About
Motif
As women of color, we benefit from hearing how others like us are navigating the world. We realize that although we are all unique, many of our lives share common threads. Through these shared experiences highlighted in authentic conversations and storytelling we activate our healing and connection.
We welcome all BIPOC women to share their stories and storytell. Allies are welcome to support our journey by sharing our mission and making contributions.
We support the healing, well-being and connection among women of color by sharing their stories.
A world where women of color feel seen, heard and connected to one another by controlling their own narrative.
Launched in 2020, Motif was created to forge a safe, welcoming space for BIPOC women to share their life experiences. The idea of Motif was conceived after the realization that there were no spaces for women of color to share their stories and storytell.
We surveyed women of color to better understand their healing practices, along with their fears and what gives them hope right now. What we discovered was that connection with other women - through conversations and storytelling of shared experiences - was a key element of their joy, empowerment and growth.
The most important part of sharing is honesty and vulnerability. We encourage you to tell your truth, no matter what.
It’s impossible to accept ourselves 100% all of the time. But, in this space we don’t indulge in negative self-talk. Period.
Come as you are and be you. Take up space, and we will too.
We hope to contribute to your growth through our stories. We’ll never preach, teach or tell you what you should be doing with your life. Only you know what’s best for you.
Shanetta McDonald is a creative based in Los Angeles. After spending more than 10 years in PR & Sales with executive-level roles for national and global brands, Shanetta decided to move her passions for wellness and storytelling to the forefront of her life with Motif. Her personal story involves battling and recovering from childhood traumas, an eating disorder, and learning to break skewed societal perceptions of what it means to be a Black woman in America. Shanetta found that opening up and sharing about her struggles - through writing and conversations with other BIPOC women - was a tool that supported her healing and created invaluable connections with women like her.
"We need reminders of our roots in order to move forward. And, Motif is creating the space to collect woc experiences so we may plant them and let them ground us. Our stories are often put to the side so we are not reminded of our shared experiences as woc. Therefore, it is a radical act to tell our stories. Through Motif, it's soothing to know we are in this life experience together."
Jas Imani of Jas Imani Beauty
"I'm so inspired by your mission to amplify voices of women of color through Motif."
Christine Yi ofPotli
"I was really honored to be featured on Our Motif, especially because it centers on storytelling. In my work as a therapist and as a daughter of a Colombian mother, storytelling has always been a sacred part of life. It is the part where we let our guard down, let in possibility, and connect. It is also where we have the liberty to choose how we interpret our own life's meaning, and this choosing how we narrate our stories is a critical key to trauma recovery."
Claudia Morales of Social Justice Healing
"Motif is a community not only to highlight women of color's stories, but to bridge the gap between us, to unite us to be stronger together. I am proud to be a part of that."
Adina Diaz of The Guided Flame CoWe women of color can no longer afford to silence our truths. By sharing our stories, we create deeper connections with women like us and forge a path for our healing and blossoming.