**In front of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, VA.** Chunky Heel Pull Tab Fashion Cowgirl Boots available at https://amzn.to/3PSqZxa.

Similar Sound, Different Genre: Uncovering Country’s Anglo-Celtic and Blues Influences

Tashieka Brewer April 11, 2024

This genre of Appalachian music is derived from various influences; including the British Isles. The Irish brought Anglo-Celtic traditions with them to the mountain region. African American descendants of enslaved people brought traditional spiritual influences, blues and jazz. All of these “labels” didn’t exist prior to the 1927 Bristol Sessions….

Puglia’s Hidden Gem: Unique Italian Cave Dining

Tashieka Brewer October 11, 2023

Now imagine dining in a cave, surrounded by the untouched, natural beauty of ancient geological formations that seamlessly blend tradition with small town charm. A hidden gem that is perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the Adriatic Sea…

Fight for the Fairytale Ending: Enchanted Chateau Des Milandes

Tashieka Brewer July 21, 2022

On my recent visit to France, I was excited to find out that Josephine Baker’s former residence was 45 minutes away from the private chateau that we had rented 6 hours south of Paris, in France’s Dordogne Valley region. In my eyes, Baker was the ULTIMATE ex-pat. At the height of her success in 1930’s interwar France, the 24-year-old icon was a millionaire…

Portugal's Pretty Pink Palace is Algarve's Hidden Gem

Tashieka Brewer January 19, 2022

The Pousada of Faro is famous for its neo-Baroque and neo-Rococo features, including the its ornate plaster ceilings, two tea pavilions and wonderful French-inspired gardens adorned with statues. Waking up at the picturesque Estoi Palace felt like I had been swept away to a mini Versailles. I loved the romantic-style architecture…

“Feed me tacos and tell me I’m pretty” - White sangria and shrimp tacos at Aqua Restaurant in Duck, NC (one of several small towns that make up the Outer Banks).

OBX: Change In Latitude Will Change Your Attitude

Tashieka Brewer September 15, 2021

Historic lighthouses, towering sand dunes, shipwreck diving sites and wild horses that have inhabited the area for over 400 years; the Outer Banks has become one of my favorite East Coast beach vacations. The year-round surfer’s haven offered the perfect backdrop for my family’s vacation………

La Heroica: Colombia's Vibrant Seaside City

Tashieka Brewer September 8, 2021

Located in the northern part of South America, the flight time to Rafael Núñez International Airport from New York City was just under 5 hours. I loved that our hotel was inside the ancient-walled city, a section of Cartagena overflowing with palm-filled plazas, brightly painted colonial buildings and fabulous floral archways. Everything within Cartagena’s Old Town is within walking distance…

Words Don't Flow As Easily As Whiskey

Tashieka Brewer August 25, 2021

During the 3 hour tour, I learned that in the mid-1800’s, over the hills above Lynchburg, there was a Tennessee farm owned by a preacher who had a small whiskey distillery as side hustle. Nathan Green aka “Uncle Nearest” was the enslaved black man who distilled the whiskey using a special charcoal filtering technique used to clean water in West Africa. Still used today, his method of filtering whiskey through sugar maple tree charcoal became known as the famous ‘Lincoln method’…..

Fashion Brand Consultant, Tamiko White, cruising on the Hudson River in a Misa Hylton Caftan for our friend’s birthday celebration.

Sailors On The Winds Of Change

Tashieka Brewer June 18, 2021

It officially feels like summer in New York City and I had an AMAZING afternoon yachting! A 78-degree June day offered the perfect opportunity to celebrate a friend for her birthday. As a woman of color, I am cognizant of the many different threads that are woven into the history maritime experience….

Blooming In The Seam Of A Desert Horizon

Tashieka Brewer March 10, 2021

Tapping into the real Morocco is a journey that lies far from the elaborate touristy suites and buzzing restaurants of the north. Found deep in the southernmost region, where the ungenerous stone begins to surrender to the saffron gold dust of the Sahara….

Passport To Freedom

Tashieka Brewer December 30, 2020

While creating community has always been Tanesha’s gift, being able to incorporate her global life experience into The Black Freedom Colony has expanded her skills. “I am learning that community building takes the proper application and balance of education, clarity, love, patience, grace, hard lessons and boundaries”……

Tiffany Blue: Who Said Red Is The Color Of Love?

Tashieka Brewer March 25, 2020

While I’ve always dreamed of having Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the experience took what I had envisioned to the next level in a setting that was as inviting as the food was inspiring. Making it that much easier for this Pink Girl to easily transition into a blue babe for the afternoon; as Tiffany’s signature robin’s-egg blue was everywhere…

She Designed The Life She Loved: Asheville Edition

Tashieka Brewer February 26, 2020

As I stepped into the marbled entry hall of the 250-room home (including 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms) nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I was mesmerized by the octagonal sunken Winter Garden that is surrounded by stone archways….

Author, Kayla M. Hebbon surrounded by attendees at the Black History Month Leadership Tea Event

Brewing Great Thoughts With Great Minds Is My Cup Of Tea

Tashieka Brewer February 19, 2020

Having experienced afternoon tea in France, South Africa, England, Morocco, Japan and the Caribbean; I’ve grown to appreciate the significant role that tea plays in different cultures as well as my own. Converting a floor in her brownstone into a tea salon during the Harlem renaissance, Madam C.J. Walker’s daughter (Lelia
Walker) was known for her extravagant tea parties with iconic guests like Langston Hughes, James Baldwin….

À Bientôt: We'll Always Have Paris

Tashieka Brewer February 12, 2020

Affectionately known as Nett Nett, Arnetta was my mother’s first cousin and accompanied my mom when she traveled to visit me during my study abroad in France. We made so many great memories in the City of Lights during their visit. As we explored Notre Dame & Opera Garnier, it was like the operas that she learned while studying at Westminster Choir College had come to life and we had starring roles…

Take Flight & Soar: Lean On Your Power

Tashieka Brewer February 5, 2020

Kanika Nikki Utley has served as a Producer on a host of acclaimed news and reality television programs. Her new book, Stay Bold, gives you the push to move forward by shifting how you react to fear so that you no longer allow it to hold you back. Staying bold means staying committed and always looking up, because fear can grab a hold of us when we look down and that’s how we fall. After reading about her very transparent journey, I reached out to Kanika to share a few BOLD empowerment tips here on the PGRW platform….

Travel Bug to Wanderlust: Times Have Changed

Tashieka Brewer January 29, 2020

Reading the New York Times travel section played an instrumental role in getting me started on my path to becoming a “savvy” traveler. It doesn’t mean I didn’t notice the lack of diversity in between the lines of its lavish descriptions, but this is another example of the importance of using the resources you have as stepping stones rather than letting what you don’t have be the obstacles that stop you when it comes to manifesting your dreams into a reality….

Coral Brunching In DC Can Be As Flattering As Candlelight

Tashieka Brewer January 15, 2020

Featured on “The Pink List” found here on PinkGirlsRunTheWorld.com, The Pembroke offered us the perfect pink location for our 5th PGRW “Pretty in Pink” Brunch meetup last Saturday in Washington DC….

Pink Sunsets On Italy's Amalfi Coast

Tashieka Brewer December 18, 2019

While it was pricier to stay in picturesque Positano compared to some of the other surrounding villages, I loved how the central location enable our group to easily get around on foot as well as have easy access to both ground transportation and transportation by sea to visit Ravello, Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi (yup, there is also a town called Amalfi). Our days filled with the turquoise hued Mediterranean, lemon trees at every turn, hidden grottos and flowering wisteria; I will never forget my time spent in the land of Limoncello.

NOLA's Top Banana: Brennan's Is In The Pink

Tashieka Brewer December 4, 2019

Taking in the Creole influenced delicacies of the region has become a priority when I travel to New Orleans. This famous treat that is NOLA in dessert form — bananas, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, rum, banana liqueur and vanilla ice cream. While the liquor burns off quickly, the dish flares up creating a show that draws you into the enticing dessert that pays homage to the sweet legacy of New Orleans’ once-booming banana trade….

Fireworks as we cruise the Mississippi River

Going With The Flow In The Big Easy

Tashieka Brewer November 27, 2019

What’s New Orleans without music? Pure NOLA, the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Jazz Cruise offered us the perfect opportunity to step back into the glamour and romance of the riverboat era. After a lavish Creole Buffet in the ship’s classically adorned dining room….