We were lucky to catch up with Oneisha Thompson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Oneisha, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
This is a very interestung question for me beause I feel like every since I was a child, I enjoyed being an outlier. I liked being the person to defy odds or be the only person that is willing to take risks even if no one else is willing to stand with me. I do realize that being like this and making a conscious decision to be different causes waves and makes people uncomfortable, but I honestly do not care. I can remember on several occasions when I was in middle and high school, I would wear clothes that others thought were tacky, hang with people that others would go out of their way to avoid, or speak up about things that most people would rather just fade into the background about. People have always told me that they admired my confidence and my willingness to be the person that everyone hates or dislikes because I feel that strongly about myself and what I beliieve in that I am willing to do whatever it takes to be true to myself despite the consequences. I think that the most important thing that I have learned is to know yourself better than anyone else, so that when situations like this arise, there is no hesitation to stick to those beliefs in spite of the outcome.
Whenever I do find myself in rooms where I am the only person that looks like me I feel proud and take that as an opportunity to stand out because there is a reason that I am the only person in this space. I feel that being the only person in a room is a challenge and a blessing as there is something that I may be able to impart to them that they were not expecting. I know that people constantly passes judgement against me because I have several tattoos, facial piercings, have short cut hair that I dye different colors that a dark skin person should not wear, wear certain clothes that people disapprove of and I am sure a lot of other things that give people something to talk about in a negative way. I do not know, I guess it is a learned skill because I have dealt with being outspoken my entire life and I just naturally adapted to being alone. I actually prefer it that way. When I am alone that gives me time to reflect and think about myself now and who I want to be and the things that I need to do to get to that next stage without people who may serve as a distraction. To me, silence can be deafening and defining. Overall, I think I lean into fear and things of the unknown just because I feel like that is when I succeed the most just because I trust the process and trust that God will continue to order my steps and my thoughts.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a henna artist that started my business shortly after Covid just because like most others I found myself with all thisi free time and wanted to pour into something that was positive. This business idea actually came as a recommendation from a friend and I just kind of took it over and made it my on. When I first went public with my business, I started out as a vendor at pop up shops and events. I did that for about a year, until I fel that I could do more with my business and reach more people. I then decided to open a physical business location where people could book appointments. From there my business has just continued to grow and blossom. My ultimate goal for my business would be for it to a household name that people associate with beauty and as a therapeutic practice. I cannot count how many times with in just the short amount of time I have been open that people will confide in me about things that is bothering them or just use the short time that they are in my chair to get a service to make them feel better overall. On a small scale, I have created something that all people feel comfortable with getting and using it as a form of therapy. At first that was not my intention, but being a part of people’s lives in a way that creates a happy and memorable moment that can last people for a lifetime is something that I can use to continue to push my vision. When I am not doing henna, I do work a full-time job as a Rehabilitation Counselor at a state agency and I am a full-time college student woking on my second master’s degree in Counseling. I know that my schedule is extremely hectic which usually does not leave much time for my business, but I just try to just see the bigger picture and realize that I am working towards something that is bigger than myself. I really do believe that I possess the knowledge and talents to reach a lot of people in a special way, so to be able to allow my gift to place me in rooms that may be uncomfortable, but can allow me to continue to grow and step outside of the box. Eventually when my life does slow down, I would definitely like to dedicate a lot more time to my business and cultivate it to make it more inclusive of my life..
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?
Three qualities that I feel have really impacted me as a business owner and just me personally is resilience, humility, and emapathy. I feel that I am resilient because there have been several instances in my life that have been hard and I have just had to kind of figure things out for myslef, but through that, I have come out stronger on the other side. I am sure that when people look at me there are several conclusions that they can make, but I can definitely say that I do not look like what I have been through. When I tell people about some of the things that I have been through, they look surprised and often ask how I still manage to make it. I just tell people that it is the grace of God that keeps me going. In hindisght, while during the hard times, it seemed like things would never change, but it is because of those experiences that I am able to do extraordinary things since I know I never walk alone. In humility, I feel that no matter how much I achieve or acquire, it honestly means nothing to me because I know what it’s like to have nothing and what it means to be comfortable. Any time that there is something that I want to do, I seldomly think about the money and more so about the impact it can have on me and others. My overall goal in life is just to leave my mark on the world and to impact others lives in a way that will leave them better than the way I found them. Empathy is the last qualiity that I think has had a major impact on my life as the basic human need for everyone is to be loved and understood so I feel that possessing genuine empathy makes people naturally attracted to me and gravitate towards me because that is just something that people can pick up on. I know that I am not perfect and there are a lot of areas that I fall short in, but I think that my willingness to be open about those things and me not falling into a habit of complacency consistently makes me a better person that others want to be around personally or professionally.
For people that are just starting out I feel that the best advice that I can give is to just be true to yourself and even when things get hard, surround yourself with people and things that remind you of why you started your journey in the first place. Being confident in yourself and your abilities will give you the resilience to keep going even if no one else believes in what you are doing. Overall, the best teacher in life is experience and time. There are going to be a million reasons to give up or quit before you even start, but if you can just allow yourself one reason to move forward I say go for it. People use the expression “yolo” (you only live once) to do things that they probably would not usually do they can be seen as reckless, so why not use that phrase to do something that could change your life for the better.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I feel that the biggest obstacle in my life right now is time. I know that it is a common phrase to say to young people that you have your entire life aahead of you, but for me I feel like you cannot say that now a days with absolutely certainty, so making the most of every moment is pertinent. I know that time is also the one thing that I cannot control so I try not to worry about it too much, but I still just feel like I am not doing everything that I could be doing. Currently what I do to try and overcome this is to try and make time for everything. I do make it a point now to rest when I need to which is something I usually did not do. As of right now I do think that I am managing pretty well between being a student, employee, and a boss, but I do get periods of burn out because I just feel like the time I do take to rest do not offer me a full period to completely reset. In the past, I typically struggled with too much free time which caused me to throw myself into a project or commit to something without thinking about the longterm and now I just wish my life would slow down a bit so that I would have more time to focus on other things. I do know that eventually my courseload wth school will slow down and work want to continue to be so stressful so i can refocus that time on other things.
Contact Info:
- Website: hennaspice.squarespace.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/hen.naspice
- Facebook: facebook.com/hen.naspice
