We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Akili Yasmine . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Akili below.

Akili , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I was raised by risk-takers. My father has always been a bold entrepreneur. He started his own business shortly after graduating from Clark Atlanta in the 90s and my Mother showed me the beauty in taking big risks when she moved across the country in her 40s to teach in english in the middle east.

I believe that taking risks is an act of BOLD faith and good stewardship of our lives. Our greatest gift in life is the present moment. So, dream big and take chances on yourself.

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.

Akili Yasmine is an advocate for changing current beliefs that exist in the beauty world to help create space for more opportunities for women of color and diverse ethnicities to be celebrated and made visible to the world.

Akili, graduate of Georgia State University, was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta. With Atlanta being penned the Hollywood of the South, she found it fitting to choose Atlanta as home base for launching and pursuing her modeling career.

She is an advocate for self- love and affirmation and integrates this into her practice as a 200 – hour certified yoga instructor and fashion model. Her modeling career reflects her advocacy for redefining beauty standards and making her mark on the beauty industry.

Akili has experienced a swift rise in the short time that she has been modeling. Her appearance on the syndicated talk show, The Real, marked her debut as a model. Her commercial credits include African Pride Hair Care, ReVair, CurlMix, and 4C ONLY. Her campaigns have illuminated major billboards across the country to include the iconic Times Square.

Of all of the things that she is not certain of, 28 year-old Akili is grounded in navigating through the world as a natural empath. She is sensing and untune to the world’s need for healing and wellness. She is passionate about using her platform to elevate those she encounters to seek out purpose and a healthy acknowledgement of self. She embraces her natural beauty and encourages other women to do the same. Akili believes that representation matters and she finds it an honor for young girls to see themselves and their possibilities when they see her on billboards.

Akili acts on her strong belief in service. She makes pouring back into her community a priority through mentoring young girls. In addition to placing focus on helping girls build character, grit and create goals, she also advises those who are interested in the modeling industry. She aims to educate them in an effort to help them avoid experiencing some of the hardships and pitfalls that she experienced during the early years of her journey into the modeling world. Above all, Akili aspires to be a role model for young girls, encouraging them to love themselves and aim to reach their full potential. She believes that her platform is larger than just modeling alone and she is determined to live out her God-assigned purpose.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

If I could go back in time I would absolutely choose to be a Model and Wellness Practitioner but if I had discovered this part of my purpose earlier on I believe that maybe I would have taken a different route. Then again, my journey is what led to this season of my purpose.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes! My favorite read right now is Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown,

Contact Info:

• Website: akiliyasmine.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/akiliyasmin.e