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Welcome Letter

Dear nécessité Woman,

Welcome to my newest venture, which I am so proud to share with you. It is called Nécessité.

I want to use the Nécessité platform to help make a difference, through all the differentiation categories that inspire and motivate me and perhaps do the same for you — through self-care, beauty, fashion, food, interiors, travel, entertainment, and philanthropy. This is how we, as women, connect. This is how we care for ourselves. These are our nécessités…

I was raised by a single mom who worked for the airlines, who always made sure my sisters and I traveled. I shared a one bedroom with two sisters and worked three jobs to pay my own way through college, but travel was the driving force that made me the gypsy girl that I am. It gave me a zest for the finer things and a willful determination to attain what my eyes, mind, body, and soul desired. At one point in my life, I desired to be a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue; at another, an interior decorator. I was always either frolicking in my mom’s Norma Kamali clothes and Robert Clergerie shoes, or rearranging the living room or bedroom while pretending to speak my own version of French.

nécessité is something that’s been brewing inside of me since I became a mother over 18 years ago. I loved being pregnant. It gave me a surge of energy. There was an extra heart inside of me, a full being with a soul inside of me; and as a result, I was more empowered, with power. I just felt so inspired. I was learning, observing, taking notes.

Being faced with my own health challenges and then having children that had their own health challenges led me to write my books, The Thriving Child and Shut Up and Cook. But those two books weren’t enough. As a woman of color, I did not find anything that was speaking to me, to my daughter, or to my friends that were constantly asking me to start a lifestyle empire to speak to our needs. There was an absence of inclusion — therefore, I knew, I wasn’t done. I still have more to say and to do, and I want to share more, and that’s why Nécessité came about. This is a space that honors women in all of our complex, contradictory, multifaceted glory.

nécessité is an inclusive daily content site that reflects the ever-evolving nature of women. It’s about finding small, manageable, realistic ways to implement lifestyle changes without depriving yourself. To me, our well-being is not a luxury — it is an investment. It is about seeing self-care for what it really is: a non-negotiable nécessité.

Here’s what to expect.

Self-Care

nécessité will feature the stories and self-care routines of women as a way to expose you to their daily regimes and introduce you to new products and practices to get you inspired.

Beauty

Curated with mindful products from our friends, nécessité wants to share with you the beauty products, tools, and techniques we find interesting and love — for example, the ancient art of Kansa Wand facial massage.   (hyperlink here)

Fashion and Style

I thought I was going to be a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue growing up! I have a love for personal style, so we’ll share with you helpful ways to build a wardrobe of nécesssités.

Food

We’ll share our favorite recipes and places to eat, along with spices, herbs, and ingredients we find helpful-and delectable, of course.

Interiors

Wanting to be an interior decorator at one point in my life, I have an eye for detail and love and appreciate beautiful things for the home. We’ll offer you a curated selection of products for your personal space and show you how to create a warm and cozy ambiance.

Travel

Travel is inclusive — it is a nécessité because when we travel, we learn. Here we’ll share some of our favorite destinations from around the world. (And yes, I did sleep on the floor while living in Paris.)

Entertainment

Because the arts are a nécessité, we’ll share our favorite movies, music, books, and celebrity moments.

Philanthropy

Philanthropy is a core part of the nécessité mission, so we’ll be sharing how to work with charitable organizations so you have a chance to make a difference, with ways to give from your heart to theirs.

Thank you for being on this evolving journey with me. I’m so grateful you’re here — let’s do it together.

Here we go…