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.
If I could sum 2020 up in one sentiment, it would be: 'life comes at you fast.' This year has been hitting hard and heavy on all fronts it seems and I know I'm not the only one who could use a reprieve from its rampage. (Really a cancellation, because Miss Rona has BEEN worn her welcome.)
And yet, despite its best (read: worst) efforts, many of us have continued to survive and even thrive during this chaotic time. Some of us have started businesses, met and succeeded goals, started a new life in a new city, and everything in between. Some of us have learned how to bottle all this chaotic energy and use it as fuel to power forward. And though it's always important to find a way to keep evolving no matter the circumstance, it's equally as important to know when to ease up and take your foot off the gas in the name of self-preservation. And that's a lesson dermatologist and Girl+Hair co-founder, Dr. Camille Verovic knows from both personal and professional experience. "You have to hit pause at some point––if you don't, your body and spirit will hit pause for you."
After doing the "big chop", Verovic found herself dismayed after noticing how hard it was to maintain and retain hair growth while wearing protective styles. And if she was frustrated, she knew many other women probably were too. Thus, Girl+Hair was born. Coupled with both her medical knowledge and personal quest for optimal hair health, the company is the first of its kind to offer a complete 'under-hair care' system designed to promote and protect natural hair.
For this installment of "Finding Balance", xoNecole got the chance to chat with Dr. Camille Verovic about all things self-care, here's what she had to say.
Courtesy of Derrick Davis
xoNecole: At what point in your life did you understand the importance of pressing pause and finding balance in both your personal and professional life?
Dr. Camille Verovic: I learned this very early––my mother passed away when I was 23. When I was cleaning our family home, I found her journal––she worked so hard but she had a lot of regrets. If you are a hard worker, you can really work yourself into the ground. It is important to you and everyone around you to try your best to find a good balance in your life.
What is a typical day in your life? If no day is quite the same, give me a rundown of a typical work week and what that might consist of.
5:15am, I wake up. It's a family affair to get our six-year-old ready for school. From 6am to 9am, it's emails and morning meetings with hubby. Between 10am to 1 pm, I'm sorting out manufacturing and logistics. And most afternoons and evenings, I have meetings. Days when I'm in the office as a practicing dermatologist, I'm in the office by 10am. When I am not in the office, I'm working on Girl+Hair. I typically work 2-3 days a week as a practicing dermatologist and 3-4 days a week on Girl+Hair.
What are your mornings like?
The mornings are all about getting my family ready for the day. We are actually a well-oiled machine in the morning.
How do you wind down at night?
There is never a true wind down when your spouse is your business partner (this isn't good, ladies). When I do get a moment to myself, I open my Bible app and try to work on a reading plan.
Courtesy of Derrick Davis
When you have a busy week, what’s the most hectic part of it?
Meetings, meetings, meetings! In my case, the busiest weeks are when I have a ton of meetings. I have to take care of my out of office duties as a physician––follow up on biopsies, coordinate care with my office manager, call patients, speak with pharmaceutical reps.
How do you find balance with:
Friends?
I keep the circle small and I try to call when I am commuting.
Love/Relationships?
You can't be happy with someone else if you are not happy with yourself. To find balance in any relationship, you must first find balance in your own life.
Exercise?
I am terrible at this but I just bought a bike so hopefully, I will be better.
What about health? Do you cook or find yourself eating out?
We cook 75 percent of our meals. Cooking is great because it makes you slow down.
Courtesy of Derrick Davis
When you are going through a bout of uncertainty, or feeling stuck, how do you handle it?
This sounds really old-fashioned, but I lean on the Word [of God].
And honestly, what does success mean to you? What does happiness mean to you?
Success and happiness to me is one day looking back at my life and knowing that I gave almost every day the best that I could. One of my life goals is to be a philanthropist. I don't think there are enough Black philanthropists.
To keep up with Dr. Camille, follow her on Instagram.
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Featured image courtesy of Derrick Davis.
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Kayla Nicole says she wore a dress that was once worn by Braxton herself for the Halloween costume. “It’s not a secret Toni is more on the petite side. I’m obsessed with all 5’2” of her,” she tells xoNecole via email. “But I’m 5’10'' and not missing any meals, honey, so to my surprise, when I got the dress and it actually fit, I knew it was destiny.”
The episode was the perfect way for the multihyphenate to take control of her own narrative. By addressing the viral moment on her own platform, she was able to stir the conversation and keep the focus on her adoration for Braxton, an artist she says she grew up listening to and who still makes her most-played playlist every year. Elsewhere, she likely would’ve received questions about whether or not the costume was a subliminal aimed at her ex-boyfriend and his pop star fiancée. “I think that people will try to project their own narratives, right?” she said, hinting at this in the episode. “But, for me personally – I think it’s very important to say this in this moment – I’m not in the business of tearing other women down. I’m in the business of celebrating them.”
Kayla Nicole is among xoNecole’s It Girl 100 Class of 2025, powered by SheaMoisture, recognized in the Viral Voices category for her work in media and the trends she sets on our timelines, all while prioritizing her own mental and physical health. As she puts it: “Yes, I’m curating conversations on my podcast The Pre-Game, and cultivating community with my wellness brand Tribe Therepē.”
Despite being the frequent topic of conversation online, Kayla Nicole says she’s learning to take advantage of her growing social media platform without becoming consumed by it. “I refuse to let the internet consume me. It’s supposed to be a resource and tool for connection, so if it becomes anything beyond that I will log out,” she says.
On The Pre-Game, which launched earlier this year, she has positioned herself as listeners “homegirl.” “There’s definitely a delicate dance between being genuine and oversharing, and I’ve had to learn that the hard way. Now I share from a place of reflection, not reaction,” she says. “If it can help someone feel seen or less alone, I’ll talk about it within reason. But I’ve certainly learned to protect parts of my life that I cherish most. I share what serves connection but doesn’t cost me peace.
"I refuse to let the internet consume me. It’s supposed to be a resource and tool for connection, so if it becomes anything beyond that I will log out."
Credit: Malcolm Roberson
Throughout each episode, she sips a cocktail and addresses trending topics (even when they involve herself). It’s a platform the Pepperdine University alumnus has been preparing to have since she graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism, with a concentration in political science.
“I just knew I was going to end up on a local news network at the head anchor table, breaking high speed chases, and tossing it to the weather girl,” she says. Instead, she ended up working as an assistant at TMZ before covering sports as a freelance reporter. (She’s said she didn’t work for ESPN, despite previous reports saying otherwise.) The Pre-Game combines her love for pop culture and sports in a way that once felt inaccessible to her in traditional media.
She’s not just a podcaster, though. When she’s not behind the mic, taking acting classes or making her New York Fashion Week debut, Kayla Nicole is also busy elevating her wellness brand Tribe Therepē, where she shares her workouts and the workout equipment that helps her look chic while staying fit. She says the brand will add apparel to its line up in early 2026.
“Tribe Therepē has evolved into exactly what I have always envisioned. A community of women who care about being fit not just for the aesthetic, but for their mental and emotional well-being too. It’s grounded. It’s feminine. It’s strong,” she says. “And honestly, it's a reflection of where I am in my life right now. I feel so damn good - mentally, emotionally, and physically. And I am grateful to be in a space where I can pour that love and light back into the community that continues to pour into me.”
Tap into the full It Girl 100 Class of 2025 and meet all the women changing game this year and beyond. See the full list here.
Featured image by Malcolm Roberson
My main motive? Mostly, I hope that it will serve as a solid reminder to embrace all of the things that you adore about this time of year, so long as you do it in moderation and you weigh the costs.
Especially as far as drinking alcohol is concerned.
PRO: Manages Blood Sugar Levels
GiphyHere’s something that you may have never seen coming. Were you aware of the fact that alcohol can actually help to stabilize your blood sugar? Yep, according to the American Diabetes Association, so long as you leave it to no more than 1-2 cocktails a day, alcohol may be able to lower your A1C levels. Pretty cool, right?
CON: It’s a Carcinogen
GiphyAlcohol is a carcinogen. The reason why this should somewhat alarm you is because carcinogens are things (like tobacco, UV rays, processed meats, etc.) that can increase your chances of being diagnosed with cancer (especially mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and breast cancer). There are various ways this happens including the fact that alcohol, specifically, can hinder your body from breaking down certain nutrients, it can cause your estrogen levels to spike and alcohol can also cause certain toxins to damage your DNA and certain bodily proteins over time.
PRO: Cultivates Euphoric Feelings
GiphyIf you find yourself feeling more euphoric while you’re enjoying a drink, it’s not all up in your head. Although, for the more part, alcohol is considered to be a depressant, when consumed in small amounts, it can provide a stimulant effect. This happens due to the fact that when you first start to consume alcohol, it causes the production of the feel-good hormone known as dopamine to increase — and since dopamine makes us all feel more relaxed and confident while heightening our senses of pleasure too…well, there you have it.
CON: May Increase Anxiety/Depression
GiphyAs they say, “what goes up, most come down” at some point — and that is what you have to be careful of when it comes to alcohol consumption. For instance, when you drink alcohol, although it tends to initially cause your dopamine levels to uptick, because it is a temporary bodily response, sometimes the dips are lower than the rises…and that is when anxiety starts to kick in. A similar point is made with depression because oftentimes, people with depression-related symptoms, will use alcohol as a way to deflect from what’s really going on with them — and that can make them feel even worse than ever once the buzz of alcohol starts to wear off.
PRO: Has Some Heart-Related Benefits
GiphyWhen it comes to your heart, there are interesting findings surrounding its relationship to alcohol. For instance, some research states that, so long as the consumption is moderate, alcohol can actually help to increase the good cholesterol in your system while also breaking down proteins that can potentially lead to blood clots; both of these factors alone can reduce your chances of dying from heart disease.
CON: Packs on Pounds
GiphyIt’s no secret that alcohol tends to contain quite a few calories. That’s why, it’s not uncommon for people who’ve lost weight to mention “I’ve stopped drinking” as one of the causes for the shed pounds. That’s not to say that there aren’t some alcoholic beverages that have less calories than others including vodka (133 calories per serving), white wine (148 calories per serving) and tequila (99 calories per shot). Just keep in mind that the more you drink, the more calories get into your system and the more weight you stand to gain.
PRO: Lowers Inhibitions
GiphyAlthough you really should only be uninhibited around people who you absolutely trust, if that person is your partner and you’re looking to have a pretty — eh hem — active evening, alcohol can certainly help to make that happen. The science of it all is the prefrontal cortex of your brain is what regulates your inhibitions and levels of self-control. Meanwhile, alcohol suppresses your inhibitions which can cause you to be more spontaneous and open to trying things that you might not immediately do if you were sober. And with the right individual, that can be sexually beneficial (emphasis on “right person”).
CON: Makes It Harder to Orgasm
GiphyOn the other hand, as odd as it may seem (in light of what I just said), if you have too much alcohol in your system, it could make climaxing difficult. That’s because orgasms happen, in part, due to your nervous system being stimulated — and since alcohol is technically a depressant…well, it could reduce nerve sensitivity (especially as far as your clitoris goes) for you while making it challenging for your partner to remain erect or have consistent stamina. And yeah, that sucks.
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‘Tis the season. And with that, if some wassails or hot buttered rums are in your immediate future — hey, don’t let me stop you — not even a lil’ bit.
All I’m saying is now that you know what alcoholic drinks have to offer (both ways), you can know exactly how to incorporate them into your holiday plans. Enjoy!
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