10 Motivational Mantras From Michelle Obama
There is something so regal, yet authentic, about our forever First Lady Michelle Obama. Even in a room filled with more than 20,000 people, her energy is electric and contagious, and her words are positively piercing and powerful. As a black woman, I am blessed to say this was more than true for me during my recent experience at the "I Am Becoming" tour in Atlanta, Georgia.
If I've learned anything from Michelle Obama, her book, and now her tour, I am embracing the fact that I am becoming the best version of myself.
My past and present is molding me into the future woman I'm becoming…through faith in God and the woman that God created me to be.
There is no way I can possibly duplicate the Michelle Obama experience, and honestly, I'm still trying to take it all in. However, if you love positive affirmations like I do, then hopefully you will be empowered and encouraged by some of the insights that were shared from none other than Michelle Obama.
"Believe in the validity of who you are and have the courage to share your story."
Part of why we love Michelle Obama so much is because she's so honest about who she is and where she's been. We see ourselves when we see Michelle. That's why it's so important to be authentically you and embrace who you are. Your story matters – to you and to others like you. Trust and believe there is someone out there waiting to hear your story.
"We (minorities) have been told 'these things aren't for you,’ but we have to push through the negative images they have of us…Don’t listen to them.”
Ignore the dream killers and let your Black Girl Magic shine. "Trust your dopeness" and believe that you are more than capable and equipped to do what you were created to do. Like they say, "You're gonna get this Black Girl Magic today!"
"It's up to me to establish and define my voice."
Don't allow anyone else to define your voice. During the Obama presidency, there were so many people and entities – including the media – who tried to tell us who Michelle Obama was, but ultimately she defined her own narrative. She told her story and didn't let those voices silence hers. Now, more than ever, she is one of the most powerful voices in the world. How will you define your voice?
"If you're always running and doing things, you miss the times to celebrate yourself and show gratitude."
GiphyWhen was the last time you took a moment and celebrated your accomplishments? Sometimes we become so obsessed with planning for tomorrow that we miss the blessing of today. Sis, I know you have a lot more that you want to do, but don't forget to take the time to celebrate how much you've already achieved.
“If they want the power, then they want us to not want it. The White House was just another table that others thought I didn’t belong at.”
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They've been telling us for decades that we don't belong and we can't have a seat at the table, but we do belong and our voices will be heard. Michelle Obama, along with so many others, have made that clear. Let Michelle Obama serve as inspiration considering the fact that she's been in a lot of powerful rooms and she's gone to a lot of powerful places. If they still don't give you a seat at the table, then make your own.
“A lot of times, people make decisions based on the limited information they have. They decide for you what you should reach for. I had to listen to the truth of who I was.”
Michelle shared so many stories about some of her past counselors and advisors who discouraged her because of their limited view of who she was as a black woman. She easily recalled all of those "no's" and everyone who tried to tell her what she could and couldn't do, and her response was simply, "I'll show you." Hence, let that be your response to your naysayers – "I'll show you." Don't allow other people's stereotypes, and their limited knowledge of you, keep you in a box.
“Going low is a sign of weakness.”
It's not always easy to take the high road when they go low. However, for Michelle and Barack, they realized that their reactions and their legacy were more important and bigger than other people's desire for immediate gratification. Remember, what you say today can impact what others say about you later on.
"Don't sit in isolation with your problems."
GiphySis, you are not alone. Seek wisdom from those around you because many of us, as women, go through similar situations especially when it comes to life and love. Nobody's life is perfect and nobody's relationship is perfect. May we be inspired to be more transparent not only about the success, but about our stories and struggles as well.
“Our words can lift a child up or cut them down.”
Words matter, and as Michelle reminded us "we owe it to our young people to be better." May our words ignite young people's dreams and passions, and encourage them to embrace and become who they desire to be.
“The simple things and pleasures – love, stability, consistency, honesty, kindness, values…sometimes we forget that’s the truth.”
At the end of the day, it's the simple things that bring about happiness. A happy life is less about financial gain, fame, or fortune; rather, it's about what we do with the gift of life that we've been given.
May every woman reading this be inspired to continue on the journey to becoming the best version of yourself. There will be people will try to tell you who you should be, what you should do, or even what you can't do, but like Michelle told us, "don't listen to them!" Even though people may underestimate you, God can upgrade you.
Featured image by Getty Images
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Shonda Brown White is a bestselling author, blogger, life coach, and brand strategist. When she's not jumping out of a plane or zip lining, she's living the married life with her husband in Atlanta, GA. Connect with her on social @ShondaBWhite and her empowering real talk on her blog.
From Heartbreak To Healing: The Multifaceted Journey Of Nazanin Mandi
Nazanin Mandi is never out of options.
About a year ago, the 37-year-old life coach and actress was navigating life after divorce and determined to experience homeownership for the first time as a single woman. She’d been married to the R&B singer Miguel for three years, following a long-term relationship that started when she was 18 years old. But, in 2022, she filed for divorce. It was certainly the most public change she made but, in reality, it was just one of many decisions to refocus and reach her full potential in recent years.
“During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been,” she says in an xoNecole exclusive.
Still, as Mandi worked to get to know herself and her needs during this new phase of life, she realized the home she’d purchased wasn’t a good fit. Overwhelmed by the echoing of her voice in the spacious home, she had a breakdown and called her cousin, who immediately suggested she lease the home and live somewhere else. “I woke up in my house, and I was like, ‘This is not it for me,” she says. “All those years, I had been accustomed to living a certain way [and] in a certain house, so I bought myself a house like [my old home]. But my family was not the same. Waking up in that house by myself, it highlighted the divorce. I was like, ‘Oh, no, we can’t do this. This is not it.’ My life has changed, so my choices need to change.” At that moment, Mandi became open to the idea that there wasn’t one set way to achieve ownership on her own.
“I feel so much better. I’m in a smaller place. My best friend lives a minute from me and I can walk to her house,” she tells me during a Zoom interview from her home one recent afternoon in early February. In the past two years, she hasn’t just been advising other people on varying circumstances, she’s also been healing herself.
"During my 20s, I was not ready for more. I was living a really crazy life. It was unpredictable. I was helping somebody else grow. It was a lot, and it was intense. I was not pouring into myself the way I should’ve been."
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If supporters began following Nazanin Mandi because of her conventional beauty or the contagious, bright, white smile she often wears in many of her photos, that’s likely not the reason they’ve stuck around. Instead, she’s amassed a following based on her transparency about her own anxiety and depression, along with the encouraging messages of self-acceptance, gratitude, ambition, and humility that are often sprinkled into her social media posts.
In an era where looking at Instagram photos of models can often lead to feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, Nazanin Mandi is determined to be more than eye candy. She’s food for her follower’s souls, too.
Since being recruited to model while dining at an In-N-Out at 10 years old, Mandi has worked in many areas of entertainment. The Valencia, California native has modeled for brands such as Olay, Savage X Fenty, and Good American. As a teen, she sang at Carnegie Hall and auditioned for season 1 of American Idol, making it all the way to Hollywood before producers disqualified her for lying about her age. (Mandi was 15 at the time, and contestants had to be at least 16 years old.) Mandi has acted, too, including appearing on Disney’s That’s So Raven as a teenager and on the BET+ series Games People Play and the Prime series Á La Carte in more recent years.
In recent years, though, she’s also expanded her professional goals outside of entertainment, too. After becoming a certified life coach in 2020, Mandi launched the membership platform You Bloome in 2022 with the hopes of providing wellness services to others, including her self-published gratitude journal. “I wish I had access to something like You Bloome earlier in my own life,” she writes on the company’s website. The actress, who has been forthcoming about her struggles with anxiety and depression, has never had a life coach, but credits therapy as a tool that “really, really saved me and it laid the foundation to who I am becoming.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
"I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself."
While she’s always had a nurturing personality, Mandi says her interest in becoming a life coach was inspired by the women who would message her for advice on social media. “I would answer them back. It really sparked a fire within myself to help people,” she says.
You Bloome currently has three membership tiers, ranging in price from $2.99 to $39.99 per month. The highest tier offers a motivational text message twice a week, two live, group coaching sessions per month, and more. “We get emotional. We cry. We laugh. It’s really beautiful. I’ve built close relationships with my members through this. It’s been inspiring both ways,” Mandi says of the sessions. Still, the founder says she hopes to take on more motivational and keynote speaking opportunities in the future with the hopes of impacting as many people as possible.
And, she’s hoping to do all of this while continuing to explore a career as an entertainer.
At this point in her life, Mandi says she’s gained enough perspective on modeling, music, and acting to realize what she wants to prioritize moving forward. “We are going full force with acting,” she says, noting her goal is “to book a series regular or a film that impacts my career and the world.” She plans to continue to model, too, but has no desire to pursue music.
“I don’t want any part of that because I know what that life entails,” she says. “I don’t want to tour. I don’t want to do any of that. That is not where my heart is at.”
Credit: Solmaz Saberi
If you ask Mandi, she’ll tell you she feels most comfortable in front of a camera, but she’ll also admit that she’s recently experienced a lot of imposter syndrome when thinking about her acting career. “I think it’s a fear of not succeeding,” she says. If anything, she adds, she’s harder on herself now than she’s ever been. “There were distractions before. There’s no distractions now,” she says. “I’m putting pressure on myself for no reason.”
This is where the life coach’s own personal healing comes into play. Mandi says she’s learning recently that “slow progress is still big progress at the end of the day.”
“Currently, I’m trying to find the balance between living life and knowing that whatever is meant for me is going to happen, but also know that I’m doing everything in my power to make those things happen and better myself,” she adds.
Still, one of Mandi’s strengths is that she doesn’t feel the pressure to limit herself to just one passion. From working as a life coach to pursuing acting, she has given herself grace to explore all other dreams.
“We can be allowed to be many different things in this lifetime,” she says. “As people, our identities are allowed to expand. Don’t put us in a fucking box. I cannot live that way anymore.”
For more of Nazanin, follow her on Instagram @nazaninmandi.
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Featured image by Solmaz Saberi
'Raising Kanan''s Hailey Kilgore Talks Seeing Herself In Jukebox & Broadway Background
Hailey Kilgore, who has brought the character Jukebox to life on Power Book III: Raising Kanan for the past three seasons, was working hard in show business long before landing the role on coveted Starz franchise. She's already a Tony- and Grammy-nominated talent whose credits include the Jennifer Hudson-led Aretha Franklin biopic Respect and the Tony-winning revival of Once on This Island.
Hailey may play a teen on the Mekai Curtis-centered series but she's been training in singing, acting, and performance since the tender age of 9—that's 16 years now. If you take a look at her social media profiles, it will almost make you do a double take as her real personality couldn't be further from what's depicted on the show—proving just how talented she really is. The Broadway veteran, who is gearing up to release her first album, is what many would describe a girl's girl wearing loads of sequins, gowns, and serving face!
This will prompt you to dig a little deeper to find out more about the girl who is a multi-hyphenate and earned two major nominations before even making it on the big screen.
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xoNecole caught up Hailey as season 3 came to an end and was surprised to learn that although they may be completely different people, her real life is mirroring what's going on with Jukebox in Raising Kanan. "I really made the epiphany season 3." She continued, "[Jukebox] just wants to be seen. She works so hard, she's a really sweet girl. She has a beautiful spirit and she just wants people to see her—to see how hard she works. I feel that right now. I'm like, please just see me. I know you love Jukebox...but there's a super cool girl in here and she's got a lot to say. A lot to contribute to the world artistically."
She even delved more into her background, telling us about the extensive training and hard work she's put in to get to this point. "I started training when I was 9. I trained in acting, singing, and performance." She further explained, "I did my first job when I was 12, so I've been doing this for awhile. Performing is what I love. I've always said I wanted to be Beyoncé when I grew up...I'm really blessed to have the resume and the background that I do."
The latest season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan has come to a close but in true fashion, Hailey is still hard at work. Her first single "Drama Queen" is out now and her debut album will be released on May 3. It's safe to say that Hailey is having her moment. One can't deny that she's worked hard for it and we can't wait to see what's next!
Watch the full interview below.
Hailey Kilgore AKA Jukebox on 'Raising Kanan' Talks Broadway Background
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