1035. IJLMI: Into Icons

[00:00:00] But for me, it's like, it's not easy. And so do not let anyone make it seem like whose brand is maybe grossing millions and doing all these things. Don't let anyone make it seem to you like your feelings or how you feel right now is not real. I promise whether they tell you or not, they've gone through it. They've pivoted. They've thought about quitting. There is not an entrepreneur on this planet who has not taken a second to say, maybe this is not all that is cracked up to be.

[00:00:45] What's up, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of my podcast, I'll Just Let Myself In. It's the podcast where we don't wait for an imaginary permission slip or some seat at an imaginary table. We let ourselves into our God given doors. As you guys know, when I have a guest here, I like for it to be somebody who really embodies what we do at the podcast. Now, if this is your first time here, let me let you know, people who listen to and watch this podcast are go-getters.

[00:01:12] We want to do big things in the world. We want to make a difference. We want to make fly things, hot things, all that. But sometimes we get in our head. We get in our head and we get in our own way. And so it is my service to you to bring you people who have kind of cracked the code on that, who have gotten out of their way, who have gone past maybe their fears and trepidations and gone into their doors.

[00:01:37] The person that I have here today is someone who is an incredible example of this. She is a destructor, self-proclaimed. She has an incredible brand that you guys may see on my back today called Be Iconic. I love this brand. I wear this brand. I got a couple of tidbits for her about how the brand makes me feel that I'll get into later.

[00:02:03] But ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, Ashley Muhammad. Welcome. Hi, sweetheart. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for being here. There's so much more I could have said about you. Wife, mother, big dog. You know. You know. You know. Yes. Many- We try. Yes. We try. So many of our faves have worn her brand on stage. YG wears your glasses almost every- I don't even think I see an interview with him without him. At this point, he sleeps it up. And I love that for me. Yes.

[00:02:32] I love that for me. And I love that you repost everything. Everything. Because some people get funny about stuff. And it's like, listen, this person is wearing my brand. What do I look like not reposting it? Excuse me. It's crazy out here. It's crazy out here. Oh, okay. Right. So y'all already see the energy on. Ashley is from Harlem. Big Harlem. Big Harlem. Big Harlem. I love Harlem. Y'all know here that I went to high school and college, City College in Harlem. I'm a Brooklyn girl, but Harlem has such a big place in my heart because Harlem is a place that you go to be loved. Yes.

[00:03:02] Harlem is a place that you go to be loved, to be loved on, to be encouraged, to be big up. And so tell me a little bit about how the Harlem energy infuses itself into Be Iconic. I think for me, well, firstly, Harlem is home. Right? Harlem is home. And Harlem is so, everything that you said about Harlem is so true. Because to me, Harlem just feels like a big hug. Yeah. Right? We are small, but we are mighty. Right?

[00:03:28] The fact that when people say the five boroughs and they say Harlem as if, like, we are not just a small portion of uptown Manhattan. Right. Right. Right? But Harlem is Harlem. Like, we step in with the big dogs. I was just saying the other day, we could literally fit, like, ten Harlems in Brooklyn. Mm-hmm. But we, I just feel like we still measure up. Yeah. And so for me, that kind of what is what Be Iconic embodies, right?

[00:03:50] Be Iconic is a brand that was born from this idea that, you know, so many of us walking around thinking that we are the only ones that feel a certain way. Or we are the only people that are walking this journey. Or we are the only ones that are going through these struggles. And through Be Iconic, people are starting to realize we have so much more in common than we have that is not in common. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[00:04:11] And so for me, it's just, I wanted Be Iconic to be a love letter to everyone, everyone, specifically, specifically black and brown men and women to understand that we are loved. Yeah. We are powerful. We don't have to dim our light. We can be bright. We can show up loud in ourselves and truly authentic in every single way, in every single room. And we are going to walk in that room like God brought us there because he did. Absolutely. And that's exactly what we talk about here.

[00:04:39] God bringing us into places, letting us go through our God-given doors. Because I feel like so many people, you know, they're either afraid to go after their dreams or they've been put down so much that they don't even believe in their dreams. And I know that you've talked about how your birthmark on your eye, you know, people would tease you. Absolutely. People would bully you. You know, I grew up, I've been fat my whole life. I ain't never not been a big girl. Right, right, right, right.

[00:05:08] I was dark-skinned and dark-skinned didn't get cute until Lupita Nyong'o. There we go. It was not easy growing up. Yes, yes, yes. That's why I'm so funny. Yes. That's probably why you're so funny. Yes, yes. Because if we're going, you're going to be funny, I'm going to be hilarious. Okay. Yes. Oh, okay. But we had to be. But it's a defense mechanism. That's a defense mechanism. Correct. And I think for me growing up, I used fashion. Yes. As the great equalizer. Same for me. So I'm going to be fly. Same for me. I'm going to be fly. I'm going to smell good. Whether it's cows going, body bath and body work.

[00:05:38] I know that's right. Every time. Baby, that's a fact. Right. That is a fact. And so I feel like when I looked at your brain, because I didn't have to do a whole lot of research for this. I do a lot of research, but because I'm such a fan of you, because I'm such a supporter, and I don't even really love using the word supporter because we don't say we're supporters of Louis Vuitton. No, absolutely not. Okay. We don't say we're supporters of Gucci. Absolutely not. You know? But I mean supporter in the sense of like you as a person. I appreciate that. Like I will DM you. You know this. I'll be like, girl, I love to wear you out with your kids. I'm so, you know. Yes.

[00:06:07] I didn't even have to do a whole lot of research because I understand the meaning behind the brand. But for people who are new here, maybe you've never had the pleasure of purchasing Be Iconic. I got on Be Iconic socks right now. I'm down to the socks with it. So I'm a real one. We both are. And it's a lot of y'all. It's a lot of us. Yes. But for people who don't know about the brand and how you've used fashion to make sure that people saw you. Yes. Tell us about the inception of Be Iconic.

[00:06:34] And so I think you started that perfectly because it was the exact same for me, right? I was, I grew up and I don't like to say that, you know, the truth is that I was very insecure, but I have beat insecurities in the UK. And that's not to say that I don't deal with it in certain areas, you know, in small pockets and things like that. But I walk through this life with so much more purpose and so much more intention now. So I know that I've overcome, you know, the, the, the greatness of it, right? It doesn't, it doesn't control so much of my life as it used to.

[00:07:04] But to your point, when you realize, when you show up in places and you know that people are going to pick you apart because of a thing, you try to figure out what's that thing that they can't say anything about. So sure. You may say something about my Abba baby. I'm going to be flat down to my socks. To your point, glasses going to be crazy. Thick going to be nuts. And you, you ain't going to have no choice but to be like, she kind of put that on a little bit. You know what I mean? And so I was like, yeah, it's a lot of it to you. You know what I mean?

[00:07:30] So for me, that was my point and also the sense of humor. And so to me, those things coupled, it kind of helped fuel. It kind of gave me this air when I walked in rooms to feel better. You know what I mean? And so I started that through clothes. And when I was kind of coming up through young adult, I was in a very abusive, pretty dark relationship. And I think coming out and I used to always be put down in that relationship about the way I dressed. And, you know, as family would make and people around would make like really like kind of snarky comments.

[00:08:00] Like, well, why would you wear that? Or you like, you thought that that was cool. And I'm like, I know I'm cool. Right. I don't know what y'all talking about. I don't know what you're talking about, but okay. And so I kind of realized that like when I got out of that space and I kind of wanted to connect with people on like a deeper, more personal level, I was like, that's how I'm going to do it. Because I noticed the thing that I always would get complimented about was the way that I put my clothes together or the things that I wore. And I was like, to spread this message that I want to spread, I didn't want to be like

[00:08:29] preachy or feel very like I'm trying to like, you know, and you need to sit down and let me talk to you and help. I wanted to do it through clothes because I knew that that was a great conversation starter and it never failed. Anytime I made a sample or something that I was thinking about starting or thinking about trying and I would make a piece of it and I would wear it. There was never a time that I didn't wear it and I didn't get stopped and I didn't make a comment and say something about what it is that I had on. And I'm like, that's how I'm going to do it.

[00:08:56] And I don't know if people, if anyone, and of course, you know, you know, from Harlem, we like to think we the first to did anything and we the originators. But for me, I was like, I'm not quite sure if anybody else started a brand with the intention and the idea of when someone sees one of my customers in a piece that they'll stop them and tell them just how nice that they look. And that one compliment could literally change the trajectory of your day and change how you felt about yourself.

[00:09:24] And so that was really like the ethos of where I started Be Iconic and it's grown to so many other things now, but that was where I started. Yeah. And I can feel it. You know, I feel like the people who purchase Be Iconic, we are all disruptors as you call us. And I want to get into why you call us that. Yes. But you can feel the intention of the brand. One of the things, and I think I've told you this before, but if not, I'm going to tell you today. Every time I have a big interview, I wear these glasses. Wow. Wow.

[00:09:54] So first time I ever did a red carpet. Yeah. And I knew it was going to be like, it was like the first time I interviewed Kirk Franklin, the first time I interviewed like all the people I really hung up to. Yes. Yes. Yes. I wore these glasses. And I'm having them full face of makeup, but I'm like lashes and everything. But I'm like, I need my glasses. I just did one very recently. I'm going to do another one in LA in a few weeks. Yeah. And I wear my glasses because there's something about these, particularly for me. I've even gifted these glasses to a friend of mine. Yeah.

[00:10:23] It makes me feel professional. Yeah. Right? But also there's something that's so effortlessly cool about it. And in those spaces, you know this because you do behind the scenes work for artists. Yes. You're not the focal point. Yes. Right? And so it helps me to just be like, I'm not worried if I'm sweating. I'm not worried if my lashes. I have my glasses. It's a bit of armor. It's a bit of armor. It's a bit of armor. And it's comfort. It's comfort. Yes. And it's fly. And many people have been like, I like those glasses. I like those glasses. You know?

[00:10:51] And a lot of times in the content, you really can't see me because I'm zooming in on the person. Yes. But if you look, you'll see my glasses in the side. That gold, the iconic reflection on the side. And I be repping. I'm repping my set. You feel me? I appreciate you so much. Absolutely. What I love is I hear that from so many people. It's like once they get like a thing. And what I love is being someone's favorite thing in their wardrobe. Right? So everybody is like either that's their favorite pair of glasses. Or I do not leave home without the iconic socks.

[00:11:20] Or you know, it's a jacket. Like when I wear this, I know. Like it's that thing that I put on that's going to make. That was absolutely what I set out to do with these pieces. Because it's like you can get a black something from anywhere. You can get a beige something from anywhere. But I want people to have these things. Like even those glasses. At first glance, sure, people are going to think that they're actually green. And I love that. Because it's the little subtleties that make it feel like, oh, this is mine. You know what I mean?

[00:11:49] That people really connect with. And all of those things, even down to the logo. Right? The intention in the scribble in the logo. Or how it looks like a handwriting. It's like we all have these imperfections and things that make us uniquely who we are. One of my first slogans when the brand came out is, flaws are not real. Right? What some may see with my birth defect as a flaw. Right? What some may see your beautiful, beautiful dark skin as a flaw. Right?

[00:12:14] That is actually God's thumbprint on us that made us uniquely who we are. This is how we stand out in this world. Right? Because so many of us have so many things that string us and tie us together. But baby, that God's fingerprint on you is the thing that makes you uniquely you. Yeah. No one else can be you. And that is the superpower. That is you. Yeah. That is a superpower. That is me. So every time I look at this logo, it reminds me of that.

[00:12:40] Every time I see somebody and I hear someone say that, or I hear someone say like, you know, I wasn't really feeling the best, but I knew that when I look good, it makes me feel even better. And baby, the minute I got on that train and that first compliment that I got, or I walked into work and that little like, okay, I see you. You know, that comment that I, that really shifted how I felt for the rest of the day. And that is what I want to give people for the rest of my life. And you're doing it. You're doing it.

[00:13:04] I want to talk about doing loud in an era of quiet luxury, which we're coming out of. Yes. But I feel like you weathered that storm. I weathered it. And it was tough. And you were vocal. It was very much so. And you were vocal about it, which I also want to get into. Yes. You're very, very vulnerable online. Yes. Both about the brand and your personal life. Absolutely. Right. So even when you feel like the brand is not doing what you want it to do, is not selling the way you want it to sell, you get online and you tell us,

[00:13:32] how do you and how would you instruct other entrepreneurs to weather the storms of low sales, trend changes? Yeah. You know what I mean? You over here, you DIY queen, and now everybody want to go, you know, to Home Depot. It's like, okay, now I done built the whole brand on color. What are y'all talking about? Quiet. Right, right, right. How do you weather those storms? Right. I think weathering the storm, first I want to say it's not easy. Right? So to anybody out there who is weathering the storm, because I'm still at the tip end.

[00:13:58] I'm walking my way out of the, you know, I'm like taking off the raincoat out of the storm. Right? But for me, it's like, it's not easy. And so do not let anyone make it seem like whose brand is maybe grossing millions and doing all these things. Don't let anyone make it seem to you like your feelings and how you feel right now is not real. I promise whether they tell you or not, they've gone through it. They pivoted. They thought about quitting. There is not an entrepreneur on this planet who has not taken a second to say, maybe this

[00:14:28] is not all that is cracked up to be. Maybe this is not what I shouldn't be doing. We all had those second guesses. We all had those doubts. We all had those moments of fear. Right? Right. But if there is purpose and if there is intention behind what you are doing and it feels like it's bigger than you, it feels like God's literal calling on your life. You cannot stop. Like you physically, literally cannot stop. You are going to have to pick your heart. Right?

[00:14:57] That's not to say don't pivot. Right? I know I have entrepreneurial friends of mine who said, okay, I'm going to put this down for a second. Right? Yeah. And I'm going to go get a job because we know what the funding looks like for black and brown women. Especially in this administration. Especially us. Right? Especially in this administration. Yeah. Okay? So for me, it's like, understand that there are other ways that you can go about doing things. I'll give you a little bit of what I did. Right?

[00:15:26] I'm coming out of two of the hardest years of my life in business. Right? This year, 2026, Be Iconic made 10 years of what we started. Like officially, I've been an entrepreneur for almost 12 years, but Be Iconic was kind of born and the inception of all of it came about in 2016. And I was just hitting my head up against the wall. I could not figure out what wasn't connecting. I moved to a new place. It was really slow there.

[00:15:55] You know, the jobs that were coming for me to come back to New York were like kind of far and few in between. Did not know what to do. And I was just like, Ashley, you are the brain. Right? Like a problem does not have a brain. You have that. So you have to figure it out. Right? Everything. Like I assume that everything else is just things. You know what I mean? Like this is just a thing. What makes this cool is where you put it. Yeah. That's all a part of the thought process.

[00:16:24] And so I'm like, I have to think about how to do this. Right? Between trying to figure that out and just having very, very, very good people around you and never underestimate relationships. Yeah. I will scream my friend Ashana's name until I am no longer here. She literally just stopped me one day. We were at an event and she stopped me and said, how can I help? What can I do? Right? Like, tell me how I can help you. And I said, if there is any rooms that you have that you can put me in to just allow me

[00:16:53] to be creative, just call me. Yeah. Just call me. Because I believe in this here. Yeah. Because I know that it comes from him. It doesn't come from anywhere else. 100%. But from him. And so I said, if you put me in the room, I promise I got you. Everybody has a life. They have their own things going on, whatever. I circle back and circle back again. And I started saying to myself, so what happened was I saw Kasana had put out this like post about him starting a brand. And I'm like, I would love to help him. These streamers, they're young or whatever.

[00:17:22] I'm like, he needs somebody around him that has kind of, has been doing this, kind of has guidance or whatever. Yeah. And I get it. Everybody wants to go to Italy. They want to go to all these things. But my first mind is always thinking we need to start with us. Kyle, what's up from Holland? Kyle. Yeah. I said, I'm going to pitch myself. I made this whole post. I did all these things. Everybody tagged me. I don't think he ever saw it. But what it did was it gave me the confidence to say, you can actually do this. So I made a deck for myself as a designer, right? That I could, I'm like, I've been designing for myself all these years. Design.

[00:17:52] I can design for other people. Yeah. I can do merch. I can do these things for other people. The ideas, they don't stop. They're endless with me, right? So I came up with this creative idea for Roshana. And she said, I'm working with an artist right now. I want you to design like a small little capsule for him. Say less. Yeah. In 48 hours. I had a full deck. I had a full, like a full capsule that I designed for this artist. She was like, Ashley, this is incredible. I want you to do this for my other client.

[00:18:22] Crystal. I said, say less. I did a deep dive. I had no clue that she had this following that she has. Keep it positive, sweetie. Keep it positive, sweetie. Yes, we love you. Oh my gosh. I was like, what is this? And I like to think I'm cool. I'm from Harlem. I'm like, how do I not know about this cool human being that has this incredible following, that has this incredible podcast? Like, I did not know. And I'm like, oh my gosh. So my mind just was exploded. So I did some deep dive and I did all the things.

[00:18:52] And I know people think the design is just as easy. When I tell you it is work. Not when you want to tell a story. It's easy if you don't want to tell a story. Because you don't care about anything. Exactly. Throw some words on a thing or throw a couple little things. I am so big on world building and telling stories and evoking emotions out of these brands and out of people and out of things. In about maybe three days, I had a full deck of this conception and this idea.

[00:19:22] Came up with an entire world under the Keep It Positive, sweetie umbrella called the Sweetie Social Club. She loved it. And now Sweetie Social Club is like its own thing. And it started from design. Yeah. And so that was how I started climbing myself out of this and just putting myself back in these creative spaces. Yeah. Having your never underestimate working with people who like really love and appreciate what you do.

[00:19:49] That is the biggest booster for your confidence. It's the biggest booster for... Because I started to feel like, do people really love what I'm doing? Does it feel good? Is it still like translating the same? Yeah. Like, am I still connecting with my customers the same? Yep. And the way that just kind of invigorated me and gave me so much life to feel like, oh, you do still have it. You just needed to pivot a little bit and have it be seen.

[00:20:18] And then like no other but what he can. And then every single thing that I touched from the Jay-Z tee to the track jacket to the other t-shirts to the beanies, it just started to hit. And I'm like, I just needed new life breathed into me. And then that translated into what I was doing with my own brain. And so never underestimate what a pivot can do for you. Yes. Because it can help in a major way. And that was all I needed. Yeah. That was all I needed.

[00:20:48] And now I'm a part of, you know, the Sweeties team. I'm a proud Sweetie. Yeah. Baby, I love... Y'all are so just welcoming it. And so I'm a proud member of the Sweeties team. And I love building and seeing like visually what that merch will look like. Yeah. And like the connection between, you know, what we're doing on like the brand side and what the customers, how they feel that. And so I'm just... Like if I can do it, I promise you. I have like... I was crying in my room not knowing what I was going to do.

[00:21:16] And baby, and it took a minute. It wasn't just like this. It wasn't quick. It looks like that, but it wasn't. I know. And it'll look like that from the outside. Yep. But it was... I cried many nights, you know, trying to figure out how, what we were going to do. Because my husband is education. Yeah. We all know. Yeah. Education. But his heart is in it. Yeah. And I love that for him. Yeah. He's a better dad to our kids because of his love for children. Yeah. He is, he's a better husband to me because of it. Yeah.

[00:21:41] And he is so adored in his workplace because of how much he just genuinely cares for human beings. For the parents, for the kids, for the staff, for the principal. Like he's just such an amazing human being. And so I could never tell him, well, you need to stop doing that and move on to something else because it pays. But like, who would I be? Yeah. You know what I mean? Because I'm out here as an entrepreneur chasing my passion. It's plenty of months where he got to carry us. Yep. Child, y'all know how the way the entrepreneurship goes. So who would I be? Yeah. You know what I mean? To do that.

[00:22:11] And so I'm like, but you got to just figure it out. Yeah. You know, and so I get it that the story is hard. Yeah. It's not easy. But I promise you, if you do not stop, you can slow down, but do not quit. If it's a passion and it's on your heart, don't quit because I promise God will reward you for it. I love it. He will reward you. It's very true. And I've seen it. I've seen it in your life. I've seen it in mine. Yeah. I can relate to the pivot. I can relate to moving to a new place. Yes. I came here.

[00:22:38] You know, I work in inspiration gospel, right? Mostly. Yes. In media, on the media side. So Atlanta was perfect for that. Yes. Because everybody either lives in or comes to Atlanta. So I'm interviewing. I'm hanging out. I moved to New Jersey. Yeah. Yeah. And mind you, my podcast is on SiriusXM, but SiriusXM has a building in Manhattan. Yes. Yeah. That I don't have access to. You know what I mean? Okay. So because that's where Bari Smith is and Kirk Franklin has his station there. Andy is there. Yes. They're like, you're a contractor. Right.

[00:23:08] You do your podcast and send it in to us. We'll play it. Like, you know what I mean? Yeah. That's how we work. And I'm grateful for that. It's gotten into many rooms. But I can imagine how that feels. Yes. And because people are not, people are like, okay, I like what you do, but uh, uh. Right. And I have had to use my brain to say, okay, and I love what you said about problems don't have a brain. They do not. I've never thought about that. It doesn't. A problem is a thing. I love that. It's a thing. Yes. It doesn't have what we have. It doesn't have the experience. It doesn't have the thing that. Yes.

[00:23:37] It doesn't have the heart. Doesn't have a heart. So I had to get in. I had to get, I had to like really buckle down and ask myself, okay, what can you do that no one else can do? What is your unfair advantage? I ask myself this all the time. Yeah. My unfair advantage is that I'm an incredible public speaker. Yeah. Not just good. I'm great. Yes. Right? At public speaking. Right. Yes. My advantage is I'm not fearful of crowds. Yeah. Right? That's my advantage. You need to get in front of people.

[00:24:07] Because I was staying in the house. You know when you move and you're a little depressed. It was snowing. I'm like, ah, you know. We never decorated. See, I had to, that's another thing. I decorated. I said, all right, what events can I go to? Started kind of going to events. And funnily enough, the event that made this possible, I was not going to go to because I wasn't feeling well. Wow. And it was more, you know, sometimes you don't feel well and you don't know if it's emotional or physical as a woman. It's probably just hormonal. Yeah. Lord bless us. We got a lot going on. But I wasn't going to go. Yeah.

[00:24:36] But I was like, you know what? I need to go. And I have a friend. Yeah. Shout out to you, Tiara. Yeah. Who has been pushing me. Yeah. She's been pushing me. Yeah. You know, Lish, you got to get. Thank God for good friends. Thank God for good friends. Yeah. She's like, there is no reason that more people don't know about your podcast. She's like, there's no reason. It's not. You know what I mean? And so she's been pushing me. So when I got there, I said to myself, okay, I'm going to see what the spirit tells me to do. Yes. Because I don't just get up and ask. Oh, can everybody be.

[00:25:06] I go to a lot of panels and things. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But just listening to you all speak and listening to the transparency and the warmth that Renee created in that space. Shout out to Renee.

[00:25:46] Shout out to Renee. Yes. Yeah. But at the end of it, for some reason I said, oh, my podcast is on SiriusXM. It's a real podcast. We're going to clock that because that was an insecurity thing. Yes. That was a, I don't want y'all to think I'm not. Think that it's a janky. Let me tell you. Yeah. She said, I wouldn't care if it was on Boo Boo the Fool Network. I'll be there. That's what you said. I don't know if you remember saying that. And I was telling my best friend the next day because she also loves you. Shout out to my friend, Dime. We were talking. I was talking to her about, you know, the experience.

[00:26:16] And I said, you know, I needed to hear that because sometimes we think these entities, these celebrities who wear our clothes, these places we've been invited to, they make us. But the truth is, if I stop working with SiriusXM tomorrow, I'm still Lish. This is still my podcast and I will never forget that part of the interaction because it's like, I'm coming for you and people will come for you. And you're not the first person that has said that to me, you know?

[00:26:43] And so I'm like, God is trying to download something into my mind about my worthiness, not coming from all this. Yeah. Because the thing for me is like, well, one, we love saying support each other and support black business and da, da, da, da, da. But I don't know if there are enough people who are actually putting the work in to actually make that a thing. Because if they were, then I feel like a lot of us wouldn't be struggling the way that we are struggling. You understand what I'm saying?

[00:27:11] So for me, it's always like any time, any way that I can help propel, help put on, connect the dot, I'm going to do. Because I'm really about what I say that I'm about. Yeah. It does nothing for me to just say that and then fall short. Right. I meant every word of it. Yeah. And when you said that, and then when we DM'd, and I was like, yeah, I'm going to figure out a way to make this happen. Yeah. I literally leave tomorrow. I was not leaving here without figuring out how to do this. And you've been busy. I have not stopped since I got here. You've not stopped? No. I've not stopped since I got here.

[00:27:39] A festival, a panel, another bus, another tour, another club. Another club. Right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right. Even after that, she got a meeting. I'm looking at the time to make sure I get you where you got to get. And I'm so grateful for integrity. I feel like one of the things that makes your business great is that you are, you know, the word authentic has become. Yeah. People just use it for me. Authentic, authentic. But you actually are who you say you are. And I believe that we can feel it.

[00:28:05] How important is integrity, authenticity, and a brand now in a world full of AI clicks and viral content? Here's the thing, right? Like at the start of AI, I was starting to get like a little nervous and scared and worried and all the things, right? And rightfully so. This is a new thing. You do not know how it's going to manifest, what it's going to look like, what people will really be able to do within all the things.

[00:28:34] And then I started to think about like, people are going to forever long for human interactions. We can't get from AI what we can get from a good laugh on a couch where you can't even breathe because you're laughing so hard and you're slapping your friend. Yes. You can't get that from AI. Yes. Right? These little beautiful like things where it almost feels like kismet, where things kind of just align perfectly. Yes.

[00:29:03] Even like this happening, right? You can't get that from AI. So for me, I'm like, people are always going to long for the closeness of human beings. For connection. Yes. And as long as we are in a place where people always long for that, there will always be room for me. We just use AI for what it's for. Use that for what it's for to enhance what we already know. Because that's the other thing. AI is only as good as the prompts that you give it. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?

[00:29:33] And so for me, I'm like, authenticity and integrity is always going to be important for who it's important for and for the people that we are meant to. It's not going to be important to everybody. Yeah. But those are not your people anyway. Do you know what I mean? I'm starting to come to terms I understand. Yes, there was this thing that I always wanted to be liked. And of course, that goes back to what we grew up against. And I get it. But now it's like, actually, you're not that great of a human being. Yeah. I don't even like you.

[00:30:02] I'm actually glad you don't like me. It's better for me that you don't like me. You should actually steer clear of somebody like me. Yeah. Very good. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Because somebody like you shouldn't, you're not going to like somebody like me. No. And you're not going to understand me. You're not going to understand me. And sometimes people will go out there way to misunderstand you. Yes. Cool. Misunderstand me over there. Yes. You don't even have to worry about it over here. Somebody you love. Absolutely.

[00:30:32] Or even still love to this day. Because I have so much love to go. I still love you. Same. Don't like you. Don't care to be around you. But I love you and I want the best for you. Yep. I want the best for whatever it is. However God sees. Because you're his child. You ain't mine. That part. You understand what I'm saying? And so I want the best for you. I want the best for you over there. Yeah. And I want what's best for you. Absolutely. Do you know what I mean? And so for me, it's like, I'm cool. I'm okay not being liked. Yeah. You wasn't supposed to know it. Yeah. Yeah. Who's for me is going to always be for me. Absolutely.

[00:31:02] Which for me is never going to pass me by. And that's people, places, and things included. Yeah. Yeah. Let's talk about this friend real quick. Because you mentioned the friend Ashauna. Yes. And she asked, how can I help? And here's one of the- Just that simple. And I mean, stopped, held my hands and said, what can I do? Yep. How can I? And in that moment, I wanted to cry. But it was a room full of- Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like, actually, hold it down. Keep it together. Keep it together, girl. I wanted to be a public. I'm a crier, too. I don't know when's the last time somebody asked me that. Yep. Somebody told me, people were telling me what I should do.

[00:31:31] People were telling me what I shouldn't do. People were telling me, well, if it was them, what they would do. But I couldn't remember. And in that moment, when the last time, and I'm sure they have. I have incredible friends. More of my friends are like family to me than they are like friends, to be fair. But I couldn't think of when was the last time somebody in that capacity asked me and just stopped. And held both my hands and said, how can I help? What can I do? And when I tell you, this friend, she is so connected. And people love her.

[00:32:00] And she's one of those people like me. If they love her, they love anybody that's connected to her. People love me the same way. So when I put people on to other people and I connect people with them, you good. Because the way that people love me. And people know I won't be rolling with no buster. That's, that's, that's, you know what I mean? Straight up. I ain't heard buster in years. I'm from Brooklyn. That was very, very old school Brooklyn coded. I love this about her because one of the hills that I will die on for us as black people is this.

[00:32:31] When we see the winner. Yeah. And the winner could be seasonal. Yeah. It doesn't have to mean you're not a winner. Yeah. If we rallied around that person, they'd get there quicker and help somebody. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When you see the person in your family that is really a go get, they may not even be the most, most talented one, but they're the one actually going after it. Yep. Why isn't everybody? Yep. Now somebody go to jail. We're going to pull all the money together. Mm-hmm.

[00:33:01] Somebody die and we have a funeral. We're going to put all the money together. Yep. Somebody, you know, in trouble, we're going to figure out. Yep. But the person trying to start the business, the person trying to finish school, the person that needs help with the books. Just go get a job. Just go get a job. Just go get a job. And I'm like, I will die on the hill if there is a North Star in your friend group, in your family group. Even if it's just for that season. Pour into them. Pour into them. And I mean everything. Yes. Yeah. Not just a little liking and reshare.

[00:33:30] Because we love to be like, oh, liking and resharing is free. Do the stuff that ain't free. Do that too. Because guess what's going to happen too. Do that too. But guess what's going to happen? When something go on in your life that ain't free, that person's going to be able to help you. That's going to be there for you. But they're not going to be able to be there for you if they have exhausted themselves in every which way. In every which way. And I'm not saying do this for everybody. I'm saying for the person who has shown you that they are taking themselves seriously. I feel like sometimes we as a people, and I don't even like to say talk about us as

[00:33:59] people in mixed companies. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we don't get behind the person that takes themselves seriously. We get behind rescuing the person that ain't serious about nothing. Yep. And we got to stop that. So I love, and I have friends who have done the same. I love that you have a friend that has said, how can I help? And then stood on business and helped. Ten toes down. And continues to say my name in rooms. passé days continues. And I'm sure that that is because I'm not a slouch. Yeah. And so I show up and I rise to the...

[00:34:29] You don't embarrass her. I mean, that's another thing y'all don't embarrass your people. When they hold you down, when they get you the job. And this starts before entrepreneurship. When they get you the job at FedEx, show up! Okay? That part. And so she continues to, and I will forever be grateful for her because you know, tough times don't last, but tough people do. Absolutely. Do you know what I mean? And I think that I needed that in that moment. It was the greatest gift that she could have ever given me. And it cost her nothing.

[00:34:59] Yeah. But to just say my name and give me an opportunity. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Absolutely. And what they say when God gave you the ball? Ball. Baby, I ain't stopped dribbling between my legs and twirling it on my finger ever since. I ain't stopped. Yeah. I did not. And I don't plan on stopping. Yeah. Do not plan on stopping. I love it. I have one last question for you before I let you go. I ask everyone when they come to the show, in the grand scheme of things, what do you want your legacy to be? I want my legacy to be a few things.

[00:35:28] I would love for my legacy to be that people felt loved around me. I would love for my legacy to be that anybody that I could help in any way that I could, that I did that, that they can say that with their chest, that I did that. And I think most importantly, that my kids saw that they didn't stop my life, that I was able

[00:35:53] to have children, have a healthy, successful marriage, and not drop my dreams because of it. Yeah. I want it to be that. You may not can't have it all at once, but that girl really had it all and did it all. Yeah. She traveled with her friends. She loved on her kids. She had experiences with her kids. She loved her husband. Her and her husband lived a full, beautiful life. They got to travel. Yeah. They understood that it was them against the problem and not them against each other.

[00:36:23] They raised healthy, beautiful, well-loved children in a beautiful, big blended family. Yeah. And everybody felt loved. Yeah. From the oldest to the baby. That every single person in our, the ethos of our world felt loved by the both of us. I think that that, I think most is what I would want my legacy to be. Well, you're well on your way. I appreciate that so much. I am going to make sure I link everywhere you guys can purchase Be Iconic down.

[00:36:51] But mostly follow Be Iconic on all social platforms. Follow Ashley on all social platforms. I appreciate that so much. And become a part of the movement. Yes. Absolutely. Become a disruptor. Become a disruptor. Because we need more disruptors. Everybody's too comfortable following the trend and the wave and the movement. Shake it up a little bit. Absolutely. What'd they say? Wake it up. Wake it up. Wake it up. Let's wake it up, guys. Come on. Like, let's disrupt some things. Absolutely. You know that the way that people think and move is not right. Yeah. Say something. Yeah. Be the change that you want to see. Yeah.

[00:37:21] Don't go with the flow because everybody else is. Everybody's too comfortable. Yeah. Let's get comfortable with being uncomfortable just for a little bit. Absolutely. Let's make uncomfortability the new norm. Yeah. This is how our kids are going to grow. This is how we're going to grow. This is how, as a whole, we are going to grow. This is how politics not going just... This is why I love... And I have to say, this is why I love Mom Donnie. He is waking it up. He is showing you that... It can be changed quickly. It can be done. It doesn't have to take forever. They told you that the politics, they didn't want to. Yeah.

[00:37:50] Because they were too comfortable riding the wave. Agreed. Be a disruptor. Yeah. Please. Yeah. Please. Please. That's... Let's add that to the legacy. That's what I want my legacy to be. Add that. The other stuff too. But add this on top of that. Be a disruptor. That's what I want my legacy to be a disruptor. Yeah. Ashley made me think different. Yeah. Ashley gave me an idea or just a way of thinking that was a little bit different than what I was raised to believe and I actually agree with it. Yeah.

[00:38:17] And now I'm going to teach that to my kids and I'm going to tell that to my friends. Absolutely. Have the uncomfortable conversations. Tell the people that you love that you love them. Yep. Make it weird. Yeah. Hug your friends. Love your friends. Absolutely. Do all the things that people... Oh, I don't want to look like I'm too... Who cares? Who cares? God is good. Be cringe. Life is short. Yeah. Love is big. Yeah. Understand that this world needs everything that you have to offer. Don't leave nothing on the table. Period. Don't leave nothing on the table. Take it all. Yeah.

[00:38:48] Get everything that's meant for you. Everything on this table that has your name on it, take it with you and give it to somebody else. Period. Love y'all. Listen. Thank you so much for having me. Ashley Muhammad, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. What a way to end the podcast. This is amazing. Awesome. I love you. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for being here. Awesome. Thank you so much for watching another episode of I'll Just Let Myself In. And if you've watched on Holy Culture, Channel 140 on Sirius XM at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on a Monday night, we thank you for watching there. If you've watched on their YouTube, thanks for watching there.

[00:39:18] And if you've watched on my YouTube, thanks for watching here. We'll be back here same time, same place next week. Peace. My name is Ashley Muhammad of Be Iconic and I have let myself in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.