IN THIS LIFE: STORYTELLING THROUGH CREATIVITY

In 2007,  I began my journey in the creative space as an intern at BIG GATES Records in Tampa, FL, a label representing Grammy-Nominated & Multi-Platinum Selling artist, Plies. By 2012, my interest in the lives of artists inspired the founding of Our Womanhood, where I conducted in-depth interviews with celebrities and influencers, capturing interesting stories from the most bold and brilliant people from across the globe. Some of these interviews included: Erica Ash (actress, STARZ’S SURVIVOR’S REMORSE), Nikki SooHoo Shamos (actress, THE LOVELY BONES directed by Peter Jackson), Daphne Wayans (VH1’S HOLLYWOOD EXES), Carolyn Malachi (Grammy-Nominated artist) Akoshia Yoba (author of Please Return My Phone Call! Preventing The Demise Of Personal And Professional Relationships co-authored with brother and actor Malik Yoba), Keah Moffett (actress and director, featured in Solange Knowles’ Don't Touch My Hair, and Cranes in the Sky creative projects), JaSSiEUO (artist and photographer), Miranda Rae Mayo (actress, NBC’S CHICAGO FIRE), Tiffany B Chanel (artist and designer) and Myesha Chaney (OXYGEN’S PREACHERS OF L.A.)

In 2014, I stepped into producing with my role as an Executive Producer of The Affair movie (California), created by Husband and Wife team Network TV Director Craig Ross Jr. (NCIS, BONES, PRISON BREAK, COLD CASE, BLUE HILL AVENUE) & actress-dancer Caryn Ward Ross (HE'S MINE NOT YOURS, MARRIAGE CHRONICLES, BET'S THE GAME, THE SHIELD). During 2018, I saw an opportunity to be involved as an Associate Producer of She Did That. film (New York) created by Renae Bluitt of In Her Shoes blog. The film features vulnerable conversations with four change agents - Luvvie Ajayi (NYT best-selling author), Lisa Price (founder, Carol's Daughter), Melissa Butler (founder, The Lip Bar) and Tonya Rapley (founder, My Fab Finance.). She Did That. film is available to view on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Apple TV, Youtube, PLEX, and The Roku Channel.

I am the author of The Fire in Our Throats (2024), and 125 Mantras for the Woman Who’s Known Pain; And Longs to Be Free (2024).  In 2021, I was selected as a MARTHA'S VINEYARD INSTITUTE OF CREATIVE WRITING (MVICW) Voices of Color Poet Fellow, where I spent time honing in on what was important - the message of my work. This year, I launched my audio project,The Power Manifesto, available on iTunes, Spotify, TIDAL, and other major streaming platforms. An audio edition of The Fire in Our Throats (2024) and 125 Mantras for the Woman Who’s Known Pain; And Longs to Be Free (2024) will be released in 2025.

In 2024 I founded RROTs™. RROTs™ (pronounced “roots”) is for the person who values legacy. RROTs™ (pronounced “roots”) is a new, Black-owned designer brand whose angle of design is otherworldly - being in this world but not of this world. Because you know how far your roots reach—off-world and beyond this universe— it is important that you continue building upon this legacy. In every aspect of your life, far and wide, they will know what is important to you: legacy - you wear who you are, you emulate what you value.

The All That I Have™ (2023) art series launches my designer clothing brand, RROTs™ with 29 women, men, and unisex designs. Completed in 2023, the All That I Have™ creative designs are derived from my original, handcrafted, acrylic artwork. Each work is carefully ideated, sketched, and painted. Each hue, thoughtfully chosen. The All That I Have™ collection focuses on bending traditional ideas of what Black female emotion looks like manifested through body language. These bodies take on alien, foreign-like, appearance to represent the Black woman in the Diaspora: one who is in this world but not of this world.

Press encompasses Forbes, the Tamron Hall Show, BlackFilm.com, The Miami Herald, Essence, Insider, Black Enterprise, Shondaland, Shadow And Act, Revolt, Xo Necole, Afrotech, CNN Headline News, and more.

IN ANOTHER LIFE: leadership through technology and entrepreneurship

I have 10+ years of leadership experience within the entrepreneurship and technology space. During my tenure on the Business for All Grants Council — composed of leaders from across the business ecosystem representing diverse organizations, industries, locations, and demographics across the business ecosystem — I was proud to represent women of color within the technology space. I provided expert guidance and feedback on inclusive grant application and evaluation processes. Powered by Hello Alice and in partnership with Verizon, 35 Business for All recipients, including 32 individual businesses and three business support organizations, received grants of up to $50,000 to support long-term business growth.

I founded and led i-Subz, a technology based, an award-winning tech company that provided an online marketplace for substitutes and low-income schools to connect. I developed the first technology system for daily evaluations for substitutes. i-Subz ensured 2,000+ K-8 students experienced continued learning.

I am featured in The New Builders book, By Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride: “Seth, a venture capitalist, is a Co-founder and partner of Foundry Group, a Boulder, CO-based venture firm. Elizabeth, an international business journalist, has been featured in The Washington Post, BBC, MIT Review, Quartz, and other publications” (The New Builders, 2021). I am also featured in Launching While Female, by Susanne Althoff. Susanne “is a veteran journalist and assistant professor at Emerson College in Boston, where she teaches publishing entrepreneurship and women’s media…Althoff [also] worked for twenty-two years as a magazine editor, including six years as the editor in chief of the Boston Globe Magazine” (Launching While Female, 2020).

My speaking and social advocacy efforts include: Speaker, Badge Summit, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2023; Speaker, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, 2020; Speaker, Skillcrush, Diversity Panel, 2019; Speaker, Women Who Lead, Tech, Tampa Bay, 2019; and Speaker, Kauffman Foundation, Entrepreneurship Advocacy, 2019.

I also participated in various prestigious programs and competitions that include: Fellow, Camelback Ventures, 2019; Fellow, The Coaching Fellowship, 2019; Finalist, Google’s Women Who Tech Pitch Competition, Top 10 Finalist 2019 ; Fellow, Goodie Nation School-to-Prison (STP) Pipeline, 2018; Program Participant, digitalundivided, BIG Incubator, 2018; and Semi-Finalist, Echoing Green, 2018. 

Press includes Forbes, Marketplace, MIT Ideas That Matter and MIT Sloan, USA Today, MSN, EVOKE by Melinda Gates, The Grio, Medium, Hypepotamus, FACE2FACE AFRICA, and more.

As a Passionate Tech Champion, whose work has impacted over 500+ businesses, it is important that my legacy be known to have lifted the underrepresented to visibility.