There was a time when people knew my name before I entered the room. I had spent years leading publicity for iconic global brands, shaping multi-million-dollar campaigns and telling the stories that made brands, businesses and people impossible to overlook, and easy to choose.
Then I migrated to Canada, and the reputation that once opened doors did not arrive with me. I was sleeping on a couch in someone else’s living room, questioning everything I thought I knew about myself. How could a woman who had built brands, negotiated salary increases and commanded rooms suddenly feel like no one could see her? The fear was real. So was the anxiety. But I knew I could not stay there. If the world no longer knew my name, I would give it a reason to learn it again.
That chapter taught me something bigger than migration: your identity can outgrow your reputation. It happens to the VP still treated like middle management, the entrepreneur whose brand undersells their influence, and the manager doing director-level work. If that feels familiar, the gap may already be costing you.
I became strategic. I volunteered with a dozen organisations, networked relentlessly, negotiated for myself and launched Oasis Integrated Communications. Brick by brick, I rebuilt a name associated with credibility, influence, and measurable results.
By the time I won the Mantella Corporation Entrepreneur BIPOC Grant Award, the groundwork was undeniable. I had built the brand capable of winning it. Then I made the recognition work harder: I engineered the publicity and turned one award into powerful leverage. Mantella Corporation became a client. Media interviews, speaking opportunities, high-value partnerships and new business followed across Canada, the US, and the Caribbean. Less than a year later, I was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch for 2025.
You have done the work. Now let’s make sure your reputation is powerful enough to open the next door.
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