Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Toi Powell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Toi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

The Legacy I Am Building

I want my legacy to be a beacon—a light for the dreamers, the outcasts, the ones who have been told their voices don’t matter. I want my words, my art, my music, and my designs to whisper to them in the dark: You are seen. You are powerful. You are possible.

Through storytelling, music, design, and film, I am creating a living archive of hope—a testament that impossible dreams are simply dreams waiting for the right hands to shape them into reality. My upcoming fantasy picture book, A Tale of Impossible Possibilities, is only the beginning. It is the genesis of my life’s work: to show others that the greatness they seek has always been within them.

I want people to understand that struggle is not the enemy; it is the teacher. That the path to discovering your power will not be easy, but it will be necessary. Life will test you. It will bruise you. It will demand more of you than you think you can give. But if you expect the trials—if you train your heart, mind, and spirit to endure—you can face them with courage instead of fear. You will not be crushed. You will rise.

I think of my grandparents’ Pentecostal church, where testimony service was sacred. A time where people stood up and laid their burdens bare, then thanked God for carrying them through. And if they were still in the midst of their storm, they would ask for prayer, and the congregation would gather around them. Community is the greatest weapon we have against fear and despair. Knowing that we are not alone—that even when no one is in sight, God is always there—is what has carried me through my own battles.

I have come to see testimonies as preparation—stories passed down as proof that survival is possible. And that is the heartbeat of my legacy. When people read my books, listen to my music, and watch my stories come to life through animation, I want them to feel something awaken inside of them. A knowing that they, too, are capable of weathering the storm and emerging stronger on the other side.

I think of the rain and the purpose of the rainbow. A rainbow doesn’t appear simply because it is beautiful. It appears because the storm has passed. Whether the rain comes as a light drizzle or a relentless hurricane, the truth remains: it is temporary. If you prepare for the rain, you will not be caught off guard. You will know how to move through it. And when it clears, you will lift your eyes and see the colors stretched across the sky—a promise of mercy, a reminder that you made it.

My legacy is for the spirit warriors, the ones fighting battles seen and unseen. My stories will be maps to self-discovery, blueprints for resilience, and invitations to enlightenment. They will be filled with spiritual connectedness, mental health awareness, cultural truth, and the reminder that although our struggles may be different, our humanity unites us.

When I am gone, I want people to say:
She was real. She was genuine. She showed up as her true self, without apology.
She made eye contact with the homeless and fed them when she could.
She loved deeply, especially her friends, her family, and her people.
She spoke truth to power, even when it cost her.
She tried, failed, and tried again—but never gave up.
She fought for her freedom, and when she was finally unshackled from the corporate chains that bound her, she poured her soul into a living library of art, love, passion, and guidance for generations to come.
She did it for the heart, not for the money.
She carried the spirit of her grandparents’ prayers in her bones and walked in her God-given purpose with unwavering faith.
And when the weight became too much, she lifted her eyes to the sky and found her rainbow—a reminder, time and time again, that she was never alone.

This is the legacy I am building. And when I am no longer here, my stories, my art, and my spirit will continue to speak, guiding others toward the light.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Meet Toi Powell: The Visionary Creator Awakening the Spirit Warrior in Us All

I’m Toi Powell, a storyteller, artist, and visionary creator dedicated to pushing the boundaries of imagination and awakening the spirit warrior within us all. My work is a fusion of storytelling, music, visual art, and creative strategy—woven together with passion, purpose, and an unstoppable drive to bring impossible dreams to life.

The Journey That Shaped Me
My love for creativity began in childhood, sketching in the margins of my notebooks and immersing myself in every art class I could find. A defining moment came when I won the Congressional Art Award, an achievement that placed my painting in the Hall of Congress—a powerful reminder that art has the ability to transcend boundaries and create lasting impact. That passion led me to earn a degree in Visual Communications, where I mastered the art of blending traditional creativity with modern digital design. But for me, artistry has never been just a skill—it’s a calling.

The Heartbeat of My Art
At my core, I am a storyteller. Whether through my Blood of a Queen trilogy, my upcoming fantasy picture book, A Tale of Impossible Possibilities, or my music, everything I create is meant to inspire, challenge, and uplift. Music has been part of my soul since childhood, deeply rooted in the powerful rhythms and harmonies I first encountered in my grandparents’ Pentecostal church in Jamaica, NY. That early connection to music remains alive in me today. In 2023, my husband and I turned our love into sound, creating and releasing an album, “Love, Forever and Always”, as a digital wedding favor—an intimate, soulful celebration that’s now streaming on all major platforms.

Bridging Art, Storytelling & Innovation
Beyond books and music, I bring over 15 years of experience as a Project Management Leader in Digital Advertising. I don’t just create—I orchestrate, ensuring every vision, whether mine or another artist’s, moves from concept to reality with precision and impact.

I also mentor and consult with artists, helping them navigate the creative process, refine their work, and bring their bold ideas to life. Creativity is a shared experience, and nothing fulfills me more than helping others break barriers and step into their artistic power.

As a Brand Ambassador for Donna’s Recipe Hair Care, created by Emmy Award-winning and New York Times Best-Selling Author Tabitha Brown and award-winning entrepreneur Gina Woods, I’ve had the honor of aligning with a brand that celebrates love, authenticity, and self-care—values that deeply resonate with my creative and personal journey.

What Sets Me Apart?
I don’t just tell stories—I build worlds. My work blends:
✨ Mythology, fantasy, and cultural richness—bringing new, diverse perspectives to the genres I love.
✨ Spirituality and self-discovery—infusing every story with themes of resilience, faith, and purpose.
✨ Authenticity and connection—creating from a place of raw truth, making my art a reflection of my journey.
✨ Innovation and evolution—constantly learning, incorporating AI design, immersive storytelling techniques, and deep research into my craft.

One of my most distinct creative signatures is my use of pink and pink roses in all of my artwork and social content. The color pink carries deep spiritual meanings—love, compassion, and inner peace—while pink roses symbolize healing, femininity, and divine connection. These elements serve as a secret code within my work, a visual reminder of resilience, transformation, and the beauty of self-discovery.

Expanding My Vision: A Legacy-Building Universe
Right now, I’m preparing for the 2025 launch of my biggest project yet—a legacy-building fantasy universe that will transport readers to unseen worlds, introduce them to unheard tribes, and challenge the limits of imagination.
In addition to storytelling, I am creating a line of merchandise inspired by the essence of pink roses, including:
🌸 Stationery & journals with affirmations
🌸 Crystals & fragrances designed for inspiration and healing
🌸 Personal care products like bath soaks and oils infused with roses

To bring this vision to life, I’ve been researching the spiritual and healing properties of pink roses, refining my skills in AI design, and studying creative writing with New York Times Best-Selling Authors—ensuring that every detail is executed with excellence and intention.

Pushing My Limits—And Inspiring Others to Do the Same
Creativity isn’t just about making art—it’s about pushing past your own barriers. In April 2024, I took on a personal challenge and began training in Mixed Martial Arts. What started as a way to write combat scenes with authenticity quickly evolved into a philosophy of resilience and discipline.

Training 2–3 times a week, earning my Green belt, I’ve come to see combat training as a metaphor for life—and my storytelling has become even more powerful because of it.
I create for the dreamers, the fighters, the visionaries—for those who dare to dream the impossible and fight for it, no matter the odds.

Artist Confessions: Building a Creative Community
In addition to my creative work, I’ve launched Artist Confessions, an ongoing live series where I pull back the curtain on my creative process, sharing the real, raw experiences behind my projects. This platform is also dedicated to uplifting underrepresented artists, giving them a space to share their journeys and connect with a wider audience.

I host live artist interviews on Instagram on select Friday’s at 8 PM EST, where I dive deep into the creative paths of fellow artists—celebrating their triumphs, challenges, and artistic evolution.

Join the Journey
If you’re someone who craves art that inspires, challenges, and ignites something deep within, I invite you to be part of this journey.
📖 Read my books on Amazon and major platforms.
🎶 Stream my music on all streaming services.
📣 Follow my creative journey on Instagram & X: @nexuscreativelab
🌍 Explore my work at ToiPowell.com

The best is yet to come. And I’m just getting started.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Some may look at me and see a contradiction—a seasoned project manager, a corporate strategist—yet here I stand, weaving dreams into reality, painting the unseen, telling the untold. Those who know me from boardrooms and spreadsheets may struggle to reconcile the artist they see now with the professional they once knew.

But here’s the truth: corporate was never the goal—creation was.

I did not stumble into art; I was born into it. My journey did not begin in a conference room but in the pages of my sketchbooks, in the echoes of music that shaped my soul, in the boundless worlds I built within my imagination. Corporate was my proving ground—a place where I sharpened my skills, where I learned to structure my visions, to navigate business, to honor the power of quality over output, planning over impulse, relationships over transactions.

Yet, what I believe non-creatives may never fully grasp is this: to create is to risk everything.

To stand bare before the world, to pull pieces of your soul into existence, and to know—without a shadow of a doubt—that not everyone will understand, that not everyone will see what you see, that some will only come to criticize, never to comprehend.

That is the ache and the triumph of the creative spirit.

This is the journey of Dreama, the heroine of my upcoming fantasy picture book, ✨A Tale of Impossible Possibilities✨. Dreama, like me, like so many of us, is filled with ideas—brilliant, magical, aching to be seen. But when she dares to share them, the world does not respond in kind. Instead, doubt slithers in, whispers of “Who are you to dream so big?” take root, and she lays her passions down, believing them to be foolish.

She asks herself the very question I, too, have faced:

“Are these things too impossible? Or are they just too impossible for me?”

How often do we do this to ourselves? How often do we believe that the dream itself is out of reach, when in truth, it is only our fear that holds us back?

But dreams do not die—they wait. They linger in the quiet corners of our hearts, aching to be set free.

Dreama’s story is one of self-discovery, of courage, of pushing past the weight of doubt—both her own and that of others. Her journey is my journey. Her journey is yours.

Even if you do not call yourself a creative, you have felt this battle—the war between fear and hope, between playing it safe and daring to reach. And perhaps, just perhaps, in reading Dreama’s tale, some may come to understand how deeply it costs us to create—how much bravery it takes to stand in the light and say, “This is me. This is my vision. This is my heart.”

For those who misunderstand, I do not seek your approval. I seek only to remind you: without dreamers, without those willing to create in the face of doubt, we would live in a world without color, without music, without stories that move our souls.

And that, I believe, would be the greatest loss of all.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

To be Black. To be a woman. To be a creative. To have a voice that does not tremble.

It is to exist in a world that was not built to hold you, yet demands that you shrink yourself to fit inside it. It is to walk into rooms where your ideas are stolen before they are even heard, where your presence is seen as a disruption rather than an asset, where your strength is not admired but feared.

I have spent years navigating corporate spaces, leading teams of creatives, shielding them from the same battles I fight daily—because I know what it is to have your brilliance overlooked, your time undervalued, your expertise dismissed. I am fiercely protective of creatives because I am one. I know what it takes to bring something into this world that did not exist before—to pour yourself into a vision only to have someone who could never create what you do tell you it is not enough.

And so I fight.

I fight for the artists, the visionaries, the ones whose ideas deserve to be nurtured, not crushed beneath the weight of corporate indifference. I fight for the right to be in the room, to be at the table, to have my voice heard—not just for myself, but for those who fear retaliation, for those who have been silenced too many times to count.

But make no mistake—this fight is exhausting.

It is suffocating to constantly prove your worth in spaces where you are already overqualified. It is soul-crushing to watch decisions unfold in meetings you were deliberately excluded from, to witness the microaggressions that chip away at your spirit like a slow, relentless erosion. It wears on me. As a neurodivergent woman, I feel everything deeply. As a person who values integrity, creativity, and quality, the disregard cuts even deeper.

And yet, I remain.

Not because resilience is some badge of honor I wear with pride, but because I have had no other choice. I am the Bounce Back Queen from the realm of resilience, but I wish I did not have to be.

Resilience is not a gift—it is a defense mechanism. In the ring of corporate America, I am always bracing for the next blow. Always calculating, always anticipating, always struggling to catch my breath between rounds, knowing that as soon as I do, another hit is coming. Resilience is not strength—it is survival.

Being Black is being resilient.
Being a Black woman is being resilient.
Being a Black woman with a voice is being resilient.
Being a Black woman who creates, who dreams, who dares—is being resilient.

Constantly fighting.
Constantly proving.
Constantly pushing.
Constantly, constantly, constantly.

And yet, I dream.

I dream not just for myself, but for those who will come after me. I fight so that one day, another Black woman will walk into these spaces and not have to wonder if her voice will be silenced before it is even heard. I create because I refuse to let this world take that away from me. I refuse to let them snuff out the fire in my spirit before my vision is realized.

I will fight.
I will rise.
I will create.
And when my time here is done, I will become an ancestor who never bowed, never broke, never surrendered.

And that? That will be my legacy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.toipowell.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toipowell
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latoya-powell-pm/
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheToiHouse
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ToiPowell
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/toi_stori/sets/love-forever-always
• Other: https://linktr.ee/toipowell

  https://www.instagram.com/nexuscreativelab

  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Toi-Powell/author/B01J9E1CMM?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits

Image Credits: Toi Powell of Nexus Creative Lab