Nia the Light.
There couldn't be a more fitting name for a young influencer whose crowning glory once spanned her head like a mega-curly halo and drew the awe and following of more than 86,000 followers on YouTube alone. Even over the phone during our chat, there's a special radiance around Nia "the Light" Pettitt.
She put that radiance to the test recently, cutting the blonde regal 'fro that made her famous on YouTube and Instagram alike. Trust us, her lioness-like mane put Angela Davis, Chaka Khan, and Kelis circa the "I Hate You So Much Right Now" days all to shame. (And just one tutorial detailing how she styled and maintained it attracted more than 899,000 views.) Even beyond the hair, her smile, aura of positivity, and candid vlogs sharing her travels via her #FroGirlAdventures series, offer yet another glimpse into why there's an ambiance surrounding her.
@niathelight/Instagram
Why cut the signature style that has led to notoriety and success---endorsements with L'Oreal and Aerie, features by PopSugar and Glamour South Africa, and co-hosting gigs for women's empowerment and beauty events around the globe?
"I'm a big believer in manifestation," Nia says. "I think since starting that relationship with myself and God, I've just been free to just be who I am."
The avid traveller, vlogger and founder of @HappyFroDay, an IG platform that celebrates natural curls, says she didn't want to be defined by her hair or the need to be liked a million times. Formerly known as FroGirl Ginny, Nia dove headfirst into a whole new, healthier vibe.
"People don't realize that social media can affect your mental health so much. If every day you're waking up and expecting to go on IG and see your favorite girls with the flawless skin and amazing body, or they're traveling all the time, you have to realize that sometimes it's not real. People can create who they want to be and the lifestyle they want to live."
"People don't realize that social media can affect your mental health so much."
Cutting one's hair might seem like just a regular thing to do, but for someone whose curls were a defining aspect of their Web fame, it's major, especially if it's connected to an awakening. In a social media world filled with technologically enhanced photos, staged depictions, ads, and a fierce competition for shares, endorsements, and celebrity, she sought to create a space where she could embrace everything about herself--flaws and all.
"I mentally prepped for the big chop. I spent time at home hibernating before I cut my hair, just to make sure it was something I wanted to do. I didn't tell anyone I was going to do it, which was such a big secret for me to keep," Nia says. "I started talking more about self-love [in my vlogs] and things I'm truly passionate about. I stopped Photoshopping my pictures, which was really good for me because I was so dependant on it. That was really key in being my raw and authentic self. I no longer had my hair to hide behind and other things I was modifying, which is really good."
"That was key in being my raw and authentic self. I no longer had my hair to hide behind…"
@niathelight/Instagram
Nia, 20, sees this part of her journey as one of enlightenment and growth. "I grew up on YouTube and was on since I was 16. Now, I don't engage with social media like I used to before. I'd have all my notifications on and see everything everyone would say. When I post, I leave the app and kind of forget I did, and then I'll go back and respond to comments and DMs. I'm not as attached to it as I used to be, which is really good for me mentally."
She's since shifted focus to self-awareness and service in an effort to expand her understanding of the world and herself. She recently took a trip that led her back to her Zimbabwean roots, strengthening a pride in heritage that has been instilled in her since she was a young girl growing up and living in the UK with her mother. "I recently went to a school in Zimbabwe and hosted a workshop with young girls---educating them about self-love---and it was really an amazing moment for me because I've always wanted give back. And that's something I've always dreamt of doing, building homes and schools in Zimbabwe---that was the like the start of the journey for me," Nia recalls. "It was refreshing because they had no idea who Nia the Light was but valued and appreciated my time and what I was saying. Before, when I'd do events, it would always be about 'Hey, let's take a selfie,' and that whole aspect of things. I saw the impact I'm able to make without my hair and without social media, which was really powerful for me."
"I saw the impact I'm able to make without my hair and without social media, which was really powerful for me."
The momentum hasn't stopped for Nia, and chopping off the massive curls that gained her popularity has opened up more opportunities---not less.
"Since I cut my hair and changed my name, I've been able to be free and create what I want without being limited to one thing. I've gotten some great opportunities including more campaigns with Aerie with my short hair. A girl [once] said to me, 'If you think about it, what you did was so radical because you took something that gave you confidence--- that allowed you to build a career---and you got rid of it.' I never look at it like that. I just knew it was just the right thing for me to do. You don't have to do everything for likes. Remember why you started and tap into the girl who was eager to create what you want."
For more Nia the Light, follow her on Instagram.
*Featured Image Credit: Nia the Light/Instagram
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The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak