Turning Your Passion Into a Money-Making Empire (with Melissa Chanel)

How I Got Here with Dreena Whitfield

In this episode of How I Got Here, Dreena welcomes Melissa Chanel, lifestyle blogger, content creator, sneaker connoisseur, and Founder and Creator of Kicks and Fros, a kick community for Black and brown women. On top of all that, she’s also the Head of Global Community & Communications at Cantu. Listen in as Melissa shares about her love of sneakers and the steps she took to establish herself as a Black female influencer in the sneaker, fashion, and lifestyle space.

Melissa highlights the power of building and nurturing community, what led her to create merch for Kicks and Fros, and how she balances and optimizes her time spent on Kicks and Fros, her full-time job at Cantu, and her personal brand.

“If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right!”- Melissa Chanel

Stay tuned to hear Melissa’s top tips for overcoming creative blocks and refueling your creativity, along with advice for aspiring content creators on staying relevant and organized. Plus, Melissa shares the mantra that keeps her focused and confident, as well as her pro tips for cleaning and protecting your sneakers.

“Give yourself grace. Don’t feel like you need to keep up with anybody else. Do what you came to do, what you want to do, your style of sharing, of teaching… whatever it is you do as a content creator, just stick to your true and authentic self.”- Melissa Chanel

Connect with Melissa:

Visit her blog: www.melissachanel.com

Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/melissachanel

Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MelissaChanel2

Resources & Apps Mentioned:

Kicks and Fros: www.kicksandfros.com

SNKRS: www.nike.com/snkrs-app

GOAT: www.goat.com

StockX: www.stockx.com

Social Status: www.socialstatuspgh.com

Request Boutique: www.requestboutique.com

Calendly: www.calendly.com

Later: www.later.com

About the Host:

Dreena Whitfield has a proven ability to create tangible outcomes that helps clients exceed expectations. Her diverse career has led her to spearhead the communications and marketing efforts for leaders in the nonprofit, corporate and political sectors, as well as small businesses internationally.

With more than a decade of experience, Dreena and the WhitPR team have a proven ability to spot opportunities for our clients to grow their brand recognition in saturated markets that are in alignment with their overall objectives.

The Huffington Post listed Dreena as one of their “Top 25 African American Millennials in PR to Watch.”

Follow Dreena & WhitPR on all the socials:

@Dreenawhitpr & @whitpr

Join The WhitPR Collective: www.whitprcollective.com