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Monica & Shannon Brown Are Proof That Not All Breakups Have To Be Bitter
Earlier this year, R&B singer and reality TV star, Monica, filed for divorce from her husband, Shannon Brown and had the internet shook. Their whirlwind romance began in June of 2010 when the NBA star played the romantic interest in her music video for "Love All Over Me", and only five months later, the two were married in a secret ceremony in Los Angeles.
After nearly a decade, the couple have now decided to call it quits, and according to Monica, their split has been fairly amicable. Despite the 38-year-old entertainer's recent history of being fairly private about her personal life, she's taken a much different approach when it came to this season of The Family Hustle. The "So Gone" singer stopped by The Wendy Williams Show and got real about navigating life after loss and how she manages living in the same house as the man she's divorcing.
Anyone who's ever experienced grieving a relationship knows that the process is never easy, and unfortunately, Monica has had to do it publicly. Along with being a world-renowned songstress and mother-of-three, she also had to deal with criticism from people who really didn't even know her situation:
"The reality show started taking place before the divorce did, let's be clear, or I would not have gone on. Flat out. This is not something I could have predicted, and I'm highly offended when people ask me, 'is that storyline for the show'? I've never in 24 years have done anything for a show. I've never sold anything that wasn't true. I don't play like that."
She went on to say that she continued to film the show even after things got rocky in her life to stay true to herself and avoid compromising her integrity. She told Wendy:
"Had that been going on, I would not have been on the show, but since I was already there and I had made a commitment not only to myself but to two of my very close friends. You don't walk away just because something's happening with you. I'm not on the show alone."
Although this may have been one of the most confusing points in her life, Monica says that her divorce has also given her clarity. She explained that she and her husband still share a home while working out legal proceedings and their communication has been ever:
"It sometimes takes difficult things to lead you to where you need to be. And it was some conversations that needed to be had and some communication that needed to be had. That's what brought us together, so it really opened up the dialogue in the house. We're not feuding or beefing or anything, at all."
Contrary to popular belief, not all breakups have to be bitter, and according to Monica, her relationship with her ex is far from it. While in relationships, we have a tendency to bite our tongues to preserve the feelings of our partners, but when we are separated, we have the freedom to let it all hang out. She explained:
"It's really been peaceful because both of us are comfortable with speaking, you understand? Sometimes it gets too quiet, and it had gotten too quiet. You get to nine years, we made it through some of the trenches. So, now we're communicating."
This soul-singing songstress also noted that due to the responsibility of being a full-time mom, CEO with an international audience, she'll be putting her hot girl summer on hold until next year, but until then, she's adapting to life after love by trying new recipes, and we are here for it.
When's the potluck, sis?
Watch the full clip below!
Monica's New Beginning www.youtube.com
Featured image via The Wendy Williams Show
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Exclusive: After Focusing On His Career For So Long, David Banner Is Now Ready To Find A Wife
During the Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist premiere, David Banner, who stars in the film, opened up about his weight loss and his desire to get married and start a family. At 50, David has accomplished many feats, from rapping, producing, and acting, and now he's ready for the next phase of his life. "I want to get married," he tells xoNecole.
"I'm tired. I want to find my wife, have some kids. We chase all of these esoteric goals, and sometimes we look back, and we left the things that really matter. I looked up one day, I had all of them, the music accolades, the film accolades, not all the ones that I want, but a lot of them. I had accomplished my goal, had chased my goal so long that when I looked up, I saw that I ran off and left everything else."
He also shares how working in the entertainment industry can sometimes affect his life and relationships with others. "We forget to be human beings, and people don't allow us to be human beings," he continues. "So, that's the reason why I said what I said, because I know what y'all platform means, and I want people to know that there are still some human beings that's up on that camera, and sometimes we hurt too."
Back in 2016, the "Like a Pimp" artist released the single "Marry Me" and shared in an exclusive interview with us how he is working on becoming his best self for his future wife.
"I just want to be the man that most Black women want to marry. I want to be a Black man that stands strong," he said. "I'm not perfect, but [I want to be the man] women want to marry and that kids want to be their father. I want to be that man. [When I die] I want people to say that that's a strong African man, I am proud that he's a part of my culture."
During our most recent interview with the "Get Like Me" rapper, he also revealed that he lost 35 lbs and dished on how important it is to take care of your body. "I have this thing that I want to be our children's superhero on the screen and off, and people always talk about mental health, but part of your mental health is what you put in your body," he says.
"People always talk about God. People always talk about the church, but the real church is your body, your temple. So I am treating my body and my temple as if God is in there."
Fight Night is out now on Peacock.
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Feature image by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images