Hi! I'm Zaakirah (zaa-key-ra) I help you Go from where you are (stuck, stagnant, scared) and where you want to go in your business and life (freedom). I provide Black and Indigenous creatives with strategies that empower them to achieve their goals through branding and storytelling, and marketing.For the last 20 years, I've been storytelling by any creative means necessary; photography, writing, film, and podcasting.I check all the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility boxes.I’m a visually impaired, hard of hearing, cancer survivor, chronically ill Muslim Woman. Knowing your history helps you propel and prepare for your future. Entrepreneurship is ownership, and flexibility is key. Sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter!
I'm speaking at Essence Fest on July 4 and Beyoncé just gave us all a Sacred masterclass
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Reader, ✨ BIG NEWS FIRSTI'll be speaking at Essence Festival of Culture 2026 in New Orleans on July 4th! I have not one but TWO activations: 🖤 We Love Us Marketplace Stage — I'll be moderating the See Life Differently Panel at 10:20am CT. This is the room for conversation about representation, storytelling, and what it means to see yourself centered in spaces that weren't always built for you. Panelists are: Lisa C. Willis, Dr. Lana M. Joseph, and Derra Howard. 🖤 Unbothered and Well Stage - 12:00–12:30 PM CT — Soft Stories: A Sensory Reset Session for anyone who feels stressed out. Whether that's sensory sensitivity, sobriety, neurodivergence, or simply being a Black woman in a loud world, I will guide the circle through a Soft Stories practice. 🖤 New Voices Village Entrepreneur Hub — At 3:30pm CT, I'm facilitating an interactive mini workshop on accessibility, self-advocacy, and navigating travel and professional spaces as a disabled or neurodivergent person. Small groups. Real conversation. Tangible takeaways. If you're going to be in New Orleans, come find me. If you're not — keep reading, because I need my community around me either way. 🤝 HERE'S HOW YOU CAN BE PART OF THISThis kind of programming doesn't happen without support. I'm currently open to: → Sponsors — brands and organizations aligned with inclusive storytelling, accessibility, and Black community impact. I'd love to talk partnership. → Donors — if this work has ever moved you, a contribution goes directly toward making this programming possible and keeping it accessible. → Volunteers — will you be in New Orleans July 4? I'm looking for a small, passionate on-the-ground team. Reply to this email. 📣 MARKETING STORY OF THE WEEKBeyoncé just gave us all a brand storytelling masterclass. Most people would called it a vlog because most of the footage is from a phone. On the surface: a personal moment between husband and wife and their daughter. Underneath: a precision brand move. Here's what she did: → She made the ordinary extraordinary. Combing out 9 years of locs. A couple and a Houston loctician. Every frame carries weight. She let the intimacy do the work. → She controlled the narrative on her terms, in her aesthetic, with her voice, instead of letting the press continue to make assumptions about Jay-Z's hair appearance a story. → She reminded us that your personal life IS your brand, when you deploy it intentionally. This was curated vulnerability and it landed because it was real and relatable. The lesson for you: intention, authenticity, and the courage to share something that feels personal will always be exactly what your audience is waiting for. If you haven't seen it, she posted a 7 minute YouTube video documenting Jay-Z's hair transformation. Watch it here → What story are you sitting on that you haven't told yet? Thank you for being here. Until Next Time. With love, Zaakirah P.S. Forward this to someone who you know will be at the convention center on July 4th. 🖤
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Your Branding and Marketing Therapist
Hi! I'm Zaakirah (zaa-key-ra) I help you Go from where you are (stuck, stagnant, scared) and where you want to go in your business and life (freedom). I provide Black and Indigenous creatives with strategies that empower them to achieve their goals through branding and storytelling, and marketing.For the last 20 years, I've been storytelling by any creative means necessary; photography, writing, film, and podcasting.I check all the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility boxes.I’m a visually impaired, hard of hearing, cancer survivor, chronically ill Muslim Woman. Knowing your history helps you propel and prepare for your future. Entrepreneurship is ownership, and flexibility is key. Sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter!
Reader, I'm thinking about the news of actress Hayden Panettiere's passing. I knew of her music from Disney Channel days, most people know her from Bring It On or Nashville. My favorite song of hers is My Hero is You. In May, she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning and shared her story publicly of being a child star and dealing with grief. Her passing is a reminder of something I've often spoken of: Heal, but also don't wait to tell the story. Don't wait to create the thing. Don't...
Reader, June this year, I had the opportunity to attend SXSW London 2026. SXSW (South by Southwest) brings together people from across technology, culture, media, music, film, and entrepreneurship to exchange ideas and shape what’s next. While the conference did an excellent job accommodating my hearing and vision dual sensory needs, accessibility is still treated as an add-on in most media, event, and experience design, when it should be the starting point. Being in that space reminded me...
Reader, Apparently, I have a pattern I hadn't named out loud before: I tend to move to a new place roughly every two years. I find myself packing boxes and luggages, moving to a new place, and stepping into a new season of life. I don't intentionally plan it that way, but looking back, it's a rhythm of embracing change, trusting the process, and creating space for what's next, while intentionally choosing a lesser known historically black city and neighborhood that has Black owned businesses...