#CoffeeTalk

How do you make friends in your twenties? Me and my old HS friends have mostly grown apart and I know you kind of begin to drift once your life takes a different path. I can count on one hand the amount of close friends I do have and I always find myself wanting to do these amazing things with no one to do them with.

I only have one friend that I’ve kept through-out school and she’s been my best friend since 4th grade. She’s been the only person who has remained inline with my views, wants and plans and I’m grateful for that. Others I’ve gained recently in my adult years. Honestly, my closest friends have somehow magnetized their way to me, whether it be through mutual friends, social media platforms, or simply reaching out saying “hey, I like your vibe!”. As cliche as it sounds, I believe that as you get older friendships become more about quality than quantity. I don’t have the desire to have a ton of friends and also try to be very selective as to who I surround myself with. At this point, I’m not necessarily eager to make new friends but I’m incredibly open to meeting more like-minded women.

Can you do a reading list? I think a lot of us boss babes would love a great reading list of daily devotions and motivational books.

I read often so I’ve collected a lot of books and a lot of them I’ve read more than once. My favorite motivational books of 2015 were Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success, #GirlBoss and It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be. Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success is the book that propelled the launch of this here blog. I read this Jesus Calling devotional each morning when I get to my desk and it sets the tone for my day, each day.

I read in one of your previous posts where you mentioned that you had really good credit. Can you talk about some of things you did to build/establish/maintain good credit?

I got my first credit card when I was 18 and used it for small purchases every month like groceries and gas which helped me establish credit at a pretty young age. Outside of the obvious like never missing a payment ever – the best advice I can give based on what has worked for me is if you get a credit card, don’t let large balances accumulate unless you plan on paying them in full during your next billing period. I have one credit card that accumulates travel points that I pretty much use for all of my purchases outside of bills and I pay it completely each month. Guard your credit with your life. This means no co-signing for anyone you wouldn’t let borrow $50,000. Whenever you feel the urge to run your credit card up, remember that you ain’t shit in this country without credit!

Who are some influential women that inspired you while growing up and why? Including now as an adult?

My meemaw (my dad’s mom, Pearl Johnson) was the first influential woman that I knew. She exuded confidence in the way that she walked and talked, and didn’t take no shit. She was incredibly independent, an entrepreneur and had several businesses, which allowed her to live in a beautiful home, drive nice cars and treat her kids and grandkids to whatever she wanted for them. She was an all around class act. I had an elementary school teacher named Mrs. Choice who was witty, sassy but very loving and compassionate. My current boss, who has turned into nearly family, is continuously inspiring me as well. She’s a married mom of four who’s bomb at her job, but still has her own identity, keeping herself up and doing things that she enjoys. I appreciate that she doesn’t front about how difficult it is, but also doesn’t complain. She just handles it. Lastly, my auntie Oprah and my fairy Godmother Maya Angelou.

What is your financial philosophy on saving, budgeting, splurging? What were your money habits in college compared to now as an adult?

Saving is nonnegotiable for me at this stage in my life. I met a friend named Christina (a bomb Aquarius just like me) while working at a homebuilding company in college who was the first one that encouraged me to save and I’ve been at it since then. Each paycheck I transfer a specific amount into my savings account, leaving myself enough for bills and recreational things. If I run low on that money, I consider myself broke. My rule on splurging has always been, can I comfortably buy it five times? If I can afford to buy an expensive item five times, I’ll give myself the green light.

How did you decide on the areas for your blog?

I knew that I wanted to talk about the things that were consistent in my life – my career, my ambitions, travel and exploration, relationships and lastly, getting dressed. I wanted to be myself – not having to change the way I spoke or touch on things that don’t move me just to gain an audience (like fingernail polish and cupcake recipes, I don’t give a damn). The last thing I wanted was a fashion blog, because honestly – women like us are so much more than beauty products and designer clothes. Women like us are incredibly dynamic. We have depth and want to discuss things that not only scratch the surface, but evoke action.

As it relates to relationships and heartbreak, what did you do to get past your first real loss?

Well… After I took a couple of weeks to pull myself together LOL I made a decision that no matter how difficult or painful it was, I wasn’t going to let it take away from the best years of my life and I stuck to that. It took time and was hard because when you’re experiencing heartbreak, things that would normally fill you up, aren’t as fulfilling because you’re recovering from loss. I dug deeper – mentally, physically and emotionally. I was interested in figuring out where I failed, what I could change moving forward but also shedding those things that didn’t serve me, like insecurities inflicted by someone else that don’t ring true to who I knew I really was. It was a journey for sure, but I never stopped living. Taking time out to process heartbreak is necessary, dwelling on it is not.

*I appreciate all of y’all touching base with me! As always, leave comments and questions down below OR submit them via email. Have a great weekend!