Turning Tragedy into Triumph: Branding Expert Talks Importance of Owning Your Story

Each time a woman shares her life’s journey–the challenges and triumphs, insecurities and setbacks–it heals and empowers another woman. For Natasha Brown, founder of Think Brown Ink, aÂ creative think tank and social responsibility branding agency, a major shift on her entrepreneurial journey occurred, she says, when she was wrongfully accused of trying to kill someone she loved.

At the height of her career, Brown handled public relations for the DMV Music Awards, launched Gets Kids Movin in collaboration with 10-year-old Recording Artist Chi Chi Monet, served as publicist for NBA Guard Dolante West, created SmileNATIONWIDE–a 12 Months of Service Cause campaign, and was nominated for the “40 Under 40â€ honoree in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

So, how does a young branding expert and community activist go from helping people and organizations turn messages into nationwide movements, to fighting to prove her innocence before the world?

Black Enterprise caught up with Natasha Brown to learn how she found the courage to turn tragedy into triumph and land on Amazon’s bestsellers list within the first few days of her book launch.

BlackEnterprise.com: What has your career journey been like leading to this point?

Natasha Brown: My journey has been spectacular and varied. As a student at Morgan State I worked at The AFRO Newspaper, Comcast SportsNET, the campus radio station, WEAA 88.9FM and a market research firm. I grew a love for the various communications professions. Once I graduated, I worked as a Freelancer on the sets of television shows, commercials and movies and also as a journalist. Finally, I landed my first full-time position as a general assignment reporter for the county newspaper, won several investigative reporting and feature writing awards, then after two years, went into marketing-community outreach and public relations (at one job) and then development communications.

After many years of helping clients share their personal stories through philanthropic initiatives and media campaigns, you recently published 10 Blessings of Betrayal. What inspired you to write the book? How does it relate to your entrepreneurial journey?

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