Hi Reader

Happy New Year 🎊 I'm so glad you're here!

This is the first New Heights newsletter of 2025! And drumroll, please...you can now read or listen to it!

(1) Affirmation

Say it with me:

I can call my intentions for this year a vision board, goals, or even a bingo card.

Either way, 2025 is the year I expect great things to happen for me—and I’m going after everything I deserve.

(2) Personal Brand Tip

What’s your heart's desire? Start there.

Your personal brand is an extension of who you are. For multi-passionate women like us, it can feel overwhelming to decide which skills, passions, or experiences to focus on.

Here’s the secret: you don’t have to choose just one.

Instead, start with this question: What’s your heart’s desire?

Think about the work, mission, or impact that lights you up. What do you feel called to share with the world? Your diverse skills and experiences aren’t a liability—they’re your strength.

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Here’s how to get started:

1. Identify What You Stand For: What ties all your talents and interests together? (Hint: It’s often a message or mission you could talk about endlessly or something that brings you joy.)
2. Own Your Story: Reflect on how your unique journey—your wins, passions, challenges, and lessons—has shaped your perspective.
3. Craft Your Core Message: Write a sentence or two that sums up what you stand for and how your multifaceted skills make an impact.

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For example (using myself):

1. What I Stand For: Helping women create sustainable, authentic lives that they love
2. My Story: Born and raised in Barbados, I moved to the U.S. as a teen, navigating immigration and following a traditional education path. Feeling confined by my degrees, I launched a fashion brand, expanded into content creation, and partnered with big retailers. Marriage, motherhood, and a bleak financial outlook revealed that success online wasn’t enough—I wanted an offline life I loved, too. Burnout pushed me to embrace alignment, ask for help, and prioritize balance. This shift led to outsourcing tasks, landing dream clients, and being featured in outlets like MarketWatch and Marketing Brew.
3. My Core Message: In my roles across PR, marketing, and communications, I leverage over 10 years of experience to empower Black and Brown to create unforgettable brands and sustainable lives.

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This approach helps you play big! It shows off your dynamic, multi-talented nature and how your talents complement each other.

When you align your brand with your heart’s desire, it’s easier to show up confidently, embrace your gifts, and attract the right opportunities.

(3) Story Time

I’m now an American citizen! Technically, I'm a dual citizen…but that’s not the point.

The point is that it took 18 years to get here—18 years and $10,000 plus. That's a long time and a lot of money.

But I did it. I made it here.

And more importantly, I kept a promise to myself.

How did it all happen? My immigration journey started in 2006, but this part began 3 years ago, just after the height of the pandemic. I’d just received my 10-year green card in 2020 after USPS had lost it, and I was visiting my attorney with my brother to help him with his immigration steps.

While there, my attorney asked, “Why haven’t you applied for your citizenship yet?”

I gave her many excuses about waiting for the “perfect” time in my life to apply. And she called me on my bullshit:

“You’re waiting for all your ducks to be in a row, and that’s an excuse. You’ll pass with flying colors. Just do it.”

Her words stuck with me. But I didn’t act right away. Turns out, I was pregnant with my second child.

In the years that followed, I became a mom of two, built our first home, and survived two layoffs. Life was chaotic.

Still, in 2024, I made a promise to myself: I would become a U.S. citizen.

I put it on my vision board.

When I earned a work bonus, I set everything aside and applied. That was August 2024.

On November 1st, I passed my test.

On December 10, I stood in an Ohio courthouse (with my husband and oldest daughter as a witness), raised my right hand, and was sworn in as an American citizen.

Was life perfect? No. But I did it anyway.

And I celebrated this win because I deserved it.

Remember: You are worthy of every promise you make to yourself, and you can keep them—even when life feels messy.

Hit reply and let me know what promise you’re keeping to yourself this year.

Let’s make 2025 unforgettable together!

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Tamara Sykes
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