Stacy Ike is a fellow Texan and Mizzou j-school alum. During her time at Mizzou, she studied Broadcast Journalism and when we got close to graduation, she visited Australia “on a whim” for 9 months and moved from there to Los Angeles where she currently works as an Entertainment Reporter and Actress.
My favorite thing about Stacy, as she’ll talk about in this feature, is her ability to make people feel “fabulous.” I promise you, a chat with Stace can make you feel like you’re the only one in the room so I was really happy to be able to share a piece of her story.
BGP: What does it mean to you to be a black girl with purpose?
Stacy: I’m learning more and more what it means by seeing other black women who are doing it. Initially it was looking at my mom, grandma, sisters. Then when I went to college it was mom, grandma, sisters, friends. Then when I moved to Australia it was back to mom, grandma sisters and now that I’m in Los Angeles doing it, I’m seeing so many women [walking in their purpose].
To me, it means supporting other women. Being on a journey and understanding that a purpose is not realized overnight. And that even once you have that blessed day of “this is what I’m supposed to do,” recognizing it can take a long time to do it.
BGP: How would you define your specific purpose?
Stacy: Making people feel special and making them feel fabulous. Everybody wants to feel special and loved. Half of what I do, when I do it right, is what I’m here to do. I walk around giving compliments to strangers because it’s just what I love to do. There’s really no other reason. A lot of people can talk for a living but the way I choose to speak to people that I’ve never met the same way I would speak people I’m in love with is what’s unique about my purpose..
[Tweet “Half of what I do, when I do it right, is what I’m here to do.”]
Because I work as an entertainment reporter and a host – [making people feel fabulous] can get clouded with ego but with me it’s all about the experience and how people feel when they’re with you.
All of our gifts contribute to something so much bigger than us. Our gifts are God’s, He’s just letting us use them. That’s how I know it’s my purpose, it’s so much bigger than me.
BGP: When did you feel like you realized your purpose or first got a glimpse of what your purpose is?
Stacy:I had a glimpse in high school when I was doing journalism in high school. My pastor gave me a suggestion to go to Mizzou because they have a really great journalism program. The second glimpse was actually visiting Mizzou and realizing I could just talk for a living. The third one was moving to L.A and saw that I could really do this. Everything changed then because I realized it included millions of people.
BGP: What is the hardest part about walking in your purpose?
Stacy: Remembering that you are born to do this and you deserve to do this. More often than not we fall back on doubt and fear that are all distractions from what we should be doing. Sometimes we see others path and we say “why doesn’t mine look like that?” or “Why is this so much harder?” But you have to remember, this is what you’re allowed to do, this is what you’re already purposed to do. Some doors have to be shut or else you’ll be distracted. You pray to God and say God can you lead me and He says yea but I’m going to have to shut this door first.
[Tweet “Some doors have to be shut or else you’ll be distracted.”]
BGP: What would you say to someone who doesn’t know where to start to find their purpose?
Stacy: Robert Nadeau says: “What’s already in you? What do you already do that you wouldn’t have to be paid for?” There’s always that something in your life. When I watch a show and do a carpet, I can’t wait to get home to tell people about it but there are other things I used to do that I didn’t get excited about because I wasn’t purposed to do them.
For Stacy it always comes back to the questions “What was I already so excited about?” “What was I already gifted in?”
What would you that you did not have to get paid for? That you would shine to the world and show to the world with no one watching. It’s not someone that happens over night because it is an everyday thing but once you see who you are – look into it. Sometimes you’ll try to leave it and I promise you it will creep back in if it’s something that God wants you to do.
BGP: In addition to your work in L.A., what other projects are you working on?
Stacy: I’m in the process of working on a lot of personal projects and rebranding for myself and my baby – N.A.O.M.I. N.A.O.M.I stands for Not Afraid of My Imperfections. I had help creating it a few years ago and it’s developing into something else.
This past May, we had our first N.A.O.M.I. event where I celebrated 25 women who are really changing the world right now.
It all ties back into giving [people] permission to be [themselves]. I die to myself daily and I put on Christ and I put on N.A.O.M.I. In the future, I hope N.A.O.M.I will become a really huge brand that both men and women can identify with. I really thank God for gifting me with N.A.O.M.I because I don’t know what I’d do without it.
You can follow the movement on Instagram @livingnaomi or visit the website: naomiliving.com.
BGP: Do you have anything else you’d like to share with the BGP community?
Stacy: We have to understand that everybody is gifted with a purpose. Sometimes we spend time talking down on other people and trashing other people but if we really took time to nurture each other’s purposes and each other’s gifts how much better would this world actually be?
[Tweet “”If we really took time to nurture each other’s purposes and each other’s gifts how much better would this world actually be?””]
The huge answer to all of it is love. If we see purpose in each other and help each other, that’s how we succeed. I know defining purpose is a difficult thing but don’t let someone’s definition of who you are, define you are. The way someone else sees you should not determine how you see yourself.
For me, when I decided to be who I am, I gave other women permission to be who they were.
[Tweet “When I decided to be who I am, I gave other women permission to be who they were.”]
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