We’re looking forward to introducing you to Paris Roland. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Paris , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, it’s been the *small sacred moments* that are bringing me the most joy—those quiet pauses where I can just be. Whether it’s morning walks with my kids, deep convos on the porch, or hearing music that moves me, I’ve been leaning into presence. I’m also rediscovering the power of rest and softness—not as a reward, but as a lifestyle. Creating space to be still, to be in nature, to be in spirit… that’s where my joy lives right now. And honestly, it’s helped me reconnect with my voice in a way that doesn’t feel performative, just real and rooted.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a bit about what you do, your brand or organization and what makes it interesting/special/unique or anything else you’d like them to know about you / your story /your brand and what you are working on / etc.**
My name is Paris Roland, and I’m a creative visionary, community advocate, and behind-the-scenes builder. I’ve spent over 15 years in the beauty industry, managing multimillion-dollar counters, freelancing for major fashion events, and owning beauty bars that served as healing spaces for women. But beyond the glam, I’ve always been about purpose—helping others find their voice, their footing, and their power.
Right now, my heart is in *Baltimore Belongs*, a nonprofit I’m developing to pour back into the city that raised me. It’s rooted in empowerment, equity, and ownership—designed to support underserved communities in accessing resources, building sustainable futures, and feeling seen. I believe Baltimore doesn’t need to be saved—it needs to be supported. And that’s what I’m here to do.
What makes my work special is that I don’t just build things—I build *safe* things. Safe spaces. Safe strategies. Safe systems for women, for youth, for creatives, for anyone who’s ever felt invisible in traditional spaces. I believe in making an impact feel good, and in building with both structure and spirit.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was fearless. I was the girl who gave without thinking twice, who carried light in her hands and believed it could heal people. I saw the world through wonder—talking to God like He was sitting beside me, noticing the wind, the sky, the subtle signs. I didn’t question if I was too much or not enough; I just *was.* Bold, loving, imaginative, free. I trusted people. I dreamed out loud. I thought everything had meaning, and that goodness always won in the end.
Before the world layered on expectations, grief, and survival mode, I lived by instinct and spirit. I created things just because they made me feel alive. I was deeply in tune with beauty—not just physical beauty, but beauty as energy. I didn’t chase approval; I chased purpose. I think deep down, that version of me never left. She’s just been buried under the weight of proving, protecting, and pushing through. But I’m learning now how to return to her. To remember that being soft *was* my strength. That giving didn’t make me naïve—it made me divine.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me the true meaning of life—something success could never touch. It showed me that it’s not the accolades, titles, or milestones that shape your world, but the moments that bring you to your knees. The grief, the losses, the betrayals, the nights you cried out to God with nothing but your breath left—they stretch you. They strip you of everything false. Suffering peels back the layers until all that’s left is truth. It humbles you, quiets the ego, and reveals what you really believe when no one is watching. It was in my suffering that I met myself fully, and met God more intimately. Not the God I was taught about in church, but the God who sat with me in silence, when no one else could.
Success never demanded that level of surrender. It never asked me to bleed, to rebuild, to forgive what broke me. But suffering did. It showed me where my strength truly lived—not in how much I could accomplish, but in how much I could *endure* and still remain soft. It taught me that the breaking open of the heart is where healing begins. That the unraveling is the invitation. And that sometimes, what feels like the end is really just the beginning of becoming.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that being a strong woman—doing it all on my own, never asking for help, carrying the weight of everyone around me—was something to be proud of. I wore that independence like a badge of honor because I thought it was survival. I was taught that needing others made you weak, that rest was lazy, and that self-sacrifice was the price of being a good woman, a good mother, a good daughter. But the more I healed, the more I realized that was never God’s design. That kind of strength isn’t strength—it’s fear dressed up in control.
Now I know that our true purpose is rooted in community, love, and servanthood—not martyrdom. We are not built to carry every burden alone. We are built for partnership, for softness, for mutual support. There’s strength in surrender, in trusting others, in letting yourself be held. I’ve learned that love isn’t something we have to earn through struggle—it’s something we are worthy of just by existing. And once I let go of that old belief, I started to experience a softer kind of life, one filled with grace, ease, and truth.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
This is honestly the story of my life. I’ve manifested things quickly—microwaved blessings, I like to call them. I’ve gotten exactly what I thought I wanted: the job, the relationship, the money, the opportunity. And yet, more often than not, I found myself feeling drained, disconnected, and completely unsatisfied once it arrived. There’s this moment that hits you when you realize, “Oh… this isn’t it. This was never going to fill me.” And when that pattern happens enough times, it humbles you. It makes you think twice before asking for anything, because you start to wonder—was that really desire? Or was that fear in disguise?
It’s happened so many times that now I move differently. I’m in a place of surrender. I still have dreams and things I want deeply, but I’m no longer chasing them with urgency. I’ve learned to trust that what I *think* I want might not actually be aligned with what I truly need. Only God knows the full picture, and sometimes the delay or the detour is the protection. So I pray more, I release more, and I listen more. I’m learning that true satisfaction doesn’t come from checking things off a list—it comes from alignment, peace, and divine timing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ParisLanae.com
- Instagram: paris__lanae
Image Credits
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