Women change their minds. It’s what we do. And often it leads to the best of us.
@womenofclt on Instagram highlights those in CLT who have done it with grace. And recently we have been most inspired by their courage and perseverance.
Temps have dropped. Check out the @womenofclt doing spectacular things in a new season:
Marie Cloud is owner and principal designer — Indigo Pruitt Design Studio. She delivers soulful life-giving design.
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A soulmate, if you will.
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Marie is known for her blended-styled approach to aesthetics. For undergrad, she decided to pursue a design degree after recounting moments from her childhood.
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Where so many things truly begin.
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Marie’s mom would take her to the lush suburbs of her hometown, Cleveland, to look at big pretty homes. She believes it was during that time that she became interested in architecture and the essence of home.
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The nucleus of it all.
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When it was time to go off to college, Marie jumped in as an architecture major and soon changed to interior design. After graduating she built-up industry knowledge while working for a design firm, property management company and later spending several years with Sherwin Williams.
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Around 2017, Marie started designing spaces for friends — and in 2019, Indigo Pruitt Design studio was born. Marie tells stories through interiors and creating a space that invokes something good and life-giving.
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She’s been featured nationwide for a reason.
Full of soul:
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@indigopruitt
Kamie Rudisill and Susan Wallace are Gracefull Glories — a scripture and affirmation paper goods company here in CLT where they create scripture sets, affirmation sets, greeting cards, and more — based on the Word, with beautiful watercolor illustrations.
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Their mission is to remind and encourage others — young and old, that God loves each and every one of us.
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Reminders are never a bad thing.
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Kamie and Susan were two moms who ran in the same circle, yet didn’t know each other until Susan approached Kamie with an idea. Susan had always wanted to create some type of children’s ‘on-the-go’ scripture cards or devotional. She knew that scripture meant for little ones and their parents would be a success — cards that could be kept in a purse, read in carpool line…given as gifts.
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She needed an artist to complete this idea. Kamie, a local watercolor artist, joined Susan and together they launched their first scripture set, ‘Weekday Wishes.’ From there, ideas began to flow and Gracefull Glories was born.
And their new children’s book is absolutely full of Grace.
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Gracefully done:
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www.gracefullglories.com
@gracefull_glories
Katie Kinder Barradale is co-founder & President of the Cooper Royall Foundation, where she raises money for autism support in her son’s name. He’s her inspiration.
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And ours.
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Throughout their journey with Cooper, Katie has come to know the challenges that arise with raising a child with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Cooper endured multiple therapy sessions a week to learn to walk at 2.5 years, to speak intelligible words at age 4, & to learn how to navigate a world with things that may seem simple to us, but are more complex to him.
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Bless him.
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Katie saw the immense amount of effort and perseverance Cooper put into things that come so naturally to kids like his little brother. She wanted to do something that may, down the road, give him and his community a break.
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By amplifying awareness.
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Cooper has the same needs as anyone else — the need for love, acceptance, friendships, and the feeling of security. Katie hopes that the community in the Carolinas will embrace individuals with special needs more and more.
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In 2020, the virtual ‘Cooper’s 6for6’ campaign was born. They asked friends and family to donate $6 for his 6th birthday. With an outpouring of donations, they were featured on ABC World News Now.
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They raised $31,000 that week — the kickstart Katie knew was going to begin making an impact.
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Acceptance:
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@katiekinderdale
@thecooperroyallfoundation
Scoopcharlotte has worked with Jessica Bentley for years. She is owner of Slice of Jess and full-time recipe development enthusiast/photographer. She’s also a ghost-content creator for several CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands.
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She knows delicious.
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Jess grew up in a poor household with just her brother and dad. She always craved a ‘homecooked meal each evening’ life — when you’d talk about your day and enjoy each other’s company.
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Important stuff.
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So when Jess met her future husband at 19… that’s exactly what she did. After their restaurant shifts she’d put on ‘Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals’ and cook alongside. Then they would sit together and eat & talk about their college classes. They now have two boys, been married 10 years and sit together every night for dinner as a family.
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Build the life you envision.
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Jess’s mission is to simplify recipes, encourage home cooking, and explore new foods. But she used to be a corporate accountant — earning her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double minor in Public Relations and HR. She enjoyed her corporate role, but it wasn’t her true passion.
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It’s all about the passion.
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Jess was recently asked to join Rachael Ray for a Q&A via Zoom. To speak to someone who has been a major influence in Jess’s career was exactly what she envisioned.
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Well done:
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SliceOfJess.com
@sliceofjess⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Camillya Masunda is owner and founder of Ebony Wine & Spirits — the first black-owned wine brand in North Carolina.
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We can drink to that.
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Camillya fell in love with wine during her college years and began to see a pattern of a lack-of-representation when she visited vineyards or when even searching for companies to support. As Camillya learned about the disparities in minority involvement, her entrepreneurial spirit kicked in.
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A woman of Charlotte.
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Camillya began national tours of vineyards to learn about custom crushes, grape varietals and how to use what she learned to entice the taste pallets of her chosen demographic. Camillya realized her purpose was to remove the veil around wine and introduce it to the customer that may have felt ignored in the past.
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To change our knowledge terroir.
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Inspired by her Congolese roots, Camillya celebrates the history and heritage of vast black cultures around the globe. The taste and wine profiles tell a beautiful story.
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With every sip.
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The brand has recently expanded into influencing the culture visually by opening Mint Hill’s first black-owned art gallery — The Ebony Experience. This alternative gallery promotes the influence of African-American culture in art, music, cinema, and more.
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Cheers:
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Gallery: 7714 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd, Mint Hill
www.EbonyWineAndSpirits.com
@EbonyWineAndSpirits
Madeline Hughes is a Realtor/Broker at Dickens Mitchener here in Charlotte. She is best known for her work with the American Lung Association.
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For a big reason.
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Madeline’s a Charlotte native who has only left for college. After graduating from Providence Day School, she spent 4 years at Elon University. And then returned to the QC.
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In October 2008, just a few months after her college graduation, Madeline’s mom passed away from lung cancer after a three year battle.
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It was crushing.
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Madeline found there wasn’t much charity work/fundraising for lung cancer in CLT at the time, so when she was asked about being part of LUNG FORCE she jumped at it.
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Madeline is a strong single mom to boy/girl twins who are in first grade. She does what she does in the name of their grandmother.
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And for those still in the fight:
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@madelinehughes
@madelinehughes.homes
Lonnie Davis is CEO and president of JazzArts Charlotte, a non-profit organization focusing on connecting the cultural community to Jazz, as well as developing its audience.
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Notes we can follow.
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Lonnie works to develop programs of quality education, performance, and musician support. As a musician herself, Lonnie was relocated to Charlotte from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Once here, she quickly identified voids in arts education (jazz music education), and started JazzArts Charlotte (formally JazzArts Initiative) in 2009.
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Their goal is to enrich the community and bring people together — using Jazz as the hook. Lonnie is also board president of an international jazz education organization, Jazz Education Network.
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Celebrating home-grown talent:
Patty Comer & Amy Pack are co-founders and principal partners of AccruePartners. They are known for providing talent solutions for Carolina’s middle-market and Fortune 500 enterprise-sized companies.
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They know how to make a match.
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Starting with themselves. Early in their careers, Patty led the Charlotte office and Amy led the Atlanta office for a national accounting & finance staffing company. They met at a sales meeting in California and became fast friends over shared ambitions and business approaches. They joined forces to found Accrue.
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Rock stars.
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And on top of that? They’ve since additionally curated another brand, GG Locators, as their side hustle. They were able to identify a gap in staffing & search services, and filled a critical void in the exploding gaming industry. Clients include the world’s top gaming companies across the US and Europe.
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Good game:
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https://accruepartners.com
@accruepartners
https://gglocators.com
@gglocators
Nicole Peternel is CEO and founder of Rein Communications + Little Bit Publicity. Today she runs one of Charlotte’s powerhouse full-service public relations firms.
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Her journey wasn’t always an easy one.
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Nicole eagerly entered journalism school at the University of Minnesota in her 20s after having to wait. She came up with a plan to pay for college herself. While going to school full-time, waiting tables five nights a week, and interning at Clear Channel, Nicole got very little sleep.
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Those 30 hours a week assisting in their Broadway division was what catapulted Nicole into working for the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings. She also planned televised red carpet events for McDonalds and oversaw media relations for massive Red Bull events.
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In 2015 she and her husband moved, with their young child, to the Queen City. After a year of corporate PR, Nicole took the position of an SVP at a local Charlotte agency. Just days after, Nicole found out she was pregnant with their second child.
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Once her son was born, the pressure of being both an executive and mom was palpable. Postpartum anxiety and depression was controlling her every thought. Nicole’s attempts to self-medicate with wine only exacerbated her mental health struggles.
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After a multi-city work trip, she landed in the hospital, succumbing to a nervous breakdown.
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Through therapy and intense introspection, Nicole realized that her love for PR was still alive.
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Always find a way to make your story happen:
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@nicolepeternel
@reincommunications
@littlebitpublicity
Lekha Shah is owner of The Artsy Box — a full-service custom gifting company. She has perfected high-end gift giving. And more.
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We never turn down a thoughtfully put together gift.
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While looking for beautiful, presentable and thoughtful gifts for her husband for Christmas, the idea of curating a gift box with small batch handmade products came to mind. Lekha wanted the best for him.
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Women of Charlotte spoil their people.
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And so Lekah’s journey of curating gifts began. Having a creative background for years, she always wanted to run her own business. The Artsy Box made her the first women entrepreneur and 2nd generation businessperson in her family.
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The best gift can also be for yourself:
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@theartsyboxusa
Morgan Robinson is CEO & founder of The Hospitality Coalition. Launched during the pandemic, they seek to support the still struggling hospitality industry. With minimal bail outs and staff layoffs, Morgan wants HoCo to help with driving revenue back to the industry through collaborative private events and partnerships.
Partnerships make us happy.
HoCo has generated over $30,000 for the industry in a few short months by hosting a wide range of events at various locations throughout Charlotte.
Morgan has worked in the hospitality industry since she was a teen. Now that she’s not serving or bartending, her desire to create experiences for Charlotteans for a greater cause has further flourished.
HoCo was recently approved for nonprofit status and will soon be accepting applications for a scholarship fund. To encourage others to do good.
Good food for thought:
wearehoco.com
Jessica Gaddy is owner of Finicky Foods, her small batch gourmet pimento cheese operation. She uses local ingredients, whenever possible, in eco-friendly packaging.
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To make our southern tastebuds thrive.
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Jessica began making her recipe as an appetizer when hosting campout parties at her property in Waxhaw.
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How do we get an invite?
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Friends would tell Jessica that she should sell it to the public. Many years later she finally took the leap and launched Finicky Foods — naming the business after her online foodie personality, “finickylady.”
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Our favorite flavors of hers? Old Bay, Dill Pickle, and BBQ.
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Yep, we like it all:
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www.finickyfoodsnc.com
@finickylady
@finicky.foods
Shop local: @rhinomarketanddeli, Kit’s Trackside Crafts in Pineville, Southern Range Brewing in Monroe, and more soon!
Seaundra Ramsey owns Soft Luxury Beauty Spa — a semi-permanent makeup salon offering permanent brows, lip blushing, faux freckles, scalp pigmentation, and scar camouflaging. She makes us feel beautiful and confident.
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Permanently.
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A few years ago, as a mother of two, Seaundra yearned to find a way to maintain her confidence — while also having time to be a great mother. She knew that meant changing careers with intention.
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Always go after it.
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Seaundra knew she could also help other women feel confident. She has since curated the best artists in town, is 3x certified and offers free services to cancer patients.
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The best of intentions:
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www.softluxurybeautyspa.com
Facebook: @softluxurybeautyspa
Twitter: @SLBeautySpa
Pinterest: @softluxurybeautyspa
