Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Smith.
Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
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.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
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 seriously. 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 master’s 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 acknowledgment. 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 seriously. 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.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
By day I work in education and by night, I am ultimately a content creator. My goals and creativity are constantly evolving and that’s what makes life interesting for me at the moment. After plenty of conversations with my business-owner husband, we thought it would make sense for me to rediscover my love for the fashion industry and begin to build a business based off my interest as a mother of 2 stylish children. This concept paired alongside my YouTube business is the next project I have set up for myself and ultimately will call it “work” one day.
I specialize in people. And simply put, I specialize in making women, who may or may not be mothers, 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 tests 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.”
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
That’s tricky! The motherly/safe side of who I am believes that there are boundaries to risk-taking. So, sure you can take the risk, but does it make sense for you to do said risk for the wellbeing of the family? Would this risk/decision harm anyone that you care about? However. The grown woman side of me thinks…YOLO! You have one life to live and if you don’t take the risk, how would you know you can make it to the other side? How would your children know to take risks if they never see their parents do it?
I am currently 5 months postpartum, so today, I may say I am a risk-taker! But if you ask me tomorrow, I’ll just deny it and tell everyone to play it safe out there. 🙂 In all seriousness, I take risks all the time, whether big or small, I am pushed out of my comfort zone daily and just put myself out there.
Contact Info:
- Email: kimkimkimkimmie@gmail.com
- Website: https://msha.ke/kimkimkimkimmie/
- Instagram: @kimmienicolesmith
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB3G6ua0Kwgc0j5aLqqQ1tg
- Other: TikTok: @kimkimkimkimmie
