It’s hard to imagine Emily Newton feeling self-conscious.

The Charlotte-based fitness guru is outspoken, taking to her Instagram account, @slemfit, to debunk misconceptions about nutrition and to provide her nearly 2,000 followers with tips for building muscle. As the owner of SlemFit, an online coaching business founded last June during the pandemic, Newton challenges America’s $96 billion fitness industry — an industry that “promotes ideas that aren’t necessarily true.” But there was a time when Newton lacked confidence.  

“I used to not be comfortable in my skin,” she says. “I was always known as the shy child, so I had to overcome a lot of things when it came to my self-image. I know there are thousands of other women like me, and I know not being confident can stop you from reaching your potential.”

Newton now dedicates herself to empowering women through exercise and healthy eating. We spoke with her to learn more about how a quiet girl from Columbia, South Carolina, grew up to make waves in the Queen City.

Have you always been interested in fitness?

Initially, I wanted to become a physical therapist because they make a lot of money and I was taught that, going to college, you’re supposed to get a high-paying job. Jobs in clinical settings are also glorified in our industry. That was where my mindset was at. But after getting my degree in exercise science at the University of South Carolina and getting some experience, I realized I didn’t like physical therapy. 

Life kept leading me back to this path as a personal fitness coach and I just had to accept that. I love what I do, but for some reason in the past, I was in denial. Though I’ve been in the fitness industry for about six years, it was just part-time on the side while I worked a 9-to-5. But then, almost a year ago, I decided to leave corporate America and pursue coaching full time.  

For young people who want to start their own business, college can seem like a barrier to entry. Do you think a four-year degree is necessary?

I don’t think so. Looking back, I only needed two years of my college education. The first two years were just general education — revisiting the subjects we learned in high school but at a higher level. What I needed from my education was technical know-how like anatomy and physiology. I wish I had taken those courses at a community college, to be honest.

So no, I don’t think you have to go to college but I do think it’s important to have the right support system. For me, it was important to be around people who already had some type of success that I wanted, whether that be spiritual success, financial success, or even the way they treated people or the way they expressed themselves. You need people who will believe in you but also people who will keep you in check. Brutal honesty is the highest form of kindness. 

The fitness industry is huge. How do you stand out in a fairly saturated market?

What has been helpful for me is to have a niche — to know who my target audience is. I have an ideal client and I’m at the point now where I don’t have to necessarily take on every client that comes to me unless I feel like I can provide the support they need. I had to get very clear about the type of person I wanted to help. 

My niche is women, ages 25 to 45. Many of these women are working 9-to-5 jobs but they are also pursuing entrepreneurship outside of work. They don’t come in very committed, motivated, and always confident but they do have a strong desire to change. The women who need my help the most have a hard time being consistent and creating lasting change by themselves. I help the unmotivated create beautiful transformations. 

I think a lot of my desire to work with women comes from my mom. Growing up, she was an artist and musician and always looking to empower women in whatever way she could. Being around that for years and years, it just rubbed off. 

Starting a small business is hard — that is no secret. But starting a small business during a global pandemic seems nearly impossible. What was the secret to getting your business off the ground?

When I quit my job, I only had one to two clients. I had to be really consistent, get out of my comfort zone, talk to people, and put myself out there because a lot of people didn’t know what I was doing. I also had to honor the gifts that I have. I’m good at connecting with people and providing inspiration and motivation through movement. Many of my clients and I are also really good friends. 

I’m also good at bringing people together. Eventually, I want to bring other trainers on who have the same values that I have. I can’t do this alone. I am going to need help impacting the number of people I want to reach. I think I offer a different perspective than what you may find on another trainer’s page, but there’s just not enough of us out there right now holding that united front.

Do you face any unique challenges that your male counterparts do not?

Yes, subtle sexism is a big one. When I used to work in a corporate gym, there would be men who wouldn’t want to work with me or have me run their fitness assessments. People just automatically assume the male trainer is more knowledgeable or better. 

Your time in corporate America seems to have a strong influence on how you operate SlemFit. Do you think smaller businesses like your own are better able to serve consumers?

I think it’s a choice, to be completely honest. If you run a big gym and you want to know what people actually need, you just need to do more community outreach. There is a way to figure it out, there just needs to be a desire to know. That desire comes from actually caring about people.

You have to value people over profits — that’s one of my favorite sayings. If it’s the other way around, it’s just going to be like a regular, stereotypical gym where people go in and don’t see results. I was at a corporate gym long enough to see people come in five or six days a week and look the same a year later.

But I’m not interested in starting a brick-and-mortar gym. I am currently in the process of learning how to build an online business. That will give me more free time but also help me reach more people.

Many of your posts on social media focus on debunking claims marketed by the fitness industry at large. What is something you wish you could tell everyone who is interested in fitness?

It’s important for people to know that all people have challenges with their confidence and self-image. I weigh 160 pounds and experience the same confidence issues someone who weighs 300 pounds might. I have been around overweight people who just assume that smaller people are born with certain amounts of confidence. But that wasn’t true for me. It’s kind of like the assumptions we make about celebrities. Just because they are famous doesn’t mean they don’t have personal issues they have to tackle.   

Also, being fit isn’t as easy as the fitness industry makes it out to be. It took a lot of hard work to get to where I’m at. Eating healthfully isn’t easy for me. I love pizza, ice cream, and processed foods. So we, as nutrition coaches and trainers, have a lot more in common with our clients than people might automatically assume. 

That’s why I always encourage my clients to incorporate foods they love into their nutrition, no matter what. It’s a big issue when people are too restrictive. You have to eat ice cream every now and then. Even I eat ice cream at least once a week.

Caitlin Dobbins identifies as a cowgirl, and it is little wonder why. 

After serving as a ranch hand in the rugged North Dakota Badlands, Dobbins cantered off into the world of event planning, working for a catering company in Minnesota and then a coveted venue in South Carolina. In 2019, after ten years in the industry, she founded Honey + Thyme Events, a unique and intentional wedding planning and design studio. She is also the co-founder of the Charlotte Microwedding Collaborative. 

“It’s so special when I go to a wedding and see these amazing moments,” says Dobbins, who now spends more time wrangling logistics than horses. “It’s because of our team — because we’re taking on all the duties of setup and breakdown — that the couple is going to remember this day for the rest of their lives. That’s why I love it.” 

We sat down with this midwesterner to learn more about what it takes to be a cowgirl-turned-wedding planner in the Carolinas. 

Have you always wanted to start your own business?

When I worked for an event planning and catering company back in Minnesota, I worked with a lot of powerful, independent, just really motivated women, and I always picked up on the things they did and learned from them. 

But ultimately, my mom has an entrepreneurial spirit — she started a nonprofit — so I think it’s just in me. I hate to use this word, but it’s almost a burden. When I was in other jobs, I was always wanting to do more. I wanted to be involved in this and that and they would be like, “This is your job.” I’ve always had that excitement. So when I had this opportunity, I just said, “Let’s do it.” It’s been so great. Of course, it’s like a roller coaster every single day but it has been so fun. 

Starting a business requires so much forethought. When did you take the leap and decide that you were ready to branch out on your own?

When I was the Venue Sales Manager at Anne Springs Close Greenway, couples kept asking me if I could help with the planning. It was becoming a lot. I was working a full-time job and pregnant. I decided I couldn’t do all three, so I just jumped right into my own business. I had that spirit — that entrepreneurial spirit — and the timing felt right, even though it was terrifying. But any decision in life is a little terrifying. I knew I just wanted more.

Were there women who were formative in shaping the kind of business owner you are today?

My mom and sister were largely a part. They have both started their own projects and businesses now. But also the women who managed me at Chowgirls Killer Catering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and my horseback riding instructors — I’ve been riding my entire life, ever since I was little.  

Also, right when I moved here, I had a manager at the Anne Springs Close Greenway that was so impactful. She was a mom of two and a manager of a very large department. The way she balanced all of that was inspiring. She always said, “You’re not always going to do it perfectly. It’s not a balancing act – never perfectly balanced. You’re going to have a little more over here at times and a little more over there at times.”

I’ve kept that in mind because, as a mom and a business owner who is trying to have a personal life and trying to stay mentally and physically healthy, it’s a lot, especially during a pandemic. But those women impacted me more than they’ll ever know.  

Speaking of balance, do you find it is challenging to juggle raising a daughter and running a small business?

Yes, definitely. This year, because of the pandemic, we basically have two years of weddings in one. I have a team of about ten girls that are either assisting or planning, and we just launched another branch of the business for general events. So we have a lot going on. 

But I’m trying to be better at balancing my work and personal lives. When I’m home, after a certain point, I let business go. My daughter and husband are so important. So is riding my horse and remembering who I am. After all, when you take that time, it gives you the space to brainstorm and think. 

The pandemic forced many businesses to pivot. How has Honey + Thyme Events adapted over the past year?

We certainly adapted by starting the Charlotte Microwedding Collaborative. It’s actually a little crazy. A week or so before the pandemic, I was grabbing coffee with Rachel Hopkins, owner of Black Moth Bars. We were talking about how much we loved intimate weddings and how we’d love to start something that offered an all-inclusive package for couples who might not want to spend $80,000 on a wedding and might want a small, intimate group. 

So the Charlotte Microwedding Collaborative was our brainchild during the pandemic when everyone was forced to have micro weddings. We’re hoping to keep that going. We just had a micro wedding two weeks ago up in the mountains and it was gorgeous. It was the epitome of why we started this. 

We also founded the Olive Branch. It is named after my daughter, Olive, and includes all of our non-wedding events. We just met with a client this morning who wants to plan a 40th anniversary for her parents. It’s just so special. We love the stories. We want to create these custom, authentic experiences. 

You are so positive, even after having experienced what may have been the hardest year in recent history for event planners. Any tips for staying optimistic?

I just don’t see the point in being negative. Of course, if you ask my husband, not every single day is positive. There are certainly days when I come home in tears. But I just love building relationships with my brides. 

If you could give your younger self advice, what would you say?

Don’t take everything so seriously. You learn as you go along. Don’t worry. Have more confidence in yourself. 

Kristin Cagney sees the silver lining in rejection. 

As the owner of Summit Seltzer, the first producer and purveyor of hard seltzers on the East Coast, Cagney is used to hearing the word “no.” When she first sought financial backing for her Wesley Heights seltzery, she was denied by not one bank, but 50.   

“I had just turned 27 and never owned a business before. They weren’t taking me entirely seriously,” says Cagney, who drafted her business plan while pursuing her MBA at UNC Charlotte. “But I’m optimistic. I never let ‘no’ get me down. I grew from my mistakes and grew from constructive criticism. I treated everything as a learning opportunity more than a failure.”

Today, a year after Summit Seltzer’s grand opening, we chatted more with Cagney to see what it takes to tap into a niche beverage industry.       

Opening a business is hard. No one will deny that. But what was it like to open the first seltzery on the East Coast?

Luckily, I had worked for breweries in the Charlotte market for a while, so I was able to get a foundation of what the seltzery might look like when we opened. The real hurdle was convincing other people that a seltzery was a good idea. Fortunately, one of my MBA classes focused on market research analytics and a team of five of us dedicated the class to researching seltzery sentiments — what people thought about the industry, what they thought about seltzer, and where they thought the future of seltzer might be. I was able to use this research to create a bulletproof business plan and finally convince a bank to fund it. 

That was definitely the biggest challenge of wading into an unknown industry, but I had full faith in seltzer as a product. In 2018, when I was drafting the business plan, the market was going toward healthy, low-carb, and gluten-free. And when I worked at breweries, I can’t tell you how many times people asked for something that wasn’t beer. I was on the frontlines and I saw that trend emerging. 

You drafted Summit’s business plan while studying at UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business. So which came first — your passion for business or your passion for seltzer?  

My passion for not being in the corporate world came first. After college, I worked in corporate finance until I had a quarter-life crisis and just randomly quit. I didn’t have a plan. That’s kind of my MO. I’m a nomad. I’ve moved probably seven times in the last five years. I’m also a big believer in doing what makes you happy, even if it’s unconventional, and I was not suited for corporate life. I wanted to focus on something I was passionate about and I wanted to give my entire heart to it. 

I’ve always worked in restaurants, so when I quit my job I just started bartending again and I realized that bartending is what makes me happy. I loved everyone that I met. I loved the culture. I loved the camaraderie. But I had quite a bit of student loan debt from undergrad that I needed to work off, so I decided to go back to school at UNC Charlotte and get my MBA. I was just like, “Hey, I’m doing something else.” I didn’t know what until I noticed that seltzer was becoming super popular. I joked around for a few months about starting a seltzery until one of my buddies convinced me to write a business plan. 

And today, your business is family-owned?

Yes. We’re 100 percent family-owned. My parents and little brother are like my best friends.

How does that influence Summit’s brand and culture?  

In a very non-cliche way, we’re not overly concerned with getting rich. Money is not everything. For much of my life, I’ve been bartending because breweries and restaurants are my happy place. But I can’t count the number of times, especially when I was younger, that I wasn’t treated like a human by the owners. A lot of people don’t treat bartenders and servers with respect — it’s a very thankless job. 

I wanted to make sure our culture was focused on our employees’ wellbeing and that we felt like a family, which we are. We have the best staff on the planet. We wanted to hyperfocus on that — we didn’t want to just think through a lens of dollars and cents. I wanted to have empathy for our staff. 

We also wanted to treat the Charlotte community and all of our customers as family. We’re intentional about creating an inclusive, loving environment 

You are a business owner in your late 20s. Do you consider yourself young to be making such waves in the Charlotte business community?

I never really saw my age as a hurdle because when I was 27, originally trying to pitch this business concept, I had been working in restaurants since I was 16. Sure, I was young but I had been familiar with the industry for 11 years. Plus, if anything, my age helped. I was the right demographic for breweries and bars downtown. I got insider information because my friends were all going to these places. I was just surrounded by it.

I do get questioned all the time, “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” I have a baby face and don’t really wear makeup, so I look young. But if you have confidence in yourself and in your skillset, it doesn’t matter how old you are. It’s more of what you do with your time and how you educate yourself in different capacities. There are so many different outlets to learn — from Google Analytics tutorials to videos on coding.

Speaking of learning, since you entered the food and beverage world at 16, you’ve been learning how to navigate this industry. But what is something you are learning right now, a year after the opening of Summit?

There are 1,000 different things I’m learning every day from our software system to tracking our inventory to managing the nuts and bolts of production to knowing where to buy the best produce. I am learning the most random things like that I need to go to Food Lion on Tuesdays and Whole Foods on Thursdays for the best deals. Or that strawberries from U.S. Foods are way too expensive, so I am boycotting those. It’s just the stupidest things. But I am also learning how to manage relationships with sales and how to run a distribution department. We have about 45 accounts right now. Each day is wild. 

That sounds like a juggling act. What is your recipe for success?

Tenacity. I never let “no” get me down. I learn from my mistakes and learn from constructive criticism. Obviously, no one loves constructive criticism but it’s supposed to be just that — constructive. Taking it and applying it to whatever you do next is big. That’s the most important thing.

So is staying optimistic. I look at the positives of everything. A lot of people are like, “Oh man, that sounds really hard.” And they will just stop. But I always know that there are, not necessarily loopholes, but ways around the roadblock. Just because it’s not mainstream, doesn’t mean it’s not possible. You just have to stay optimistic and get creative. 

You lived in Colorado previously. Why root your business in Charlotte?

I lived in Colorado for ten years and that is where the Summit brand is from — its foundation is outdoor adventure. And for a long time, I felt drawn to Colorado. I felt like that’s where I belonged because it’s so outdoorsy. It’s a mecca for that stuff. But something kept calling me back to Charlotte. Maybe because Charlotte is probably, hands down, the best city I’ve ever lived in. 

People here are so friendly, so nice, and so awesome. People here help each other — there is a sense of camaraderie that just isn’t present in other cities. Asking for help here is okay. So building Charlotte’s culture is really important to us at Summit. Being really proud of Charlotte and where we live is super important to us too.

It’s a feeling we can all relate to, the one where you open an unpleasant email from a client or boss. You panic. You feel controlless. Cristina Wilson experienced this a lot in her career as a journalist and president at Charlotte Agenda (now Axios Charlotte). But instead of bowing down to the tailspin, she decided it was time to confront it head on. She realized that when she felt grounded, she could take back control of her emotions and actions in those stressful situations. This was her inspiration to start Mood House, a massage spa where you can “recharge your body and mind so that you can show up the way you want to for your family, career and life.”

We sat down with Wilson to talk more about how stress is inefficient compared to calm collectedness and how she practices what she preaches as a business owner. 

On your website, you talk about how you had it all together but one bad email could send you spiraling. I’m curious what kind of emails were those and in what ways did you feel yourself unraveling? 

In my time as an editor at The Charlotte Observer and in my time running the business at Charlotte agenda (which is now Axios), you do a lot of client-facing work. I feel like people can relate to this in so many different industries, but when you’re dealing with clients directly in any shape or form, it’s so easy to let their mood dictate your mood. If they aren’t happy, then you shouldn’t be happy. You take that burden onto yourself regardless of whether you’ve actually made a mistake or not. And so I just felt like I was in a place where I was pushing myself so hard to make everyone else happy that I wasn’t grounding myself in what makes me happy or where I get my own sense of pride and achievement. So if something went wrong or there was a mistake or someone wasn’t happy, instead of having the tools to calm me down and keep a bigger perspective, I would be thrown into a tailspin. 

What did that tailspin look like? 

Ironically, it was a feeling of not being able to continue to be productive and stay on track. Which is ironic because instead of feeling like you can work harder and make up for it, those feelings end up being a real distraction. I feel like when you’re in that low emotional place, you kind of take it to the extreme and have that negative self-talk. And you actually can’t even take steps to fix the problem as efficiently as you could if you felt more centered, even, and calm.  

You also talked about feeling like you had to justify the time to relax and recharge. Why do you think that is? 

I think in startup culture, it’s all hands on deck. It’s mission over everything. And that’s not a bad thing. Some seasons, that’s okay. But it just depends on how long that season really is. Because all hands on deck is just not sustainable forever.

So you realized that maybe you needed a solution to the spiraling. So how did you arrive at that solution? 

I feel like when you take the time to relax, reset, and remember that there is a world outside of work, when you do that on purpose and upfront, that practice bleeds into everything else you have going on in a positive way. 

And if you don’t do it up front, then you’re basically going to do it but in the reverse order where you get to a breakdown point and you either mentally have to shut off or you’re going to feel sick and end up taking some days off. 

So if you choose the time upfront, even in small ways, if you mentally are making that time for yourself, then you’re just setting yourself up for success. Even if it’s a one-hour massage a month, which objectively isn’t even that much time. 

I’m thinking back to that image of the dreaded email. How is the experience of reading that email different after you give yourself time to recharge? 

For me, I feel like it helps me navigate what’s happening and what action I can actually take to improve the situation versus just listening to the yelling in my head about things going wrong. I think that you can’t have that clarity, or the ability to slow it down and look at things more rationally if you’re running out of fumes and everything seems like the end of the world.

You started as a journalist and then made your way to the president of what is now Axios. Then you started your own company. That decision must have taken a lot of courage and passion. 

Some days it felt like a big leap of faith, and some days it just felt inevitable. At times, it felt like I was heading toward this big unknown cliff. I was pretty good at talking myself through all the worst-case scenarios. If this absolutely goes horrible, what would I do? As long as I was okay with those answers, or felt like I could at least map out what I’d do, I was okay. And on the flip side, some days you feel like everyone totally gets your vision and excitement and you’re like, “There’s no way this is gonna fail!” You have to believe in your vision; you have to have that confidence in order for other people to believe in it too. But it’s also a lot of hard work. So you kind of swing to those extremes.

A lot of successful people get asked about the secret to their success. Most times, the secret isn’t a secret at all; it’s just hard work. I was just curious if that’s been your experience. 

Yeah, totally. You just have to go through it, even though it’s pretty painful. In terms of the amount of work and the fear you have in the beginning, you have to choose to go on the roller coaster of it. Once you get on it you’re pretty locked in it. So, if you’re not willing to lock yourself in and just go through it, then you’re not going to come out the other side with something that you’re proud of. I do think it’s that simple. 

And as a business owner, are you practicing what you preach? Are you finding time to recharge despite wearing all the hats? 

Yeah, absolutely. I really want to take this business to the next level. I can’t do that if I’m in that cycle I described at the beginning of our conversation.

Now is the time to figure out what that cycle looks like for me, what are the breaks that I need, what are the boundaries I need to set, what are the things that I need to delegate. I just have to let go of some perfectionism there.

Most people don’t love working with project managers. “We’re literally stalking people to make sure they do what they need to do on time,” jokes Yolanda Hemphill, Principal Consultant at NTT Data Services. “We’re basically low-key harassing people. Let’s just call a spade a spade!” 

But Hemphill has a unique approach. “People say, ‘Okay Yolanda, I’ll get it done but only because you’re nice!’” 

It’s not just that Hemphill is nice. It’s that she leads with empathy. She prioritizes letting her “light shine” (more on this later). And as a result, Hemphill has reached some exciting milestones, including being named a Charlotte Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 and National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Southern Region President of the Year. 

Hemphill sat down with us to share her hopes for the financial industry and how she blends her personal passions with her professional ones. 

Did you always know that you wanted to work in finance? 

I did not. When I initially got to college at Mississippi State University, I was majoring in computer engineering. I took my first computer programming class and quickly realized it was not for me. I switched to business because my mom always told me, “You can never go wrong with business.” I took my first accounting class at the College of Business and it came naturally to me. So flawlessly, in fact, that I was like, “Maybe this is meant for me.” I went on to get my undergraduate degree in accounting and my master’s in accounting. 

What do you hope the future of finance and accounting looks like and what do we have to do, or continue doing, to get there? 

My ultimate goal would be for the future of finance to look like the community that it serves. It would be great if the community receiving financial resources could see themselves in the people who are providing those services. How do we get there? I think we continue to do what we’re doing. We have a ton of allies that are helping us do the work, people who realize the issues and the concerns that people of color have and realize that a change needs to happen. As long as we have those allies, I think the future is very positive and finance is going to reflect the community in which it serves.

I can tell you’re very passionate about what you do professionally. I can also tell that you’re passionate about diversity and inclusion. It can be hard for professionals to blend their professional and personal passions together in a way that feels meaningful. How were you able to achieve that?

My passion is helping people. Fortunately, accounting and finance are ways to help people. Everyone needs those services. 

When I started my career, there weren’t many people that looked like me in my field. So when my company audited minority-owned corporations and businesses, clients would box me in and say “Wait, what are you doing here? Are you auditing our finances? Wait, how did you get started?” They always wanted to know my story. I quickly realized that’s the part of accounting I liked. Interacting with people, learning about them, and having them see themselves reflected in a position black people typically didn’t possess. 

You have to help your clients make or save money, but it’s ultimately about those people you can touch and share your story with. I truly believe the more people we share our story with, the greater our impact. 

It sounds like your approach to professional development has been focusing on what you’re good at and where you can have an impact. And as a result, opportunities have opened themselves up to you and you’ve been open to them in return. You seem to go with the flow. 

Exactly, that’s exactly it. Let me tell you a secret: I plan every other aspect of my life. But my career journey, my volunteer journey, has always been happenstance. It’s because other people have seen the light in me and given me opportunities. 

Earlier in my career, I had very little experience with implementation and project management. If you told me at the time I’d be responsible for implementing new systems, that would’ve blown my mind. But I landed a job doing just that, even though I had no idea how to make that happen for myself. A recruiter contacted me and we had an amazing conversion. She said, “You know what Yolanda, I submitted you for this role.” I quickly said, “I don’t have the qualifications.” She answered, “You have every qualification for that role. Your people and soft skills overshadow the hard skills that any of the other candidates presented.” I’m not one to turn down a great opportunity so I decided the least I could do was go for an interview. 

I beat out five other people for the role that had project management experience. The hiring manager told me, “You’re going to come in with that Southern hospitality and smile and people are going to do whatever it is you want them to do.” And surprisingly, that worked! I’ve used that charm with all of my following roles.

So how does that translate into advice that you give your mentees? 

I tell them to do what they love doing and the rest will fall into place. That’s it. If you allow your light to shine bright, people are going to need shades to block it out. They’re not going to be able to deny it and will recommend you for opportunities. They will want to invest in, mentor, and/or sponsor you. Typically you don’t have regrets when you try something new. At the very least, you can decide you won’t ever do it again! That’s literally the advice I give. 

What do you mean by letting your light shine? 

It means to live in your truth. So whatever that is, be confident in it. 

I haven’t always had natural hair, for example. Since I was little, I had been getting relaxers in my hair to chemically straighten it. And that’s what my mom told me I needed to do for people to respect me more. Straight hair is more accepting.

Eventually, I decided I wasn’t going to let the perception of my hair define me. I wanted to be natural. I didn’t like getting relaxers because it burned my scalp. So I cut all my relaxed hair off (which is the first step to going natural) in 2011. I felt like I didn’t look very feminine with my small afro. I was very insecure, which is how my flower clip fashion statement started. I started putting them in my hair because I thought no one could mistake me for a man while wearing flower clips!

What I quickly learned as my hair grew out was that, “Yolanda, you’re beautiful no matter what your hair looks like because you allow your light to shine.” And so I continue to wear the flower clips in my hair to remind myself that I am beautiful. So that’s me living my truth. Owning whoever it is you want to be on the outside and the inside, and allowing that to be your story. 

I think among professionals there’s a fear that you have to conform (to some extent) with the company culture to get hired or promoted. Is that an unfounded fear? Or is it a reality and the trick is to look for the right working environment where you will be accepted? 

Yes, all of the above. Sometimes you’re overlooked because you’re not in the right clique or you haven’t made the right connections with the right people. Sometimes it’s because your company doesn’t see your true value or you march to the beat of your own drum. Everyone’s not going to value your value but it’s our responsibility to know it and not settle for anything less. 

So if you’re at a company and you’re doing all of this work but they don’t appreciate you, you know your worth, so leave.

However, if you like the company and you feel like they do see your worth, then maybe you need to change your strategy, meet with some of the senior leaders and collaborate on ways to change the company’s culture to be more accepting. 

You are very passionate about seeing more people of color in professional financial roles. How has the cause of increasing diversity within your industry evolved over your career? 

A lot. When I started out, there may have been one or two people of color in a room. Now there are more people that look like me in the room. One of the biggest changes I’ve enjoyed is the increase in the number of employee resource groups (ERGs). So now, you not only have black employees you hope to run into in the hallways or the elevator that you can speak to, you now have your own organization where you can connect and feel included. You’re surrounded by people that look like you and support you. That’s part of the reason I started the black ERG for our Carolinas team at my company. It’s specifically for our black employees here in the Carolinas so we can get together and have open, candid conversations about anything that affects us and how it makes us feel.

Sometimes if you’re the only one on your team that looks like you, you may feel intimidated to talk to people about what you’re going through because you’re afraid they may not feel the same way. But if you have a safe space, you can say “Okay someone in this room feels like I feel and even if they don’t, I’ll be supported. They’ve had similar experiences so they can relate without judgment.” I would say that’s a big change because, in the early part of my career, ERGs weren’t common. 

As far as where I want to see the industry go, while there are a lot more people of color in this industry, most of them are in entry-level positions. Most of them are not in the senior leadership roles. And that’s where I would love to see more representation. If people of color make up let’s say 2% of a company and all are in entry-level positions, how did that happen? Why is that? Things are most certainly changing and I know it’s only going to get better. 

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Always be true to who you are, because the people you feel you need to please right now are not even going to be in your life later. I spent so much time and money through school wanting people to like me. And I don’t even talk to those people anymore! So I would love to tell my younger self, “Queen, you are perfect the way you are. Don’t change a thing. The skinny legs you got? They won’t be that way forever, okay? You are amazing and will do amazing things, continue to be you.”