I’m walking down the aisle … towards a new column. I’m helping HelloBeautiful launch HelloBridal. HelloBeautiful is one of my favorite outlets to work with, and I love that they’re diving deeper into their mission in this way. The internet may be telling us that Black love is a fantasy. I know that’s not true.

Love is all around us, and when it shows up, we want to meet it as our best selves.

Bridal fashion and beauty is so deeply personal.

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I love being nosy about what motivates people. It’s going to be so exciting to learn about what led them to that level of commitment, to another person and to a look.

Classic and timeless are subjective. The different interpretations of that are what I’m eager to explore.

Friends come and go, but wedding dress and honeymoon photos are forever. Think about the effort you put into your birthday pictures.

Related: The 6 Smartest Activations At The Black Beauty Roster Show

Meet HelloBridal

To give readers a bit of what they can expect from HelloBridal, I wrote the following intro note I’d like to share with you.

“Welcome to HelloBridal, a column dedicated to spotlighting every part of the Black wedding experience. We want to celebrate the fullness of your fairytale, from the meet-cutes to the cute bachelorette outfits. Ready to talk honeymoons, hair styles and how to pick vendors? We’re here for you. HB is exploring trends, offering expert tips, and reframing stories about how two come together as one. Join us at the altar, sis!”

I believe your wedding is one of the most special days of your life. It’s not the only one, but it is a chance to tell a story about who you are and what you value through the five senses.

That’s my kind of story.

What Will I Be Covering?

For this gig, I will be covering wedding stories from the perspective of the bride, potentials destinations for wedding events, shifts in style, etiquette advice and more.

What Am I Looking For?

To help me tell the best stories I can, I’m seeking experts to add to my list of references. I’m also looking for scoops on new bridal collections, unexpected honeymoon destinations, and sentimental jewelry trends.

I’m seeking brides who want to tell their love stories as well.

What Am I Not Looking For?

I am not looking for Founders of firms with no expertise in the industry. If you want to tell a business story call Forbes or Tech Crunch. This is about the tangible for the regular person planning for one of their special days. I’m also not going to consider a feature where a business owner is heavily for this unless that person has created a firm focused exclusively on weddings.

I will consider stories about products or services that improve the wedding process, and I will always be happy to consider telling the story of a founder in love.

Key Read: Root Therapy: How to Love Your Hair (And Find Yourself) - Corynne L. Corbett and Felicia Leatherwood

Key Listen: The Cult Of Dark Tourism- Sounds Like A Cult

Key Watch: Heart & Hustle Houston - They better get a season three! I can’t take that cliffhanger!

There are pictures of me in a green dress pinned to the top of my Instagram page where I’m literally as the kids say “the birthday.” People bring them up to me when they run into me in real life. They’re always surprised when I tell them the dress I’m wearing is from JCPenney.

It’s not a store I shop at often. You would think I would, after they helped me nail one of my best looks, but I just don’t think of them regularly. That’s possibly because I had to get that dress altered slightly to fit into it. They haven’t sat at the forefront of my go-to options as a plus-size woman.

Related: The 6 Smartest Activations At The Black Beauty Roster Show

That changed recently because of Samyra Miller. She has been trending again because she is speaking out about fatphobia in the retail and restaurant industries.

Some brands might be reluctant to work with her because of that. That’s a mistake.

She made me go in my wallet during that weird time between the end of summer and the beginning of New York Fashion Week when I have less inclination to come up off some coins. She broke that spending freeze.

Samyra is the kind of voice that drives action.

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• Key Reads: A Return To Love - Marianne Williamson

• Key Listens: The Bravo Docket - Lenny Hochstein is a wild boy, allegedly. Justice for RHOM

• Key Watches: Belle Collective Season 8 - I kind of feel bad for Glendale. Don’t hold it against me.

  

The Black Beauty Roster Show had an incredible turnout. Brands, beauty professionals, content creators, and more came together to celebrate Black beauty. Founders walked around posing for selfies and embracing their supporters. It was a beautiful day.

There were lots of activations and giveaways for the guests.

The organizers made sure that people stopped all over by putting together a scavenger-hunt- style handout where they could get stamped at each one for a chance at winning a raffle.

Among the activations, there were a few that stood out as particularly thought through.

See some of the activations that made sense to me as someone who has worked beauty events for years and frequently attends as a guest below.

Ulta’s Lip Gloss Charms

I love permanent jewelry and charm bracelets as much as the next girlie, but when I saw charms being applied to lip glosses at the Ulta booth, I was thankful. Sometimes, especially at larger events, these areas can get backed up while people decide between a heart and star charm. There have been some events where I couldn’t get back across the room to pick up items and was forced to abandon them.

Lip gloss charms are inserted faster, resulting in a shorter line and a better experience. They’re also something that attendees can try on right away and put on top of their existing lip combo, instead of removing their lipstick.

Sidebar: I was really happy to see Ulta there honoring their ongoing commitment to diversity. It made me proud to be an Ulta cardholder and a repeat visitor to their salon.

I’m a writer and a creator, but I’m also a consumer. Showing up in places I value is a sure-fire way to continue to earn my business. I know many others feel the same way.

I know where I’ll be getting my pre-semester Mario Badescu rescue spray from this year.

Related: 25 Steps To Publishing A Feature Article - Reloaded

Cantu’s Coffee Bar

Owning beverages is a way to make your brand unmissable. The best place to be at AD Week last year was by the beverages. The Female Quotient has everyone elbowing their way into their section for lattes and matcha. Their logo was all over my LinkedIn feed and Instagram timeline afterward. It was the same at Black Beauty Roster Cantu’s coffee bar stole the show. It was an all-day event, so caffeinating was a must.

They had real baristas who made me a red-eye that got me through a day of interviews for HelloBeautiful.

If your event includes panels this is a cheat code to get panelists sit still as well. If you give a keynote speaker a chance to disappear for a bevy they will take it. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Keep them in place where you need them by getting one of your partners to do a coffee bar.

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She masters the reframe, even when it’s not easy.

We spoke about staying true to your voice in public and private. It was a conversation that meant so much to me.

About The Key Voices Interview Series

We’re all starting to look the same and sound the same, thanks to the algorithm. Everyone is so focused on having a hot take that they are arriving at the same take. I don’t want to watch people rushing down the same path to regurgitate the same recycled opinions.

That is why I wanted to bring the Key Voices interview series to my Subtack.

Key Voices will highlight the voices that are nuanced, interesting, well-informed, and occasionally hilarious.

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Half-baked and ill-researched are not the core pillars of my media diet. That is why I turn to people whose voices stand out to me. They help me understand the world around me and away from me.

They’re keys to who I am and what I love. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I do.

Key Notes:

Key Reads: What I’m Reading- Phil Lewis

Key Listens: Astor - Anderson Cooper recommended by Austen Tosone

Key Watches: Four Seasons- Netflix (Coleman Domingo is SUCH a good director!)

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I just spent more than I cared to on out-of-pocket medical expenses (and yes, I’m still crying.) The charges drained my bank account. They also sparked my curiosity.

Every time I got lectured by an administrative assistant about what my invisible insurance would and wouldn’t pay for before informing them the tab was on my…

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Key Notes:

• Key Watch: Belle Collective Birmingham - Triggering in the best way possible.

• Key Listen: Wicked Women: The Podcast - I love listening to people who know what they’re talking about.

• Key Read: Last Night in Brooklyn: A Novel - Xochitl Gonzalez

Dear publicists, I am begging you, before you send that invite or follow-up, please check the address of the person you’re sending it to. This morning, I was scrolling on Threads when I saw a person I know post that they were stranded on a train for 10 hours. My first thought? That makes sense.

When I heard FIFA was bringing World Cup Games to New Jersey, I started preparing for a soft and slow summer. What I was NOT about to do was get caught up in hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic, pedestrian mobs, and other mess. I barely made it through years of late-night Hudson Tunnel closures, including a night where I was stuck until 6 am because the Lincoln was backed up. A repeat was not in the cards for me.

Related: The Biggest Villain In “If I Ruled The World” Isn’t Who You Think It Is

Many people feel that way, and as a result, more people are being selective about the events they attend right now because of it. The Hamptons hassle is just the tip of things.

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This summer is not just subject to the usual poor infrastructure and blackouts. There’s a whole new level of travel chaos.

Logistics have to be a bigger part of your New York event strategy. This goes beyond a ride share voucher. You need to be mapping out the journey from every borough and reasonably considering what your target guest list will be weighing when deciding how to RSVP. Business as usual is not cutting it right now. Between the Knicks parade, random pop-up parties, and more international tourists than usual learning the value of seasonings there’s different ways to maneuver, but you need to think ahead. You might think you’re good because your event has nothing to do with sports, but sports will have something to do with you if you’re entertaining in a city where games and watch parties are held.

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Explain to your clients that the landscape you planned your event in has shifted and that they pay you to be reactive to that. It’s not all negative news, though.

There are ways to take advantage of the gridlock and put your and your clients’ brand in front of the people who will tell its story.

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Key Notes:

• Key Reads: Share of Culture: How Brands Grow in the Attention Economy - Paul Parton

• Key Listens: Behind The Bastards Series on One Taste

• Key Watches: Summer House Reunion- Justice for Ciara.

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Key Notes:

• Key Reads: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest

• Key Listens: “Bunna Summa” - BunnaB

• Key Watches: Friday Night Lights again - It has me thinking about the implications of the 2008 writers’ strike, because where is my guy Santiago for real?

It’s almost time to say goodbye to our favorite plucky Parisienne, Netflix announced the final season of Emily in Paris today! The Darren Star series has gotten a ton of flak for the way that it portrays careers in marketing and social media, but honestly, it has gotten a ton of things right about storytelling.

I copywrite and consult in addition to cranking out articles, so I have been a part of telling stories from several angles. Emily in Paris does display some core storytelling elements that are spot on.

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Emily starts out in an unsexy portion of the business and works her way into luxury goods, that is totally realistic. I intentionally made my students at PACE University do a research project that centered on real estate, even though many of them wanted to do film and fashion PR, because you don’t always get to decide what you are promoting or the parameters you’re promoting it under.

Below are some things Emily in Paris gets right about the way stories are told.

Data Rules All

When Emily hits the office in the pilot, she starts breaking down the impact that she has had on pharmaceutical campaigns. She does so with data. She breaks down how her Chicago team inadvertently boosted tourism through their work on a vaccine campaign.

This was not proven through random asides. It was backed up with data. It framed her as competent, if a little overbearing and out of place.

That’s the kind of conversation that would happen in that office. It is totally realistic, even if everyone of the details doesn’t hold up the premise totally does. Someone like Emily would have concrete examples connected to data.

The Best Moments Can Be Unexpected

In Season 1 Episode 7 Emily is tasked with babysitting Brooklyn Clark, an American movie star who is very different from the wholesome image she portrays in the romcoms that catapulted her to stardom.

After a night of hijinks and high-stakes tension, Emily and her neighbor Gabriel locate the actress in her hotel room. The luxury items Emily’s firm sells are strewn across the suite carelessly on the floor beside the bed.

Together they tell a story of the kind of wild Paris night consumers wish they were having.

Because Emily understood who she was selling to and what she was selling, she was able to capitalize on the visual. That’s a huge part of the way stories get told.

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Key Notes:

• Key Reads: HelloBeautiful’s Founding Mothers of Beauty

• Key Listens: The Rise of Stormy Wellington - Life After MLM

• Key Watches: The Real Housewives of Rhode Island

We talk about motherhood a lot as a society. We speak about it like it’s an individual sport despite the process and outcomes being collective.

Hollow bellies, empty recital chairs, and untied shoes ripple throughout our communities. Aunties help fill the gap.

We assume mothers will be capable of separating themselves from their dreams and disappointments to prioritize a person they just met. She’ll make it work. She’ll figure it out. She’s got it on lock. She’s. A. Mother. We abandon them and reward them with Hallmark cards and LinkedIn polls. And when we do this Aunties pick up the slack.

Aunties are White Diamonds scented salvation.

Tony Soprano once asked an exasperated Dr. Melfi, “Is everything about everybody really about their mothers?”

It is. It’s also about their Aunties.

Our popular culture landscape is littered with representations of Aunties. Terri Woods, Leigh Davenport and Spike Lee have each nodded to their importance in projects like True To The Game, Crooklyn and Run The World.

None of the glimpses we see occasionally speak to their constant presence in our everyday lives or to how they became someone capable of providing what we needed. We’re constantly saying, “it takes a village,” but no one wants to admit what everyone in the village does or the insurmountable circumstances that necessitate the village in the first place. Because we are vague about the roles Aunties play, many parents are embarrassed to admit the needs they have of the Aunties in their lives. We dub mothers “Super Women,” and shame them for tapping into the Justice League.

Related: You Can Criticize Tyra Banks Without Erasing Her

Everybody knows somebody who has had a cousin stay with them for the semester, but we still talk about these family arrangements in hushed tones like they’re signs of a personal failing, instead of a normal solution to familiar problems.

We should normalize their contributions and celebrate them for the beacons of light they are.

What Is An Auntie?

Aunt noun /ant,änt/

1. the sister of one’s father or mother

2. the wife of one’s uncle or aunt

Auntie \ ˈantie , ˈäntie

1. secret keeper, principal cusser outer, vicks applier, stone thrower, edge layer, braid parter, mac and cheese judger, AC monitor

2. drunk whisperer, repast planner, brow wiper, shade tosser, fence jumper, perfume sharer, neck snatcher

3. I got this in Saint Thomas anklet flosser, home training enthusiast, baby shower meatball platter assembler,

4. unpaid mediator, habitual Tito’s and Ocean Spray sipper

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How Does An Auntie Help?

Aunties forward scholarship information they came across in their church group on Facebook, and let you get ready to go out at their house instead of yours so your Uber will be cheaper.

Related: My Favorite Part Of Santina’s Dr. Miami Storytime Was The Accountability

Aunties FaceTime your working mother at your school play, buy extra Capri Suns and scooter helmets so you can have what their kids have when you spend the night, and help you erase the answering machine when your 9th grade English teacher calls so you don’t get into trouble for not doing your homework - again.

They don’t always have to be related to you. They don’t always have to live near you. They don’t always have to agree with or get along with you. They just have to care.

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Sterling K. Brown has stepped into the role of Chief Storyteller at Shipt. The Paradise star joined Ally Love and Shipt CMO Alia Kemet in a conversation connected to a new ad he stars in for the delivery service.

They held a preview of an activation space open to the public where they could learn how to use the service to spend less time in the grocery store and more time with their loved ones. It was a live example of the ways convenience can lead to connection.

I love when brands allow the public into their worlds! IRL is still the most effective way to connect consumers, in my opinion.

See some more from the inspirational conversation below.

The ad demonstrates that by connecting the mission of the brand to the magic in the mundane. Love said that when it comes to advertising content, “it’s either an ad or it’s additive.”

This was additive because it was something we don’t see often, a powerful Black man speaking on all the ways that homes need to be provided for. Minus Dennis Haysbert reminding me to renew my car insurance, there’s not enough of that type of domestic storytelling tagging them in.

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Telling a story without tapping into those three things is going to ensure it falls flat every time.

Brown shared the ways that he supports his household like making sure his sons have frozen mangos for their healthy smoothies and brioche bread and almond butter for their bougie PB&Js. He also noted that he helped his wife during her postpartum period by making sure she never got ashy.

The ad Shipt produced tapped into the ways a bar of soap can feel like a lifeline for a new mom. It also showcased how a treasured family recipe can manifest from an errand run by a personal shopper. Love (who did a wonderful job hosting) connected to this as someone who had relished the experience of finally taking an everything shower after expelling a tiny human from her body.

There were lots of cute moments from the conversation at the preview that stood out to me. as someone without kids to feed or anything restricting me from my shower ritual. The most impactful one was Brown talking about gaining the influence and power he has at a time when he can use it responsibly. It made me think about how I’m glad I didn’t hit current career milestones until I became wise enough to know how to deal with the responsibilities associated with them. I ran into there and she wrote in the caption of her post that she needed to do less. Doing less can make room for feeling more.

When I was younger, I thought things had to be a certain way in one area before I could focus on another.

Now I know you don’t have to be a baller to do something like order groceries. You can prioritize one area of your life while working on another, because sometimes convenience helps you connect with yourself.

The best tea is served ice cold. Ask Santina!

The second Santina prepared to tell the world why she left Dr. Miami, I was sat. The influencer turned social media manager was a big reason that I became addicted to TikTok, and I wanted to hear her story.

I knew that leaving such a huge platform wouldn’t have been easy and that there had to be a serious reason she departed. If you haven’t watched the five-time storytime, I highly recommend you watch it and share it with the early professionals in your life so that they can recognize a red flag when they see one.

She was completely open about her decision to depart and what she was feeling during her time there. The highly anticipated story time had the clarity, the context, and the presence of mind we rarely see on the clock app these days.

Speaking On (ALL) Of It

The most powerful part was not her describing her former employer’s personality and politics, but her sharing why she felt compelled to deal with them for as long as she did. Social media professionals are undervalued and underestimated.

She demonstrated their value by the way she told her story.

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We spoke on the heels of his sold out run of The Color Purple. He is constantly reminding me to think about the purpose behind my art, and not just the outcome I’d like it to produce.

About The Key Voices Interview Series

We’re all starting to look the same and sound the same, thanks to the algorithm. Everyone is so focused on having a hot take that they are arriving at the same take. I don’t want to watch people rushing down the same path to regurgitate the same recycled opinions.

That is why I wanted to bring the Key Voices interview series to my Subtack.

Key Voices will highlight the voices that are nuanced, interesting, well-informed, and occasionally hilarious.

Share

Half-baked and ill-researched are not the core pillars of my media diet. That is why I turn to people whose voices stand out to me. They help me understand the world around me and away from me.

They’re keys to who I am and what I love. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I do.

Key Notes

Key Listen: Body Bag - I need my boo Monaleo to get well soon!

Key Read: The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa

Key Watch: RHOBH - I’m enjoying Rachel Zoe coming in hot.

I responded to an invitation with a rare yes today. I had another event on my schedule right after, and it would only require me to slip into Manhattan an hour and a half earlier than planned, so I figured, why not?

I began the e-mail accepting the invite with a ‘H.’ Tapping the character button for the H resulted in an automated message populating into the draft box. That message began with “Hey Boo.” I was horrified by this. The rest of the message read in the clipped robotic prose that an algorithm scanning my correspondence would spit out, but “Hey Boo” in this context was wildly inappropriate, and it leapt out at me.

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I was in shock.

This colleague and I were nowhere near “Hey Boo” terms. It concerned me that this software just assumed because I was replying to them that we were close.

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Key Notes:

• Key Reads: And Everything Is Tyra Banks’ Fault - CultureWork

• Key Listens: The Light of the Sun - Jill Scott. It’s been over ten years, and “Making You Wait” still goes.

• Key Watches: “Love Story” - I was a kid when the tragedy struck, but I am all over the resurgence of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy core as a grown woman. Sis knew how to stand on business. I respect that.

If you’re looking forward to a long think piece about the many crimes of Tyra Banks, look elsewhere. I’m sure there are plenty taking up her defense and crying for her damnation.

This is about the way that certain people’s accomplishments are dismissed by those who want to invent a narrative that matches their feelings, and how it is literally wearing me out! Since the drop of Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, there have been a few viral posts stating that Banks was never a top model. This is just not true.

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This narrative has been flying from people proudly ignorant of any details of the topic they claim to feel so passionately about. As CultureWork said, “My soul just simply can’t let people who were teething for most of Tyra’s career diminish her impact to only ANTM or even nothing.”

Related: The Diddy Trial Proves Job Titles Are Meaningless

When people have tried to correct that false argument that THEE Tyra Banks was never on top herself, they have been met with people saying that the facts don’t matter because of Banks’ actions on reality television.

I’m not excusing Banks’ actions. As someone who ran a model column for an outlet for four years, I have my own thoughts on the industry and the wide gap between its actual realities and the way it’s portrayed on reality television, but that’s a conversation for another day.

I’m saying we can not deny she happened. Her career existed.

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Cancel culture is complicated (and seems to disproportionately impact Black women).

It should be discussed by people more well-rounded and smarter than me, but what I’m more concerned about at the moment is the rapid expansion of erasure culture.

The second that someone does something they disapprove of, some seem to argue that they never achieved anything of substance anyway. That is really scary to me.

History is not always convenient, but it needs to exist.

Related: I Really Hope What Happened At The Messenger Changes The Way You View Black Media

Tossing documentation because of personal distaste is erasing people from the historical record, and it is wrong.

Yes, Banks did many questionable things. That does not negate her accomplishments.

Many young Black women saw themselves in her, and that matters. The runways she walked were real. The magazines she covered broke barriers.

She was a supermodel from Inglewood. Her ties to the historically Black neighborhood are so cemented that she appears championing it in an episode of Insecure.

Erasing that legacy is not okay. Ignoring it is not either.

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That is why I wanted to bring the Key Voices interview series to my Subtack.

Key Voices will highlight the voices that are nuanced, interesting, well-informed, and occasionally hilarious.

Half-baked and ill-researched are not the core pillars of my media diet. That is why I turn to people whose voices stand out to me. They help me understand the world around me and away from me.

They’re keys to who I am and what I love. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I do.

My first interview is with beauty expert Kayla Greaves, one of my favorite voices in my head!

The mediapocalypse rages on, but by the grace of the almighty I’M. STILL. HERE.

I am freelancing again in 2026. There have been a few changes to my beats, so I wanted to share where I’m telling stories so you know how to pitch me.

This post is late, but the stories the outlets I work with were not, and that’s the most important thing. If I don’t meet dead…

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I’m back to being in your business for a living! Praise the lord. I’m writing about Back women in non-traditional relationships during this season of love.

Are you polyamorous? Sleep divorced? Living together but apart? I want to hear from you! I want to know why your relationship is different yet beautiful.

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See example…

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The flashing lights and sirens didn’t surprise me. Yes, I didn’t do anything wrong, but I was in the part of town where that sort of thing happens at the time of day where that sort of thing happens because I overrode my instincts.

I knew better, and now I was about to start paying for it.

Morning Reset Interrupted

The day has started with me doing something I didn’t want to do. It was someone else’s blessing, and I stole it.

The assignment came through, and I jumped on it even though I had enough work that day to easily turn it down.

I felt like I couldn’t say no. Because everybody has been telling us, it’s been a really, really tough year to be not just a writer, but a creative, in general. And everybody has been saying how bad things are, how it’s so much harder to get assignments. It’s so much harder to get your pitch through. Budgets are shrinking, and editors are getting laid off, and every time that I get a chance to do something, I think to myself, well, I have to do it. have to do it right now. I have to because otherwise, I’ll be fumbling an opportunity. They won’t want to work with me again.

So I have to show up right away. Or else! That’s what I was telling myself, but it wasn’t true. Even if it was, saying yes wouldn’t have changed anything. I could have gotten in my car and done what I was scheduled to do. I let scarcity mentality and fear delay me from what I had planned for the day.

Wrecking My Own Routine

There’s a trend going around about people trying not to treat everything like an emergency. I should have learned from it last week.

I’m a pretty productive person, but I was even more on GO for no reason. The rent was paid, there were no creditors calling, but I had the gnawing feeling that if I didn’t pick up every crumb from the ground I would soon be starving.

This made no sense! Fear rarely does.

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Teyana Taylor’s success is rooted in community. It might have taken some a while to wake up to to her unique power but we always knew she was undeniable. The best part about her? She appreciates that. She values the way we love her by showing up and connecting with her people.

I’m on a high from watching her win at the Golden Globes, but I’m even more d…

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