Meet Khristin Isley | Educational Consultant and Designer/Content Creator

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

Hi Khristin, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?

My name is Khristin Isley, 28 year old African American female, living in Atlanta, GA. I am originally from  the small town of Ramseur, North Carolina. A town which has four stop lights and everyone knows everyone. I was pretty shy growing up and classify as an introvert. However, I feed off of energy and vibes. I refuse to limit myself to different titles and believe I am omniverted.  I proudly admit to being a first generation student. Even with the odds against me, I am determined to create the life I want to live. One of my values is simply, “do everything with great intention.”

In order to build a legacy, one must determine what that looks like through their eyes. You have to visualize this and make yourself believe. Also being able to pass your legacy through generations after my time on earth is done. L.E.G.A.C.Y to me means- Leadership Empowerment and Growth Achievement that comes from within yourself. Growing up, I wasn’t always the most confident individual due to constantly comparing myself to others. At times it felt as if I was never good enough or if anything I did went unnoticed. Known as the unsung hero. This was an uneasy feeling that I couldn’t shake. With this, I forced myself into taking the time to self reflect and find my own awareness. It wasn’t an easy process, but a much needed process. My motto in life became, there are two things that we control and that is attitude and efforts. I drilled into my values that anything I do. I put 100% effort and keep a positive attitude in everything I do. There are times in which I may be challenged but I know I can overcome it by faith and having the right attitude and giving 100% effort. So whenever someone asks me, what do you want your legacy to be? I want them to tell you that Khristin Isley is one of the most well respected, hard-working, women of faith, a living testimony and a woman who knows her purpose. She is built differently. I feel I have been placed into this life to help others fulfill their purpose in life and to help them gain the confidence to do so, which leads me to my two small businesses. At the age of 28, I am CEO and founder of I.C.E.Y organization and share co-owner partnership with my fiancé of my second business, N&K On Customs.

I.C.E.Y Organization stands for Implementing a Capable and exceptional you. ICEY was a nickname developed in high school which has made its way into adulthood. ICEY Organization helps prepare adolescents with career and college readiness. My mission is to share the knowledge I have collected as a higher education professional and put that back into the community. As a first generation student, I was unsure if college was an option for me given my economic background. We fell in between living the working class and working poor. My grandparents worked very hard to provide us with the best life we could have, which I am forever grateful for. This is how I found my motivation and ambition because of our backgrounds. I made up in my head that I will be the first to break these generational barriers.  However, with a village of support, I was able to turn one of my wishes into a reality and continue my education post high school.  I have now graduated with both a bachelors and masters degree and am currently  pursuing my second Master’s Degree for FREE. ICEY Organization helps adolescents understand all of the opportunities that this world has provided us with while helping them understand how to utilize their resources. ICEY Organization offers independent educational consulting services, free financial aid seminars, and other informational services to guide families throughout the college and career readiness process. We are still pretty young but I have a larger vision for this company. I want to make this not only Nationally known, but international as well. I envision traveling all over the world educating school systems, high school, counselors, ministries of education and families about these important topics.If you know any high schoolers that could benefit from this, please visit iceyorganization.org and I am happy to schedule an appointment.

In addition, my second business, N&K On Customs,  is a custom apparel business my fiancé, Nigel Jackson,  and I started. We create and design a series of items to our customers’ liking. Within our business, we have a brand called U.N.I.K, (Unique Naturally, Invaluable Knowingly). What does it mean to be UNIK (unique)? We created this line to encourage others to embrace their uniqueness. I couldn’t tell you how many times we have been called weird or different from not being like others. Whether it was openly expressing our faith, publicly dancing whenever people are watching or simply being ourselves even if that attracted strange looks from those around. But why fit in whenever you’re meant to to stand out? We all were placed on this earth with purpose and with reasoning. No one was made exactly alike as stated in Romans 12:6-8. But one thing we do have in common is that we are Unique (U) naturally (N) and invaluable (I) knowingly (K). We look forward to gaining your support and seeing you grow the confidence to be yourself. Embrace your UNIK! We have a testimony and we are ready to share it with the world. A lot of designs we create can’t be found in stores else and have been very eye catching to the community. Everyday whenever we step out, we usually wear something we have designed. I am also big into the arts , so designing has become one of the best therapeutic practices to me.

What do you want people to remember about you?
If you would have asked me ten years ago, I probably would have said something as shallow as fitting in or being rich. At age 28, I strive for just being me., being my authentic self and leaving an impact in this world. For those that know me, I am quick to share positive aspirations through Bible verses, motivation quotes, or a simple, I’m proud of you. I know at the end of the day, the impact we leave in this world starts with us. WE are the ones that create our canvas and everyday we wake up is a new opportunity. I walk with intention, broadcast my faith knowing my savior placed me on this earth for a purpose. It’s my duty to fulfill that purpose by utilizing every single day as a new opportunity. So how are you going to use that opportunity to get one step closer in achieving your dreams? Life is temporary and it’s essential to embrace that. So that is what I want people to remember about me, Khristin Isley has left her L.E.G.A.C.Y and embraces her UNIKness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am currently a business owner and a higher educational professional. My title isn’t clear as of yet, because my story is still being written. I refuse to settle for anything less than what I have been placed on this earth to accomplish. To move on with my current profession as a higher educational professional, I have been working in this field for over six years now. This was not an easy task when I first began. To be honest, whenever I was recommended for a job with my alma mater. I took the position really not knowing what it consisted of. And after about two weeks, I was about ready to quit. I honestly felt As if this was not going to work out, but I am no quitter. With lots of prayer, tears, and putting in extra efforts, I use the first year as a learning curve and learn from my mistakes. And with my positive attitude, within six months, I literally became one of the best employees at my job. That year, we enrolled the largest freshman class since the last five years. I alone was responsible for over half of the enrolled students out of a team of 5. It was one of the best achievements and felt good to the soul. The next two years we’re even more successful than the first year. In 2019 I made my transition to Atlanta Georgia and landed a job Working with the largest public research institution in the southeast region. Since being employed, I have traveled to over 5 international countries and 10 states educating prospective students about higher education and career readiness. One of my long term goals is to touch down in all 50 states and 40 countries by 40.

Furthermore, growing up I always had an internet in music, fashion, and designing. I still have my portfolio from age 11, where I started designing my own clothing line. I still use this as motivation until this day. I haven’t always been in the best financial situation and spent several days figuring out where my next meal would come from, but I managed. So once I was able to save enough money, I wanted to start up a clothing line (N&K On Customs) and I.C.E.Y Organization. There are times where things are extremely Stressful. I was going to school full-time, working part time, also had a full-time job, and still managed to pay all my bills independently. So no this was not easy but something I knew I had to do to get to where I am today. I am not content here, however, it does seem as if I am on an easier pathway since I have learned to manage. I think the easiest out of the few is working a 9-5. As a business owner, there are nights where you’re up until 4-5am working orders, creating content, and doing every job which consists of a business owner. People don’t tell you these things but you’ll learn them in your own time. Setbacks are going to happen, there is no way around that. I struggled a lot because I didn’t know too many people in Atlanta but really had to do a lot of manual work, and am still working on this. A lot of times you may reach out to hundreds of people or get told No more often than not, but whenever you get one yes, you’re one step closer. However, it is how you learn to overcome that step back which is the most rewarding part. Along the way I’ve learned to be patient and one of the most important things is whenever you have an idea, write it down and within that next 5 seconds act on it. If you don’t, more than likely you’ll forget about that idea and never put it out there to the universe. I also listen to a lot of podcasts, journal, read up on trends within my fields and do a lot of research. I also think finding a mentor is essential! They can help guide you through the ropes and share their knowledge as well. Mentors are a very powerful resource!

ICEY organization and N&K On Customs started with an interest, because of an idea and now our businesses. I honestly feel like my brands were developed that many can relate to. I believe that my brands will be known all over the world in due time. If you know anyone that could use either service, I am more than happy to speak with them. Or any experts that are within this field, I would love to connect. My fiancé, Nigel and I also started a YouTube channel called N&K On Chill to share our story and how we became who we are.

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.
I am an advocate of low key places and good food. Suite lounge is a great place. Great music and food, an older crowd if you want something a bit low key. If you like Mexican food, the original el taco on north highland is one of my favorites. They have 10.00 tacos every Thursday and 5.00 margaritas.

I also like being adventurous being a country girl. So going to lakes, piedmont park, and hiking mountains are always a nice go too. Whenever I connect to nature, I honestly get my best ideas.

Few other places:
Good Eatz
St. James Live (jazz lounge)
Trap music museum
And just walking downtown

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Family, especially my grandma Elaine Cassidy and Mother, Kathy Isley Everyone that I have crossed paths with
And most importantly, my fiancé, Nigel Jackson. You have been what it is I need in this world and that is just loving me for me.Thank you for supporting me in every way!

Website: https://linktr.ee/khristinisley

Instagram: https://linktr.ee/khristinisley

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khristin-isley-76a33222b

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/home.php

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC-OdasievKK2CYfyCObTzmw

Other: My link tree has all of my social media and websites listed. Our YouTube Channel is with my fiancé and I