Kayisha Online

Happy Black History Month

It's Black History Month in the UK! Wohooo!!! It's a time of the year that I love and enjoy celebrating and because of that I got an idea. 

14/10/19 12:00am California time - 15/10/19 11:59pm California time

Actually, I think I got the urge to give my most recent book, Mum And Dad, We Know What Love Is to you (my friends, family, readers and the world) an ebook copy for FREE. Yep, you read that right. I said "Give you my most recent book for FREE."

Mum And Dad, We Know What Love Is, is a story of Afro-Caribbean twins who not only start their first day of high school, they also go on a journey to find love. Following their discovery, their eager to run home and say "Mum and Dad, we know what love is" Love, unity, motivation, determination, family, strength, victory and so much more is the soundtrack to Black History. If you read the biographies of people like Sarah Boone, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas those were the notes of their songs. They loved, they fought and they were persistent. 

The answer to my question, What book should I read during Black History Month? is of course Mum And Dad, We Know What Love Is. I'm giving you this book because love sets you free, the twins have amazing characters, the story has the power to inspire and the pages has a touch of Bob Marley. I'm giving you this book because I want it to impact Black Future. 

Make sure you grab your copy before the 48 hours are up and make sure you share the opportunity with your friends and family. Sharing is caring! Visit the Amazon page and get your ebook copy NOW. If you haven't got the Kindle device, download the Kindle app on your phone or tablet.

Happy Black History Month from Kayisha Thomas.

P.S.

Here's what I did for last year's Blacl History Month, oooooh it was a delicious way to do it.

Mum And Dad, We Know What Love Is - eBook edition is FREE from 14/10/19 - 15/10/19

Be Inspired!

www.kayishaonline.com

#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackPower #BlackAuthor #ChildrensBook #FreeEbook #Kindle #Twins #JamaicanFood #MukbangVideo

Be Inspired!

Kayisha

www.kayishaonline.com

Joe Biden's Mouth Is Causing Trouble

I don't listen/ watch/ read the news much, but when I do it's because Yahoo sends me daily emails and I just get a glimpse of what's going on by reading the headlines.

I don't get too deep into politics either, but it's important to at least stay informed because whose in power and the decisions they make can alter your lifestyle. So here goes.

Joe Biden is a current Presidential candidate in the United States. He started his bid for the 2020 presidency, and unfortunately I hope his bid doesn't go any further. That's not something I say lightly, but it is something I am saying because after his most recent rant and how he put his sentiments on display, how beneficial will he be for "poor black kids" in America?

Ok, let me rewind so you know exactly what I'm talking about.

After being asked “What responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?” Joe Biden caused outrage across America (and beyond, clearly because I'm in the UK) with the comments he made, the opinions he shared and the personal thoughts he allowed to come out of his mouth during the third Democratic debate on ABC News.

To the question above, he responded "We bring social workers into homes and parents to help them deal with how to raise their children. It’s not that they don’t want to help. They don’t know quite what to do. Play the radio. Make sure the television – excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night.”

Did you catch that?

He said he plans to send social workers in the home to teach them how to take care of their children.

He said they should play the record player at night instead of the television.

Let me just make it clear that he is obviously referring to low income communities and black parents.

The headline I saw stated that Biden’s statements implied “that Black parents don’t know how to raise their own children." That is what got my blood boiling and immediately caused me to want to write this blog. As a young black woman, a bicoastal woman who lives in both the UK and the USA; I'm here to counteract that. I wasn't born and raised in the United States Of America BUT I have family and friends that were and I say "How dare he generalise, stereotype and disrespect the hustle, grind and commitment of the black family, and black parents to their children!"

So, like I said I wasn't born in America, but I was raised by a Black, Afro Caribbean mum and dad and I think my upbringing was fantastic. Because of my parents I have had great success in my life. I am approaching 30 and they are still strong pillars in my life and are still very supportive of all that I do. It's because of the way they were as parents, that I had a great start in life and I am who I am today. My parents gave me great stability in regards to home, school, extra-curricular activities and more. My parents are proud of their role as parents and they are proud of me and my siblings. My parents ensured that they lived a healthy lifestyle and made sure that my sisters and I did too. Food shopping, home cooked meals, Caribbean food, fruits and vegetables, water and vitamins. They went all in. 

You may be wondering why all this matters, but it does, so I will continue.

My parents made sure that as children, as girls we were all well dressed. We didn't need to have name brand clothes, but we did have good quality clothes, clothes that were appropriate for our age and gender, but also for the occasion. That has continued with me. I take pride in how I dress and in how I carry myself as a woman. We were taught to be well behaved, at home, at school, in public and none of us have ever been in trouble with the police, or with the law. We are law abiding citizens, we are good and upstanding members of the community and that is because we were taught to have manners, respect, patience and the list goes on.

We were taught about our culture, traditions principles morals and values. Those things gave us a power, a power that allowed us to know our worth, know our history but also know that we each had a bright future a head of us. My parents installed great things in us, whether it was through the holidays we went on, the family outings or the conversations we had, the music we listened and danced to and the documentaries and movies we watched. My parents built a solid foundation and helped us to establish our faith in God, our Heavenly Father. We have all be christened, we've all been baptised as adults and it was our own choice to take the next step in our walk with Jesus Christ. We have all become outstanding women and it is a direct result of my black parents. How dare he generalize!

White, Asian, Black and Latino people commit crimes.

White, Asian, Black and Latino people drop out of school.

White, Asian, Black and Latino people get divorces.

White, Asian, Black and Latino people live in low income families. So is he going to send social workers into the homes of all of these people?

I have to repeat myself for a second. I hope his bid doesn't go any further, because after this rant, how beneficial will he be to "poor Black/ Asian/ Latino kids" in America?

Last but certainly not least.

He refuses to apologise for his remarks and to be honest, I don't think an apology would mean anything. People say what they think and feel, and if he really thinks that, him saying sorry publicly won't change it. I do think that his numbers in the polls are going to decrease. He made something about the legacy of slavery into this.

P.S. My family are very present in my 1Love vlogs on YouTube. We represent a happy family, a black family and we do it well. I hope you enjoy the videos above that I dedicated to my parents.

Be Inspired!

Kayisha

www.kayishaonline.com

#JoeBiden #AmericanSlavery #BlackFamily #ProudFamily #BlackParents #USPresident #BlackPower #WeCanDoIt 

The Recipe/ Ingredients For Success

Success is different for everyone! That's a fact. For some people, success is in the numbers, for others its in money. Regardless of what success looks like to you, regardless of what it feels like and how quickly its achieved; there are some necessary ingredients. 

The Sophisticated K Success Without Excuse T-shirt Collection

Click the Sophisticated K Clothing link on homepage.

1. Faith - First and foremost, faith is a massive part of your journey to success, keeping success and maintaining your place in the industry/ industries where you gained it. Faith in God and faith in yourself are major. God is good, He is unchanging and He works all things out for the good of those who love Him, but first you have to have faith in Him. You have to believe that you have a God given purpose in order to achieve success. God has you on earth for a reason, He's the Author of your life, so faith in Him and His plan for your life is crucial. We all also know that faith without works is dead, so we have to put the work in as well as increase our faith in order to be successful. Communication with God and communication with ourselves is a big deal. Pray, ask God for guidance and listen to Him. Talk to yourself, amp yourself up and have faith that you can do it.

My book, Measures Of Purpose In Life will speak to you more about the search of your purpose and the treasure within.

2. Health - I put health second on the list of ingredients because I don't know any successful people that are bed bound, tucked in a hospital bed and are being fed through a tube. That may sound gloomy, but it's also the truth. A healthy mind, body and soul are absolutely essential when your goal is to be successful. Sickness can hold you back, so it is extremely important that you take care of yourself. No one is going to do it for you, so you need to have me time, eat good food, drink water, exercise, get good rest and sleep, have family time and time with friends. It's important to laugh, sing and dance and look after your overall health. Once you begin to feel alive, your output will be tremendous.

There is an ounce with 6 teaspoons on the topic of health and well being in my book, Ounce Of Faith And Inspiration.

3. Confidence - This is major! I don't know about you, but I used to be really shy as a teenager (I wrote about this very briefly in my book, Quotes Of Faith And Inspiration) and based on a pep talk that I had with myself and a quote that I created, I had to make that shyness a thing of the past. I had to believe in myself, I had to be confident in who I am and because of that I say confidence is an important ingredient. Confidence will allow you to take advantage of opportunities that come your way, allow you to promote yourself and the products or services you provide. You will be confident in your potential and what you contribute to the world. You will own it and you will act accordingly because you're enthusiastic. Confidence is key!

My book, Quotes Of Faith And Inspiration promotes the fact that you are strong, you are more than a conqueror and you can have a positive impact on the world.

4. Positivity - Staying far away from negativity, cancelling negative thoughts as they come to mind and listening, watching and reading positive things all play a big part in your success. There is so much power in your tongue, the things that you speak, the conversations that you have; and through your mouth you have the power to inspire, motivate and encourage great things to happen. You have the ability to speak things into existence, you have the POWER, so educate yourself and speak elegantly - your success depends on it.

My book, Ounce Of Faith And Inspiration (Black And White Edition) speaks largely on a positive mind and disposition.

5. People - No one can become successful by themselves. I can testify to that based on several experiences that I have had in self-employment. I was first self employed at 19 years old. I was a Children's Party Planner in London and the only way I was able to actually be successful, more so on the day of the party was to have assistance. My mum and my sister were my employees - they even had uniforms that matched mine. More recently, as an Author, my sister has helped me with every single book event and speaking engagement. I couldn't do it without her support. This is a massive ingredient because we need to create relationships, nurture them, make them long lasting, build rapports with people, we need to have integrity so people trust us in different environments and circumstances. It's important to care about people, treat people with love and respect, to help people and inspire them too. I advise that you go to networking events, and even in a world where we don't know who our neighbours are, I say don't be afraid to talk to people. I have made massively beneficial connections with people that I sparked up a conversation with on the plane, in the supermarket etc. It's always great to collaborate with people, make mutually beneficial deals so both sides get something out of it. Your success can go to new levels as a result.

My newest book, Mum And Dad, We Know What Love Is, is a children's book about love, and love is what opens the lock to people.

6. Open Mind - Last but not least. An open mind is priceless. Entrepreneurs cannot be closed minded. Success can't be achieved if the mind can't conceive new ideas and methods. Innovation in business is grand, so it's important to have an open mind, take risks, open doors for yourself so you get exposure without having to wait on others, think outside of the norm and outside of the box, but then once you've done that consistency is significant. It's important to travel, experience new things and build on your knowledge. An open and well versed mind will move you towards success.

I hope this helped and you consider adding these ingredients and these secrets to success to your pot. Your definition of success will be different to the next person's. Just like the different patterns on each butterfly - they're all beautiful, they're just different. Create your own definition, and work towards it. It won't happen overnight, but look at your journey as a whole and be proud of yourself.

Success Can Be Obtained!

P.S. All books mentioned with the blog can be purchased on Kayisha Online, Amazon, Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Watch the video below (Part 1 of my trip to Atlanta) to see how I put some of the ingredients for success in the pot during.

Now that you've read the in depth descriptions for each ingredient, you'll see how it relates.

Be Inspired!

Kayisha

www.kayishaonline.com

#FemaleEntrepreneur #SecretsToSuccess #BusinessMindset #LikeABoss #BossLady #BusinessTips #PublishedAuthor

Notting Hill Carnival 2019 was a success!

It's been a week since Notting Hill Carnival took place. Oh How Time Flies!

1 week since Afro Caribbeans from all different islands, Africans from different parts of the continent, British people and more beautiful peple from different parts of the world came together to celebrate the the Caribbean culture. I write a week later because I've had a chance to reflect on my experience of Notting Hill Carnival 2019, and I'm proud to say that it was a SUCCESS. Success is my favourite word by the way and I'm pleased to be able to insert it into this sentence. 

Here are the reasons why I think Notting Hill Carnival was a success this year.

1. The weather was absolutely amazing. Bank Holiday after Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom we look forward to the sun, and more often than not, we get rain instead. The August Bank Holiday is a sign of the end of Summer, but instead of getting one last bit of sun, we get proof that Autumn is almost here. With that being said, we got the marvellous news that an Indian Summer was on the way and in fact this year the Bank Holiday was going to be a scorcher, and it was. We enjoyed 30 degree weather for a few days and it was wonderful, we had a heatwave. We get told to stay in the house, out of the heat if we can BUT, we wait all year for the sun, why would we stay in the house when the sun finally shows itself? So, everyone came out and enjoyed the sun with his rasta man hat on.

2. Me and my sister took my nephew to carnival for his first experience. This point is very personal but it's part of my reason for it being a success. My nephew turned 13 years old this summer. He travelled quite a lot and did more than the average child does during the 6 weeks off school, but I'm pleased to say that I got to introduce a hint of our culture to him. He had a whistle and a flag that he wore over his shoulders. We were all proudly representing Dominica and it was great. His feet started hurting, he got a bit of a headache, he was tired and wanted to go all at different stages BUT he got food (He loves fried dumplin - so do I) and we left when the time was right. Overall, I'm glad his first experience was with us, and he said he would go again when he is a little older. P.S. It was children's day and even though its not solely for children, it's great that children are able to come along and children are a part of the parade.

3. Like I already mentioned, the fact that all races, nationalities, religions, cultures etc could come together in the name of love, positivity, unity, music, togetherness, celebration and dance, sing, talk, take photos, film and rave for the Caribbean carnival is amazing. I think that in itself made it a success. We have seen an awful lot of discrimination, hate, crimes, inequality and the list goes on over the past couple of years, and the one time in the year when race, nationality, religion, culture, age, gender, sexuality etc doesn't matter happens to be a Caribbean tradition makes it an even bigger success. I don't have to say much more about that point, I just hope it sinks in.

4. The amount of reported crime was impressive. I saw the statistics and the attendance, and the comparison to British festivals that occur every year and I'm pleased to confirm that over 2.5 million people attended and there were less than 400 arrests - 353 to be exact. With that staggering number of people revelling through the streets of London - Ladbrooke Grove and Portobello Road (part of the route} offenses committed and arrests made were low. People came out to have fun, to enjoy the music, the good vibes, to see the dancers and those in colourful, creative costumes. People came to represent their countries and keep the 53 year old tradition going. Negativity wasn't a motive and because of that, I say Notting Hill Carnival was a success.

This event is a part of my culture. I'm very proud of my culture. It is a big part of who I am and how I live my life, the work that I do, the content and products that I create and I am once again pleased that the Caribbean culture was celebrated successfully on day1 and day2. Only God knows if I will attend next year, but for now I hope that it too will be a success.

#NottingHillCarnival #Caribbean #WestIndies #CulturalDiversity #Festival #NHC2019 #CaribbeanTradition #AfroCaribbean

Subscribe to my YouTube channel - Sophisticated K

Be Inspired!

Kayisha Online

www.kayishaonline.com

Indigenous Languages Of The World

Today is August 9th 2019 and we're celebrating #IndigenousLanguagesDay because languages, although very diverse, are what connects us and allows us to verbally express LOVE to others.

There are over 7,000 languages in the world, some that spoken and used by only a small group of people, but it's still a language. In my lifetime (thus far) I have had the privilege of speaking English fluently, learning how to speak French, and most recently, learning how to speak Portuguese. I got busy and stopped, but I promised myself that I'm going to get back on it. I want to go to Brazil one day. I want to be able to speak to my Spanish and Latina brothers and sisters around the world, because when you speak Portuguese, you're able to understand Spanish.

Another reason that I'm so pleased about today being World Indigenous Peoples' Day is because I included an I love You In Different Languages section in my NEW children's book - Mum And Dad, We Know What Love Is. As I wrote the story I aimed for it to teach my reader love in different forms and by the time I got to the end I figured it would be amazing to include how "I love you" is said in different languages.

I know I'm the Author, but I encourage you to treat your son, daughter or yourself to a new book. @zurieandzaria (on Instagram) know what love is, do you? When you get your copy, make sure you take a selfie and tag @ZurieandZaria on Instagram and we want to see if you find all the love words in the wordsearch in the book.

Thanks to tools like Google Earth, we can see the parts of the Earth we haven't visited yet and put that on our "To Visit List". No you may not be able to understand their language, and they may not be able to understand yours, but let me tell you this. LOVE is a global language. Kindness, Joy, Peace and Patience are languages everyone understands without words. Some of the places that are home to Indigenous People are Mohawk, Malaysia, Canada, Sami, Kunza, Cherokee and Amazon Forest. There's so much more. Some that I have never heard of.

Over 2,00 languages are at the risk of becoming extinct (like Dinosaurs LOL) The only way to stop that from happening, is to share and teach future generations. We have to keep the languages going. There's love and tradition in languages that we have to hold onto.

Let's keep languages alive!!

Be Inspired!

Kayisha

www.kayishaonline.com

#WritersLife #Reading #Languages #GoogleEarth #BackToSchool #Love #ZurieandZaria #IndigenousPeoples

Welcome to the Sophisticated K T-shirt Collection/ Fashion Catalogue

The Sophisticated K T-shirt Collection started with t-shirts for the SK Natural Hair Project video on the Sophisticated K YouTube channel back in November 2015. 

My love for fashion definitely contributed, but the fact that I had a specific reason to design was great, I was excited and then I was on a roll. Following the release of the video which featured several Naturalistas sharing their natural hair journey, tips and products; it was a way to promote, the love, joy and appreciation of natural hair. The video and the collection includes kids, men and women, so no one gets left out. They have cute and adorable illustrations of characters with natural hairstyles.

After that came the SK Fruits Of The Spirit T-shirt Collection. For one day and one day only, back in March 2016, I took to the pulpit and preached a sermon in church on the topic of the Fruits Of The Spirit. If you're thinking, OMG I missed it, don't worry I filmed it and released it on the Sophisticated K YouTube channel for the world to see. During my message I had a little assistant who helped me illustrate my message using 6 t-shirts that I had designed. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Joy and Kindness. They were bright and bold, artistic and cool, my favourite one is Love with the crowned strawberry.

Then came the Success Without Excuse T-shirt Collection. To put it simply, it's bold and powerful words across the chest with SWE in a box to inspire and motivate prosperity without the need to come up with a reason why great things can't be achieved. I want you to know that you are great and you can do amazing things in this life, you just have to stop making excuses and go for it with PASSION, have GOALS and know that you have POWER.

Now the Be Inspired T-shirt Collection came shortly after and it was inspired by the Kayisha Online slogan/ motto which is "Be Inspired!" It's the goal and the aim of everything I do. I want to inspire you, uplift you and promote nothing but love and positivity. So with that, the bee (Yes, bees are on the t-shirts) are accompanied by words of inspiration such as be beautiful, be happy, be fun, be strong, be blessed, be love, be true etc. I never thought I'd wear a bee on my chest, but I do love the design and so do all the children that have their bee t-shirts.

And last but not least, because there will most certainly be more collections, is the I Am... T-shirt Collection. This collection is royal and it was inspired by a teaspoon in my debut book, Ounce Of Faith And Inspiration. The teaspoon encourages you to decree that I AM beautiful, I AM powerful, I AM blessed, I AM successful, I AM caring, I AM loving and so on. The t-shirts proclaim that you are a King, a Queen and you are a Diamond.

The Sophisticated K T-shirt Collection is unique, it's artistic, it's inspirational and it's aim is to make you feel good. 

Follow the Sophisticated K Tees account on Instagram and go and check out the store

https://teespring.com/stores/sophisticatedktees

you can place orders for any design in any colour you like and make sure you take photos and

tag us so I can repost and show you some love.

#BTS10 #Fashion #Tshirts #ClothingLine #FashionDesigner #Teespring #FashionBlogger