Ashley Brown Waldon

First, I would like to thank God, because without God, it would never have been possible. My faith and my journey, He's always been there, no matter how big or how small. Even the things that were supposed to break me have built me up and gave me a type of resilience that I didn't know I would need later on in life. Everything I've been through has literally been a learning experience, and at the moment it might seem horrible and really bad, but I'm starting to look at things like what is the good in this, what can come out of this, what is the ministry behind it. Honestly, it's just me loving me. Of course, my kids definitely are my motivation, and my family, but me just learning how to love me and to learn how to set those boundaries, and me just doing the work. If I wouldn't have did the work and put my feet on the ground and just gave up, then I wouldn't be where I'm at. Understanding that I need to live in the moment, live in today. I'm not worried about what is happening tomorrow or yesterday. I am living for today, and that's all you can do.

Give yourself grace. I think we live in a world where everything is just at the forefront and we get to see everything or how somebody else is doing everything. Be yourself. It's okay to take things from others that you learn, but just create what you need for you in your space. You are the best person that knows what your clients need. Don't worry about a certain type of audience if that's not the type of audience or the type of clientele that you are gearing towards. Just focus on what you need. You will find what you need. When I started makeup, my goal was to educate Black women. I felt like growing up, I looked at my mom who did pageants, and I always would see how they would have problems with our skin tones and textures. For me, when I got into it, it wasn't just about the makeup, it was about the healing experience and educating my clients, especially women that live in poverty who feel like they don't have access to the same resources that other women in higher classes have. I had to tailor my brand to really what was in my heart, and it was for the everyday woman, the everyday mom, the everyday young lady that's going to school and college. My goal was to make wellness accessible for everybody in my community. So just find your community, and you'll be fine.

The most important values to me are self-care, boundaries, and not feeling guilty about taking care of myself. I've learned over the years that if I can't take care of myself, I'm no good for nobody. I can't show up for my children, I can't show up for my community, I can't show up for myself, most importantly. I don't feel guilty about doing the things I need, whether it's going to therapy, whether it's working out, whether it's writing a song, or just sitting and doing nothing. I'm learning how to be still, and it's okay to be still and slow down and do nothing. We live in a society where everybody thinks that we gotta go, go, go, and we've been told that our worth is connected to our accolades, which is not true. For me, it's about reprogramming myself, unlearning those things, and becoming a healthier and better me. I also value boundaries deeply. Don't compromise your boundaries for nobody. I see my children modeling that so much, and they're so confident in themselves and boundary-oriented. They don't let nobody define who they are or tell them what they're gonna be, and they don't stand for disrespect. At the end of the day, they're human too, and we all deserve to be treated like humans with rights and emotions.