Meet Dasha Shaw | Model, Speaker, and Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dasha Shaw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dasha, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I think balance I think of separation. I think of having multiple unrelated parts of my life that I am juggling, and while the hope is that you can always keep everything you are juggling in the air, there’s only a matter of time before something drops. Balance, to me, is unsustainable, so now, I aim for harmony. I work to make sure that everything in my life is aligned with who I am and how I want to live. The goal is for everything in my life to work cohesively together, so sometimes that means saying no to awesome opportunities that do not align with the vision I have for my life and the joy and peace I always aim to protect.

For many people, this may be challenging to wrap your head around, so it may e=be helpful to mention what it looks like in my life. Most of my friends inspire me in some way, shape or form, so spending time with them contributes to my business in ways that are both tangible and intangible. Therapy is for my mental health, yes, but it is also for my business and for my personal relationships. It positively impacts and progresses every area of my life. Spending time with my family means I am not actively engaged in work, but I get so much joy, inspiration, and motivation from them that helps me to be a greater, more effective version of myself when I AM working. My work also helps my family to progress as we all learn, grow, and build wealth together. The biggest thing is that ultimately, my “work” is simply me sharing my lifestyle. I already have to do my hair, and now I share it. I already like to mentor, to interact with people, to speak publicly, to sing and be creative, so I made a business out of the things that I would already be doing even if I wasn’t making money doing it.

Everything in my life is meant to work together to help me be my greatest self and achieve the big dreams God placed in my heart.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I have a brand called The Hair Doula that focuses on equipping busy, curly-haired women with the knowledge and skillsets they need to quickly and efficiently care for their hair and achieve their hair goals. Often times in the natural hair community improper and lengthy practices are the norm, so I am breaking that misconception and showing women that caring for natural hair can be quick, easy… enjoyable even! I also recognize that our hair isomer than hair, so I focus a lot on women empowerment, confidence, and self-love as well. Women who follow me are go-getters who are looking to do great things, so I want to make sure I equip them with everything I have learned to help them on their journey, and they share what they know as well!

Getting here was definitely not easy. The hardest part for me was getting past the intense fear of failure and letting other people down. That Is still something that I constantly battle, but It has gotten much easier. There really is no shortcut to getting past those mindset roadblocks; you have to be really actively and intentionally putting the work in. Most of my first year in business was spent working with transformation coaches who helped me to heal and embark on a really intense journey of self-discovery. It was through healing and letting go of beliefs that no longer served me that I was able to start taking action towards growing my business. I am looking forward to continuing to grow, learn, explore, and fail forward as I continue along my path! I am also really looking forward to interacting with LOADS more women along the way. It makes my heart so happy when I get a message about how I have impacted someone’s life, and that is one of the things that keeps me going when things get challenging.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly… We would probably eat and go park hopping! I love food, and I love being outdoors! We would definitely have to eat at Tassilis Raw Reality and split a Mandingo wrap (it’s Kale and it is DELICIOUS), we would also have to go to Slutty Vegan because that is a MUST for anyone who visits Atlanta. And you can’t forget dessert! Hebrew Bakes has the BEST vegan cupcakes I have EVER had in my LIFE. Every Tuesday they are only $1, so we would go and have a field day buying up all the cupcakes. I would also take them to Piedmont park and to my favorite points on the beltline (Ponce City Market being one of them!). SO basically we would eat yummy food, and then walk off all of our yummy food while seeing the beautiful sites 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom FOR SURE! She has taught me so much, and I would not be who I am without her. So mom, thank you for putting in the work it takes to heal yourself so that you could have the capacity to help me heal and grow, and thank you for actively showing me what unconditional love feels like. You truly are my best friend, and I am so blessed to have you as my mama!

Website: https://www.thehairdoula.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehairdoula/channel/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dasha-shaw-78711b81/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHairDoula

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHairDoula

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thehairdoula

Image Credits
DokkSavage Photography Ariel Perry Cirrus Gold Creative Company Ernie Passwaters