I challenge you to close your eyes and visualize for a second an archetype of the quintessential professional woman: What does she have on? What does she smell like? Where is she headed, to court? An office maybe? A production set or doctor's office?

Now tell me what her hair looks like?

Most of us probably imagined a slick back ponytail, an expertly laid silk-press, a gel'd up bun...locs and natural styles rarely come to mind first because black women have been told for centuries that their natural state of being is uncouth. I'm especially grateful for this conversation with LaCrai, because it reminds me that those tides are changing. An Emmy-award winning producer and former on-air reporter for CBSN, LaCrai knows a thing or two about the importance of not only delivering the soundbite, but looking the part while doing it. Today we unpack what it means to redefine professionalism for ourselves and our industries as loc'd women of color in media. Her bravery in starting her transition at the height of a public-facing career is essential to creating the representation necessary to keep pushing the narrative. We're pushing the limits of professionalism, either get with it or get lost.