We recently had the chance to connect with Lakisha Pattin and have shared our conversation below.
Lakisha , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
The most recent moment that made me feel proud was completing the relaunch or my women’s initiative called, “Beneath your Beauti.” We focus on women’s empowerment, owning your confidence, and embracing your journey.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am from Toledo, OH but I grew up in the inner city ghetto of Pittsburgh, PA. I had to overcome a lot of challenges and obstacles. From low self-esteem, and poverty, to not fitting in and being different.
I was always extremely creative and loved fashion, but didn’t have the proper outlets to pursue it. I was the first in my family to go to college, but because of different circumstances, I was unable to complete my degree. Leaving college left me depressed and feeling hopeless, but I knew that wasn’t the end of my story.
I began to pursue a career in fashion in 2007. I started as a freelance fashion stylist and was able to build my portfolio and made a lot of industry connections. I consulted with local makeup artists and hair stylists to work with me for events. Because of my faith and tenacity, I choose to rewrite my story and define my terms of success.
Even without a college degree, I was able to work with major tv networks, hold senior management positions at large corporations, become a community advocate in the same inner-city community I grew up in, become a member of several chambers of commerce for advocacy for the less fortunate, own two successful boutiques, and provide coaching and workshops for other aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives.
Everything in my life has brought me to where I am today. I want to use my story to inspire, encourage, and uplift others to own their journey.
Over years of hard work, I am now an Award-Winning Fashion Stylist and Owner of Focused Fashion Consulting, LLC. With over 18 years of experience, We have an innovative approach to combining self-esteem development with image styling. We help clients find what their style is, how to enhance it, and how to leave a lasting impression wherever they go with their image. We consult with; designers, photographers, media companies, businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, corporations, and much more.
We have done style segments for KDKA Channel 2 News, Fashion Contributor for Live Free Magazine in North Carolina – hosted for style segment called “Focused Style”, a former partner and style director for Pittsburgh Fashion Week, Makeup Artist for Baltimore Fashion Week, and a Stylist for DC Fashion Week.
We have also done workshops for Dress for Success, Macy’s, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School, Seton Hill University, Duquesne University, Coro For Civic Leadership, Women’s Empowerment Expo of Los Angeles, California, Detroit WALK fashion event, Andy Warhol Museum, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and much more.
In 2023 we launched a women’s initiative called “beneath your Beauti ” that focuses on women’s empowerment, building self-esteem and confidence and helping women to own their confidence and embrace their journey.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
What I believed about myself as a child that I no longer believe is that everyone has the same heart as me. From a very young age, I always had a heart to give a heart to serve and a heart to help those in need. Even at times when I myself didn’t have certain things I never wanted to see my friends, classmates, neighbors, or other family in lack. I’ve always had a tender heart, and as I have gotten older, I learned through experience that not everyone has the same heart and character that I have.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
There weren’t many resources to start a fashion business when I started my business in 2007. I came from the inner city projects did not finish college and I built my team from scratch by researching other industry professionals from photographers, makeup artists, hair stylists, event planners, hair salons, and much more.
At that time, I had very limited resources from no computer to lack of transportation. I would visit the local library to complete my style projects for clients and cultivated many relationships with the staff which led to me getting more work because other businesses and organizations would post their fliers. Instagram was not created back then, and Facebook was only for people who were part of a college network. So creating a network to gain clients by word of mouth was a challenge. Not having transportation pushed me harder to make sure I seized every opportunity to network and make myself visible to potential clients. I made it work with the little I had and was able to make a name for myself.
One of the challenges I faced was that there weren’t many fashion stylists in my area, so I had to prove that I was the real deal and why people should work with me and trust me with their wardrobe and fashion event. Consistency was what allowed me to stand out and over time enabled me to gain bigger clients and paid projects. My work ethic and drive have created many opportunities and opened doors, all because I never let my obstacles or challenges get in the way of the dream I had to be successful.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project that I am committed to seeing fully evolve and reach so many women is an initiative I created in 2023 called “beneath your Beauti.”
As someone who has overcome adversity and dealt with low-self esteem, poverty, trauma, etc- it became a passion of mine to advocate for women in similar situations and provide inspiration for them to own their journey.
Beneath Your Beauti goal is to uplift, inspire, and motivate women to look beneath their beauty.
We encourage them to own their confidence, embrace their journey, and share their stories. This is done by creating:
Women’s Podcast, Workshops, and Confidence Coaching.
* Engaging in collaborations and partnerships with women-centric businesses and organizations. From starting a business, money management, home ownership, mental health, women’s healthcare, relational/marital advice, and much more.
* Fostering support and empowerment through various initiatives.
We want women sharing their stories to inspire women globally. This project is beyond race, religion, economic status and will include women from various walks of life.
We launched in August 2023, with a women’s empowerment workshop that was held at Duquesne University. That event was incredibly successful and I shared the eight keys of confidence that I curated and it was very well received. I did a women’s interview podcast series where I interviewed 4 local women leaders and asked them to share their stories and their journey of success And how they were able to maintain their confidence.
In August 2025, we re-launched the Beneath your Beauti initiative with a women’s podcast titled, “ Beneath Your Beauti podcast: with Lakisha. The first episode is live and is titled, “ from brokenness to empowered.”
It can be viewed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you would like to collaborate, partner, or be a guest, please email: [email protected]
We are also planning workshops and partnering and collaborating with other women centric businesses to promote positive self image, self development, career development, mental health advocacy for women, financial resources, and much more!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am being my authentic self, not shrinking to fit in, not dimming my light because it is shining too brightly for others and not walking in my purpose confidently because it makes other people uncomfortable.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
N/a
