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By Laurie Davies
She鈥檚 weathered abuse, teen pregnancy, divorce and getting through college by rising at 4 a.m. to do homework before a full day of styling hair. Paula Johnson-Hutchinson knows firsthand how far away dreams can seem.
But she doesn鈥檛 want to hear excuses. In fact, Johnson-Hutchinson is a professional excuse-breaker, people-elevator and community-maker.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a dream, you don鈥檛 have time to waste. Your dream might solve a problem. Things don鈥檛 just come to us, we鈥檝e got to do the work,鈥 says the entrepreneur, author and consultant. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we work on with women. You can鈥檛 just sit still and hope.鈥
Out of this spirit, was born.
A lifestyle brand that helps women of color upskill, promote products or businesses, get continuing education, network and attend to their mental health, The Stiletto Talks is all about impacting communities. And through free and paid events, resources, grants and safe spaces to discuss the challenges of being women of color in business, Johnson-Hutchinson has seen women succeed.
鈥淎s weird as it sounds, it all started from behind the chair,鈥 says the retired stylist. 鈥淵ou hear all kinds of things from women at different stages in life.鈥 A constant thread began to emerge: Women of color needed a safe space to talk about their dreams 鈥 and the unique challenges that get in their way.
The descendant of sharecroppers, Johnson-Hutchinson says her grandmother grew up in a Mississippi town that still does not have a stoplight. 鈥淪he could never have imagined that I could have three college degrees,鈥 she says.
She earned an associate and bachelor鈥檚 degree in business, and, more recently, a Master of Arts in Education/Adult Education and Training (MAEd) in January 2022.
She credits her 七色视频 advisor with steering her toward an MAEd rather than an MBA. 鈥淚 hoped to be able to create an entrepreneur academy for women. I wanted to create curriculum for women who needed to upskill so they could get another job,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hat advisor changed my life. The MAEd was the perfect degree for me.鈥
She had just begun to gain traction with The Stiletto Talks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when her husband鈥檚 job necessitated a move to the Phoenix area. So, she started over. It was hard, but she has remained undeterred 鈥 and now also has reach into California and other states.
Why is she so steadfast to her community-minded mission, especially, since in her words, 鈥淐ommunity doesn鈥檛 always love you back鈥?
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to raise others up. We need that support. We need people to hear us and provide value to us, especially as Black women. We pour into so many others, but who is pouring into us?鈥
Here, Johnson-Hutchinson shares ingredients to the recipe for her success, including what keeps her motivated and what helps her save time.聽
Planning and faith! I am a faith-based person, and that has been key to my success. I also believe in planning. They work together. Even when there are doubters around me, faith helps me see what I can鈥檛 yet see. And planning helps me write it down and get started. You can鈥檛 complain about the results you got from the work you never did. But if you write it down, you鈥檙e obligated to do it.
This won鈥檛 be a very popular answer. Sometimes you have to get up early and stay up late. You have to get up early and stay at it. There are only 168 hours in a week, and I don鈥檛 want to waste one of them. Tunnel vision also helps. The discipline to work on something when it鈥檚 time to work on it 鈥 that鈥檚 key. Finally, limit social media time. That eats up your day.
In 2017, I gave up my comfort zone in Baton Rouge and moved to Arizona, where I had nothing established. I came out here and it was literally the desert. I didn鈥檛 realize how much I would need to pivot. The good news is, by the time the pandemic hit, I had already figured out how to pivot. I reestablished The Stiletto Talks where I didn鈥檛 know anyone.
Trust the process and respect the pause. By 鈥渢rust the process,鈥 I mean get in there and do the work without looking for outside applause. But also respect the fact that sometimes there will be a pause. I had to pause for three years and upskill. In those seasons, you don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e accomplishing much, but you鈥檙e actually preparing for your next level and developing a level of belief in yourself that you didn鈥檛 have.
First of all, know that your dream is valid. Have faith in it. Second, get ready to roll up your sleeves. Faith without works is dead. Without doing the work, your dream is just a dream. Third, seek help! I always say, 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 need help, your dream isn鈥檛 big enough.鈥 There is someone who is more skilled than you, so go find the support, education and accountability you need to help you and check you.
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