If you are going to do it, do it right. History is full of examples of fabulous females from Beyonce to Janelle Monae who get it right. I recently met a young woman — author, entrepreneur and mother, Antonia “Toya” Wright has perfected the process. The woman of the hour and owner of the The Garb Boutique in New Orleans and the Shoetique in Atlanta also penned the book Priceless Inspirations all while holding down the responsibilities of co-parenting daughter Reginae with ex-husband superstar rapper Lil Wayne. Her provocative memoire of her teenage years from childhood to teenage mom to her current relationship with Lil Wayne landed her on the New York Times bestseller list. Her reality show “Toya: A Family Affair” chronicles the ingénues life from Miami to Hollywood to Atlanta, and how a young woman in the public eye moves forward in a way that exemplifies the spirit of overcoming adversity and living well while doing it — Wright.
I spent some time talking with Toya Wright about sharing her ideas while on her unprecedented college tour. She was nothing short of inspirational when she discussed her triumphs and travails along the way.
When I asked her about pivotal moments in her life and what she was going to do and how we might work together, she stopped and paused at a certain date. That date is her daughter’s Reginae’s birthday. Wright insisted we make sure that we cover what she has planned — the type of attention every one needs to give to our lives and our children. Those are the individual moments that make their lives and their living special. The tradition of education and good grades and the traditions of being celebrated and loved in such a way that we don’t practice, we don’t miss game day and we don’t miss doing homework.
It was a great time to share with young women today, that there are role models who are famous and also famous at home being a mommy and being a person who illustrates what it takes to juggle the balls of success, but not be the juggler. They don’t make celebrity and the accompanying success a joke — they instead make it a reality of the success that can be had.
The entrepreneurial spirit that comes from all of us, as we celebrate the reelection of Barack Obama as president is alive in Toya Wright. Her predisposition for smart shopping, much like the first lady’s was important for me to know about, since she includes savvy strategy when deciding on designers and outlets for selecting the Wright garb for the Wright wear.
Whether it be a major retailer like Macy’s or a small store, the method to the madness is based on decisions based on information, statistics and traffic data. Ms Wright is meticulous about those things.
For all of the consumers who are looking for a pretty face with a phenomenal mind and spirit to be successful in front of the camera and off camera as a young entrepreneur, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. I applauded and was happy to know that there are more young brothers and sisters moving in the right way, making the right decision and not letting adversity be a distraction to them, but understanding that at any moment we can make a choice to be great and to smile and excel in all your dreams .
Make it right, make it decisive, and do the right thing when it comes to showing that greatness is in each and every one of us.
Peace
