Viral Sensation Christiana Sabino Is Using 'Pure Black Love' To Build Her Brand
Before I settled into the lane of (mostly) sex and relationships writing, I was an entertainment journalist; this meant that I sharpened my teeth, quite a bit, in the interviewing lane — which meant that I’ve encountered quite a few different personalities over the years. And even though it’s been almost three decades of me doing that (off and on), in just a 50-minute conversation that I recently had, I found someone who has easily entered into my Top 10 of all-time favorite people to professionally explore. Easily.
Even if you don’t know her name, I’m willing to bet my next three writing checks that you’ve seen her before because if someone is good for going viral out herein these TikTok streets, it’s Christiana Sabino.
Since I also do a good amount of health and beauty writing, I know what filters can do. For her, they need not apply; she is the epitome of natural beauty. Yet and still, when she popped up on that video screen, she almost took my own damn breath away because stunning? That doesn’t even begin to cut it. In fact, I’m still trying to find an adjective that truly does her justice.
At really-close-to-30, Christina is as feminine as she is gorgeous, as humble as she is wise, as traditional (valued) as she is professionally savvy — and all of these reasons and more (especially once her husband joined in) are why I just knew I had to meet her, pick her brain and provide you all with some inspiration to do what she’s doing in your own signature way: let love and your purpose totally expand your life.
First, the Answers to Some Questions You’ve Probably Always Wanted to Know
Listen, if you don’t recognize Christiana, you either don’t do social media (pretty much at all) or you need to get your eyes checked. I say that because, if there’s one person who is gonna post a video of preparing meals to songs that I’m impressed she’s such a fan of (since she’s still in her 20s) while in some of the most radiant outfits alongside her man who you can tell truly adores her and she’s gonna get a million hits, damn near every single time, it’s her — almost seamlessly so.
“It’s what I know,” says Christiana with a soft-spoken delivery yet very clear demeanor. “I come from a two-parent home [as does her husband,Arismarlyn Sabino] and the way that I am on the videos is how I was raised.”
I could tell that she was Eastern-cultured from the first time I saw her content. I did a bit of digging and discovered that she was Liberian. Her husband? He’s from the Dominican Republic. They met in college in New York City and both have degrees. Christiana’s lane is nutrition (which makes all of the sense in the world if you’re a follower of her stuff) while Arismarlyn (who goes by Aris and is 28) is an architect. They’ve been together for seven years total, married for one year (their first anniversary is in June) and they currently live in Texas.
One more thing: althoughChristiana’s Instagram page simply says that she is a “blogger” that is the ultimate understatement. She has a cookbook (more on that in a bit). She owns a skin and hair care line calledGoddess Gleam. She is a huge fan of and consistently displays lifestyle content — from fitness and fashion to travel and home — and she’s passionate about her partnership with the green hair care company Amika.
“My brand is based on my own standards,” Christiana explains. “Everything that people see are things that I love — especially Black love.”
Ain’t nothin’ better than Black love, y’all. I just had to know more.
"My brand is based on my own standards. Everything that people see are things that I love — especially Black love."
Christiana’s Own Standards Brought Her to the Love That She’s Always Desired
Since I’m also a married life coach (and have been for almost 20 years now), I can discern pretty easily what genuine and healthy love looks like. Christiana and Aris? They are the real deal, y’all. Still, Christiana admits that there were a few frogs who came along before her prince (who actually carries himself more like a gentle and loving Black king) did.
“When I first came here and started to date, it was weird,” Christiana says with a light laugh. “I wasn’t used to people who didn’t date to marry and that’s all I wanted to do. I’m really family-oriented, so I was looking for a man who would be a good father and then a good husband — in that order because what you show as a father will let me know you’re a good husband potential.”
"When I first came here and started to date, it was weird. I wasn't used to people who didn't date to marry and that's all I wanted to do."
It wasn’t too long after trying her hand at dating in the States that she was blessed to meet Aris — a man who Christiana describes as responsible, hard-working, someone she loves to learn from, and who is beyond thoughtful and kind. A man who was more than happy and willing to discuss what they both were looking for in a relationship just three weeks into them dating each other. Yeah, Christiana definitely beams whenever she speaks of Aris; she’s so proud to be with him that it was actually not until halfway through the interview that I knew his name wasn’t “my husband.”
“My husband is so present and consistent,” Christiana shares. “He writes books. He actually designed my cookbook and gifted it to me on my birthday. I didn’t even know that he was going to do that but he compiled my recipes without my noticing and presented them to me. That’s the kind of man my husband is.”
"We definitely complement each other. I love every part of him."
I totally believe her because, although I don’t recall which post it was (Christiana posts quite a bit), I do remember her saying sometime last year that Aris was “retiring her,” so that she could do brand-building and content-creating full-time.
“We definitely complement each other,” Christiana explains. “I love every part of him.”
Which explains why, even though both Christiana and Aris say that they come from traditional homes, they went a bit against the grain by dating for a couple of years and then intentionally living together for one before getting engaged and later married.
“One of my uncles calls me ‘the black sheep’ of the family because that’s not how things are usually done with us,” Christiana admits. “I was intentional. I wanted us to be our most vulnerable [selves] and really know each other before marriage. I also wanted to grow with my partner [over time]…I think that’s why going from engaged to married hasn’t been much different; we had already learned so much about each other before.”
"I was intentional. I wanted us to be our most vulnerable and really know each other before marriage."
Christiana will say that although she is very comfortable doing things her own way when it comes to her wedding, she and Aris acquiesced to their families because, if it had been solely up to her and her now-husband, they would’ve eloped and had a ceremony later. Yet there are no regrets — when it comes to living with Aris first or having a ceremony to please their loved ones.
And now that they are about to hit their first official year as newlyweds, what is it like blending pretty much everything together? That’s when Aris, who was quietly sitting off-camera the entire time, was then asked to join the chat. I’m so happy that he did.
When a Man Loves a Woman, Y’all
Christiana is beautiful. Aris is handsome. They are a great-looking couple. Still, if Christiana has me low-key geeking over her looks, we all know thatmen must be up in the comments trippin’ hard. It doesn’t phase Aris; not one bit.
“She is beautiful and it’s the internet,” Aris says very calmly and gently. “As long as people don’t make her uncomfortable and everyone keeps their hands to themselves…she knows that I would die for her; that I would protect her. [Christiana is] my responsibility. We’ve been through too much together to worry about people we don’t know online.”
As I asked Aris to expound on what gives him the level of confidence that he has as he “shares” his wife with the world, he said, “We share some of our lives online but not all of it. And my wife is so reasonable, nurturing and she listens to understand. I think because we feel so safe with each other, it’s hard to feel worried about other people. Also, I don’t want her to feel forced to be with me. I always want to be her choice. That’s also why commenters don’t matter.”
Although both Aris and Christiana agree that no relationship is perfect, as I watched their energy exchange between each other (he looks at her so lovingly and she can’t keep her hands off of some part of him), I totally believed Christiana when she said that their “relationship struggle phase” was no more than a week. Once they realized that it was nothing more than a “butting of egos” (their words), they both looked at each other and said, “What are we doing?” and decided to not attempt one of those types of weeks again.
“When you work with your partner, you’ve got to put your pride aside,” Aris says. “You’ve got to really listen to each other, trust in each other, and give each other patience and grace.”
“My husband is huge on communication,” Christiana adds. “I’ve learned a lot about how to communicate better because of him. I listen more and now we’re at a point where we can read each other, we can answer each other’s questions. He’s my best friend and I trust him because I know that he has my best interest.”
When I asked if there are ever times when it’s hard for them to “get off of the clock” so to speak since so much of their professional and personal lives are intertwined, Christiana said, “He’s not a content creator, I am. My husband does a lot behind the scenes but we put our relationship first. Nothing is going to come before that.”
Christiana went on to share that even with as popular as her brand is becoming, it’s clear that there is a theme. Lifestyle and healthy living, yes — however, Black love and legacy are at the helm.
“My husband — I love every part of him. I prove my love by how I treat him. I’ve learned his needs and I meet them. He does the same. What I share online is a just a piece of what it’s like for us to be together. It’s a part of my culture. It’s a part of my relationship. It’s who I am.”
With (currently) over three million followers on TikTok and close to 675,000 followers on Instagram — how wonderful is it to know that so many people tune in, pretty much daily, to share in and celebrate all that Christiana holds dear. Black love, y’all, most of all.
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You can follow Christiana on TikTok at kristiline_ _ and on Instagram @kristline_. Make sure to pick up one of her cookbooks too:Mama's Cookbook Volume 1,Mama’s Cookbook Volume 2and others that are special editions or available for pre-order here.
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Featured image by mr.peprah on Instagram
Different puzzle pieces are creating bigger pictures these days. 2024 will mark a milestone on a few different levels, including the release of my third book next October (yay!).
I am also a Professional Certified Coach. My main mission for attaining that particular goal is to use my formal credentials to help people navigate through the sometimes tumultuous waters, both on and offline, when it comes to information about marriage, sex and relationships that is oftentimes misinformation (because "coach" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, oftentimes quite poorly).
I am also still super devoted to helping to bring life into this world as a doula, marriage life coaching will always be my first love (next to writing, of course), a platform that advocates for good Black men is currently in the works and my keystrokes continue to be devoted to HEALTHY over HAPPY in the areas of holistic intimacy, spiritual evolution, purpose manifestation and self-love...because maturity teaches that it's impossible to be happy all of the time when it comes to reaching goals yet healthy is a choice that can be made on a daily basis (amen?).
If you have any PERSONAL QUESTIONS (please do not contact me with any story pitches; that is an *editorial* need), feel free to reach out at missnosipho@gmail.com. A sistah will certainly do what she can. ;)
'Love Island USA' Star JaNa Craig On The Reality Of Black Women On Dating Shows
Love Island USA just wrapped up its sixth season, and it has been the talk of the town. According to Nielsen, it's the No. 1 show on streaming, proving it's just as entertaining as the UK version. One of the reasons this season has been successful is due to the authentic relationships formed between the islanders in the villa.
You have the sisterhood between Serena Page, JaNa Craig, and Leah Kateb, aka PPG, and the real relationship moments between couples like Serena Page and Kordell Beckham, who were named the winners of this season. The other finalists include Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi, Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington, and JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez.
While JaNa made it to the finale with her boo Kenny, her journey in the villa was far from perfect. Viewers saw the Las Vegas native get her heart stomped on a few times after many of her connections didn't work out.
At one point, it even looked like she was getting kicked off the island. While she had a lot of support from people watching the show, it was clear that she was in a position that many Black women on reality dating shows find themselves in: not being desired.
It has been an ongoing conversation among Black women watching reality dating shows as we see time and time again that non-Black women or racially ambiguous-looking women are often chosen over Black women, especially dark-skinned women. In a discussion with Shadow and Act, JaNa opened up about the support she received from viewers.
@cineaxries i love them 🤧 #janacraig #janaandkenny #loveislandusa #foryou #peacock #loveisland #janaloveisland #xybca #kennyloveisland #janaedit #loveislandedit #janaedits #loveislandusaedit #viral #loveislandusaseason6 #foryoupage #peacocktv
"You know what’s so crazy? I’m so grateful, because when I got my phone, the way they’re making us The Princess and The Frog…I felt honored. I will be that beautiful chocolate queen if I need to be. And the comments like 'beautiful chocolate girl,' I’m like, all Black women are beautiful. There’s the whole light skin versus dark skin, which breaks my heart. I just really don’t understand that, but I will take pride and represent us well," she said.
She also candidly discussed her experience as a dark-skinned Black woman on the show. JaNa and Serena had been in the villa since the first episode, and they were the only dark-skinned Black women there. As new men aka bombshells came into the villa, they found themselves not being wanted by many of them.
"Me and Serena literally had a heart-to-heart before Kenny came in and she’s like, I just don’t think it’s fair that the Black girls don’t get enough fair chance.' Every islander that came in, we were not their top pick. And we just [thought], maybe because we’re Black girls, and the dark-skinned Black girls. It sucked," she said.
"I’m like, 'Serena, we know what we bring to the table. We’re great personalities. A guy’s going to come in for us.' That’s when we manifested what we wanted, and that’s when I manifested Kenny."
@ashleyvera__ We love to see it 🥰 #loveislandusa #loveisland #loveisland2024 #janaandkenny #loveislandseason6 #peacock #realitytv #fypage
After many failed connections, Kenny came in and immediately turned JaNa's experience around. America watched the model get the care and attention that she deserved.
"I’m not going to hold you. When I was in the bottom for a quick second, I’m like, ‘There’s no way America doesn’t [ride for us]. I know Black America had to ride for me, but maybe because I’m a dark-skinned … hmm … maybe … you feel me? And you saw the Casa Amor lineup. Beautiful, beautiful light-skinned [women]," she said.
"We looked at each other like, 'Damn, Love Island did their big one with this. And every single Casa Amor girl was like, 'You girls are gorgeous, you guys are stunning.' They expressed love. You guys are beautiful and it felt good."
Although she and Kenny came in third place, JaNa is happy that she got her man in the end. "I think the thing I’m most grateful about is the fact that this is a beautiful love story like you guys complement each other and there’s no hate toward the skin color. It’s all love and support. I love that more than anything," she said.
"That’s why I was like, 'I won,' even though I didn’t win. And the fact that Serena won, we were like, 'Yeah, run that.' Either way, we won. And I love the support from all communities."
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According to Mrs. Savannah James, she would like to be addressed as “wife” — other monikers simply won’t do.
In a recent episode of the Everybody’s Crazy podcast, James and co-host April McDaniel received a call from a listener caught in a love triangle between a man she was dating while entertaining a “sneaky link.”
The hosts went on to advise the call-in guest to pursue singleness as she sorts out her needs, which led to a discussion what the meanings of "sneaky link" and a "side chick," a topic their producer eventually clarified for them.
“A sneaky link is somebody that you know you sneaking with,” their producer decoded. “But your side chick the majority of the time your main girl knows about the side chick.”
Agasted by the definition, McDaniel went on to share her stance on ambiguous relationship statuses. “I don't even want to be the main chick,” she stated.
“I need to be the wife these days. I don't want to be the ‘wifey.’ I don't want to be nothing. I want to be the wife.”
James went on to express her strong dislike for the term "wifey," sharing that she didn’t want to be called a wife until she officially made one by her now husband, NBA star, LeBron James. “When I tell you I hate, loathe ‘wifey’ with my whole entire soul,” said James. “I'm sorry, don't call me your wife and I'm not.”
“I had to politely tell my husband back in the day,” she says. “He used to introduce me, ‘This is my wife.’ I had to pull him to the side like, ‘Excuse me, sir, don't introduce me as that, please. I am not your wife, and I deserve that title when the time is right.’”
She continued, “I don't want you to start to think that it's okay for you to say this and then, you know, means don’t have to go the next step.”
As we age and new terms become popularized, it’s common to not fully know what titles and terms work best for the relationship and dynamic one might navigate. In McDaniel’s case, finding the right titles to introduce the new men who come into her life can be tricky.
“But that has been interesting, recently, when introducing certain individuals, at my age,” she explains. “‘Boyfriend’ sounds crazy, ‘my man’… mhmm… ‘my partner’ sounds like I’m a lesbian.” Conquous to what the best intro would be at the “big, grown stage” James offered “tiers.”
“I feel like it's tiers,” James said. “You have to start at the bottom and then come up.”
“One of these days we have to go live so we can ask people live like, what is the titles? Because I'm very intrigued by knowing what are the titles people go by and what feels ‘premium.’ Because I want the premium title,” McDaniel concluded.
While every relationship is different, placing the proper titles on who you're dating and where you see it going is key to formulating a bond that’s both secure and amicable. After all, it’s not what they call you, it’s what you answer to.
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Featured image by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Baby2Baby