Congratulations Graduates

Angelique Walker of Memphis, TN is a strong, God fearing, fearless, hard working woman. She is also a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend and loves designing clothes, and making her own lane and rules.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin she migrated to Memphis in hopes of making her impression in both business and personally. Business wise, she has made her mark as the owner of 1 of 1 by Jolie, and fashion boutique that specializes in creating quality and luxury denim pieces for the everyday woman. “I cater to women who are petite and curvy. I provide a service that every women can love,” she says.

There is no coincidence how Angelique’s career started. While she was working in the ladies shoe department for Dillards in 2013. “There was a huge event that was taking place in Memphis at the time. I seen a lot of women purchasing the same pieces, from dresses to shoes. I wanted to go to the event as well but I wanted to wear something no one else had,” she shares. She’d always been obsessed with Beyoncé, and was fond of a red Robert Cavalli dress the star wore to the 2009 MTV VMA awards. She decided to make that same dress but in white, with custom shoes to match. The day after Angelique shares who people began messaging her on Facebook, asking where how to order the same things. As a result, 1 of 1’s by Jolie was born on July 20, 2013.

In 2020, her husband, officially became her business partner. “He’s everything. He keeps up with all invoices and books. We are a team and I owe everything to him,” she shares. Some of her clients include Cardi B, Taraji P. Henson, Issa Rae, Lil’ Mama, Keyshia Kior, Zendaya Justina Skye, Young Dolph, Tae Heckard, and Karen Civil.

For Angelique, her connection to fashion is genuine. “I love that people love what I create. I try my best to stay authentic and make my own fashion trends and I believe the success of my business is directly tied to my creativity. I try to do the opposite of what everybody else is doing and it always works for me. I try my best to create a piece that will get stares all night, and in a good way,” she says.

Like most other businesses, Angelique has faced her share of challenges as well. One is learning to say no and being organized. “I had to learn that the hard way. I gain local attention fast and global attention so after mainly due to social media. My inability to say no during the moments when I couldn’t keep up with demand caused my customer service to plummet. I always tell people I never got the chance to learn how to operate my business as a business. I just knew how to make clothes and that was it. I did everything by myself, from making clothes, shipping, to answering emails. I failed miserably. It took me almost seven years to realize I was in my own way. I finally have help and a team of people who are eager and willing to help me grow,” she says.

One might ask what motivates this ambitious and outgoing woman. “My children are my drive. I have a three year old son and a one year old daughter. I want to give my business to them when they are of age. They created this competitiveness inside me to never give up and keep going regardless of the challenges that come. My children keep me humble. They keep me human,” Angelique shares.

Moving forward, there are plans to have a boutique on wheels in 2021. The demographics change so much in Memphis and having a mobile store will create a change of scenery and a different way of shopping for Angelique. “We are now looking into manufacturing jeans in an effort to eliminate all pre orders,” she says. h

Huami Magazine Celebrates You!

Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana Miss Indiana University 2020 Kelly School of Business Honors

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UNC-G - The Middle College Greensboro, NC Dudley High School National Honor Society NC A&T State University Animal Science Major

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GTCC Middle College. North Carolina Central University Theater & Dance Major

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Tracy Peeler Jr.

Cre8 Your Reality Publishing

By Dawn Cauthen Thorton Photos by Aleman Mayes

In 2015, Almena Mayes had an idea for a book. As a lover of writing, she put pen to paper and inked out her thoughts about life and how we can change our circumstances simply by how we react to stressful situations. Upon completion of “Just Eat The Beans”, Mayes found a publishing company, signed a deal, and couldn’t wait to impress her words on others.

Mayes’ book began to sell on Amazon and garnered great reviews from customers. As time went on, Mayes’ expectations weren’t met, communication with the publishing company wasn’t satisfactory, and most of all, she wasn’t receiving the expected royalties. She reached out to Amazon about the problems she was having and they informed her that since she didn’t have complete rights to the book, she didn’t have much recourse. She couldn’t even insist that they stop selling it; that was the publishing company’s call.

The schoolteacher and grandmother of five (soon-to-be six) was devastated. That disastrous experience sparked her desire to help others avoid the same pitfalls on their journey to publication. She thoroughly researched the process to see what she could’ve done differently to avoid the outcome she experienced. In January 2019, Mayes launched ‘Cre8 Your Reality’ LLC, a publishing company based in Duluth, GA.

“What makes ‘Cre8 Your Reality’ different from others that offer the same services, is that clients are charged a flat fee depending on the package they select,” Mayes explains. She guides them through the publishing process from beginning to end if they choose, or offers a la carte services such as proofreading, editing, and ghostwriting. The company specializes in inspirational, self-help, and urban fiction, but welcomes other genres. Their mantra is I take an aspiring author’s story “from the mind to the masses”.

Mayes introduced her services by advertising heavily on social media platforms and by word-of-mouth. Now she has nine clients and looking to grow even larger soon. Since she is a team of one, she’s taking it slow, making sure to not overwhelm herself and provide the best service she can. Being the whole team can be a blessing and curse at times.

“Many usually don’t want to do it, because they just have no interest in it. But you should see the looks on their faces when they have their book in hand.”

Almena Mayes

Almena Mayes Cre8 Your Reality Publishing, LLC 770-821-9000

In early 2019 Mayes wrote another book, “The Chronicles of Dating Over 50: 50 Guys, 50 Dates, 50 Days”, which turned out to be a comedic hit and an Amazon best seller. “I actually went on these dates and experienced everything you read about in the book,” she laughs. That summer, Mayes published her first client book, “The Nine Lines” written by Tashauna Richardson. It can be purchased on Amazon.

Almena was always a writer at heart. She studied communications at NCA&T in Greensboro, NC and earned a degree in English with a concentration in professional writing and Education from Guilford College.

When Mayes isn’t cranking out books and mentoring budding writers, she is a full-time English and World Literature teacher at Charles R. Drew Charter School in Atlanta. Each year she requires her 10th grade students to publish their own books. She carefully guides them through the steps of what it takes to actually publish one and then allows them to ponder their thoughts and ideas. “Many usually don’t want to do it, because they just have no interest in them. But you should see the looks on their faces when they have their book in hand.”

Mayes typically allows them to select their own topics but ultimately has to approve it. Throughout the year she challenges them to come up with new ideas and concepts that will carry them far beyond high school. She likes for them to challenge their imaginations, but once had to redirect a student’s idea due to the nature of the contents.

Mayes plans to retire in six years, making room to spend more time with her family and for her to offer her expertise full time. The generational home she shares with her children and grandchildren will make family time effortless. “My grandchildren love me being in the same home with them. We get to experience one another all the time.”

Traveling, writing, and continuing to publish are on her list of things to do during retirement. Most of all, she wants to assist and educate others on how to effectively share their words with the world. h

Tangee Moore - Avail Outreach The Impact of Covid-19

How has the Covid-19 Pandemic affected or impacted your practice? Avail Outpatient Counseling LLC is a private, mind-body practice focused on empowering and healing the total person- mind, body, and soul. Avail services are healing focused, personcentered, and goal directed. Avail offers outpatient psychotherapy, empowerment coaching, and holistic healing services such as Reiki, Yoni Steaming, Mindfulness Meditative Practices, Nutrition Psychoeducation, and Physical Fitness. In addition to programs and services, Avail offers holistic healing products such as yoni steam herbal blends, sage, Palo Santo, CBD products, and more.

To help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Avail has followed through with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation of social distancing. Many people have had to change the way they conduct business—this includes private practices such as Avail. To reduce in-person contact, Avail’s programs and services are now being offered completely online through virtual platforms. Avail has been fortunate to have always had wellestablished business continuity plans in place. In 2017, Avail launched TelAvail™, an online