My love of makeup and its ability to transform a woman began at an early age. Every Sunday I was entranced by my grandmother’s ritual of preparing herself for church. In these special moments, as I watched her reflection in the mirror, I saw myself.

As a young girl I marveled at the drugstore items perfectly assembled in her bedroom. Her makeup. Nothing special in today’s world of infinite beauty options, but back then her simple routine of applying foundation, powder, a touch of shadow and the perfect lipstick made us both tingle with delight. We both knew when she walked out of that room with her hat and gloves in hand, she was on top of the world—and my grandfather knew it, too.

My grandmother was also entrepreneurial. In the early 1960s, she saw that women in her neighborhood needed a safe place to leave their children while they worked. In response, she and my mother opened a daycare center. One turned into several. Eventually, they found themselves counseling other women about how to strengthen their financial situations.

Today, I carry their torch; my purpose is to help women become their personal and professional best. One Brown Girl, LLC is the name of my company— a modern melding of my grandmother’s passion for beauty and entrepreneurship. I’m proud to share that we invest in African American-owned businesses, particularly ones led and/or owned by women.

You see, what I learned from my grandmother is true. If you believe in yourself and feel good about yourself—I mean really feel good about yourself—you can do anything.

After a bountiful career, One Brown Girl is my authentic dream realized, and I am hoping to empower many other dreamers along the way.

Customers drive every business, so what is the best way to connect with them in today’s digitized and globalized marketplace?

Drawing on my experiences in hospitality, cosmetics and publishing and my work as a White House Social Secretary for President Barack Obama, I reveal how to devise marketing strategies that really work.

From how to understand demographics and solicit input from your customer base, to how to infuse your business with passion, purpose and vision, I reveal what it takes to hatch a marketing plan that exceeds goals and motivates your business’ team.

While many organizations, institutions and businesses strive to promote diversity, addressing issues of race—both professionally and personally—remains complicated, uncomfortable, and difficult. I, however, make it easy.

In this keynote, I reflect on both my experiences as a black woman making her way up the ladder in male and white-dominated industries, and as a CEO tasked with overseeing a diverse team, to reveal what it takes for us to get comfortable with race.

From pushing individuals to confront their own biases, to providing actionable takeaways on how to address exclusion in all its forms, I provide a refreshingly straightforward perspective on race in today’s world and how to feel powerful in your own skin.

In a 21st century workplace, openness and communication are key. Gone are the days of siloed cubicles and unilateral decision-making. Instead, diversity in collaboration, innovation, and ideas are the elements that separate truly exceptional businesses and organizations from the pack.

Drawing on my experience as a CEO overseeing a diverse teams, I’ll reveal how to foster a truly collaborative and open work environment where team members are empowered to tackle tough issues.

Providing instantly implementable tools and strategies, I share tactics for creating a workspace where everyone feels they have a seat at the table and voice in the conversation, so businesses can ultimately create a team that thrives.

How do we talk about womanhood?

Terms like “work-life balance,” “lean in” and “resiliency” quickly become buzzwords, ways in which to navigate womanhood, but what do they really mean?

In this refreshingly honest and open talk, I reflect on my personal experiences as a breast cancer survivor as a way to talk about being a woman today.

Sharing powerful (and humorous) anecdotes and lessons, I distill what is truly important in life to paint a picture of personal reinvention.