We recently connected with Braeden S. Holden and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Braeden S. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
#I’mDifferent is a clothing apparel brand that encourages everyone to be their true authentic self through apparel. Our main mission and goal for your life is to be a Living Blueprint to society that encourages everyone to be what their creator created them to be despite society’s expectations. You can’t be different if you choose to stay the same… This mission came about when I was a younger kid growing up around a lot of influencers. I found it hard to be true to myself and know who I was as a young man. Through this, I had to experience bullying, thoughts of self-harm, and self-esteem issues. I created this brand for people who share the same story as me. I am not like the average person, I am different. Knowing that helps someone develop that being different is not weird but it is their superpower that sets them apart from everyone else. When it comes to applying for a job or even a relationship, the person on the other end is looking for people or someone who stands out. Being different makes you stand out as an individual. Everyone is not the same and we do not share the same beliefs. Why should you dim the light that you were created to be for someone who does not deserve it or does not have things going for themselves? That’s not fair to you or others who depend on your light to bring them out of their darkness. Even the sun continues to shine despite clouds being in the way. So in all, the mission is to be YOU!!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Braeden S. Holden and I am from Ponchatoula/Greensburg, Louisiana. The reason that I claim both places is because before Hurricane Katrina struck the great state of Louisiana, my family and I resided in Greensburg, Louisiana. We moved to Ponchatoula, Louisiana before the storm came and this is also where I attended school until graduating from Ponchatoula High School in 2019. I know you may look at my graduation year and question how old am I. Yes, I am very young but I have an old soul. I am currently 23 years old (Libra Gang) and I have no kids, but I am proud to be an Uncle, Godfather, and Baby Spoiler. I am currently a Full-Time student studying Computer Science. I have not decided exactly what I wish to do with this degree but my main desire is to inspire younger and older generations to continue to work for what they want despite not being financially, physically, mentally, or emotionally able to do so. I also work Full-Time in Information Technology as a generalist. I was able to attend and graduate with my Associate’s Degree and Technical Diploma in Information Technology from Northshore Technical Community College during the month of May 2021. My degree was the stepping stone to building my resume and making sure that I am able to get the necessary experience to work within my field at a young age. I love being able to walk into rooms that I’ve never imagined being in and being able to be a key contributor to the conversation. I owe it to God because, without him, this would be impossible… In my free time I love hanging out with my family and friends and believe it or not, I love being home alone by myself. As a person who possesses good energy, it is important to have time for yourself. Without mandated time, you will cause your light to go dim because you are worried and focused on everyone else but yourself. I love my me time because it’s my personal time with God and it allows me to recharge. I believe that I cannot inspire or draw someone out of their darkness if I have not done the proper maintenance for myself. I cannot be a leader if I have not once followed… I am the youngest of 3 older siblings and I am proud to say that I am the only one currently who has a degree behind my name. I love this because I feel that my push to get my degree would break the family curse and inspire my nieces and nephews to continue their education after high school. Although my siblings are very successful in their respective careers, it would be nice to have someone doing the college thing with me. At the tender age of 11, I lost my father. Losing him cut a major hole in my heart because I felt that I did not have a lot of time with him on this earth. But I am grateful to say that he has been the fuel that keeps my fire burning when it comes to my work ethic and how I carry myself. My dad planted key elements inside of me while my mom continued to water them so that I could be the man that I am today. Super grateful for my parents… Some may say that COVID-19 was the worst year of their life, but I definitely disagree with that statement. During COVID I was able to move out of my mom’s house at the age of 19, graduate with my Degree at the age of 20, and birth my clothing brand #I’mDifferent. This idea came to me one day after work, I was so tired and drained that I fell asleep on my sofa. I was woken up around 3 a.m. after getting home at 12 that night out of nowhere. So I got up and went to take care of my hygiene before heading to my bed. At this time I knew that God was talking to me. It was my voice but not my words. So I started talking back, I asked him if he could please slow down and tell me what I needed to know. From that, I was able to come up with the clothing brand. During this time it was just an idea and I still needed a name. I said out loud if this is you God, I need a name for this brand. He stated, “Braeden I called you to be Different”, Immediately I went into prayer, and #I’mDifferent was birthed… Growing up for me was not the easiest but very challenging. We were not poor but we did not have much. With that in mind as a kid, I would go to school and come home disappointed because I was not able to do and have what the other kids had. Throughout the years of school, I was able to grow into myself. I knew that I did not like sports, sweating, or even working on typical guy stuff. But I loved music, singing, being in the choir, going to church, smelling good, being around people, and being goofy. For this, I was bullied and not really included in anything when it came to hanging with anyone. For a long time, I questioned God as to why he created me and why I couldn’t just do what everyone else was doing. Every time I tried to do what they did to fit in, it never worked in my favor at all or I would get in trouble. I thought that was the way God decided to punish me as a result of not being true to myself. This is why my brand resonates with me as an individual because I am different. It had to begin in me before I was able to birth this brand to the world. So I am grateful for what I had to go through as a child because it made me who I am and now I am able to inspire others to be their true authentic self despite what people may think. We were all created to be a light to this world. Some lights may shine brighter than others but the light is the main source of energy. How bright is your light and how does it help the person relying on it to get them out of their dark place?
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2020 I was a full-time student studying Information Technology. At this time I had left McDonald’s where I was a shift manager and went to Walmart Supercenter where I worked as a Customer Service Representative. Every day I had to report to work like everything at home was fine and still bring good energy and provide a great customer experience. Little did they know, that at home, I was dealing with a lot of mental and physical baggage that needed to be released. I was still staying with my mom at the time and we were not seeing eye to eye. I was never disrespectful but I knew that my time at home had come to an end and that a shift needed to take place. So the Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly and stated that I needed to find a place to stay… Mind you I am 19 years old with no type of nothing in my savings account. But for some reason, I decided to go and look for places. I could not afford anything that I had viewed and had to ask the voice that had just told me to find a place, where the money was going to come from. So I pushed it under the rug and just kept doing the same thing that I was before which was go to work, go to school, and go to bed… Within the same week, my mom and I went through some heated fellowship and I could not deal with it anymore. Everything that I had known was at stake due to decisions that were not in my control… I went back on my apartment hunt and still did not have any money to move out and I was too young to be living on my own. But the Holy Spirit stopped me and stated, “Write what you want and make sure that you are specific” After that, I came home and wrote my ideal place to stay. I am proud to say that I was able to have exactly what I wrote down that day in my apartment. Not only that but scholarships from my school were being rewarded to me out of nowhere. I would look at my account and see money just sitting there. With that, I was able to move out of my mom’s house at the age of 19 in August 2020. The day I moved in, I told God, “You promised and blessed me with this. Now I need you to help me keep up with it. Please allow me not to have to ask anyone for money or even go lacking financially when it comes to paying my bills. I do not need to be late on anything”. I am proud to report that God has kept his promise. I also asked God if I could get everything my place needed within a month which included a Washer and dryer, stools for the island, a sofa, and other things needed to make the place my permanent residence. Everything was in my place by September 2020 before my birthday. October 4th came and now it’s my birthday, I could not afford a lot of things but my bills were paid and I had a place to stay. That was the day that I decided that I’ve been through a lot of trauma from childhood until now and it’s time to go seek counseling… If this does not encourage you to keep going and keep pushing, I don’t know what will. Plus remember #I’mDifferent gets birthed the following year in March of 2021. So resilience is a nice word to use but I would like to conclude that Testimony best describes the events that I had to go through.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn would be that help is supposed to come from the people who look like you and who are connected to you such as family and friends… I had to unlearn this lesson in 2021. At this time of my life, #I’mDifferent is still being discussed and worked on. I was able to get the paperwork and everything paid for and was able to go buy the materials I thought I needed to start the business. All of a sudden, my only mode of transportation decides that it does not want to work anymore. With that, I did not have any other choice but to turn to the people I knew for help because I had no way of getting back and forth to work. I am super grateful for my grandfather who stepped up and made sure that I was able to get to work every day but I also needed to get to school as well. At this time I am in the last semester of school before graduation. I am struggling but making it work in my apartment and still working full time. My neighbor comes to me and says, “Hey Brae, you still haven’t been able to get to school every day?” I replied and stated, “No ma’am and I don’t think that I am going to be able to graduate because I missed too many in-person days” She then responded and said, “Well Brae all you do is go to work and go to school. I ride with my coworker to work every morning and my car just sits here. You can use my car to get you to school every day. Just let me know and I will leave my key for you”. At first, I didn’t want to accept the offer because I felt that the people I knew would step up and help me get back and forth from work and at least one would allow me to use their vehicle to drive 45 mins to school, but that was not true. I accepted her offer and made sure that every time I used her vehicle, I filled her car up with gas as a thank you. Because of her, I was able to continue to get back and forth to school and complete my Associate’s Degree and Technical Diploma in May 2021. I graduated Cum Laude with a lot of awards that year. Later on, I was able to finally get my car fixed and during the week of finals, I was able to land a job in IT without any experience. I graduated in May 2021 and started working in my career field in June of 2021… So I am a true believer that God does not make mistakes and in that, I was able to realize that help doesn’t look or act like you. But when it comes you have the choice to stay stuck in your old childish ways or accept it and keep it moving.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/imdifferent & www.imdifferentllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/im._brae/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braeden.holden/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/braeden-s-holden-5740671b3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/im_brae4
- Other: Everything you need to know about me is included in the Linktree at the top. You can use the Linktree link to access my business and personal pages and also featured podcasts/interviews.
Image Credits
Gieno Smith (Pho-Matic Photography) Jardel & Cece Edmondson (Edmondson Photography)