Let's EAT
“I believe there is a seat at the table for all women to win.”
The women I admire are strong, intelligent, powerful, fearless, educators, entrepreneurs, businesswomen, mothers, wives, curators, and queens.
I believe there is a seat at the table for all women to win. Not only do we need a seat, I decided to create a perfectly decorated table designed by @Elliottevents adorned with a scrumptious meal prepared by the renowned @chefcleavland washed down with delicious craft cocktails curated by @minervaavenue
Although I love to get dressed up and slay and eat amazing food over delicious cocktails, this dinner is much more than that- it’s about feeding your souls, your dreams, your ambition. It’s about us coming together as women and truly reaching while we climb, about transparently showing our most authentic selves. We have to clap for the women around us that are killing the game and making their dreams come to fruition. We must ENCOURAGE them and UPLIFT them because THEY DESERVE IT. As you reach your goals and doors of opportunity start to swing open for you, those same women will be right in your corner cheering you on.
A seat for us is necessary so I created a table just for that—EXCITED to share this table with so many amazing women in #Nashville at the S O L D ✨ O U T DSLB Inspired: A Dinner Series “ Friendsgiving Edition”
Meet the FIRESIDE CHAT Queens
Nicole Gilchrist, is the CEO and Designer of the Nicole Gilchrist brand-, a fashion accessories brand. She is also a Makeup Artist with a background in Cosmetic Product development in both the US and International Markets. She has worked on and influenced marketing campaigns for some of the top Beauty brands and is a proud graduate of The University of Baltimore where she received a bachelors degree in Business Marketing. She has also been featured in publications for Empowering Women, Motherhood advice, Self Care and her DIY Makeup tutorials. Nicole’s most cherished aspect of her life is being a wife and mother. With two under four and a young prince on the way, she is a slaying momma that is not afraid to handle business while looking amazing.
Chasity Nichole is a dynamic, influential, multi-talented entrepreneur and speaker who loves serving and equipping others on how to fulfill purpose and maximize their potential. Chasity’s mission is to motivate women, and professionals of all disciplines, to use their energy, influence, and power to create positive changes in the world. She is a true testament of not being defined by your past and using every adverse situation as an opportunity to be launched into your destiny. As one of Nashville’s Black 40 Under 40, Chasity is committed to destroying generational barriers and poverty mindsets. In 2009, while interning at a national country music public relations firm, she developed her first entrepreneurial endeavor, as a Public Relations Manager. Assisting with publicity and marketing campaigns for the CMA fest, legendary country music and pop/rock artist such as, Kid Rock, Dolly Parton, Take 6 and Kenny G, she discovered her passion for communications and marketing. Currently, she serves as The Behind the Scenes Powerhouse to clients such as EntertainmentOne, Sean “Diddy” Combs, REVOLT Media & TV, and more through her boutique agency, The Chasity Nichole Agency. Following her passion for communications, in 2014, Chasity began to use her voice to motivate young adult women as a speaker. During this distinct season, God began to reveal the impact she would have as she courageously gave God a “yes” and He has allowed her the opportunity to speak to preteens, young adults and women in churches, conferences, business seminars, workshops and small group settings.
When Chasity is not creating campaign strategies for clients, she is proudly spending time her son, Jordyn, laughing and creating memories with her friends and family, singing to her favorite r&b jams or enjoying quiet time in her creative space.
Linda Hope is a proud Dominicana from Miami, Florida with an entrepreneurial spirit, which has allowed her to combine her passion for beauty, travel and wellness in her current role as Managing Director at Beautycounter. Linda is a leader in the clean beauty movement, serving as a national trainer, clean beauty advocate and business coach for Beautycounter, a beauty brand with the mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. Prior to joining Beautycounter, Linda excelled as a luxury real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty. She is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism, majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Business Administration.
Linda is married to Chris Hope, retired NFL Pro Bowl Safety and Super Bowl XL Champion. Both are passionate philanthropists who focus on addressing the social and educational needs of underserved communities through their charitable organizations – the iCHOPE Charitable Fund inspiring youth to identify and execute against their dreams, founded by Chris Hope and Motherless Queens, Linda’s organization which focuses on supporting young women who have experienced the loss of their mother - as well as lending their names, time and talent to local and national philanthropic efforts. Linda is a mother of two incredible children, Crislyn (6) and Christopher (4)
Deena Knight is an Interior Designer, specializing in what she calls “Sensible Luxury.” Her clients include several professional athletes, a demographic she knows well, having supported her husband, Brevin, through a twelve year NBA career. She was also the founder and director of Project Bloom, a nonprofit dedicated to the development of girls, which sponsored a Prom Makeover project for several years. As her oldest daughter approached middle school, Mrs. Knight left the non-profit world, to focus on raising her three children, Brenna (a senior at Stanford University), Kayla (a freshman at Elon University) and Donevin (a high school freshman) . In 2016, after seven years as a stay at home mom, she established Deena Knight Designs, LLC to pursue her interest in design. She attended Stanford University and is a member of Charlotte Good Friends, the American Heart Association Circle of Red, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, the National Basketball Wives Association Incorporated, and a charter member of the South Charlotte Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Incorporated.
Lagra Newman is the Founder and Head of School of Purpose Preparatory Academy, one of the highest performing elementary schools in Tennessee. Purpose Prep, a public, non-selective charter school, educates children predominately within the North Nashville community and focuses on strong literacy acquisition. In 2017, Purpose Prep earned Reward status for being among the top 5% of schools in the state of Tennessee for academic performance. In 2018, Purpose Prep earned Reward School status for the second consecutive year.
A staunch advocate for underserved communities, Ms. Newman is deeply committed to ensuring that all children have access to quality education. Lagra began her career as an inner-city teacher for Teach for America where she taught fifth grade at 109th Street Elementary School in the Watts community of Los Angeles, California. She then recruited teachers for Teach For America in Atlanta, GA and then served as an instructional coach at an elementary school in
Undergoing a competitive fellowship with Boston-based nonprofit Building Excellent Schools in 2011 led Lagra back to Nashville to take on the challenge of opening Purpose Prep, which is her brainchild, as she designed, developed, and currently leads the high performing model. In her current work as the Head of School for Purpose Prep, Ms. Newman oversees the instructional, operational, and financial aspects of the school, bringing strong leadership to the educational reform movement in Tennessee.
In her personal time, Lagra loves to travel and create meaningful experiences with loved ones. Over the past few years, she has traveled to Israel, South Africa, Morocco, Cuba, France, Egypt, Ghana, Spain, Haiti, and the UAE. Lagra is also a published author, creating children’s books with her mother that are focused on educational excellence, pride for one’s identity, and black empowerment.
Lagra earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Spanish at Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Teaching at Loyola Marymount University, and a Masters in Education Leadership from Teachers College of Columbia University.
Jackie Long has starred in her own show “Jack of All Tastes” currently on Amazon Prime and is presently filming season 3 of Tomorrow’s World Today which will have it’s first run on the Science Channel, but you can catch her in Season 2 on Amazon Prime. When she is not curating concepts or filming 14-16 hour days on TWT, she is committed to living a life where her daughters can feel empowered. She takes pride in leading by example and giving them a tangible blueprint to aspire and live up. Jackie feels that being a mother has given her insurmountable strength. Jackie is a prime example of a woman who is as excited about her own success as she is about the little things that she is teaching her children. Small wins to her are knowing that her girls understand their power and their potential. Outside of filming, she and her former NFL player husband Jake are renovating and flipping houses in Nashville.
