TAKEIA CAGE
I love meeting new people, especially like-minded people who share the same interest and passion as me. Social media can be a positive outlet to network, connect, and build healthy relationships that inspire, uplift, and embolden one to make a decision to be a positive beacon of light on a social platform. It’s true – you’ll reap what you sow. In other words, if you sow love rather than hate, words of life rather than death, build rather than tear down, you’ll reap a harvest of attracting the same people, especially on any social media platform. Takeia and I have never met in person, but I have this rushing feeling that we’d been formally introduced somewhere in this crazy world that needs a lot of love, and it just so happened to be on Twitter. I had the utmost privilege and honor of interviewing her and sharing how God has been using her to reach women of all ages, backgrounds, and stories that would rock one’s heart if we needed to hear. Check out this interview!
1. Can you tell our readers about yourself and your blog?
Hello beautiful souls, I’m Takeia Cage, and I reside in Minnesota. I’m an advocate, mompreneur, and motivational blogger. My blog was inspired by my own self-love + healing journey. This blog was created to be a safe space, which encourages women/men to share their truth with others while being unashamed in their journeys. I also wanted my readers to understand that it’s okay to be a work in process and that while you’re going through a hard season, it’s okay to share your journey with others because you don’t know who you might help who are going through the same thing, or something similar.
What inspired you to take a leap of faith to start your business and blog? And when did you know that starting something, at that point in your life, was the right time for you?
What inspired me to take the leap of faith and create my blog + business was when I felt as though there weren’t enough women support groups that were actually genuine + open to other women being themselves without judgment, and wanted to create a community where women can come to feel supported, uplifted and celebrated the way they should be. I’ve always pictured this amazing sisterhood of beautiful women, from all different walks of life, and that was something I wanted to be a part of. So I decided to create my own, and it’s been amazing creating a safe space for women to do just that. I’ve always known I had a calling in life, and that was to be an advocate for the women in my community + other communities. I remember praying about wanting to take the next steps in bringing my dreams + vision to light, and I went to sleep and ended up waking up at like 4 o’clock in the morning with God giving me confirmation that it was time. I’m just so blessed to be able to share this experience with a lot of amazing women and watch them share their experience with other women as we all help one another. To be honest, I remember telling myself you can’t help other people because you’re still rediscovering yourself as well, and at that very moment that’s when I knew this was what God wanted me to do, and I decided I was just going to take that leap of faith and share my rediscovery journey with other women in the hope that we can all do this together, instead of alone.
I normally tell myself, “The beginning of something is the toughest, but when you persevere and press on, the journey becomes sweeter." What was the beginning stage like for you when starting your business AND how is it for you now that you've continued on this journey?
In the beginning, I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew there was a job that needed to be done! I didn’t have a manual on how to run a business, so I did make a few minor mistakes along the way, but I acknowledged those mistakes, and kept it moving because God is intentional and he will always make a way for you! Business is definitely amazing right now. I just started another business, #UnashamedBloggers, a little over a month ago, and I’m really excited about this new journey that’s filled with women bloggers.
Explain the importance of prioritizing your schedule, and creating a healthy routine to start your day. What are some of the things you do that work for you and would suggest to others, especially mothers?
I honestly believe that it’s super important that you PRIORITIZE + set boundaries in your life! I can’t stress this enough, when things are in order in your life, it doesn’t leave room for clutterness + the stress of being overwhelmed, especially when you’re running a business. There are days when I feel all over the place, and that only happens when I don’t prioritize my schedule. There are often times you get so used to always being on the go, and you don’t give yourself the break you need, and you’ll eventually begin to experience burnouts. A few healthy things that work for me are: I pray throughout the day, read my daily devotions, listen to gospel music or any type of music that puts me in a really good mood, journaling and always making sure I dedicate 30 minutes each day doing some type of self-care activity (reading a book, taking a bubble bath, watching TV, taking a walk etc). I would definitely suggest that if you’re a mother; know that it is OKAY to take a mental + physical break from your child/ren. If you have people in your life who are supportive, they’ll keep your child while you get YOU together, and this can be for a few hours, enjoying your own company, doing the things YOU love doing, alone!
How has being a mommy impacted you in any way in pursuing your dreams and goals? (Talk about the challenges you've faced and the blessings wrapped around it.)
Being a mother was probably one of the biggest accomplishments in life. My children are my world, and they inspire me each and everyday to chase my dreams, and to be that example that you can achieve ANYTHING you set your mind to! The only struggles I face are not always being there for the little things, and it makes me really sad at times, but they know that I’m doing this for them, and US! The blessing is being able to get to a point in my life where my children can always be with me, and we are all able to see this beautiful world we live in, together.
You had your first women’s event. (If you have videos or pictures of the event, please send them to me.) Share the testimonies and challenges you faced while planning your event. Talk about the ups, downs and the ugly.
My first women’s event was nothing short of amazing! I was really nervous, and afraid that it wasn’t going to go as I planned it to go! For one, I’m not a public speaker, and this was my very first event! I thought about canceling it so many times, but I would talk to God, and ask him for strength + guidance. The days leading up to the event I got so many emails from different women saying that they can’t wait to meet me, and how I’ve inspired them in so many ways, and at that moment I couldn’t help but feel amazing on the inside. I didn’t know that the things I’m doing in this world are inspiring other women all around, and it just felt/feels so good. The day of the event was really stressful because the people I had in charge of setting up were late, and I felt as though everything was rushed, and I hate rushing! But me and my event planner got everything squared away and the turnout was beautiful. I just think that when you’re doing an event, make sure you have people who are really going to come through to be a part of your team.
