We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamika Newhouse a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tamika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Our Lit Diaries journey started with a pop-up event hosted by myself (Tamika Newhouse), founder of African Americans on the Move Book Club, Inc. (AAMBC) and held just two months before the pandemic hit. The event featured creative black women in publishing and film, providing them a safe space to share their journeys of womanhood and their experiences in creating authentically. The purpose of this event was to dare women to dream and heal together through intimate conversations and affirmations – sort of like the way you would engage with your personal diary. The energy from this event was SO positive and palpable that it was immediately apparent that our work with Lit Diaries was just beginning!
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
I am a girl who just loves to dream literally. I have taken almost every creative idea I have ever had and manifested that hobby into a profitable business. I am but a risk-taker who dares to dream out loud. At just twelve years old I knew then that I would grow up to be a famous “authoress” and by the age of 21, I had done just that. Granted, the journey to get to my “happy” was not easy at all. From teen mom to CEO, I lost my own mother by the age of twenty years old but soon after I would be fearlessly living out my dreams. My resilience has led me to develop my podcast series, Traces of Mika, where I share my experiences of healing while dreaming. This has led me down a path to produce a lot of experiences centered around healing and Black stories. By 26 I had fulfilled almost everything that I had wanted until just now, Lit Diaries is the only creative space of its kind, dedicated to amplifying creative Black voices and their stories. The journey to healing a culture has just begun.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Almost everyone wants to live the life that they want but very few are built to go that extra mile and even fewer will be the influence that we need as a culture. It was a time in my life, as soon as I had hit thirty years old, life just wanted to get really ugly. I was tested in business in every way from people stealing my ideas, and betrayal of close friends, to jealousy leading someone to deliberately spread hate and confusion. I mean, I could go on and on about the character of people and how it affected me. Dreaming and success come with some ugly elements but what I learned is that you have to protect your own heart. Being naïve can get you caught up with people who don’t even deserve your hello, but what I realized is that people have taught me the most in business. Trust your guy, there are zero emotions in business, and always be wise about your circle.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Social media is definitely ideal for meeting new clients but spaces like meetup.com, and LinkedIn, but word of mouth have always fed me well. When you treat someone well they will remember that for a very long time and over the years you’ll have so many people suggesting you and supporting you just because. So be authentic and success will come to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tamikanewhouse.com
- Instagram: tamikanewhouse
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamikanewhouse/
- Twitter: tamikanewhouse
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlA9RPOCS8_V1dL58SgzpQ
Image Credits
Delphine Legacy Media