The Texture Lounge

Unless you have been under a rock forever, you have heard the phrase "Black don't crack", a plethora of times.

In this episode snack, Harvard trained dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, Dr. Michelle Henry, gives her professional POV on how scientifically accurate, this statement is, or is not.

For the full meal, eavesdrop into episode 20.

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Although the number of Black models on the runways has slowly increased, it is no secret that their hair has been done a disservice to backstage at fashion weeks all over the world. It is only in recent years that models have documented and spoken out against these atrocities;s and texture expert hairstylists are also raising their voices in protest.

In this short episode snack, Naeemah LaFond (Global Artistic Director, Amika) is explicit about who's responsibility it is to ensure that all stylists hired to work backstage are proficient in all textures; and guess what? It is not the designer's.

Listen to episode 31 for the full meal. https://youtu.be/UeQjD3p_6LE

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Motherhood - a topic I am yet to delve into with my guests in the Lounge.

With Black women being the largest group of entrepreneurs in the US, I feel it necessary to find out what the impact of motherhood has been in starting and running their businesses. Did they give up their dream? Put it on hold? Pivot? What about their own identities? Did they lose or manage to keep it, in the process?

I saw a sub-headline in a magazine that I cut out and pinned to my vision board. "Yes, you can create a business and a baby" and vowed to bring this up in my conversations, because, I believe we can, but let's be aware of what might come up.

In this episode, Ulanie Wilson, CEO and founder of Planted Haircare, joins me in the Lounge; and here's what we talk about:

• The meaning behind her name, Ulanie
• Current book she is reading: Divine Disruption by Dr. Tony Evans
• Her zone of genius
• Insecurity she grew up with and overcoming it
• Why she launched Planted Haircare
• How she put her business plan on pause but kept her dream alive for seven years
• Challenges she faced when returning back to her business, full-time
• Most satisfying career moment (Essence magazine feature)
• Knowing when to outsource the work
• Importance of branding
• Why Ayuverda
• Her go-to plant-derived ingredients and why
• The one product in her line she would recommend to first time users
• The balancing act of being a mother, wife and business owner, and the hat she wears the most
• Identity loss in motherhood and tips to avoid this
• How she carves time out for herself and what she sacrifices to honor it
• Favourite self-care moment and when she feels most beautiful
• Signature question: Got 15 mins. Hair or makeup?
• Where to buy Planted Haircare (shop at: My Curl ID)
• Follow Planted Haircare on IG: @plantedhaircare or their website

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Joining me in the virtual lounge this episode is Abi Oyepitan, co-founder of British skincare cult brand, LIHA Beauty.

We bonded over many many things: Beauty, being British & Nigerian and our Capricorn tendencies.

Abi is also a x2 Olympic athlete (100 - 200m sprinter) and the creative eye of the brand.

Both founders (Abi & Liha) met at university in 1998 and bonded over their Nigerian heritage and appreciation for good quality shea butter.

One of the many things I love about LIHA Beauty, is how they lean heavily on our Yoruba language, traditional culture and beauty rituals to influence their product naming and positioning.

Here is what we chat about:

• Naming a beauty brand after a business partner
• Why Abi & Liha came together to launch LIHA Beauty
• Abi's biggest learning curve as a business owner: (know your numbers inside out!)
• Overcoming her insecurity of being overly humble 24/7
• Her most satisfying career moment to date
• The influence of Yoruba tradition in LIHA Beauty's positioning
• Abi's future vision for LIHA Beauty
• Her earliest beauty memories & childhood beauty rituals (shea butter, black soap & dettol!)
• The truth and wonders of traditional ose dudu (means "black soap" in Yoruba language)
• The difference between traditional Nigerian ose dudu and LIHA Beauty's more moisturizing alternative ose gidi
• What to expect from LIHA Beauty's Nigerian (golden) (sourced from Ogun state) and Ghanian (ivory) shea butters.
• The million-dollar question: Can shea butter be used directly on the face or not?
• All the ways to use these LIHA star products: Idan Oil (multipurpose with tuberose flower) and Orinrin Cleansing Balm (a favourite of mine)
• How she pairs gua sha ritual with Orinrin Cleansing Balm
• How she fares with setting boundaries
• The difficulty of making friends at an older age
• The upcoming beauty appointments in her calendar
• Find out more about LIHA Beauty: @lihabeauty, www.lihabeauty.com and shop LIHA Beauty online on Thirteen Lune and in JCPenney Stores, if you are in the States.

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Joining me in this episode, is Pekela Riley.

Artistpreneur, founder of True & Pure Textures natural hair extension line and salon owner of Salon PK (Jacksonville, Florida).

Pekela's artistic aesthetic is supremely creative, edgy & elevated; I would define it as 'texture-futurism'.

She founded the phenomenal True + Pure Texture haircare extension line out of the frustration of women of colour damaging their own natural hair to blend with silky mainstream extensions prevalent in the market.

Through the years of knowing her and her work, I am truly enjoying watching PK have a lifelong, unapologetic love affair with the magic she makes with textured hair.

Here's what we talk about:

• Meaning behind her name, Pekela
• Her zone of genius
• What makes her great at what she does
• Her insecurities growing up
• Her personal beauty & fashion style
• The overlap of being an artist and an entrepreneur
• Viewing pivots in business as a "style-shift
• How she gets into the zone when creating her artistry
• Introvert or extrovert and how it plays in her creations
• Managing expectations: "It's ugly before it gets pretty"
• Her view on mentorship and the mentors in her head
• The reason why she felt bringing True + Pure Texture to the market was necessary
• The evolution of Black women's expectations on hair texture: "It's too silky, it's too shiny. We want more of who we are"
• What makes True + Pure Texture special: the quality of microtextures
• What ethical sourcing looks like for hair extensions
• Reversing the taboo of wig-wearing: an extension of our expression
• The importance of boundaries & self-care
• Got 15 mins: Makeup vs hair
• Where to find Pekela @pekalariley and @trueandpuretexture

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It has been quite some time since Jihan Thompson (co-founder of Swivel Beauty) and I connected.

In this episode, Jihan and I chat it up and talk about what it takes to take your idea from a concept to a business.

Here's what else we talk about:

• Transitioning from journalism to launch a beauty tech business
• Where did the idea of Swivel come from
• Pivotal moment when Jihan realized she had to launch the platform
• Her experience in the Sephora Accelerate program and its benefits
• How procrastination showed up for her and how she overcame them
• Biggest learn in the entrepreneurship journey
• Leveraging her network to bring Swivel to life
• Introvert or extrovert and how it plays in her she runs her business
• Tips for emerging entrepreneurs out there
• Beauty rituals Jihan maintains today
• Her upcoming scheduled beauty appts
• Her fave hair/beauty products
• Trendwatch: Thoughts on the flurry of celebrities launching beauty brands
• Where to find her/Swivel Beauty: @swivelbeauty and swivelbeauty.com

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In this episode of The Texture Lounge, I get to chat it up with Naeemah LaFond.

Haitian-American, Brooklyn-based, Queen of statement hair and Global Artistic Director at Amika haircare brand.

Here's what we are talking about:

• The meaning behind her name (tip: John Coltrane is involved)
• Her zone of genius
• What book she is reading: "Say More About That...and other ways to speak up, push back and advocate for yourself and others" by Amber Carrall.
• An insecurity she had growing up
• Her multiple career-shifts: From a tax account, biomedical pharmacology, sociology, court clerk to hairstylist.
• What sparks her creative process for her phenomenally extra, signature looks
• Most satisfying career moment
• Trendwatch: Why black models are not being serviced backstage at fashion shows & who's fault it is
• Importance of boundaries and the signs that tell her she needs to disconnect from everything
• Her ultimate dream for her life
• Earliest beauty moments
• Her favourite self-care moment & upcoming beauty appointments
• Where to find her: @naeemahlafond

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This episode is for those of us who are idea-centric but struggle to make the moves necessary to bring them to fruition.

In this episode, I chat it up with Sandra Pitroipa, founder of new ecommerce website for textured hair products, My Curl ID.

Every product listed on mycurlid.com has been carefully curated and tested by Sandra herself.

Sandra's tells us that her goal for launching the online platform, is to provide Black women and women with textured hair, one place to discover haircare products designed for them, that are rarely visible in other retailers. Choice & discoverability is at the center here.

Use my discount code TEXTURELOUNGE20 to get 20% off your My Curl ID order. For a limited time only.

Here's what we talk about:

• What book she is reading now: "The Stand" by Stephen King
• Launching a business, while still working full-time in corporate
• Where the idea of My Curl ID came from
• The struggles
• Leveraging her networks: https://thecru.com/ and https://thegatheringspot.club/
• Important and benefits of a mentorship relationship for aspiring business owners
• Boundaries she set, to remain focused on building her business
• Going beyond the 15% pledge (retailer shelf space dedicated to black-owned brands)
• Tips for emerging entrepreneurs
• Her beauty rituals; the comfort of raw shea butter
• When she feels the most beautiful
• Her favourite beauty products: Planted Haircare's Ayuverdic Black Soap Shampoo
• Where to find My Curl ID: @mycurlid (Instagram)

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In this episode, Kimberly Brown, career & leadership expert, founder of Manifest Yourself - a leadership development company and author of Next Move Best Move - transitioning into a career you'll love, joins me in the lounge.

If you are a budding entrepreneur, a woman of colour in the workplace looking to optimize your calendar to avoid burnout and increase productivity, looking to take the leap from corporate, there's a seat waiting for you in this episode.

Topics we are talking about:

• Which books she is reading: "The High Five Habit" by Mel Robbins; "Everyday Magic" by Mattie James; "Shook One"by Charlamagne the God; "The Seven Levels of Intimacy" by Matthew Kelly
• Day Design & Productivity: how to structure your working day to get the most out of it, personally and professionally
• Taking the leap off the corporate ladder
• Trendwatch: Kimberly on 'Quiet-Quitting' & setting boundaries in the workplace
• What a realistic to-do list should look like
• Therapy as an approach to solve for people-pleasing
• The ideal day-off
• Her upcoming beauty appointments
• When she feels the most beautiful
• Favourite beauty products: Dermalogica, Beauty by Africa Miranda facial elixir, Curology Retin-A, Saie tinted lipgloss & Make Up HD Forever foundation stick.
• Her coaches
• Where to find Kimberly Brown: website and on Instagram

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