Beauty Beyond Hair: Conversations About Alopecia and Self-Acceptance

Living with hair loss can be a challenging journey, but it's also an opportunity to discover inner strength and redefine beauty standards. Through powerful personal stories and expert insights, this episode explores how embracing baldness can lead to freedom, confidence, and community connection.

• Armani shares her experience as the first Dallas Cowboys cheerleader to proudly perform with a bald head due to alopecia
• Young Kennedy, who also experiences hair loss, meets Armani in a touching surprise moment
• Dr. Tanya Reddick-Rogers explains different types of hair loss and debunks myths about "protective" hairstyles
• Dr. Quavandra Perry addresses the psychological impacts of hair loss and strategies for rebuilding confidence
• Jimmy Sanders discusses founding "Bold, Bald and Beautiful," a community empowering those with alopecia
• The importance of giving non-physical compliments and supporting each other's authentic journeys

Connect with Bold, Bald and Beautiful through email or social media to find community and resources for those experiencing hair loss.

About Loud & Clear Show with Tashara Parker:
Loud & Clear with Tashara Parker is more than a talk show—it’s a new era of bold storytelling where authenticity, truth, and representation take center stage. Hosted by 5X Emmy-winning journalist Tashara Parker, this groundbreaking show amplifies voices and stories that often go unheard, diving into the real issues that inspire change and drive meaningful conversations.

With her signature warmth and unapologetic approach, Tashara steps into a new role, bringing you raw, unfiltered discussions that challenge norms and elevate perspectives. Whether it's exploring personal triumphs, community advocacy, or pressing societal topics, Loud & Clear creates a space for honest, impactful dialogue.

Tune in each week to join the movement, stay inspired, and celebrate the power of showing up loud and proud.
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Transcript

Embracing Beauty Beyond Hair

Speaker 1 0:00

You are strong , you are powerful , you are beautiful . You have so many other great attributes . The hair is not everything . You are beautiful with or without it . Honestly , I walk in a room and you can't tell me I don't own it . The hair is not everything . The most challenging aspect has been staying warm . I am always cold when you are in a position where you don't really have a choice and you have to accept who you are . You have to adjust . Now that I'm comfortable with it , I'm excited about it . I'm as free as a bird . At this point , a lot of people say you know what ? There's so much power in your hair . But so are you saying that I'm lacking power because I don't have hair ? You are beautiful with or without it . When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer , out of solidarity I shaved my head along with her , due to a medical condition . I was informed that one of the side effects was hair loss . We are teaching women to embrace their bodies . One word to describe this journey Freedom , courage , empowerment .

Speaker 2 1:04

It's okay to be different . Just be yourself .

Speaker 1 1:07

Your favorite cousin . Five-time Emmy Award winner . Give it up for Ms Tashara Parker . Thank you .

Speaker 3 1:30

Welcome again to the first ever live taping of the Loud and Clear Show . This is the beginning , y'all , of what is going to be . Oh my God . I really got to take in all the energy , because it took a lot for us to get here and we made this happen , and thanks to all of you . We did no promotions , none of that . All we did is reach out to a few people and say this is the type of show that we're trying to put on , so please give yourselves again another round of applause .

Speaker 3 2:01

Today's episode is so big for so many of us in this room . We're diving into a conversation that's so much more than skin deep . It's about confidence , resilience and redefining what beauty truly means . Whether you have experienced hair loss yourself maybe you know someone who has or just need a reminder to love yourself unapologetically , tonight's show is for you . Now let me introduce you to our first guest . She is a trailblazer , a history maker and a woman who made waves recently when she became the first ever Dallas Cowboys cheerleader to step onto the field proudly rocking her ball head Cousins , I need y'all to stand on your feet and help me . Welcome , armani . How you feeling ? I'm good . How are you ? I am so good . Thank you so

Armani: Dallas Cowboys' Trailblazer

Speaker 3 3:00

much for being here . Look , it was some work to get Armani here , okay . Okay , we had to make some things happen . I'm so thankful for you and I'm so grateful for you . I know this has been kind of a whirlwind for you , right ? Yes , it has . So . How many weeks has it been since you debuted with the Dallas Cowboys rocking your ball head ?

Speaker 4 3:17

Yeah , it's been , I'd say , about four weeks , four or five weeks now ?

Speaker 3 3:21

yeah , have y'all seen the video ? That's it . Four or five weeks now , yeah , have you all seen the video ? Yes , what made you get the confidence really to step out and say you know what ? I'm going to do this , and I'm going to do this today , with your girls by your side .

Speaker 4 3:35

I think , just going throughout the process of getting to know myself without my hair and having that support system through my family , my friends and my teammates , and always having this little voice in my head saying that I wanted to do more and spread more awareness with alopecia and I have this big , beautiful platform of being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and the moment was , it just came at the perfect time and it was time .

Speaker 3 4:01

You see this audience full of people here to support not only the show , but definitely to support you and what you've done . What would be your message to all of the folks here in the audience ?

Speaker 4 4:11

Well , first of all , I hope you all are so proud of me just because I really just wanted to take a stand for not only myself , but all of you . I wanted everyone to know that alopecia is beautiful , no matter if you only have a bald spot or if you don't have any hair on your head , and I just want everyone to be able to live in their truth .

Speaker 3 4:31

Do you feel like you ever faced any pushback when it was time to ? I call it debut , right , we don't say debut . Did you feel like you faced any pushback ? If so , maybe not necessarily from the folks who were around you , because clearly they were , you know , wrapping you up and kind of egging you on to go ahead and make it happen . But you know , anyone else was like ah , do you really want to do this ? Did you face ?

Speaker 4 4:51

any pushback at all . I was grateful enough to not face any type of pushback . I had an amazing support system . They've been my rock . Throughout this entire process , it was mostly just me Like am I actually really ready to do this ? Am I actually ready to debut this beautiful head of mine in front of the entire world ?

Speaker 3 5:10

I'm glad you said it was mostly just you and you said are you ready right now ? I talked to a young lady earlier . Her name is Alexis and one of the things that she said as far as feedback to individuals rocking their ball head , she said I'm always going to tell people take it at your own pace . Whatever that pace looks like for you , take it at your own pace and do that always . What do you think was the most surprising response that you received after all this went down ?

Speaker 4 5:33

The number one response that I have gotten from every single page news article is that I have a beautifully shaped head . Yes , you do .

Speaker 3 5:44

I absolutely love it . So what else ? So they were talking about you had a beautifully shaped head . We got to see that . But what else ? What is some other feedback that you got from others ?

Speaker 4 5:53

I think the biggest thing outside of my head , being beautifully shaped , is that I didn't realize how many people were feeling alone in this journey , in this process , and I think knowing that there were women who are older than I am who were reaching out , saying you helped heal that inner child in me who had to go through this alone . That was something that was very surprising for me , because I grew up with a family who was very supportive and just by my side every single step of the way . So I think that it was beautiful that you know we have people that we can look up to , young and old , that are going through this and getting a chance to see a different version of them .

Speaker 3 6:34

What was it like for you , though , growing up ? Did you feel different ? Did your parents make sure that you did not feel different ? What was it like for you ?

Speaker 4 6:40

growing up .

Speaker 4 6:41

Well , my dad actually has alopecia as well , so I grew up in a household where it kind of didn't really matter that I didn't have hair or , you know , had bald spots or anything like that , because he was so comfortable with who he was and he was a big part of my journey of what it means to be a woman losing their hair . So just leaning on my mom in those times she was very helpful . She took me to every doctor's appointment , helped me with different hairstyles . She was just my rock . And my younger brothers they're goofy , would . They would help me laugh in situations when when I would not be feeling my best . So just all around a very supportive family and I'm very grateful for them what about people around you ?

Speaker 3 7:32

uh , like other kids and you know um friends that you would make at school . What was that like for ?

Speaker 4 7:39

you , um . So when I was growing up there was a lot of you know , conversations about If you didn't have enough hair , like you were this , or if you , if you couldn't grow your hair , you were that . So I kind of kept it to myself because I didn't want to be known as someone who quote unquote couldn't grow their hair and it was nothing that I could ever do about it . It's just how I was born , but I did kind of not disclose that to kids growing up . But as I got older I found my community of people who I could disclose that information to and they were very supportive . So I've been very grateful to have found my people along the way .

Speaker 3 8:18

And I was about to say you found your safe space . Yeah , People that make you feel safe .

Speaker 4 8:21

Absolutely .

Speaker 3 8:21

Being comfortable to go ahead and share that . Yeah , For young people that are watching and that could potentially watch this in the future , what advice would you have to them , especially as it relates to growing up right ? Maybe not wanting to ?

Speaker 4 8:39

share because they don't feel safe in certain situations . What advice would you have to young people ? I would definitely advise them to go out and try and find that safe space . Whether it's a friend , a family member

Kennedy's Surprise Meeting

Speaker 4 8:45

, sometimes a stranger who just gives you a smile , can be your safe space for that day . Whatever it is for you , find that safe space , feel confident in yourself throughout your journey and take it at your own pace . No one can force you to come out to people and tell them about your journey , but you have to look within yourself first and take it at your own pace and find that safe space , and all of those together will help you miles .

Speaker 3 9:10

Okay , look , it's been a whirlwind four weeks for you . We all know that and we all have seen the video , and if they haven't , they will see it . But what is next on your mission ? You said you always wanted to do something more to support and help others through your story . So what's next on your mission ?

Speaker 4 9:26

I'm diving head in and I'm trying to do all the things that are coming at me . I'm pairing with the National Alopecia Areata .

Speaker 5 9:33

Foundation .

Speaker 4 9:34

I know they have a conference coming up soon so hopefully I'll be able to be in attendance there , Hopefully trying to start my own organization soon . So just trying to have my hand in a lot of things and just really help the community and the younger generation so that they have a good role model to look up to .

Speaker 3 9:50

Yeah , and you do have a lot of support in this room I can promise you that and a lot of people who will be willing to be a part of whatever organization you end up starting here . So you mentioned young girls and trying to inspire them and make sure that they can own their story at their own pace . We do have a young girl here who has been following your journey , who saw your video . She had no idea that she was going to meet you today following your journey , who saw your video . She had no idea that she was gonna meet you today . She is backstage , okay , and so she's gonna come out If we can bring Miss Kennedy and her mom , dionne , out .

Speaker 1 10:28

There , they are Kennedy ?

Speaker 3 10:39

how are you Good , yeah Wave to everybody , Say hi , Hi . Now , Ms Kennedy , you've been on your own journey right as it relates to hair loss . And Ms Neal , thank you so much for getting her here .

Speaker 2 10:56

Did you tell her anything ? You didn't tell her . Tell her she had no clue . You didn't , kennedy , you start speaking . And she was like I think I I guessed it , but I was . When she asked me . She was like , am I meeting her ?

Speaker 3 11:01

I was like I don't know what we're doing today well , kennedy , thank you so much for being here , and I was telling Hermione that we were going to ask if she can give you some words of advice , as she has been on her own journey . So what words of advice do you have for Miss Kennedy ?

Speaker 4 11:16

Yeah , well , I will definitely want to tell you that you are absolutely beautiful , More inside than you are outside , and I want you to always remember that . Always remember that you know God created us exactly how we are supposed to be created . God created us exactly how we were supposed to be created and as long as you know that and surround yourself with the best people , your journey is going to go far . And I mean , isn't she beautiful ?

Speaker 3 11:45

Kennedy , did you have anything that you wanted to ask ? I know that you saw her video , right . What did you feel when you saw that video , when she came out with her hair ?

Speaker 2 11:55

Happy to know like there's more people like that .

Speaker 3 11:58

Do you have any questions for her ? Did you want to ask her anything or tell her anything ? I love the surprise element of it all .

Speaker 2 12:06

You know , what I love about this , too , is that she really had no idea that she was coming Nothing until you said her name , oh my goodness , while you were right there , that's when she found out . She had no clue .

Speaker 3 12:16

Oh , my goodness . Well , kennedy , we're so thankful for you . I'm so . Truthfully , I want you to know you're beautiful and that's one of the reasons that we wanted to have Armani here to talk directly to you , so that you can have a chance to meet her and actually have a chance to be face to face with someone who has been in your shoes for sure . Thank you , miss Kennedy . How old are you ? Ten , ten , Ten , beautiful beautiful , beautiful .

Speaker 3 12:39

Dionne , anything that you wanted to add in , because I know you've been with her and the reason we found you is because you post videos of encouraging her . So did you have anything at all that you wanted to share ?

Speaker 2 12:53

Just be yourself , like literally , when you're're yourself , people , they , they accept you , no matter what . Of course there's bullies and things out there like that , but we've had the best journey with children , her classmates , her teammates . Everybody is very accepting . It's more so , unfortunately , adults who are kind of in shock and they always put it like cancer as soon as they see a bald head . But alopecia is a thing , so you know , just kind of be more accepting as adults . Children are have been very open and very . Yeah , everybody is going through things .

Speaker 3 13:23

Some people's journey is visible and others are internal but everybody's going through something , and that's we're all here for . To continue having that conversation , because that's what it's all about . Please give it up one more time for her . So our next guests are here to break down the science and emotions behind hair loss . They're

Medical Perspectives on Hair Loss

Speaker 3 13:45

experts in their fields and have helped so many people on their individual journeys . Please welcome to the stage dr tanya red Reddick-Rogers , a dermatologist specializing in hair loss , and Dr Quavandra Perry , a clinical psychologist with expertise in self-worth and resilience . Please help me welcome both of them to the stage . Ladies , thank you so much for being here . We're going to dive right into the conversation . Dr Rogers , I do want to start with you First . Can you tell us what are some of the most common causes of hair loss in women and in girls ?

Speaker 5 14:26

So , as we've kind of already brought up a little bit today , alopecia areata , which is an autoimmune type of hair loss where your immune system sort of works against your own hair follicles , causing the hair to fall out . I also see a fair amount of stress-related hair loss . We call that one telogen effluvium . It's really when anything is off balance in the body . It could be emotional stress , it can be physical stress , not intaking enough calories , it could be having a thyroid disorder . Just anything that throws the body off of its normal balance can cause hair to shed significantly . I also see a lot of hair loss that is inflammatory in nature , sometimes from things that we do to groom our hair , so from chemical relaxers are probably the most common cause , and then heat exposure to the scalp , so straightening the hair but bringing the heat a little bit too close to the skin , that can cause an inflammatory type of hair loss called central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia .

Speaker 3 15:20

What is that ?

Speaker 5 15:21

It's a long one , so some you may see it mentioned as CCCA online or CCSA . Another term for it is follicular degeneration syndrome or FDS , and that's when the hair follicles are repeatedly inflamed and damaged through chemical or thermal exposure .

Speaker 3 15:41

What about braids ?

Speaker 5 15:42

Yes , that's another big one . Traction alopecia .

Speaker 3 15:47

I got me some little . Now it's covered today , but yeah , it's doing a little something . I think all of us do .

Speaker 5 15:52

Okay , and so that is a type of hair loss that you can experience from pulling the hair too tightly or anything that rubs the hair . So I see that often when you know women or men are wearing braids , wearing weaves , or sewn in or glued in extensions , or if they're wearing wigs , because wigs also lay along the hairline and there'll be a little bit of friction throughout the day and that pressure and friction can take out the hair along the hairline .

Speaker 3 16:20

Okay , I do want to bring you in Dr Perry , because we all know that there's an emotional take that this can take on each of us , right . So I do want to ask you hair loss it can deeply affect someone's identity . How do you help people rebuild their confidence even in having those types of conversations ?

Speaker 6 16:35

Oh , one of the things that I mostly like to start with is let's get to the root , because I believe if your internal mirror is broken , then what you're going to see in the external mirror is going to always be flawed . So I'm starting from the root and finding out . You know , what did you learn very early about beauty ? What did you learn about hair ? What did you learn about you know short hair or sexuality and different things like that ? Because I am a Christian psychologist , a lot of the women that I see and men that I see , their faith is important to them . So I'm also trying to figure out , you know , do you think that God's view of you is also flawed ? So I'm really starting to dismantle some of those broken messages that can actually keep a person's self-confidence down .

Speaker 3 17:18

What are some of the first steps you take to kind of have those conversations right ? Or is there something you notice in individuals right when they're going through something that's considered a challenge when it comes to identity ?

Speaker 6 17:29

I think one of the main things that I notice is that we can accidentally take our pain to suffering , because not only are we having the emotional impact , but then we're also judging ourselves for having the emotions . And so what I first want to do is just normalize , especially when it comes to hair loss , that you being concerned about your hair does not mean that you have a problem with vanity . This is important . It's a part of your identity .

Speaker 3 17:51

So , just starting with the normalization , Dr Rogers , are there misconceptions about hair loss that you see in your practice ?

Speaker 5 17:58

One thing that a lot of patients will ask me when they come in and they know they're suffering from hair loss , that is the reason for their visit . And they'll say do I have alopecia ? Oh no , I was afraid I had alopecia . And they'll say do I have alopecia ? Oh no , I was afraid I had alopecia . And so I think sometimes the terminology can be confusing . Alopecia areata , which is the type of alopecia we've discussed the most so far today , is different than other types of alopecia . But hair loss means alopecia . Alopecia means hair loss . They're all types of alopecia , so I think there's some confusion about the types . I think one thing that I see in my practice that disheartens me the most is protective hairstyles . So you know , you think of a protective hairstyle as something that's going to protect your scalp or protect your hair follicle and save it from damage or from loss , and a lot of times all of that protective styling things , those things that we do they actually are the cause of the hair loss , they're not so protective .

Speaker 5 18:54

They're not so protective . They're not so protective , okay , okay . So you know , I always tell patients that when it comes to styling , do it in moderation mm-hmm . I can't tell you how many women I see who they're so heartbroken when they come in and they feel like they've done all the right things yeah , I've gone to my stylist every week or every other week .

Speaker 5 19:07

I've spent all of this money getting these things done to my hair and oh no , you're telling me , this is why I've lost my hair from doing these things . And so moderation is important . We're talking about waking up and feeling comfortable in the skin that God put us in , so the closest that we can keep our styling to natural and the more often we can keep our styling to natural , the way we wake up in the morning , the better off it .

Speaker 3 19:32

It really is for our hair okay now I know a lot of folks in the audience know how I feel about , uh , us trying to keep it as natural as possible . So 100 percent , um , agree with you there . But you know , sometimes we style in every couple of weeks and so in certain situations that's not the best , it's just like eating .

Speaker 5 19:48

So if you want to wear a wig , you know we like to switch it up too . As black women , we like to switch it up . So , just like we do with food , you need to switch it up . You can't eat potato chips every day , all right . You cannot have a long , luxurious beyonce weave in every day . You can't , you'll be bald . So you switch it up . You wear a wig .

Speaker 3 20:04

Sometimes you wear a weave for vacations or for special occasions , and then the rest of the time you just do you okay , all right , good stuff , dr Perry , some emotional signs when , when someone comes to you when it comes to hair loss , what are some signs that you'll know that it's impacting someone's mental health ?

Speaker 6 20:21

sure , one of the things I'm looking for is anxiety , so it's normal to have some fear . But if it's starting to impact your functioning to where you can't participate in social activities without being preoccupied with how you look , you might start over analyzing compliments , different things like that . You may avoid wanting to take family pictures or pictures with friends , things like that . So I'm looking for a lot of high anxiety . There's also the other side of that , which could be loneliness , isolation , some depression . Something else that's not directly tied to emotions , but it could , is the financial impact , so starting to feel really hopeless because of all the money that's been spent on different products and things .

Speaker 6 21:01

Another thing that I'm also looking at is just kind of feeling hopeless and helpless and also impatient with the hair journey . So I'm starting to feel like , okay , well , is it fair that you are not really giving your hair enough time to grow or giving your products enough time to work before you're starting to just give up and just abort the whole process ? So there's a lot of different things . On the more extreme end of things , there's sometimes something called body dysmorphic disorder , and so that is an extreme preoccupation with perceived flaws about the body that are actually negatively impacting the functioning . Sometimes , even when we feel like we can't control one area of our lives , we may overcompensate and try to control another area . So then you might start seeing some eating disorders or some substance use showing up , different things like that .

Speaker 3 21:48

You mentioned products and things like that , but I know for some individuals that's not an option , right products ? However , I do want to talk about what treatments are out there that are available as it relates to hair loss , maybe something that you're using in your practice as well yes , so sometimes we do medications that are injected into the scalp , so injectable steroids sometimes , to decrease the immune response that the skin is having that's fighting the hair .

Psychology of Self-Worth

Speaker 5 22:15

Sometimes I might prescribe oral medications for patients antibiotics , not necessarily for the purposes of killing bacteria but to decrease inflammation . For alopecia areata , namely , we've had some great advances in the past couple of years where we can prescribe oral medications , pills that patients can take to decrease that immune activity in the scalp and help them grow their hair back how do you , in your practice right if you have someone coming in , how do you deal with the emotional signs that maybe you see in your practice ?

Speaker 3 22:45

since you're more on the clinical side of it from a standpoint of treatment , I should say , excuse me .

Speaker 5 22:50

So I do think that giving reasonable expectations is important . The last thing you want to do is put someone through months and months of injections or medications and then they look the same when it's all done . So if a patient comes in and they don't look like they had , there's a really great opportunity to grow enough hair back that they're going to feel comfortable or feel like that treatment journey was worth it . I tell them that upfront , and I do it with you know , love and compassion and a box of tissues , but at least they know I'm not going to like send them on a run around that you know has no end .

Speaker 5 23:25

And then I think also too , you know , reminding people of the fact that beauty is not all external . There are things that we can do , sometimes to camouflage in situations where camouflaging is important to that person , like a prosthetic wig or a hairpiece . Sometimes I'll direct them to hairstylists who specialize in patients who have significant hair loss and styling the hair in ways that it would camouflage the loss . But then I think , above all is just , you know you are still awesome , you are still beautiful , you still have your career , you have your family , you have all of the other things that , yes , hair is important , but sometimes those things are , you know , important too .

Speaker 3 24:02

Yeah , I do want to ask because we have a lot of women who don't have to deal with any of this at all from a standpoint of confidence . Do we have a lot of confidence in the audience ? Yes , absolutely . So I want to ask , from a standpoint of just supporting each other , right , what advice do you have for women supporting each other , standing up for each other , men and women excuse me supporting and standing up for each other , especially when you know sometimes they can feel like the weight is on them , but they're trying to show up for others in the same way .

Speaker 6 24:31

Absolutely . I would also start out with some education , because I think a lot of people you know are just unaware and , like you know , somebody said earlier that there the assumption that there's cancer right , the baldness means cancer . So , helping to educate other people , helping to speak up for that person when you realize that , okay , that they seem like they need a break , so how can I assist you . But then one of the most important things that I actually recommend is giving yourself and giving each other non-physical compliments . Yes , so I think that is very , very powerful , really saying you know what I really appreciate you , I like that you're grateful , I like that you have a lot of integrity . So just really normalizing non-physical compliments I love that so much because I like that you have a lot of integrity so just really normalizing non-physical compliments .

Speaker 3 25:10

I love that so much because the first thing to say , oh , I like your outfit or whatever , or your hair or your nails or whatever the case may be it's always something like that yes , but when I looked at both of y'all profiles I love the education , okay . I was like , oh , we got some sisters we can have on the set upset . So I appreciate you for saying that . Was there anything else that you felt like we did not touch that maybe was important or pertinent to the conversation ?

Speaker 5 25:33

We mentioned it a little bit earlier on is the Alopecia Areata Foundation , and so that is a place where people who are suffering from hair loss can go online and get reasonable tips . They can get information from other patients who other people who suffer from the same condition . And I think that often gives the education and the support of knowing that there are others out there like you who you know are going through the same .

Speaker 3 25:58

Okay , thank you , ladies . Give it up one more time for Dr Perry and Dr Rogers . So our final guest took her personal experience with hair loss and created a whole

Bold, Bald and Beautiful Community

Speaker 3 26:10

movement . She is the founder of a community that is empowering women dealing with hair loss everywhere . Cousins , I need you to stand on your feet and let's help welcome Miss Jimmy Sanders .

Speaker 1 26:38

Since I missed the little dance .

Speaker 7 26:42

Since I missed the laugh dance . You missed the little dance .

Speaker 3 26:47

Isn't Jimmy ? Beautiful y'all Aw Thank you guys .

Speaker 7 26:52

Thank you , thank you , thank you we are so happy to have you .

Speaker 3 26:55

Oh , thank you , thank you . Thank you so much Tell folks who don't know the name of the community and what it's all about .

Speaker 7 27:00

All right , bobalt and beautiful for alopecia areata awareness .

Speaker 3 27:07

What inspired you to start your community ?

Speaker 7 27:10

Well , I , being a lovely 52 now Come on beautiful 38 years it took me to reveal my head from an excerpt that a friend wrote in his book to our little tribe that we had , and my birthday came along . And it was just time my birthday came along , and it was just time I went and I got a full head , henna , and I stepped out for the very first time ever as a ball beauty . Wow , how did that feel for you when you did it . It was literally liberating , because I've been listening to everyone and it seems like they've been partially telling my story because of my industry , etc . But listen , it was just that time to get from up under it .

Speaker 7 27:57

All right , I'm sitting and I'm encouraging and I'm beautifying the community every single day . That's , you know , the ministry that I was brought to right . And yet here I was under the hair , you know , under the wig , and I wasn't afraid . It was just time . It was just time , and I think the message that I try to send is that God has a purpose for every last one of us and a lot of times the door that's being knocked on is ours and sometimes we just got to pay attention , be obedient and step off into it , because , guess what , wherever he's taking you , he's going to guide you through it Always .

Speaker 3 28:34

Absolutely . Y'all can clap for that . Absolutely , absolutely , absolutely . What , jimmy , has been the most rewarding part of you creating this space .

Speaker 7 28:46

The most rewarding part was people getting it , seeing that my message , my purpose , my being wasn't for naught , that my walk every single day , everywhere I go , somebody's waiting for me . There is a story to be told . Somebody will come to me and say , oh my gosh , if I had , you know , that courage , or if my head was like yours , or oh my gosh , you just gave me the courage to step out . And so , if I've done absolutely nothing in my life , I hope that somebody who is ashamed of who they are and who God created them to be , that I help them step across the line .

Speaker 3 29:23

Absolutely . Can you share a story of someone whose life has been transformed by joining your community ?

Speaker 7 29:29

Wow , don't be mad , it's not just one , I would say one . And because she's in the room . When it comes to relationships , you know we put everything in it . You know we want to put our best foot forward . You know we feel like we're very vulnerable , we've left everything on the table , but when you're that particular woman , that's the person that you feel God has chosen you to be with and you can't share everything . You know he doesn't know why you're taking the extra few minutes in the bathroom . You know all those types of things , the extra few minutes in the bathroom , you know all those types of things . And to see that relationship unfold , to see that wonderful spirit , that smile , that person really step out on faith , trust themselves , trust the journey that God placed , you know , in their lap and , regardless to what the other people around them feel , she's whole . She's whole and now she can be who she's supposed to be , no facades , and she's got more energy . She's got more confidence , more self-esteem , no matter what . Walk in the room and stop the thing .

Speaker 3 30:38

Okay , stop the thing . That's what being loud is all about okay , walk in the room and stop the whole place absolutely yes . I don't know who the individual is , and they know they do not have to stand if they don't want to , but let's give a round of applause so they know that we all support them too . What do you feel like people miss when it comes to hair loss , alopecia , weirdness ? What do you feel like is missing from that conversation that you guys have been able to kind of bring to light in your organization ?

Speaker 7 31:10

Well , nothing missing , of course , within , however , because society does see beauty in one aspect , and I think the people who actually force individuals to put the guard up you miss meeting the real person , you miss meeting the real personality and I think you miss out on so many opportunities . When you do that , and I think sometimes the people around you are afraid the fact that they're going to get left behind Because so many doors are going to be opened up for you . You're going to walk in the room and things are just going to happen , unapologetically . Things are just going to happen and that's the way it should be . Everyone should be allowed to be who they are and where some people . You may not be the one , you may be the behind the scene person , but if I'm the upfront , upfront person , everybody has their own role . Yeah , let me take my role . So don't be afraid , because the person in your life has this position . Everybody's got a part to play .

Speaker 3 32:11

Absolutely don't don't dim their light , and and no production is what I'll call it . This , because that's what this was right . No production is complete without everybody playing their part and playing their role . So it all means that we need to get in the position that we were bound for and make it happen . Thank you for mentioning that . What's next for your organization ? Oh wow .

Speaker 7 32:30

You know many well , so you don't know that , but many around me know that I started this organization a little over 10 years ago 10 years ago and in the beginning it was about the relationships for whether dating or husband and wife , it was for the young children , it was for men , because we are connected with men too as well , and so for me now it's more of a sisterhood kind of sort of , because so many more ball groups have emerged and I absolutely love to see it . At the same time , there's so many people that are still living in shame , still afraid . You know , getting up , can't go out without the wig , can't go . You've got to love Y-O-U first , if nothing and nobody else in the room , right . And so for me it's about connecting . I want to know what you're doing because I want to be there . Don't wait for me . You get what I'm saying . We are a community . We may have all different small names , you know here or there or so on and so forth , but it's about lifting us , just like everybody else gets lifted , right ? So if that means that , no matter what you're doing out here , you're having something and you look out and you see one or two bald heads , if that's what it takes , baby , let us get in the room with you . So for me , it's about building a stronger foundation , especially right here in Dallas-Fort Worth , because we are too big and we've got too many beautiful baldies to be hiding .

Speaker 7 34:01

I work in the hair industry , so every single day I'm telling my clients I've been a natural hairstylist for almost 10 years , so I've been that person to move my clients out of the chemical , get them to natural , getting to the healthy scalp , this , that another , whatever , so on and so forth . But I want us to grow a bald community that is respected . I want the world asking us what y'all got going on . We're trying to be at y'all's events right , and so it's all about loving you . So Ball , ball and Beautiful is here for that . We are men , we are women , we are children , and I'm so excited because I've been able to participate in some things that I once upon a time dreamed of doing . But I'm glad somebody else is doing it , because I don't want to be the one to always lead the pack Right .

Speaker 7 34:48

And so , from the pageant , you know , to the conferences all of that good stuff , you know , and I've had great conversations , you know , behind the scene , being able to see other young individuals , you know , share their stories , live their stories . See other young individuals , you know , share their stories , live their stories . You know we've got books , we've got walks , we've got parades , we've got pageants , we've got all kinds of things that are going on and people need to know . Those who want to connect please absolutely do connect , because there is way too many of us here , there's way too many resources and there's way too many of us here to have to go outside . So these are some of the connections that I'm grateful and I'm thankful for and I'm so excited to see you guys all here .

Speaker 3 35:28

You mentioned a lot of different work that you're doing , work that you are considering to amplify the work that you're already involved with . How can people get involved ? Okay , whether they are dealing with hair loss or have LAP show or not , how can they get involved ?

Speaker 7 35:41

and support the work that you're doing , so if you connect with me bold , bald and beautiful you can do at Gmail if you want to email me , but that is also the social handle as well . And , of course , my personal is Jimmy LaVon Sanders , because , being a stylist , people feel like , well , she's already a stylist she's already tapped in or whatever , but I can't be everything , so those things have to be delegated . So I would definitely absolutely love for somebody to take the reign .

Speaker 2 36:06

Take the reign .

Speaker 7 36:07

Exactly To be able to delegate that . But this is not about

Building a Supportive Movement

Speaker 7 36:10

me . Bold , bold and beautiful , I'm just glad , or in my time , to have been the face and the head that somebody needed to see so that they could shine .

Speaker 3 36:20

Okay , give it up one more time for Jimmy . Y'all you guys , that is our first ever live taping of the Loud and Clear Show . We had an amazing audience , so much information shared , so many individuals . You guys , we have to remind ourselves that it is about the beauty within Crowd . Please give yourselves a round of applause . Thank y'all so so much for being here in the building . That is a wrap .