April 30, 2022
I grew up in money earning Mount Vernon lol Mount Vernon, NY is where I was born and raised. I was raised in a single parent household and am the youngest of 4 on my mother’s side and the eldest of 3 on my fathers side. Some of my fondest memories growing up were the amazing TV shows we had, playing double Dutch and tag and gathering with family. As a child, you don’t know about accumulating trauma or when things aren’t right. My mother did a good job at keeping a child in a child’s place. I was always on the honor roll. I went to a performing arts school called Nellie A. Thornton where I did African dance, Tap dance, Jazz and also were in several spelling bees. I was bullied growing up. My mother was serious about my education and so she didn’t dress me in the latest Jordan’s or trending fashion wear that other parents had dressed their kids in. Later in life, this taught me how to use knowledge and information to get what I needed and not to rely on how I looked and dressed.
Sexy SizeUp Boutique was started during the pandemic. I’ve only been in this business for 1.2 years. It was started because I reside in Ohio and Ohio is a little slower than NY fashion wise..so they don’t carry all of the fashion and different assortments of clothing styles that NY does. It also was very hard for me being a plus size woman to find true to size clothing and all of the stores are kind of far in distance. I started off carrying urban wear and club type clothing.
As I developed my brand, I realized that my brand needed to speak truly of who I am and what I stand for and so I decided that it was best to merge this brand with my Angel Inspires brand. Angel Inspires is all about raising awareness and promoting healing. I added Curvy Convos to the platform, it is a series of live interviews with plus size models and influencers discussing their journey to body positivity and self love. Most of the women interviewed has received some sort of closure in one way or another on an event that perspired in their life regarding them being plus size.
My brand then transitioned to carry business casual, and business working woman clothing and I added, shoes, purses, fedoras, accessories and more to the online store. My goal was to make sure that my foundation (the why) behind me was enforced in everything I do. I came up with the most unique brand ambassador program to ever exist whereas I support women who support me by assisting with healing and business startup mentorship, networking to gain opportunity and exposure for them, they also get a payout for directing customers to our site to purchase and do’s much more.
Beat Face Cosmetics products are vegan and cruelty free. I call them products that cater to the goddess in you. A lot of the regular makeup products carry cancer causing chemicals and can contribute to sickness, acne, skin discoloration etc. So I designed my products to not only be healthy for the skin but to also be as good as the makeup brands that are not vegan or cruelty free. we stand out from the rest because we truly dispel the myth that vegan or cruelty free products don’t give you a flawless beat.
Conscious Conversations was started in 2015 when I first relocated to Akron, Ohio. I was so used to being active in the community that when I first got here, it was hard for me to sit still and not be active in my purpose. I started it on free conference calling.com as a call in so those interested could listen in as I discussed topics like intention or being co creator in your life. I created it to raise awareness in the black community, of our traumas, capabilities, greatness etc.
What I realized with my work in the community is that we have a way of sweeping things under the rug and not addressing how we’ve hurt each other and furthermore what part we as individuals played in a situation. When we have awareness, our spirit will feel dis-ease when trying to function in any knowing less than the knowing that is designed to heal us on all levels. My interviews take place on IG live in my page @angelinspires but I will be moving the content to YouTube. My YouTube is Angel Inspires.
YANAAA stands for You Are Not Alone At All. It was designed to target boredom and transition it into productivity; isolation and transition it into networking with people with common interests; and loneliness by converting it into a healthy form a solitude which includes self reflecting and getting to know oneself for the youth and young adults back in my hometown. I based this organization off of the things I experienced as a kid and young adult. I founded it after having an abortion at the age of 21. I like to call that instance my awakening moment; the moment I took myself off of autopilot and realized that I existed and can take control of how my life turns out.
It had cause me to spiral out into a deep depression, binge eating and fearing to do anything next because I felt like God was going to punish me. I didn’t have the type of parents I could talk to about what had happened and so I went through much of the process alone. I remember looking at myself cry in the mirror. It was pretty silly and ridiculous. I wiped my eyes and scanned my thoughts and knew that I couldn’t let this abortion be in vain.. all of a sudden the idea popped into my mind YANAAA— “start this to help the children in your community”.
It was truly my pain that birthed my purpose. The organization is now inactive and is based in Mount Vernon NY. I am working towards positioning myself so that I can continue this work in the community and be able to travel back and fourth to do business as needed.
Even in being homeless I never stopped tending to empowering the community. I’d find a place to shower and get dressed and go on about my business when I was living out of my office in NY. I ALWAYS showed up for myself. At that time I had been used to not having support or help that I would just find ways to use what I had and the knowledge I gained to get what I needed. I became homeless at a time that I had dropped all of the friends I had and completed tended to myself and my heart, learning about me, what I liked and what made me so special. I prayed and meditated and focused heavily on what it was that I was trying to do.
I stayed motivated because I had acquired all of the necessary knowledge that I needed to to help me understand that those who are meant to be great will have some of the toughest things to go through. Becoming homeless in a City or state (Ohio) where I knew no one and how to get around was challenging. I kept a gratitude journal and journaled all of my experiences. I looked for all of the positives of being in that situation and asked God what it was that I needed to gain from this experience. Also if there was anyone I met that could help, I was transparent and vulnerable. I never felt the need to hide what I went through because we all go through things. The shelter where I stayed was very strict.
We had to turn in our phones at 6p and we couldn’t attend dinner unless we attended church services. Lights were out at 9p and you had to be up and out at 6am. We were only allotted 5 mins for shower time and there was blatant racism happening from some of the other women in the shelter. I people watched yet stayed focused on what I wanted. I was out of the shelter and into my own place within 3 months.
The pandemic actually gave me the time I needed to focus on my brands. I was able to work from home and not work for anyone else which was a plus for me. However my biggest challenge was getting the sales I needed to continue growing. With the pandemic, people weren’t spending much money on anything like clothing because we had an order to stay home. I overcame it by paying attention to trends. I seen that staying home allowed individuals to become more creative and they were doing so with makeup looks as well. This is why I started Beat Face Cosmetics but I wanted to keep the products healthy for the skin.
Women empowerment is very important because we need each other. We are all women so we are the only ones who can understand the things that we go through in our love lives, business lives, in the work place and everything else. We cannot learn how to be a woman from a man, therefore it is up to us to reach out to our sisters and be genuinely supportive. I encourage women to cheer other women on by being the very example of this.
There are things that have happened in the past during slavery that are trickle down effects and influences the behaviors we see within our community such as women competing who may be in the same industry. The quicker we realize that no one can duplicate anyone and that we would get to our destinations quicker when we work together, the quicker we can change the narrative on a lot of things. Smiling is another thing. A smile is contagious and goes a very long way.
People can join my brand ambassador program by viewing and filling out this form: You can find my form "Form" at: https://form.jotform.com/210877764582064 they can also inquire by business email: sexysizeupboutique@sexysizeupboutique.com
Wow. The first annual Winter Wonderwoman Women Empowerment Fashion Show was a huge success! I knew it was going to be BIG but when I seen it unfold in front of my eyes, it was truly a blessing to witness. I had people from Texas, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Columbus, Boston and more attend! We had the well esteemed photographer Ronson McDowell of Ronson Originals pictures and videos cover media. He has been a high rise photographer for NYFW, a personal photographer for the Debartlo family who owns the 49ers football team, works as a personal photographer for Jennifer Nicole Lee and more.
His daughter India Raven a well known Professional model who was the first artist to perform at Ripley’s Believe it or Not performed as well. The host was Corey “petty” Jones, a viral comedian who worked with some of the greats in the industry and had everyone cracking up in the audience. He went the extra mile to make sure all of the vendors were seen and heard at the event. We had hair and makeup sponsored by The Leia Love Salon here in Ohio and we had Artist Lady Lunatic perform her song “Purse Full of Stones” ft. the late and great Pimp C. The BTS media correspondent Marchele Perkins got interviews from participants in the show and ppl attending. It truly was the experience I was aiming to give those who attended. This event was raved about and everyone enjoyed it. I’ve decided to make this a yearly fashion show and so you can expect another one next year in January.
My biggest advice to anyone who wants to start anything is to know your WHY. Know why you are doing what you are doing because your why is truly your foundation. Without a why, it’s hard to know the vision and direction that you want to go in and what people align with what you’re looking to carry out. In having a non profit, my downs have been finding a board of members that are truly committed and dedicated. Be sure that you choose people you trust because when you have a non profit it is not “your” business. You can be voted out by those who you have on your board.
One of the ups is having a 501c3. Make sure that you seek to get one to save you personal money on costs and so that you can receive donations for your organization so you can do what is needed without stressing about where funds will come from. Another UP is that you will touch many lives and be able to do Gods work. Finally with any business please know that you are required to grow and the reason I push healing is because if you aren’t right within then this will be evident in your business as well. In order to grow a business, you have to also grow as an individual. There will be no way to separate the two. Make sure that you tend to your personal growth and development so that God or the most high may continue to move through you.
I am excited to be on the staff as a coordinator for the TEDx Balch street event that will take place on March 5th here in Akron, Ohio. In April, my boutique will be showcasing at the Ohio Kurvy Fashion Weekend organized by Dr. Angela Harper. On May 14th, I will be having a fashion and beauty networking mixer at the legendary 5001 flavors boutique home- Harlem Haberdashery. 5001 Flavors designs clothes for well esteemed celebs and have been doing so since before Biggie Smalls pass’s who was also one of their clients. This event will be huge as well. I’m so excited! My website is being put together at this moment so for now, follow me on IG @angelinspires.
I grew up in money earning Mount Vernon lol Mount Vernon, NY is where I was born and raised. I was raised in a single parent household and am the youngest of 4 on my mother’s side and the eldest of 3 on my fathers side. Some of my fondest memories growing up were the amazing TV shows we had, playing double Dutch and tag and gathering with family. As a child, you don’t know about accumulating trauma or when things aren’t right. My mother did a good job at keeping a child in a child’s place. I was always on the honor roll. I went to a performing arts school called Nellie A. Thornton where I did African dance, Tap dance, Jazz and also were in several spelling bees. I was bullied growing up. My mother was serious about my education and so she didn’t dress me in the latest Jordan’s or trending fashion wear that other parents had dressed their kids in. Later in life, this taught me how to use knowledge and information to get what I needed and not to rely on how I looked and dressed.
Sexy SizeUp Boutique was started during the pandemic. I’ve only been in this business for 1.2 years. It was started because I reside in Ohio and Ohio is a little slower than NY fashion wise..so they don’t carry all of the fashion and different assortments of clothing styles that NY does. It also was very hard for me being a plus size woman to find true to size clothing and all of the stores are kind of far in distance. I started off carrying urban wear and club type clothing.
As I developed my brand, I realized that my brand needed to speak truly of who I am and what I stand for and so I decided that it was best to merge this brand with my Angel Inspires brand. Angel Inspires is all about raising awareness and promoting healing. I added Curvy Convos to the platform, it is a series of live interviews with plus size models and influencers discussing their journey to body positivity and self love. Most of the women interviewed has received some sort of closure in one way or another on an event that perspired in their life regarding them being plus size.
My brand then transitioned to carry business casual, and business working woman clothing and I added, shoes, purses, fedoras, accessories and more to the online store. My goal was to make sure that my foundation (the why) behind me was enforced in everything I do. I came up with the most unique brand ambassador program to ever exist whereas I support women who support me by assisting with healing and business startup mentorship, networking to gain opportunity and exposure for them, they also get a payout for directing customers to our site to purchase and do’s much more.
Beat Face Cosmetics products are vegan and cruelty free. I call them products that cater to the goddess in you. A lot of the regular makeup products carry cancer causing chemicals and can contribute to sickness, acne, skin discoloration etc. So I designed my products to not only be healthy for the skin but to also be as good as the makeup brands that are not vegan or cruelty free. we stand out from the rest because we truly dispel the myth that vegan or cruelty free products don’t give you a flawless beat.
Conscious Conversations was started in 2015 when I first relocated to Akron, Ohio. I was so used to being active in the community that when I first got here, it was hard for me to sit still and not be active in my purpose. I started it on free conference calling.com as a call in so those interested could listen in as I discussed topics like intention or being co creator in your life. I created it to raise awareness in the black community, of our traumas, capabilities, greatness etc.
What I realized with my work in the community is that we have a way of sweeping things under the rug and not addressing how we’ve hurt each other and furthermore what part we as individuals played in a situation. When we have awareness, our spirit will feel dis-ease when trying to function in any knowing less than the knowing that is designed to heal us on all levels. My interviews take place on IG live in my page @angelinspires but I will be moving the content to YouTube. My YouTube is Angel Inspires.
YANAAA stands for You Are Not Alone At All. It was designed to target boredom and transition it into productivity; isolation and transition it into networking with people with common interests; and loneliness by converting it into a healthy form a solitude which includes self reflecting and getting to know oneself for the youth and young adults back in my hometown. I based this organization off of the things I experienced as a kid and young adult. I founded it after having an abortion at the age of 21. I like to call that instance my awakening moment; the moment I took myself off of autopilot and realized that I existed and can take control of how my life turns out.
It had cause me to spiral out into a deep depression, binge eating and fearing to do anything next because I felt like God was going to punish me. I didn’t have the type of parents I could talk to about what had happened and so I went through much of the process alone. I remember looking at myself cry in the mirror. It was pretty silly and ridiculous. I wiped my eyes and scanned my thoughts and knew that I couldn’t let this abortion be in vain.. all of a sudden the idea popped into my mind YANAAA— “start this to help the children in your community”.
It was truly my pain that birthed my purpose. The organization is now inactive and is based in Mount Vernon NY. I am working towards positioning myself so that I can continue this work in the community and be able to travel back and fourth to do business as needed.
Even in being homeless I never stopped tending to empowering the community. I’d find a place to shower and get dressed and go on about my business when I was living out of my office in NY. I ALWAYS showed up for myself. At that time I had been used to not having support or help that I would just find ways to use what I had and the knowledge I gained to get what I needed. I became homeless at a time that I had dropped all of the friends I had and completed tended to myself and my heart, learning about me, what I liked and what made me so special. I prayed and meditated and focused heavily on what it was that I was trying to do.
I stayed motivated because I had acquired all of the necessary knowledge that I needed to to help me understand that those who are meant to be great will have some of the toughest things to go through. Becoming homeless in a City or state (Ohio) where I knew no one and how to get around was challenging. I kept a gratitude journal and journaled all of my experiences. I looked for all of the positives of being in that situation and asked God what it was that I needed to gain from this experience. Also if there was anyone I met that could help, I was transparent and vulnerable. I never felt the need to hide what I went through because we all go through things. The shelter where I stayed was very strict.
We had to turn in our phones at 6p and we couldn’t attend dinner unless we attended church services. Lights were out at 9p and you had to be up and out at 6am. We were only allotted 5 mins for shower time and there was blatant racism happening from some of the other women in the shelter. I people watched yet stayed focused on what I wanted. I was out of the shelter and into my own place within 3 months.
The pandemic actually gave me the time I needed to focus on my brands. I was able to work from home and not work for anyone else which was a plus for me. However my biggest challenge was getting the sales I needed to continue growing. With the pandemic, people weren’t spending much money on anything like clothing because we had an order to stay home. I overcame it by paying attention to trends. I seen that staying home allowed individuals to become more creative and they were doing so with makeup looks as well. This is why I started Beat Face Cosmetics but I wanted to keep the products healthy for the skin.
Women empowerment is very important because we need each other. We are all women so we are the only ones who can understand the things that we go through in our love lives, business lives, in the work place and everything else. We cannot learn how to be a woman from a man, therefore it is up to us to reach out to our sisters and be genuinely supportive. I encourage women to cheer other women on by being the very example of this.
There are things that have happened in the past during slavery that are trickle down effects and influences the behaviors we see within our community such as women competing who may be in the same industry. The quicker we realize that no one can duplicate anyone and that we would get to our destinations quicker when we work together, the quicker we can change the narrative on a lot of things. Smiling is another thing. A smile is contagious and goes a very long way.
People can join my brand ambassador program by viewing and filling out this form: You can find my form "Form" at: https://form.jotform.com/210877764582064 they can also inquire by business email: sexysizeupboutique@sexysizeupboutique.com
Wow. The first annual Winter Wonderwoman Women Empowerment Fashion Show was a huge success! I knew it was going to be BIG but when I seen it unfold in front of my eyes, it was truly a blessing to witness. I had people from Texas, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Columbus, Boston and more attend! We had the well esteemed photographer Ronson McDowell of Ronson Originals pictures and videos cover media. He has been a high rise photographer for NYFW, a personal photographer for the Debartlo family who owns the 49ers football team, works as a personal photographer for Jennifer Nicole Lee and more.
His daughter India Raven a well known Professional model who was the first artist to perform at Ripley’s Believe it or Not performed as well. The host was Corey “petty” Jones, a viral comedian who worked with some of the greats in the industry and had everyone cracking up in the audience. He went the extra mile to make sure all of the vendors were seen and heard at the event. We had hair and makeup sponsored by The Leia Love Salon here in Ohio and we had Artist Lady Lunatic perform her song “Purse Full of Stones” ft. the late and great Pimp C. The BTS media correspondent Marchele Perkins got interviews from participants in the show and ppl attending. It truly was the experience I was aiming to give those who attended. This event was raved about and everyone enjoyed it. I’ve decided to make this a yearly fashion show and so you can expect another one next year in January.
My biggest advice to anyone who wants to start anything is to know your WHY. Know why you are doing what you are doing because your why is truly your foundation. Without a why, it’s hard to know the vision and direction that you want to go in and what people align with what you’re looking to carry out. In having a non profit, my downs have been finding a board of members that are truly committed and dedicated. Be sure that you choose people you trust because when you have a non profit it is not “your” business. You can be voted out by those who you have on your board.
One of the ups is having a 501c3. Make sure that you seek to get one to save you personal money on costs and so that you can receive donations for your organization so you can do what is needed without stressing about where funds will come from. Another UP is that you will touch many lives and be able to do Gods work. Finally with any business please know that you are required to grow and the reason I push healing is because if you aren’t right within then this will be evident in your business as well. In order to grow a business, you have to also grow as an individual. There will be no way to separate the two. Make sure that you tend to your personal growth and development so that God or the most high may continue to move through you.
I am excited to be on the staff as a coordinator for the TEDx Balch street event that will take place on March 5th here in Akron, Ohio. In April, my boutique will be showcasing at the Ohio Kurvy Fashion Weekend organized by Dr. Angela Harper. On May 14th, I will be having a fashion and beauty networking mixer at the legendary 5001 flavors boutique home- Harlem Haberdashery. 5001 Flavors designs clothes for well esteemed celebs and have been doing so since before Biggie Smalls pass’s who was also one of their clients. This event will be huge as well. I’m so excited! My website is being put together at this moment so for now, follow me on IG @angelinspires.
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