We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Neisha Harris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Neisha, 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?
I would attribute my resilience to my grandmother. Growing up in the deep south, she had no other option other than to be resilient and overcome the shortages of resources needed to help her survive and meet the needs of her loved ones as the matriarch of her family. This is a woman that I had the opportunity to watch live out the true meaning of the expression “to make something out of nothing” and never complain while doing so. Although she didn’t have a formal education, she stressed the importance education to myself as well as my younger brother and assisted my mom with the resources to allot us a private school education for most of our lives. No matter life’s mishaps, she never let things burden her and she lived her life by setting an example for those connected to her on how to work hard and persevere.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Formally, I have a background in finance. However, my lovechild has always been fashion and design as I have worked for years on the side as a style consultant and even as once the owner of my own lady’s boutique “Hill & 5th”. While I continue to feed my soul in the realm of style and design, I have now started to dabble in the world of architectural and interior design, with the hopes to develop communities of affordable modern design housing.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My three most impactful qualities on my journey have been my work ethic, my inquisitiveness, and my assertiveness. My advice to anyone that are on the journey to living out their dreams, is to develop a strong work ethic as nothing is given; always be a student and willing to learn; and to walk in confidence (not to be confused with arrogance). In addition, I encourage you to trust the process.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest area of growth or improvements over the past 12 months have been learning to carve out time for myself and being intentional about my selfcare. I think as a mother and wife, sometimes we give so much of ourselves to our families that we are often sometimes left with the crumbs. This often happens, not because we don’t have the proper support system, its mainly because we don’t fully utilize that support system. So, I’m learning how to be selfish with my time and my energy.
Contact Info:
- Website: hilland5th.com
- Instagram: @neishathompsonharris
