We asked folks we admire to share one piece of conventional advice that they disagree with.

Cheron Griffin | Personal Development Life Coach

As a woman, and particularly an African American woman, there are many ideas that we can’t be ourselves in business and the workforce. Personally, if I can’t live my life authentically, I do not want to be a part of the entity that’s requiring me to change for their comfort; not for money and not for fame. For many years as a Pastor and Pastor’s wife, I was expected to be something that I was not. I feel that I dumbed myself down (personality wise), to be that which I wasn’t. I was taught inadvertently and religiously speaking that women are the weaker vessel. Physically, that might be true, but I’m just as strong as the next person – in my thought process, in my intelligence, in my tenacity, in my creativity, in my work ethics, in my loyalty, overall. I believe that women all over the world are powerful individually, but collectively, we are a force to be reckoned with because if we change one life, we change a community statistically speaking. Read more>>

K.Starr | Entertainer

I would say “Just jump!” Although yes, I do feel a lot of times we overthink, and we should just jump, for me, you have to wait until you have peace about it. I always consult with God before I just jump to make sure that’s the move. That way, even though if the jump doesn’t make sense to anyone else, to you and God it does and that’s all that matters. Pray before you jump, then JUMP!. Read more>>

K.O.S. (Kings of Sound) | Recording Artists

For us, it’s the idea of following trends that we chose not to absorb. Yes, it’s important to understand the market and what’s hot with fans in general, but copying a popular blueprint only drops you in a bucket with a ton of other artists in an already over saturated market. We want to bring something different something that might create longevity and that separates us from everything else. And we also want to offer a different perspective from current stereotypes of young Black men. That’s not to say our music and style isn’t current because it is. But it’s our goal to do current music that’s purely and uniquely us. Plus we’re students of music and hip hop and we hope that can be heard in our music and seen in our style. We’re still young and we’re just getting better and better each day, growing into our sound. But we know that any success we’ve had has been because we have moved in our own lane. Read more>>