Our Kind Of Women

05/30/2026

Alexis Janae, 41, President and General Manager of an entertainment company

What were you taught about love by watching the women before you?

The women before me taught me that love is sacrifice. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to understand that true sacrifice can also lead to abundance.
Growing up as a pastor’s daughter, I was often taught that sacrifice was something we were called to do over and over again, and that the reward for sacrifice was simply more work. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to see it differently. I’ve learned that sacrifice, when rooted in love and purpose, can create space for abundance. The women who came before me showed me not only how to give, but how to live a life enriched by what that giving makes possible.

📸 PA

pop-up exhibit series + coffee table book + a constellation and more. Pre-order the coffee table book today! Link in bio.

05/23/2026

"One thing I kept thinking throughout my Our Kind Of Women project was how often Black women are flattened into one dimensional ideas. Strong. Resilient. Selfless. And yes, we can be those things, but we are also tender, sensual, laid back, creative, blissful, sovereign, playful, accountable, triumphant, complicated, hopeful, still evolving. The camera taught me that. Or, maybe the Our Kind of Women participants did."

What I witnessed while photographing more than 100 Black women over 40, and the generations they carried with them.

05/22/2026

Cicely Mitchell, 45, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Client Relations

: What part of your story deserves more than it gets?

My resiliency. I continue to bounce back no matter what life throws at me, no matter what I go through.

I always say the devil goes after the ones that shine. Nobody goes out and picks flowers that are wilted, dry, and dull. They want the prettiest flower, the one blooming the brightest. So when your spirit naturally shines, that’s what gets attacked.

I survived a car accident that literally could have taken me out. Then during my divorce, there were moments meant to break me emotionally, to leave me feeling defeated, and somehow I still came back better than ever.

People will tell a single mother what she can’t do. “You can’t handle this.” “You can’t make it happen.” Really? My youngest child is about to graduate from high school. My daughter is in college studying engineering, and my youngest daughter wants to be a lawyer and is already on that path.

So honestly, what else is there to throw at me? I know I’m strong. I know I’m resilient. I truly feel like I can rebuild myself into anything I want to become. I feel that way every single day.

And the truth is, resilience is probably the greatest thing about me. It’s who I’ve been my entire life, but I don’t think I give myself enough credit for it. I don’t stop. I keep finding ways to rise, even after disappointment, rejection, heartbreak, or hearing “no” over and over again.

You know how many times I’ve been told no? And every time, I’ve found a way to tell myself, “Okay, maybe not right now. Maybe not today. But I’m still going to find a way.”

I think that’s what women do. We carry so much. We get hit with adversity from every direction, and somehow we still make a way. We still push through.

That’s the part of myself I hope my girls see most clearly. I hope they see a woman who kept going no matter what, and I hope that inspires them one day.

📸 PA

pop-up exhibit series + coffee table book + a constellation and more. Pre-order the coffee table book today! Link in bio.

05/01/2026

I had the privilege of coming into the “Of Sisten” room to chat about my unique career as a creative executive and the failures to launch that lead me to the project, a photography exhibit and coffee table book celebrating Black women over 40.

Listen and subscribe!

Of Sistren with Bessie Akuba

04/30/2026

Life after 40 has a way of pulling the curtain back. All the things we used to outrun, outwork, or dress up… they don’t move the same anymore.

Finish this in the comments:

“After 40, the truth I had to face was ___, and the woman I became because of it is ___.

Tag a sister, a friend, an auntie, a cousin who’s lived a little life. I want to hear from her too. Or, you may have “just been talking about this with a girlfriend..” tag her.

I’ll feature one of the responses in the coming weeks! -

pop-up exhibit series + coffee table book + constellation of art, storytelling, legacy, and more. Pre-order the coffee table book today! 🔗 Link in bio.

04/14/2026

During ’s session, the prompt she chose was: what song takes you back to your childhood?

She went straight to a song her mother loved and played often, “Keep on Moving” And in that moment, it felt like her mother was right there with us.

Music does that… it carries memories and it can bring our loved ones closer, even the ones who are no longer here with us in the physical. - 💛

04/13/2026

Saycon Sengbloh, 48, Actress, Singer, Entertainer. 

What song instantly takes you back to your childhood living room?

There are lots of songs, but one group in particular, Soul II Soul, really takes me back to sitting in the living room. My mother loved the color orange, like sunset orange, so there was always some furniture with that color on it.

“Keep on Moving” by Soul II Soul…that song takes me back to my childhood. I would always hear it when we were in the car. It would come on the radio while we were driving down the street, or when I was riding my bike and someone else’s car passed by with the music playing.

I carry that with me into my life now, that I just have to keep moving, regardless of what happens. Every day is different. I’m encountering different people, reconnecting with more family now that I’m back in Georgia.

And I just keep it moving every single day. My goal is to keep moving and not be stagnant, and to let change be a part of my life, even though it’s hard

📸 💄

pop-up exhibit series + coffee table book + constellation of art, storytelling, legacy, and more. Pre-order the coffee table book today! Link in bio!