The popularity of social media has made the world smaller and it has brought with that a set of deep challenges for the people with a dream. We live in a world with Kim Kardashian and her sisters – posting flawless pics, living fabulously and making it look effortless.
It is not effortless.
Minute by minute we peer at these accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat and measure ourselves against the images. Studies show that social media causes anxiety, jealousy and even depression.
Team Natural
I first discovered Myleik through her company Curlbox. I was planning events for the natural hair community in my city and wanted a way to get to know about the different hair products that were available. I felt that the subscription box company was perfect for learning as much as I could about hair care. I found it interesting, however, that Curlbox was an exclusive service. It took on small numbers of customers at different times of the month. I found it to be an odd business model so I looked into the owner.
I found Myleik’s podcast around 2012. It was raw, fresh and full of sage advice. I described her to people as the “friend with no filter” or that Auntie who would always “tells it like it is.”
It was easy to give her my support and recommend Curlbox to my community. She provided value – recording podcasts to help young women navigate life, relationships, careers and business. She took questions from anyone and everyone and gave the kind of answers that you knew were changing lives.
What Myleik Taught Me
A few months ago, one of Myleik’s interns contacted me via email. She had seen a post I made about Myleik’s journal plus I’d blogged about Curlbox over the years and they wanted to thank me for my support by offering me several of her Podcast Companion Worksheets – and an interview.
Credit: @itayshaphoto / via Instagram
It seemed more than appropriate that this highly successful woman would want to give even more than she already does to her community. One of the reasons she resonated with me so many years ago was she was so relatable. In a recent podcast, Myleik consoled Necole Bitchie about moving away from her popular site by admitting the number of times she had quit something. She never shies away from her faults and opportunities to grow and get better.
Another lesson I learned was about authenticity. A popular buzzword, being “authentic”, is actually risky when you’re building a brand or working to get ahead. Myleik is an example of how it can work. She has shown that being who you are costs you nothing on your way to the top. As she said in the interview I had with her, she is “not here for the bullshit” when it comes to pleasing people.
It was also a welcome change to hear Myleik talk about reinventing herself and starting over. She discussed her “3 Year Rule” and how she has learned how to “bounce” when things aren’t working. She has had major career investments in PR, as a Makeup Artist and in the Music industry. She learned hard lessons but warned to continue to work while you wait on new opportunities.
Bauce Advice
In the interview, I covered several topics that resonated with me and the audience who follows her. Every answer was candid, direct and classic Myleik.
(On self care) “I stop when I’m tired. I’ve built up a certain stamina and when I’m done, I’m done.”
(On quitting) “It’s not a forever thing sometimes.”
(On making investments in yourself) “If it were easy everybody would do it.”
(On what has been instrumental on her climb to success) “Preparation, luck and timing.”
We Love to Love Myleik
Brand marketer, Julian Mitchell once posed the question, “what are you doing to add value to the culture?” It is undoubtedly clear where Myleik is concerned. The girl from Inglewood making TED talks and raising money for St. Jude hospital shows up in a big way consistently.
She changed the beauty game.
And now she is setting a standard for the podcast world.
Her brand MyTaughtYou challenges women to grow up and get better. She says that growth is directly related to what you know. And she admits, she learned that the hard way.
“We are not far off from the things we desire or our goals, and we need to keep the flame going. Look at your goals or your vision board every night or every morning. Keep going.” -Myleik Teele from the MyTaughtYou Podcast, Maintaining Momentum
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