It’s always hard for me to answer the question: “What do you do?”

My diverse interests span multiple industries—media, art, fashion, tech, home, and wellness—each with its own flavor of pretentiousness and expectations for how one should engage.

I’ve learned to earn trust and respect by feigning a solitary passion for whichever industry I happen to be immersed in at the time. But the truth is, what I do transcends any obvious box.

What I do is build worlds for women, especially Black women, to imagine a new life for ourselves—a life where we can be both strong and soft, caring and cared for. Where we can be one person yesterday and another tomorrow. Where we can evolve and, truly, be free.

My passion for world building has led me to entrepreneurship. But my journey began at six years old, writing colorful songs with my younger sister in the hallway of my godmother’s apartment.

Throughout my career, the roles of CEO and artist have often felt conflicting. Am I a serious businessperson or an artist? Am I a decisive, no nonsense #girlboss, or do I go with the flow, dancing in the dark and embracing the unknown?

When I put myself in boxes, it impacts how I be. I feel split, unable to stand firmly in anything. 

When I embrace my many curiosities and different ways of being, I feel whole. I am able to present myself in whatever way best serves me in any given moment. I’ve learned that my freedom comes when I stop trying to contain myself.

In the past, I privately battled with whether I should fit into just one box at a time, as others might expect.

I went from thinking, “I have to fit into one box at a time,” to “Maybe I can fit into a few boxes at a time,” to fully believing, “I am boxless. I am limitless.”

Now, my private battles revolve around questions like, “Am I betraying myself?” and “Is the action I’m taking moving me further away from who I truly am?”

Yet, we live in a world where you are often defined by how you make money.

What do you do (to make money)?

If I had to define what my husband does, I’d say he provides love and community to others. If I had to define what my mother does, I’d say she creates safety and opportunity for her family. If I had to define what my business partner does, it’s model transformation.

Daily, as I test my commitment to a limitless life, I listen for the loud voice in my head clearly saying “yes” or “no,” telling me, “That’s you,” or “It’s okay, that’s just not you.”

A friend recently asked, “What would you do if you had all the money in the world?” I said, “I’d do exactly what I’m doing now. I’d try my best to help myself and other women feel free.”

My purpose transcends labels, roles, and expectations. What I do is an essential extension of who I came here to be. I came here to be limitless and I hope in this little big life of mine I inspire other women to live limitless, too.

Notes on Living

Magic Wanding: I finally feel confident working out on my own!!! I never thought I’d be able to be a solo workout person who has a personal, effective regimen. This was driven by listening to my body and that feels great. #lowimpactworkoutgirlie

Listening: Just One Break x Josiah and the Bonnevilles (with Mon Rovîa) - I haven’t stopped listening to this song all week. Good-hearted music. Mon Rovîa is the softer voice. Discovered him recently - an Afro Appalachian folk artist & young Liberian immigrant living in Tennessee.

Watching: Emily in Paris - So much fun. And the fashion is sickeningly good.

Reading: Fox Woman Get Out! Poems by India Lena González - An exploration of self that feels big, eye-opening, and uniquely relevant to how we talk about race, displacement, and where people with mixed heritage might stand in it all.

Eating: Your Mama’s Ground Turkey Recipe — When I do cook us dinner, it’s usually protein, greens, rice. Very to the point! Here’s my simple recipe :)

1. Add chopped white onion and garlic to olive oil (I personally like a lot of white onion + 2 garlic cloves)

2. Add (sea) salt & black pepper as it simmers a bit

3. Add ground turkey and let it cook until you see that it start to brown

4. Add salsa (that’s right, the salsa in your fridge) and mix it in then add red pepper flakes for spice ;)

5. Add your favorite olives. I chop up olives that have almonds in them. I put olives in/on everything. I also just discovered Trader Joe’s “Cracked Peppers”. It looks like giardiniera peppers but isn’t spicy FYI. So good that I used half the can, ha.

6. Add any amount of the ingredients listed until it tastes how you want! I usually play around with the red pepper/black pepper a bit more.

   Bon Appétit.

To Self-Portraits,

TKO

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