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!
What Accessibility, Travel & AI Have in Common
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Reader, Global Accessibility Awareness Day is May 21. and as a woman navigating the world with one eye and hearing loss, accessibility is not a trend or simply a talking point for me. It impacts how I travel, communicate, create, and move through public spaces every single day. Accessibility also continues to shape the work I care most about: This is exactly why I do this work. That intersection of accessibility, storytelling, personal branding, and visibility is something I’ll be speaking about more openly moving forward. You can be more empathetic by: This is a snippet from my guide. I got frustrated with seeing the social media posts that did not have captions, that did not have any post descriptions, and that had white text on an orange background that was super hard to see. If you make content or know someone who does, share this guide with them. It has tips to help you create content that works for everyone and how to be more empathetic while you are out and about and traveling. Accessibility matters, and I’m excited to share this with you. On May 30, I’ll be speaking at WITS (Women in Travel Summit) in Chattanooga, Tennessee — the premier event for women and gender-diverse travel creators, industry executives, and tourism boards. It's where creative entrepreneurs, influencers, DMOs, and industry come together to discuss future innovations, build dynamic collaborations, and change travel worldwide. I'm going to talk about what I've seen, what I've lived, and what I know travel creators can do differently starting the day they leave that room. This is not a session about compliance. It is not just a checklist. It is a conversation about what it actually means to build content that doesn't leave disabled travelers — 1.3 billion people worldwide — out of the story. This conversation feels especially aligned with the direction my work is evolving: I’m opening up mentorship sessions. This is for creators and brands who want to be ahead of the curve, not catching up on the topics of • storytelling and personal branding • accessibility and visibility • content strategy and digital identity • positioning lived experience online • building a platform with intention in the age of AI
I've been hearing and reading the same thing lately: AI has made everyone feel like an expert — and now real expertise feels harder to prove. You're not wrong. And you're not imagining it. But here's what AI cannot replicate: your story, your credibility, your community, and the trust you've spent years building. What it can do is drown you out if you don't get strategic about how you show up on the generative AI search engines. If a mentorship session is not ideal right now, that's what my digital guides are built for — practical, specific, written from the inside of this work: Available now in my shop
In Case You Missed It:I uploaded the latest interview I did with the founder of a sustainable fashion institute in Ghana. If you’re attending WITS, I’d love to connect.
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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, At Essence Fest over the holiday weekend, I moderated a panel, had a founder feature, and hosted a Soft Stories sensory session all in one day. In between, I kept noticing people wanted to be inclusive but almost nobody had a framework for actually doing it, especially in their content. Most of the attendees I spoke with, particularly other New Voices founders, admitted they hadn't considered captions or image descriptions yet, but they were very appreciative of the insight. That's...
Reader, I just got back from Essence Festival — and I’m still processing. I spoke at two activations, both filled with people who showed up ready to listen and talk about disability, inclusion, and what it truly means to be empathetic to other communities. It was powerful. And in both rooms, I kept hearing the same thought echo in my mind: we need more of this. We need spaces to belong, to rediscover ourselves, and to feel empowered to keep going. Here is the link to watch the 3 minute recap:...
Reader, I'm at Essence Festival this week — moderating a panel, doing a Soft Stories segment, and leading a workshop on inclusive entrepreneurship. Three activations in one day, which honestly is its own kind of access challenge nobody talks about: the cost of showing up fully in spaces that weren't designed for how your body or brain works. I'll have more to say about that next week. Social Media Day is June 30th — a reminder that the platforms we've built our voices, speaking opportunities,...