Today we’d like to introduce you to Imani White.
Imani, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hello! I have always been quite a busy bee, and I always found myself constantly being drawn towards two areas; The Beauty Industry and mentoring young girls. I was always in girl scouts, school programs, even babysitting! But when I became an adult, I really had a calling to become a small group leader. From here, I met the MOST amazing young middle school girls and we became the closest of friends. I also have worked in the beauty industry as a makeup artist for the past 7 years now, and I found that there was definitely an opportunity to combine both worlds. What if I could share confidence tips from the beauty industry to the girls, and share genuine client feed back to the beauty industry from my girls! It seemed like something was lacking for the girl in middle school, and my passion is to find and create a space for her.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, there will be a few bumps along the way! That’s how you know you’re on a brand new path! If it was all smooth sailing, then that means someone has been there before and has paved the way for you. If the road is bumpy, then you get to create your own adventure! This was definitely my biggest struggle with creating “Dear Little Sister”. Not many people had heard of a blog that was primarily for middle school girls, let alone a whole digital resource center. Because of this, it could feel a bit isolating at times.
However, I shifted my mindset (in my normal glittery fashion) and decided to see it as a positive! If no one had heard of this before, then perfect! We (our community) would get to be the first and we would get to set the standard.
My biggest advice would be to have a killer support system. A favorite phrase of mine is “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” After a while, you will need the support of others around you, and it becomes more fun this way!! Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you less than.
Please tell us about Dear Little Sister.
Dear Little Sister is the social media safe haven for middle school girls. Here is a place where they can come together and we can battle everything life has to throw at us-together! We have a variety of resources for the girls to choose from. I write to the girls (titled “Dear Little Sister”), they write to each other (“Her Voice”) and we have podcasts where we all talk together(Ask Big Sister) all on our website! The girls can also follow me on Instagram where I share daily motivation and funny stories. Links to all are on our website.
What helps our blog stand out is that it is not just about me. I wanted the girls to be able to have a support system that lasted beyond me, and by building a community around the name rather than just “Imani’s blog”, each girl can contribute and instead of it being a “fan base” it is a “community”.
If there is anything I am most proud of, it is that the girls I started with are wanting to give back to the next generation of 6th-grade girls. It’s not enough for one person to want to help, it takes all of us working together and I am so proud and honored to see the girls wanting to carry it on.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Oh, YES!!! I am a firm believer in having a GREAT mentor, and I love Angel Richardson. She gives good, honest, life advice and is so down to earth. She is very encouraging which is the kind of content I try to take in. I also love “SHINE” texts. They’ll message your phone every morning with a positive thought and a blog post that’s linked to it if you’d like to start off your day in a positive way!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dearlittlesister.com
- Email: imani@dearlittlesister.com
- Instagram: /Imani_White
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dearlittlesister.com
Image Credit:
Diana Rubio
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