Meet Darryl Bigelow | Entrepreneur

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

Hi Darryl, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to start my own fitness brand for women to spread a positive message, instill in them that their body doesn’t define them, and to try to continuously lift them up. The whole reason why I’m actually doing this is because at the age of 12, I was bullied all the time about my size by other kids. I was called “skinny” and “frail” almost every day while I was growing up in a rough community, and the only person that kept me positive and helped me to keep my head on the right track was my mother. Today, this is why investing in women in a positive manner is so important to me. My vision for this business is to build a community of people that are committed to lifting each other up. I believe that mental health and spreading awareness to body positivity is essential to life. I designed a product that makes women feel good when they workout, and also builds an awesome experience in their fitness journey.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was working at a call center 2 years ago and found myself at my desk holding back tears because I was so unhappy with where I was in life. I felt like I had no vision or no purpose on this earth. I got up and went to the stair well and let it all out. It was in that moment that I prayed and asked God to instill wisdom and strength for me so I am able to serve and add value in peoples lives. It was from in that moment I had to become my own boss. So within a month I already made a business plan continuing to get corrective action at my place of employment because I was bringing my laptop to work to work on my side business. Eventually I resigned and it was one of the best days of my life. Not having any backup plan or no corporate resources. I began the ground work to put myself in a position where I am successful. That determination and dedication to the grind allows me to be my true self. Entrepreneurship is very risky and you take risk everyday not knowing what is going to happen. I had to bet on myself and recognize that at the end of the day I do have purpose to change lives and thats exactly what I am going to do! My brand is continuing the conversation to inspire people at its forefront. Changing their minds and implementing actions to have a healthier mental health. I will make it my mission to leave a lasting impact with everyone I come across to let them them know that there are no wrong paths in life and no such thing as failure. But failure is just a obstacle to move you in the right direction. We all have a treasure inside of us to find that gold.

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?
If I ever had a visitor visit me in Charlotte there would be so much that we can do throughout the city. Im a foodie at heart so first thing we will will start with is brunch! Who doesn’t like brunch?! One of my favorite places to go is Tupelo. Located right in the heart of downtown. The shrimp and grits is seasoned perfectly and is the best thing on the menu. After the mimosas wear down its time to walk it out by taking a nice little hike at Crowder’s Mountain in Kings Mountain. The trails are built for every age and you can meet a lot of people who are on their fitness journey! Another place to check out to wine down and have a nice drink is place called Aura Rooftop. The drinks are amazing and you can sip while you watch the city skyline and while going over your goals for the week. Lastly I love basketball so catching a Charlotte Hornets game and watching them win at the Spectrum Center would be the icing on the cake.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My inspiration: God and my mother.

Website: awalkingvibe.com

Instagram: a.walkingvibe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a.walkingvibe

Image Credits
Photos By: Chanel Murphy