5 Boss Moves Slutty Vegan’s Pinky Cole Is Making Right Now
Aisha “Pinky” Cole’s empire just keeps growing. The founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan has consistently been making headlines with her ever-popular Slutty Vegan restaurant that has become a national phenomenon. What started out from her apartment in 2018 to a food truck is now a franchise with four locations in metro Atlanta, but it doesn’t stop there. She also opened a new restaurant concept called Bar Vegan in downtown Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, which has also received rave reviews.
But time and time again, the restaurateur proves that her momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Here are 5 major moves that the boss has cooking up.
1.Moving On Up
After taking over Georgia with her Slutty Vegan franchises, the mogul is now plotting to take over the world. Pinky made the exciting announcement that she was opening up a Slutty Vegan franchise in Brooklyn, NY. In an Instagram video, actress Naturi Naughton is seen walking around New York trying to find a vegan burger. She instantly received a call from Pinky and the announcement about the new location was revealed.
2.Buying the Block
Last week, Pinky shared that she and her partner in love and business, Derrick Hayes, “bought the block” together. The photos showed her and Derrick, who owns Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, signing papers at a real estate office and a video of the block they purchased together. She captioned the series of posts, “Real life monopoly… 🙌🏽 Bought the block with bae! 🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡.” Neither one of them shared which neighborhood they purchased the homes in, but it’s more than likely in Atlanta, which is where they both reside.
3.Expanding the Family
Pinky and Derrick welcomed a baby girl, D Ella Hayes, last year, but now the mother of one will be a mother of two. Pinky shocked everyone when she revealed her baby bump in a recent Instagram post. The 34-year-old businesswoman playfully captioned it, “Pushing 🅿️🤰🥰.” In an interview with People, Pinky opened up about having a support system while running her businesses. "I am so fortunate to have my mother and Derrick's mother, as constant support in our household," she said. "We are both so very busy growing our food empires, we wouldn't be able to do what we love without our village."
4.New Book
Pinky can now add author to her resume. She announced via Instagram that she will be releasing her first book this year titled Eat Plants Bitch. “At first 'THEY' told me Slutty was too provocative…,” she wrote in the caption. “And then I signed my first book deal with one of THEE biggest publishing houses in the world! @simonandschuster 🙌🏽😜
EAT PLANTS BITCH Available for pre-order now! I’m claiming this will be a New York Times Best Seller! Link in BIO 🎉🌱 2022 I’m coming in HOT!! 🙌🏽”
5.Giving Back to the Community
If you take a look at Pinky’s community service page on Instagram, @pinkygivesback, then you will see all of the good work that she does through her company. The Clark Atlanta University alum created her eponymous foundation that has partnered with other corporations such as Steve Madden and Varo Bank. Through her foundation’s partnership with Varo Bank, Pinky is giving other entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn about financial literacy and provide support to purchase their LLCs.
Featured image by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE
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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Rihanna Talks Shedding Expectations And Finding Balance As A Mother
Since becoming a mother in 2022, Rihanna has defined parenthood by her terms and hopes to pass that sense of autonomy on to her children.
For Vogue China’s April cover story, Rihanna shared her perspective on raising her two sons with A$AP Rocky, and how she hopes to preserve her children’s uniqueness, devoid of societal expectations.
"The most beautiful thing...is that [children] come into the world with their own individuality and sincerity, without any logic or conformity,” she told the publication. “Which usually makes you feel that you must fit into a certain group."
The “Work” artist, known for her trendsetting style and captivating persona, expressed her desire to support children in fully embracing their individuality and encouraging them to be whoever they want to be. "It's really beautiful to see and I want to continue to help them navigate that and make sure that they know they can be whoever they want to be,” she says.
She continues, “They should embrace it completely, because it's beautiful, and it's unique. I love them just that way."
From shattering music charts to shaking up the beauty industry, Rihanna has forged a path that has since created the “dream” life we see today. One that she says has made her parents proud of.
“I’m living my dream,” she continued. “My parents were very proud of that because they just wanted me to be happy and successful. So, I think the key thing is to find some kind of balance. Yes, balance is important. Do this and you get the best of both worlds. You can write your own life the way you want, and it will be beautiful. Sometimes, you just need to let go of everyone’s expectations and start living your own story.”
Rihanna, who shares sons, RZA, 23 months, and Riot, 8 months, with rapper A$AP Rocky, recently shared her vision for expanding her family in the future in Interview Magazine.
When stylist Mel Ottenberg asked about the number of additional children she hoped to have, Rihanna replied, "As many as God wants me to have.”
"I don't know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl,” she adds. “But of course, if it's another boy, it's another boy."
Featured image by Neil MockfordWireImage
