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Book illustration by Shakira Rivers
By Michelby Coco-Whitehead As a single 30-something with no children, I sometimes feel like I’m in my second childhood. I still watch cartoons and collect baby dolls that exude black girl magic with absolutely no shame. But coloring has never excited me as a kid, and it didn’t appeal to me in adulthood when my cousin mentioned her coloring book for women. I thought to myself: I ain’t THAT bored! But according to Psychology Today, there is power in coloring. Researchers say that coloring can be used to aid with therapy and as an intervention to relieve stress and anxiety. Taking this into consideration, I can now see why coloring books are the new wave. When I found the one created by Latoya Nicole, I was ecstatic. North Carolina mover and shaker Latoya is a mental health professional, entrepreneur, and the brains behind 24 Shades of Business: An Adult Coloring Book, which features images of beautiful, boss women who are bloggers, doctors, makeup artists, teachers, yoga instructors, etc. It also contains mazes and motivational quotes. Recently, Latoya chatted with us about the inspiration behind her coloring book and why they’re great therapy for black women, especially entrepreneurs!
Illustration by Shakira Rivers
What inspired you to create a coloring book for entrepreneurs? But, I thought nothing else of it until years later and I was browsing the internet trying to figure out great ideas to put in place so that I could create passive income. My initial thought was to write a book about my journey and entrepreneurship, so I was browsing and asking God what my next move should be when I heard “24 Shades of Business.” When I hear certain things, especially after I ask, I don’t take them lightly because I’m a believer that I have always been given “witty inventions.” I quickly jotted down the title that I had heard and put it in my journal. Later, I started putting pieces together and remembered how the coloring book from my job had really helped. I also remembered that the coloring book only had trees, mandalas and birds for me to color. I started doing more research and I realized there were no adult coloring books that solely highlighted African-American entrepreneurs. And, of course, since I had already been given the title of the book “24 Shades of Business” I knew it would be dealing with business, so I took that and ran with it. Do you think the journey of building a business is more stressful for women of color? Why is coloring therapeutic? What has been the response to your coloring book? How did you come up with the images in the book? ![]()
Latoya Nicole
To learn more about 24 Shades of Business: An Adult Coloring Book, visit
Will you give coloring a try?
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A woman of the bayou pimping my pen because I’m scared of a day job. You can find me somewhere telling stories like Nas and Terry McMillan on April Fool’s day. Writing is life so follow me on IG @cococurator
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