#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #14: Kristal Nic

1. Name : Kristal Nicholson

2. Company name: CoveredMom.com

3. Location (City, State): Phoenix, AZ

4. Year Company Was Started: 2013

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram: www.coveredmom.com

6. In 2 sentences what does your company do/brand represent? 

CoveredMom.com produces quality covers for nursing mothers, to make feeding times with baby private and luxurious. The company was founded as a way to give back to breast cancer research by donating a portion of each sale to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and to encourage new mothers to breast feed.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to create something unique, to watch it grow, and to be associated with quality products, and a cause that I am truly passionate about. 

8. Con of being face of own brand?

It seems like I am always busy, and there are a million small details that only I can set in motion. I have found that most of my friends are extremely supportive, but I feel like I am alone because there are no clear cut instructions on how to proceed, and I am only person that can make the important decisions, and initiate all company actions. 

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?) 

1. Amelia Earhart, not just for her courage to get out into the world, and attempt great feats, but for her courage to do it alone. 

2. Barak Obama, for his pride, intellect, candor, and his ability to calm the masses with a single sentence.

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen:

My great uncle used to say "No bees, no honey. No work, no money!"  

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”  -Martin Luther King

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

The only boundaries that surround me are the ones I create for myself in my head. I sat on this idea for 5 years before seizing the opportunity to create this business. Being the face of my brand means that I own all responsibilities that have an influence on my own success. If I stop when I come to a difficult task then I become trapped and cannot move forward. Now that I have begun, I cannot stop. Once I made the decision to move forward, I broke through the mental boundary that held me back for 5 years. My daily goals are to continue moving forward. To continue creating. To continue growing. To continue improving. To find inspiration, and get faster and better at what I do, so that I can complete all tasks, and break through all boundaries. For me, there is no limit. not even the sky, & with God's grace, I can fly.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #13: Kali Blocker

1. Name

Kali

2. Company name

Diosas al Natural (translation: Natural Goddesses).  I run the business with my partner, Joaquin.

3. Location (City, State)

Puerto Rico

4. Year Company Was Started

2012

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram

www.diosasalnatural.com

www.diosasalnatural.tumblr.com

fb/ig/twitter: DiosasAlNatural

6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

Diosas al Natural  is the vessel of the Natural Hair Movement in Puerto Rico.  Using photography as our creative medium, we’ve started the conversation in Spanish about culture, beauty, and community amongst women with Naturally Curly/Coily hair on the island and throughout Latin America.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

When people hear your name, they visualize the space/brand that you have created.  That is powerful and proof of your purpose!

8. Con of being face of own brand?

You always have to be ON. While you are human, your actions can taint or boost your image, for better or for worse.

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Issa Rae.  Debbie Allen.  Mark Cuban.  Those are the 3 that come to mind.  I may say 3 different names tomorrow!  I’m breaking the rules, but I will add Alice Smith to that line-up as well.

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen 

These 2 quotes, both my Mark Cuban

Sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is. Know your business and industry better than anyone else in the world. Love what you do or don't do it.

One thing we can all control is effort. Put in the time to become an expert in whatever you’re doing. It will give you an advantage because most people don’t do this.

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

Bringing along new ideas and challenging the status quo will be met with both praise and venom.  After grasping that idea and accepting it, I (along with my partner) am able to imagine and put into action events & projects that I visualize as appropriate for my brand and those who I do this for.  Anyone who isn’t contributing in a productive manner to the vision doesn’t phase me and won’t stop the grind!

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #12: Scott Corr

 

1. Name

Scott Corr

2. Company name

RealMenLiftWomen.Com

3. Location (City, State)

Brooklyn, NY

4. Year Company Was Started

2013

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram

realmenliftwomen.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/realmenliftwomencom/139605669529664?ref=hl

Tweet: @RealMenLW

Insta: @RealMenLiftWomen

6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

We are The Face, The Voice, The Brand for Men's dance. We are an online retail store, dynamic dance blog, and philanthropists within the dance community

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

You are identified with something that is important to you. They say, "don't let a job or a career identify you", but when you are the face of your brand, your job is a extension of who you are. Working to live and living to work are interchangable at the point your brand become successful.

8. Con of being face of own brand?

Once you set a precedent and develop the culture of your brand, a lot is expected from you. Mistakes are acceptable, but careless mistakes affect your customer base and audience and are not acceptable. Once you set the bar high, there is no going backwards.

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Timothy Ferris- Author of "The Four Hour Work Week"

Jason Stewart- Best Friend since age 4 and born with a mind for business.

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen 

"Ain't Nothin' To It, But To Do It"- Ronnie Coleman

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

One of my career goals is to have the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. It is one of the forces that drives me to success and is a an essential component in how I develop my business. Everything, including my supply chain, can be managed remotely. A lot of work went into the back-end of the development process and work is still being put in in the background; eventually, there will be a large portion of the business that is automated and the remaining portion will require my presence minimally. (Or, at least we hope- haha)

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #11: DMF

1. Name: Dean K. Moore

2. Company: Heirport Apparel

3. Location (City, State): Roosevelt, NY

4. Year Company Was Starter: 2007

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram

heirportapparel.com // @heirport 

6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

"Life on A Higher Plane"  Rags to riches, hanger to hangar, runway to runway, coast to coast. (H)onor, (H)eraldy, (H)eart, (H)ighness and (H)andcraft.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

When your brand is literally an extension of you, you just have to be yourself, your best self, but yeah this is also your aim. 

8. Con of being face of own brand?

You own the shortcomings and you sacrifice a certain level of privacy. The wins are fulfilling but the losses cut deep, you have to learn poise during the highs and resolve during the lows. Each season is coming you have dress according to the climate.

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Steve Jobs, Marc Echo, Steve Stoute. I can credit them each for some real inspiration and guidance that I sincerely take to heart. I have a genuine appreciation for each of their contributions to lifestyle + culture as well.

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen:

"The tendency of all life is onward and upward. Therefore, to ask anything to come down is to violate the very purpose of existence. If we wish to be with the higher, the greater and the superior, we must change ourselves and become higher, greater and superior; and this we all can do."

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand?

We identify with that completely it's a direct reflection our respective lifestyle. Our best moments came from being curios and fearless, "swimming against the current" with a clear vision of the future and the discipline to see it come to fruition.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #10: Abigail Tarttelin

1. Name: Abigail Tarttelin

2. Company Name: Abigail Tarttelin

3. Location (City, State): London, England

4. Year Company Was Started:  2012, but I've been working on my business since 2007, maybe even since I was 8!

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram  www.abigailtarttelin.com //  @abigailsbrain // www.instagram.com/civilizedanimal (instagram is my favorite!) // www.facebook.com/abigailtarttelin // imakethingsup.tumblr.com

6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?  

I am an internationally published author, actress and creative. With my projects I promote progressive politics, feminism, the importance of reading and education, and LGBTQIA rights.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

All of the work I put my time, money and sweat into raises my value, and not a boss's. I hate the fact so many people work so hard for so little, to the great benefit of the very rich.

8. Con of being face of own brand?

I'm still growing and discovering myself and sometimes that means you have to make mistakes in public. Also I can never go out looking like crap and sometimes I wish I could, because I can't always be bothered to do my hair!

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Tavi Gevinson, also Extraordinary "Ordinary" people (hint: everyone)

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen 

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got." 

—Janis Joplin

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand?

I like to think my brand is an ever-evolving thing, because I'm an author primarily now, but in ten year's time, who knows? That's the beauty of building your own brand: it can be whatever you want it to be, as long as it's YOU, even if it's somewhere other people fear to tread.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #9: Coolty Hunter

 

 1. Name: Coolty Hunter

 2. Business Name: Refined Clothier

 3. Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

 4. Year Company Started: 2011

 5.  - www.refinedclothier.com

     - @refinedclothier

     - www.facebook.com/refined.clothier

 6. In two sentences, describe your company. 

Refined Clothier aims to expand the way men approach the way they dress and allow them to be more active and conscious of it, all at a convenience.

 7. The Pro of being your own brand is that you are able to manifest your own vision, physically, as an example of your product.

 8. The Con of being the face of my own brand is the consistent requirement & expectation to make that representation. One day off can equal a lost opportunity, one has to either come to grips with that or always be "on".

 9. Mental Mentors?

     - Gordon Parks

    - Melvin Van Peebles

    - Bobby McFerrin

10. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand?

Every perceived boundary has an exception and I choose to live with an clear understanding of which boundaries are real and which are externally manufactured and simply accepted. I find the latter tends to be the case more often than not.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #8: Lola Akinmade Akerstrom

1. Name

 Lola Akinmade Åkerström

2. Company name

Geotraveler Media

3. Location (City, State)

Stockholm, Sweden

4. Year Company Was Started

Registered in Sweden (2010). Around in one form or another in the US since 2007

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram

Twitter Handle  - @LolaAkinmade

Company - http://www.geotravelermedia.com

Blog - http://www.lolaakinmade.com

Portfolio - http://www.akinmade.com

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/GeotravelersNiche

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/lolaakinmade

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/110670451128591559783

6. In 2 sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

Geotraveler Media is a multimedia and travel consulting firm providing a spectrum of travel media-related services from writing, photography and web design and social media consulting.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

It instantly personalizes the work I produce/create and shows that it is run by a passionate human voice.

8. Con of being face of own brand?

That clients may assume I can only relate to or that my audience is mostly people that look just like me - black. My audience and clients are as diverse as they come.

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Oprah is a testament to living one's authentic self and calling, Bono embodies the word passion in everything he does, and Jesus Christ exemplifies that ultimate humility, servitude, generosity, and grace I will continually aspire to for the rest of my life.

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen 

"To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting."...E.E. Cummings.

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

The challenge I keep fighting while pushing my own boundaries professionally is that people begin to see you operating at a higher potential than they originally presumed you were capable of. Pushing boundaries inches us closer to our maximum potentials as individuals in whatever areas of our lives we carve them in.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #7: LaToya Joy Westbrooks

1. Name: LaToya Joy Westbrooks, Co-Founder & Owner

2. Company name: POSH Agency, LLC

3. Location (City, State): New York, NY

4. Year Company Was Started: March 2010

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram

Website: www.POSHAgencyNYC.com

Facebook: POSH Agency, LLC

Twitter: poshagencynyc

Instagram: poshagency

6. In 2 sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

POSH Agency, LLC is a boutique firm geared towards servicing a sophisticated clientele. We provide high-quality and customized lifestyle enhancing opportunities. POSH designs and executes unique social experiences, breathing new life into the Event Planning Industry.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

Being the face of my own brand allows the company to develop a tangible personality 

and to be relatable to our clients. Consumers love doing business with people and companies they can relate to. 

8. Con of being face of own brand?

When the face of the business changes, say a new hire or someone relocating (which was the case when one

of our partners moved to Switzerland) you have to learn how to adapt in order to stay true to the brand and 

retain your clients. 

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen:

 “There are 3 types of people in this world: those who make the rules, those who 

 follow the rules, and those who redefine the rules.”- Bill Cosby

 11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand?

Sometimes, you have to step out on faith and just go with the flow. No matter how much planning you do 

before a trip something unexpectedly will come up. The same thing happens in business, I’ve learned this 

while building my brand.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #6: Teri Johnson

1. Name: Teri Johnson

2. Company name: Travelista TV

3. Location (City, State):: NYC

4. Year Company Was Started: 2008

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram:

www.travelista.tv

@TravelistaTV (for instagram & twitter)

@TravelistaTeri (for instagram & twitter)

 6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

 Travelista TV features the official Travelistas, Andrea and Teri, and their team of female travelers, journeying around the globe filming the best in culture, lifestyle, cuisine, hotels, and entertainment. Travelista TV is a BRAND and PRODUCTION COMPANY with DISTRIBUTION to various outlets in print, video, and social media.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

I get more opportunities to work as an ambassador with bigger brands with healthy budgets. I also get opportunities to travel around the world and get paid for it.

8. Con of being face of own brand?

Balancing which brands and projects to persue at various times.

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Oprah, My grandfather, Anthony Bourdain

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen:

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” Henry David Thoreau 

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

Living a life without boundaries has been a way of life for me since I was a child. I started traveling internationally when I was twelve and the experiences I’ve had living, studying and working in other countries has led me to live a life without borders and boundaries. In building the Travelista TV brand, my business partner and I have been steadfast in our goal to travel the world, share our experiences, and inspire others to travel. After traveling to 55+ countries, being published in 8 publications, appearing on NBC, the Travel Channel, The Fine Living Network and BET, I know the path I’ve chosen to build the Travelista TV brand was for me.

Travelista TV, Nomadness and a community of multicultural bloggers are changing the world’s perception about international travel and opening the eyes of Fortune 500 companies who are looking to tap into this growing travel demographic. It is our goal at Travelista TV to continue to provide engaging travel related video and editorial content that inspires everyone to travel, become more open-minded and enjoy the richness that the experiences bring.

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #5: J. Chase Harps

1. Name

J. Chase Harps

 2. Company name

Traveler’s Choice Concessions, LLC

 3. Location (City, State)

Birmingham, Alabama

 4. Year Company Was Started

2011

 5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/or Instagram

www.travelerschoiceconcessions.com (Under construction)

 6. In 2 sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

TCC represents the idea that traveling is something everyone should enjoy. Our company owns, manages and operates a variety of travel dining concepts to passengers traveling through the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.

 7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

You have the opportunity to control how you express and communicate your message.

 8. Con of being face of own brand?

You bear the weight of all of your actions. I feel that today people want transparency, authenticity, and continuity from their business leaders. People will automatically associate how they perceive you with how you present your brand. The line between you and your business blurs a lot.

 9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, who inspires you?)

• Richard Branson = dreamer, “big-picture thinker” optimist, risk-taker, incredible imagination
• Terrance D. Harps = introduced me to the airport concessions industry, President and CEO of Atlanta- based GC, Inc. Owner of proprietary concepts Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint., One Flew South, Jekyll Island

•  Will Smith = work ethic > talent; being funny made him popular, but his commitment to excellence made him elite in his field. 

 10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen 

“If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening my ax.”

 –A.L.

 In short, prepare, prepare, prepare…and then execute.

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

 I build my brand based on my life experiences. The company will stop growing if I do not continue to evolve as a person. So I choose to travel, try new things, and then look for effective ways to communicate what I’ve learned from those experiences in our business practice, whether directly in our products, or indirectly through my role in the community (entrepreneur, employer, traveler, mentor etc).  From a business perspective, I’ll always want to increase bottom line profit, but how we get that number to grow is extremely important to me.

To me, Nomadness Tribers are all looking to share the risk of taking chances and expanding their understanding of things outside their immediate lives (ex. experience driven travels with new people to new places). Basically, we’re inquisitive people who want to take action on our curiosities. Is there any better alignment???

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #4: A. V. Perkins

1. Name: A.V. Perkins

2. Company name: Tic Tac Wax

3. Location (City, State): Brooklyn, NY

4. Year Company Was Started: 2012

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram:

 www.tictacwax.com pinterest: tictacwax Fan page: www.facebook.com/tictacwax

6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

Tic Tac Wax is for people who like to have fun while adding unique novelty items to their decor.  Environmental conscious individuals who never lost their child like imagination.

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

When you are aligned with your brand by being the face everything develops organically.

8. Con of being face of own brand?

No off days even when you don't feel being "on." Your voice becomes the message of the brand which can be bad if unaware.

9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Sir Richard Branson, Oprah, Martha Stewart.

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen:

"Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things put together"- Vincent Van Gogh

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

It is in our motto "Where your imagination gets to light up!"  Only thing that limits us is our own imagination we don't acknowledge boundaries.  

#Nomadness #FaceYourBrand Profile #1: TastyKeish

1. Name 

Keisha Dutes aka TastyKeish

2. Company name

Bondfire Radio (Co-Owner) / TK in the AM (Host/Executive Producer)

3. Location (City, State)

Brooklyn, New York 

4. Year Company Was Started 

TastyKeish est. since 2005

Bondfire Radio est. since January 2013

5. Website Address/Social Media Handles for Twitter And/Or Instagram

http://tkintheam.com / http://bondfireradio.com Twitter & IG: @tastykeish @tkintheam @bondfireradio

6. In two sentences what does your company do/brand represent?

Bondfire Radio provides quality radio programming online and via new media to combat the constant barrage of mainstream zombification.  We make sure the conversations, music,  and images of us as young people (of color) are of whole individuals, not of caricatures. I strive to do this with humor on my morning show, TK in The AM. 

7. Pro of being the face of your own brand?

 People feel like the know you, they trust your brand, they trust your projects, they trust your opinions. Making connections through radio is very important. We know all of our regular listeners and they know us. 

8. Con of being face of own brand?

People feel like the knowwww you. They get too personal too fast. Privacy is an issue. As if your personal life were public domain. 

 9. Mental Mentors (up to 3, Who inspires you?)

Lucille Ball: First woman to head her own production company, Desilu. She was funny, talented, innovative, and unafraid. She came from the land of B-films to signing the checks, her production company changed the face of TV as we know it. I feel her inspiration move through my work daily. 

Kanye West: He is a creative menace to society. He will not apologize for his greatness. I will not either. I know what I'm doing is important. I'm gonna keep doing it. 

Philomene Hyacinthe: My grandmother and best friend. The best example of pure love. It's the same love I give to my audience. At the end of my show, when I say: "Love you for listening!" I mean it. 

10. Inspirational quote that speaks to your business acumen 

“Reject the tyranny of picked. Pick yourself.” - Seth Godin

11. How does the mission of Nomadness (living a life without boundaries, both literally and figuratively) fall in line with steps you have taken building your brand? 

I always 100% knew that working for someone or some corporate entity was not an option but a means to an end. Even when I had no idea what was next, there was always some project, some tour, some way to connect with people. Somehow, the rent would get paid and I would not starve to death if it means I get to meet people, to do my work, to live by my own rules. It inspires me when someone says that they saw me, a regular Brooklyn girl do something extraordinary and they ask me how. I usually start off buy telling them... "Buy a ticket and just go."

Nomadness Launches #FaceYourBrand Online Project Showcasing Young Entrepreneurs

#FaceYourBrand This is a passion project that I've been working on for a few months behind the scenes.

Artistry, creativity, entrepreneurship, passion, travel are all words that make up the guts of what Nomadness (Tribe and other ventures) are created from. In a world full of broadcasting moves across the internet, it takes a particular personality to come out in the forefront of their own movement, to build their own Tribe, and have their face splashed all over the front of it. 

Truth is... being the face of your brand is hard!!! You get the good and the bad. Weak personalities cannot, and do not, last long in this position. I believe both credit due and help needs to be offered to those who step out on that ledge and go for it!!

This is what inspired me to create Face Your Brand!... because sometimes that's exactly what it feels like...

You VS. Your Brand!

i want to scream...

Lately, I've been feeling as though I have to keep many parts of my life under wraps. Waiting for official official announcements in both the professional and personal part of my life (no, I'm not pregnant).

Truth be told, I hate this sh%t. I'm the type that when I'm excited, invigorated, energized, in love with what I'm doing... and the who, what, where, why, and how that's involved with it, I want to sprint to the nearest hilltop and scream it to the world. SO much I want to share. Waiting for the proper time.

Until then I remain muzzled...

What I wil say is that yesterday was one of the best days of my life...and...

Nomad•ness TV is officially two years old today!!!

early revelations into 2012...

One, I am who I am, and I am the most comfortable in my skin now than I ever have been in my life. I know my strengths. I am well aware of my weaknesses. I love myself just the same. With that comes the wisdom to also know that some people will 'get it' and some people won't. Everyone's perceptions of you and your actions, will also be a reflection of their own experiences in their own life. Therefore; you cannot and should not aim to please everyone else. There was a time in the past where I was very self-conscious about the way I looked, how I acted, how much emotion I would let people see, and it turned me into an anxious ridden mess. I have grown so much from those years into a confident, forward thinking, headhunter. I know I am an extremist. I know I am a control freak. I also know I am personable, yet have a knack for getting shit done (to be frank) in a way most people couldn't.

My work ethic is kind of sickening at times. But I will quote one of my mental mentors, Will Smith again. (see inspirational video below) "If we're both on a treadmill, either you're getting off first, or I'm gonna die. You will not outwork me." There you have it. When you find your calling, what you are CERTAIN you were put on this Earth to do, to offer the world, that's the level your brain functions on. Period.

Two, I am turning into my grandmother. This is the revelation that made me laugh and I'll be talking to my vixen grandmother tonight about it. This woman is in her 70s and is so on point. I credit it to the phenom genes she has since passed down to me, but more importantly, she keeps moving! When everyone else in my family, and many peers her age were migrating down south like a flock of birds, for a slower pace, she was completely against it. I get my short boredom threshold from her as well. She has to be active, and she is. I see my evolution into her most when I host events (like this past NYE with the Tribe). I've been throwing house parties since I was in Middle School. This is a secret love of mine. My grandmother, also, has been the host of damn near every family function. That's her thing. Her and my Aunts. No matter the event, there is something you will see...my grandmother moving and handling everything. When everyone is telling her to sit down, and relax she's looking at them with a steak knife and the look is enough for them to know they better go sit down, enjoy their drink, and let Ruthie handle the background. And she does flawlessly. Is it stressful? At times. Does she delegate? Yes. Does she get a high off of seeing other people enjoy themselves? YES. And that is where I think there is a disconnect with some people. When you are a 'giver' you get your enjoyment out of everyone else having a good time, not by getting drunk and being part of the shenanigans. That's your satisfaction and your reward. Thus, I am turning into this woman more and more by the day. I'd have it no other way.

Three, I am most attracted to (which is giving away to solely attracted to) people who live with a purpose. This 'attraction' spans from relationships into friendships and even 'familyships'. These are people who attack their dreams . A huge lesson I learned in 2011 is that entrepreneurs, get other entrepreneurs. We (without explanation) understand the hustle, time, blood, sweat, tears, and money (can the church say amen) it takes to build your own personal empires. We get it! We know the fear, risk, and utter faith it takes to bet everything on YOURSELF. And that is precisely what it takes to make it happen. You must give everything! I was on a date last week and the gentlemen made the comment, "I know that anytime we speak, 2/3 of the conversation is going to be about Nomad•ness and the Tribe." I smiled and laughed because he is 150% right. When you are building you HAVE to be that tuned into what you are doing until it launches on its own. My conversations with 'builders' are amazing, and different in many ways from those when I am just interacting with people generically. The smoke and mirrors are gone, and we have a true mental connection. That's what I want in my life for 2012.

All in all, I'm pleased with what has shown itself, and the filtration it's bringing about. Starting that physical cleanse tomorrow. I really ask for everyone to take the time, and even if it's just one thing, find your revelations going into the first week of 2012. And thank you so much for the support you all have given. 2012 is THE year!