Kyla Pratt Wants Women To Know There’s Enough Money Out Here For All Of Us, Sis
I don't know who needs to hear this, but what's meant for you won't pass you by. Let that sink in for a minute. Another woman's bag doesn't make yours any less secure. While culture tells us that we have to grind our way into our destiny at any cost, in a recent interview on Netflix's Strong Black Lead podcast, Kyla Pratt reminded us that there's enough money out here for all of us, sis.
The actress, who jump-started her career in the entertainment industry at only 8 years old, told the host that she learned the importance of choosing collaboration over competition early on:
"It wasn't that bad, I think, because my life was still so normal. I was still in regular school, especially at that age. To me, the fun part was the auditions, and I wasn't really thinking, 'Are they gonna like me?' It was kinda like, well, I like myself and I think this is fun. Let me see if they like me for this. And then I had other little actress friends that I'd be like, 'Oh, maybe she'll get it.' And I think it just helped me growing up because now I look forward to seeing a lot of actresses work."
It was because of this childhood mentality that Kyla has been able to emotionally thrive (even in the face of rejection) as an adult.
"Sometimes, people will be like, 'Well, you didn't get that part. Are you mad?' I'm like, no! I have always looked at things like, it wasn't meant for me. It was meant for them. Everybody's on their own journey. And even if I go through times where I haven't been working, it's kind of like, OK, things are going to happen when they're supposed to."
I get it, sis. You're out here hustling for your piece of the pie—doing everything you can to bring home the bacon (and the bread and butter, too). One scroll on Kyla's Instagram feed will have you questioning all of your life decisions, but she wants women to know that there's room at the table for us all to eat.
"I feel like in this industry you have to think like that because we'll go crazy. You cannot hate every beautiful woman that walks past you, that enjoys what you like to do. Of course, I prefer the much nicer women to book things. So if I see someone who I know is a genuinely dope person book something, it's just like, no, you get excited for other people."
The con of comparison will have you out here looking crazy if you let it, and Kyla says that instead of feeling challenged by another woman's win, you should use the opportunity to champion your good sis.
"I think people will keep saying that to try to pin us against each other and make us feel like I have to feel challenged by this person, when that is not it at all."
Kyla added that while society may try to pin Black women against each other, she's here to dispel the myth that there isn't room for all of us at the top:
"I'm weird because I see people whose energy is off and I'd be like, 'Hi, how are you doing? What you doing? Oh, you reading? OK,' like just to loosen it up. So like, let's chill. Somebody gone book it. You gon' get yo' money here. I'll get my money there. We straight and then everybody eats."
Featured image by Instagram/@kylapratt.
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
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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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images
