Last Night I Googled Myself

At 3:30am last night I googled myself. Whoa! That sounds a bit conceited but I can explain. Last night I was experiencing a bit of insomnia and I had already did the kill time things such as client research, online window shopping, browsed Pinterest, and watched a few videos on Youtube. I digress, when I googled myself I discovered that there had been a lot of things that I forgot I was a part of yet I discovered that there was a lot of valuable information for young inspiring pr professionals that I had shared some insight with. 

I decided to use my personal platform to share a blog post I wrote in 2013 for Eastern Michigan University PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America). I wanted to "pay it forward" by giving these students a heads up and now I want to share it with my readers. 

The Importance of Starting Now 

It's been 7 years since I graduated from college and 4 years since I conceived the idea of starting my own public relations boutique.

BUT I ALWAYS THINK TO MYSELF IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW I WOULD HAVE DONE A FEW THINGS DIFFERENTLY IN COLLEGE.

Luckily, if you’re reading this, you’re still in college so here are some things that you can do now to prepare for later.

Write every day. When I was in college blogs were new on the web. I remember a friend telling me her college professor informed her that blogging would be the next big thing. So I investigated and I saw the potential, but I did not have the time to spend on writing everyday, or so I thought. Now writing is the most biggest and crucial part of my job. With a blog you could practice writing, use it as a writing sample when applying to a job, and potentially create another stream of income. Utilizing these platforms will only help you in the future.

Read More: http://emuprssa.com/2013/08/15/the-importance-of-starting-now/

I Quit, But Now I'm Back... With changes + All In a Month & Updates

I quit this blog only after a few months of its launch. In my opinion, I was not interesting enough and was sorta a dork with all my books and mentoring. However, after a telephone call from one of my readers and an inquiry from a young lady at church I decided to relaunch it.

With the relaunch comes a few changes. I will continue my monthly goal posts but due to my jam pack workload, I will probably reduce them to three goals a month. This blog will now be my work/play lifestyle blog. I will share most of my boring life but for regular updates, you can follow me on Instagram.

March 2014 Goals
1. Lose 10 pounds. I lost the weight then gained it back but I'm attending a wedding in April which means I need to get 10 off and fast!

2. Secure 5 clients. My company (Love Publicity) has launched a new initiative I think will benefit businesses in my hometown of Detroit. My team is ready to tackle and secure press for the lucky 5 so I need to secure them.

3. Read one book. I am a business owner, event planner, mentor, wonderful daughter, phenomenal girlfriend, friend, and volunteer with tons of commitments so it's hard to focus on a book during this time of my life. If I just read one chapter a night surely I will complete a full book this month. Wish me luck.

A lot of things happened since August, Here's a few of my life events.

Updates
1. I caught up with some College friends during Homecoming 2013.

2. I turned 30. I opt out of paper invites for a website Teia30.com, My colors were pink and gold and although it was during our first blizzard in years, several of my friends were in attendance including my good friend Lena who flew all the way in from Washington D.C.  I loved my party and wouldn't change it for the world.

3. I coordinated a book launch in Atlanta from Detroit for my client. This book launch was extremely stressful but I kept that to myself. I under promised and over delivered and my client was more than satisfied. I am now working on a media relations campaign and enjoying every bit of it. The event sponsors were Myavana Mobile App, Amprogel, and Twenty Grand Vodka. (pictured with my client from Myhairaintnappy.com)

4. I was amongst a group of amazing experts during Brand-A-Thon and I shared my knowledge. I met with some amazing entrepreneurs who were seeking advice in public relations. I was excited to consult with them and look forward to seeing their businesses expand. (I'm located in the back with the black and white blazer)

5. I colored my hair from blond highlights to red! Sometimes a girl just need a change and this was my change.

Pay It Forward.

As I attended my last open house for one of my three mentees from this past school year, I decided to reflect on the good times I had with these three phenomenal young women and share the initial reason why I mentor and why I decided to continue to pay it forward.

It all started when I was in the first grade,  my teacher called on me and asked "Teia, what do you want to be when you grow up?" It wasn't hard for me to figure it out I knew right then and there I wanted to be a school teacher. This career stuck with me until my junior year of high school when I realized I had other interests I wanted to explore. By the time I reached college, I was completely done with the idea of becoming a teacher because I was absolutely head over heels with the idea of becoming a publicist.
As time went on I did desire to help children where I could and that's when I discovered mentoring. Since I started as a mentor it has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences I have ever encountered and it's something I plan on doing for years to come.

Here's a look back of my mentoring experiences with Kayla, Mercedes and Deja during their senior year of high school.

Introducing the Trailblazers (Deja, Mercedes, & Kayla) "Leaving a glitter trail"

Holiday Tins filled with goodies for the ladies. (you'll learn I love gift giving)

Of course we had a nail party during one of our sessions in true Teia fashion. 

I attended each of my girls open house after graduation. A proud mentor.

If you're interested in becoming a mentor and looking for programs to join, I currently mentor for Winning Futures and Urban Rose Foundation Summer Camp.

 

Paint Love: Yellow Polka Dot Bikini by China Glaze

There's no secret that I love color. One of the things that I'm particularly strict on is my polish colors. I either like them soft and pastel or bright and electrifying which in my opinion looks amazing on my complexion.

A few years ago I took a trip to Myrtle Beach and wanted a bright and vibrant color and the nail tech showed me Yellow Polka Dot Bikini by China Glaze. I purchased it immediately. During my recent visit to the nail salon I felt the urge to be a little funky and edgy so I brought my Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and allowed the nail tech to create a design on my ring fingers. If you google it you could own this color too for as low as 3 dollars. Worth adding to your collection.

All in a Month: August 2013

June Goals Updated. August New Goals.

June Goals Updates. 
1.  Goal was to read 6 books. Read 3 books.
2. Goal to lose 10 pounds. Lost 15 pounds.
3. Goal to make a red velvet cake from scratch. Gave up sweets to lose 15 pounds. Failed.
4. Meet a new person a week. Met tons of new people from volunteering and working.
5. Goal to post to my social media everyday. Assigned my intern to my Love Publicity SM accounts.

August Goals:
1. Finish my summer list of books. Read 5 books! This should be easier since I'm half way through 3 of them.

My Summer Reading List:
1. You, Inc The Art of Selling Yourself by Harry and Christine Beckwith
2. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz (borrowed from my mentor Jerome Espy)
3. Dear Success Seeker by Michele R. Wright, PH.D
4. Eat That Frog by Brain Tracy (borrowed from my mentor Jerome Espy) COMPLETED
5. Knowing Your Value by Mika Brzezinski (gifted by my lovely cousin Samantha) COMPLETED
6. For Immediate Release by Ron Torossian COMPLETED
7.Mastery by Robert Greene
8. Normal Gets you Nowhere by Kelly Cutrone

2. Lose 10 more pounds. I'm so close I can taste it.

3. Plan out the rest of my year. Sounds weird? Well this year I'm turning the big three zero so I'm determined to map out the rest of my year so that I can enter the best years with a bang!

4. Post on this blog 3 times a week. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it.

5. Make a red velvet cake from scratch. I'll try this again but i will not eat it, but i'll taste it. :)

Wish me luck!

Five Dollars + Stripes

Every time I think of $5, I start to sing the jingle from the Subway commercial that goes "5, 5 dollar, 5 dollar foot looooong." I mean seriously unless you're shopping at the Dollar Tree or on some fast food dollar menu you can't get much with only $5.  Well, clearly I've been under a rock because last week I discovered a $5 fashion steal and knew I had to share it.

Now let me insert a disclaimer here. This store target market is teenagers and although I'm well past my teenage years these striped canvas sneakers was a must-have from Five Below. I purchased two pairs the pink/white and black/white pair but it comes in three more colors blue/white (contemplating on snagging that pair) green/white and orange/white. The shoes are a cool addition to add to your shoe collection but do not expect longevity I mean at $5 you shouldn't expect top quality.

If you've been under that rock with me I want to encourage you to check out the store for yourself. I have a few parties I am buying prizes for and this place is perfect for cool inexpensive useful prizes.

PAINT LOVE: Robyn by Zoya

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend The Reveal Beauty and Trend Showcase put on by M.I.C.H. Fash Fest.

The event was amazing filled with so much art, beauty and fashion including a jewelry showcase, 3D hair sculpture showcase, a violinist and so much more. While in attendance I had the opportunity to catch up with some local beauty and fashion bloggers, old friends and associates and I even met new people (which we know is one of my goals for the month of June). While there people consistently inquired about my nail polish and since I'm kind of a nail polish addict, I thought why not share my addiction with the world. I will call this segment "Paint Love." The polish that I am soooo in love with is from Zoya called "Robyn." It's a bright blue that looks great in the sunlight. I fell in love with the color two years ago and out of my entire collection of blue polishes (which is around 10-12 colors) it is in my top 3 favorites. I've owned it for like 2 years so it's probably hard to find in stores but if you check online I am sure you're able to get your hands on one and at a decent price. Enjoy!