Kisha Mays is Just FEARLESS!

Without a vision, the people perish. Well, we don’t have to worry about with our latest feature in You Go Girl! stepped out on faith & her vision and landed in NY in 2006 to pursue her dreams.  While still in college in  Houston, Texas, Kisha traveled the world with her job for a national airline.  While she journeyed from Paris to Hong Kong on her days off, her wanderlust led to  a desire for  more in her life. When a job opportunity opened up in New York, she leaped  at the chance for a new beginning.

Working in New York is a hustle, and Kisha Mays fit right in as she worked her regular job by day and  got busy planning her first charity benefit with Dress for Success & Vanessa L. Williams by night.  Though she had only put on smaller events, Ms. Mays had the vision for an event that would get donations for Dress for Success and chose to honor Vanessa Williams for her work with the organization.  After that event turned out to be a success, Kisha realized she was on to something. In no time she was planning and executing the second event for Dress for success and working her way to major sponsorship revenue!

Kisha is proud of her success, but admits there have been failures, too. Life lessons and underhanded business dealing could have broken a weaker woman, but this southern belle is taking her tour on the road! With her company Women Empowering Women, Kisha has embarked on a international tour for women, featuring dynamic speakers performers and a swanky networking event all in one day!

I know we’ll be hearing great things from Kisha Mays in the future. She calls herself “A Mogul in the Making”.  I say she’s well on her way! For more info on the WEW Just Fearless Tour log on to www.justfearless.com.

Erica Watson: The New Face of Funny!

I had the pleasure of meeting Erica Watson a few of years ago when she stopped by the Power 105.1 NYC radio studios. She ripped her set during the interview and had me dying with her whip-like cracks on any and everthing! I’ve been a fan ever since! SistaGirlz.com goes inside the sharp, sarcastic mind of a funny diva:

SG:  You’re so funny…when was the first time you remember hearing that?

EW: Thank you girl! I remember as early as 5th grade that my classmates would laugh and tell me how crazy my sense of humor was.  Although I was the class clown, teachers loved me because I was smart and always made the Honor Roll.  So my humor didn’t get me into too much trouble.

SG: What drew you to comedy? Who are your faves in the biz?

EW: When I was in college, I was always asked to host every fashion show, talent show and step show on campus. But during that time my focus was on directing theater and film projects.  Once I moved to NYC, a friend of mine named La Rivers who is an amazing actress encouraged me to take a stand-up comedy class with The Manhattan School of Comedy at Caroline’s on Broadway. I just figured that I would use comedy as a side hustle to make money for my film projects.  Here it is 4 years later, and I am a professional comic, and I love it!  Some of my faves are Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Pryor, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Bernie Mac, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Sherri Sheppard, Joan Rivers and I love Tina Fey!

SG: Is it tougher for a Black women in the comedy business?

EW: Comedy is tough, no matter who you are.  But I do find that black women have a harder time than others.  Many times we are stereotyped to be “sassy” or to “tell it like it is”, when that is not everyone’s personality. I find that most comedy clubs will only put 1 woman on a show at a time, and it’s really hard for black female comics to be “that one”. That’s why I decided to take my career in my own hands and take my 1 woman show “Fat Bitch!” on tour. You can either sit and wait for someone else to give you an opportunity, or you can take your destiny into your own hands!  All the black women that have been successful from Mo’nique to Somore to Moms Mabley have done it their own way! Now, I’m trying to follow in their footsteps.

SG: Is anything off limits? Is there ONE thing you will not joke about?

EW: Nothing is off limits for me.  Even the most sad, horrible topic can probably be explored to find the humor in a situation.  I have a great joke about my experience with abortion, and although some people have been offended by it, it’s my life, it’s my truth…and it’s funny!

SG: How much flack have you gotten for the use of the word Bitch in your show title?

EW: It’s funny.  I’m called a “Fat Bitch!” quite often in life—many times by strangers.  I hear it all the time and have had to deal with it most of my adult life.  But as soon as I called my show that, some people, especially BLACK MEN were offended. To be honest, I personally feel that more people were offended by the word FAT.  See, “Skinny Bitch!” sounds sexy and glamorous.  You picture some skinny chick, dressed in high fashion, sipping on a cosmo with her skinny friends.  But “Fat Bitch!” sounds mad, angry and bitter.  It sounds raw.  It sounds FAT.  And in American culture, Fat is not socially accepted as sexy.  Well, unless it’s behind closed doors!    The feminist and womanist community has also been very supportive of my show title.  Because they see power in the word Bitch! And I do too.

SG: Has it alienated some would be fans?

EW: Actually, it has not. If anything, the title has made more people come and see the show that did not even know what a 1 woman show was all about.  But, I have noticed that some of the smaller black press has refused to write about the show.  One black owned paper in Chicago said that ” we would never write about such trash”. But, if my show was a gospel stage play called “Hot Grits Burn Your Tongue” or “Chitlings Were Made for Hotsauce” it would be on the front page!  This show is an honest look at how my weight has affected my life from the boardroom to the bedroom.  So if the title makes some people uneasy, think about how I feel when I have been called a “Fat Bitch!” on a busy city street by a homeless man!

SG: Do you write your own jokes, or do you have help with that?

EW: Yes! I write all of my own stuff.  Actually, my life writes it for me. Truth is stranger and funnier than fiction.  All I have to do is walk outside my door, and the comedy comes!

SG: Gimme one Tiger Woods zinger…please. LOL!

EW: I heard he has a new porn series coming out called “Crouching Tiger’s Hidden Dragon!”

SG: What’s on deck for 2010?

EW: I am writing a funny advice book about dating for women, and I will be touring my show all across the country.  I have so many amazing things happening right now, and I am excited to see what 2010 has in store.

Check Erica out:

http://www.twitter.com/EricaWatson

http://www.ericawatson.com

http://www.fatbitchtour.com

Sophia Lafontant: A Change Agent

By Miss Rikki

Sophia Lafontant is a young woman fighting for change.  Through Oxfam America she is able to trot the globe putting forth efforts to eradicate poverty and combat injustice.   One might say she always had a world view – her parents are from Haiti and she grew up in Boston, Massachusetts then later in Louisiana.  She first heard about Oxfam America in college through a friend.  She applied to The CHANGE Initiative, got accepted, and began a weeklong training course in leadership and advocacy skills.  After that, she was a fair trade organizer on her college campus. 

Years later she still works for Oxfam International.  She went from a participant in the program to being a leader.  She is now the Senior Organizer Training Specialist.  Her most rewarding moment came when she organized the 10 year anniversary of the CHANGE Initiative program, where 100 of the 550 alumni showed up to reconnect with one another. 

For anyone out there wondering why she has taken such an interest in the world and is not specifically working towards our problems here at home, Ms Lafontant refers to Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  She says, “What happens in the Congo with violence against women, what happens in Iraq, in Afghanistan, shapes our world view.  It reminds us that we aren’t all that different.  Our common humanity doesn’t go away.”

Her future plans involve a family and delving into the political sector.  Ms Lafontant wants be the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States!  I know…this SistaGirl has some serious goals!  Now politics is kind of a dirty game, so I asked her why she would want to get involved in that capacity.  “I’m most interested in policies,” she said.  “Poor people are not usually poor due to their own devices.  There are usually institutions in place to keep them there.  I want to bring my experiences to policy making.”  Ms. Lafontant says she has always had a passion for justice and strives to make sure that whatever capacity she works in she is helping to make the world a better and safer place. 

Her advice to Sistagirlz all over the world is to find a mentor.  Mentors give advice, open doors, and introduce you to people who can help you.  Anyone interested in Oxfam America can visit their website.

Adrienne Graham: Empowering Women for Success!

By Miss Rikki

Born in Bronx, New York to an African American dad and a Latina mom, a veteran in the recruiting game, a networking expert, author, blogtalk radio host and founder and CEO of Empower Me! Corporation – Adrienne Graham says she’s just getting started!   Can you believe this SistaGirl!

A little over seventeen years ago when she started in recruiting she had no idea she would be where she is today.  After working for a firm for a while, she decided to branch out on her own.  At first she was met with resistance from other women in the same field, but with perseverance, a little help, and the internet she started her own recruiting firm and began the building of her empire. 

In 1998 she added to that empire with Empower Me! Corporation.  Born out of her frustration at the lack of women of color serving on boards of organizations, Empower Me! is a media, publishing, and professional networking company for women.  It includes several networks: Empowered Career Woman, Empowered Black Women’s Network, Empower Me Latina’s Network, and Fearless Networking for Women.   Currently she has a radio show called “Views from the Top” on blogtalkradio, which is a forum for women to discuss the ups and downs of working and being successful in corporate America.  Ms. Graham also wrote and self-published Go Ahead, Talk To Strangers: The Modern Girl’s Guide to Fearless Networking.  FYI, I purchased and read the book and I absolutely loved it!  I am the type to keep to myself and my circle of friends, but after reading the book I realized I was doing myself a disservice.  In order to reach the kind of success I want I needed to get out in the world and not only find people that could help me, but also offer my knowledge and expertise to others.  Doing this has already helped me to meet so many valuable new people and learn more about the people who were already around me.  I highly recommend it! 

Now back to Ms. Graham… 

In the future she is looking to expanding her brand.  In January 2010 she is starting “Fearless Woman Magazine.“  She says there is not much out there in the way of professional magazines for women of color, and when there is it doesn’t last very long.  She wants to show the world that there are more successful women of color powerbrokers out there besides Oprah and Tyra Banks.

And SistaGirlz, I did manage to get some advice for you- free of charge- from this knowledgeable lady.  First, Ms. Graham says to remember that not everyone is meant to have the same career forever.  Be open to change and if you decide you want to do something else take action.  Also, boost your skills and continue your education.  Take the time to figure out what skills you have and which of those skills you can use anywhere.  In her opinion, they are all transferrable.  And if you are lacking in a certain skill set, seek out ways you can gain those skills.  As well, you should find a mentor in your chosen career field and don’t be afraid to ask them for advice.  That’s what they’re there for.  As far as networking, don’t rely solely on social networking sites.  Get out there and meet people.  Let them get to know you and see what you can do.  Lastly, ignore the economic down turn.  Continue to strive for success regardless of what the economy is doing.   

I cannot possibly fully explain all the wonderful things this SistaGirl is doing.  So, if you dare to try to keep up with Adrienne Graham, you can check her out at the Empower Me! website, and also take a listen at her blogtalkradio show “Views from the Top” Monday and Friday 9am EST.

Tamekia Flowers-Holland: Hip-Hop 4 Life!

If you were the founder/CEO of your own company and the founder/executive director of a non-profit organization who would you be?  Well, Tamekia Flowers-Holland of course!  That’s right. This SistaGirl is pulling double duty and major responsibility at two entities of her own creation.  How does she do it?  She absolutely loves what she does.  So much so that she doesn’t even consider it work!

First there is Epiphany Blue, of which she is founder/CEO, came about back in 2003 under the name Remedy Marketing.  The company she was working for at that time folded and since she had already been doing some consulting work she decided to foster her own entrepreneurial spirit.  She however, decided to dissolve the company in 2005.  But in 2006 Ms. Flowers-Holland came back on the scene with Epiphany Blue – a special events and talent relations firm.  She has worked with companies like Burrell Communications Group, McDonalds, DMG management, Bet networks, and Verizon just to name a few.

Of her non-profit, Hip Hop 4 Life, she says “[It] is my purpose for being on this planet.  It’s my baby.”  Also founded in 2003, it offers young people ages 12 – 18 training on life skills combined with the education of important health-related issues against the backdrop of Hip Hop.  Ms. Flowers-Holland says that she wanted to start the organization because she used to volunteer all the time and she noticed that kids weren’t getting life skills and health information.  She wanted to give kids the skills they need to be successful in life as well as provide opportunities for them to venture beyond their neighborhoods and learn new things.  Why did she choose Hip Hop as a catalyst?  Because she thought it would be a great way to not only infuse the culture that we love so much, but also to restore quality to the name and take it to another level.

Through this organization she has worked with many popular entertainers, but she would love to work with Kerri Washington and Hill Harper, who is actually an honorary chairperson but because of his hectic schedule has not been able to do a workshop just yet.  Oh and of course President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama.  But I mean, who wouldn’t.

In the future she sees the expansion of Hip Hop 4 Life into a Hip Hop 4 Life Center in Brooklyn, where she would like to have space for a gym, auditorium, studio, and doctor and dentist offices to provide free healthcare.  She would also like to go international with programs in South Africa and London.

As for herself, Ms. Flowers-Holland just wants “to be given the wisdom strength and guidance to continue to grow and to positively influence as many lives as I can” because that’s how she wants to be remembered – as someone who positively influenced as many lives as she could.

Lastly she says “to all my beautiful, outstanding, dynamic SistaGirlz out there, if you create the opportunity for you be your own boss, think about what you have a passion for cause then it won’t be work.  You wake up excited!  Life is too short to be miserable…Learn everything you can about what you want to do.  Think about the different magazines, newspapers, etc [that give information about your

Karen Taylor Bass PR Expert!

                                                                                                             By Miss Rikki

She’s not a professional chef, but Karen Taylor Bass has built a solid career on caviar and chitlins.  Well, sort of.  For the past twenty years she has been in public relations and now thru her book and a variety of other mediums she is bringing her expertise to us! So how did this St. Johns University graduate become the CEO/President of her own company, write a book, and the host of her own blogtalk radio show?  She says she has a gift for forecasting her future and it has helped her in so many ways.

Her journey began back in college when she had a friend who was the roommate of Sean “P. Diddy” (then Puffy) Combs.  She saw how he was getting on different magazines and really marketing himself to the public.  She inquired how Puffy was able to do all that and when she got her answer she decided to make a major/career change.  After she graduated she worked for EMI Records, but because she was a newbie they often gave her the campaigns that they thought weren’t going to do much.  She however persevered and was responsible for the writing campaign for D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar album.  “It was my coming out party,” she recalls.

From there she went on to work at various other labels like Electra, Time Warner, and Sony, but she saw that the industry was changing.  At one point people were even losing their jobs.  The company she was working for at the time wanted to keep her and offered her another position, but it was then that she decided she didn’t want her career in someone else’s hands.  She wanted more control over her own destiny.  So, she started her own company – TaylorMade Media, LLC.

Starting her own company opened up so many avenues for her.  With all her experience in the industry she started a small e-book of about 54 pages called You Want Caviar But Have Money For Chitlins: A Smart PR Guide for Those on a Budget.  It was so immensely popular that she had to make it into a full-fledged book 108 paged paperback book.  “The hardest part was actually doing it,” she said.  “Being front and center.  Naked and vulnerable.”

Ms. Taylor Bass is also a motivational speaker, and after a friend of hers suggested she get a radio show she started the Caviar and Chitterlings show on blogtalkradio.com.    

With all that she does, including being a mother and a wife, it’s a wonder how she keeps it all together.  She says she just takes it one step at a time and is grateful for the great team of people she has around her.  “They see my vision.”  She admits that her life is not necessarily balanced, but she lives in the moment and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

In the future Ms. Taylor Bass desires to take her brand to television and beyond.  She wants to go international, work on a project in South Africa and maybe do some boot camps there.  She described it as “world domination with a smile.”   

As for advice for you SistaGirlz out there, she says that her footsteps are her own so there is no need to try to follow them.  What worked for her may not work for others.  But not to worry SistaGirlz she did drop a few pearls of wisdom:   be kind, be authentic, keep your word and if you can’t tell them why, make time with yourself, seek a relationship with a higher power, love and live, get mentored, volunteer, most importantly do you!

Check out Karen Taylor Bass on her Website and you can catch the Caviar and Chitterlings show on Tuesday evenings at 6 pm EST.

Anita Bryant: Music, Marketing & Empowerment!

Sony came to Morgan State University her sophomore year on a college tour.  She remembers watching the executives they brought in talk all about what they did in the industry.  Already a music lover, she decided that the music business is where she wanted to be.

Anita Bryant started her career doing an internship with Atlantic Records as a College Representative.  After graduation she worked for several different companies including Music Sony Studios and Remy Amerique Inc.  Shortly thereafter, she decided to start her own business saying that “I never really felt that I was able to be myself all the way through.”  Plus, she was already outsourcing her talents, so it was a natural next step. 

A Marketing is a full service marketing, media, and event management company that provides strategic marketing concepts with high-level execution to create a positive brand experience for the consumer.  Even though she has been in business for eight years, she still considers it a new company.  She also says she wants it to remain somewhat small and considers it more like a boutique of marketing and event planning services.

Ms. Bryant is also one of the founders of Set it Off! (SIO) – a program designed to expose African-American/Latina girls ages 12 to 18, to non-traditional or “cool” careers in order to expose them to possibilities in a career field that they might not have even known existed.  SIO, exists to inspire these girls to look within themselves for their true passion and give them the information and support they need to make a plan to turn that passion into a career.  Every month women with non-traditional careers would come and talk to 50 to 90 girls in Harlem about what they did.  While the program is no longer a face to face operation, it does have a Yahoo group where information is disseminated to its members.  It is admittedly one of Ms. Bryant’s favorite projects and she says that eventually they will go back to face to face meetings.

For any SistaGirlz interested in the entertainment industry Ms. Bryant says to get an education and stay on top of your field because it will show that you’re serious and make you stand apart.  Also, be well rounded, don’t be afraid to try, do internships, and never stop learning.

This South Jamaica Queens, New York native currently resides on the west coast and along with running her business, is also a manager at IDA Hollywood Dance Academy.  In the future she would like to open a bar/lounge, get into some international business ventures, and learn Spanish.  To learn more about Anita Bryant check her out on her Myspace, at the Sista Factory website, or her Set It Off Yahoo Group.

Kim McLarin Gets the Job DONE!

Novelist/journalist/mother/college professor/television host Kim McLarin’s journey has been a long and winding path that lead to many opportunities, some of which she had never even imagined possible.

Originally from Memphis, TN she went to New Hampshire in the 10^th grade to attend a prep school on a scholarship.  Upon graduating high school she went to Duke University in Durham, NC and after obtaining her degree she traveled all over the nation as a journalist.

After 10 years of working for The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Greensboro News & Record, the Associated Press, and The New York Times Ms. McLarin decided to pursue her desire for writing stories.  A desire she says went all the way back to when she was five or six and loved to read and write stories.  At first she would come home from work and try to work on her novel, but she was not getting very much done.  Knowing that she and her then-husband would want to start a family soon and that adding a small child to the mix would only complicate things further, she decided to take a year off from work to see if she could write her first novel. 

That was all it took!  Taming it Down was published in 1998.  “It was one of the best days of my life,” she says recalling the day she quit The New York Times to be a full time novelist.  She followed her first novel with Meeting of the Waters and more recently, the critically acclaimed novel Jump at the Sun.  Ms. McLarin says she gets inspiration from her life, the lives of those around her, and from watching the news, but a great deal of it is purely creative.  She says she takes the issues of real life and creates situations around them for her books.

Now living in Boston, MA Kim Mclarin is also the host of Basic Black – Boston’s longest running weekly television program dedicated solely to African American themes.  This opportunity came about when she received a mass e-mail, to this day she is not even sure who it was from, stating that the show was looking for a new host.  She was interested, so she went an auditioned.  The producer liked her, but she of course had no prior television experience so another candidate was chosen.  Then some months later she got a call from the show saying that the other candidate didn’t work out and if she would take some classes and get television training they would like to have her host.  She did!

Of all the hats the Ms. McLarin wears she says being a mother is by far the most challenging.  Professionally speaking though, she says teaching is also a challenge “if you try to do it right.”  In the future she hopes for the safety and well being of her children, to keep writing and publishing, and…to get on Oprah.  Don’t we all SistaGirl!

Ms. McLarin has two pieces of advice for any of you SistaGirlz out there who want to follow in her many footsteps.  First she says, refuse to allow yourself to be pigeon holed into one area and always look for opportunities to try new things.  Second, “push beyond your fears.”  We hold ourselves back more than anything else due to fear and doubt.  Don’t be afraid to fail.  Even the best of the best have failed at some point, but “if God is on your side and you are on your side, then it should work out.”

Check out her first three novels, as well as Growing Up X by Ilyasah Shabazz co-written by Ms. McLarin.  She has also co-written a memoir for the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that will be coming out in April.  Or you can just visit her site at kimmclarin.com to stay updated on her latest books and appearances.

Keitha Nelson Williams Brings You the News!

Keitha Nelson Williams was born in Jamaica, West Indies but raised in New York City. Having been an athlete all her life she thought that she would make a career of track and field. However, once she got to college she realized that wasn’t going to work out for her, so after taking a couple of broadcasting classes and liking it she decided to pursue a mass communication degree.
Upon graduation from Nicholls State University she returned home to a job at a local paper, but she quickly realized that print journalism wasn’t for her. She then went back to the south for a job with a local t.v. station. She’s worked for several stations, but is now a reporter for WAFB Channel 9 in Baton Rouge, LA.
She says the most interesting and challenging story she’s ever covered was Hurricane Katrina. She moved to Biloxi one week before the hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast region. She recalls living at the TV station with the crew and their families and pets without any running water. “It was very trying,” she said. “Most of the time the stories are removed from me…but this time I was living it.”
The most rewarding part of her job is when people are helped because of a story she’s done. For instance if there was a fire and a family loses everything, she covers the story, and then later someone calls in to the station to offer the family clothing or food.
Keitha’s plans for the future include becoming a national correspondent and starting a family. Recently married, she says she’s not rushing either goal. She’s a go with the flow kind of person and when it happens it happens.
When asked if she had any advice for you Sistagirlz out there who may be thinking of following in her footsteps she replied, “Intern! Intern! Intern!” It’s important to figure out if this is really what you want to do. People think it’s fun because you’re on TV, but being a reporter is very hard work. You have to enjoy it.

as told to Miss Rikki

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