#DSLBgal
“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” -HDT
The love and gratitude I felt standing in front of the perfectly decorated room, overlooking a sea of gorgeous, accomplished, dynamic women, will forever be ingrained in my spirit.
The phrase "a seat at the table" has always intrigued me, especially as a woman full of ambition and drive, passionate about serving communities and empowering other women in entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and motherhood.
I understand that "the table" metaphorically represents the different sectors of society: business, finance, philanthropy, tech, and government. I have learned that the illustrious "seats" at these respective tables often hold the power players who steer relationships, connections, and associations to make high-level decisions in their respective fields. Sadly, women are frequently excluded from these tables.
My Love Affair with Dinner
Because I operate from a space of abundance, I decided to create my own perfectly adorned table to share with impactful female leaders. The DSLB Inspired Dinner Series is my way of uniting these powerful women and creating a safe space for them to grow and enjoy themselves.
God gave me the gift of creating a community. I met and established phenomenal relationships with dynamic women in every city where we lived, from LA to Nashville and beyond. I do not take my gift lightly, and I understand how blessed I am to execute my vision of cultivating impactful relationships while enjoying the beauty of "a good time."
In 2019, I launched the DSLB Inspired dinner series in Nashville, TN, which was a huge success. In March of 2020, as I was preparing to host this epic experience in Miami, LA, and Charlotte, NC, sadly, the COVID-19 global pandemic struck, and changed the world. Life as we knew it shut down and shifted forever. In 2021, my marriage was crumbling, and Coty and I were trying to keep our heads above water, raising three babies under three years old while building a custom home and simultaneously fighting a court case. In 2022, as my marriage healed and my amazing husband and I prepared to bring our fourth baby into the world, 18 days before her birth, my father passed away from a heart attack. In 2023, I worked hard to overcome depression and fight through some of my darkest moments.
In 2024, on Saturday, February 10, finally, by the grace of God, I was blessed with the opportunity to resurrect my dinner series and host an epic and memorable evening.
One of my favorite moments from the night was when my amazing husband and beautiful babies welcomed me to the stage. Without their love and support, I would never have successfully executed this event or any of my endeavors, for that matter. One of my greatest gifts is the love from my family, and I do not take that for granted.
One of the driving factors behind the Sensabaugh Family Foundation is serving and supporting organizations that uplift. A portion of ticket sales from Galentine’s benefited three phenomenal organizations: More than My Pretty Face, The Academy of Goal Achievers, & The Bryan Askew Memorial. Not only were we able to award each of these organizations $1500, but we also raised awareness for the phenomenal work they are doing to uplift young people in the community.
Make It Beautiful
Women deserve beauty. They deserve it in every facet of their lives, and they need moments that allow them to get dressed up, enjoy a scrumptious meal, indulge in delicious craft cocktails, and experience stunning decor, all while having their soul fed and uplifted. It was only fitting that I revive the dinner series in my hometown of Charlotte, NC.
DSLB Galetnitne's was hosted at @Bellezaeventspace, a premiere venue in South Charlotte, that allowed us to transform the spacious blank canvas into a pink and red haven. Belleza granted us the freedom to elevate this epic event by any means necessary.
As you can see from the photos, the florals and tablescape were stunning. Courtney Ajinca of @CourtneyAjinca events curated arrangements with beautiful pink, purple, and red roses to create a breathtaking display, and she even garnished her florals with glittered hearts to add unforgettable flair. Courtney and her team elevated Galentine’s into another realm of sophistication.
A party doesn't exist without balloons and beautiful installations designed and constructed by @HarlanHaus.
Sharelle Harlan paired her creations with marquee lights from @charlottemarqueelights, and her giant LOVE installation was a moment in itself. This installation was surrounded by over 800 shades of red, pink, and chrome balloons adorned with roses and glittered hearts. @HarlanHaus also created a moment for the ladies who love pink with a giant XO surrounded by a sea of pretty pink balloons. There is something magical about posing in front of beautiful red roses with your girlfriends, celebrating love and friendship, and her final moment of glory existed in the 7ft giant heart, covered in red roses, which was nothing short of stunning. Sharelle and her team @Harlanhaus are creative geniuses to say the least.
At a #DSLB experience, the food and drinks are non-negotiable. Chef Will Williams of @Seasonedprovisions curated a delicious menu infused with his Caribbean taste which all of our guest loved.
Our delectable libations, sponsored by @Redrosevodka, were a treat for the Gworls. The cocktail menu, affectionately called "Heauxtails," consisted of some unique creations that were great conversation starters.
From the moment each queen walked into the room, the amazing Red Carpet Host @lanaire not only #slayed with her epic look, but she set the stage flawlessly, allowing the attendees to share their passion on the mic.
A Flawless Night
You are only as good as your team, and I could shine on the stage because of the phenomenal production team that spent hours making sure every detail about this night was handled.
First, Dr. France Jackson of Rice & Gravy Productions orchestrated her magic by making sure all logistics of pre and post-production were handled, Oliva Pope style. Next, she collaborated with Sharellle from @HarlanHaus, and they created this beautiful stage design to ensure the guests speakers glamorously glowed for the program. France also worked her magic, transforming an idea I sent her via text from my interest board into a 7ft beautiful photo moment to display our amazing event partners. I say this and mean it wholeheartedly: everyone needs a Dr. Jackson to push them to new heights of greatness.
Our phenomenal photographer @BrandonGrate is no stranger to capturing a moment of beauty, and at Galentine's, he did just that, immortalizing every inch of that beautiful space.
Videographer extraordinaire Derwin Marshall and his team at @fadeawayzproductions perfectly captured the moment their video recap edit of the Galentines was immaculate. CLICK HERE to Check it our below but beware you will watch it at least 20 times to capture the magic.
Learning Is My Love Language
I view life like a classroom and find strength in being a humble student.
Although I adore the pomp and circumstance of an event, I love delivering empowering, encouraging, and impactful messages to attendees who invest in the #DSLB experience.
Women are powerful, and we hold the answer to solving some of the world's most pressing issues like access to equal opportunity, sexism, racism, gender inequality, crashing glass ceilings, and many of the other conundrums that society impresses upon us.
At any event I curate, I want women to dive into topics that help them grow, evolve, and enlighten their circles. I love to discuss issues centered around enhancing financial literacy, improving your mental/physical health, developing and scaling your business, creating effective strategies to market your business, and many other crucial topics that inspire personal and professional growth.
For Galentine's, we constructed unique and engaging panels comprised of industry experts who gave all the gems and more.
Since the beautiful attendees floated through the door looking runway fresh, we commenced the evening talking all things fashion with the first panel, "The Look of Love-Redefining Your Style." Stylist & #slayqueen @eyebrathefashion gave us tips to define our style while loving our body through life's transitions, maximizing our fashion budget from Zara to Dior, and shared all the secret styling tips from an industry expert to upgrade our look from basic to #Boss. Onsight, she curated a pop-up shop opportunity for Galentine's guests to shop her boutique @lostandfound, specializing in statement pieces to elevate your wardrobe.
As an entrepreneur, my close friends know I do not play when handling your business and operating with excellence. One of the house favorites was the 2nd panel for the evening, "The Business of Love," where the powerhouse certified financial planner @marthacooperhudson and expert certified CPA @neshapai took down the house, giving us all diamonds, nuggets, and carats to keep our financial edges intact!
During our 3rd panel, "The Beauty of Self Love," The #bossbabe @urbanskinfounder taught us the power of resiliency shared gave us gems about how to level up in business and demand everyone around us to grow, successfully scale our endeavors, and how leaders use uncomfortable conversations to make everyone around them better.
Meet our Main Squeeze
Mia is the ultimate epitome of grace, beauty, and #bossbabe energy. The RHOP Queen left us smiling from ear to ear with her genuine, authentic, and loving energy. Not only did she lite up the room with business gems about walking in our power, owning our gifts and working hard to elevate personally and professionally, her fierce spirit reminded us always to see ourselves as powerful women.
Mia anointed the stage with an unmatched aura of grace. One of the many things I love about Mia is her ability to make everyone around her feel beautiful. It was an honor to have her as our DSLB Galentine’s #mainsqueeze We love you, Mama Mia.
The VIBEZ screamed LOVE
Great music can transform any shindig into an epic party, and that is precisely what DJ Micki did. Not only is she gorgeous and talented, but she knows how to curate a vibe. The ladies lulled over everything from Whitney Houston to Drake and everything in between. Between the panelists dropping gems, Micki played endless hits to keep the party going.
A Partnership Made of Love
The excellence that is a DSLB experience would not be possible if it were not for our amazing sponsors. Thank you for investing in this vision to untie so many amazing women with love.
DSLB Platinum Partners:
@lanajewelry
@plumped
@bellezaevents
@emeraldvinyl
@harlanhaus
@geeknchic
@Fadeawayz
@tealfitness
@brandongrate
@season
@sajcollective
@mickiblendz
The Gift of LOVE
Thank you to my friend @urbanskinfounder for curating gift bags filled with love and phenomenal gifts for our attendees.
Swag bags partners:
@urbanskinfounder
@mielleorganics
@janet.Gwen
@pearnova
@eltamd
@focl
@raevincreationcookies
A Full Heart of Gratitude
In full transparency, I wanted to throw in the towel with planning Galentine's; however, during my lowest moments, many women rallied behind me to execute this event successfully.
In December, two months before Galentine's was scheduled for my 34th birthday, I FINALLY decided to get a cosmetic procedure that ended up going completely wrong. While dealing with the disappointment and heartbreak of this catastrophe, because of the procedure, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't exercise, I struggled to work, let alone barely take care of my babies. Going through this tragedy, God had to get my attention, and he revealed a new purpose in my life.
I am inspired to advocate for women to "do the work." Before enhancing our physical appearance, let's do the work to strengthen our spirit. Before altering and changing our outsides, let's ensure our insides are aligned, and our hearts understand that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Loving ourselves is essential, and after dealing with this crisis from this cosmetic procedure gone wrong, I am reminded that chasing perfection is insane. Loving my imperfections and who God designed me to be will resonate with the world and allow me to thrive. God made us all strong, unique, intelligent, dynamic, powerful, perfectly imperfect beings.
I ended the night with these reminders and affirmations:
Be fearless, and if you aren't brave, do it afraid. Do not procrastinate on what God has called you to do. I encourage you to walk into your purpose boldly and confidently, for procrastination is the audacity to think we are guaranteed another day.
Comparison is an automatic recipe to steal your joy.
Thank you again to the vendors who made this moment memorable
Design/Planning: @geeknchic & @harlan_haus
Film: @fadeawayzproductions
Cocktails @reddrosevodka
Photography: @brandongrate_
Ballons: @harlan_haus
Florals: @courtneyajinca
Venue: @bellezaeventspace
Catering: @seasonedprovisions
Lighting: @ozeventproductions
Cookies: @raevincreationcookies
Rentals: @pomp_posh_event_rentals & @harlan_haus
UNTIL NEXT YEAR, QUEENS
