and what this book is about?  

Sure! I am a world traveler and Author and the things that make me the happiest in this life are a ticket to anywhere, books, writing and eating. I’m a big foodie! I’ve been travel blogging since 2011, and started a blog to inspire women of color to travel called, Imported Chocolate. The Imported Chocolate brand encompasses the blog; a pod cast soon to be a live online show called Hot Chocolate With Locals, where I interview other travelers abroad over a hot cup of chocolate; and the Hola, Morocha! series, which is a series of four books that chronicle my life living in Buenos Aires in a fun entertaining way. The first book, Hola, Morocha!, will make you feel like you’re sitting down with a friend drinking a glass of wine and laughing about her crazy travel adventures.

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A Need For Transparency

I don’t dive into my personal life that often. The reason behind that is pretty obvious. Past situations have scarred me to the point where talking about anything personal was permanently off limits. You couldn’t even get me to honestly tell you how my day was going. A simple “it’s cool” or “it’s okay” would be my general responses to those type of questions. But the reality behind it, was that I was really hurting, suffering, stressing, ducking and dodging. My mother is a strong woman. I’ve watched her for 27 years carry the weight of the world on her back without so much as a tear or a complaint. Let’s just say that being strong is one of the character traits that I took from her.

Everybody has a strong friend. The one who seems to have it all together. Following their dreams, in healthy relationships, always having the answers to all of your problems, you know. You may even be that strong friend in your circle. Being strong is all well and good until it’s your turn to vent, cry, kick, scream. For me, I have learned over the years to handle the shit in my home and fix my face before I walk out of the front door every morning. I’m constantly telling myself, “Em, you got this”, “You’re bigger than this”, or my usual “I’m good. I’m always good, even when I’m not.” But eventually, that shrug of the shoulder became too hard to brush off. Eventually, the issues I was facing were too heavy for me shake away.

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