We recently had the chance to connect with Ms. Shamika Williams MBA and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Shamika, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity. Without question. Energy matters. I feel everything, so I’m highly aware of what I allow around me. Intelligence is valuable, too especially emotional intelligence. But integrity is the foundation that keeps everything else aligned for me. You can be smart, you can be magnetic, but if you lack integrity, your energy will eventually feel off, and your smarts will work against you, not for you. As a woman who had to rebuild her life from nothing more than once I’ve learned that integrity is what keeps me rooted. It’s what allows me to trust myself and keep showing up, whether I’m doing hair, creating content, building legacy through my brand Sadestyledme, or caring for my son. Integrity is how I sleep at night. It’s how I hold boundaries. It’s how I honor God, myself, my child, and the work I do for my clients. So for me? Integrity is nonnegotiable. Everything else flows from that.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Shamika Williams, MBA. I’m the creator of Sadestyledme a beauty brand rooted in authenticity, legacy, and deep respect for Black hair culture. With over 17 years in the industry, I specialize in natural hair care, precision installs, and luxury extensions but my work goes beyond styling. I see hair as a sacred crown, a portal of expression, and a form of storytelling. What makes Sadestyledme unique is the energy behind it. Every service, every foundation, every style is done with intention. I’ve built this brand from the ground up while navigating motherhood, entrepreneurship, personal healing, and the sacred responsibility of raising an autistic son. I show up raw, real, and rooted in my purpose, even when life tries to shake me. Right now, I’m expanding my vision beyond the chair. I’m working on launching a Black hair trade school a space to educate, empower, and preserve the art and integrity of Black hairstyling. I want to leave a legacy that outlives trends. I want to show other women especially Black women that you can rise, restart, and reign on your own terms. Sadestyledme isn’t just a brand it’s a movement, a ministry, a house name and a reminder that style is spiritual when it comes from the soul.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that tolerated chaos just to feel loved she served her purpose, and I release her with gratitude. She protected me. She kept me alive in survival mode. She knew how to smile through pain, overextend herself, and make something out of nothing. But now, I’m no longer living for the bare minimum. I’m not begging for crumbs emotionally, financially, or spiritually. Not in love, not in business, not in friendships. I’ve outgrown the version of me who dimmed her light to be accepted. The one who over explained herself, let loyalty override discernment, or felt like she had to be strong all the time to prove something. She was born from trauma. But I’m choosing healing now, not just survival. So I thank her and I let her go. Because the woman I am now? She’s choosing softness, boundaries, reciprocity, and joy. She’s walking in divine timing, not desperation. And she understands that releasing what no longer serves isn’t loss, it’s alignment.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell her “you were never too much they just weren’t ready for your light.” I’d tell her she didn’t have to shrink to survive. That her heart was always pure. That the way she loved, the way she dreamed, the way she carried so much at such a young age, was divine, not a burden. I’d remind her that the pain wasn’t her fault, and that her power was never in pretending to be okay. It was in feeling everything and still choosing to rise. I’d hold her face and say, “one day, you’re going to be everything you needed for yourself, for your child, and for women who feel unseen.” And most importantly, I’d tell her “you make it out, you become her. And you are so deeply loved by God, by your future self, and by the world you’re about to change.”
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is real, but it’s just one layer. the strong one, the hairstylist, the visionary, the mother, the woman who shows up even when life hits hard. She’s real, because the energy, the craft, the transparency that’s all me. But there are deeper parts of me that the public doesn’t always see. The soft parts. The tired parts. The woman who sometimes cries in silence, prays out loud, and still finds the strength to create something beautiful from her pain. I don’t fake anything. What you see is me but it’s the curated version I choose to share. Not out of fear, but out of sacred protection. Some things deserve to grow in private before they’re revealed. Some healing happens off camera. Some victories are just for me and God. So yes the public me is real. But the full me? She’s still unfolding, still sacred, and still rising.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’ve been underestimated, redirected, and even told to “play it safe” more times than I can count. But purpose has a way of finding me… especially while growing through enough pain to hear God clearly. I was born to heal through my hands. To restore crowns. To pour into black women. To create legacy, beauty, and freedom through the art of hair and entrepreneurship. I was born to mother not just my child, but my community. I was born to tell the truth, even when it shakes the room. I’m not doing what I was told to do, I’m doing what I chose, what I embodied, what I prayed for, and what I survived for. This path wasn’t handed to me I built it. Brick by brick. Blessing by blessing. Breakdown by breakthrough. This is exactly what I was born to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Sadestyledme.as.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadestyledme
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamikaswilliamsmba?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/x0LFw9-JrE
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sadestyledme?si=-FC3gd6AZtE3t8So
Image Credits
Shamika Williams
