Meet Kashmire Kay | Founder

Kashmire, tell us about your work with Ruby Slippers: Awakened to the Power Within and Shine Suga Shine. What sets you apart?
Ruby Slippers – Awakened to the Power Within is my heartbeat on paper. It came from the wreckage after years of showing up for everyone else, while inside, I was disappearing. I had endured narcissistic abuse, religious guilt, and emotional isolation. And somewhere in the quiet, God spoke clearly,“You’re not just healing for yourself. You’re healing so you can help others find their way back too.”

I didn’t plan to be an author. I just wrote to help me survive. I wrote down the dates, the pain, the prayers not knowing those pages would one day become something sacred for someone else.

What sets me apart?
This isn’t polished advice from a stage. This is soul work from the fire. I’m not speaking at people. I’m walking with them — because I know what it feels like to forget who you are. I know what it’s like when your identity starts fading, when your voice trembles, and you’re afraid no one would believe you even if you told the truth. That’s where Shine Suga Shine was born, in the place where I finally said, No more shrinking.

Shine Suga Shine is a lifeline. A safe space for women and girls to unlearn the lies, heal loud, and live full — through books, faith, food, real conversations, and community.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned on this journey?
That healing doesn’t always look like peace at first. It’s messy. It looks like setting boundaries with people you love. It looks like crying in your car after standing up for yourself. It looks like telling the truth when it would’ve been easier to pretend.

But here’s what I know: when you give a woman the safety to feel, the tools to grow, and the truth of who God says she is — she rises. Every single time. Identity isn’t lost. It’s buried. And when we unearth it, we begin to shine.

How did you get here? Was it easy?
No. The hardest part wasn’t writing the book — it was living out the chapters. The emotional warfare, facing the damage that silence did, and then trusting that God could do something beautiful with the pieces.

God met me right there  in the middle of the chaos. He showed me that the pieces I wanted to hide were the exact ones He planned to use.

What have you learned along the way?
That healing isn’t trendy. It’s not cute. It’s not just journaling and pretty quotes. It’s ugly crying. It’s wrestling with God. It’s forgiving people who never apologized. It’s learning to look at yourself with soft eyes.

I’ve learned I don’t need permission to rise. I’m not waiting on anyone to validate what God already confirmed. And I want every woman reading this to know neither do you.

What do you want the world to know?
Ruby Slippers isn’t a story about escaping pain. It’s about confronting it. It’s about digging into the dirt that tried to bury you and discovering the treasure God always knew was there.

And Shine Suga Shine? That’s the space where you get to live that transformation out loud. Through real talk, prayer, storytelling, and community.

Any favorite spots to eat or places to recharge that reflect your journey?
If I were curating a healing experience in Virginia for someone I love, here’s what we’d do:

We’d start with church then brunch at Lillie Pearl where the food feels like somebody prayed over it. Later, we’d walk beside the James River, letting the water remind us that healing flows. We’d grab a lump crab cake sandwich from La Bête food truck and end the night with dinner at The Roosevelt – soft lights, full plates, and deep conversation.

And before the week ends? A live concert. No agenda, just joy. Laughing and singing like we’re finally free… because we are.

Who would you like to shout out?
First, my parents.  I carry so many beautiful childhood memories because of you. I love you. Against all odds and what you both endured as children, God has granted me full understanding that you gave what you had.  And I honor that. I see now that love was present, even when language and tools weren’t.

To Romona — my sister, my intercessor, my friend. You told me to write it down, even in the thick of it. Your prayers helped silence the voices that tried to destroy me. You covered me. I’ll never forget it.

To my sons — Trenton, you see me. Your tenderness is a gift. Your belief in me feels like a lighthouse. Xavier, your light is powerful. You were born shining. Don’t let anyone dim it. Thank you for the fire cover that you contributed your creative gifts to on Ruby — it carries your brilliance.