Meet The Woman Whose 10-Day Cleanse Has Lizzo Falling Back In Love With Herself
Last week, megastar Lizzo, took to social media with high spirits and good news, as she disclosed to the world that she had just finished a detox cleanse. She says she was recently sidetracked from her newfound vegan lifestyle and began eating poorly on vacation in Mexico. She showed off her results, the before and after, and even detailed the journey.
As you can imagine, she was ecstatic at her efforts to reset and get back on track with her initial diet.
The JJ Smith 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse
That detox was created by JJ Smith--a New York Times best-selling author, nutritionist, and certified weight-loss expert whose passion is to educate people on living their best healthy lives.
The cleanse, her popular 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse, which consists of readers drinking nothing but smoothies for 10 straight days, promises that you'll lose 10-15 pounds in the process. It comes complete with a full shopping list, recipes, and detailed instructions for the 10-day cleanse, along with suggestions for achieving the best results. Additionally, it offers advice on how to continue to lose weight and maintain good health afterward.
But make no mistake, Smith isn't new to any of this, she's been an inspiration and weight-loss guru since her days on the yard back at Hampton University. She's also not about fad dieting, but instead educating us all on the best ways to reset our bodies before committing to a healthier lifestyle.
Of the detox, Smith said:
"I created the '10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse' after learning how raw greens can heal the body. I was already an advocate of detoxing, so I knew I needed to rid my body of excess waste and toxins that had accumulated as a result of my bout with mercury poisoning that had left me bedridden for two months."
After developing the prototype, Smith created a Facebook group and asked 10 family members and friends to join her on her journey back to health. To her surprise, 100 people joined, beginning the cleanse immediately; thousands more in the weeks ahead.
Smith shared:
"Through the Facebook group, which grew to 10,000 people in the first few weeks, I realized there were thousands of other people who were craving a simple solution to cleanse their systems, lessen cravings for unhealthy foods and lose weight. This book was a labor of love written just for them."
Lizzo Has A Response To The Nasayers About Her 10-Day Smoothie Detox
And Lizzo accepts the dedication, as she has happily completed her 10 days, with zero regrets. She took to Instagram and said:
"I'm so proud of myself. I feel and look like a bad (expletive), and I think, like, that's it. I'm a big girl who did a smoothie detox, and I wanted to share that with you guys. I got exactly what I wanted out of it, and every big girl should do whatever the (expletive) they want with their bodies."
And listen, Smith is an advocate of allllll of that. And although she has yet to publicly acknowledge Lizzo's high-profile attention, as always, she maintains that her detox is safe, healthy, and good for the body.
Today, you can find Smith as a featured Nutritionist on The Dr. Oz Show, which she has been for three years. She also released her 7-Day Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse, that promises to 'rid the body of unwanted fat and bacteria for renewed energy and lasting weight loss.'
As for her advice to anyone who wants to take on her 10-day cleanse?
"You know, some of the struggles you have are very real. I always tell people you have to be mentally prepared. Allow yourself to be uncomfortable for the first few days because there are rewards if you stick with it."
Whew, I'm trying, sis.
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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'Power Book II: Ghost' Star LaToya Tonodeo Doesn't Think Her Character's Mom Is A Toxic Parent
The Power Book II: Ghost finale episodes resumed on Friday, Sept 6, and the Tejadas appear to be in deep trouble. Spoiler alert: Diana Tejada, played by LaToya Tonodeo, is pregnant with Tariq St. Patrick's (Michael Rainey Jr.) baby while simultaneously dealing with her family's new arrangement with dirty cop Don Carter (Michael Ealy).
Diana doesn't want her child near the drug game, but due to her family and her child's father's active roles in that lifestyle, she may not have a choice. In a xoNecole exclusive, LaToya opens up about the reality of Diana's options.
"My advice would be like, girl, you better pray about it and make the best decision. But in actuality, like looking at the circumstances, I don't necessarily think it's best for her right now to leave her support system," she admits.
"She needs all the support she can get. It just doesn't make sense. You're saying you don't want Tariq to be a part of the life, but that's clearly what he is doing in his path. And then you're a Tejada, your family is a part of that life. And then you're in school. How are you going to support yourself and a child off the candy store like it's not going to work.
She continues, "So you need to keep, in my opinion, I would say, keep the family as close as you can, because regardless of who they are and how they operate, it's definitely beneficial for her."
"So you need to keep, in my opinion, I would say, keep the family as close as you can, because regardless of who they are and how they operate, it's definitely beneficial for her."
If you watch Power Book II: Ghost, then you are familiar with the family dynamic between the Tejadas. The family's matriarch, Monét, played by R&B legend Mary J. Blige, groomed her kids to be gangsters and help her run their drug empire.
But her parenting has often caused a wedge between her kids Diana, Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray), and Cain (Woody McClain), especially after she killed their father. This led to Diana and Dru recruiting Tariq to kill Monét, but it was unsuccessful and now, Monét is now trying to repair her relationship with her kids.
While Monét ticks off many of the boxes of what a toxic parent may look like, LaToya has another point of view. "I feel like even though, on the outside, it could look like she's a toxic parent, I believe that we try to show that there's still elements of love there, and there are moments where Diana, for the sake of family, still will forgive all the things that, like if she feels blamed for certain things," she explains.
"Like the time, I think it was last season or season three, when Monét actually went into Diana's dorm room and apologized and all the things-- she's okay with it, because Diana really wants family."
She continues, "And at the end of the day, Diana wants her mother to see her. So it might sound toxic to say that I don't believe she's fully toxic, but Diana is okay with giving chances, and maybe that's to her detriment, but she's okay with giving chances, and the growth between them is a push and pull, but Diana needs it."
Watch the full interview below:
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