Blog Post # 5: It’s Okay to Be Delusional About Your Goals

My 2025 Bingo card. (Some things blocked out for privacy)

When it comes to your dreams, people will often tell you to “shoot for the stars.” I’m here to tell you that you need to shoot for the stars, the sky, the planets, and everything else. Playing small should not be an option. To achieve greatness, you have to believe in your goals so deeply that they seem delusional to everyone else.

The Power of Self-Belief

In today’s world, with the rise of social media and the endless opportunities to make money online, success often begins with an idea and a dream. Most of today’s big creators started with no clue that they’d become as successful as they are.

Back in my first blog post, I remember mentioning something about how Alex Cooper from the “Call Her Daddy” podcast likely started with said idea and dream. Little did she know she would grow successful enough to be interviewing a presidential candidate on top of a $60 million Spotify deal, which recently grew to a $125 million deal with SiriusXM.

Similarly, look how many big TikTok and Youtube creators have huge followings and partnerships with some of the largest brands out there all from staying consistent and posting their “silly” videos.

The takeaway? All these people bet on themselves, even when their goals may have seemed unattainable.

The Beauty of Exploring Your Passions

As someone who’s dabbled in many fields, I can attest to the importance of exploring your interests. Growing up, I wanted to be everything-a fashion designer, a hairstylist, a forensic psychiatrist, and now, an entrepreneur with an MBA. My journey isn’t linear, and that’s okay.

My mother will tell you that I change my career path like every month, and honestly, while I understand her concerns from someone who grew up in a generation where career stability was #1, I also don’t see an issue with dabbling in a little bit of everything to see where my niche is in life. I mean, you go to school from 5-18, and everyone all of a sudden expects you to know what you want to do with the REST of your life? In what world can I not drink at 18 because it “will mess with my brain development” but I can sign up to risk my life in the military or choose my life career? When you put it that way it doesn’t make sense, at least not to me.

Just 2 summers ago, I spent time working at the hair salon I previously wrote about. Everyone knew I was still in school, but for whatever reason they always asked me if I would ever do anything aside from hair. It’s a bit of a dig to hairstylists because there are some top hairdressers out here killing the game, bringing in like $250k or more just working 3 days a week! At that time I had convinced myself that I wanted to be a therapist and everyone always looked at me sideways as if to say “well what are you doing here then” and I would always tell them “Hey, while we’re doing your hair do you realize how long we talk? You sit with us for at least 2 hours and we hear about your plans, your family, your issues, etc. so how is that any different from talking to a therapist?” It would be like you could see the lightbulb go off in their heads. At one point, I was getting so frustrated with everyone questioning my career that I would say “Why can’t I be a hairstylist/therapist/business owner/student? What is keeping me from accomplishing all that?” And I absolutely still feel that way.

I’m about to be 25. All I have in life to worry about currently is getting good grades and getting my Master’s degree. I don’t have anything holding me back at all. No 9-5, no kids, no rent, bills, nothing. I don’t take this for granted, in fact, I’m very blessed that I have these privileges right now. And I’m by no means knocking anyone with bills, children, or a 9-5, I’m just saying that I have so much time, why would I not explore everything at my fingertips? Why can’t I put myself out there on social media? Why would I not try blogging? Why wouldn’t I talk my trash the way I normally do and just put it on a podcast?

Dabble in everything that excites you. People might think you’re crazy, and they may call you delusional, but that’s just another word for visionary. If there is no one in this world who believes in what you want to do, YOU have to believe in it. Don’t be shy to reach for the top and then some. You never know what can be yours so long as you just work at it.

Blog Post #4: 2025-The Year of Being Intentional

Happy New Year everyone!

Welp, we’ve made it to 2025. It feels like 2024 absolutely flew by, and I can’t believe we’re already at the start of a new year. For some reason, I have good feelings about 2025. This year feels like money, prosperity, and success.

Every year, I try to pick a word that will be my theme for that year. Last year the theme was “productivity,” and I feel proud to say that I took that very seriously. I spent many nights up business planning, starting to discover hobbies, and saying yes to trying things I never thought I would. I’d say I chose the correct word to stick to for 2024 because it lead me to many opportunities I would not have been privy to otherwise.

This year is the year of being intentional. I chose “intentional” to be my word of the year for various reasons:

• I’m making some pretty big changes (Most specifically health-wise). In December, I underwent a pretty major surgery in order to improve my health. When I was going through my pre-op prep, I had to speak with a therapist, and one of the things she stressed to me was intentional eating. Basically this means being mindful of what I’m putting into my body and why. Because I’m approaching 25 very soon (and everyone says it all starts to go downhill from here lol) I am choosing to be intentional about my health, what I do and put into my body, and working on how I feel internally so that I can feel and look my best externally. I chose to take this thought process and apply it to other areas of my life, hence why I’m emphasizing the importance of intentions for the year.

• I’m set on having only good people around me. We all hear about leaving people in the previous year. Unfortunately for them, this time I’m standing on business behind that. I’ve taken a lot of time in the last year reflecting on my friendships and interactions with those around me, and I know what type of friends I want in my life. As an adult, there are ways I need people to show up for me that I never thought about before. I’m not perfect, and I have my own ways that I want to intentionally show up for people in my life as well, but I also have the tendency to go above and beyond for people who tend to leave me in the dust. No more of that. I’m intentionally choosing people that I share my time and intimate moments with because it gets exhausting to be the person there for everyone and not feeling as though you have that in return.

• I think it will increase my drive. As I mentioned, I feel like 2025 is going to be a big year of success for some reason. I want to remain focused on achieving my goals for this year, and I think that intentionally and strategically planning out my moves will help me get where I want to be.

I am super excited to see where this year takes me. I have so much in store personally, I’m excited for what’s to come with TLR, and overall, I just really wish for the best for myself and my loved ones. Here’s to making this year a good one!

P.S. I want to know- What’s your word of the year for 2025?

Blog Post #3: The Year of Productivity

Somehow, we’re at the end of 2024. The first half of this year barely feels real-it flew by so fast! So many things happened, and what better way to wrap it all up than with a recap?

I’ve been assigning a word or theme to each year, and for 2024, my word was PRODUCTIVITY. I stood on business this year, setting a goal to get ahead in many areas-and I did just that. I began planning for my LLC, drafted the entire first season of my podcast months before even choosing a name, and more. Even on days when I told myself I’d relax in bed, I still ended up working on something business-related. I truly made the most of this year, and I’m planning to kick it into even higher gear in 2025. Now, let’s get into the recap:

January-March:

I honestly don’t remember much from these first three months, but what I can say is that the beginning of this year set the tone of the rest of 2024 for me.

In February, I got extremely sick, which marked the beginning of my departure from my job at the time. (I’ve mentioned this job a few times, so now feels like the right time to get into the details.)

One day after a conversation with one of my bosses, she called me a “liability” to the salon. To be exact: “You’re a liability, but a good one.” This was after she had me listen to a Thriving Stylist podcast episode (shoutout to Britt Seva). I already felt like my time at the salon was coming to an end, but that conversation sealed the deal and I was 100% checked out. At this time, I knew I wanted to be a business owner, but I also knew I couldn’t leave my job without a plan. That’s when I started applying to business schools. Eventually, everything became set in stone, but I had intended to remain at the salon until August.

As I mentioned before, I got incredibly sick. My tonsils swelled so much I could barely breathe, and I became so dehydrated that I fainted in my kitchen. I was out of work for two weeks. When I told my bosses about my health struggles-and that I’d need time off for surgery-they suggested I take a “leave of absence.” Of course I hadn’t planned to do this, but I knew exactly where this was going because I received a text message asking if they could proceed with hiring a new assistant, and telling me that I could come pick up my license.

Though I know they didn’t see my as the best stylist, I was an amazing assistant. I don’t hold any grudges towards my bosses, but I do wish I had felt more heard there (and I wish I didn’t spend $600 on shears I don’t currently use). That chapter is closed, though, and for good reason.

Soon after leaving the salon, I was offered a spot on the board of The Ladies’ Room. Of course I jumped at the opportunity, and things have been going great ever since!

April:

Aries season! I celebrated my 24th birthday, and took a trip down to Memphis, Tennessee.

May-June:

Nothing too exciting here. I focused on hobbies like painting, getting back into the gym and attending monthly TLR meetings.

July:

A family bus trip to the Sights & Sounds Theater in PA and enjoying the rest of the summer.

August:

A road trip to Deep Creek Lake, MD for my friend’s birthday; Celebrating TLR’s 1-year anniversary; Moving into my dorm for the start of grad school.

September-November:

Grad school consumed most of my time during these months. But the highlight? Launching my personal brand and website!

December:

This month, I underwent bariatric surgery (more on this another time).

Wrapping Up

I have no complaints about 2024. I truly believe that everything that happened this year was meant to happen, and I’m so excited to see what 2025 has in store. With focus and determination, I know I’ll make even more progress next year. It’s only up from here!

Blog Post #2: It’s Been a Hard Few Years.. So Right Now I’m Thankful for Peace

Whether you know me in person, or are just now getting to know me, one thing you’ll come to learn is that opening up is not my strong suit, but as Thanksgiving rolled around, I felt compelled to reflect on what has been bringing me peace in the midst of life’s storms. Someone I met in school this year told me she really wants to “understand my lore” and while I found that funny, I also realized that even some of the people closest to me have no idea about a lot that goes on in my life. Like many others, I have major trust issues that keep me from opening up to people, so this post will be offering a little bit of vulnerability (wow and it’s only our second interaction here lol).

Being that it was just Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I am thankful for, and I have been incredibly thankful for my peace whenever I can get it. These last few years have been incredibly traumatic, and I feel like it’s made my anxiety skyrocket. Let me give you a brief timeline:

2018: Losing a cousin

2019: Losing a friend

2020: Pandemic

2021- Early 2024: Losing 7 people including 2 more cousins, 2 uncles, another friend, both my grandmothers (one on my birthday)

And this isn’t even including EVERYTHING that’s happened in this timeframe. In all this time, I found myself feeling hopeless and on edge, almost waiting for another tragedy to happen. While I still do struggle with this crazy anxiety, I’m challenging myself to think more positively and live in the moment.

What I’m Thankful For:

• My health, because we don’t have anything if we don’t have our health. After having one surgery earlier this year, and having another one coming up, I’ve realized how invaluable it is to feel strong and whole.

• My mom- Quite possibly one of the best ladies ever. Being the only child of a single mom, I feel like we didn’t always see eye-to-eye, especially as I got older, but I always know that without a doubt, there is nobody in this world that loves me the way she does.

• My faith and blessings- Even when I question it, I’m quickly reminded of how blessed I am. There is no “luck” when it comes to me. God don’t play about me and He has shown me that time and time again this year, and I don’t expect it to stop any time soon.

• My family- Ah the Gleaton Gang… Whatever would I do without them?

• My team- Though it is not specifically MY team, the network and relationships that I am building with the women of The Ladies’ Room is something I will always value. I really don’t have many friends, and these girls came into my life at a perfect time. Early this year, the day I parted ways with my job was the same day that it was finalized for me to join The Ladies’ Room, and we've been kicking ever since. Literally everything had started aligning for me perfectly (a story for another day), and things are only looking up for us right now. I’m so thankful that I found a group of girls that we can hold each other accountable in our business and personal goals, handle business accordingly, and come together and let our hair down for girl time as well. It really has only been about 8 months, and I hope we stay locked in strong and continue to not only build business relationships, but strong friendships and bonds as well.

• My drive and ambition- I’m not sure if this is a normal thing to be thankful for, however I am. I feel as though my ambition and drive is so strong that I am DESTINED to achieve everything I have planned in life. I am the biggest night owl ever (as I am currently writing this post at 2 AM) and I spend this time to sit in my own thoughts and take the time to work on everything pertaining to my business ideas. I mean, I may not have the funds to start my beauty bar next week, but I could absolutely produce my business plan and the interior plans for it to an investor if they asked me right now.

All in all, I hope this post gave you a teeny tiny bit more insight about me. The holidays can be hard for a lot of people, but as they approach, I challenge you to take some time to reflect on your own peace and blessings. I’m learning how to not dwell too much on life’s low moments and as unpredictable as it is, gratitude can be the anchor that grounds us in every storm. Stay hopeful, stay thankful, and above all, count your blessings. Peace.

Blog Post #1: So I Took A Leap of Faith… (Pt. 1)

Everybody has been saying it these days-Some variation of “Just do it! Take the leap of faith! Post that content! Start that business!” And as much as I hate to say it, it almost is that simple. Take it from someone who literally has, and has had an excuse for everything- you will feel SO much better if you just go for whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, even if you just start small.

Now being the Type A baddie that I am, I would never do anything without planning for it extensively. I always have a plan for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. If you looked through my purse right now, you’d find a notebook with quick “brain dump” pages, my laptop with Notion, Sticky Notes, and Google Docs full of business plans and such, and honestly, as I’m sitting here writing this blog post I have a Post-It dry erase sticky pad stuck to my desk with notes on it for how I want to organize my thoughts. That being said, I spend a lot of time planning out how I am going to bring an idea to fruition.

(One of many lists and brain dumps I have)

So what does this have to do with anything? I find that my need to have a plan for everything does help me exceptionally, but it also makes it so that I have an excuse to not go forth with said plans. For example, for the longest time now I have been wanting to start a podcast. I have an entire planned out season and everything, and for whatever reason I keep going through my “to-do” list, trying to perfect small details, when what I should be doing is taking the time to sit and record an episode already. Thankfully, I am holding myself accountable and I am working on having this podcast up and running in 2025.

On the other hand, I think it is still important to celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small. One thing the people closest to me know, is that my biggest career goal in life is to open my beauty bar. If you know anything about opening a salon, especially the way I would like to do it, by building it from the ground up, it is going to take some money (that I as a 24 year-old student do not currently have). It can be discouraging, because ideally I would love to be able to get it up and running like next week, but instead of waiting around and hoping I’ll be able to fulfill that dream one day, I started thinking about what I could do to contribute to my income, as well as increase my audience for when that time does come. Let me give you a bit of a timeline:

• High school (2014-2018): I so badly wanted to be one of the beauty guru girlies. Around this time is when I started my YouTube channel that I unfortunately did not continue with. I also went to a vocational high school, so I had chosen Cosmetology as my major.

• College (2018-2023): I started at a community college that I absolutely hated, transferred to my 4-year institution (where I pursued a degree In Forensic Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice), and eventually got my Cosmetology license all in this time frame. I had also started working in a salon the summer of 2022 (but that’s a story for another day).

• Present day: Now I’m starting to take my entrepreneurship journey way more seriously. It took some time but I am incredibly proud of myself for how productive I have been this year and everything I have accomplished so far. I have started the process of registering my beauty bar as an LLC, I have created all my social media pages for my brands and businesses that I plan to bring to life, I have business plans written out, I’ve found a recording studio that I like for my podcast, and I’ve finally taken the leap of faith to create my website and start this blog. All these items are steps to building my brand and gaining an audience for when I’m ready to fully launch everything. When written out it all seems simple, but I’m proud that I didn’t let myself get in my own way as I have in the past. If I had stuck with the YouTube channel I created in high school who knows where I could’ve been now? If I stayed at my salon, maybe I would have been a top-performing stylist eventually. But I am happy with my decisions so far, the only thing I wish is that I started sooner, and didn’t spend so much time thinking about what COULD go wrong. The main thoughts behind my self-sabotage were: “What if no one reads my blog?” And “What if no one listens to my podcast?” Truth be told, there’s something out there for everybody! Think about it- how many different lotion, lipgloss, fast food, or paper brands are out there? There are so many brands that produce similar products and they ALL appeal to someone. That’s how we need to start thinking about our own businesses. What makes you stand out to your audience? Something I learned at my old salon is that your people will find you. You are not meant to suit everyone, nor should you want to.

One simple thing someone told me earlier this year that has stuck with me is a very simple saying: No risk, no reward. Again, who knows what will happen in the future? I’m sure Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” was not expecting to score that $60 million deal with Spotify for her podcast. I’m sure Cardi B wasn’t expecting to become a multi-millionaire, grammy-winning rapper when she first started posting her clips on Instagram. You don’t realize who is out there waiting to support you, and you don’t even know it yet. So take that risk, bet on yourself, stay consistent, and just get started. We got this!