Mariah D.
- Apr 19
- 5 min read

Comebacks, Entrepreneurship, and Doing it for the 99s and 2000s.

Take A Sip

🦁Lioness-Heart🦁

"Praise Jah in the Moonlight." - YG Marley

Currently Obsessed With: Diary of a CEO Podcast

*Glossary & Note on How to Read This Blog*

Lioness-Heart - A snippet of something that moved me forward or gave me strength.
Gameplay - is a clip of a part of the game being played, not the whole game.
Playthrough - a piece or a whole game being played from beginning to end. It is different from walkthrough as its purpose is not to help other people play the game, and only to show the whole game to the viewers.
Walkthrough - is a video/script made solely to help other people get through difficult parts of the game or finish the game.

🕹️GamePlay🕹️

Life Updates

Exploring Placemaking and Tribal Learning Practices
Starting A Product Business
Exploring the Science of Fragrance & Scents
Learning Blender
Getting my Bartending License & Studying Teas
Exploring Ph.D. programs (MIT, Stanford, UCF, UF, UC San Diego, & University of Hawaii)
Working on GP24

👾Playthrough👾

I thought I would start my blogs by giving brief updates for transparency as well as to keep things in perspective for myself.

First and foremost, I feel like I'm coming out of this fog. For those of you that don't know...I have gone through health scares, deaths, job chaos, etc. And I have triumphed over all of that to be coming out on the other side of it.

Hair Transformations & Liberation

I cut my hair! And got it done for the first time in 12 years!!!!

For those of you who don't know...one of my nicknames in my family is "Lion" or "Lioness". First, my family are big cat people. We love all things "cat" and "feline". Our pets are cats. On our stationery and jewelry are images of cats and felines. And leopard print and tiger stripes are not prints, they are colors and a lifestyle. Also, I've always had a LOT of hair since birth. The joke has always been that because I am so small and have so much hair...people would see my hair before they saw me. The women in my family would say...

"Here's Mariah...looking like a lion."

I have always taken so much pride in my BIG hair. But when things fell apart, I no longer cared for it. Getting my hair shaped was such a liberating experience. I felt like I took back my power in that moment.

So many great things happened too during that experience. I took my first trip of the year to Atlanta, GA USA. I visited my family whom I hadn't seen in a while and got my hair professionally done. I had somehow developed this wayward thinking that I was undeserving and unable to travel because I was so caught up in making sure everything and everybody had theirs first. I put myself on the far back burner.

BUT NO MORE! I received so much love and support when I arrived in Atlanta. It was surreal. and then getting my hair cut during was just such a moment for me. I think I can do a whole blog post about the power of hair and autonomy. But, it has changed me and I feel so much lighter. I have to thank the Curl Lounge in Atlanta Georgia for the cut.

Community & Self Service

I did school visits and that was invigorating to see what other organizations are doing in the community and provide a service. There is something humbling and deeply fulfilling when you provide service to uplift others. It puts things into perspective. So grateful to My Village Project for allowing me to serve and help with the growth of tech education in youth.

It reminded me of why I am doing all of this...going to school, starting my nonprofit, and just helping the ones I love. This experience reminded me of my purpose in life and I strongly believe that we all need these moments to come back to the center. It helps so much.

Businesses and Dreaming Progressively

I have been in semi-play mode. I have explored courses and books on fragrances and have taken steps to establish and build a business. I am starting a lifestyle brand. It has been a ride thus far. I do not know ALL the answers but I can say I have exercised self-efficacy to figure out and apply for the proper certifications and licenses to operate.

Also, she has a signature scent! She's beautiful, tropical, and SO relaxing! I love what she is becoming and the peace and joy she will give to people.

I have managed to get my business license, partner tax certificate, and wholesale license! The word Olympics and hoops to jump! OMG! I don't know why they just in plain English state the information bluntly. You have to dig and sort through an excess amount of information just to progress. But we did it Joe!

Now, I'm in the trenches of learning and developing. I'm so pleased with the sample I created and the help I received. We are not done yet. I've gotten so much feedback and I'm truly in love with the process. I want to take my time and enjoy what I'm building. And do it right.

Additionally, another venture has opened up as well. And it's supporting me oddly enough in grad school. Bartending & Mocktails. Wild right? My classmates have reached out to me to make beverages for their events! And my rum cakes are back! Who knew?

👾Walkthrough👾

1. Press Start: Self-Care Saves Lives

When you feel down... invest in yourself. Such a small thing like getting your hair cut, wearing something new that you love, or going to a new place can do you a world of good and just put you back refreshed at the starting line. Hell...eat good food. Get on that Peloton! Use the good plates. Go outside and get vitamin D. Just take a moment to uplift yourself.

2. EXP: ⭐ Service Learning

Providing a service free of transactional value can uplift you and will give you a different perspective on things you may be struggling with. There is joy in service. There is respect in service. There is the practice of empathy and compassion to remind you that we are all having a human experience and somebody out there may need you when they are having a really bad one. Take 1 day out of every quarter of the year to do a service. I promise you won't be disappointed.