December 30, 2024 • 37 mins
In the final episode of The Q-Chat for 2024, we are honored to host the incredible Courtney Smith, founder of Cristina’s Curls, an international haircare brand that has transformed lives while grossing millions. Often called a modern-day Madam C.J. Walker, Courtney shares her inspiring journey from her kitchen to global success.
Tune in as we discuss her passion for empowering women, overcoming challenges, and building solutions that impact lives. This empowering conversation is the perfect way to close out the year and step into 2025 inspired to Geaux Beyond!
Record Date: [Oct 23] Release Date: [Dec 30] www.geauxqueen.com
💬 Let us know your favorite moment in the comments below!
👍 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more empowering conversations.
Follow Geaux Queen Media:
ww.instagram.com/theqchat_podcast
Connect with Courtney Smith: Organic Skincare and Haircare for Baby - CristinasCurls.com™️ – Cristina's Curls
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Grab your print or digital copy of Go Queen Magazine today.
Stay inspired by the incredible stories and features inside.
Visit our website to grab your copy now.
Welcome back to the Q Chat wherewe celebrate incredible women
who are making their mark and spreading a powerful message of
self love, empowerment and resilience.
(00:24):
Working hard on a mission. So thank you guys for joining
(00:57):
another episode of The Key Chat today.
My very special guest is Miss Courtney Smith.
And Courtney is an entrepreneur.She's also a speaker.
She inspires other women and shehas this amazing business called
Christina's Curls. So we're going to talk about her
beginnings and how she started this amazing business.
And also she has some other goodgems that she offers to inspire
(01:18):
women, especially entrepreneurs and people trying to live their
dreams. So we're going to chat it up
about all these different things.
And of course, our favorite topic, self love you doing
today. I am doing great and thank you
so much for having me. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for being a guest.
So I wanted to start off. I know that some people refer to
you as the modern day Madam CL Walker.
(01:42):
So I know that you have hometownroots from my hometown of New
Orleans. I know you're currently in
Atlanta. So I wanted to start off.
I like to always get people's beginnings, their backgrounds
because our childhoods and how we were raised, it really it's
it's the crust of what we are today.
So I want to start off with yourbeginnings on your upbringing
and what things in your childhood and in your early
(02:06):
beginnings led to your career right now.
So yes, I do have family. My dad's family is from New
Orleans, my mom's family is fromAlabama.
So I grew up in Alabama till I was about 5 or 6.
But we always go go home Mardi Gras.
We're always in between Alabama and New Orleans.
And I actually was in New Orleans this summer for Essence
(02:28):
Festival. I had a speaking engagement
there. But just, I've always been in
beauty, skin care, making my ownproducts, my own hair products.
That's just always been something I enjoy doing.
So I knew when I graduated from high school that I wanted to go
into the beauty industry. So I went to school for
(02:49):
aesthetics. And when I told my family I want
school to be a esthetician, theywere like, Oh my God, that fits
you like nothing else that fits you.
So I've been in the beauty industry for a very, very long
time. Very long time yes.
So Speaking of, I know that yourroots with skin care fit in
(03:13):
perfectly because I was reading through my research that you
experienced eczema and cradle cap after the birth of your
third child, which birthed Christina's curls.
And also looking in your information that you're married
to a chemist. So this is a perfect storm for
you to come up with this business.
So can you give us the background on how you came up
with Christina's curls? Right.
(03:35):
So before I had Christina, I owned a day spa.
It was called Beauty and Grace Day Spa.
So that was like my first baby. I closed it down.
My husband and I decided to growour family.
So I was focusing solely on, youknow, expanding our family along
with the the other two children that we have.
And then we had Christina three weeks before COVID lockdown, OK,
(04:02):
we had our last, our third baby,and she immediately started
experiencing cradle cap and eczema about 5 or 6 weeks old.
So mind you, it was the middle of COVID.
It was so hard to get in to see doctors.
When they did see her, by her being so young, one of them was
like, you just got to ride it out.
(04:23):
You know, we're not going to give her anything.
They had bigger fish to fry as far as you know, dealing with
COVID and things like that. And then another dermatologist
gave me a ointment to use on her.
And when I did my research on the ointment, I was like, there
is no way I am putting this on my newborn baby.
I'm just not doing it. So I was talking to my husband
(04:47):
one day. I was so frustrated.
I was like, don't seem to know what to do.
I did not experience cradle cap or eczema with my first two
children. So this was new to me and my
husband. He said, well, why don't you
just make her something? This is what you do.
Why don't you just make her something?
And I promise you it was like a light bulb went off.
(05:08):
I'm like, why didn't I think of that?
Because like I said, I have my own day spa, I have my own
product line, but I focus on adults.
So it never crossed my mind at that moment to create something
for children. But in that moment I was like,
OK, I'm not getting the answers I want, I'm not getting the
(05:29):
response I want, so I'm going tofigure it out.
And that's what I did. I pulled out my books, I started
researching the ingredients, oils that helped with eczema and
cradle grab, and I just started working.
Wow, that's something else. So I want to ask you, of course,
(05:53):
with creating the products. And I know like you mentioned
the ointment that you were originally given, the products
were like, there's no way, you know, that this would be
appropriate for a small child. So can you tell us just about
the importance of the products that you use to make sure that
they're safe? And I know obviously it's for
young children everything. So can you tell us just about
(06:13):
the importance of the products that you use and also give us
some insight on what types of products that you use as well
with the ingredients? Yeah, well, I experienced a
shift in my life about 10 years ago when I had leukemia.
So for the past 10 years, along with me being in the beauty
(06:34):
industry, health became really important to me.
What I was putting on my body, what I was putting on the inside
of my body. So when I had my baby, naturally
I was looking at what am I giving her, what am I putting on
her? And not to say that the ointment
probably wouldn't have works, but the side effects that comes
along with it, you know, it just, it was not worth the risk
(06:56):
to me. So my products, of course, you
have to use some sort of preservatives with anything that
you have, but I use very gentle preservatives.
I use organic essential oils, butters.
All of my products are third party tested and they're
specifically formulated for children.
(07:17):
I have three different collections and the first one is
for newborns to six months. So I have certifications and and
testing that's just for newborns.
And then I have another collection that's for six months
and up. So that's what I do.
I focus on good, organic, clean ingredients that moms can feel
(07:40):
safe with putting on their babies.
Wow, that's something else. Now I know just that from what
we were reading that into 2023 last year that you guys hit over
$1,000,000 mark. So can you give us some insight?
Cuz like obviously there's a lotof different entrepreneurs out
here, people who want to just learn how to not only start a
(08:01):
business, but be successful at it and learn how to scale it.
So what are some of the things that you learn from starting
this business is having this inception that came from a good
idea from your spouse and your with your baby?
How did you go from there to where you are now?
And I know that's probably a huge stretch of a question.
It is. But just give us a lot of so a
(08:27):
lot of trial and error. The first year was easy breezy.
The first year we did like 707 instant change 100,000 my first
year in business. And but getting to that
$1,000,000 mark, oh baby, that was some work.
OK. They always say the first
million is the hardest because you're learning what works, what
(08:50):
does not work. What do I invest, you know, in
paid marketing. We didn't even do paid marketing
the first year. Everything was word of mouth.
We had a couple of videos on TikTok go viral from parents who
were just in the world spreadingthe word to the world.
And it just took. But that second year to get to
(09:14):
that $1,000,000 mark. Oh, that was some work.
It was some work I hired. I had a team.
I had to have a team at that point because you can't do
everything yourself. So I had to bring on operations
manager, I had to bring on a marketing team that only focused
on, you know, my emails. And then I had a marketing team
(09:38):
or I have a marketing team that focuses on my paid ads and my
Google ads. So to get to $1,000,000, you
have to delegate, you have to have a clear goal in mind of
where you see your business and where you see yourself, and you
have to take action. Wow.
(09:59):
So what advice do you have? Because again, I think with
business, obviously entrepreneurship and just having
a vision, having a dream. Sometimes people maybe they go
through a lot of changes. As we well know, you start the
business, sometimes it's not successful or maybe that first
year you may not make some moneythat you wanted to make, or
(10:19):
maybe that second year, year after struggling the first year,
you make the funds in the secondyear, but then you find that you
have to spend a ton of it in thethird year.
You know, there's so many different changes and
complexities with being a business owner.
And sometimes I feel that sometimes people may struggle
with consistency sometimes and they may struggle in the time
period sometimes where the salesmay not be where they want them
(10:41):
to be or some of the work is harder.
What are some of the things thatyou've learned that you offer to
encourage people to just stick with the vision and also just
just say motivated during the times what things may not work
out the way they anticipate themto?
Well, I always, I'm, I'm very strong in my faith.
So when it's something I don't understand, I immediately go
(11:04):
into prayer. I'm like, OK, guy, you put this
business in my lap. Literally.
I was not looking to start a business.
So I'm like, you brought this business to me.
You're going to bring the help that I need.
You're going to bring the venture capital, you're going to
bring the resources that I need.So I'm always in prayer.
I'm always, you know, trying to figure out, OK, what's what's
(11:28):
the next move? But just know that as you take
those steps, the resources will come.
People love helping, people loveseeing, you know, other
businesses, especially black-owned businesses.
I've, I've gotten so much help and so much responses from other
small business owners on what doI take next?
(11:52):
What steps do I take next? How do I scale my business?
So the biggest thing is just keep going.
Just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other, knowing that
the resources that I need, the answers that I need, they're
going to come to me in perfect time.
Yeah. Wow.
So I was reading too that with the research, something about
(12:13):
bootstrapping to success, that you built your business without
a lot of external funding. And so I wanted to ask you, what
are some of the lessons that youlearned with bootstrapping?
Because you know, a lot of timespeople when people are starting
businesses, it's not as easy as people think.
Meaning sometimes you'll have somebody on the outside saying,
Oh well, you know, you shouldn'tbe using your own money, you
(12:34):
shouldn't do this, you shouldn'tdo that.
Those rules don't apply to everyone.
Everyone has their own, I think,set of rules that may work for
them. What work for this business
owner may not work for that one,and that's totally fine.
So what are some of the things you learn in bootstrapping to
success? I think bootstrapping is a great
(12:55):
idea. I think it's a great method in
the beginning because before youstart taking out loans and and
investors getting a part of yourbusiness, you need to know, OK,
this is something I really want to take serious.
We're still bootstrapping. We don't have any investors.
We're making a lot of sacrificeson the back end to get our
(13:18):
business where we want to go. But those loans are coming in.
So that's a whole different, that's a whole different ball
game. And even with investors, once
you start having investors and you, you're taking the money,
you now have to take their inputand they may not have the same
(13:38):
vision, they may not have the same goal that you have for your
business. So you're getting the money at
what sacrifice? So I people, as long as you're
bootstrapping, count your coins.I pay every credit card bill, I
pay every employee. I know where my claims are going
(14:01):
and I hold my marketing team accountable.
Hey, if I'm spending 4000 on e-mail marketing, I need to So I
set goals for them. This is what's going out.
This is what I expect to come in.
So I dropping watch where your money is going.
(14:24):
Absolutely. That's.
Really good at. And we're still boosting.
I heard that, but you mentioned something really interesting
because I know like there's a lot of chatter that happens when
black-owned beauty brands sell their brands or maybe bring in
big investors. You know, sometimes people have
mixed feelings about that, especially from the consumers.
(14:46):
And what's your thoughts on, I guess, because just from what
we've seen in other people that have added in bigger companies,
you know, with their beauty brands and it's been like a
mixed bag. I guess I would say with the
consumer, sometimes they feel like, oh, well, you know, you're
selling it out like this is supposed to be for us.
Is it? How do you think it's, how can
(15:07):
they merge still having the support?
Because I know like you said, like you guys are bootstrapping,
but for some people, you know, they choose not to, They do want
to get in those other investors,but they also sometimes may risk
the support from their communitybecause they kind of felt you're
not being authentic anymore. Is there any type of bridge
(15:28):
possible to have that just keep that support going?
You know what I don't know? I think you have to be a
business owner and you have to have built something and scaled
a business to even understand the positions that companies are
(15:48):
putting, selling their business or bringing in certain people.
You're pretty much a worker while you're owning that
business, you're not making, you're not seeing all of your
money, all of your funds until you exit.
You know, and you just never really know what someone is.
(16:14):
My goal right now is to just continue to pour into
Christina's Pearl and grow my brand.
I'm only in year 4. I might not feel that way in
year 10, you know, I may not want to still be overseeing and
managing people day-to-day, hands on the brand in 10 years.
(16:34):
You know, it really depends on the goal of the individual.
You know, a lot of people don't want to sell their business.
They have to, they're, they're, they have to choose between
going bankruptcy and filing bankruptcy and making zero from
it or selling it, you know, so it's, it's so hard.
It's not a black and white, it'sa lot of Gray area in between
(16:59):
that. But I've just been really
blessed that year 4, we are ableto still own Christina's Girl
100% and still be able to scale and grow our business.
I'm so thankful for that. That's awesome.
Now I know that you obviously have a family and your mother or
(17:19):
wife. So I wanted to ask you how do
you balance? Cuz I mean I would think you're
pretty busy, you know, with yourbusiness.
So how do you balance everything?
Taking care of yourself, being amother or wife and being a
business owner. How do you balance and just get
some peace for yourself too and also give to your family?
Let me tell you that first year,having a new baby, being in
(17:42):
COVID, having A at the time my daughter was 16, having a high
schooler at home, a six year old, 5 year old in pre-K and
growing a business. That first year it's like a
blur. I don't even remember it.
I don't even remember it. But that second year I was like,
OK, saying that I'm like this, you know, just waking up and
(18:07):
just not knowing where the day is going.
So I'm very big on having systems and delegating.
My team knows this is what I expect.
This is how I like for my business to flow.
Everybody has a job. At any point I have to start
doing your job, we have a problem.
(18:29):
You know my kids, they get out of school, they only do half
days, so they get out of school early and my phone is at 2:00.
My employees know if it's not enough, the warehouse is not
burning down. Do not call me, OK y'all?
You know what to do. So I think it's just a matter of
delegating and having people in positions that know how to run
(18:53):
the business like you run it. That's that's a very important,
you have to to have people in positions that are well trained
and know what to do absolutely. Having a scene is just very
valuable. So that does make a lot of
sense. Now I wanted to ask you about
(19:13):
one thing I read about you that your mission is to do more, be
more and achieve more. So I know you also are a public
speaker. You do pour into other women.
So can we get some insight on that mission of do more, be more
and achieve more? Yes, and I when it when I say do
more, I definitely want to be that voice for other women
(19:36):
because down my day spa I was a stay at home mom, you know, for
years. And I understand when you're in
that position, like, OK, do I put more?
Do I to go that I didn't? We're so torn between being a
mom and being a wife and still showing up for ourselves and
(19:58):
still accomplishing the goals that we have.
So I want to be that inspirationand that voice to other women
that you can have it all. You can have a great merit.
You can have a great relationship with your children
and be present. You can accomplish your goals,
whether it's go back to school or the career or start the
business. I want them to look at me and
(20:20):
say, you know what? She did that, and if she can do
it, I can do it as well, Yes. And I love that you said that
because sometimes we don't realize our lives really are an
example to others, whether we realize that or not.
Like how we live represent something special for other
(20:41):
people. And what I mean by special, it's
not even about necessarily saying, hey, I have this
business that works out, but saying, hey, I have a successful
relationship. I have a successful marriage.
I have beautiful children that Ican give myself to is an
accomplishment in itself. And sometimes women need to see
(21:02):
that because they may feel like they don't have it together.
So sometimes it's just it's so important to just be able to be
a steward and to help other people to say, hey, this is how
I did it, you know, and this is how I can stay home in that
process. So what have been some of the
challenges you may have had, youknow, doing your business or
(21:24):
just in general that you have toovercome?
I know you mentioned you also overcame leukemia, and that's
something I must have missed in my research, but what have been
some of the challenges that you've overcome?
I mean, I think the biggest challenge that a lot of mothers
have to overcome if they're going to have a business or
(21:44):
career or whatever it is, is themom guilt.
I had a lot of mom guilt at first.
You know, it was like when you're, I was raising 2 babies
at one time, Christina and Christina's curls.
So whenever I had to be away from Christina, it was like I'm
leaving my baby for a business, you know, and then I just had to
(22:07):
look at the bigger picture. When I would come back, I was
more fulfilled. I feel like I had done something
for me. I had my me time, you know, even
though it was only two or three hours.
But I just had to realize that one day she's going to see the
sacrifice that I made, all the milestones and the
(22:27):
accomplishments that I've done, and that's going to make her
proud. And she's going to say, you know
what? My mom did this.
My mom started this business forme or the solution for me and
she built it from the ground up.So whenever that mom guilt
starts to sink in, I'm like, no,she's going to thank me one day.
(22:48):
She's going to see when she getsto that point in her life.
Well, she's married and she has children.
She's got to remember, hey, my mom did it and I turned out just
fine or my mom did it and I knowI can do it.
So that that's been my biggest challenge aside from just
learning the market of, of business learning as I go,
(23:09):
because having a service business like I had before
versus a product is very, very different.
But that mom Gil had me in a chokehold in the beginning.
Wow. I definitely can't imagine
because I know being a another itself is a full time career.
So when he had a business to it,it's like it's a lot.
(23:32):
So I definitely understand as well having three children.
So something else that I read that was amazing about you that
you have a model of live your life out loud.
So I wanted to get some more insight on that philosophy on
what do you mean by live your life out loud?
So definitely give us some inspiration with that let.
Me tell you I'm I'm a rebel, OK?I do what works for me.
(23:58):
So when I say live your life outloud, it's be you
unapologetically. You, you know, whether it's how
you dress, how you speak, how you carry yourself.
Just leave your mark wherever you go.
Don't water it down. Don't try to dumb it down.
Oh, this person. No, this is me.
(24:19):
You. You either accept it or you
don't. Yes, absolutely.
I love it because you know what so many people even and I'm over
40, so many women even over 40 are still trying to find
themselves and they still may beshackled in chains of Oh well,
you know, they got to worry about other people thing.
(24:40):
And just like you said, from howthey speak, how they dress, what
they do, just everything like they still are in chains.
So I love how you mentioned justto be unapologetic because so it
can hold you back. And sometimes people don't even
realize, you know, like you're so immersed in what someone else
thinks that you're just afraid to just like you said, live out
(25:03):
loud, live in your own truth anddo what works.
As you said for you, it's not for anybody else.
So that is something that we definitely can't take for
granted. Because when you like.
That. Yeah, when you think about it,
the people who are giving their opinions, they're going to give
their opinion. And then what they're going to
do, live their life how they want to.
(25:24):
You get it like they're going todo, they're going to tell you,
oh, you should do this. And then they're going to go on
about their Mario way and do what they want to do.
So guess what? I do what works for me.
I do what works for my marriage.I raise my children how I how I
choose to. And like I said, I'm always in
communication with God. So if if it, if it feels right,
(25:47):
if I feel like, hey, this, this is the direction I'm supposed to
be going. I don't look for outside praise
from other people that are not where I want to be exactly.
That outside praise will stop you from achieving your goals
and will stop you from. Living your best.
(26:08):
Life, you know, if it ain't fromGod, that's the only person that
we really that we should be focused on pleasing, you know,
but I think this world is so worldly, especially with social
media too. We want to please everybody.
We want to fit in and crowds that we're not even supposed to
be in, you know, like we don't comprehend that sometimes.
(26:29):
Like, why are you trying to get validation from something that
is probably beneath you? But you know, sometimes we don't
see that sometimes. So I I just love the whole
notion of living out loud, because when we don't live out
loud, we live dull, you know, wedon't achieve.
And trying to be liked, trying to be liked by people who don't
even like themselves. It's like you don't even, you
(26:51):
don't even like where you are inlife.
So why am I looking to you for my validation?
No, ma'am. No ma'am.
Exactly. With your speaking and just how
you inspire other women, what have been some of the
highlights? You know outside, like you said
from being a businesswoman, I know that speaking is something
important for you and inspiring other women.
What have been some of the highlights and how you pour to
(27:13):
others? So one of the things that I did
this year, I was at Essence Festival.
I did not then. I was not selling my products
there, but I had a speaking engagement and my daughter, who
was 20 at the time, was able to be there with me.
She spent the whole weekend withme and just to see her and hear
(27:34):
her tell me how proud of me she was and for her to be thinner,
seeing me accomplish my goals, that was the best feeling ever.
I'm like, not only am I pouring into other women and I pouring
in my own daughter. No, I'm pouring into them.
(27:57):
I'm, I'm planting that seed on the inside of them that hey,
this, my mom did it. She, she laid, she, she made the
blueprint for me. So it's it's amazing feeling to
be able to share your gift. It is.
It's an amazing feeling. I love it.
(28:18):
Do you have any advice for people who, like I said, I think
sometimes we don't realize even as older women, some people
still struggle with self esteem.They struggle with confidence.
As we just said, some people areso focused on being liked, you
know, or just fitting in and crowds that really aren't for
them to begin with because they don't necessarily know
(28:40):
themselves. Do you have any advice for
people on just how to build their confidence and how to they
can start now? You know what I'm saying?
Any advice on it doesn't matter what stage you're in a life now,
you can be that person if you'reimmersed in trying to be well,
like maybe today is the day to start a new plan, a new cycle.
(29:00):
Do you have any advice for people that just want to just
get out of this whole validation, worldly validation
and just start? Fresh.
I would say work on liking yourself first.
OK. And what I mean by that, if it's
your appearance, if you don't like your, your, you feel like
(29:20):
you're overweight or underweight, whichever one it
may be, then work. Start working out.
Do stuff that's going to make you feel good.
You know, hey, I want to lose 10lbs or I feel like I don't look
good in pictures or whatever thecase may be.
Focus, start exercising, even ifit's walking.
Do stuff to help you like yourself and not just makeup or
(29:42):
hair or anything. Stuff that's really going to add
to your, your life, your health,your well-being.
So the the first thing is likingyourself because once you're
like, I look good, I feel good. What the next person thinks does
you, because you already know who you are.
(30:02):
You already know I am exactly who I did.
I always tell my girlfriends, hey, if you're feeling, you
know, not attractive, what is itthat you want to do?
You want to lose weight? OK, start working out, start
walking, start eating better. And those things, exercising,
eating better, those are naturally going to lift your
your mood. That's naturally going to make
(30:24):
you feel better, feel lighter and, and feel better about
yourself. So I say work on liking you
first. Yes, I love it.
I love it. So I do want to ask you, what
are some things you do that cater to your mental health?
Because I know you're a businessowner, you have wear many
different hats. Mental health of course is super
(30:45):
important. So what are some things you do
that cater to your mental health?
So one of the things that I do is I wake up two hours before
everybody else. And I've, I've, I've worked on
this for a couple of years before it was an hour and I was
like, that ain't enough time. So, you know, if I know I'm
(31:06):
getting the kids up at 7, I get up at 5:00 and it, it was hard
at first. OK, it was hard at first, but
when I wake up and the house is quiet and I'm able to pray and
get in my word and just set the tone for my day, I show up
better as a mother and a wife versus me waking up at 6:30 and
(31:30):
immediately having to go into wife and Mama 30 minutes later.
That does not work for me. So for my mental health, I get
up before everybody else in the household.
I get up, I read my word and that that just sets the tone for
my day. I wake up calm.
(31:51):
So that's one of the things thatI do and I have a shutdown
ritual, I will call it in the evenings where I turn off my
computer. I click out of all the tabs
that's open because that if I'm closing it in my computer, that
means I'm closing it in my mind.I turn my work and I do not
(32:14):
about work. I'm enjoying my family.
I'm focused, attention is there,I'm present.
So I think starting off having some kind of ritual or morning
routine in the morning and in the evening is, is how I tell my
mind, OK, She's she's she's shutting out these tabs on the
computer. That means we're done for the
(32:34):
day or in the morning. It's like, OK, she's up and
we're quiet. We're just sitting here just
just alone and and you know, setting the tone for my day.
So I'm I'm big on taking care ofme first because I can't be
anything for anyone else. If I'm scatterbrain, it just
(32:56):
does not work. I've tried it, I've tried it, it
doesn't. Now Speaking of taking care of
yourself, one of the key factorsin our platform is self love.
Self love is the field to give us the insight that hey, we do
matter, that we can put ourselves first, that we can't
(33:16):
acknowledge that if we don't pour into ourselves, we have
nothing to give to others. Self love is the key to just
having a better life. So I want to ask you, how do you
define self love and what role has it played in your life?
So self love to me is keeping mycommitment to myself.
(33:37):
If I say I'm going to get up andwork out, I want to be able to
trust me. So I do that even if I don't
want to. If I say I'm going to take a
nap, you know, just to unwind, Ikeep my word to myself.
And that's, I feel like that's, that's training my mind that,
hey, I'm going to follow throughon whatever I say, I'm going to
(34:00):
do. And it also sets boundaries with
other people because my employees, my friends, my
children, they know if mom says she's she's checked out, that
means for for the day, that means she's checked.
And that keeps people from trying to get from you what you
don't want to give at that moment.
So I'm very big on keeping my word and keeping my commitment
(34:25):
to myself. That's how I demonstrate self
love for me. I love it sounds a little bit.
So I wanted to ask you what's next?
What can we expect next for Christina's?
Curls, well, we have a lot, a lot of great things coming up
for 2025. I'm like, OK, I know it's two
(34:47):
months away, but we're getting ready to go into Black Friday,
but we're on Amazon Prime Now, we're going into Whole Foods,
we're going into Walmart Marketplace.
So we have a lot of things coming up.
The biggest thing is just getting into retail.
You know, we've had so much progress on Shopify and online,
(35:11):
but now, now we're ready to playwith the big boys.
Now we're ready to get into to retail stores.
Awesome. Well, I know we're going to see
you in those retail stores soon and we'll definitely be looking
out. This is an amazing conversation.
Can you please leave us with a positive affirmation?
It could be anything that you can think of, but just a
(35:31):
positive affirmation to pour into our audience.
So a positive affirmation that Itell myself each and every day
is if I can see it, I can do it.If I can see it in my mind, I
can do it. So that's my affirmation.
Awesome, thank you so much. This has been an amazing
conversation. Again, please tell everybody how
(35:52):
they can find your social media and also how they can purchase
these products. Yes.
So you can purchase our productson Amazon Prime or you can go to
our website www.christinascurls.com and you
can find us on Instagram at Christina's Curls under Score
and on Facebook, Christina's Curls.
(36:14):
Awesome. So guys, please go ahead and
support Miss Courtney. Courtney has an amazing brand
and I just love her energy and her spirit.
And thank you again, as I said, this has been an amazing
conversation. But guys, Please remember some
of the gems that were dropped inthis episode.
So many #1 pouring into yourself.
And also, if you have a dream, believe in yourself.
(36:35):
Believe it. If you can see that dream, as
she mentioned, it can happen. But also, it's never too late to
just change your whole outlook, change your perspective.
But there's something in your life that you don't like.
As long as you have breath in your body and you're still here,
God is giving you another chanceto change it.
There's nothing holding you backbut the reflection in the
mirror. You can have a new life right
(36:56):
now. You can have that business.
You can look better, dress better, smell better, talk
better, whatever you want. You can have better right now.
So just remember to go love yourself and pour into yourself
so you can have the life that you deserve right now.
So thank you guys for tuning into the Q Chat.
You can check out this episode and more dot go queen.com make
(37:17):
sure you guys be safe and go love yourself.
Grab your print or digital copy of Go Queen Magazine today.
Stay inspired by the incredible stories and features inside.
Visit our website to grab your copy now.
Welcome back to the Q Chat wherewe celebrate incredible women
who are making their mark and spreading a powerful message of
self love, empowerment and resilience.
(00:24):
Working hard on a mission. So thank you guys for joining
(00:57):
another episode of The Key Chat today.
My very special guest is Miss Courtney Smith.
And Courtney is an entrepreneur.She's also a speaker.
She inspires other women and shehas this amazing business called
Christina's Curls. So we're going to talk about her
beginnings and how she started this amazing business.
And also she has some other goodgems that she offers to inspire
(01:18):
women, especially entrepreneurs and people trying to live their
dreams. So we're going to chat it up
about all these different things.
And of course, our favorite topic, self love you doing
today. I am doing great and thank you
so much for having me. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for being a guest.
So I wanted to start off. I know that some people refer to
you as the modern day Madam CL Walker.
(01:42):
So I know that you have hometownroots from my hometown of New
Orleans. I know you're currently in
Atlanta. So I wanted to start off.
I like to always get people's beginnings, their backgrounds
because our childhoods and how we were raised, it really it's
it's the crust of what we are today.
So I want to start off with yourbeginnings on your upbringing
and what things in your childhood and in your early
(02:06):
beginnings led to your career right now.
So yes, I do have family. My dad's family is from New
Orleans, my mom's family is fromAlabama.
So I grew up in Alabama till I was about 5 or 6.
But we always go go home Mardi Gras.
We're always in between Alabama and New Orleans.
And I actually was in New Orleans this summer for Essence
(02:28):
Festival. I had a speaking engagement
there. But just, I've always been in
beauty, skin care, making my ownproducts, my own hair products.
That's just always been something I enjoy doing.
So I knew when I graduated from high school that I wanted to go
into the beauty industry. So I went to school for
(02:49):
aesthetics. And when I told my family I want
school to be a esthetician, theywere like, Oh my God, that fits
you like nothing else that fits you.
So I've been in the beauty industry for a very, very long
time. Very long time yes.
So Speaking of, I know that yourroots with skin care fit in
(03:13):
perfectly because I was reading through my research that you
experienced eczema and cradle cap after the birth of your
third child, which birthed Christina's curls.
And also looking in your information that you're married
to a chemist. So this is a perfect storm for
you to come up with this business.
So can you give us the background on how you came up
with Christina's curls? Right.
(03:35):
So before I had Christina, I owned a day spa.
It was called Beauty and Grace Day Spa.
So that was like my first baby. I closed it down.
My husband and I decided to growour family.
So I was focusing solely on, youknow, expanding our family along
with the the other two children that we have.
And then we had Christina three weeks before COVID lockdown, OK,
(04:02):
we had our last, our third baby,and she immediately started
experiencing cradle cap and eczema about 5 or 6 weeks old.
So mind you, it was the middle of COVID.
It was so hard to get in to see doctors.
When they did see her, by her being so young, one of them was
like, you just got to ride it out.
(04:23):
You know, we're not going to give her anything.
They had bigger fish to fry as far as you know, dealing with
COVID and things like that. And then another dermatologist
gave me a ointment to use on her.
And when I did my research on the ointment, I was like, there
is no way I am putting this on my newborn baby.
I'm just not doing it. So I was talking to my husband
(04:47):
one day. I was so frustrated.
I was like, don't seem to know what to do.
I did not experience cradle cap or eczema with my first two
children. So this was new to me and my
husband. He said, well, why don't you
just make her something? This is what you do.
Why don't you just make her something?
And I promise you it was like a light bulb went off.
(05:08):
I'm like, why didn't I think of that?
Because like I said, I have my own day spa, I have my own
product line, but I focus on adults.
So it never crossed my mind at that moment to create something
for children. But in that moment I was like,
OK, I'm not getting the answers I want, I'm not getting the
(05:29):
response I want, so I'm going tofigure it out.
And that's what I did. I pulled out my books, I started
researching the ingredients, oils that helped with eczema and
cradle grab, and I just started working.
Wow, that's something else. So I want to ask you, of course,
(05:53):
with creating the products. And I know like you mentioned
the ointment that you were originally given, the products
were like, there's no way, you know, that this would be
appropriate for a small child. So can you tell us just about
the importance of the products that you use to make sure that
they're safe? And I know obviously it's for
young children everything. So can you tell us just about
(06:13):
the importance of the products that you use and also give us
some insight on what types of products that you use as well
with the ingredients? Yeah, well, I experienced a
shift in my life about 10 years ago when I had leukemia.
So for the past 10 years, along with me being in the beauty
(06:34):
industry, health became really important to me.
What I was putting on my body, what I was putting on the inside
of my body. So when I had my baby, naturally
I was looking at what am I giving her, what am I putting on
her? And not to say that the ointment
probably wouldn't have works, but the side effects that comes
along with it, you know, it just, it was not worth the risk
(06:56):
to me. So my products, of course, you
have to use some sort of preservatives with anything that
you have, but I use very gentle preservatives.
I use organic essential oils, butters.
All of my products are third party tested and they're
specifically formulated for children.
(07:17):
I have three different collections and the first one is
for newborns to six months. So I have certifications and and
testing that's just for newborns.
And then I have another collection that's for six months
and up. So that's what I do.
I focus on good, organic, clean ingredients that moms can feel
(07:40):
safe with putting on their babies.
Wow, that's something else. Now I know just that from what
we were reading that into 2023 last year that you guys hit over
$1,000,000 mark. So can you give us some insight?
Cuz like obviously there's a lotof different entrepreneurs out
here, people who want to just learn how to not only start a
(08:01):
business, but be successful at it and learn how to scale it.
So what are some of the things that you learn from starting
this business is having this inception that came from a good
idea from your spouse and your with your baby?
How did you go from there to where you are now?
And I know that's probably a huge stretch of a question.
It is. But just give us a lot of so a
(08:27):
lot of trial and error. The first year was easy breezy.
The first year we did like 707 instant change 100,000 my first
year in business. And but getting to that
$1,000,000 mark, oh baby, that was some work.
OK. They always say the first
million is the hardest because you're learning what works, what
(08:50):
does not work. What do I invest, you know, in
paid marketing. We didn't even do paid marketing
the first year. Everything was word of mouth.
We had a couple of videos on TikTok go viral from parents who
were just in the world spreadingthe word to the world.
And it just took. But that second year to get to
(09:14):
that $1,000,000 mark. Oh, that was some work.
It was some work I hired. I had a team.
I had to have a team at that point because you can't do
everything yourself. So I had to bring on operations
manager, I had to bring on a marketing team that only focused
on, you know, my emails. And then I had a marketing team
(09:38):
or I have a marketing team that focuses on my paid ads and my
Google ads. So to get to $1,000,000, you
have to delegate, you have to have a clear goal in mind of
where you see your business and where you see yourself, and you
have to take action. Wow.
(09:59):
So what advice do you have? Because again, I think with
business, obviously entrepreneurship and just having
a vision, having a dream. Sometimes people maybe they go
through a lot of changes. As we well know, you start the
business, sometimes it's not successful or maybe that first
year you may not make some moneythat you wanted to make, or
(10:19):
maybe that second year, year after struggling the first year,
you make the funds in the secondyear, but then you find that you
have to spend a ton of it in thethird year.
You know, there's so many different changes and
complexities with being a business owner.
And sometimes I feel that sometimes people may struggle
with consistency sometimes and they may struggle in the time
period sometimes where the salesmay not be where they want them
(10:41):
to be or some of the work is harder.
What are some of the things thatyou've learned that you offer to
encourage people to just stick with the vision and also just
just say motivated during the times what things may not work
out the way they anticipate themto?
Well, I always, I'm, I'm very strong in my faith.
So when it's something I don't understand, I immediately go
(11:04):
into prayer. I'm like, OK, guy, you put this
business in my lap. Literally.
I was not looking to start a business.
So I'm like, you brought this business to me.
You're going to bring the help that I need.
You're going to bring the venture capital, you're going to
bring the resources that I need.So I'm always in prayer.
I'm always, you know, trying to figure out, OK, what's what's
(11:28):
the next move? But just know that as you take
those steps, the resources will come.
People love helping, people loveseeing, you know, other
businesses, especially black-owned businesses.
I've, I've gotten so much help and so much responses from other
small business owners on what doI take next?
(11:52):
What steps do I take next? How do I scale my business?
So the biggest thing is just keep going.
Just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other, knowing that
the resources that I need, the answers that I need, they're
going to come to me in perfect time.
Yeah. Wow.
So I was reading too that with the research, something about
(12:13):
bootstrapping to success, that you built your business without
a lot of external funding. And so I wanted to ask you, what
are some of the lessons that youlearned with bootstrapping?
Because you know, a lot of timespeople when people are starting
businesses, it's not as easy as people think.
Meaning sometimes you'll have somebody on the outside saying,
Oh well, you know, you shouldn'tbe using your own money, you
(12:34):
shouldn't do this, you shouldn'tdo that.
Those rules don't apply to everyone.
Everyone has their own, I think,set of rules that may work for
them. What work for this business
owner may not work for that one,and that's totally fine.
So what are some of the things you learn in bootstrapping to
success? I think bootstrapping is a great
(12:55):
idea. I think it's a great method in
the beginning because before youstart taking out loans and and
investors getting a part of yourbusiness, you need to know, OK,
this is something I really want to take serious.
We're still bootstrapping. We don't have any investors.
We're making a lot of sacrificeson the back end to get our
(13:18):
business where we want to go. But those loans are coming in.
So that's a whole different, that's a whole different ball
game. And even with investors, once
you start having investors and you, you're taking the money,
you now have to take their inputand they may not have the same
(13:38):
vision, they may not have the same goal that you have for your
business. So you're getting the money at
what sacrifice? So I people, as long as you're
bootstrapping, count your coins.I pay every credit card bill, I
pay every employee. I know where my claims are going
(14:01):
and I hold my marketing team accountable.
Hey, if I'm spending 4000 on e-mail marketing, I need to So I
set goals for them. This is what's going out.
This is what I expect to come in.
So I dropping watch where your money is going.
(14:24):
Absolutely. That's.
Really good at. And we're still boosting.
I heard that, but you mentioned something really interesting
because I know like there's a lot of chatter that happens when
black-owned beauty brands sell their brands or maybe bring in
big investors. You know, sometimes people have
mixed feelings about that, especially from the consumers.
(14:46):
And what's your thoughts on, I guess, because just from what
we've seen in other people that have added in bigger companies,
you know, with their beauty brands and it's been like a
mixed bag. I guess I would say with the
consumer, sometimes they feel like, oh, well, you know, you're
selling it out like this is supposed to be for us.
Is it? How do you think it's, how can
(15:07):
they merge still having the support?
Because I know like you said, like you guys are bootstrapping,
but for some people, you know, they choose not to, They do want
to get in those other investors,but they also sometimes may risk
the support from their communitybecause they kind of felt you're
not being authentic anymore. Is there any type of bridge
(15:28):
possible to have that just keep that support going?
You know what I don't know? I think you have to be a
business owner and you have to have built something and scaled
a business to even understand the positions that companies are
(15:48):
putting, selling their business or bringing in certain people.
You're pretty much a worker while you're owning that
business, you're not making, you're not seeing all of your
money, all of your funds until you exit.
You know, and you just never really know what someone is.
(16:14):
My goal right now is to just continue to pour into
Christina's Pearl and grow my brand.
I'm only in year 4. I might not feel that way in
year 10, you know, I may not want to still be overseeing and
managing people day-to-day, hands on the brand in 10 years.
(16:34):
You know, it really depends on the goal of the individual.
You know, a lot of people don't want to sell their business.
They have to, they're, they're, they have to choose between
going bankruptcy and filing bankruptcy and making zero from
it or selling it, you know, so it's, it's so hard.
It's not a black and white, it'sa lot of Gray area in between
(16:59):
that. But I've just been really
blessed that year 4, we are ableto still own Christina's Girl
100% and still be able to scale and grow our business.
I'm so thankful for that. That's awesome.
Now I know that you obviously have a family and your mother or
(17:19):
wife. So I wanted to ask you how do
you balance? Cuz I mean I would think you're
pretty busy, you know, with yourbusiness.
So how do you balance everything?
Taking care of yourself, being amother or wife and being a
business owner. How do you balance and just get
some peace for yourself too and also give to your family?
Let me tell you that first year,having a new baby, being in
(17:42):
COVID, having A at the time my daughter was 16, having a high
schooler at home, a six year old, 5 year old in pre-K and
growing a business. That first year it's like a
blur. I don't even remember it.
I don't even remember it. But that second year I was like,
OK, saying that I'm like this, you know, just waking up and
(18:07):
just not knowing where the day is going.
So I'm very big on having systems and delegating.
My team knows this is what I expect.
This is how I like for my business to flow.
Everybody has a job. At any point I have to start
doing your job, we have a problem.
(18:29):
You know my kids, they get out of school, they only do half
days, so they get out of school early and my phone is at 2:00.
My employees know if it's not enough, the warehouse is not
burning down. Do not call me, OK y'all?
You know what to do. So I think it's just a matter of
delegating and having people in positions that know how to run
(18:53):
the business like you run it. That's that's a very important,
you have to to have people in positions that are well trained
and know what to do absolutely. Having a scene is just very
valuable. So that does make a lot of
sense. Now I wanted to ask you about
(19:13):
one thing I read about you that your mission is to do more, be
more and achieve more. So I know you also are a public
speaker. You do pour into other women.
So can we get some insight on that mission of do more, be more
and achieve more? Yes, and I when it when I say do
more, I definitely want to be that voice for other women
(19:36):
because down my day spa I was a stay at home mom, you know, for
years. And I understand when you're in
that position, like, OK, do I put more?
Do I to go that I didn't? We're so torn between being a
mom and being a wife and still showing up for ourselves and
(19:58):
still accomplishing the goals that we have.
So I want to be that inspirationand that voice to other women
that you can have it all. You can have a great merit.
You can have a great relationship with your children
and be present. You can accomplish your goals,
whether it's go back to school or the career or start the
business. I want them to look at me and
(20:20):
say, you know what? She did that, and if she can do
it, I can do it as well, Yes. And I love that you said that
because sometimes we don't realize our lives really are an
example to others, whether we realize that or not.
Like how we live represent something special for other
(20:41):
people. And what I mean by special, it's
not even about necessarily saying, hey, I have this
business that works out, but saying, hey, I have a successful
relationship. I have a successful marriage.
I have beautiful children that Ican give myself to is an
accomplishment in itself. And sometimes women need to see
(21:02):
that because they may feel like they don't have it together.
So sometimes it's just it's so important to just be able to be
a steward and to help other people to say, hey, this is how
I did it, you know, and this is how I can stay home in that
process. So what have been some of the
challenges you may have had, youknow, doing your business or
(21:24):
just in general that you have toovercome?
I know you mentioned you also overcame leukemia, and that's
something I must have missed in my research, but what have been
some of the challenges that you've overcome?
I mean, I think the biggest challenge that a lot of mothers
have to overcome if they're going to have a business or
(21:44):
career or whatever it is, is themom guilt.
I had a lot of mom guilt at first.
You know, it was like when you're, I was raising 2 babies
at one time, Christina and Christina's curls.
So whenever I had to be away from Christina, it was like I'm
leaving my baby for a business, you know, and then I just had to
(22:07):
look at the bigger picture. When I would come back, I was
more fulfilled. I feel like I had done something
for me. I had my me time, you know, even
though it was only two or three hours.
But I just had to realize that one day she's going to see the
sacrifice that I made, all the milestones and the
(22:27):
accomplishments that I've done, and that's going to make her
proud. And she's going to say, you know
what? My mom did this.
My mom started this business forme or the solution for me and
she built it from the ground up.So whenever that mom guilt
starts to sink in, I'm like, no,she's going to thank me one day.
(22:48):
She's going to see when she getsto that point in her life.
Well, she's married and she has children.
She's got to remember, hey, my mom did it and I turned out just
fine or my mom did it and I knowI can do it.
So that that's been my biggest challenge aside from just
learning the market of, of business learning as I go,
(23:09):
because having a service business like I had before
versus a product is very, very different.
But that mom Gil had me in a chokehold in the beginning.
Wow. I definitely can't imagine
because I know being a another itself is a full time career.
So when he had a business to it,it's like it's a lot.
(23:32):
So I definitely understand as well having three children.
So something else that I read that was amazing about you that
you have a model of live your life out loud.
So I wanted to get some more insight on that philosophy on
what do you mean by live your life out loud?
So definitely give us some inspiration with that let.
Me tell you I'm I'm a rebel, OK?I do what works for me.
(23:58):
So when I say live your life outloud, it's be you
unapologetically. You, you know, whether it's how
you dress, how you speak, how you carry yourself.
Just leave your mark wherever you go.
Don't water it down. Don't try to dumb it down.
Oh, this person. No, this is me.
(24:19):
You. You either accept it or you
don't. Yes, absolutely.
I love it because you know what so many people even and I'm over
40, so many women even over 40 are still trying to find
themselves and they still may beshackled in chains of Oh well,
you know, they got to worry about other people thing.
(24:40):
And just like you said, from howthey speak, how they dress, what
they do, just everything like they still are in chains.
So I love how you mentioned justto be unapologetic because so it
can hold you back. And sometimes people don't even
realize, you know, like you're so immersed in what someone else
thinks that you're just afraid to just like you said, live out
(25:03):
loud, live in your own truth anddo what works.
As you said for you, it's not for anybody else.
So that is something that we definitely can't take for
granted. Because when you like.
That. Yeah, when you think about it,
the people who are giving their opinions, they're going to give
their opinion. And then what they're going to
do, live their life how they want to.
(25:24):
You get it like they're going todo, they're going to tell you,
oh, you should do this. And then they're going to go on
about their Mario way and do what they want to do.
So guess what? I do what works for me.
I do what works for my marriage.I raise my children how I how I
choose to. And like I said, I'm always in
communication with God. So if if it, if it feels right,
(25:47):
if I feel like, hey, this, this is the direction I'm supposed to
be going. I don't look for outside praise
from other people that are not where I want to be exactly.
That outside praise will stop you from achieving your goals
and will stop you from. Living your best.
(26:08):
Life, you know, if it ain't fromGod, that's the only person that
we really that we should be focused on pleasing, you know,
but I think this world is so worldly, especially with social
media too. We want to please everybody.
We want to fit in and crowds that we're not even supposed to
be in, you know, like we don't comprehend that sometimes.
(26:29):
Like, why are you trying to get validation from something that
is probably beneath you? But you know, sometimes we don't
see that sometimes. So I I just love the whole
notion of living out loud, because when we don't live out
loud, we live dull, you know, wedon't achieve.
And trying to be liked, trying to be liked by people who don't
even like themselves. It's like you don't even, you
(26:51):
don't even like where you are inlife.
So why am I looking to you for my validation?
No, ma'am. No ma'am.
Exactly. With your speaking and just how
you inspire other women, what have been some of the
highlights? You know outside, like you said
from being a businesswoman, I know that speaking is something
important for you and inspiring other women.
What have been some of the highlights and how you pour to
(27:13):
others? So one of the things that I did
this year, I was at Essence Festival.
I did not then. I was not selling my products
there, but I had a speaking engagement and my daughter, who
was 20 at the time, was able to be there with me.
She spent the whole weekend withme and just to see her and hear
(27:34):
her tell me how proud of me she was and for her to be thinner,
seeing me accomplish my goals, that was the best feeling ever.
I'm like, not only am I pouring into other women and I pouring
in my own daughter. No, I'm pouring into them.
(27:57):
I'm, I'm planting that seed on the inside of them that hey,
this, my mom did it. She, she laid, she, she made the
blueprint for me. So it's it's amazing feeling to
be able to share your gift. It is.
It's an amazing feeling. I love it.
(28:18):
Do you have any advice for people who, like I said, I think
sometimes we don't realize even as older women, some people
still struggle with self esteem.They struggle with confidence.
As we just said, some people areso focused on being liked, you
know, or just fitting in and crowds that really aren't for
them to begin with because they don't necessarily know
(28:40):
themselves. Do you have any advice for
people on just how to build their confidence and how to they
can start now? You know what I'm saying?
Any advice on it doesn't matter what stage you're in a life now,
you can be that person if you'reimmersed in trying to be well,
like maybe today is the day to start a new plan, a new cycle.
(29:00):
Do you have any advice for people that just want to just
get out of this whole validation, worldly validation
and just start? Fresh.
I would say work on liking yourself first.
OK. And what I mean by that, if it's
your appearance, if you don't like your, your, you feel like
(29:20):
you're overweight or underweight, whichever one it
may be, then work. Start working out.
Do stuff that's going to make you feel good.
You know, hey, I want to lose 10lbs or I feel like I don't look
good in pictures or whatever thecase may be.
Focus, start exercising, even ifit's walking.
Do stuff to help you like yourself and not just makeup or
(29:42):
hair or anything. Stuff that's really going to add
to your, your life, your health,your well-being.
So the the first thing is likingyourself because once you're
like, I look good, I feel good. What the next person thinks does
you, because you already know who you are.
(30:02):
You already know I am exactly who I did.
I always tell my girlfriends, hey, if you're feeling, you
know, not attractive, what is itthat you want to do?
You want to lose weight? OK, start working out, start
walking, start eating better. And those things, exercising,
eating better, those are naturally going to lift your
your mood. That's naturally going to make
(30:24):
you feel better, feel lighter and, and feel better about
yourself. So I say work on liking you
first. Yes, I love it.
I love it. So I do want to ask you, what
are some things you do that cater to your mental health?
Because I know you're a businessowner, you have wear many
different hats. Mental health of course is super
(30:45):
important. So what are some things you do
that cater to your mental health?
So one of the things that I do is I wake up two hours before
everybody else. And I've, I've, I've worked on
this for a couple of years before it was an hour and I was
like, that ain't enough time. So, you know, if I know I'm
(31:06):
getting the kids up at 7, I get up at 5:00 and it, it was hard
at first. OK, it was hard at first, but
when I wake up and the house is quiet and I'm able to pray and
get in my word and just set the tone for my day, I show up
better as a mother and a wife versus me waking up at 6:30 and
(31:30):
immediately having to go into wife and Mama 30 minutes later.
That does not work for me. So for my mental health, I get
up before everybody else in the household.
I get up, I read my word and that that just sets the tone for
my day. I wake up calm.
(31:51):
So that's one of the things thatI do and I have a shutdown
ritual, I will call it in the evenings where I turn off my
computer. I click out of all the tabs
that's open because that if I'm closing it in my computer, that
means I'm closing it in my mind.I turn my work and I do not
(32:14):
about work. I'm enjoying my family.
I'm focused, attention is there,I'm present.
So I think starting off having some kind of ritual or morning
routine in the morning and in the evening is, is how I tell my
mind, OK, She's she's she's shutting out these tabs on the
computer. That means we're done for the
(32:34):
day or in the morning. It's like, OK, she's up and
we're quiet. We're just sitting here just
just alone and and you know, setting the tone for my day.
So I'm I'm big on taking care ofme first because I can't be
anything for anyone else. If I'm scatterbrain, it just
(32:56):
does not work. I've tried it, I've tried it, it
doesn't. Now Speaking of taking care of
yourself, one of the key factorsin our platform is self love.
Self love is the field to give us the insight that hey, we do
matter, that we can put ourselves first, that we can't
(33:16):
acknowledge that if we don't pour into ourselves, we have
nothing to give to others. Self love is the key to just
having a better life. So I want to ask you, how do you
define self love and what role has it played in your life?
So self love to me is keeping mycommitment to myself.
(33:37):
If I say I'm going to get up andwork out, I want to be able to
trust me. So I do that even if I don't
want to. If I say I'm going to take a
nap, you know, just to unwind, Ikeep my word to myself.
And that's, I feel like that's, that's training my mind that,
hey, I'm going to follow throughon whatever I say, I'm going to
(34:00):
do. And it also sets boundaries with
other people because my employees, my friends, my
children, they know if mom says she's she's checked out, that
means for for the day, that means she's checked.
And that keeps people from trying to get from you what you
don't want to give at that moment.
So I'm very big on keeping my word and keeping my commitment
(34:25):
to myself. That's how I demonstrate self
love for me. I love it sounds a little bit.
So I wanted to ask you what's next?
What can we expect next for Christina's?
Curls, well, we have a lot, a lot of great things coming up
for 2025. I'm like, OK, I know it's two
(34:47):
months away, but we're getting ready to go into Black Friday,
but we're on Amazon Prime Now, we're going into Whole Foods,
we're going into Walmart Marketplace.
So we have a lot of things coming up.
The biggest thing is just getting into retail.
You know, we've had so much progress on Shopify and online,
(35:11):
but now, now we're ready to playwith the big boys.
Now we're ready to get into to retail stores.
Awesome. Well, I know we're going to see
you in those retail stores soon and we'll definitely be looking
out. This is an amazing conversation.
Can you please leave us with a positive affirmation?
It could be anything that you can think of, but just a
(35:31):
positive affirmation to pour into our audience.
So a positive affirmation that Itell myself each and every day
is if I can see it, I can do it.If I can see it in my mind, I
can do it. So that's my affirmation.
Awesome, thank you so much. This has been an amazing
conversation. Again, please tell everybody how
(35:52):
they can find your social media and also how they can purchase
these products. Yes.
So you can purchase our productson Amazon Prime or you can go to
our website www.christinascurls.com and you
can find us on Instagram at Christina's Curls under Score
and on Facebook, Christina's Curls.
(36:14):
Awesome. So guys, please go ahead and
support Miss Courtney. Courtney has an amazing brand
and I just love her energy and her spirit.
And thank you again, as I said, this has been an amazing
conversation. But guys, Please remember some
of the gems that were dropped inthis episode.
So many #1 pouring into yourself.
And also, if you have a dream, believe in yourself.
(36:35):
Believe it. If you can see that dream, as
she mentioned, it can happen. But also, it's never too late to
just change your whole outlook, change your perspective.
But there's something in your life that you don't like.
As long as you have breath in your body and you're still here,
God is giving you another chanceto change it.
There's nothing holding you backbut the reflection in the
mirror. You can have a new life right
(36:56):
now. You can have that business.
You can look better, dress better, smell better, talk
better, whatever you want. You can have better right now.
So just remember to go love yourself and pour into yourself
so you can have the life that you deserve right now.
So thank you guys for tuning into the Q Chat.
You can check out this episode and more dot go queen.com make
(37:17):
sure you guys be safe and go love yourself.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.