We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kay Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kay, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
One of the most unexpected things that’s happened to me in my journey is the lack of support from people who were closest to me. The biggest issue was most, if not all these people looked like me!
I was the center of envy and comparison from women who shared similar interests and were born from the same hometown. I hate to say that sexism and racism were expected, however the internalized misogyny from women and their projections was something I didn’t foresee because I started from a place of seeking community. I didn’t know how far people would go to delay or discourage me due to their own issues but unfortunately I was prepared for it – I’ve been to middle school lol.
I also didn’t expect to inspire so many people. Imititation is flattery but it gets to a point where it is annoying, especially if it’s done maliciously. It can cause you to stagnate if you’re not confident in your authenticity. Once I calmed my ego, I was able to recognize my impact and it made me want to showcase how original I actually am. So in the end, it pushed me further out of my comfort zone and changed my perspective to knowing it’s practice for the limelight beyond my hometown.
Kay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Kay Brown but I’m locally & nationally known as DJ She Beatz. I was raised in St. Louis, Missouri where I began performing at an early age as a dancer, singer, and pianist. I attended Central Visual Performing Arts High School and eventually MIZZOU, furthering my talents as a writer & public speaker through my journalism studies and time on air for NPR. I also developed a new passion for liberal arts & science through my studies of sociology, psychology, & communication.
I later attended Lindenwood University for an M.A. in Communication & Promotion which led to extensive research on STL Nightlife that developed into a marketing plan for a new DJ entering the local scene in 2016. I became my own test subject and over a course of 5 years, I learned to DJ, developed my style, & made a name for myself while making history.
From 2016-2017, I was the only black female presenting DJ playing in street dive bars, biker bars, comedy shows, & community events. This was largely due to sexism and nepotism but I made it work and it’s where I developed my core sound. From 2017-2018, I moved into bar mitzvahs, weddings, and birthdays eventually landing my first out of town gigs in Austin, TX and Las Vegas, NV. In Winter of 2019, I landed a national tour with the original Trap n’ Paint, a viral Hip Hop sip n’ paint, as their first female DJ. It was poetic justice as I tried many times to DJ for my hometown’s version of it.
The justice continued when I returned in Fall of 2019 and were given opportunities that were once gatekept from me. I featured on local mainstream radio, I was booked for local taste maker events & showcases, I landed two residencies in The Grove district where I had full creative control and introduced the concept of local vendors being present at my parties for FREE as a nod to the red tape I had seen when I DJd community events. I also had the honor of bringing in 2020 at the historic BBs Jazz Blues & Soups before its closing as the 1st and youngest female DJ to do so.
At the top of 2020, I returned to Las Vegas for the second time to perform for a local showcase there called Tuesday Blend. I was set to relocate there but COVID hit and it inadvertently introduced me to new mediums such as online radio and DJ streams. I was blessed enough to still be booked for milestone events, fortunately the clientele had changed to local industry leaders. However, like everyone else 2020 still did its number on me – my living situation was less than ideal especially after everything I had accomplished.
This pushed me to pick up extra jobs at smoke/CBD shops and continue my healing journey that began in 2017. I connected the knowledge I was learning about herbs & things to the wisdom I acquired during my spiritual awakening in 2019. I was thrusted into a deep dive of spirituality, religion, quantum physics, & yogic principles in 2020 with the sole mission of healing and loving myself more. Within that journey, I learned that I had several gifts involving my intuition and my aura. I also realized that pretty much my whole life, people around me had been taking advantage of these qualities without giving anything back. Like most unaware empaths, I was codependent, a fixer, and a people pleaser. Once I became aware of this, I decided to use my gifts on my own terms and never allow anyone to “steal” my energy or maliciously benefit from my aura ever again.
But I STILL WANTED TO HELP! So I came up with the bright idea of opening a holistic wellness supply store. I also wanted to offer and hold space to those who were awakening or would like to. After being fired shortly after purchasing my 1st home in the bottom of 2020, I became a certified yoga instructor and founded She Healz LLC, a wellness company that sells holistic healing items in Spring 2021.
That same year, I was invited to join KDHX, a historic local community radio station, before its closing. During my 2 year run there, I developed She Healz Radio, making history as the first spiritually-led show on FM radio in St. Louis. Through KDHX, I became the first young, Black, female DJ to perform at the Whitaker Festival in 2022. I believe I was the youngest Black female DJ at the station as well. The impact of the show pushed me to create the She Healz YouTube channel later that year. Today She Healz Radio is now the She Healz Show on Spotify and my company curates/implements wellness programs, & provides wellness services including yoga, spiritual guidance, & more.
My influence as a DJ at KDHX has inspired the sound of the scene and the aesthetic of local DJs. It also organically birthed my “rave and festival era”. I kicked off that year performing at The Pageant for a sold-out Dillon Francis and Yung Gravy show — making me, as far as I know, the only Black female DJ to open for a sold-out pop/electronic act there. Throughout that year, I landed sets at Earth Day Fest, STL Fest, Music at the Intersection (3x ’21-’23), Cinco De Mayo Fest, The City Museum, and numerous community outreach events. I had a breakthrough with press, appearing on FOX 2 News for the first time and writing for the Riverfront Times before its closure. I even DJ’d an art show inside Saks Fifth Avenue in Frontenac — an unexpected launching into an organic rebrand the following year into the present.
Since then, I’ve landed bookings with NIKE, the St. Louis Zoo, The Sheldon, Ryse Nightclub, Washington University, The Regional Arts Commission, and other major organizations. My most recent high-profile events include curating sound for national conferences and galas: the ABFE Harambe Conference, Metro Boomin’s Holiday Soirée for Single Moms, Mercy Healthcare’s Annual Fundraising Gala, The National Legislative Conference hosted by Women in Government, The St. Louis Symphony, Winterfest STL and being recognized and featured on a panel as a woman in Hip-Hop in St. Louis. I landed a few opportunities outside of St. Louis as well returning to Vegas for the Tuesday Blend showcase and DJing in New York for a local festival. I was also chosen to be a part of the National Association of Music Merchants’ oral history project. I was interviewed with the likes of DJ Spinderella and other music industry leaders.
Simultaneously since the start of the show and into its transition, I’ve been building the She Healz brand. What began as free yoga in Strauss Park in 2022, grew into an independent contract to continue offering free wellness in the Grand Center Arts District. I became passionate about doing this because learning how to find peace in any environment is what saved me in 2020. So I launched Yoga x Tacos and later Full Moon Yoga, eventually moving the spiritual wellness communities in St. Louis to follow suit with their own versions of my series. This led to curating wellness activations for holistic health events, participating in vendor pop-ups, and finding spaces to offer affordable weekly yoga — these experiences helped shape my scope of services and sharpen my skills as a wellness entrepreneur.
My influence as a community leader at KDHX led to becoming the founder of a resource fair in 2023, #HEALSTL, which started as an expansion of my previous yoga series. However, seeing gaps in festival and event spaces, I decided to add an unbiased platform where local artists could perform, vendors could profit, and healers could share resources — with no vendor fees and a commitment to integrity over profit. The first fair debuted in Strauss Park in collaboration with Grand Center Arts District’s Family Day. By 2024, I secured my second FOX 2 promo appearance and my first grant from the Regional Arts Commission, bringing sponsors and paid performances to the event. Last year, #HealSTL returned to its original format and pursued its true purpose. This year it’s expanding beyond St. Louis with its original format.
What started as a simple vision has grown into something bigger — both inspiration and blueprint for St. Louis. Since its debut in 2023, there’s been a surge of resource fairs, wellness events, and community gatherings across the city. That is something I must credit myself for, I’m very grateful for this platform because no one else will. I knew I was being studied so I decided to put out something for the people to recreate because it was needed. #HealSTL became a template for how wellness and community can show up in this city when it comes from a genuine place. My hope is the community learns to build from an authentic place or even continue to build on shared visions so long as its done right.
As of now, I’m blessed to say that the DJ She BEATz brand is running itself as I expand my wellness brand, She Healz. What sets me a part is my authenticity, integrity, and my commitment to healing the community. I’m very committed to using my platform to introduce people to different ways of healing through all that I offer – yoga, fitness, herbal knowledge, spiritual guidance, podcasts, gems/stones, content, and affordable wellness programming throughout the community and eventually the world.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Well as I stated earlier, I became the center of envy and comparison in my community. The lengths that people were going would have made a sane person stop but I guess I’m insane in that way (or traumatized into desensitization). In hindsight, I was built for it all from previous experiences I’ve had as a child in school, familial environments, and even during my time working in offices.
However, I knew it meant I was special since entire groups mobilized against me. I dealt with my equipment being stolen, gatekeeping, toxic nepotism, sexism, my Instagram was attacked/deleted, & my character was defamed while dealing with betrayal from family, close friends, dating, & hard adulting lessons such as managing my overall health and financial circumstances I couldn’t possibly control for years.
I endured all of this alone with no one to really hold space for me. I was surrounded by people who took pleasure in my pain because they saw me as perfect. They were happy to see a smudge on the picture they painted of me when I just needed support, love, and nurturing just like the next human. However, these experiences made me wise, resilient, and a little hyper independent lol but I transmute the pain into shared knowledge through my content and various creative projects. I find solace through my faith in God and in my purpose to be what I needed for so many others. I want people to click on my content, participate in my events, listen to my podcast, or buy my products and feel SEEN.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
To continue what I was saying about wanting my clients and supporters to feel seen – the most rewarding thing has been the feedback over the years. I’ve had some experiences with hate but it wouldn’t exist if the love wasn’t there.
It may not have been from the people I expected it from but it’s been from the people I never knew I needed it from. Young children, teens, college kids, elders, young professionals, fellow creative and healers of ALL types (teachers, doctors, singers, etc.) – it means so much to see these people thrive and to hear that I inspired or encouraged a part of their journey.
I’ve had some people tell me I’ve saved them from quitting life and I’ve had others tell me I’ve inspired them to start living. There’s nothing more rewarding than connection because I know how it feels to have none. It really warms my heart that I can facilitate community in this way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shehealz.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/@djshebeatx
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@shehealz
- Other: www.youtube.com/@djshebeatz
