Color Me Brave is a blog series that celebrates amazing women that are both successful in their careers and supportive towards other women trying to make it. This series was created especially for millennial women of color because I want them to see other women of color that have been in their place, walked in their shoes and persevered. Color Me Brave is full of fabulous women leaders with dynamic stories. Enjoy and join me in applauding these industry leaders. To contact our Color Me Brave leaders, please email hello@thecolormeb.com.
Diamond Gallow
Diamond Gallow: I attended college at Fordham University in New York City. In the summer of 2012, I made a conscious decision to dropout with only 3 semesters to complete my degree. Why? Simply because I realized that not only was I wasting money, more importantly, I was wasting my time in school. School had nothing to offer me. The work was easy - I mean easy - as in I've written a 10-page paper in 1.5 hours easy. And got an A.
I realized that I was paying into a system that was not for me. You see, I've never really been interested in getting a job. I've always been an entrepreneur. I sat down with myself and I said, "Self, at your core, what do you believe in". The response was easy. FREEDOM. I value and have always valued freedom much more than security. I'm ok with hardship. I've faced hardship. Don't let my grammar, college, or marginal success fool you, I'm from the hood of Houston, Texas. I have been tested and I do not fear hardship. Fear is an almost useless emotion that most people allow to dictate their entire lives. That being said I made a decision not to fear the future, or other people's opinions of me and I dropped out. It was the best choice I've made thus far!
Color Me Brave: What do you do for a living? Where do you work?I realized that I was paying into a system that was not for me. You see, I've never really been interested in getting a job. I've always been an entrepreneur. I sat down with myself and I said, "Self, at your core, what do you believe in". The response was easy. FREEDOM. I value and have always valued freedom much more than security. I'm ok with hardship. I've faced hardship. Don't let my grammar, college, or marginal success fool you, I'm from the hood of Houston, Texas. I have been tested and I do not fear hardship. Fear is an almost useless emotion that most people allow to dictate their entire lives. That being said I made a decision not to fear the future, or other people's opinions of me and I dropped out. It was the best choice I've made thus far!
Diamond: Entrepreneur - a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with cons
My passion, currently is hair. I was blessed to have the skills to install and style hair extensions in ways that no one else has seen, done, or experienced. My company is called Bombshell En Route. We are currently a mobile extensions salon in Houston and we will be branching out to other cities soon.
Color Me Brave: Why did you decide to take on this position? Is it part of a larger plan for you?
My passion, currently is hair. I was blessed to have the skills to install and style hair extensions in ways that no one else has seen, done, or experienced. My company is called Bombshell En Route. We are currently a mobile extensions salon in Houston and we will be branching out to other cities soon.
Diamond: I took on this position because it gave me peace and passion. I learned how to do hair because my family was too poor for me to afford to get my hair done. I learned a lot about hair. At my heart, I'm an artist. I think everyone is! They just don't realize their talents. I took my gift, developed it into a skill and made a lot of money from it. Now, I'm ready to branch out into a corporation much bigger than myself and a few employees.
Color Me Brave: Are you a member of any professional organizations? If so which ones?
Diamond: I'm a member of HAR, Houston Association of Realtors. That's about it. It is something I am working on. I have a tendency to isolate myself. I use isolation to focus, and network to grow. I plan on joining a few organizations this year. They're great for networking, but they don't necessarily grant success.
Your ability to think outside of the box (playing chess) and your tenacity dictate success. The truth is I find networking uncomfortable. It (doesn't feel genuine) so I avoid it. I'm just a really direct person. I don't want to dance around what I want from you. I don't want to waste time pretending like I want to get to know you better. Genuine relationships are built over time. If I want something from someone, I find them and tell them what I want. I don't want the responsibility of maintaining my position within a professional organization. I have a husband, 3 sons, and a business. My time is extremely limited and thus valuable.
Color Me Brave: What are the biggest challenges you face in your job? In your industry?
Your ability to think outside of the box (playing chess) and your tenacity dictate success. The truth is I find networking uncomfortable. It (doesn't feel genuine) so I avoid it. I'm just a really direct person. I don't want to dance around what I want from you. I don't want to waste time pretending like I want to get to know you better. Genuine relationships are built over time. If I want something from someone, I find them and tell them what I want. I don't want the responsibility of maintaining my position within a professional organization. I have a husband, 3 sons, and a business. My time is extremely limited and thus valuable.
Diamond: Challenges are problems but more importantly they are opportunities. There are a lot of people that are in the beauty industry. I guess you can call that a challenge. It means that I have to have the discipline to execute marketing. The mental capacity and creativity to think outside of the box. I have to be flexible enough to change with the market.
I have to stay educated about the industry and just slay (execute) it. It's really that simple. I can't call them challenges. It's kind of just a task list. Focus and commitment are key.
I have to stay educated about the industry and just slay (execute) it. It's really that simple. I can't call them challenges. It's kind of just a task list. Focus and commitment are key.
Color Me Brave: How do you overcome obstacles in the workplace?
Diamond: This one is hard. Lol so my personality type is an ENTJ (look it up). My workplace is me. All begins and ends with me. I like that. That's why I didn't see the point in college. I try to eliminate obstacles as much as possible. However, they still happen. When they do happen, I try to take a moment and evaluate the situation without my own ego. It helps me see clearer.
After this, I coordinate a plan that I feel is mutually beneficial, I present it and we make edits from there that are fair.
So overcoming obstacles in steps:
1. Evaluate the reality of the situation without ego
2. Weigh the pros and cons
3. Make a plan
4. Take action immediately
Color Me Brave: What’s something you wish you could tell your college freshman self?After this, I coordinate a plan that I feel is mutually beneficial, I present it and we make edits from there that are fair.
So overcoming obstacles in steps:
1. Evaluate the reality of the situation without ego
2. Weigh the pros and cons
3. Make a plan
4. Take action immediately
Diamond: Don't become trapped in other people's ideas of who you are or who you should be. You are worthy and deserving of the best. Never settle for anything less.
Also, don't run from pain and hurt. Face it, embrace it, feel it, accept it, discern it; then, use it as power. Great people are made by their ability to overcome struggle. The struggle strengthens you. Don't fear it. It's much like building muscles. It hurts at first. You think it's impossible on day 1. However, by day 90, you really get to see results and you start feeling great about it. In fact, you cant stop doing it. You see, muscles are built by tissue being ripped apart then forced to heal. This happens over and over and over again. Each time, building the muscle.
It really isn't about how many times you've been hurt , broken, or ripped apart. It's all about your ability to heal. Get back up and keep going. In the words of Les Brown, "If you can look up, you can get up".
Color Me Brave: How can women show their support for other women in the workplace?
Also, don't run from pain and hurt. Face it, embrace it, feel it, accept it, discern it; then, use it as power. Great people are made by their ability to overcome struggle. The struggle strengthens you. Don't fear it. It's much like building muscles. It hurts at first. You think it's impossible on day 1. However, by day 90, you really get to see results and you start feeling great about it. In fact, you cant stop doing it. You see, muscles are built by tissue being ripped apart then forced to heal. This happens over and over and over again. Each time, building the muscle.
It really isn't about how many times you've been hurt , broken, or ripped apart. It's all about your ability to heal. Get back up and keep going. In the words of Les Brown, "If you can look up, you can get up".
Diamond: Remove your ego. Be honest. Say what's on your mind(with tact). Look for a solution together. Be conscious of when you're not being supportive, and make a decision to change that.
Color Me Brave: What do you do to relax with your girlfriends?
Diamond: I don't have many girlfriends lol. Every once and a while we go out for dinner, or we sit and talk. We play board games, and we get responsibly wasted. I'm socially an extrovert, but the moment I'm home, or alone, I genuinely enjoy the silence and space to be left with myself and my thoughts.... I like doing all the above by myself too. Minus the board games lol Bikram Yoga helps a lot.
Color Me Brave: Anything else you want our millennial hustlapreneurs to know about you? Diamond: I have failed more times than I have ever succeeded. On a yearly basis I face an obstacle I feel at one moment I can never recover from. I get the stuffing knocked out of me. But I get up and I go harder. Go hard. You don't have anything to lose. The opposite is far bleaker. For in complacency you risk losing your very being, which is the greatest thing you have to lose.
Continue reading "Color Me Brave" and learn about Lea's work at St. Jude's research hospital...
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