Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Green.
Kimberly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Voyage Dallas for giving me the opportunity to share my story. It is an absolute honor and I give God all the glory. This journey all started with upholding an image for my now deceased father. I am deeply inspired by the spirit and legacy of my dad; a man who shared with the world what it meant to truly live through passion and purpose. Like no man I have ever met, my father showed me what it meant to work hard, handle my responsibilities and stand firm on what I believe in, as a mountain stands firm even against the ever-changing breeze. It is my honor and privilege to carry out the duties of my father, who dedicated his life to the arts, to fitness, to God & faith, to fashion, to mental health, to entrepreneurship and to family.
YouTube all started as a coping mechanism for my pain. I’ve always wanted to help inspire others. So much so that I had gone to college to pursue education to figure out how I can impact my community and people of color. In college, I had this desire to always share things that just ultimately “worked for me” but I was too critical and too unsure of myself back then to throw myself in front of a camera. Years went by and I got married and had my son. At that point, being on YouTube was the least of my worries. More of “life” happened and I ended up going through a divorce, which pushed me into my purpose. (another story for another day) And the rest is history. I still haven’t fully figured it out but I would like to think that I am on the right path.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not! And in saying that, I wouldn’t want to change a thing about my journey. One of my long-standing secrets that only my close circle knows is that I wanted to be an actress when I was growing up. However, my strict Christian household and lack of extra funds for extracurricular activities just wouldn’t allow me to take it serious. So, when I was old enough to explore YouTube, I was all over it.
As it pertains to being a YouTuber, there is a certain pressure that you feel “volunteering” your lifestyle to the general public that has always put me on edge. Through growth and maturity, I have learned that if something scares you or “puts you on edge,” just do it. Do it unsure. Do it terrified. Just do it. But the perfection piece of it has surely dominated my view of social media. At one point, I made up these illusions in my mind to be the perfect weight, have the perfect skin and teeth, try and break the bank for the most stylish outfits and project a perfect life. And that’s hard! When I first started YouTube, I had lost my grandparents, I was going through a divorce, I had a newborn baby, I was finishing a masters degree and I worked full time then and now!
When starting out in this space, you’re so naive and ‘green’ where any partnership, shoutout, brand ambassador program, etc. is just an honor of acknowledgement. But in reality, when you do so many reviews on all this “spaghetti” that’s been thrown against the wall, no one can take you serious. I never wanted that for myself, my brand, or my father.
So, that’s where I currently am with maneuvering through obstacles. I’m not just taking the minimum for the sake of fulfilling my seven-year-old dreams of being on a big screen. I am really just delving back into igniting my passion for helping my community in ways that I deem shareable and for making my father (and mommy) proud. I not only want to be sure that whatever platform that I am on, God gets the glory, but I want to make sure moving forward, I am investing in myself. Just taking each challenge with a grain of salt and elevating to whatever God says is next. But in general, this journey has been worth it.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I have a fitness apparel, eyelash line, and nonprofit in the pipeline alongside my YouTube business. I specialize in people. And simply put, I specialize in making women, who look like me, feel beautiful and fabulous and eccentric by planting encouraging seeds in their spirits. And then, pushing them to levels that I wished a mentor (outside of my fabulous mother) had done for me.
As a brand, I believe that I am most proud of being able to adapt to change. There was so much that had been stacked against me at a young age, as a teenager and even as a young adult. But the inevitable is that I come through on the other side stronger (and better) every single time! THAT right there is what I want to leave with anyone that I come in contact with. Yes, God will bring you test and trials, but you have to LIVE and go through it to be better for the next part of the journey. And hopefully, the next person that you touch will be affected by your story as well.
Whether it’s current events, pop culture, or Christian ‘talks’, I always make sure that I am doing my part in ensuring my peers and community are equipped mentally, spiritually, and emotionally to address life’s curveballs. I try to do this in the most Christ-like way possible even when my flesh gets the best of me, which I believe sets me apart from other “influencers.” Oh, and did I mention I’m vegan?
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have started sooner. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: kimkimkimkimmie@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kimmienicolegreen
- Facebook: @kimkimkimkimmie
- Twitter: @kimkimkimkimmie
- Other: https://youtu.be/8a7B4-wXlHA
Image Credit:
Jeremy Howard
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