When pleasing yourself is phenomenal.
It was a self-deprecating morning. I looked in the bathroom mirror and I didn’t like my hair. I didn’t like my dry morning lips. I didn’t like my puffy face. Hell, I didn’t even like my pajamas. There was nothing positive about my reflection. Except, I was aware. I was aware of the dislike and the understanding that none of these physical traits defined me. And I immediately thought, “Beauty is a feeling, baby.” And from that, a poem and ultimately spoken word piece called “BeautiFULL” was born. I wrote it in… Read More
When a Bettie finds a new love.
A New Love Love has always been something that amazes me, that fuels me, that lifts me, that makes my world go round. I am enamored with love and how it takes up space in our lives and pushes us to do things we never thought we would, to take chances, to step into the unknown, to feel all the feels, to be vulnerable, to expand ourselves bigger than we ever thought. Love has always strengthened me and it should because it is one of the only components in the world that… Read More
Why it’s hard to be human (or, how to let go of fear).
How do we do this thing, this act of being a human?
When being brave shows us the way.
This past weekend, I presented the first Be Your Own Bettie (BYOB) workshop of 2019. Ten years ago, I was sitting with a dear friend from my book club and I told her my idea of wanting to do a workshop for women. She’s a photographer who also loves to design and decorate; she has a really great eye. In what felt like two seconds (or most likely, two or three meetings), she had a design concept and we were ready to go. The first workshop was a blast. Everything was pink…. Read More
When Opportunity Struts
We’ve entered a new year and with that comes that age-old sense of excitement, fear and anxiety. What also comes is opportunity. And that’s a very good thing. I spent the last half of 2018 re-branding Brown Betties away from our beginnings, which was a sultry, sassy, sophisticated lifestyle brand that was performance based and lived primarily onstage in our dinner-theater burlesque cabaret show or dancing at private and corporate events. We’ve enticed many audiences over the years and we’ve always done so with a sense of pride, dignity and sensibility that… Read More
Knowing What’s Right.
Do you spend a lot of time worrying about what’s right? Do you worry if you’re making the right decision? Wonder if you’re doing the right thing? Struggle with making the right choice…? So do I! Being a perfectionist is partly to blame for this “Is it right?!” curse. I’m aware of that. Maybe you are, too. I’ve learned that one way to battle this insanity is through team work. You can’t do things alone. You’ll never be perfect. You can’t get every single thing right. And sometimes you need a good… Read More
Has Being Sophisticated Gone Out of Style?
Think about what makes *you* sophisticated, and be that. – Brown Betties
When Taking Time For Yourself Is a Stretch.
We’re only about ten days into the new year and already I’m not feelin’ so new! This isn’t a bad thing really. I think what happened is that I didn’t take any real time for myself over the holidays. I was very consumed, as a lot of you lovely entrepreneurial types are, with getting prepared for the new year. I wanted to “feel” new and look new with new posts and updated social media sites and new gigs lined up and so on and so on. I feel like I accomplished a lot, but… Read More
When Asking for Help Feels So Unsexy.
When I left LA, I never thought one of my concerns would be eyelashes. I had a large supply back home and didn’t think to bring any of them, because…why? Argh! Finding sexy, affordable eyelashes can be a little tough in Prague; at least it has been for me. They just don’t seem to be readily available. And, the ones that you do find are plasticy or pricey. Nothing a Bettie wants. I finally bit the bullet and bought a plasticy pair during an awesome shopping excursion to Sapa, which is a… Read More
When Change is Bigger Than You.
When I started the Brown Betties™ in 2004, I had an idea in mind. I wanted to create something that was about successful, positive, strong black women. During that time, black women in particular were sort of experiencing a social backlash…in the media and to the man on the street, we were seen as video hoe’s and neck poppin’ sassy pants who got really loud on the bus or at Walmart. While this woman exists, and I certainly know this woman, this woman wasn’t me. I don’t know how to snap my neck to… Read More
Sultry, Sassy, Sophisticated Women 