Meet LaWanda Morris, Esq. | Founder, Publisher, Editor-In-Chief Black Audacity Magazine

We had the good fortune of connecting with LaWanda Morris, Esq. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LaWanda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was multi-layered. Growing up, I always knew two things. One was that I would be a lawyer when I grew up and two was that I would open my own businesses. I am a very driven person, generally, and especially once I make up my mind about something. After achieving my first career goal of becoming a lawyer working in the legal field for more than ten years, and after getting burned and burned out, I stepped out on faith and started my first business. I figured if I’m going to work myself to death, it needs to be for something that I own and built from the ground up – instead of something that belongs to someone else.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Many things set my business, Black Audacity Magazine, apart from the rest. One main thing is me. I am uniquely creative, and the magazine is my vision. That means there is no one behind the scenes that my readers and audience may or may not know about that is calling the shots. The buck starts and stops with me. My business is 100 percent Black-woman-owned. I am most excited about the future and growth of Black Audacity Magazine, or BAM for short. It has not been easy and I’m sure there will be some tough days ahead. However, I’ve learned that anything worth having is worth overcoming the hardships for. I overcome the challenges by leaning in on them (and my faith) and tackling them head-on. In my experience, a problem never goes away by avoiding it. I always try to be prepared. When you are prepared and know what you’re doing, problems won’t catastrophically derail you. And when you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t freak out, go find out. I want the world to know that Black Audacity Magazine is the greatest luxury lifestyle magazine in the world and coming to a neighborhood near you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, that depends on which city I’m in at the time. I move around a lot, so I have multiple stomping grounds. When in Miami with friends, we love to of course do the usual like hitting up South Beach and the club scene – like E11EVEN, as well as visiting The Wharf Miami and other hangout spots. But, the most important thing my friends and I do in Miami is eat great food and drink great drinks. We are foodies, so that’s very important to us. Some of our favorite Black-owned restaurants are Rosie’s (and 7th Café at Sips Coffee), Drinking Pig, and Red Rooster Overtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could not have gotten to where I am without many who have supported me throughout the years. First and foremost, I thank God each and every day; without whom, none of this is possible. Having strong faith is key. Another person that I also must thank is my mother, Katherine Pitts. My mommy has been there for me and helps me with whatever I need…even when I don’t know I need it. The list of books that have helped me through my journey is too long to count, but one that all of your readers should check out to stay motivated and not quit (no matter what their career goals are) is “Three Feet from Gold,” by Sharon Lechter and Greg S. Reid.

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Black Audacity Magazine