Meet Gloria Ward | Business Strategist, Entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, Author

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

Hi Gloria, how does your business help the community?
The I’m Loving Me Project inspires black women to love themselves and improve their economic situation through business and career relationships. We believe that if we can help a woman self-heal, she will in return impact pact her household and her community for the better.

What should our readers know about your business?
The I’m Loving Me Project is a sisterhood for black women. It is a place where we can come together and Self-heal, build a business, and create long lasting relationships. It is a unique space for us to vent, to be creative and to figure out how to get back to ourselves. What makes us unique is that we not only focus on personal growth but real long lasting change whether that is spiritually, economically, or mentality. What makes me proud is seeing how the women evolve. Most become authors, business owners, and creatives. They’ve started their healing journey and now can share their gifts with the world. It’s the most amazing feeling seeing that. ILMP was created out of my own struggles with self love and facing a lot of life challenges. I’ve had a lot of success in my career but I was sad. I was facing a lot of life challenges and even though I had friends and family who loved me, It was the internal battle that was driving me to make poor decisions. It wasn’t until I took a hard look at myself in the mirror when I realized I needed to change. The journey wasn’t and still is not easy. I had to find out what made me happy, get rid of those relationships that no longer served me, and really spend time with myself so I can understand why I was doing what I was doing and making the choices I was making. What I learned the most along this journey is that you need to be a little self-ish in order to take care of yourself and be the best for everyone else. I know that sounds a bit crazy but, it is not until you start to heal, reflect, and make changes that not only your life starts to change but also everyone around you. I want every black woman who is reading this to know that healing is possible, love does exist, and you can definitely live the life you imagine in your head everyday. With a little mindset shift and some great support, it can happen.

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?
Wow this is a great question for me, I love music so definitely katz-cafe for an open mic or live band session. Then we can swing by one of my favorite restaurants Virgils gullah kitchen for some good home cooking or twisted soul cookhouse and pours. For drinks, you can’t go wrong at the James Room. The vibe in there is just amazing.

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?
Shoutout to all of my family and friends who love and support me. Shoutout to the entire ILMP team for seeing the vision and sticking with me.

Website: imlovingme.net

Instagram: @imlovingmeproject

Linkedin: @imlovingmeproject

Facebook: @imlovingmeproject

Youtube: @imlovingmeproject

Image Credits
Ravann Guyton Photography