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mula Issue 002 Motivate Uplift Love and Agree HA TELL GOD YOUR PLANS COVID EXPRESSING WHEN BOY MEETS GIRL Believing in the innocense of Love FEATURED COUPLE NICOLE DARNELL LOVE CAN BE A NATURAL DISASTER UPLIFTING TWO AMAZING WOMEN Inside Guest Reflections from Nicole Commissiong Keisha Gilchrist Crawford March April 2021

Design and Creative Concepts LaKisa Taylor Allston Fashion Styling LaKisa and Amu Cover photo lifestyle photos Fashion Photography Trene Forbes Trene Forbes Photography IG treneforbesphotography mula Editor in Chief LaKisa Taylor Allston Photo Shoot Stylist Team Mula Location Hotel Zena Hair Paris Kennedy theparisbeautybar Make Up Andrea Wilkins Web www beautifullymaqued com All projects featured furniture exterior interior work d cor design concepts project management and works featured belong to MULA design team LaKisa B Taylor Amu Allson or all parties mentioned copyright2021 This is a free publication For questions please email mulastylebook gmail com www mula4life com

I am WOMAN hear me ROAR mula This issue is dedicated to the Alpha female and her soft side

The Mula Twist Move Move on that the gentle nudge you needed to start this marital dance You don t know then if that person is the one But if you never made the move you may have robbed your life of some very beautiful things Upgrade Who wants a partner that doesn t make you change grow or want more That absolutely is part of becoming one So partner let me upgrade you Learn Learning each other never stops because the individual changing never ends We must understand this process We learn the good the bad and the ugly while the love allows us to accept our mates entirely to help make them whole Accomplish s t n e t n o C Table of 7 This is the key to togetherness We often seek out each other to see what we can accomplish mula4life 13 Moodboard Featured Couple Nicole and Darnell 20 26 Guest Reflection Keisha Gilchrist Crawford Talking Plant Biz w my Cousin

Hello Yes I m a Realtor LaKisa Taylor Entrepreneur Realtor Project Manager Property Manager Home and Life Designer Stylist Creative Business Consultant and Wife a s i K La My 2021 Goals is to truly focus on my Real Estate Career and Property Management Certainly my work and projects bleed into each other but the real estate is truly the most valuable component to anything that I do Sometimes in the background of my career life but it s very rewarding for me to help others buy their first home plan through their rental investments and get on track for a better financial future I know that real estate is key to our investment and being more established in our communities Being a Realtor also makes me a great entrepreneur Real Estate has created the basis for my earnings as well as keeping me sharp on economic standings It keeps me sharp and being in tune to what s going on in our world and economy is a must to having success in your business We love what we do MULA Stylebook Editor and Chief

When Boy Meets Girl I honestly can say that I feel like this scene pictured above is what flashed through my head when we met It felt ridiculous at the time because I was not interested However the best part about any boy meets girl story is the chase and the hunt Ours would go on for years but the beauty of the friendship that developed became the most amazing thing Promises isa s K a L hts thoug I didn t hand out any promise rings but when we finally began hanging out I d always have Migos Wiz Khalifa or some other rap song playing on my stereo She pretended like she was down but she wasn t really down with rap until she fell in love with one song Promises by Wiz Khalifa Even now that song makes her smile and it s in these moments that we can always go back to a special place and feel the butterflies that turned into love u s Am ts h thoug

mood 03 Collection Est 2021 Boy Meets Girl

Elements The Boy Meets Girl mood is about innocents sweetness and romance It s the purity that you find in the beginning of the relationship when you re not quite sure who you are or who you will become It s a mood to makes you think about the beginning and everything that you were dreaming about To pull off this mood we suggest these six elements to you 1 Hydrengeas a romantic flower that brings the sweetest touch Whether placed in a vase alone in a bunch or a bouquet to compliment other florals they always make a statement of love 4 His and hers sink double vanities They come standard in most homes today but older homes still have one Upgrade or install a double sink to enhance your bathroom experience 2 A pink chair works in any room It will put a smile on the face of most ladies It gives a feeling of fun power confidence and success 5 Speaking of vanities colored selections are in A blue vanity in your bathroom will give you a wow connection each morning and a lasting feeling throughout the day 3 We place letters on walls bookcases and stands like we can t spell However it s something about letter that takes us back to our core and creates a special touch 6 Stylish photo walls should be apart of your home Make your memories and the moments that you cherish apart of your scene It great way to stay connected to the ones you love

s on u w Follo am or on gr we Insta bsite as ts e ec our w our proj e shar real time in When Boy Meets Girl Pulling it Off DESIGN TO REALITY LAYOUT IDEAS My Photo Wall So many photos what do I do As you can see we like to take alot of pictures and yes we love to be stylish So to make our home truly feel like our personal space we re taking our favorite photos and creating a dining gallery wall I chose this room for our photo wall because we often eat dinner at the table have conversation and reflect on good times PAINT SELECTIONS Mr Jerome s Rental Property and Ms Allison Retirement Pad I m still here baby Two of our senior clients decided to make some major moves One upgraded their rental property and the other turned her rental into her retirement living space for one level life These paint colors were used to give new life in each property PLATINUM SKYBLUE CREME tal s blue walls Mr Jermo s Ren of shine even more hardwood floors kind ACTUAL COMPONENTS Ms Allison s Living Room in Platinum and Bathroom in Lavendar

Ha Tell God Your Plans If you ever want to make God laugh tell Him your plans Who would have thought that the year of 2020 would bring us a global pandemic that no man could truly explain and no man has an answer for I ve seen this kind of unexplainable activity in my own personal journey but this is a moment that we will never forget I know that God is in control of it all but in the meantime there s still so much for us to process I ve honestly hard time coping with our new reality for a number of different reasons I shut down a business at the end 2019 and was looking forward to reinventing myself I wanted time to bring closure to an eight year run in my retail business I had big plans for the new year and was looking forward to taking the lesson learned to move on to bigger better and greater However life wasn t that easy In January I developed sever bronchitis After being down from bronchitis the following month I was diagnosed with pneumonia I thought clearly I need to settle down and take better care of myself I took a little time I pushed through feeling ill to get ready for the next Mula edition and then here comes COVID 19 in March My first thought Lord I have absolutely no time for COVID The Lord heard me I know but clearly His plan is bigger than what I want right now

I was planning a different approach to complete my task but the social distancing and stay away order changed everything Being truly devastated I fell into an unhappiness which led to my dealing with anxiety on many levels It took me a couple of weeks to just accept the reality but with prayer and a few tears I eventually began to redirect my energy I simply had to find away to stay motivated despite COVID and all of the challenges that had been in front of me I chose to focus on the can dos in my life Additionally I believe God wants me to continue to be still and rest more because I was again about to propel myself forward without the self care lessons that I ve been learning about I look back and see it happening self care has been one of my biggest struggles I was literally about to set myself up again for a downfall with my health My down time helped me to realize that my motivation has been misplaced and misused Sure we all need to remain encourage but we need to find purpose through peace love and joy for our living This COVID epidemic is tough to deal with but it s temporary and we will all change and be changed as a result of this experience Hopefully we will be better personally emotionally spiritually technologically educationally and more Prayerfully we will have reconnected with our spouses children family and friends Thankfully we will learn to prioritize everything from how we use toilet paper and how much time we need together If we can redirect our focus to the most positive things in what seems like the worst of situations we will survive Unfortunately today our base as a people is more negative than positive It s not way to live so now is the time to move forward past our insecurities our truths our insensitive nature towards each other and our bad behavior to motive ourselves for better things Good living is better living and I hope you can find away to get to that better place especially for yourself I came up with the idea to expand on our MULA theme various editions in hopes to encourage others and define this lifestyle agenda My goal is to live by the mantra that we have already discovered in our relationship and that is to motive each other and others So I hope that once again you fine encouragement in this and all that we share Spring 2021 I wrote this article Spring 2020 I didn t know then there was a TBD on my life so keep reading Mula 2020 Spring edition didn t get published last year because of my health battle It s no excuse It became a reality that is changing my life I started to re write this entire article but my take away from it is still the same and it s a reminder for me of my perspective at that time Fast forward to what I truly know now about my health First knowing that I had a heart condition and had been misdiagnosed several times None of those diagnosis being COVID so who cares about that I couldn t breath I was in pain and I had major anxiety Much later in 2020 I was diagnosed with STAGE 0 cancer from the first mammogram I ever had Go figure What do I want you to know I want you to know that God is good He never left me Today I m minding me better and working on that everyday I pray you find a way to the same conclusion through love of God love of self and love of others I pray you find your way through God a plan Jerimiah 29 11

look Home decor inspiration Captivate your eyes with bold colored chairs

What s your story Our meeting story is more exciting and over the top when one person tells it and when I tell it it s the truth lol My parents and grandparents always had interesting stories to share It s when I hear anyone share their beginning and see the smiles on their face that brings me personal joy So take a moment and recap the experience put an extra smile on your face and find the warmer place in your hearts Write it down for extra points and submit to mulastylebook gmail com Wife s version of how we met Husband s version of how we met Agree Who s story or which story do you tell your family friends or kids STAY CONNECTED WWW MULA4LIFE COM

et e M Walking through Marriagepreneurs the storms together by LaKisa Taylor Allston I m excited to introduce our first featured couple Darnell and Nicole Commissiong This Maryland based couple lives in Fort Washington and are the owners operators of Dynamic Service Solutions an Engineering Project Management and Emergency Management firm Their business takes them all around the country to perform much needed services for disaster relief emergency management and more In April these Howard University Bison s celebrate 28 years of marriage and Nicole s most recent Instagram post notes Still living laughing and loving through it all It s sayings like these that have me the most curious about this husband wife team and how they ve managed it all I met Nicole at my shop Pretty Girl Cupcakery In thinking back I fell in love with her and them as a couple from day one Why Nicole was hosting an event for other female entrepreneurs Darnell was there to support by bringing in the wine and other event items They were there working together just like Amu and I Amu was there helping me to get things set up for the event as well That s when we found out that our husbands had the most important thing in the world in common being New Yorkers The rest for them was history Nicole Darnell Celebrating 22years in business together March 14th 28 years of marriage April 8th The nature of our business is to preserve the lives of disaster survivors thankfully we ve survived our own personal disasters Darnell As Nicole and I developed a friendship our conversations went from boss chick stuff to working with your husband stuff She s been so transparent it s motivating She speaks on her challenges and marriage the toughest times and more If you follow her IG page she s open and honest about having to balance marriage love work family and running a business I read her quotes and when I m have a tough day in my own marital situation she brings hope Darnell has to be complimented for standing strong next to his wife who is full of personality and life when telling any story She s Trinidadian so it s never a dull moment If you re crying she ll make you laugh but again I look to him and wonder how did he do it How did they do it How did they make it through so many storms

Nicole has a witty way of even sharing painful moments in their marriage and tough times in the business but Darnell is pretty much in agreement to her way of sharing ultimately to motivate others I believe that overall they are in agreement to motivate others by their union to encourage love and respect amongst couples I don t know all of the downfalls but I do know they are in sync to not define their love based on their personal disasters but on their personal success So if I had to guess their recipe or national plan I would start by saying they credit God for bringing them through every single up and down They were willing to push through their hurt their pain and disappointments together They wanted to heal and grow They work hard to include admitting to their wrongs and take appropriate action to make it right They know they are blessed and knowing what you have is most important so that you know what you are fighting for On the other side of their pain they ve not found perfection but joy I can see that joy when Amu and I had the pleasure of hanging out with them on an occasion or two The love and joy between the two is reflected mostly in their home family and business They are truly a couple to be admired by the way they live share and love Life took us to the edge but we ve remained on solid ground Nicole I can t wait to introduce this beautiful couple in our live features In hopes they will share more of their journey of love MOTIVATED BY COUPLES Darnell Armstrong Nicole Commissiong Husband and Wife

I intend to make the most of my time here on earth and though building empires are essential to survival building a life and relationships are more important to me now Nicole Commissiong When she needs to rest One thing I ve learned over my 20 years in business is working 24 hours a day 7 days a week doesn t make you more money nor more successful but it will make you crazy I see so many women in business celebrating no sleep and constant grinding as they build an empire If they keep that up they may never see nor enjoy the rewards of their empire We must schedule time to recharge and rejuvenate Rest is our Divine right and a key component to success If we follow the example of our Creator we will recognize the importance of rest There is no greater creation than the universe and the world we live in yet the Creator rested on the 7th day In Genesis chapter 2 2 it states By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done If God rested why do we think in order to be successful we must forgo rest I have learned to make the most of my weekends and defy society s standard of success and entrepreneurial practices My weekends are for rest and selfcare Time with myself meditation and worship reading and or doing absolutely nothing rejuvenates my soul Going for a walk serving others in need time with family and friends is a surefire way I rest and recharge

om N o te fr sa LaK i I absolutely loved the Glamping set up that Nicole had installed in her backyard last year Seeing her enjoy her home on social media with her husband family friends and for self was so inspiring It s a true testament to the life that she s creating If God rested why do we think in order to be successful we must forgo rest That old adage Life is too short rings true I intend to make the most of my time here on earth and though building empires are essential to survival building a life and relationships are more important to me now The older I get the more my comfort in being present is central to my existence My life is centered around being purposeful present and powerful I ve learned that being honest with myself and honoring what makes me comfortable enables me to live my best life A legacy of love and service is what I hope to leave my family in addition to the monetary wealth It is my hope that they will remember me as hard working but also as one who loved served others and made time for myself I have to intentionally make a commitment to connect and spend time with family and friends and self Family is essential to business success also They keep you grounded and motivate you to be better and fight those daily battles which can leave you feeling defeated The love of family and weekend rejuvenation give you the energy to not give up and win There s no success like the selflove and support of family and friends We must work diligently to develop and maintain our relationships We cannot accomplish this feat if we work 24 7 Use your time wisely Spend quality time with the ones you love Get rest Worship Serve others Play with your children Connect with self I guarantee that if you use your weekends wisely your weekdays will become more productive and business will improve Be well rested be connected be rejuvenated and embrace your journey Nicole Commissiong Entrepreneur wife mother www nicolecommissiong com

mula S T Y L E B O O K

mula S T Y L E B O O K

Guest Reflections All at Once I was force into entrepreneurship admittedly I wasn t ready I was forced into entrepreneurship admittedly I wasn t ready I was 26 years old with a job in Advertising that was supposed to be upwardly mobile Only it wasn t I managed multi million dollar accounts in an office right next to my white male counterpart Our roles were identical but our salaries were not I decided to pursue real estate and take my finances into my own hands I was dating James now my husband at the time He and I both were building new businesses My friends had corporate jobs so it felt like he and I were on an island as we tried to navigate through entrepreneurship He encouraged me to quit my job to pursue Real Estate full time but I was too scared He has always been a risk taker where I prefer to make calculated bets I wanted to have a years worth of my expenses saved and more experience in the real estate industry before I took the deep dive The day I gave my resignation I had neither As I pulled out of the parking lot at my job for the last time my hands were shaking on the wheel One of the first calls I made was to James He said Keisha you ve got this and if you don t I ve got you He never had to make good on that promise but it meant the world to me to have his support Since then I ve expanded my business to include Interior Design and General Contracting My work has been nationally recognized on HGTV Black Enterprise and the Wall Street Journal among others However running my own business has not been without its own challenges many of them brewing within my household

Keisha you ve got this and if you don t I ve got you James As my life with James changed enter marriage and kids our businesses continued to grow at a pace that often felt unmanageable It seemed like we were given everything all at once and overnight Marriage Twins Businesses We were trying desperately not to break any of these gifts The needs of our kids fell largely on me so I now had double the responsibility Exhaustion set in There was never enough time in the day On the days that I was a Rockstar mom my business suffered On the days I was killing it on the job the Mom Guilt set in I was struggling Societal norms said that my career should take the back burner to his and James seemingly bought into this We would argue about the scheduling of our work commitments because we each needed the time This is still a challenge for us today When things feel off balanced I try to remember that James belief in me is a big part of what got me here That belief in me is still there but now he is powered by his need to provide for his family That s his love language Keisha Gilchrist Crawford James Crawford Marriagepreneurs Keisha Gilchrist Principal Style de Vie Interior Design Licensed Realtor MD DC James Crawford CEO JC Development LLC Married 12 years Self Employed Entrepreneurs 20 years We re not perfect and we don t see eye to eye on a lot of things but we both have vision We used to dream and now we do We re raising 11 year old twins who are happy healthy and thriving We have separate businesses that continue to grow We squeeze in fun in the midst of all of this Somehow we make it work www mula4life com

PRACTICE YOUR GRATITUDE In Your Marriage We often fall into our negativities with the person or people closest to us Usually that s our spouse mate So lets take a moment and be grateful for our other half Hopefully it will make a difference in your day Share it and love I am grateful for my spouse because He or She makes me happy Remembering the first impressions of my spouse PRAICTICE MAKES PERFECT STAY CONNECTED

A NEW DEPTH OF LOVE by Amu Allston Agree In my opinion supporting your partner is a fundamentally required element in establishing a successful relationship marriage and partnership The challenging and difficult aspect for many is the presumption that both parties must be agree to offer and provide support Though not absolute requirement it is beneficial if you can also be in agreeance with each other at times To provide examples from my own personal experiences My wife grew up under the Christian faith and I the Islamic faith There are some fundamental differences between the two doctrines However we both share an ABSOLUTE Belief in ONE God God first being the underlying foundation in our lives and marriage In addition the fact that there are more similarities between Christianity and Islam than differences is the Tie That Binds Giving God the honor and praise and being in service is important to both of us Another example pertains to our professions My wife s background is in real estate interior design property management while my background is in HVAC residential development construction Although our respective areas of concentration complement each other my wife is more vision oriented while I am focused on the execution So sometimes CORRECTION A LOT of Times we do not agree on the aesthetic or execution of things However we share the same GOALS Ensure that 1 things are done correctly 2 everything looks good and 3 the client is happy with the outcome We routinely provide each other with the emotional fulfillment of being supportive of each other s endeavors Which in turn creates a new depth of love in our relationship In closing A relationship filled with the support of each other can help you achieve new levels of success and fill you with the drive to do and achieve even more than you can imagine

Your quote for marriage love by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg If you have a caring life partner you help the other person when that person needs it I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his and I think that made all the difference for me Washington Post 2014

ETON LEVART Hotel Zena Dupont Circle Washington DC MADE US LOVE ABSOLUTELY This boutique hotel dedicated to women is simply beautiful and amazing There are mixed reviews from the feminist community about some of the execution of the artworks but certainly we felt a mood given to every detail For example the beautiful wall art of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is made of tampons A material that some find offensive I certainly found this display interesting and the first thought that comes to my mind is the reality of woman We have to do so much and juggle so many aspects of life and we can let nothing not even a menstrual cycle hold us down The hotel overall is fun and leaves you with good feelings If you take it all in man or woman you will feel empowered for change in this setting It simply leaves you in a spirit of having a can do attitude The rooftop with swimming pool is being constructed I m sure this space will be just as sleek and pretty in the design much like the hotel So check out Hotel Zena for your next staycation

C h e ck o ut m y int er v i ew w i th m y cu z So Brittanii Michelle what are Air Plants Can I kill these Air plants is the common name for the Tillandsia genus which belongs to the bromeliad family You can benefit from having air plants inside your home because they actually clear the air of toxins like most plants In the wild they attach themselves to things such as rocks and trees Inside the home they look great inside bowls terraria seashells and other MOTIVATED BY FAMILY decorative pieces Air plants are low maintenance and I have new a cousin and she s pretty amazing need no soil They do well in steamy bathrooms offices and perfect to In the theme of unexpected moments and God s direction for our lives I must share this quick note I have a cousin who I just learned about as an adult and she s an adult as well What s amazing to me is learning about all of her interest loves and finding out about things we have in common I follow her on Instagram and loving her entrepreneurial 56 journey in plant life She s found success at local markets in Washington DC off Benning Road NE and in Georgetown NW so follow her on IG and see where she ll be IG airbymichelle Brittanii Michelle is also engaged to be married so I m even more excited for her future With her future husband s Nicholas s support they will be joining the marriagepreneurs club We certainly wish them well P S Brittanii s business takes her middle name she calls her plant business Air by Michelle 63 display in your bedrooms Air plants require very little water and receive its nutrients from the air They are almost impossible to kill So what are the instructions to take care of these beautiful plants Air plants require a weekly water mist and while I have gone 2 3 weeks without misting I wouldn t suggest this method If your home doesn t have enough humidity you can soak your plant once every 2 weeks These plants are very easy to care for and very beginner friendly A great way to display greenery with not a lot space or time

My husband Amu on the other hand is a plant lover so what are the instructions to taking care of beautiful house plants I am always excited about entrepreneurship What was your inspiration to start this Entrepreneurship excited me also My inspiration came from my surroundings I have always been a lover of plants and as my collection grew larger my passion did as well Surprisingly plants can positively affect people s moods clean air reduce noise levels and stress I start to introduce these factors to my family and friends and gain a broader audience Congrats on your recent engagement What role is your fiancee going to play in your business Nicholas and I would consider him my biggest supporter I don t know what our business would do without him He is very hands on with the business and does anything between traveling to another state to pick up plants to currently building a greenhouse Some days I simply don t have the time to run day day activity but I can always count on his support GET SOCIAL Houseplants require different care and lighting Their classifications range from low light to high light while plants that require a low amount of light and water to thrive typically are considered indoor plants When shopping for a plant it s important to note the space location and lighting for the preferred plant LaKisa It s okay to be on social media but let try to be sure it s helping us to be better and do better not just wasting our time Here are some of my favorite IG pages to follow that I truly find motivating and inspirational For Entrepreneurs Boss Chicks IG MOTIVATORS before5am To help with productivity and performance thefinancebar Financial Consultant resource airbymichelle For self care and home life For you faith and soul proverbs31ministries Bible study and inspiration marriageaftergod Encouraging marriage beyond happily ever after For Black Girl Magic oprah Because it s Oprah and she has tips and she s rich offcialbonnetchronicles Because Tammy funny and crazy To further get your life together thebdugetnista A financial educator 22daysnutrition Because I m always considering a vegan option but I haven t started mulalifeandstyle Amu and LaKisa and whatever we re up to now Add us to your list MULALIFEANDSTYLE

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