Takiyah Wallace-McMillian became the change because of what she didn’t see. Nearly 11 years later, Brown Girls Do Ballet is a thriving philanthropic machine impacting change in the global dance community. Last Saturday, all of the work culminated in an evening of elegance, remembrance and a glance forward as current and past members and their families convened for the inaugural Ballerina’s Ball.
The Ballerina’s Ball is a celebration for Brown Girls Do Ballet ambassadors from around the world to raise vital funds supporting young dancers in their continued training. Brown Girls Do Ballet granted two scholarships and a small studio grant to help offset costs to young dancers in training. The grant will help fund classes, purchase pointe shoes and make equipment purchases possible for a deserving local small studio.
Watch our interview with Takiyah Wallace-McMillian, founder of Brown Girls Do Ballet and author of newly released best seller, “The Color of Dance.” We had the privilege of catching up with Mrs. McMillian moments before the ball at the Ridglea Theater here in Fort Worth. In our interview, founder and executive director Takiyah Wallace-McMillian spoke with us about the inaugural Ballerina’s Ball, what it means to the foundation, the dancers and why it was important to host it in Fort Worth.
The ball consisted of a mixer with hors d’oeuvres and entertainment provided by a DJ. Clover the Violinist provided entertainment in the foyer and inside the popup shop, dancers and their families had a chance to purchase BGDB swag and Wallace-McMillian’s newly released best seller. A mother-daughter duo entertained in the main room ahead of table seating and almost everyone flocked to the 360 photo booth!
The event was full of fun and the dancers each had a chance to bond with newfound friends from across the country. Many of the dancers and BGDB ambassadors met for the first time at the ball. The night featured performances from Ballet After Dark and Ballet Nouveau and Brown Girls Do chairwoman, Amber Cabral delivered the keynote address.
The ball drew dancers and their families from the east and west coasts and also presented an international presence. BIG things are on the horizon for the foundation and if they’re anything like the inaugural ball, they’re bigger than anything we’ve ever seen in our city!
The average two-year-old doesn’t remember much. But Cassandra Farmer will never forget the unspeakable tragedy of losing her mother at the hands of her father. Though young and seemingly unimpressionable at such a young age, this tragedy was seared into her psyche. This affected her mental health, relationships, her family dynamic and even her marriage, which ended in divorce. What Cassandra Farmer has put into her new book “Life, Love and Legacy: A Journal of Inspiration, Elevation and Healing” is solutions she found to overcome untreated trauma. Some would argue that she found them too late, but Farmer insists that she found them right on time.
“My hope is that my life story: the good, the bad, and the ugly will awaken them to know who God created them to be. I hope they will take a better path than mine realizing that every area of their life touches everyone and everything around them. The world is waiting on them and in need of their God given gifts!”
Cassandra “Coach Cassy” Farmer
Farmer believes that therapy would have been a solution for her grandparents who also lost their son to the Vietnam War. In hindsight, foregoing therapy for whatever reason took quite a toll on her and her family. She transparently shares her journey in this book, with hopes of encouraging readers to seek the help many don’t know they need.
“There were so many times in life when I feel totally misunderstood. Those were the times that I felt only my mother would have understood me so I would go visit her grave. Looking back over my life now I later realized that those are moments I should have spent in therapy.” Because her father killed her mother, there were no father/daughter talks, advice, or warmth. Her grandparents did their best to raise them and fill the void of parental presence and love, but they couldn’t shield them from the deep-seated trauma of watching their mother’s life be taken. The recurring memories, nightmares and sleepless nights affected her mental health and every facet of her and her brother’s life saying, ‘I just wanted to be normal!’ ”
Though alive, her life reached a subconscious demise at 19, the age her mother died. This death affected everything it touched, including her marriage at the age of 22. Now healed, whole and restored, Farmer wants readers to live! Live beyond the worst thing you’ve ever experienced. Live beyond the moments in life that seek to break you. Live today and everyday with a life of love and legacy.
To celebrate the release of the journal and to pay homage to her dear mother, Ms. Farmer will host a panel joined by other inspiring women LIVE on Facebook Friday, February 11th at 7 PM EST. The panel will consist of Cassandra Farmer “Coach Cassy” (Certified Life Coach, Educator, Entrepreneur), Almena Mayes (Editor, CEO and Owner, Cre8 Your Reality Publishing), Prophetess Sherilyn Bennett (CEO and Owner, Camden Lane Creative Agency), Cathy Mabry Cloninger (Domestic Violence Consultant), Leighanne Robinson (Psychiatric Nurse, BSN), Denise Price Thomas (Speaker, Consultant, Artist)
HOLLYWOOD EXEC RELEASES NEW BOOK, “DIRTY LIL SECRETS: NOBODY WANTS TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY”
The Hollywood industry is buzzing about Cheryl Cobb, author of the groundbreaking book Dirty Lil Secrets: Nobody Wants to Tell You About the Entertainment Industry. Cobb is one of the most respected executive names in the entertainment business for decades molding the careers of countless artists and entertainers. She is the woman behind some of music’s biggest and most talked about artists.
Cobb has provided advice and career management to multiple Grammy Award winning artists including Toni Braxton, Chanté Moore, Fantasia, Will Downing, En Vogue, Escape, Da Brat, Sparkle and many more. She has also provided consultative advice to American Idol winners which include Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, Tamyra Gray, Ruben Studdard and Jordin Sparks.
Dirty Lil Secrets: Nobody Wants to Tell You About the Entertainment Industry is a page turning and must-read book for anyone looking to break into the world of entertainment. In a very concise strategic and eye-opening narrative, author Cheryl Cobb has revolutionized the way we look at the entertainment business. If you are looking for a ‘good read’ offering 10 steps that will change your life, when applied if you’re considering elevating your career in the entertainment industry, then this is the book for you.
Q: You have worked with a plethora of artists, entertainers and high-profile entertainment companies. What are the most important ‘stand-outs’ you learned from your clients over the years, and how have you used those lessons in your own work life?
CC: I have learned so much about the business of talent after spending decades working with clients, as well as CEOs. I’ve learned that true talent is a rare commodity, but when you encounter someone with the “it” factor who possesses something very special, it has to be cultivated.
Q: In your book Dirty Lil Secrets: Nobody Wants to Tell You About the Entertainment Industry, you include real-life stories, which made me wonder if there is one you left out but wished you had included?
CC: I feel so blessed to be always in the midst of a half a dozen “real-life” stories with artists, entertainers and companies who are still writing their career life story. I am fortunate to still be working in the entertainment business that has given me so much. I’ve learned from each experience in this business that has strengthen me in all areas of my life. What I love about this business is the ability to work with passionate individuals who want to allow their talents to inspire and change the world.
Q: Let’s change gears here for a minute and add a little fun to our conversation. If you could choose to have any superpower what would it be and why?
CC: I wish that I could turn back the hands of time and understood these 10 Dirty Lil Secrets. I would have avoided many pitfalls and my attendance at the School of Hard Knocks.
For more information and to pre-order your copy of Dirty Lil Secrets and get it signed by Cheryl Cobb, click here.
Stay tuned to Cheryl Cobb by following her on social media @cherylcobb
For media inquiries or to schedule an interview with Cheryl Cobb, contact BNM Publicity Group at bnmotionpr@gmail.com
The journey to Genesis is a clarion call for men to return
to fellowship with God that will define their life’s purpose and refine their
life’s relationships and partnerships in a transformative way. Three scriptures
inspired this writing journey: Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1a, and Psalm 100:3b.
These scriptures challenged me in this manner: 1) there’s never an instance
where we’re not spending our lives in response to our creation. 2) The earth is
God’s and everything in it. 3) We are God’s people and belong to Him like sheep
roaming in a pasture.
Then it hit me…there’s a reason I’m here! Beyond conception,
beyond creation…there’s a reason! Just as God gave Adam a specific
responsibility in the garden, I believe that all men have an inherent,
intrinsic responsibility in the “garden” that is the world, today. Getting to
know this reason and responsibility is where many people like myself have gotten
lost in the sauce of self-discovery. I prayed and asked God why I’m here, and
I’m somewhat confident that I’m now walking in it.
For me, it wasn’t not knowing, it was a lack of boldness
that retarded my progress. For most of us men, we either don’t know, or we’re
afraid! Fear robs you of your opportunity to be great, and while many of you
have thought it, you struggle to do it. Why is that? How long will you refuse
your life’s purpose? When a man discovers his purpose, he illuminates the path
to his destiny. And, the end game of purpose is to be a lighthouse,
illuminating the path for others to find their way to Christ through us and
what we do.
Paul says in Philippians 1:6 that “He who began a good work
in you shall perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” And if He performs that
“good work” in us until the day of Jesus Christ, we must have a vital role in
it as well. Beyond that, “being confident” as Paul says in that verse becomes
“being conflagrant” —a real firebrand of purpose. In Matthew Chapter Five,
Jesus talks about this light in us and asks who would hide their lamp under a
bushel. It’s an unwise person who would endanger himself and the world around
him creating a fire hazard by hiding his light under a bushel! Don’t hide your
light once you discover it…LET IT SHINE!
In my new book “The Journey to Genesis”, I share personal
anecdotes and stories from the bible to help readers accept that God has made
them for more. I’m living proof that what God has made available to you is
already within your grasp! I want you to discover the wonder of walking in
purpose and allow this book to change the trajectory of your life, forever. To
purchase the book and join myself and men around the world on this journey,
visit: www.whoisfredwillis.com.
The Well-Known Preacher, Celebrity Advisor and Prayer Warrior Details Her Battles with Depression, Infertility, Insecurity, and Loss in Upcoming Book, Ferocious Warrior: Dismantle Your Enemy and Rise
Following in the footsteps of her father, New York Times bestselling author, movie producer and pastor of The Potter’s House Church, T.D. Jakes, Cora Jakes Coleman has once again added author to her list of accomplished professional titles. Already a preacher, spiritual advisor to numerous celebrities, including Letoya Luckett and Tamar Braxton, and director of the Children’s Ministry at The Potter’s House Church of Dallas, Cora Jakes Coleman shares her personal journey with infertility, loss, depression, and insecurity in her upcoming book, Ferocious Warrior: Dismantle Your Enemy and Rise, which will be released Tuesday July 16, 2019.
In “Ferocious Warrior,” Cora details how she faced and overcame difficult obstacles common to women, including infertility. Leading with faith after two failed in vitro fertilization attempts, Cora realized her lifelong dream of becoming a mother through adoption. Now the mother of two beautiful children, a girl and a boy, Cora shares how ferocious faith wouldn’t allow her to give up on her dreams.
“I have fought, and am still fighting, hard against infertility, but I have learned that infertility goes beyond the physical.”
Cora Jakes Coleman
She also discusses how she battled and won over depression and insecurity. In her latest book, Cora encourages readers, especially women, to learn how to pray by faith. She details the hurt and disappointment she felt after losing the foster son she had loved since his birth. “God used the hurt in my heart to heal me,” she said. “God always has a plan. I couldn’t see what God would bring after heartbreak. I just believed He would bring something good.”
In Ferocious Warrior, Cora offers strategies to help identify the tactics and agenda of the enemy, and the obstacles to your breakthrough. Known around the world as a ferocious prayer warrior who often moves audiences to tears, Cora also gives step-by-step instructions on how to implement the five principles of prayer. Each chapter ends with prayers that teaches the reader the secret of how to pray and ask God for exactly what you want. These powerful prayers encourage readers to use pain as a catalyst to catapult them to the next level.
In spite facing many difficult challenges in life, Cora Jakes Coleman shows how to think like a warrior and win even the toughest fights in life, career, relationships, and love.
Ferocious Warrior: Dismantle Your Enemy and Risewill be released on July 16, 2019 and can be purchased anywhere books are sold.
