Between acting, writing, producing, and motherhood, you’re very busy. But if that wasn’t enough, you also have your first audio media company, Sugaberry, which you founded with Thai Randolph and your podcast, Suga. Let’s talk about Sugaberry first. It was an audio-first media company solely for and by Black women. How did it happen?
I mean, the idea is very simple. I was pregnant with my daughter, and at the time, when I looked up at motherhood and I saw Black mothers and then other people, it felt like Black mothers were just suffering. see with death, doom and destruction. It just felt like there was no joy in it, and I was like, “Wait a minute. I have friends who are pregnant, happy, and have happy things and hard things to say.” And I wanted to. changing the story of Black motherhood. We launched during the pandemic, this wasn’t planned, but our podcast is the lowest barrier to entry and we want to. can have all kinds of wide-ranging conversations with all the different people and [talk about] things that are not necessarily talked about in our community. And so I met with my partner, Thai Randolph, who is actually the co-president of Kevin Hart’s company Laugh Out Loud Media, and I asked her if she wanted to collaborate, and she said: Oh man, I would love to be a partner in this. “So we started the podcast and we’re here in season six and we’re grateful for the feedback we’re getting and we’re growing. We’ve always said that you don’t have to be a mom to join the club. We talk about women and our people. We’re more than just moms who bond with our kids — we’re made-up women. So it is about that.
Where does the name Sugaberry come from?
I just want something that feels sweet. Pleasant sound. You know Tupac said, “The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” and so is Sugaberry, it’s like something you want to be a part of. The road is just that. Growing up, my great-grandmother used to say, “Give me some suga,” like a kiss. And we always say on our podcast, “We don’t sip tea. We share suga. ”
What surprised you the most about the community you’ve built with Sugaberry?
That had and longed for conversations about IVF and miscarriage, but also “How do I talk to my baby about sex?” and what about me? I give everything to my children, what about me and my children? “We talk to the doctors. We talk to psychologists. We talk to other celebrities. … Sometimes, you think, “Oh, everything is easy,” but they had to go through a lot. We talk to everyone who has a story. We’ve read our Apple reviews and they say, “Go ahead because I’m in the postpartum period and this not only brings me joy, but it gives me the validation that I’ll be fine.” And so every time we read stuff like that, no matter how hard it is to build this business, we have to keep going because we know it’s reaching someone.
That must be very rewarding.
It certainly is. Sometimes it brings us to tears because we read them on the show. You have your whole life walking into a podcast, like I literally just yelled at my kids, I got into a fight with my fiance, and you’re walking in, and then you’re like, “Okay, let’s do this.” And then you read something like that, and it’s like, “God. Okay, let’s just get together and be honest about what’s going on in my life.” [This community] give me the courage to be vulnerable; they really do. I feel like my story and the stories of others help validate their stories and allow them to be more vulnerable. I’m really weird starting a podcast. I said, “Oh my gosh. I don’t want to talk about my business.” It’s not me. I am an actress. I come from a mystery school, the whole thing. You don’t see people sharing like that, so this is even new to me, but it made me believe in the power of vulnerability.
From Sugaberry to podcast Suga, with a focus on black motherhood. As a mother, what are some of the most important topics or things that have been shared on the podcast?
Oh my God. We’ve done like 70 podcasts, so let me think about which one. Had this one with a doctor, and she was talking about fertility. Sometimes, as women, we think we can do everything, and we can have kids, and we can do this. We always say you can do everything, but you can’t do it all at once. And I decided that when I grow up, I will have a child and so will my partner [Thai Randolph], and she talks about the fertility problems she’s having. You’ve spent a lot of time trying not to get pregnant in your life, and we think of ourselves as saviors and all this, so when it gets hard to do, it’s like, wait, what is this? This doctor continued, and she said that there are different paths to motherhood. It’s not just one way. There are many ways to achieve that. And being a mother doesn’t just mean having a child. Just the way and care she is talking about motherhood, it is so beautiful that it covers all walks of life. You don’t even have to be a mother. You probably have a niece or a cousin or someone else you’re taking care of, and the way she communicates what motherhood just makes our hearts melt and we cry in that episode. I just love how we take care of each other on our podcast.
You’re getting married this spring, and as wedding season is upon us, I’d love to get your tips and tricks. First, what was the biggest lesson you learned when planning a wedding?
Well, I don’t plan it myself. I have a wedding planner—full disclosure—which is helpful because I’m going to be a hot mess. I am one of those people. If your house has no one, I’d like, let’s go buy some furniture; it doesn’t matter what size it is. My fiancé is like, “Tika, measure everything.” So if it’s not [my wedding planner], I’ll be like pink over there, white over there, yeah, sure, looks great. I think for me, now I have to make a choice and there are some details I have to do, I’ll only say one thing at a time. You can’t do it all at once. I’m a girl who likes lists, and I need to write it down, and I need to skip everything. So I think write a list, give yourself the dates you want to do these things, and just do them one at a time because when you look at the whole plate, it’s hard and overwhelming.
What advice would you give to brides who are looking to have an authentic wedding like you are doing?
The lovely part of that is that people can’t travel unfortunately, so it’s going to get smaller. One tip for destination weddings is to find someone who knows the location. I really believe you need someone there to take care of the logistics. But the fun part of a destination wedding is that once you’re there, there’s nothing else you can do. You are done planning. No “Oh my god. Uncle Jack is whatever. “You just let it go.
What about wedding guests? Do you have any fashion do’s or don’ts?
You know, I’m a laid back girl. Just be respectful. Don’t wear jean shorts or flip flops unless it’s wedding style. You know what location is. Try to respect that.
