We were lucky to catch up with Sana Cotten recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

When I was four years old, I was trafficked for drugs by my mother and grandmother. I ended up being placed into fostercare until the age of 8 and then adopted . I struggled in this new life mostly because I didn’t feel like I belonged and i held on to so much shame from my abuse. As I became a young adult, I made mistakes as I tried to find love. At found myself in a toxic relationship and eventually ended up pregnant at the age of 18. I began raising my son, still living in the shame of my youth while now adding an additional layer of shame. Years later I got married, and there was a part of me that thought marriage would release me of the shame, but it didn’t and five years into my marriage, I realized that the shame was still there and I didn’t know the woman whose body I was living in. When I finally came to acknowledge my own truth I went on a healing journey. While on this journey, the roots of my shame were uncovered and i was finally able to denounce the shame that had ravaged my life for years. One day, while in prayer, God told me to tell my story and be unashamed. That was the moment my apparel line became a vision. I began wearing my story on my back and before long women from all over the country were ready to be unashamed and wear their story as well. I knew it would be a success because it was authentic and bold and freeing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Sana Latrease, but most people call me the Unashamed Storyteller. I am a transformational speaker, an author, and a storytelling coach. I help courageous individuals own their truth, find their voice and give it power through storytelling. I am honored to do the work that I do because i get to hear so many stories of pain and agony and help women become empowered and free as they share it.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my audience on social media by just being authentically me. I find that most. business owners tend to be very meticulous about the aesthetics of their social media feeds and making it look pretty and organized, my method is just to show up as me and it has worked. People tend to relate to me as a human just trying to survive another day in-spite of what I have endured. I tell my story and how I have overcome the various challenges that i have been met with. This method has helped me build a loyal community of followers who are invested in my life journey.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest lesson that I had to learn is that my lane is my lane. Comparison to others will get you trapped in a box of always trying to compete or keep up with people in your line of work, but the truth is, when you are authentically you and show up with integrity, you create your own lane to grow in.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sanalatrease.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanalatrease/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sana.cotten
• Youtube: Sana Latrease

Image Credits
Ebony B Photography Leslie Gomez