Meet Ifie Natasha Brandon of Life On Top

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ifie Natasha Brandon.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ifie Natasha. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
In 2010 I was the director of a childcare center in Marietta. I loved my job because of the community I was able to foster amongst the women who worked with me. From the youngest to the oldest, we were able to create a family environment that went beyond the work we did.

The longer I worked there, the more I realized that about half of those women did not want to be there. They dreamt of bigger things; more interesting careers yet they did very little – nothing to get them to those places. That’s when I realized that most of us (myself included) have a dream that we keep in our hearts but very few of us know how to make it a reality – especially those of us who have grown up and lived in low-income communities.

I decided that I wanted to create something to help people (especially women) figure out their dreams and take steps towards achieving it. The biggest problem is that we don’t believe in ourselves, we don’t see the possibility of our desires or the reality of how amazingly capable we are to achieve them.

In 2014, I started Life On Top simply as a place to gather women and have conversations that made us think a little deeper than the surface. In 2015, I left my job to pursue my dream, and I was forced to learn how to create websites, market, and build my own business.

Since then, I’ve created websites, business cards, logo’s, and proposals for women and men who are moving forward in their entrepreneur journey. I’ve curated photo shoots, focus groups and pop up shops to create a place for creative entrepreneurs to make profit, network and gain clientele.

Lastly, I host experiences that cater to the soul. It’s not enough to just know the steps; we have to have a clear mind and full soul in order to maintain our sanity and clarity as we move forward.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been an interesting road. The only roadblocks I’ve ever run into were the ones I created in my head. There has always been a time where money was tight, and I was tired, but overall, the only thing that has ever held me up has been my fear of moving forward.

I worry a lot about perception because I have this unreasonable desire for everything to be perfect. Or I have an unrealistic perception of what “perfect” looks like. I have also had two children since I left my job in 2015 and learning to balance a family while building a business and holding on to my art as a writer has been HARD. That has been the biggest challenge.

Knowing when to say yes and when to say no. Knowing when to take a break and when to go full speed ahead. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect and when I [feel as if] I’m not, I get overwhelmed and I freeze.

I don’t know if it’s the social media age or the trials of adulting, but I have often felt as if I need to rush this process so that I can be somewhere and something that others will be proud of.

Please tell us about Life On Top.
Life On Top has gone through many phases, but as of now, it’s transitioned into a creative consultancy that helps creative [art]repreneurs find their path and network with others who are striving to do the same.

The first service I have is a content strategy. Helping artists and entrepreneurs find the right strategy for themselves and their business/artistry. Whether it’s figuring out what products to put out or simply what direction to go into, I help people look past the surface of their reality and dig into their soul to find the REAL goal and the path towards it.

Secondly, I have a blog called thewritepieces.com. This blog will feature creative content for the artist and creative entrepreneur. From “3 ways to care for your soul” to “How to use design thinking in your everyday life” these blogs are my way of sharing what I’ve learned with the world.

Lastly, I’m most known for the events/experiences I create. I’ve had dinner parties, photo shoots, and live panel discussions. My last event was called The Soul Experience, and it featured the last two seasons of Insecure. It was a two-day event that featured a dinner party on Friday night and a day of soul care on Saturday morning.

On Friday night, we ate dinner family style at a large table, sipped curated cocktails and enjoyed dessert and vibey music while we discussed themes from the last two seasons of Insecure. Questions like “Can a black person be racist” and “Is goodbye sex necessary to move on” had us in heavy debate.

Saturday was all about serenity and relaxation. We did yoga, ate brunch, enjoyed live music and ended with a paint session led by an artist. I intentionally used young black entrepreneurs for every aspect of these events from the yoga to the cocktails to the food.

These events are fun and inviting for the participants and serve as exposure and profit for the vendors. I’m most proud of my intuition and my ability to innovate and grow forward. I don’t always know what I’m doing lol, but I always follow my soul and the voice of God, and it leads me towards the goal.

I see the purpose in business, and I want to be part of the solution for young entrepreneurs (especially women) who see the dream but have no idea how to get there. My business has allowed me to do that and it makes me smile to help others see themselves more clearly.

I use creativity, God, and soul care when I meet with clients. I don’t base my services on what I THINK; I lean into what I feel from them and what I see. I go deeper. I understand artists and creatives not only because I am one but because I have this gift to do so. That’s what makes me different.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is listening to records in our living room when I was a child. I remember hearing Bob Marley for the first time and Keep Ya Head Up by Tupac.

As a first gen Nigerian, I always assumed that Bob Marley was Nigerian too because my dad would play his music so much. On Saturdays, I would sit in the living room all day, staring out of the window, enjoying the sounds.

Contact Info:

• Website: thewritepieces.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/thelifeontop
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credit:
TKConsulting

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