Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikaylah Sayles.
Hi Mikaylah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Maryland since birth but I come from a family of Jamaican heritage and I’m very proud of my Jamaican roots and where my family comes from. I’ve always been a creative child. When I was younger, I was always involved in something artistic or creative whether it was dance or designing. When I was younger, I did all types of dance. I started with ballet, tap and jazz and even did hip hop. Growing up I loved clothes and fashion and decided to become a seamstress. I took sewing classes and bought myself a sewing machine and has a dream of becoming a designer in Paris. I even took French to learn the language but I knew some of the best designers were in Paris so that’s where I wanted to be. In high school, my interest began to shift toward STEM and business marketing. I was in my school’s stem program and they even had a program to become a nurse assistant in high school. So I became a certified nurse Assistant in high school and decided I wanted to go to school to become a nurse and I still loved business marketing so I decided to have a minor in business communications. In high school and college, I got more into social media and was really starting to make a name for myself online as a model and influencer. I was getting brand deals, free products from brands and even getting paid to use the post to my social media account. My mom and friends saw how well I was doing and encouraged me to take social media marketing more seriously. I decided to put a hold on my nursing studies and focus on my minor in business communications which soon became my new major.
Over the summer I interned for a magazine in DC as a social media assistant and loved it. From that point on I knew that was my calling and what I wanted to do career-wise. My last semester of college my modeling career was also doing well I was getting booked for campaigns and shoots more than usual and have my first National AD campaign with DTLR where I modeled for Nike, Adidas, Ethika and many other well-known brands. I have always been an athlete so naturally, I always had a toned and athletic body so I was getting booked a lot by fitness brands to model for. I also started embracing my naturally curly hair a lot more in college and started getting booked as a curly hair model for brands like she’s moisture, Giovanni cosmetics and more. After graduation from college and receiving my bachelor’s degree I decided I needed a change in scenery. I had family that already lived in Georgia and they offered me a place to stay so I immediately decided to make the move. I packed the majority of my stuff in storage and took whatever I could fit in my car and drove 9 hours to Atlanta. This is when everything began to shift for me. I started to realize how huge the Film and entertainment industry was especially for black people in Atlanta so I took advantage of the opportunities.
I connected with several casting directors I could find in the area to further my modeling career and jumpstart my acting career as well. I was getting booked as lead actress for music videos and getting booked for modeling gigs left and right. I then decided I would take my modeling and acting career a lot more seriously but I also did not forget about my dream of traveling the entire world before turning 35 I went on several trips during this time and met so many women who traveled full time and happened to be flight attendants. They all encouraged me to go for it so I did. I applied to three airlines and decided on one in October 2022. Now I am entering 2023 as a flight attendant for one of my favorite airlines, a model, actress and podcast host. I can’t wait to see what 2023 holds for me but if you e gotten this far into my story and would like to follow my Journey definitely subscribe to my podcast and give it a listen. I’ll be dropping new episodes once a week every Sunday. The first episode drops this Sunday, January 8th, 2023. Thank you for listening to my story and I wish you all a Happy New Year!!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some obstacles I’ve faced have been moving out of state on my own and figuring out life post-grad. At this point, I’d say I’ve got the hang of it but really I think we’re all still navigating life and finding what works best for us. I think that’s the beauty of adulting and becoming an adulting is learning the ropes and doing it your way and by your own rules because at the end of the day, it’s your life and no one can tell you how to live it but you.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In May of 2022, I received my bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Maryland which I plan to use to become a tv host. In the meantime, I do social media management and content creation. I have also decided to live out my dream of traveling the entire world and becoming a flight attendant. I will start in March after undergoing training in the next few weeks. Besides that, I have also started a podcast called “The Risky Podcast” for those who want to learn more about me, my crazy life and my beliefs you can find out more via the website or Instagram page @theriskypod
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve never really had a mentor besides my mother and all the strong women in my life who have set an example of what type of woman I want to be. My mother, grandmother and aunts have all led by example and I look up to each of them in different ways, as they’ve each taught me different things that come into practice in my daily life.
Contact Info:
- Website: Theriskypodcast.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/mikaylahhlauren
- Facebook: Facebook.com/mikaylahsayles
