Here’s How The Founder Of CURLS Juggles Motherhood & A Million-Dollar Brand
In xoNecole's Finding Balance, we profile boss women making boss moves in the world and in their respective industries. We talk to them about their business, their life, and most of all, what they do to find balance in their busy lives.
Mahisha Dellinger is the epitome of a girl boss — she's a mom, a wife, a published author, an entrepreneur, and a motivational leader for women with textured hair. Where do we start? Dellinger is one of the pioneers of the natural hair market, and yes, she's the founder of CURLS, a brand MANY naturalistas know and lean on consistently for quality hair products.
Dellinger isn't just working on a hair company, but also lending her expertise to leading, marketing, and leveraging your business. In fact, she is the host of the business show, Mind Your Business with Mahisha on OWN, where she helps other women-led businesses reach the million-dollar mark. So yeah, you can kind of say Mahisha is a big deal.
Between her hectic schedule filled with meetings, production, and all things business, Mahisha spoke with the XO Staff in the latest installment of our Finding Balance series, where she shared the secrets to her success and the one thing she does when things get chaotic.
What is an average day or week like for you?
My world is full of many variables because everyone needs something from me any given moment. I control my time and my attention by only taking calls during scheduled times. If I'm working on deadlines, I will answer all of my emails first thing in the morning, focusing on any time sensitive emails first and foremost.
A typical day consists of dropping off and picking up my three kids from three different schools. My husband helps me out with one of the routes, but it's insane either way! I usually scarf down a few bites of food and get right to handle CURLS business. Usually that consists of emails, meetings, hot items, more emails, more meetings, team discussions, marketing reviews, ad reviews, and more.
What do you find to be the most hectic part of your week? How do you push through?
Mondays are hectic because everyone is playing catch up from the weekend and everyone tries giving me a call, whether scheduled or not. I am very diligent with my time, so I do not take unscheduled calls unless they are from my team or my vendors.
The mornings are also very hectic because I try to balance getting the kids up, fed, and out for school. Then trying to squeeze in a workout before attacking my inbox is stressful. I pace myself and ask for help when needed. My husband is great with supporting me.
"I pace myself and ask for help when needed."
How do you practice self care? What is your self care routine?
I work hard, so I play harder. I indulge in regular spa treatments, massages, amazing vacations, great skincare products, good food, and great company. A glass of rosé also helps my momentum.
How do you find balance with:
Friends?
Time is my most precious commodity because I don't have much of it. I spend most of my free time available with only my very close friends, after my family's needs. There are times I will meet with someone not in my core group, but it is rare.
Dating/Marriage/Kids?
My husband, John, and my kids are of the utmost importance to me. My priorities are: God first, family second, business third. Do I always get it right? No, but this is what I strive for.
Exercise?
I try to work out three times a week with my personal trainer. My recent travel to tape my new show, Mind Your Business with Mahisha on OWN, has made this difficult.
Health? Do you cook or find yourself eating out?
I am a fabulous cook, if I do say so myself. I like to sample and try things I like, but in moderation. I do not eat a lot of fried foods, but I do enjoy going out to dinner with my family once a week.
Do you ever detox? What does that look like for you?
Not yet, but I have been looking into the best options so I can give it a try.
When you are going through a bout of uncertainty, or feeling stuck, how do you handle it?
I do one thing and one thing only: Pray.
What does success mean to you?
Success, to me, means I am able to do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it. Whether that's jetting off to Europe, sleeping in for a day, or working while in bed. Freedom is success.
"Freedom is success."
What is something you think others forget when it comes to finding balance?
Many forget to put God first. If we put Him in the center of our lives, all of the other things will fall into place.
For more of Mahisha, follow her on Instagram. And check out past Finding Balance women we've featured by clicking here.
- Curls Hair Care Creator Mahisha Dellinger Lands New Series With ... ›
- CURLS Mahisha Dellinger | LinkedIn ›
- Who is Mahisha Dellinger? ›
- Mahisha Dellinger - Wikipedia ›
- Mahisha Dellinger Has Got Oprah's Attention - D Magazine ›
- Day in the Life: Mahisha Dellinger of Curls On Her Secrets to ... ›
- Curls CEO Mahisha Dellinger Lands Summer Series On OWN ... ›
- About CURLS | Curly Hair Products Blog and Articles ›
- Mahisha Dellinger of Curls on Becoming a Leader of Your Life - The ... ›
- Mahisha Dellinger Founder of Curls | Curly Hair Products Blog and ... ›
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
valentinrussanov/Getty Images
How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images