“ Empowering Elegance: Ra’Shawnda C. Scott’s Journey in Jewelry & Women’s Empowerment”

On today’s episode, we take a look at Ra'Shawnda  and her extraordinary journey from a young jewelry enthusiast to the founder of Pieces of Kandakes @piecesofkandakes.com Her mission has always been one in which she uplifts and empowers others to recognize their best potential. Her dedication combined with community advocacy and creativity is truly an inspiration!

Transcript

[00:01] theheadwrapsocialite: Good afternoon and welcome to everybody. The podcast, which shares stories that highlight people in life, that make the world an interesting place, which ultimately ties us all together in unique and wonderful ways. And who am I, you might ask? I would be the headwrapped socialite, wife, mom, micro influencer in the fashion in an etiquette world. But on this podcast, I will be introducing you to some people who I've had the opportunity to meet along my journey, who have helped enrich me and my life in beautiful ways, and who I hope will do the same in.

[00:42] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: You that I do is sometimes just to keep myself balanced.

[00:48] theheadwrapsocialite: Jewelry helps me maintain good afternoon. Today I have an incredibly talented guest joining me whom I first met when I modeled for her company's Woman's empowerment jewelry campaign. Roshonda C. Scott has been on an extraordinary journey in the world of jewelry design, starting her passion when she was just 13 years old in Wichita, Kansas. After relocating to Chicago in 2019, she founded Pieces of Candyx, a brand with a mission to empower women globally through jewelry. Her beautiful designs have graced the runways of both New York Fashion Week and Fashion Week Minnesota. Please join me in welcoming the wonderfully talented Rashonda C. Scott to today's episode. Thank you for joining us.

[01:44] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Thank you for having me. That was such a beautiful introduction, Rashonda.

[01:48] theheadwrapsocialite: Can you tell the listeners a little bit about who you are?

[01:51] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yes. So I feel like she really hit my most recent things. But I started this business to empower women through jewelry. And in doing so, I had to start myself as a brand new business in 2019, and it wasn't as easy to find models as it is today. So I had to be my own model. However, I just had four children. I was experiencing postpartum depression, and I was terrified to be behind a camera. I was really good on the opposite end of the camera. So my brother, he became a photographer, and he's like, I can help you with this. And so we began to take pictures of me modeling my jewelry, and that just sparked a whole thing for me. I was like, oh, so I can find more ways to empower women through jewelry than them just purchasing my jewelry. I could find women that are going through something similar that I'm going through. And it may not be postpartum depression. Maybe it's rapid weight loss or rapid weight gain. Maybe they are grieving and they finally have hit a point in their process where they're like, okay, I understand. I'm at the last stage of grieving, and they need some way to celebrate the new them that's where I started. The women empowerment projects started with just four girls. And this year, I was blessed enough to have 16 girls do this campaign. And all of the beautiful ladies warriors overcame many things, and they were all able to be a part of our commercial ads that are on YouTube and all of our social media platforms as well. And I'm just honored that God chose me to be a facilitator for all of these women's better selves.

[03:31] theheadwrapsocialite: Sure. When did you first recognize that you had this calling deep within yourself?

[03:37] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: You know what? I knew that I was chosen to empower women at a very young age. I was always that friend, even as a teenager. A teenager. It's kind of like you're exploring everything possible. I was always the voice of reason for my friends, and I was always the one that empowered my friends to just be their best selves, whether that means let's make a good decision or you really are beautiful. Just those little subtle things. I think a lot of times people forget that those little subtle things make a huge impact for someone. Your words are very powerful, for sure.

[04:14] theheadwrapsocialite: As you speak of words, I am reminded of this quote by Amanda Gorman, and you fit this quote perfectly. She goes on to say, hear me as a woman. Have me as your sister on purple Battlefield breaking day. So I might say our victory is just beginning. See me as change. Say, I am movement, that I am the year, and I am the error of the woman. When you say that, you recognize this at a young age to uplift other women who were in Your circle so that they could recognize the power that is deep within them. I feel that power. So thank you.

[04:54] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yeah, you're welcome. For me, it's very natural, and I've always been this way. So to see that now, it's like every woman, we're all waking up and realizing that we need each other. We need to speak life into each other. We need to help each other recognize our powers. We need to help each other stand in our powers and adjust each other's crown without telling the whole world that we did. So, amen. And so I'm just, like, loving this season of just womanhood that is just happening across the globe. We're all just standing with one another.

[05:28] theheadwrapsocialite: That is so beautiful. And as we traverse this interview, I would like to take it back. I'm going to ask you about your journey and having the passion for jewelry. What inspired you to start creating jewelry at just 13 years old?

[05:46] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: So I was always that child that had on way too much jewelry. I look like the Claire store just exploded on me. I have pictures to back it up.

[05:56] theheadwrapsocialite: Okay, Rashonda, for those who don't know, tell the listeners what a Claire store is.

[06:00] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: So Claire's was, I guess, when you're coming into your teenage years, Claire was the store you got all of your accessories from. They had these little black baskets that were cloth, and you would just fill them up and hope your mom is going to buy everything in there.

[06:17] theheadwrapsocialite: It's like a teenager's dream.

[06:19] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yes. It was like the Walmart of accessories, right? Any type of accessory you could think of, you could dream of. It was in that store, and they had sales frequently. So I would have my mom like, mom, there's a sale. Because back then when there were sales, you would get mailed ads. Email wasn't that big of a thing. Yet you get mailed ads, like, on your birthday. And when the Black Friday sales come, and I would get it, and I'd be all excited, like, mom, it's a sale. And we would go. And I would be like, Prince, you got everything in the basket. And then I just remember, like, you know what? I think this is probably something I Can make. Let me try it. And then that's when it started. And then I got into teenage years, got into sports, got into all these things, got into debate. I got into this youth group called Hope Street Youth Development. And this group actually really helped me step into my power, because at the time, I don't feel like, and it could be just me. I don't feel like in the black community, people take art serious. They don't take it serious. And so I didn't take it serious. And so I went to this youth group, and they taught us how to think by ourselves. They taught us how to speak for ourselves, and they taught us how to act for our community. And I feel like God paused my journey of jewelry making so that I could do those things, because I wasn't supposed to just make jewelry. I was supposed to empower women that are wearing my jewelry, right? And so with that youth group, they taught us so much. And it was a true blessing for my mom. My mom was a single mother for a while, and it was a true blessing because my mom had a safe place to take us. But they taught us everything. Anything that we could think of, they would facilitate it for us. And I remember when Barack Obama was at the caucus, they were choosing between him and Hillary who was going to be it for the Democratic Party. And me and my peers, we had raised money for a bus. We had learned how to write grants. They taught us how to write grants, which I was like, now I'm an adult. I'm like, whoo. Thank you. But they taught us how to write grants, and we wrote up a grant, and we got the grant. We ended up getting a tour bus, and we took us and obviously some adults to oversee us to that caucus. We were two rows away from Barack Obama. Just that group alone helped me develop into who I am today. Then fast forward. I became a mom. I became an adult. Life started happening. I was like, I was in nursing at the time, and I love doing things with my heart. I like to do work that requires me to be passionate, because that's who I am. I'm a very passionate person. And I was in nursing, and I just was like, I can't do this. I'm working with my heart. But I feel so empty because I'm just giving, giving, and there's just, like, not enough to replenish. And I wrote a list, actually, I wrote a list of 100 things that I'm interested in, 100 things that I'm good at. And jewelry, obviously, was at the top of that list. And I was like, okay, well, let's figure out how to do this. So I started making jewelry for my friends. I didn't expect it to turn into a business again. I'm just running completely on passion, right? And it just slowly turned into a business. And I remember one of my friends, he actually makes graphic designs for Kanye West. I said, hey, I think this thing is turning into a business. And I said, can you help me with a logo? And so he did, and he sent me this survey, and I'll never forget. I was like, oh, my God, this is such a long survey. I haven't even thought about these things at all for a business. I don't know what my target audience is. I guess my peers, my friends, my mom. It was all these questions, and he withheld my logo. He was my logo. He was like, I paid him. And I was like, why aren't you giving my logo? I've already paid you and all this stuff. And lo and behold, the survey was my business plan. He tricked me.

[10:23] theheadwrapsocialite: Wow, that's a good friend.

[10:26] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Right? So he tricked me. And then on, I was like, okay, I have to start moving more intentional. It just can't be just jewelry. And that's it. So I started thinking of more ways that I can incorporate who I am into this jewelry business. And I was like, oh, my gosh. I definitely feel like a superwoman when I put my necklace on and my earrings and my bangles. So maybe I can find some ways to empower women through what I'm doing. And that's where it began.

[10:56] theheadwrapsocialite: That's an amazing story. Again, we should all have a friend like that in our lives. As you started to think of your business and you had your business plan down, where did the name come from and where can we find these items to purchase? Yes.

[11:12] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: So the name of my brand Is pieces of Kinneys. So I actually got the name from the Kendaki warriors. These warriors would probably be in, like, Sedan. Their temples are still there. I'm dying to go see them, and I'm probably going to see them in a couple of years, but their temples are still there. You always hear stories about powerful women in history, like Cleopatra and Mark Anthony and their relationship and how they did everything. Well, these women ran the entire, like, it was completely women led, and in their time on the throne, they even beat the Romans. And I was like, the Romans were like, all that. And so I was like, man, that is such a powerful piece of history, and nobody knows that this piece of history even exists. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to pay homage with my business. So Kendaki means warrior queen.

[12:07] theheadwrapsocialite: Wow.

[12:08] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yeah. It's all coming together in it. They're even mentioned in the Bible. Yeah, I found that out later on. But they call them Candice, so it just depends on the literature you're reading and when it's made. So you'll see in history. You'll see. Sometimes they're called Kentake.

[12:23] theheadwrapsocialite: Okay.

[12:24] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: You'll see Candace. And you'll see Kendaki.

[12:26] theheadwrapsocialite: You know what? I got the little goosebumps on my arm as this journey of yours starts to unfold and the different layers, like an onion, start to get peeled back. You chose the name of Warrior Queen, Queen Mother from the kingdom of Kush. These are great women.

[12:42] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yeah. And I got a chance to study a lot about them, but there's not that much information regarding them. And I feel like the information that is available, I want to do something with that. And that's why I started my business. So when people come to my booth, because I do a lot of vending, I do a lot of fashion shows, I always tell them the legacy of the Kandaki warriors because they are the reason why I exist.

[13:07] theheadwrapsocialite: I love it. That struck a chord with me, because not only are you empowering women, you're leading and you're sharing the legacy of these great women, really, that have come before you who have helped you in your Journey, I think that's pretty dope.

[13:21] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Absolutely. I'm still a woman. I'm still human, even though I'm a leader. But sometimes I fall short and I'm like, okay, I'm in the mirror. Like, you can do this, Panda. You can do this. And it's just a reminder, like, just wearing the joy. It's your reminder that you can do anything that you set your mind to. These men did the unheard of. They beat the Romans. Women went to war and beat the Romans.

[13:46] theheadwrapsocialite: Amazing. It reminds me of this conversation, which is just had this morning, and I wasn't supposed to be in this conversation, but I just happened to be where these two women were. And the older woman says, I'm one of twelve. And she goes, my mother left me with this piece of information and as soon as she said that, my ears kind of, like, perked up.

[14:07] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I'm like, always know the truth.

[14:10] theheadwrapsocialite: And she says her mom would tell her, always say to yourself, if there's a challenge that you cannot or you feel that you're not worthy of, say, I am a determined, self disciplined person. And she goes, constantly say this over and over in your mind because your words, going back to what you said in the beginning, your words are powerful. These words shape how we move within the world. And if these women of the kingdom of Kush didn't believe this, where would the world be? So I am a determined, self disciplined person.

[14:48] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I love that. And I'm also teaching my daughter, my daughter, she's going into her teenage years, and that's those years where you're just completely overthinking everything. You're learning about so much. There's so many things coming at you at the same time. You have all these changes academically, with your body, with your emotions, with your hormones. And I always teach my daughter to ground herself. And I tell her all the time, your thoughts become your reality.

[15:13] theheadwrapsocialite: Amen.

[15:14] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: So you have the power to change your reality with your thoughts, for sure. If you think negative thoughts, that's what your reality is going to look like. If you think positive thoughts, that's what your reality is going to look like. But the choice is yours.

[15:28] theheadwrapsocialite: That is so true.

[15:29] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Even with me being your mom, it's still your decision.

[15:33] theheadwrapsocialite: Yes. It's her journey along the way. There are people that I believe that God places in our path, whether it's parents, siblings, friends, or you just happen upon a conversation, but it's to make you the best version of yourself. But ultimately, you have to choose that path. Nobody can choose it for you.

[15:53] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Absolutely. You have to make a decision. Either I'm going to do this or I'm not going to do it. But either way, you're still going to have to go through the journey. You're going to still have to go through the line of fire. It's up to you how you want to do that.

[16:07] theheadwrapsocialite: Exactly. Too.

[16:09] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I feel like it's hard either way. It could be hard and positive or it could be hard and just hard.

[16:15] theheadwrapsocialite: And I think, too, no experience that we have is of not. I think it's all there to teach us something about who we are supposed to be. And you can lean into it or you can kind of fight it for a little bit, but ultimately you have to say, whatever this situation is, there is something that I am supposed to learn from this, whatever that lesson is. And sometimes the lessons come a lot easier because we're more open to this part of our journey, especially when it's easy. But it's like in those moments where things get a little difficult, it's hard to lean into those moments because we can't see the end goal.

[16:52] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Right.

[16:53] theheadwrapsocialite: But if we just trust there is something bigger, I believe God starts to move little things out of the way.

[17:00] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And you know something else I noticed when I'm on my journey and there's like a hard obstacle, it's coming. When I think negatively, it's almost like I'm building more blocks on top of it.

[17:12] theheadwrapsocialite: Yeah.

[17:13] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And it's like I'm making it so hard to get there. It's going to take me years to get there. But when I start trusting that God did not leave me here, I'm supposed to elevate. I'm supposed to move forward. It's a way easier process trying to get past that hurdle.

[17:31] theheadwrapsocialite: Oh, I like that. And this is a part of the interview that I'm going to go back and re listen to because that was such a gem. Thank you for sharing that.

[17:41] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yeah. It's easier to talk about the experience once you got through it, but when you're at the beginning of it, none of it makes sense. You know, what I've done throughout my entire journey is I always had faith in God. I was like, God, this is not it for me. I know that you did for me this far just to just drop me here and just leave me here. There's something that I'm supposed to do here. It's not going to be easy. I don't know any leaders that have had it easy. It's like, how do you lead if you haven't achieved any obstacles?

[18:14] theheadwrapsocialite: Yeah, that's true. It doesn't happen that way. I think everybody who is elevating to the best version of yourself, you have to, you can't help but not go through those moments to find out who you are at the core of your being. You have to go through those tough times. Like, if you were running a race, right? If you won all the time, you wouldn't push yourself to be.

[18:35] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: No.

[18:36] theheadwrapsocialite: And so you have to experience those losses, whatever those losses are, to elevate yourself. Knowing that I'm in the trenches now, if I continue to push through, there's something bigger and better, but I don't know it, but I'm going to keep fighting.

[18:50] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Absolutely. And then, like, another thing that I started doing once I was starting to get past these hurdles is I was pulling my sisters up like, hey, you can do this. I already did it. I did it three times. If I can do it three times, you can do it three times. My first show in New York, I was, like, nervous. It's New York.

[19:10] theheadwrapsocialite: This is a big deal, right?

[19:11] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yeah, this is a huge deal. And she told me nothing is bigger than me. And that really just resonated with me for the rest of my journey. And I'm just grateful that she said that to me because my fear overwhelmed me. I would have never got to that opportunity. I would have never hosted any of these women empowerment projects, which ultimately, it's a lot of work for me, but it's just so amazing to see women come in for the first shoot and how nervous they are and how unsure they are. And by the time they leave, they are confident. And they have met some sisters along.

[19:47] theheadwrapsocialite: The way, for sure. It's rewarding.

[19:50] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Absolutely. It is so rewarding. And I started doing the launch parties two years ago, and just to see everyone in the room. A lot of these women are friends now. I see them hanging out. I see them empowering one another. And it's just like a complete trickle down effect. Like, I'm empowering them, they're empowering each other. It's like a big pot of just women empowerment, and I love it.

[20:14] theheadwrapsocialite: Sometimes in this world in which we live, you see in social media, you see on the different reality shows where they pit women against each other. And I think women, we are so powerful when we understand that our power is only powerful when we help somebody else along. I think when women step into our power, and I recently have seen this in the different movements that have started, you see, when one woman is not afraid any longer, and she says, you know what? This person over here, she's not my enemy. This is my sister. This is my friend. I'm going to give her the strength that I have, and only then can we realize true power of what we hold within ourselves.

[21:01] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I strongly believe in that. I feel like all of the women across the globe are waking up and understanding that we're stronger together. And I was just at a charity gala a few weeks ago, and one of the women that was on the podium, she said, if you give some information to a man, he's going to make sure his legacy is okay. If you give some information to a woman, she's going to pass that information to the village, to the nation, into the globe. That rings so true, because I feel like women, we're like these seeds, and we just make things grow. And the way we water it could be a good seed or a bad seed, but it's going to grow.

[21:40] theheadwrapsocialite: And with that, could you share a specific story that stands out where your jewelry made a meaningful impact on a woman's life?

[21:50] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: So one of the women that did the project this year, I met her One time, mind you, I didn't even have her do the casting call. I was just empowered listening to how she overcame so much. And she has a long term illness. Last year, they told her, there's a good chance you might not make it. Let's get your affairs together.

[22:14] theheadwrapsocialite: Wow.

[22:15] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And she decided, no, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to keep fighting. And she's here today to tell the story. And she was actually one of my panelists this year for the Women Empowerment Project launch party. And her story was just so powerful. And just to see her put on the garments and put on the jewelry and just watching her face expression and how powerful she felt, I was like, okay, we're going in the right direction. This is profound proof that you are doing God's work, because I see how confident she is, and she was able to inspire other women that are going through the same illness that she has. And I just was like, this is so amazing that I was able to give her a platform so that she could find other women that are going through the very same situation that she is and empower them, too.

[23:08] theheadwrapsocialite: I would like to ask you, when you first moved to Minnesota, 2019, this seemed to me, once I read your bio, to be a turning point in your career. Can you tell us about the experiences and opportunities that have opened up for you since you have been in this.

[23:24] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: North Star State, everything that I do is, you know, I got direction, and I was in know. Things were just too fast paced for my know. We're from Kansas. We used to things being very. So I prayed and I prayed and I prayed, and a friend of mine called, and she said, hey, you should go to Minnesota. And I'm like, go where? And mind you, I had been praying. So this came completely out of nowhere. And I'm like, you want me to go to Minnesota? God. Oh, wow. I don't even know anyone in Minnesota. And I didn't. I didn't know anyone. I found my know six months down the line after we moved, me and my family, we moved to Minnesota with one suitcase each.

[24:12] theheadwrapsocialite: Oh, my.

[24:15] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: To. She told me, she said, there's this know, I know you don't know anyone, but they have this program that'll pay your rent or something, she was saying. And I was like, okay, Well, I guess let me Call and See, because this Sounds Too good to be true. Right? And so I ended up Calling, and I ended Up Having to stay at the Drake for two weeks.

[24:33] theheadwrapsocialite: Oh, wow.

[24:34] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And this is how I knew God was in control. So we moved out of the Drake. We were into Our own place. The Drake burned to a crisp.

[24:46] theheadwrapsocialite: What?

[24:47] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: The Drake burned to a crisp. Oh, My gosh. And I just was sitting in My living room silent for 2 hours.

[25:00] theheadwrapsocialite: How long after you guys moved out did the Drake Hotel burn?

[25:04] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: It burned down the next week.

[25:07] theheadwrapsocialite: Oh, my gosh.

[25:09] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: It burned down the next. Was just. I was just stunned, like, wow. Okay. Mind you, with these programs that help with hopeless Prevention, the waiting lists Are TreMendous. There's a lot of PeOple WaIting, and SoMeHOW WE Got to the top of that list in Two weeks.

[25:35] theheadwrapsocialite: Wow. Only God could do that.

[25:38] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Absolutely. And That's Why I'm just so grateful of the God that I serve, because the Things that I'm Able to do, there's just no Way I'd be Able to do that by MySelf for Sure. But we came here. I came here with one Suitcase. All of the members of my family, their father, and all four of my kids, we came with one suitcase. And this was a faith Jump. And I could have said, you know what? I kind of got scared. I could have said, you know what? I don't think I'm going to Do This. I don't even know anyone there, but I don't operate in fear. I operate in faith. And So I came here, and it was the best decision ever. I ended up meeting Nancy Corsaw with her sole purpose is to help small black businesses. That was the First Person I met.

[26:28] theheadwrapsocialite: Unreal.

[26:30] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I was just like, wow. So I had this thing that I was doing with Pieces of candidate. I had no idea which direction I should go. How do I establish Myself? How do I put MySelf out there in a state that no one knows? LiteRally no.

[26:46] theheadwrapsocialite: Right, right.

[26:47] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And I started working with Nancy, and it just kind of just blossomed. And I thank her so much because she gave me the empowerment that I give other people. And it's nice when you're the empowered woman and you get the empowerment back for sure.

[27:05] theheadwrapsocialite: And it sounds to me, too, that you have been all along, you've been open to the journey of what God has in store for you. But taking that leap of faith, coming to the unknown, it was like door after door after door after door has been opened to you.

[27:21] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And these are doors that God has opened, doors that I didn't even think I belonged in the room. God has put me there because I have to do his work for sure.

[27:31] theheadwrapsocialite: And with that being said, you have won the startup business of the year by Black Business Enterprise. And that is a remarkable achievement, my friend. And how did this recognition impact your business and your personal journey?

[27:49] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: You know what? I feel like for a long time, my journey, I just was, okay, God, I'm working. I'm working, I'm working, I'm working. And I never stopped to smell the roses. I never even noticed that. People noticed me, even when I was at the black business ball and everybody's sitting down and we got performances happening and everything. And then it says startup business. And so I hear my name along with the other nominees, and I'm thinking in my head, like, I'm probably not going to win it. I'm just going to clap because I'm used to cheering for people. Even when I'm not winning, I'm still cheering.

[28:25] theheadwrapsocialite: Yeah.

[28:27] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: And so they said my name, Trina. My mouth was full of food. I was completely unprepared, not expecting it at all. I didn't even write an acceptance speech.

[28:44] theheadwrapsocialite: No.

[28:47] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I didn't even write an expected because I'm never looking for the reward. I know that my reward is going to come from God. It doesn't matter for sure. Oh, my God. People see what I'm doing. I've been working so hard.

[29:02] theheadwrapsocialite: Oh, girl. People notice you. People notice you because you have a special way about you. And there's very few people in this world who get joy out of uplifting other people. What I chuckle about and what I find so endearing about your comment and what you just shared in your story is that you were ready to cheer somebody else on because you're sitting there, you're still eating and enjoying your meal and you were so ready to let somebody else have this moment, not knowing in the next 3 seconds your life was literally going to change and you were going to be the one recognized. But I just love how you were ready to clap and cheer for somebody else. That's who you are and that's why all of these wonderful things happen for you.

[30:01] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Oh my gosh, you start crying.

[30:04] theheadwrapsocialite: But it's true, my friend, it's true.

[30:07] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: I truly, truly appreciate that. Sometimes when you're a leader, you just focus on the next goal and you don't realize there was many goals that you've already surpassed. You didn't celebrate. So that's been the name of the game this year. Celebrate.

[30:23] theheadwrapsocialite: I love that and I want to continue and just shine a light on you because you have shown a light on so many people within your community. You partner with color run and you're an advocate for the Black Entrepreneur State Fair. You to me are an inspiring example of commitment not only to family but also to your community. Because you're not just satisfied with your personal journey, you want to bring everybody else along with you that you can. And I think the passions that we have when we're younger, you have tapped into that. And I find it remarkable and joyful to watch you as you move within your circumstances. And you just celebrate other people continually. How can we tap into that feeling? How can we tap into that within our beings to be able to be so open and gracious to celebrate other people?

[31:32] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Well, I will say a strong part of it is trusting God with your journey and trusting the path that he's chose for you. And all you have to do is ask him where and to send the resources that has truly kept me grounded this whole time just knowing that. And when I see people that may have passed me or they may be doing the same thing, I still clap because it's their turn. My turn is coming.

[31:59] theheadwrapsocialite: Wow.

[32:00] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: It is their turn. So I'm going to clap for my sister because I'm proud of her and I know what it takes to get to where she is because I'm on that same path. And I'm going to clap for her because she worked hard to get where she is. Or my brother, I'm going to clap for him too, for sure. But you have to cheer for people. You have to be there for people if that's something that you desire, you want people to show up for you, you want people to support you, you have to give the same thing. You have to put that same energy out. And it may not be to that person in, but it has to be somewhere. Like, life is a give and take. If you give, then you get to take some, right?

[32:37] theheadwrapsocialite: I just want to marinate on that. You're cultivating this community not only within your own household, but within the world. And it sounds to me it's be open to celebrating one another in the different seasons that we're in because somebody else wins and you celebrate them, you win, too, because you get to experience their joy.

[32:58] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: One win, we all win.

[32:59] theheadwrapsocialite: Yeah. If pieces of candidates jewelry line had a theme song, what would it be and why?

[33:08] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: That's a good one. I need a second to think. It's so funny because last year I created pieces of Kennedy's playlist and it's like, yeah, I'll have to share it with you, but it's a whole playlist of like, girl, you got this. A whole bunch of those songs. Like, this is my song. I'm going to play this while I'm doing my hair, while I'm going to this thing, or I'm going to my graduation, or maybe it's a day where my cup is dry and I need to pick myself up off the floor. But I had created an entire playlist. But right now I feel like we're pieces of Candy's is. I think we're in our Janelle Monet phase. It's given unapologetic right now.

[33:57] theheadwrapsocialite: I love it as you walk into your Janelle Monet phase, girl. Unapologetically, you taking no prisoners.

[34:07] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: None.

[34:11] theheadwrapsocialite: The world definitely is your oyster. I have so enjoyed sharing this space and this table with you today and I am excited to see what the universe has in store for you, my friend. This moment has brought me a lot of joy. Just to hear the passion, the creativity in which you speak makes me filled with joy. And this journey that you have nurtured since you have been 13 years old, which eventually unfolded into this beautiful brand, your mission to empower women through jewelry is a testament to the unyielding power of art, adornment and community empowerment. Your story is beautifully written by the author of all authors and is a testament to the power of passion, dedication, and your desire to make a difference. I hope that those who are listening have found this episode inspiring and enlightening and just a little nudge to continue no matter the age to follow your passion, no matter where life has brought you to follow your dreams. And I just want to thank my friend Rashonda for joining me on today's episode because this was so much fun.

[35:39] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: Yes, thank you.

[35:42] theheadwrapsocialite: I have two questions for you now that the episode is done. Darling, if you could share a quirky or unexpected fact about your journey in jewelry design that most people don't know.

[35:57] Ra’Shawnda C. Scott: There's a lot of stuff I have not released. A lot. I feel like my design process, it has to be very free. A lot of times when you're doing fashion shows, you have certain box that you put yourself in. So I think my DeBrone process is a whole year round process and I just create, create, create, and then it starts going together.