When I first started searching for black minimalists three years ago, I had no idea what this community would develop into. Of course, I had my ideas and dreams about what it could be, but to see what it is actually becoming is overwhelming, in a great way.

Getting Black Minimalists (BM) off the ground was very challenging and at times I thought about giving up on this dream, but every time I set BM to the side, I always received some message or sign this community was needed. 

At the end of 2016, I made up my mind I was going to launch BM by myself and even if it took me forever, this space would exist someday. In the process of gathering contributors for our ebook, Simply Black, I was meeting many black minimalist women and getting to know them through their stories. 

The truth is, I'd had trouble forming a team to execute the vision I had for BM and even though I had resolved to see it through on my own, deep down I knew it would be a struggle given everything I had going on. So I decided to trust my instincts and the good vibes I was receiving from this awesome group of women and ask who might be interested. 

Well, first I approached Farai Harreld. I can't say why, but instinct led me and we vibed on our first call. I shared with her my plans and we decided it was a good idea to ask the other ladies involved if they would be interested. From there, three women expressed serious interest in founding BM. Kenya Cummings, Anekia Nicole, and Bryttany Hyde. Bryttany is no longer with the BM leadership, but we appreciate all her efforts in helping us launch.

I was nervous to say the least. Nervous about leading these women and how it would go because of my past experiences with forming a team. I knew Kenya, I followed Anekia online and she was in my second Black Minimalists on the Web roundup, and I didn't know anything about Farai or Bryttany. Looking back, maybe it was crazy to begin this way. I had no clue about how well we would work together if at all, but here we are thriving and learning about each other and this community everyday. 

That's not to say everything is perfect, but it is working. So, I guess my first lesson about learning to lead is trusting your intuition. This is my first time leading a team in this capacity. I've been a supervisor and lead teams in a professional setting, but it's different when working in your passion. Trusting my intuition is crucial not only in my development as a leader, but also as a part of my human and spiritual evolution.

As we approach a year of working together as a team to run Black Minimalists, I will be sharing with you what I'm learning as I grow into the leader I'm becoming.