Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tracey Kennedy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tracey, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
So, this question immediately pulled me in. A few years ago, I was a Meta guest panel speaker for a small business conference. The topic was “Business Resilience”. I was in such shock they asked me to be part of a discussion on being ‘resilient.” I learned to minimize myself at an early age. I simply saw myself as someone who just moved forward, but there really wasn’t growth within my moving ahead the made me feel accomplished. I think that holds true for many in Black America; talented and accomplished, but not having the self worth to value our achievements, in spite of it all.
I had a therapist tell me, years prior, after giving her the cliffs notes of my life, I was resilient. That thought is what allowed my 6in. leopard print stilettos to pound across that stage as I walked to take my seat. I was going to tell my story to a packed house. As words began flowing from my mouth, tears ultimately streamed from my eyes. That was the moment I felt “resilient”. I felt like a warrior. There was nothing I could not overcome. My entire life I moved through life. From that day forward, I was “RESILIENT”. I moved with value and worth. My resilience came from the love I held for myself. It came from the humility I offered in times when being the Queen of Petty weighed heavy on my heart and lips. Each time I chose better parts of me, through the worst of times, I could see my growth come to fruition. The relationships in my life began the flourish once more because I was flourishing. Resilience is worth in self during times of trauma and tragedy.
Telling my story of tragic events I fought through, down to being raw and vulnerable to explain the emotions I was going through of having to smile and sell my body care products to barely make a living for myself and two children, put into perspective the courage it took me to battle for better day in and day out. I walked off the stage to a standing ovation and an audience in tears. I was not alone. That’s what I could feel radiating throughout the room. I could feel it as I shook someone’s hand or gave someone a hug.
Where do I get my resilience from? HAHAHA It comes from being genuine in my purpose in life. It comes from connecting with others on a human level, so that we all know, we are not alone. There is safety for us all. There is value for us all. Faith in me developed. I stopped falling so much because I learned how to jump higher. I learned to always strive to be humble, confident, vulnerable, and authentic. My resilience is from the ideals I hold within my freedom to simple be me.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Known as, “The Queen of Loving Yourself Organically” in Birmingham, AL. I have owned and operated the manufacturing company, California Country Organics Body Care for almost seven years. From formulations to packaging to long days on the road, traveling to sell at markets across the country, I built something magical out of the emotions of being a lonely housewife with quite a bit of talent. My products were sold in small boutiques across the US. I had been on television and radio multiple times. I had done podcasts, print magazines, articles galore featuring my company that I accidently created. One bad business deal in 2022 forced me to take a step back from life, and go in search of my purpose and learning how to heal my traumas. I kept traveling the US, then started utilizing my passport and grabbed flights to see the world. I met people I never would have thought I would meet. I felt emotions I never wanted to deal with. I mustered all the courage I could invision, then looked at me. I faced the worst of myself to find the beautiful aspects of my personality.
Not only did my life turn around in a positive direction, but I felt like I was light itself. I indulged in creative outlets that once brought so much joy in my younger years. I worked on reconnecting with my children, and people that truly held value in my life. December 2022 I did something I said I was going to do for years. I published my first book, Tender Nights With Tracey: Swiping During The Age of The Rona. One year later, I toured across the US for a book tour, reigniting my love for creative writing. There has always been something fascinating about telling the truths of life through fantasy or interpretations of religion. Sometimes, it’s easier to create characters to tell the trauma of our lives. I couldn’t live as an emotionally hallow woman, mother, entrepreneur any longer. It all became so clear; writing books and inspiring others to live authentically through my social media platforms is my purpose in life.
I’m currently working on my second book, The Only Ones Listening! In the simplest of explanation, it is an odyssey of the mind of an abstract Black woman learning how to heal childhood trauma. If you want more sneak peaks of the synopsis, excerpts from the book, presale date, and official release date, you have to follow me on my social media platforms! You like how I did that, huh? You can find me on IG and Tiktok @traceykennedywithlove Twitter/X @Fuckingtracey. Stop looking for my private Facebook account, y’all. That’s where I get to freely talk about foolishness I deal with regarding my crazy ex-husband. It’s private for a reason!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I swear, your publication knows how to ask the most fitting questions! The answer to, “Why are you the Modern Day Muse?” is the same as listing my three most important qualities/skills/knowledge. Books, body care, food. Learning those skills didn’t just give me another skill under my belt. Those skills helped transform me into the woman I am today. Those skills saved my life. They are the foundations of self love. When you truly love yourself, you will desire an endless joy within the ability to learn new things and ideas, and grow. When you genuinely love yourself you care about what you are putting in your body. When you authentically care about yourself you take pride in what you are putting on your body.
The journey achieving my skill set was not easy. I feel like that’s the best advice to give someone; the truth that achievement, quite bluntly, is fucking hard. You’re going to cry and break down and scream and throw tantrums. You may even be that person that breaks a window or punches a hole in the wall. However, wanting something so badly, you are willing to look at the most horrific parts of who you are, and choose humility and accountability over your pride and fears? That is top tier self love, that you can then spread throughout all aspects of your life.
My desire and purpose in life is to take combine, my books, body care line, and a killer menu to create spaces where people can feel like they are loving themselves inside and out. Its humbly each day to know I provide emotional and spiritual safety and comfort for so many. And, so many more to come!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
So, I read this article a couple of weeks ago in neuroscience news about, with the increase of accessibility to equitable/adequate education, cognition is on a severe decline. Meaning, education is not indicative of the ability to think. I said that to say, learn. Grow. Consistently strive to always be your best self. There’s no time to feel overwhelmed when there’s joy in problem solving, engaging in ideas to create positive change within you and your surroundings. We, collectively, as a society, have stopped thinking. Knowledge is so easily accessible yet we know nothing because we rely upon technology to give us the cliff notes.
It’s ok to reprogram your thought process to vibes that create joy. If there are overwhelming feelings, remind yourself how valuable you are by going out and learning anything, everything. Remember as a child? You asked three billion questions in a four second time frame? Do that. Start asking yourself questions. Start asking other people questions. Start reading books. You should definitely connect with God and the ancestors. They will always lead you down the path God has set out for you. As I say every Sunday on my Tiktok series, Jesus Gone Get These Titties, “If you can’t figure out how to love yourself, go out and figure out how to love somebody else.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://calibamaorganics.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tkennedywithlove/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Allinyomouf.kennedy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FuckingTracey
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@traceykennedywithlove
