Step Up, Step Out, and Shine

Praise for Africa & Step Up, Step Out, And Shine:

STEP UP. STEP OUT. AND SHINE by Africa Miranda is one amazing body of work! Why? Because it is intentional, reflective, positive and purposeful. The exact kind of book most of us need to snuggle up and read on relaxing Sunday morning.

Mahisha Dellinger, CURLS Founder

Africa Miranda is such an inspiration to me on so many levels — she’s doing her thing and taking risks to spread her vision of beauty in the world. Her book, Step Up, Step Out and Shine is a manual for success, a pep talk from a friend you look up to, and a guide to greatness all interspersed with Africa’s personal recollections. It’s a book I’ll turn to time and time again for a burst of positive energy and encouragement.

Patrice Grell Yursik

Creator

Afrobella.com

Priorities shift as you age. There’s a sharper focus. Ambition increases because you feel like you’re supposed to be there by now or well on your way. The more wisdom you seek, the more you understand that there is no there. There is only here...right now. When you become present, your focus intensifies. That level of clarity allows you to eliminate what doesn’t matter and identify what does. You come to realize all you desire is already within you and around you. That level of gratitude spills into your relationships and guides your life. Love and service become a direct response to your gratitude. That’s why Africa Miranda wrote this beautiful guidebook just for you."

—Enitan Bereola II,

3x Bestselling Author, producer, Co-Founder SaintMiles Agency

Step Up, Step Out, And Shine

Africa Miranda

13Th & Joan Publishing

Step Up, Step Out, and Shine. Copyright 2018 by Africa Miranda. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, 500 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite #600, Chicago, IL 60611.

13th & Joan books may be purchased for educational, business or sales promotional use. For information, please email the Sales Department at sales@13thandjoan.com.

Printed in the U.S. A.

First Printing, October 2018

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Lucidity

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Intentionality

Here’s What To Expect

I: STEP UP

ONE: What Kind of Lion Are You?

TWO: The Past is a Powerful Teacher

THREE: The Great Detox: Alleviating Failure, Inferiority Complexes and Other Drugs

FOUR: Rejection: No is a New Beginning

FIVE: Self-Talk and Affirmative Actions

SIX: #THEPLUG: Channeling Your Power From Within

SEVEN: Let Freedom Ring: Living On Your Own Terms and Denouncing The Need For Permission To Do So

The Final Say

II. STEP OUT

EIGHT: Proactive vs. Reactive

NINE: Authenticity, Self-Advocacy and Acceptance of Others

TEN: Building Blocks: Building Brand You

ELEVEN: New Mercies: Rituals For Daily Restoration and Resilience

TWELVE: No Reservations: Adjusting Your Plans and Exercising Flexibility

THIRTEEN: Bands: Restoration and Rethinking Your Truth

FOURTEEN: Beyond Our Borders: Leaving Your Mental And Physical Comfort Zone, Charting New Territory and Getting Your Passport #LIT

The Final Say

III. SHINE

FIFTEEN: If Not Now, Then When: Doing What You’ve Never Done Before

SIXTEEN: Instincts, Intuition and Intellectual Pleasantries

SEVENTEEN: No Pressure: Denouncing the World’s Notion of What You Should Be, Creating Your Own

EIGHTEEN: Redefining Your Tribe

NINETEEN: The Lost Art of Transformation: Reinventing Yourself, Unapologetically and Without Notice

TWENTY: Passion + Purpose = Profit

TWENTY-ONE: The Art of Storytelling: Defining Your Narrative, Your Way

The Final Say

V. EPILOGUE

VI. POSTSCRIPT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CONNECT With Africa Miranda on Social Media

Dedication

For my late great-grandmother, Ruth Nelson, the original diva in my life.

For all who are fighting to free their mind, free their heart, and free their spirit. For everyone who believes there is more.

Notes for Africa

My Dearest Queen,

I smile at the sight of your face and bask in your existence. Your presence fills me with hope and the promise of sweet days to walk in. I am the personification of joy and happiness rests, rules and abides in the chambers of my heart for I know the things that God has for both me and you. My journey to awakening was not the by-product of surprise, nor shall yours be. You and I have been called for a time such as this. Your name has already been assigned to a list of doers and innovators, culture creators and trendsetters with a history rich in abundance of all that the world has to offer. The truth that is often hidden, but yours nonetheless that you must never forget remains...All you seek is in search of you. Your heart’s desires and the yearning that often leaves you speechless in part due to the clearness of the imagery that you see and will to manifest in your life is real. Let no one tell you differently.

Allow me to be clear in stating that you are not reading these words by coincidence.

Throughout my life, I have learned most valuable lessons in serving the Queen who stood beside me. This is the ultimate meaning and purpose for your life. And because you are reading these words, composed from my heart, it is my solemn promise that from this day forward, we are divinely connected. You and I have been predestined to embrace in this moment and to serve as witnesses to the favor that life grants in obedience and service. My mission and greatest desire is to remind you that you are your sister’s keeper. No Queen should ever wear a tilted crown in your presence. The bountiful bonds that we possess through uniting, ignite the power to far exceed any act or gesture that we execute in isolation. Forget the wayward messaging of the world that serves as false prophets, driving us to believe that we can’t work together in the absence of dissension, it is simply untrue. We were cultivated to nurture, to cherish, to serve and most importantly to love. It is only in the presence of love that the paths of our personal journeys extend to meet the road of destiny.

Dare to imagine a world where Queens support Queens. Think of all the possibilities for your life while walking in the surety that the Queen standing beside you won’t let you fall. You in all of your glory are the ancestors’ wildest imagination. We have no need to search for purpose, it seeks us, if only we dare to serve one another. Together, in unison, let us join hands while asking for increase, and access to the abundance that can be conceived from the depths of our hearts and in the corners of our minds as we proudly proclaim: I AM MY SISTER’S KEEPER.

All My Love Always,

Malinda

Stepping out has meant many things to me throughout my lifetime. As an awkward, skinny, brown skin girl growing up in the Midwest, stepping out was releasing my deep-rooted insecurities, and trying out for my high school’s dance squad. You see, I had all the moves, but lacked confidence and was mortified at the thought of exposing my toothpick legs in the middle of the basketball court during half time. My girls cheered me on and my mother reminded me that I was talented and beautiful, so I faced my fears and gave the tryouts my all. After hours of practicing, I was one of the first picks for my high school’s dance team, and you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t as talented as any of my favorite dancers and choreographers.

As an adult, my most recent opportunity to step up, step out, and shine was when I decided after nearly two decades of working in PR, to expand my skillset to film. I’ve always been a storyteller through PR and blogging (I’ve managed a blog titled In Her Shoes for 10 years), but something inside of me was yearning for more. I needed to go deeper into the Black woman entrepreneur’s narrative, I needed a new challenge to really feel alive. Well, I got all of this and more, with my new title as Creator and Executive Producer of She Did That., the first full-length documentary exploring the Black woman’s entrepreneurial journey. This project continues to nourish me beyond filmmaking experience, many of the lessons I’ve learned while producing this film are life lessons that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my days. Nothing is more humbling than going from being the pro in the room to constantly having to lean on your team, and sometimes even strangers, for advice because you’ve entered a new space that is not your area of expertise. From creative peaks and valleys to self-doubt, burnout, lack of funding, and personal sacrifices, this film took me on an emotional rollercoaster. The challenges faced on this journey felt insurmountable at times. There were moments, days, and weeks when I questioned my own ability to truly take this on. There was a time when we exhausted our financial resources and had to put the project on hold while we figured out next steps. As a person who is extremely uncomfortable asking for help, I had to tap into my community to reach our financial goals through a crowdsourcing campaign. I feared the film wouldn’t be embraced when it was finished and ready for the world to see. After a year of touring the film around the country, I was concerned that people wouldn’t be excited when we announced our global distribution deal. Any doubt you can possibly imagine, I experienced it. But believe me when I say, the joy I feel when women view the film and say they finally feel seen or they now have the tools to bring their entrepreneurial dreams to life, is immeasurable. Knowing that a seed God planted in my mind, the same little brown girl from Indiana who was terrified to dance at half-time, is now making a global impact on women around the world continues to blow me away. No dream is too big. And I know that with this one decision to step up, step out, and shine on behalf of brown girls everywhere, my life, and the lives of anyone who watches this film, will forever be changed.

XO,

Renae

LUCIDITY

We inevitably become the tapestry of our actions and our thoughts

-Africa Miranda-

Do you believe that a bigger, bolder version of your life exists? Is it possible that you have yet to scratch the surface of your best life? I’ve heard it said on many occasions that the day you decide that your life belongs to you is also the day that you take your first real breath. I am a living testament to this, and I can attest to the fact that life can and will offer us more if we are willing to receive it. The gifts of prosperity, success, affluence, influence, and advantage are ours for the taking. You may think I’m talking about the literal and physical trappings of success, and to some degree I am. However, to truly live a bigger and bolder life means realigning your mental state, the energy that surrounds you, the people you allow in your space and the level at which you exist in the world.

If we want to aspire to a higher level, then there is no room for mediocrity in our lives. We must reject it at all costs. There is an entire universe filled with possibilities, waiting for us to take the bull by the horns and spring forward into action if we want more. Deciding to walk in your purpose and chase your dreams wildly is the tip of the iceberg. It is almost as if we become one with the universe when we subscribe to the notion that we were destined to do more, to be more. This shift in thinking is the catalyst for your new life. This is the beginning of your journey.

Over the past few years, I’ve acquired a substantial tribe, through social media and in my personal life. Within each group, I was being asked very similar questions about my evolution. I realized that there was something that others noticed about the manifestation of my journey, as I was strategically doing the internal work to blossom and to bask in the moments of becoming myself. Whether through DMs, emails or face to face, or when being approached at events, those same questions about my journey were always there.

As a result, I began to examine my actions more closely. These periods of strategic self-reflection helped me to recognize that I had made a very specific set of changes in both my personal and professional life. In my case, the worlds collide, almost seamlessly. I discovered that I had engaged in very specific acts that would prove to alter the course of my journey. I also discovered that the more openly I shared, and the more transparent that I became about my intentions, feelings, goals and even the nuances in my response towards the occurrences in my life, the more visible my evolution became. There was an almost unexplainable energy present in my actions that would prove to be my response to all of the questions that were presented to me. More importantly, I had gained clarity, a luxury that we can’t afford not to have.

For as long as I can remember, I have always recognized the power that comes from trusting the energy within and around us. I knew that I had a message that I could no longer afford to hold inside. The universe whispered a sweet message of conviction, telling me that all that I had learned was no longer mine, it was ours. I was now to be held accountable for sharing this message of freedom with any heart and set of ears willing to listen. This message that I speak of is confirmation of the simplistic, yet profound affirmation that reinforces the idea that we lack nothing. I repeat…we lack nothing. There is no opportunity that we are not worthy of if we are willing to do the work to gain access to it.

In this digital age, we are inundated by the overflow of information. From tutorials to inspiration, politics, podcasts, music, and media, there is no lack of noise that distorts our innermost thoughts. Sometimes it is so cacophonous that we are detached from our actual thoughts. Now, more than ever, I recognize the need to find a way to use the information and experiences that I have acquired in my life to enhance my circumstance. This is true for each of us.

We all need to arm ourselves with strategies to sort through the clutter. This book and its message have been written to serve as a tool to deconstruct our thoughts and open the floodgates of life’s possibilities. So why should you listen to what I have to say? From traveling the world, to reading a neverending stock of books that drive intersectional thinking and purpose, engaging in countless hours of deep thought and meditation and learning to simply hear the voice that lives inside of me; I know without question that I have acquired an innate ability to listen and channel my energy and actions to will what I want. This book is the collection of all that I have read and learned and experienced and most importantly felt with my heart and soul.

I’ve long pondered writing this book and how to best share the concepts that I’ve acquired. It is the revelation of what others have seen in me and the transformative power of what I have been blessed to witness in myself. I am a constant seeker of life-changing energy, and I aspire to greatness. It should be noted that this book was written for those who are interested in this same level of transformative power. I have poured out my heart on these pages for those who desire to reach new levels in life and those who understand that the acts of transformation and evolution are not free. Nothing worth having is without cost. There are