We recently connected with Aisha Monique and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aisha, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I desire for people to feel at Home with Me. To be seen, loved, heard, honored, to be called out of the shadows of defense mechanisms, trauma, of masks, and into the light of their Authentic Be.ing.

I desire for people to be Free.

Firstly, I desire this of and for mySELF, which is why and how I can empathize and hold such a conviction in my heart for others.

I want my legacy to be of Goodness, Love, Efficiency, Authenticity, Wisdom, Loyalty, Joy, Power and Peace; of Divine Wholeness and Alignment.

Aisha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Peace!

It is with so much Gratitude for your presence here that I greet you with. Thank you for connecting with Me.

Are you ready for Story Time? Here goes:

The conception of this brand was during The Covid Quarantine of 2020, from Me – Aisha Monique (pronounced Eye-Sha), a Melanated Woman – with a passion and yearning for personal, deep, holistic Freedom and Healing.

I had just faced the realities of the injustice system, trauma, narcissistic and religious abuse, parental alienation, loss of income and single parenting. Still, I continued to heal and persevere through therapy and a healthy, loving, safe & sensible community. And perseverance birthed freedom, creativity and championing for Humanity, which subsequently brought forth Melanated Woman, LLC.

Every aspect of the business, including meeting all of you, comes from an authentic place of deep gratitude, justice, of independence, of healing, of honor, of friendship, love and of liberation.

Eventually, I would begin to tap into my creativity that had laid dormant through years of trauma, stress, abuse, survival mode and being disconnected from my True Self. I started a store to offer my Creations to the world. Later, I partnered with fellow Creator, KnottAJ, who crafts what he calls Paracord Freedom Bracelets:

Survivalist, hunters, fishers, military and more, innovatively use these parachute cords in hundreds of ways to survive, gather, build, make tools, improvise, fire starting…any and every way imaginably necessary.

Similarly, these bracelets (with all of their unique and meaningful Charms, Beads, Crystals and designs), serve as a reminder of things past that once had us bound, innovatively existing in survival mode…shackled…but now we are free as the shackle on these Freedom Bracelets are not binding to anything!

The adjustable, removable pin serves to illustrate that we have the resources and sovereignty to Free ourselves from our slavery, just as we sometimes make decisions that create the bondage.

Trauma does not have to be our destiny! And these Freedom Bracelets are here to remind of us that!

Every piece that I and KnottAJ create and offer is carefully produced by hand at a home office in Georgia.

Soon after the launch of the store, my desire for Holistic Personal and Collective Wellness continued to burn, so I became a Certified Advanced Enneagram Instructor. The powerful Ancient Wisdom that the Enneagram embodies is useful for deep self-awareness, understanding personality styles at work, in relationships and every aspect of our lives.

I always say that we can’t change what we don’t know, nor heal what we refuse to reveal and feel. Developing our conscious awareness will lead and grow us Home to True Self; to Freedom and to Healing.

For those of you wondering my Personality Style, Enneagram speaking, I AM 4w5 – creative; highly intuitive; attuned to the feelings, moods, energy, spirits and the unconsciousness of self and others; insightful; have many passions of the mind; value wisdom, knowledge and deeply empathic.

I AM now offering 1:1 Coaching (Sacred Sessions) and Group Sessions (Healing In The Collective). These offerings provide you the tools and awareness to reach your Highest Self and Potential rather than being absorbed by habitual, defeating defense mechanisms, shadows, exaggerations and false beliefs about yourself, others and the world around you.

Book a Free Discovery Call with me today! Let’s Heal Together!

I AM 37 years old & it was only a few months ago did I learn that I AM neurodivergent…that I AM Autistic.

I’m going to be honest with you all, I was embarrassed, I was humbled, I was overwhelmed, I was Free.

Embarrassed because I didn’t realize how noticeable my struggles were that others could clearly see that I AM Autistic.

Embarrassed because it deflated the illusion that I had that I was a lot “stronger than I actually am.”

Embarrassed because then I had to redefine what my concept of strength even was. “Why is being Autistic not in your definition of personal strength, Aisha?” “By whose standards are you measuring yourSELF, Aisha?” “Do you even understand what your neurology is?”

I was humbled at the self-realization & the answers to those questions. I had nothing to hide behind. I was naked.

My Sacred Autistic Humanity demanded that I honor My Sacred Autistic Humanity.

The embodiment of that honoring can be quite overwhelming as I redefine & reimagine what my life has been, is & will be.

The adjustments that me and my family are making means that I have to de-shed my defenses & masks & be naked and unashamed by my vulnerability, sensitivities & the range of expressions that my sensory overload manifests.

The realizations of how much I actually do need accommodations & have limitations is so poetic to me because I AM always championing for the honoring of our holistic needs, yet my Autistic needs has completely escaped me.

The shock that I have been disillusioned by the idea that I AM neurotypical even though I have always known (and so did they) that I was not like my peers & most of the world that I have come to know.

The constant awareness that I have of my Autistic expressions have often left me paralyzed, self-conscious & Free.

The unearthing of my Authentic Self here has been quite the Soul Journey.

I AM convinced, however, that my neurology, my Personhood, is a gift, a Superpower.

I AM also convinced that I AM a Whole, Divine Be.ing having a bodily experience & this is the Majestic Body that I have been enveloped in to express my Sacred Divinity to the world.

I AM Free.

This is my Journey Home and I invite you all into it. We can walk heart to heart, leading each other Home to our True Selves.

All in all, we seek to bring the best from us to you. From Me, KnottAJ, to our marketing team, we put lots of love and careful thought into all we do.

Every detail, every product, every session is with Boundless Healing, Love, Light, Peace, and Freedom in mind, heart and intention.

We hope you enjoy all we have to offer and share the experience with others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The recent realization of my Autism has caused me to pivot a bit in business. As you can imagine, I am having to re-interpret my entire life, to come to know and embrace who I TRULY am, to make adjustments in my everyday navigating and at home that are long overdue, which also includes in my business.

Most of the profit from my handmade business comes by way of vending events. That requires a lot of coordinating for my children, travel time and energies that right now, I need to put towards my Home (me and my family).

So, I am beginning the process of restructuring my business model to expand wholesaling. I will continue to offer my products online at www.MelanatedWoman.co, and I will continue Sacred Sessions as they are all virtual.

But I will also continue to honor my Autistic, Sacred Humanity in doing what is conducive to my neurology. I have also begun to speak openly and publicly about it, as I am seeing the lack of knowledge about the Spectrum that Autism is. The general public seems to be used to certain expressions of Autism and unaware of Autistic people like me, actors like Anthony Hopkins, Wentworth Miller, authors like Lamar Hardwick, investors like Elon Musk, Nascar Drivers like Armani Williams and Olympic Gold Medalists like Breanna Clark.

People are also unaware of just how difficult and expensive it is to get the official assessment for adults. I have had to pause on the pace at which I was marketing my small business to focus on raising funds for my wellbeing. I have had to put my attention on creating a GoFundMe and subsequently starting an Instagram account that is dedicated to Autism Awareness in Adulthood and what that journey is for me: instagram.com/autisticjourneyhome

This has been an interesting ride that my life has taken as of late.

The unearthing of my Authentic Self here has been quite the Soul Journey.

But what baffles Me is the why I have to raise money in the first place. Why are adults not cared for here? Like Autistic children do not grow up to be Autistic adults. Why are psychologists not accepting insurance? And why are most insurances not covering the assessment? And WHY does it cost THOUSANDS of dollars?!

The whole thing is wild to Me.

I was told that a certain letter to have a specific accommodation that I NEED is required. But guess who the letter has to come from? A Psychologist. Guess what I need first before the letter? The assessment. Guess how much the assessment costs?

See? THAT’S the problem. THAT’S why I created the gofundme, because my needing these accommodations are not new. Me being Autistic is not new. The REALIZATION is new (confirmed by a Behavioral Specialist, several free assessments, my own intuition and life history, and first brought to my attention by my Spiritual Mom – MohawkMommaSoulCare – who has several children who are neurodivergent and Autistic. I have essentially been suffering my entire life and now that I can have it, I want the ease, accommodations, answers and embodiment that I need and deserve, and that starts at the assessment.

This is going to take a collective. And I’m INCREDIBLY grateful for any amount towards it. I’m INCREDIBLY grateful for each share of the link.

https://gofund.me/e65d22fa

Thank you 🥺🙏🏾🤎

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I feel like what has helped me to build my reputation within my market has been a refusal to do anything that is a betrayal to my Individuality, to my Freedom and to my Healing.

All of my products, every single post on social media truly come from a place of personal meaning and conviction. For instance, let us consider one of my products – Ghanaian Waist Beads.

Do you know how many Women desire to wear waist beads, but will push the thought out of their minds and deny themselves out of shame?

Why?

Because they feel like their body is not worthy of the embellishment.

Because someone, because social media, because unfaithfulness, because music lyrics, because BBLs, because because because…

because of internalized abusive voices, sexual trauma and images have had their way in the hearts, minds, spirits of many and their body has kept that score of shame.

How do I know?

Because I AM Woman. I AM She. I AM Her.

I wanted waist beads for so many years, but I am not curvy enough, thick enough, I told mySelf, echoing the perversions of others.

Then I dared to see My Human Body as Greatly Made, as Magnificent in Her intricate wisdom in how She keeps me alive and protected, nourished and unique in Her own beautiful design.

I also wanted to connect with my African Ancestry.

So, I did both by wearing Ghanaian Waist Beads.

And I offer them to all Women in all of Your Divine Femininity.

Be. Free

You are You Enough.

There is no other Body that your Body needs to Be.

So, give thanks for how She embodies You and adorn Her with our Beads.

Every single item that I make and offer comes from my own personal Journey. I am obsessed with my Freedom and Healing and I am obsessed with yours as well.

We have so much innate potential to be who we were truly meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melanatedwoman.co
• Instagram: instagram.com/melanatedwoman45
• Other: instagram.com/knottaj instagram.com/autisticjourneyhome