How would you describe your personal style?
I lean toward a classic, no-fuss style — jeans, t-shirts, and oxfords/button downs that feel relaxed but still put together.
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
Losing my mother at a young age shaped my perspective on life. It taught me to value each day, trust my instincts, and find strength in my own abilities.
What makes you feel bold?
I feel bold when my energy is grounded and intentional, and I'm fully immersed in something I love. In those moments, confidence feels easy.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
Being a woman today means bringing empathy and understanding into everything I do. It's about seeing the bigger picture, supporting others, and recognizing that compassion and strength can exist side by side.
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is eclectic — always has been. I love pairing old with new, mixing unique, hard-to-find pieces with more modern, pared-back basics. Pattern, bold color, texture, layering — these are my constants. I think my aesthetic actually mirrors my personality: bold, a little zany, layered, and sometimes unexpected. What you see on the outside is very much a reflection of what's going on within.
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
So much of who I am was built through my years working in community-based organizations and cultural institutions — from the Laundromat Project, which supports artists bringing their practice into local communities to genuinely enhance quality of life, to the Studio Museum and Brooklyn Children's Museum. That work rooted me deeply in the understanding that creativity, spaces and experiences transform people. But opening Sugar Hill Creamery — Harlem's first family-owned ice cream shop since 1983 — nearly nine years ago has been the most defining chapter. Every job I had before prepared me for it. Sugar Hill Creamery produces bold, unique ice cream flavors in small batches. Our mission has always been bigger than ice cream: it's about bringing joy to Harlem, creating connection, and giving people a place to belong while also telling the stories of the people and the cultures shaping our community. And on a deeply personal level, the business brought me into closer physical proximity to my three children — now 13, almost 10, and 8 — which opened the door to being more emotionally and mentally present in their lives too. That has shaped everything about how I approach living.
What makes you feel bold?
On an aesthetic level — laughing loudly with my mouth wide open, wearing bold colors, putting on red lipstick, having really cool nail art. Those things spark joy in me and make me feel like I'm making a statement. On a deeper, more spiritual level generosity makes me feel bold. Doing the things others might hold back from because they're afraid of being too vulnerable or taken advantage of — I do those things anyway. Showing up fully for my friends, my family, my community in ways that some might consider "too much," and showing up authentically as me, also makes me feel bold. I'm secure enough in who I am that this level of giving and authenticity doesn't feel scary. Both feel like exactly who I'm supposed to be.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
Right now I hold so many identities at once — mother, wife, business owner, friend, sister, daughter, neighbor. My womanhood weaves through all of them. And in this chapter, I think being a woman means being a bearer of life in the broadest sense. It means being a place of employment for someone's very first job. It means creating a haven where seeds of real connection can be planted and grow. It means feeding my children — literally and figuratively — and offering a listening ear when they need one. Being a woman right now means being a catalyst, a caregiver, a facilitator of new experiences and a cultivator of the ones already in motion.
How would you describe your personal style?
I like a curated maximalist vibe. I feel drawn to fun, colorful and patterned things. Perhaps that vibe is shown in a scarf on a tonal outfit. How could I forget a bold statement earring, or shoe? Ok... I love it all!
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
We will all encounter hardship, grief, illness and loss. Those challenges shaped me early in my life and emboldened me to take risks, to love deeply, and to not take a day for granted. I heard a quote that said, "Your second life begins when you realize you only have one." The bitter is also the sweet, and that makes me grateful for how I approach each day, the relationships in my life, and my work.
What makes you feel bold?
I feel bold knowing that my small footprint can make a difference. Each voice and perspective, whether at work, home, or with a stranger makes an impact.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
I am in a season of being a care-taker, and as a woman/ daughter that relationship with my own mother is the most humbling and beautiful journey. When I pause to truly consider this question, I can't imagine a greater gift than caring for the woman who gave me life during the last stages of hers. I feel brave, vulnerable and empowered to do the best that I can for her as she did for me.
Heart Locket
How would you describe your personal style?
Classic vintage eclectic. High/Low. Busted Levis and Cartier. I'm drawn to pieces that feel lived in and real — Levi's jeans and one of a kind vintage but nothing too precious besides my jewelry. I like things that work hard, move easily, with a story. If it can go from the barn or the studio to dinner or drinks without trying too hard, that's usually where I feel most like myself.
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
Determination. The pursuit of photography, motherhood, my marriage, life — none of it lets you fake your way through. You have to own your wins and losses and keep putting one foot in front of the other. The moments in my personal story that shaped me most were the ones that asked for honesty, self awareness, humility, and the willingness to not lose sight of the end goal.
What makes you feel bold?
Choosing honesty and growth over approval. Showing up as I am instead of who I think I'm supposed to be. Asking for what I actually need and walking away when it's not enough. Real courage, for me, is a quiet and steady commitment to your truth.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
It means strength without hardness. It means holding a lot — work, family, responsibility, friendship — and learning that I don't have to prove my worth anymore. This season feels less about becoming and more about standing fully in who I already am.
Heart Locket
How would you describe your personal style?
I like to wear things that are simple, easy and flattering. I want to be comfortable, but I also want to look like I put effort into looking good.
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
I thought I'd be a cog in a corporate wheel somewhere, but instead I ended up becoming an organizer and summoner of women's audacity. I so love being a woman, and I'm so honored and inspired to encourage other women to follow their personal, political and professional desires.
What makes you feel bold?
People always assume I'm a born leader, but nothing could be further from the truth. I've struggled with learning disabilities, introversion and a debilitating fear of public speaking. But the support of other women who wanted me to succeed, I was able to overcome all of those things. What I've learned is that we're all leaders in different ways, but feeling bold comes from linking arms with other women who share your values.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
I'm in my fifties and I've never felt more confident and alive in my life. I was scared to go through menopause and to become an empty nester, but these transitions have only made me more curious and audacious. Even though I'm older and have all this hard earned wisdom, in many ways I feel like I'm just getting started.
A Little Luck Charm Necklace
How would you describe your personal style?
Curated casual. I love a great fitting pair of jeans and a chic top with thoughtful details that pop and are repeatable. I am drawn to pieces that feel effortless but intentional. For me, style is about feeling comfortable, feminine, and fully myself.
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
Building businesses from scratch, first IveyCake, then Southbound Tequila, shaped me deeply. I learned that intuition is a real strategy. That creativity isn't random or impulsive; it's rooted in practice. And that clarity does not come from rushing; it comes from living with something long enough to know if it is true. Motherhood shaped me just as much. It softened me and strengthened me at the same time. It taught me that leadership is not control; it is presence. The through line has been learning to trust myself.
What makes you feel bold?
Honesty. The moments when I tell the truth. When I speak clearly about what I want. When I do not shrink to make someone else more comfortable. Launching a tequila brand in a saturated category felt bold. But staying aligned with my vision when there were easier shortcuts is what really felt courageous. Boldness, for me, is when the inside matches the outside. There are still areas of my life where I am aiming for that kind of boldness.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
It means sovereignty. For a long time, I thought being a strong woman meant holding everything together. Now I know it means understanding what is mine to carry and what is not. It means honoring my intuition. Valuing softness without mistaking it for weakness. Building something with intention, whether that is a company, a home, or a life. In this chapter, being a woman feels less about proving and more about allowing. Allowing my voice, my fire, and my tenderness to exist in the same space. When I am fully who I am, everyone benefits, my team, my family, and I do too.
Heart Locket
How would you describe your personal style?
I think my personal style is becoming more eclectic, the older I get. And I'm learning to love every bit of it! I work with startups, so on a day-to-day basis, I'm likely very casual in jeans, t-shirts and a rotating assortment of matching sweatsuits. If I'm meeting with investors, that quickly evolves to polished, quiet luxury. Think sleek turtlenecks, fitted button downs and tailored pants. I realize that's not very Silicon Valley with its vest and jeans lore, but it's what I've found necessary to command the room as a woman of color. If I'm out and about having fun with family and friends, I love a good girly dress. The bolder the color, the better. I'm a big accessories person and often throw a little South Asian flare into an outfit through earrings or my favorite belt. Combined, I think that's a little eclectic!
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
I like to think that life takes you where you need to go and in that vein, every chapter informs the next. But no single part of my story has had more personal impact than motherhood. It unleashed my inner activist and community builder, made me a more focused and ambitious executive, and dimensionalized all of my meaningful relationships too. Parenting is a wild ride and showing my kids the way is important to me, vs. just telling.
What makes you feel bold?
Whenever I need to look and feel my best, I usually make sure I get a workout on that day followed by a good breakfast. Good hair always makes me channel my inner queen and so does a standout lip color. And most of all, I need some tailored clothing to feel sharp and bold! I'm short and I get lost in oversized clothing very fast.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
I turned 45 in December and this year for me is all about getting over a fear of being seen to step into my best chapter yet. Being a woman has informed that journey at every step of the way. My story, much like most, is one of evolution — from fumbling and bumbling awkward young girl to being a confident mother, wife and executive woman who is comfortable in her own skin and owns her voice, power and style. It's taken me this long to get here and I'm trying to embrace it!
Enamel Pearl Hoop Earrings
How would you describe your personal style?
I like to invest in pieces that fit really well. Well-cut basics, neutrals are great. I care a lot about fabric and fit. It's chic but practical enough to walk 20 minutes and still feel really put together.
What part of your story has shaped who you are today?
Family has always been so important to me. It's where I shaped my outlook on everything. That foundation influences what I build, I want it to create opportunity and leave something meaningful behind.
What makes you feel bold?
Bold feels less like risk-taking now and more like being intentional about what I build, who I build it with, and how it impacts the people around me.
What does being a woman mean to you in your current chapter of life?
It feels like range. I can be focused and driven, but also present and connected. It all feels like the same person.
Tres Chic Layering Necklace
