Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Pulse.
I do have a special guest today.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Ladies and gentlemen, Well, first off, let me welcome you in.
It is the Pulse. I am stormy, keeping our fingertips
on the pulse of our community. And this weekend I
have the one and only. Well maybe I should let
her tell No, let me do it like you're on stage,
Ladies and gentlemen, carme On, Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
How was that?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
What's going on with you? Carme On? How you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm feeling amazing? And what's not going on with Carmeon?
There's always something going on. Lots of travel, lots of work,
lots of life, side quests and life, family, all the things.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Okay, okay, in a good way, right, it's all amazing, okay, okay, Yeah,
I need to.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Find some more times somewhere to sleep, but it's all.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Great, okay. Good.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I remember the first time I met you, and do
you remember.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I remember what was the name of that clube right.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Herd is givings?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Girls, Well, I don't you had.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
That big it was? I saw you in the audience
silver spoon. I think it was, yes, I think yes,
I saw you and I said, that girl is gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Oh that's an.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
We took a picture in the bathroom, we did, and
I remember posting it on social media. You were such
a beautiful girl, still are today. You've just blossomed into
this amazing woman. And I get to tell people I
knew her back in the day before before, all before
(01:56):
all of you were there for your birthday party that night.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I can't remember if it was my birthday or one
of my friends, but somebody's birthdays were very close together.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, I think it was my friend's birthday.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So we owe Curtis Givens. I thank you, Yeah, thanks Curtis. Yeah, man,
I tell you, Curtis. Was that was back in the
day when I was going to Silver Silver Spoon and
we would always have a it was like a comp
a talent show of sorts where people would come and
sing and perform and they'd win some money and all that. Oh,
it was a lot of fun, it was.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It was on weeknights. It was a week night.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, I like week night. Yeah, the weekend for risk.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Oh man, that was back when you were single, when
you didn't have a baby.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Oh no, it wasn't that far back, I wasn't very
much married you were. Yes, yeah, I was married.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Okay, I think he was with you. Was he with
you that night? He wasn't with you?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
With me?
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
No, but I haven't lived in Memphis.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I know the baby wasn't with you? Baby it okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
But no, it was just I was just with my
girls there.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah. Yeah, good times, good times, and life is a
lot has changed for you. Yes, so catch me up
as if I'm just seeing you for the first time since.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Then, then, yes, yes, because that was quite a long
time ago. I think that was probably about twenty sixteen or.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
That time.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, I was still working in the corporate world back then.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But since then, you know, what were.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
You doing in the corporate world?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
So my last corporate position was me senior buyer and
senior designer for Stash Home.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It was a furniture retail.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I remember because I think I came over there to
see you one day. I don't know if you remember that.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yes, we had a few events there that were open
to the public.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
No, I just walked in one day and I saw you.
I was like, hey girl, But I remember Stash she
was over there by what's the Asian restaurant.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Wang's PF Chang.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, that was one of our That
was the flagship location, and they had three other locations
in Missouri and Mississippi.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
But you've moved way beyond that since then. I have,
I have.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I learned a lot. Loved working there.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
I mean truly learned so much because not only was
I a buyer and leading all of the merchandisers for
all the stores, I also manage all of our photo
shoots and had to partner with marketing and the sales team,
and so I had to know a little.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Bit of everything, well actually a lot of bit of
everything while I.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Was there, and it taught me that you can't just
do you can't have a singular mindset in anything that
you were wanting to be successful. But yes, once I was,
I was almost at about five years there. But at
the same time, my social media presence was growing. Yeah,
Instagram was all the rage back.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Then and still.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
And absolutely absolutely there was still a new this on
it back then. This was even before oh had stories.
We didn't even have stories back then, right. But I
eventually left that job, was put in a position to
have to leave that job. They didn't like that my
social media presence was growing as much as it was
(05:20):
really Yes, so I decided to leave, and not soon after,
let's see, I left. That was August of twenty nineteen
that I left Stash and February of twenty twenty is
when I was reached out to. I was contacted by
a casting producer to be a part of the resurgence
(05:43):
of Design Star for HGTV.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, I thought it was fake. I thought it was
a joke.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
I completely ignored that producer just like left them all.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Red, like, are you serious? So you thought it was
a joke.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
I absolutely did. It's spam. This is totally spam. We
want you to be part of something like you're Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
It's never detailed, it's always vague, so you know it's
it's spam. Yes, it's total spam. But apparently that casting
producer reached out to several of my friends, like people
that I also followed and connected with online, and had
those people go, hey, there's somebody trying.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
To reach you.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
You should reply back, and I did, and we had
several interviews and they eventually told me they wanted me
to be a part of this very special project, which
I later found out was design Star, but of course
the pandemic happened a month later, that's right, Yeah, yes,
(06:38):
And with the pandemic starting, or the shutdown happening, my
business knew the interiors, which I've had for several years,
but really pursued full time once I left Stash completely
took off because everybody was at home finally looked at
their homes and say, you know what, now's the time
(06:59):
to do something it. So my business exploded.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, And that was around the time in the pandemic.
That was when people were at home a lot, and
so people were looking at their walls and their furniture
and saying, I got to do something different. Yes, So
that was a com up for you.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think a lot of people finally had the time
to sit down and see that they really had not
put any energy into the places that they have to
be now and look to me, because I've been posting
interior design content for almost ten years up until that point,
I feel like. And so I had announced the week
(07:36):
before shutdown that I was taking my business virtual, so
I'd be working with people outside of Memphis. And yeah,
my I tripled my salary within sixty days.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
So yes, completely blew up, but eventually had to put
the business on pause because I had to go to
LA and shoot Design Star.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
For six weeks, I couldn't tell anybody I was going.
I had to break up with clients. That was hard
because it's like, yeah, I gotta go, but I can't
tell you where I'm going, right, But it worked out
because I won that competition show.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, and you do you remember coming in here to
interview with me about that?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
I do you? I do remember?
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yes, Yes, you guys were one of the first people
I talked to once I came back home and it
was officially announced yea, that I was winning, because I
had to come home and sit on that news for about,
oh I think about five months before anybody knew publicly
that I had won the show.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, I was talking you and I follow you on
social media's been following you for years, so I was like, uh.
As soon as I found out, I was like.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Let me get on here, get in here.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yes, I'm going to see Stormy. Yeah, I absolutely am.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, man, and so a lot has happened. All of
that happened, and from there what happened.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
So from there, I won the competition show. I got
my own show rent on my rental and how was that?
Speaker 1 (09:04):
And was that local?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was local.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That was the only request that I had. I didn't
care what type of show, because part of the prize
of winning Design Start was winning your own show or
the opportunity to have a show. And I told them
I don't care what kind of show we do, but
it has to happen in Memphis. Yeah, I want to
take AGTV to Memphis. And I wanted to shine a
light on Memphis or have people see Memphis through my
eyes and not through the barbecue or Elvis Lynz because
(09:29):
I don't either one of them.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Really and they did.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
We shot here for six weeks, shot six episodes all
over Memphis, Downtown, Midtown, East Memphis, Cordova.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I had six clients and it was incredible.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
The show's premise was you don't have to have a
house or own a house to make your space feel
like home. So we worked exclusively with people that were renting,
and I loved the show. We worked with the first
time student like I'm just now moving out of my
parents' house.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
It's my first apartment.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
And we worked with older couples like established couple, and
so you got this really broad perspective on who's renting
and also what you could do with your own space.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
And we loved it. I loved it.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Unfortunately it didn't make it past its first season. HGTV
went through a merger with Discovery Plus, and like there
was a lot of uppeople and yeah, I feel as
though like nothing is ever said out loud, but I
just feel like it got lost in the shuffle, even
though it got a great response because also with launching
(10:37):
a new show. The show premiered right after I lost
my husband Oh Wow passed away in a motorcycle accident.
He was hit by an intoxicated driver actually on the
day HGTV Well Design Start premiered on HGTVO. So going
(10:57):
through that loss while at the same time my careers
literally bloss of Guy rocketing was quite a unique experience,
a very heavy one, but it was also one of
the most I opening experiences to community because the way
(11:22):
my friends and family and especially the city of Memphis
garnered behind me to have premieres and watch parties for
my show. Everybody was really supportive to make sure the
show didn't happen in vain. Even though I couldn't promote it.
I wasn't able to promote it at the time, but
there was so much love in the city of Memphis
(11:44):
and beyond. But this city truly showed up for me,
and I just loved seeing that my love for this
city was reciprocated in that way.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
And since you're such a personable person, did you have
about my business? Did you have people coming to you saying,
I know where you are, yes, I know how you feel, Yes,
just know I'm here.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yes. I had a lot of that. I also had
a lot of.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
People go, I don't understand how you're doing this because
I took a break, but I did not disappear. And
what I really wanted people to understand that grief can
look different for a lot of people. I've gone through
major losses in my life, losing my mom and my
(12:35):
grandmother to breast cancer about ten years ago, so grief
has taught me a lot, and losing my husband was
a completely different type of loss. And my own grief
journey was teaching me things that I just felt like
I had to share with people because I feel like
people can have a very narrowed perspective of grief, like
(12:57):
you're said, and you're in the bed and in the
dark and you can't and I'm like, that's not what
it has to be. That it can be that, but
it's not what it has to be. There's so many
ways to grieve, and considering who my husband was and
even who my mom and grandmother were, I've learned to
grieve through gratitude and being grateful for the time that
(13:18):
I've had them and living lives that they helped me
build before I got them, So I don't dwell on
the fact that I don't have them anymore. I'm moving
a way that helps them be excited on the other
side because of how I've moved forward. And so that
was what I was very adamant about sharing. So I
was very visible on social media soon after losing my husband,
(13:42):
but that's what I talked about a lot, and that
has been one of the major pillars that I've talked
about since then. And we're coming up on four years now.
But it's been beautiful. I've learned a lot. Of course,
having experience it with my son who was thirteen at
the time, were almost thirteen at the time, yeah, and
watching his grief journey and so being able to share
(14:05):
what this grief looks like as a parent and supporting
his thoughts and his process and trying not to dump
my feelings on him, and giving him space to do
what he needs to do as a teenager, like a
true teenager that's going into high school. And I just
learned so much about being a parent, not even just
through grief, but just being a parent and understanding we
(14:29):
are here to be an environment for kids, not to
instruct them for what to do and how to be,
but really just be fertile ground for them to be
the best that they can be. And they truly turn
out to be exactly who they're supposed to be if
you are providing them with what they need to just
be in a safe space. And my kid is just
(14:51):
one of the most amazing kids I've ever met. He's
the most nonchalant person I've ever met, so you would
never know he was excited about anything.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Really, but he is.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
It's just truly compassionate, very considerate of me and doesn't
care what I do or anything, but it's always concerned, like.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Are you tired? Did you get some resks?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Like he knows I move around a lot, but I
just love who he is as a.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Person, not even just as my son.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I really like he is one of my favorite people
because he's just so cool, that's beautiful. But I learned
that through watching him grief his father.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah, and my husband.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
So yeah, it's been a wild ride because of course
I come back and my career is still on a
very positive trajectory. Yeah, and I'm working with major brands.
I'm traveling and speaking everywhere. People either want me to
speak about interior design or grief, and that's what I
did for a couple of years and still am.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Let me ask you this. I'm talking to Carmeon Hamilton.
You guys, you're from West Memphis, but you are a
Memphian because you're in Memphis. Yeah, we're claiming you over.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
In here thirteen years.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Yes, ma'am, but we're talking to carmeon Hamilton. If you
don't know her, get to know her. She's amazing. It
is the pulse I am, Stormy. Thank you for joining
us for the show. Carmeon going and talking and speaking
during grief. Did it help you through grief? And have
(16:25):
you gone through it completely?
Speaker 3 (16:27):
So first answer is yes, it does help me through grief.
And you're never not going through grief. Yeah, it just
transforms into different phases.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, Like I'm never not grieving.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
I'm never gonna not grieve my mom, my grandmother, and
my husband, like that is a forever thing. As long
as I'm alive, they will be grieved. But my grief
looks like joy. I talk about them with.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
A joyful spirit. Yeah, so it's just a different form
of grief.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
But yes, I've stood on stages, have done podcast interviews
where I'm talking through grief in my journey and have
completely cried. I mean, I'm froying of ten thousand people
on one particular stage, But I've always done that. I
do that on my own social media platform, so it
doesn't bother me at all. I just, like I said,
I tell all my business. I've never never been a
(17:22):
closed off person because I feel like the more other
people hear your story, people feel less alone in their
own story. So I'm always happy to share pretty much
anything I'm going through.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
But yes, my grief journey has always been public and
has taught me everything. But grief will never go away.
It's just it just transformed into something different.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
And you know that's probably comforting for somebody that's listening
to the show today, and it is comforting for me too.
I lost my sister in twenty ten, and I lost
my mom years and years ago, and I had something,
a really good life experience happened to me. And I
found some old pictures. Oh, and I broke down.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
That's my favorite thing, Like it was yesterday, expected moments
and that's how it comes back.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yes, yeah, but I felt better after. Yes, and it's
teaching me that, like what you said, I'm that's been
years ago. I wish I had you to talk to
about you know what I'm saying, because well, I got
you now, but I'm saying back then, I mean, all
these years I didn't have anybody. Well I had to.
(18:38):
I did go to therapy, you know, helped out great, Yeah, amazing,
But I didn't get to the I guess the revelation
or the realization that I got to that night was
they gonna always be with me, always here. But I
don't have to be sad that they're always here, exactly,
I can rejoice in the fact that I had them
(18:58):
kind of like what you were saying, Yes, Yes, it's
a gift, gift.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Their stories and their lives are a gift. And you
get to carry that gift with you.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Now I'm grateful. I'm learning how to be grateful. It
took me a minute.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
It's hard. It's absolutely hard. Being grateful for death is
what people think. And I'm like, no, you can be
grateful for the lives that you had to be grateful for.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
The time you had with them. The time you had
with him is a gift.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
And for all of the major losses I've had, I'm like,
especially with my husband, his life ended the day something
was beginning for me, and it took me.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
A day.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I think God spoke to me literally not even twenty
four hours later, like he got you where I needed
him to get you. His journey is done, and now
you have to go on and do X, Y and
Z on your own. But my husband was my biggest supporter.
He's the one that made me go compete in Design Stars.
(20:01):
So I'm like, how are you gonna.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Make him be my safety net and also take my
safety net from me?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
And I remember watching your HGTV and your husband he
surprised you didn't call me.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
On the phone and you were crying boohooing. I was
boohoo ing and telling him that I won. It was
right after we finished the finale. Finished shooting the finale,
I got to call him. One of the producers told me,
call your husband right now, and he just so happened
to record it. But I called my husband, told him,
I one, I'm boohooing because I'm exhausted but also excited and.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Getting to share it with him.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
And I think he mentioned because I had the opportunity
to meet Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper and the Magnolia
family a couple of years before that at market just
as a buyer when I was in corporate and I
was so excited to meet her.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
And he brought that story up.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
He was like, remember you, you were so excited to
meet Joanna Gains and look at you now, look at you.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Now you got to show too.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
And I'm like, yeah, I'm the next Joanna Gains And
he said, no, you're the first carmeon Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
And he was always that for me, always straightening my
crown and for him to leave this place, how he
did well.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
He loved riding motorcycles.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
But when he did the day my face is now
airing to the world on HGTV, when he always told me,
I would be a star from the moment we met
in college.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
And for him to not be able to experience that
with me, it was very difficult. But God rushed in
with that answer and was like, no, he did exactly
what I told him to do when I told him
to do it, and now it was time for him
to come home. And I'm like, well, okay, I'm not
going to argue with you on that. Yeah, because who
(21:55):
am I to argue with God?
Speaker 2 (21:57):
But it was comforting to know that he did his job,
and not only did he do his job for himself,
he did it for me. He did it for my son.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
And I knew God wouldn't take him away from me
if I wasn't prepared to do what I've done since then,
to pick up his mantle, take care of our house,
take care of our son.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
And it's only.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Exploded since then, completely exploded like tenfold since when my
husband was here, and I'm blown away every day about
the fact that I'm this type of grown up.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Now I have to manage a household, manage a.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Kid, manage my career, managing three companies like a lot
has happened.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, girl, Yeah, you could teach so many classes. You
could teach classes on design, you could teach classes on
opening your own business and design. You could do a
class on social media media. You could do a class
on grief. Yes, you could do so many, girl, But
(23:02):
you are almost It's like you're doing all of that
I do while you're doing all all.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
The things, the fabulous things.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
You know what I'm saying. Oh my goodness, carme on
your story is amazing. I don't know how you do it,
but I'm glad.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
You're doing that. I'm glad I do too. I'm glad.
I will tell you it's not the strength of my
own it's not on It's definitely not me. I will
tell you.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
I will have to stay up long nights and not
get sleep and get things done for clients or brands
or whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
But I get it done. Thank God, I get it done.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
And every day is just a new opportunity to be
grateful for getting it done and having another opportunity to
do it again.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Yeah, and that's that's where I live. I just live
in gratitude.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
I walk with my hands open, like if it comes great,
if it goes fine, I'm just grateful to be here.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yeah, Okay, that's that's beautiful. I didn't know this was
where we were going to go with this, But I'm
glad you're okay with going, you know, and sharing the
way you are with people, because I believe you You're
blessing so many people hearing you talk.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
About it, I hope.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
So.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah, grief is hard, and lost is hard, especially unexpected.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I was waiting on my husband to come home.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I think, even if it is expected, even expected.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Like my mother, I watched her, I watched her decline
with cancer, like it got to the point where I
the last time I saw her leaving the hospital, I
told her it's okay, it's okay, because she had gotten
to the point where we knew it was going to
be very soon, but she was holding on for us,
and I had to tell her like no, because you
get you don't want to see someone you love suffer, right,
(24:51):
So I know you're going to be much better off
on the other side. And since I got you, I
wear her face and her smile everywhere I go, like,
you're you're not leaving this earth, right, I want you
to not be in pain anymore. So accepting that everybody's
gonna die, first of all, we all, that's the only
(25:13):
thing that's guaranteed, yes, like we can't. If you were born,
you're gonna die, But understanding that you have to be
willing to accept when people go and the circumstances around
it are always different. Sometimes they're traumatic and it's hard.
Like I'm still dealing with my husband's case. There's dealing
with the driver and what his punishment should be and
(25:34):
all these other things, like we are still going on
four years later, So that brings up a different type
of grief, of angry, type of greed every time I
have to walk down the two oh one Popular But
it's understanding. What I want people to understand is everybody's
got to go, and it's how you accept that and
(25:57):
how you move through and accept how you appreciate people
while they're here.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
It's the grief can be I won't say that it is.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
It can be easier when you can be on the
other side and know that you loved people and they
knew that you loved them, and they are they've gone on,
but you knew. You have no regrets when it comes
to the people you lose. And that's how I live
my life every day, Like if I lose you. In
(26:31):
five minutes, you're gonna know I love the hell out
of you, and I know that you loved me. But
that's how I treat my friends, That's how I treat
my family, That's how that's how I moved through life.
You will always know how I felt about you. And
if I leave in five minutes, I know I'm good,
My family's good, everybody's taking care of I may be missed, great,
hopefully I missed, but nobody will. I won't leave with
(26:55):
anybody having questions about how I felt about them.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
That's why you hear a lot of people say love
on people while you have them love on them, and
it sounds so foreign until you lose somebody exactly and
you didn't do what you should and you will grieve
what you didn't do. Yeah, yeah, carme on Hamilton, you
(27:22):
guys on the show today, and I'm gonna have to
have you come back because uh.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, I got to come back and talk about all
the fun stuff.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Yeah. But but you have helped I believe a lot
of people today. I believe you helped a lot of people. Yeah,
because a lot of people need comfort. Basically, you know
what I'm saying. It's it's it's hard grieving, like you said,
and like you know, I know, But there there can
be a peace and a solace in your grief.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
You can find this livery of gratitude m h and
midst of it.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
I promise that it's a little seed that will help
and alleviate some of the pain from your loss.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Well, we do have a few minutes, so maybe you
could tell us tell you a little bit about what's
happening in your life right now.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Well, I took a very long hiatus from taking clients
because of Design Star and my show, Like I didn't
have time to take on clients. But I have stuck
my toe slash up to my ankle back in the
pool of taking on clients. I'm wrapping up some special projects.
One that I'm very excited about with Coffee, Black Black
(28:38):
owned coffee shop, coffee brand here in Memphis, one of
the only fully black coffee brands from supply chain to roast,
from the growing in Africa to being roasted by a
black woman here in Memphis. Their award winning incredible opening
a new coffee shop here this summer.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
I saw that, so we're rap that up.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I have two very special clients that I'm working on,
some homes that I'm working on, but also uh tow
projects that I am launching here very soon.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I have a rug collection coming out, what collection?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Drug?
Speaker 3 (29:17):
So I have some products coming out later on this year. No,
I haven't even announced that one, Like.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
So that's I got the tea the tea less sneak
on that. Yeah, I'm actually announcing it here in a
couple of weeks, but launches this fall.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
And another thing that I have not announced, But I
just finished my manuscript for my book. So I'm writing
a book that will be released early next year. What
so Yeah, I've been Oh, well you definitely have to
come back.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
So yeah, I'll come back and talk about you.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Definite. Yeah, you definitely have to do that because let
me just say, I got to read it when it
comes out. What is it going to be about? Is
it going to be about fashion or is it going
to be a real life story about.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
You interior design? It's about my philosophy around design because
I've stepped away from taking on clients, im, I wanted
to write in a way that gave people my design brain. Like, okay,
if you did hire me, this is what I would
walk into your home and do and I wanted people
to also get gain the confidence to make decisions themselves.
(30:27):
A lot of people don't do anything because they either
don't know or feel afraid to make the wrong choice.
And so the book is it's a coffee table book.
It's not really a how to, but it's really coaching
you through the design process.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I love that. Ya.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Do you get with any of the local folks like
David Quarrels, do you guys?
Speaker 3 (30:47):
I just got back from Copenhagen with David, but he
and Ive just in Copenhagen with Ikea. I love all
of my local interior design is. I actually connected with
each of them, David Laquita Tate. When I was getting
ready to go shoot Design Start and I had to
(31:07):
break up with my clients, I was like, I need
somebody to send these people too. I want to work
with the black designers, so let me. So I sat
with them and another friend that lives in New York
and I'm like, here's my contract, here's my vendors, here's
like I just gave them everything that they would need.
And I'm like here, because I'm going to start saying
your names and that's that's what happened. So I've I've
(31:27):
loved seeing how all of their businesses have exploded.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
That's so. But look at you, look at God.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Oh my goodness. Okay, we got to carmea. We gotta
wrap this thing up. Honey, you got to come back.
I will because this ain't over a week week number. Yeah,
I got your number. We got to talk some more. Oh,
thank you so much for coming and sharing me. You
you've blessed me. I didn't expect this, but thank you,
thank you. You're welcome than you anytime, same same. Oh
(32:02):
my goodness, it is the pulse. I am stormy. We
keep our fingertips on the pulse of our community. And
Carme on Hamilton on the show, she's she's amazing. You guys,
get to know her, follow her on social media and
you will see for yourself. Okay, how can they follow you?
Speaker 3 (32:17):
You can find me everywhere online at carmeon Hamilton and
it's c A R M, E O N Hamilton everywhere,
carmeon Hamilton dot com and carmeon Hamilton on all social
media platforms.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Got it? Thank you, girl, thank you. God is doing it.
He's doing it, amen, and we are glad for it.
All right, it's the Pulse. I am stormy. Thank you
Carmon again, thank you all right, thank you all for
listening to the show. We'll see you next week, same time,
same station. God bless you have a great week.
Well, hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Pulse.
I do have a special guest today.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Ladies and gentlemen, Well, first off, let me welcome you in.
It is the Pulse. I am stormy, keeping our fingertips
on the pulse of our community. And this weekend I
have the one and only. Well maybe I should let
her tell No, let me do it like you're on stage,
Ladies and gentlemen, carme On, Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
How was that?
Speaker 1 (00:37):
What's going on with you? Carme On? How you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm feeling amazing? And what's not going on with Carmeon?
There's always something going on. Lots of travel, lots of work,
lots of life, side quests and life, family, all the things.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Okay, okay, in a good way, right, it's all amazing, okay, okay, Yeah,
I need to.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Find some more times somewhere to sleep, but it's all.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Great, okay. Good.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I remember the first time I met you, and do
you remember.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I remember what was the name of that clube right.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Herd is givings?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Girls, Well, I don't you had.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
That big it was? I saw you in the audience
silver spoon. I think it was, yes, I think yes,
I saw you and I said, that girl is gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Oh that's an.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
We took a picture in the bathroom, we did, and
I remember posting it on social media. You were such
a beautiful girl, still are today. You've just blossomed into
this amazing woman. And I get to tell people I
knew her back in the day before before, all before
(01:56):
all of you were there for your birthday party that night.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I can't remember if it was my birthday or one
of my friends, but somebody's birthdays were very close together.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, I think it was my friend's birthday.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So we owe Curtis Givens. I thank you, Yeah, thanks Curtis. Yeah, man,
I tell you, Curtis. Was that was back in the
day when I was going to Silver Silver Spoon and
we would always have a it was like a comp
a talent show of sorts where people would come and
sing and perform and they'd win some money and all that. Oh,
it was a lot of fun, it was.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It was on weeknights. It was a week night.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, I like week night. Yeah, the weekend for risk.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Oh man, that was back when you were single, when
you didn't have a baby.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Oh no, it wasn't that far back, I wasn't very
much married you were. Yes, yeah, I was married.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Okay, I think he was with you. Was he with
you that night? He wasn't with you?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
With me?
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
No, but I haven't lived in Memphis.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I know the baby wasn't with you? Baby it okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
But no, it was just I was just with my
girls there.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Yeah. Yeah, good times, good times, and life is a
lot has changed for you. Yes, so catch me up
as if I'm just seeing you for the first time since.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Then, then, yes, yes, because that was quite a long
time ago. I think that was probably about twenty sixteen or.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
That time.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, I was still working in the corporate world back then.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But since then, you know, what were.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
You doing in the corporate world?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
So my last corporate position was me senior buyer and
senior designer for Stash Home.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It was a furniture retail.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I remember because I think I came over there to
see you one day. I don't know if you remember that.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yes, we had a few events there that were open
to the public.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
No, I just walked in one day and I saw you.
I was like, hey girl, But I remember Stash she
was over there by what's the Asian restaurant.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Wang's PF Chang.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, that was one of our That
was the flagship location, and they had three other locations
in Missouri and Mississippi.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
But you've moved way beyond that since then. I have,
I have.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I learned a lot. Loved working there.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
I mean truly learned so much because not only was
I a buyer and leading all of the merchandisers for
all the stores, I also manage all of our photo
shoots and had to partner with marketing and the sales team,
and so I had to know a little.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Bit of everything, well actually a lot of bit of
everything while I.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Was there, and it taught me that you can't just
do you can't have a singular mindset in anything that
you were wanting to be successful. But yes, once I was,
I was almost at about five years there. But at
the same time, my social media presence was growing. Yeah,
Instagram was all the rage back.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Then and still.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
And absolutely absolutely there was still a new this on
it back then. This was even before oh had stories.
We didn't even have stories back then, right. But I
eventually left that job, was put in a position to
have to leave that job. They didn't like that my
social media presence was growing as much as it was
(05:20):
really Yes, so I decided to leave, and not soon after,
let's see, I left. That was August of twenty nineteen
that I left Stash and February of twenty twenty is
when I was reached out to. I was contacted by
a casting producer to be a part of the resurgence
(05:43):
of Design Star for HGTV.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, I thought it was fake. I thought it was
a joke.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
I completely ignored that producer just like left them all.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Red, like, are you serious? So you thought it was
a joke.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
I absolutely did. It's spam. This is totally spam. We
want you to be part of something like you're Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
It's never detailed, it's always vague, so you know it's
it's spam. Yes, it's total spam. But apparently that casting
producer reached out to several of my friends, like people
that I also followed and connected with online, and had
those people go, hey, there's somebody trying.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
To reach you.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
You should reply back, and I did, and we had
several interviews and they eventually told me they wanted me
to be a part of this very special project, which
I later found out was design Star, but of course
the pandemic happened a month later, that's right, Yeah, yes,
(06:38):
And with the pandemic starting, or the shutdown happening, my
business knew the interiors, which I've had for several years,
but really pursued full time once I left Stash completely
took off because everybody was at home finally looked at
their homes and say, you know what, now's the time
(06:59):
to do something it. So my business exploded.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, And that was around the time in the pandemic.
That was when people were at home a lot, and
so people were looking at their walls and their furniture
and saying, I got to do something different. Yes, So
that was a com up for you.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think a lot of people finally had the time
to sit down and see that they really had not
put any energy into the places that they have to
be now and look to me, because I've been posting
interior design content for almost ten years up until that point,
I feel like. And so I had announced the week
(07:36):
before shutdown that I was taking my business virtual, so
I'd be working with people outside of Memphis. And yeah,
my I tripled my salary within sixty days.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
So yes, completely blew up, but eventually had to put
the business on pause because I had to go to
LA and shoot Design Star.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
For six weeks, I couldn't tell anybody I was going.
I had to break up with clients. That was hard
because it's like, yeah, I gotta go, but I can't
tell you where I'm going, right, But it worked out
because I won that competition show.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, and you do you remember coming in here to
interview with me about that?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
I do you? I do remember?
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yes, Yes, you guys were one of the first people
I talked to once I came back home and it
was officially announced yea, that I was winning, because I
had to come home and sit on that news for about,
oh I think about five months before anybody knew publicly
that I had won the show.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, I was talking you and I follow you on
social media's been following you for years, so I was like, uh.
As soon as I found out, I was like.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Let me get on here, get in here.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yes, I'm going to see Stormy. Yeah, I absolutely am.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, man, and so a lot has happened. All of
that happened, and from there what happened.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
So from there, I won the competition show. I got
my own show rent on my rental and how was that?
Speaker 1 (09:04):
And was that local?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was local.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That was the only request that I had. I didn't
care what type of show, because part of the prize
of winning Design Start was winning your own show or
the opportunity to have a show. And I told them
I don't care what kind of show we do, but
it has to happen in Memphis. Yeah, I want to
take AGTV to Memphis. And I wanted to shine a
light on Memphis or have people see Memphis through my
eyes and not through the barbecue or Elvis Lynz because
(09:29):
I don't either one of them.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Really and they did.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
We shot here for six weeks, shot six episodes all
over Memphis, Downtown, Midtown, East Memphis, Cordova.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I had six clients and it was incredible.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
The show's premise was you don't have to have a
house or own a house to make your space feel
like home. So we worked exclusively with people that were renting,
and I loved the show. We worked with the first
time student like I'm just now moving out of my
parents' house.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
It's my first apartment.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
And we worked with older couples like established couple, and
so you got this really broad perspective on who's renting
and also what you could do with your own space.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
And we loved it. I loved it.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Unfortunately it didn't make it past its first season. HGTV
went through a merger with Discovery Plus, and like there
was a lot of uppeople and yeah, I feel as
though like nothing is ever said out loud, but I
just feel like it got lost in the shuffle, even
though it got a great response because also with launching
(10:37):
a new show. The show premiered right after I lost
my husband Oh Wow passed away in a motorcycle accident.
He was hit by an intoxicated driver actually on the
day HGTV Well Design Start premiered on HGTVO. So going
(10:57):
through that loss while at the same time my careers
literally bloss of Guy rocketing was quite a unique experience,
a very heavy one, but it was also one of
the most I opening experiences to community because the way
(11:22):
my friends and family and especially the city of Memphis
garnered behind me to have premieres and watch parties for
my show. Everybody was really supportive to make sure the
show didn't happen in vain. Even though I couldn't promote it.
I wasn't able to promote it at the time, but
there was so much love in the city of Memphis
(11:44):
and beyond. But this city truly showed up for me,
and I just loved seeing that my love for this
city was reciprocated in that way.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
And since you're such a personable person, did you have
about my business? Did you have people coming to you saying,
I know where you are, yes, I know how you feel, Yes,
just know I'm here.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yes. I had a lot of that. I also had
a lot of.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
People go, I don't understand how you're doing this because
I took a break, but I did not disappear. And
what I really wanted people to understand that grief can
look different for a lot of people. I've gone through
major losses in my life, losing my mom and my
(12:35):
grandmother to breast cancer about ten years ago, so grief
has taught me a lot, and losing my husband was
a completely different type of loss. And my own grief
journey was teaching me things that I just felt like
I had to share with people because I feel like
people can have a very narrowed perspective of grief, like
(12:57):
you're said, and you're in the bed and in the
dark and you can't and I'm like, that's not what
it has to be. That it can be that, but
it's not what it has to be. There's so many
ways to grieve, and considering who my husband was and
even who my mom and grandmother were, I've learned to
grieve through gratitude and being grateful for the time that
(13:18):
I've had them and living lives that they helped me
build before I got them, So I don't dwell on
the fact that I don't have them anymore. I'm moving
a way that helps them be excited on the other
side because of how I've moved forward. And so that
was what I was very adamant about sharing. So I
was very visible on social media soon after losing my husband,
(13:42):
but that's what I talked about a lot, and that
has been one of the major pillars that I've talked
about since then. And we're coming up on four years now.
But it's been beautiful. I've learned a lot. Of course,
having experience it with my son who was thirteen at
the time, were almost thirteen at the time, yeah, and
watching his grief journey and so being able to share
(14:05):
what this grief looks like as a parent and supporting
his thoughts and his process and trying not to dump
my feelings on him, and giving him space to do
what he needs to do as a teenager, like a
true teenager that's going into high school. And I just
learned so much about being a parent, not even just
through grief, but just being a parent and understanding we
(14:29):
are here to be an environment for kids, not to
instruct them for what to do and how to be,
but really just be fertile ground for them to be
the best that they can be. And they truly turn
out to be exactly who they're supposed to be if
you are providing them with what they need to just
be in a safe space. And my kid is just
(14:51):
one of the most amazing kids I've ever met. He's
the most nonchalant person I've ever met, so you would
never know he was excited about anything.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Really, but he is.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
It's just truly compassionate, very considerate of me and doesn't
care what I do or anything, but it's always concerned, like.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Are you tired? Did you get some resks?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Like he knows I move around a lot, but I
just love who he is as a.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Person, not even just as my son.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I really like he is one of my favorite people
because he's just so cool, that's beautiful. But I learned
that through watching him grief his father.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah, and my husband.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
So yeah, it's been a wild ride because of course
I come back and my career is still on a
very positive trajectory. Yeah, and I'm working with major brands.
I'm traveling and speaking everywhere. People either want me to
speak about interior design or grief, and that's what I
did for a couple of years and still am.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Let me ask you this. I'm talking to Carmeon Hamilton.
You guys, you're from West Memphis, but you are a
Memphian because you're in Memphis. Yeah, we're claiming you over.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
In here thirteen years.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Yes, ma'am, but we're talking to carmeon Hamilton. If you
don't know her, get to know her. She's amazing. It
is the pulse I am, Stormy. Thank you for joining
us for the show. Carmeon going and talking and speaking
during grief. Did it help you through grief? And have
(16:25):
you gone through it completely?
Speaker 3 (16:27):
So first answer is yes, it does help me through grief.
And you're never not going through grief. Yeah, it just
transforms into different phases.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, Like I'm never not grieving.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
I'm never gonna not grieve my mom, my grandmother, and
my husband, like that is a forever thing. As long
as I'm alive, they will be grieved. But my grief
looks like joy. I talk about them with.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
A joyful spirit. Yeah, so it's just a different form
of grief.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
But yes, I've stood on stages, have done podcast interviews
where I'm talking through grief in my journey and have
completely cried. I mean, I'm froying of ten thousand people
on one particular stage, But I've always done that. I
do that on my own social media platform, so it
doesn't bother me at all. I just, like I said,
I tell all my business. I've never never been a
(17:22):
closed off person because I feel like the more other
people hear your story, people feel less alone in their
own story. So I'm always happy to share pretty much
anything I'm going through.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
But yes, my grief journey has always been public and
has taught me everything. But grief will never go away.
It's just it just transformed into something different.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
And you know that's probably comforting for somebody that's listening
to the show today, and it is comforting for me too.
I lost my sister in twenty ten, and I lost
my mom years and years ago, and I had something,
a really good life experience happened to me. And I
found some old pictures. Oh, and I broke down.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
That's my favorite thing, Like it was yesterday, expected moments
and that's how it comes back.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yes, yeah, but I felt better after. Yes, and it's
teaching me that, like what you said, I'm that's been
years ago. I wish I had you to talk to
about you know what I'm saying, because well, I got
you now, but I'm saying back then, I mean, all
these years I didn't have anybody. Well I had to.
(18:38):
I did go to therapy, you know, helped out great, Yeah, amazing,
But I didn't get to the I guess the revelation
or the realization that I got to that night was
they gonna always be with me, always here. But I
don't have to be sad that they're always here, exactly,
I can rejoice in the fact that I had them
(18:58):
kind of like what you were saying, Yes, Yes, it's
a gift, gift.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Their stories and their lives are a gift. And you
get to carry that gift with you.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Now I'm grateful. I'm learning how to be grateful. It
took me a minute.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
It's hard. It's absolutely hard. Being grateful for death is
what people think. And I'm like, no, you can be
grateful for the lives that you had to be grateful for.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
The time you had with them. The time you had
with him is a gift.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
And for all of the major losses I've had, I'm like,
especially with my husband, his life ended the day something
was beginning for me, and it took me.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
A day.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I think God spoke to me literally not even twenty
four hours later, like he got you where I needed
him to get you. His journey is done, and now
you have to go on and do X, Y and
Z on your own. But my husband was my biggest supporter.
He's the one that made me go compete in Design Stars.
(20:01):
So I'm like, how are you gonna.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Make him be my safety net and also take my
safety net from me?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
And I remember watching your HGTV and your husband he
surprised you didn't call me.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
On the phone and you were crying boohooing. I was
boohoo ing and telling him that I won. It was
right after we finished the finale. Finished shooting the finale,
I got to call him. One of the producers told me,
call your husband right now, and he just so happened
to record it. But I called my husband, told him,
I one, I'm boohooing because I'm exhausted but also excited and.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Getting to share it with him.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
And I think he mentioned because I had the opportunity
to meet Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper and the Magnolia
family a couple of years before that at market just
as a buyer when I was in corporate and I
was so excited to meet her.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
And he brought that story up.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
He was like, remember you, you were so excited to
meet Joanna Gains and look at you now, look at you.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Now you got to show too.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
And I'm like, yeah, I'm the next Joanna Gains And
he said, no, you're the first carmeon Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
And he was always that for me, always straightening my
crown and for him to leave this place, how he
did well.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
He loved riding motorcycles.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
But when he did the day my face is now
airing to the world on HGTV, when he always told me,
I would be a star from the moment we met
in college.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
And for him to not be able to experience that
with me, it was very difficult. But God rushed in
with that answer and was like, no, he did exactly
what I told him to do when I told him
to do it, and now it was time for him
to come home. And I'm like, well, okay, I'm not
going to argue with you on that. Yeah, because who
(21:55):
am I to argue with God?
Speaker 2 (21:57):
But it was comforting to know that he did his job,
and not only did he do his job for himself,
he did it for me. He did it for my son.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
And I knew God wouldn't take him away from me
if I wasn't prepared to do what I've done since then,
to pick up his mantle, take care of our house,
take care of our son.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
And it's only.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Exploded since then, completely exploded like tenfold since when my
husband was here, and I'm blown away every day about
the fact that I'm this type of grown up.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Now I have to manage a household, manage a.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Kid, manage my career, managing three companies like a lot
has happened.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, girl, Yeah, you could teach so many classes. You
could teach classes on design, you could teach classes on
opening your own business and design. You could do a
class on social media media. You could do a class
on grief. Yes, you could do so many, girl, But
(23:02):
you are almost It's like you're doing all of that
I do while you're doing all all.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
The things, the fabulous things.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
You know what I'm saying. Oh my goodness, carme on
your story is amazing. I don't know how you do it,
but I'm glad.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
You're doing that. I'm glad I do too. I'm glad.
I will tell you it's not the strength of my
own it's not on It's definitely not me. I will
tell you.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
I will have to stay up long nights and not
get sleep and get things done for clients or brands
or whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
But I get it done. Thank God, I get it done.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
And every day is just a new opportunity to be
grateful for getting it done and having another opportunity to
do it again.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Yeah, and that's that's where I live. I just live
in gratitude.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
I walk with my hands open, like if it comes great,
if it goes fine, I'm just grateful to be here.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yeah, Okay, that's that's beautiful. I didn't know this was
where we were going to go with this, But I'm
glad you're okay with going, you know, and sharing the
way you are with people, because I believe you You're
blessing so many people hearing you talk.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
About it, I hope.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
So.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah, grief is hard, and lost is hard, especially unexpected.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I was waiting on my husband to come home.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I think, even if it is expected, even expected.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Like my mother, I watched her, I watched her decline
with cancer, like it got to the point where I
the last time I saw her leaving the hospital, I
told her it's okay, it's okay, because she had gotten
to the point where we knew it was going to
be very soon, but she was holding on for us,
and I had to tell her like no, because you
get you don't want to see someone you love suffer, right,
(24:51):
So I know you're going to be much better off
on the other side. And since I got you, I
wear her face and her smile everywhere I go, like,
you're you're not leaving this earth, right, I want you
to not be in pain anymore. So accepting that everybody's
gonna die, first of all, we all, that's the only
(25:13):
thing that's guaranteed, yes, like we can't. If you were born,
you're gonna die, But understanding that you have to be
willing to accept when people go and the circumstances around
it are always different. Sometimes they're traumatic and it's hard.
Like I'm still dealing with my husband's case. There's dealing
with the driver and what his punishment should be and
(25:34):
all these other things, like we are still going on
four years later, So that brings up a different type
of grief, of angry, type of greed every time I
have to walk down the two oh one Popular But
it's understanding. What I want people to understand is everybody's
got to go, and it's how you accept that and
(25:57):
how you move through and accept how you appreciate people
while they're here.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
It's the grief can be I won't say that it is.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
It can be easier when you can be on the
other side and know that you loved people and they
knew that you loved them, and they are they've gone on,
but you knew. You have no regrets when it comes
to the people you lose. And that's how I live
my life every day, Like if I lose you. In
(26:31):
five minutes, you're gonna know I love the hell out
of you, and I know that you loved me. But
that's how I treat my friends, That's how I treat
my family, That's how that's how I moved through life.
You will always know how I felt about you. And
if I leave in five minutes, I know I'm good,
My family's good, everybody's taking care of I may be missed, great,
hopefully I missed, but nobody will. I won't leave with
(26:55):
anybody having questions about how I felt about them.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
That's why you hear a lot of people say love
on people while you have them love on them, and
it sounds so foreign until you lose somebody exactly and
you didn't do what you should and you will grieve
what you didn't do. Yeah, yeah, carme on Hamilton, you
(27:22):
guys on the show today, and I'm gonna have to
have you come back because uh.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, I got to come back and talk about all
the fun stuff.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Yeah. But but you have helped I believe a lot
of people today. I believe you helped a lot of people. Yeah,
because a lot of people need comfort. Basically, you know
what I'm saying. It's it's it's hard grieving, like you said,
and like you know, I know, But there there can
be a peace and a solace in your grief.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
You can find this livery of gratitude m h and
midst of it.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
I promise that it's a little seed that will help
and alleviate some of the pain from your loss.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Well, we do have a few minutes, so maybe you
could tell us tell you a little bit about what's
happening in your life right now.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Well, I took a very long hiatus from taking clients
because of Design Star and my show, Like I didn't
have time to take on clients. But I have stuck
my toe slash up to my ankle back in the
pool of taking on clients. I'm wrapping up some special projects.
One that I'm very excited about with Coffee, Black Black
(28:38):
owned coffee shop, coffee brand here in Memphis, one of
the only fully black coffee brands from supply chain to roast,
from the growing in Africa to being roasted by a
black woman here in Memphis. Their award winning incredible opening
a new coffee shop here this summer.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
I saw that, so we're rap that up.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I have two very special clients that I'm working on,
some homes that I'm working on, but also uh tow
projects that I am launching here very soon.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I have a rug collection coming out, what collection?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Drug?
Speaker 3 (29:17):
So I have some products coming out later on this year. No,
I haven't even announced that one, Like.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
So that's I got the tea the tea less sneak
on that. Yeah, I'm actually announcing it here in a
couple of weeks, but launches this fall.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
And another thing that I have not announced, But I
just finished my manuscript for my book. So I'm writing
a book that will be released early next year. What
so Yeah, I've been Oh, well you definitely have to
come back.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
So yeah, I'll come back and talk about you.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Definite. Yeah, you definitely have to do that because let
me just say, I got to read it when it
comes out. What is it going to be about? Is
it going to be about fashion or is it going
to be a real life story about.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
You interior design? It's about my philosophy around design because
I've stepped away from taking on clients, im, I wanted
to write in a way that gave people my design brain. Like, okay,
if you did hire me, this is what I would
walk into your home and do and I wanted people
to also get gain the confidence to make decisions themselves.
(30:27):
A lot of people don't do anything because they either
don't know or feel afraid to make the wrong choice.
And so the book is it's a coffee table book.
It's not really a how to, but it's really coaching
you through the design process.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I love that. Ya.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Do you get with any of the local folks like
David Quarrels, do you guys?
Speaker 3 (30:47):
I just got back from Copenhagen with David, but he
and Ive just in Copenhagen with Ikea. I love all
of my local interior design is. I actually connected with
each of them, David Laquita Tate. When I was getting
ready to go shoot Design Start and I had to
(31:07):
break up with my clients, I was like, I need
somebody to send these people too. I want to work
with the black designers, so let me. So I sat
with them and another friend that lives in New York
and I'm like, here's my contract, here's my vendors, here's
like I just gave them everything that they would need.
And I'm like here, because I'm going to start saying
your names and that's that's what happened. So I've I've
(31:27):
loved seeing how all of their businesses have exploded.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
That's so. But look at you, look at God.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Oh my goodness. Okay, we got to carmea. We gotta
wrap this thing up. Honey, you got to come back.
I will because this ain't over a week week number. Yeah,
I got your number. We got to talk some more. Oh,
thank you so much for coming and sharing me. You
you've blessed me. I didn't expect this, but thank you,
thank you. You're welcome than you anytime, same same. Oh
(32:02):
my goodness, it is the pulse. I am stormy. We
keep our fingertips on the pulse of our community. And
Carme on Hamilton on the show, she's she's amazing. You guys,
get to know her, follow her on social media and
you will see for yourself. Okay, how can they follow you?
Speaker 3 (32:17):
You can find me everywhere online at carmeon Hamilton and
it's c A R M, E O N Hamilton everywhere,
carmeon Hamilton dot com and carmeon Hamilton on all social
media platforms.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Got it? Thank you, girl, thank you. God is doing it.
He's doing it, amen, and we are glad for it.
All right, it's the Pulse. I am stormy. Thank you
Carmon again, thank you all right, thank you all for
listening to the show. We'll see you next week, same time,
same station. God bless you have a great week.
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