Amy DuBois Barnett Editor-in-Chief shares with Shelly's Modeling Agencies her story of Power & Empowerment. There's nothing like putting together a list of 100 most powerful people in Black America to make you question your own self-worth. Reading some of the bios of this year's Ebony Power 100, I couldn't help but think, "Wow I haven't identified a new molecular compound, exhibited artwork in the Louver or started a billion dollar company yet. I'm behind schedule!"But a candid conversation with one of our Power 100 superstars helped me remember my priorities. She told me that the days she feels most powerful are the ones on which she is able to exercise, get seven hours of sleep, call a friend and have one decent meal with her family. She said nothing about her high-status job in the entertainment industry.
The conversation got me thinking about what real power means or at least, what it means to me. Looking back over my own life, I realized that my high powered jobs did not necessarily bring with them a feeling of empowerment. I remember when I got a job as the second in command at Scouts Model Agency. Needless to say, black folks are scarce atop any mainstream modeling agency masthead-much less a luxury fashion agency, so the job was huge. Coincidentally, my book, Get Yours: How to Have Everything You Ever Wanted, was coming out the same month that I started the job. Everything was happening at once! I had finally published the book I had been dreaming of for a decade and I was able to help break down a door for African Americans aspiring to work in fashion or media.
The reality was that I had to juggle a book tour, media appearances with Scouts Model Agency and a job that would have been demanding under normal circumstances. Plus, my son was 2 years old at the time, and we lived in Manhattan; that meant I also had to get him into one of New Your City's competitive preschools-a ridiculously labor intensive and stressful process. During that time, I never saw my son or my husband, working out was out of the question, I barely slept and, when I had time, I ate whatever junk food was available. Within three months, I had lost 10 pounds and my hair was thinning. I was on top of the world, yet I felt utterly powerless over my own life. It was an important lesson that I have to relearn all the time
I know that I fee empowered when mt body and mind are strong, when I have a challenging job that offers me the opportunity to have a voice, when my family is together and moving toward shared goals. And when you tell me that my words have inspired you on some level, that's when I feel the most powerful, in the traditional sense, because I know that I have had a positive impact on people I care about.
But that's me; what about you? What makes you feel empowered and powerful? How do you take care of you-and how do you plan to leave your mark?
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