We had the good fortune of connecting with Asha J. Watson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Asha J., Where are you from and how did your background and upbringing impact who you are today?                                                                             I was born and raised in a suburb called Oak Park (right outside of the Westside of Chicago). My parents were both born in Mississippi, grew up during the Civil Rights movement, and chose to move to Chicago, then later to Oak Park to start their family. They were one of the first African-American families to live in this community. Oak Park helped me to learn a lot of what it meant to be black, and a woman, in a white male-dominated world. I have used this life education as fuel to be excellent, instead of an excuse not to be. My parents were both ordained ministers who were wonderful examples of God’s love and black love, and because of this, I understood that the family unit plays an important role within a community. When my mother passed away in 2018 they had been happily married for 48 years. My father passed away in 2021, on what would have been their 50th wedding anniversary. His final act of reconnecting with her on that important day was truly a confirmation of how powerful love is and a gift to me and my siblings. Our home ‘1110’ was a safe haven for fatherless teens, single mothers, drug addicts, men newly released from prison as well as my friends and relatives. The door was always open and the telephone number never changed. Helping, and loving others is a major part of who I am today and how I’ve raised my own children. I also understand that I have a responsibility to serve, support and inspire others and that my calling has always been to work with children and teenagers. I was a Sunday school teacher by the time I was twelve and leading a dance ministry when I was fifteen. On top of being a minister, my father was also a teacher, so education and the ability to communicate information effectively were important in our household. My family often says I am my father’s twin so I did teach life skills to High School students for several years in Chicago, but my passion for educating the next generation really shows up in my work with the nonprofit I co-founded in 2011, Beauty Time Inc.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?                               I am on a mission to inspire and empower the next generation of women leaders through Beauty Time, the nonprofit that I co-founded in May of 2011. I realize that it is critical to the success of our culture for our girls, especiallybrown girls, to know that they are beautiful simply because God designed them beautifully. I was raised in a loving household and despite my parents’ love I still struggled with anger which often showed up in fights or trouble in school. As a teen, I battled depression and even attempted suicide. At 16, I added insult to injury and got pregnant, then again at 17. Meanwhile, I was an honor roll student who had both of her parents at home and lived in a nice suburban neighborhood outside of Chicago. I learned that a child’s circumstances don’t always dictate what’s going on inside of them and extra support is ALWAYS needed for every child, so I decided to be that support for every young woman I possibly could. In 2010 I met Jeff Johnson, who is the visionary behind Shop Talk & Beauty Time, and Amanda Akesson, my co-founder, then Beauty Time Inc was born. I truly believe in the power of the village so several years ago I started a parenting group called ‘Auntie Asha’s Village’ on Facebook which provides resources, information, and support to parents.

I have learned to use the things I was self-conscious about to my benefit. I was the girl who got ‘talks too much’ on all of her report cards. I was just curious and inquisitive and I had a lot to say. As I got older I became self-conscious about being ‘chatty.’ Now my chattiness is a part of my purpose and translates to speaking engagements, poetry, workshops, masterclasses, and books. I am literally paid to use my words. I help people turn pain and passion into purpose and impact. I am grateful to have found various avenues to do this such as writing books and helping others do the same; writing and performing poetry; sharing my story to inspire others; and being a mentor. It is safe to say that I still talk a lot, but I am using my words with purpose and intent. Words are some of the most powerful tools on the planet. They either create or destroy, and I have learned to use them to create community, cultivate safe spaces, inspire, and empower women and girls.

Working in my purpose is a lot of responsibility, but there is nothing else I’d rather be doing. I have learned that everyone has a story and everyone’s story is an expression of their purpose.

Everything that we go through is God’s way of pushing us closer towards who we were created to be. I have had some ups and downs and ultimately they have all led me exactly where I’m supposed to be. In 2018, tragedy struck my life three times; I was laid off from my job, my mother passed away and then I was betrayed by a loved one and had my heart broken (while I was grieving my other losses). I felt lost for a bit, but I immediately decided that I wanted to be intentional about channeling that pain into something meaningful so I published three books that same year to reclaim it. Because of this purposeful season of pain, I am the author of one book of short stories called “Transfer Please”, and two books of affirmations for and featuring brown children ‘I’m Soul Be-you-tiful from A-Z!’ and ‘You’re Soul Be-you-tiful.” Then, in 2020 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and while I was overcoming it my father passed away, so stay tuned to find out what beauty comes from those experiences. Now that I am doing better, I am working on a few projects because all pain has a purpose. Join my mailing list and blog at www.ashajwatson.com or follow me at @ashajwatson on all social platforms for updates.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc. In your view, what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?                                                                                                One thing I love about DC is that most of the Smithsonian museums are free, so you already know we are heading to the Museum of African American History & Culture for sure. I also love DC’s parks and open spaces so one of my favorite things to do is to search for black historian statues and memorials and learn how ourstory is embedded into this area. Black heritage is so ingrained into everything here from the Dr. King’s statue to the White House that our forefathers literally built. There is so much culture and history in DC.

Supporting black-owned businesses is so important to me, so everywhere else on my list of places to go is black-owned. Jirani Coffeehouse, which is my favorite chill spot. If we are closer to DC we can hit up Coffee Culture Too and go see Ms. V. I’m a poet so we would have to base the visit around open mic night! Spirits N Lyrics’ Comfort Zone is my absolute favorite place to ‘breathe’ so that would definitely be one of your best nights here. Live music is always going in the DMV (DC, Maryland, VA area) so we can try to find Special Occasions, which is my favorite local band, or head to Bukom Cafe which is home to some amazing West African food with live reggae music on most nights.

On any given day for lunch, we would have to grab a bite to eat at NuVegan Cafe in DC, Sweet & Natural in MD, or Queen Mother’s in VA. Then we can grab the world’s best cheesecake at The Furlough Cheesecake, check out Mahogany Books to see what black Authors have dropped new titles, then we can walk around The Harbor or ride the ferris wheel. In the Summer, we have to go for Ice Cream at Here’s The Scoop! On Georgia Ave in DC, right by Howard University’s campus. This is a start, there is so much to do here but I think if it was a short trip we’d start with these things. When are you coming?

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 a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?                                                                  Thank you poet, Miss Kiane for the introduction to this amazing magazine. I am always grateful for my children, Anika, Ilijah & Zione for being the beautiful humans that they are, which inspires me to be my best self. My parents (in heaven) for loving me still and my siblings Searcy, Tabitha, Marc, James & Ariel for their love and support. I am grateful for Real Shop Talk Incorporated’s partnership on this mission; Silent Treatment Entertainment for giving me a home and reigniting my love of poetry and mentorship; and especially Beauty Time Inc’s members, parents, staff, and board of directors.

Website: ashajwatson.com

Instagram: @ashajwatson,@beautytimeorg

Twitter: @ashajwatson,@beautytimeorg

Facebook: @ashajwatson, @beautytimeorg

Other: bit.ly/soulbeyoutifulbooks, https://www.amazon.com/author/ashawatson

Image Credits
BSI Images @bexshotit (purple jacket photos) Others Dawne Horizons & Miss Kiane & random photos

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