Today we’d like to introduce you to Anukkah Laquette
Hi Anukkah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It all started with the church. My mom and my late grandma (Grandme) always had me and my brother Marquell involved in everything in the church; whether it was joining the choir, being an usher, praise dancing, vacation bible school, community service, doing sermons for youth Sundays….everything. Though I was young and didn’t know what was going on or the reasoning behind my family getting me involved in church activities; I truly thank my mom and my grandma for teaching me about God.
Outside of church, my mom wanted me to be heavily involved in activities that would help with public speaking, stage presence, building character development, and social skills. She had me involved in modeling, acting, and pageants. I can remember going to auditions or having to perform and I would be so scared but my mom didn’t enable me or say, “It’s ok you don’t have to do it.” Instead, she’ll be like, “You’re going to do it and you’re going to do great.” Then I go on stage and feel like I’m at home.
Little did I know all of that exposure would come full circle and be the reason behind who I am today. Now I have my podcast, and I coach the youth of Chi Omega Delta Steppers about confidence, stage presence, and using their voices.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life is not a smooth road, I had to fight for everything I have, though people may think that everything comes to me easily. Nope, I just make it look easy. My life is the true definition of “Never Gave Denied”, which is the reason why I created my podcast called “Never Gave Denied”, because it’s a glimpse of my personal struggles while displaying other people’s personal struggles and how they found their way out. The struggles that I’ve faced started when I was younger.
I had to fight for my education; I grew up with a learning disability. I would jumble up words and couldn’t comprehend reading materials as well as my classmates. Until one day, I decided that I wouldn’t let having a learning disability stop me from progressing through school; I had to work ten times as hard so that I could catch up to the rest of my classmates. When you’re working hard trying to make your life better, there will always be naysayers who will try to bring you down and that naysayer was my high school guidance counselor who told me that I wouldn’t go to college or graduate. I proved her wrong, not only did I graduate college, but I graduated with honors.
I had to fight the struggles of finding a job in my field of study; I applied to hundreds of jobs in my field and continued to receive “letter of regret” emails until one day I was hired to a job in my field that would eventually expose me to my calling. I had to fight underlying daddy issues; my dad wasn’t in my life and though I was sad at times, I thought that I was different from the stereotypical girl with daddy issues because I wasn’t acting out, but in turn, I started dating men who unknowingly were like my dad, and I didn’t understand why I was attracting the same type of men. I had to do a deep dive into my inner emotions and talk those issues out with my mom until I realized that I had these issues, and I needed to heal; after I healed, I noticed a difference in the men who I would attract and, instead of trying to find the right man, I found my inner self.
I had to fight homelessness this year (March – August 2024) while being a caregiver for my mom who’s fighting stage 5 kidney failure, recording episodes for my podcast while acting as if nothing was wrong and fighting my pride because I’m the type of person who doesn’t ask for much or ask for help. But this year I needed help spiritually, mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically. One thing this year has taught me is that I can’t be strong all the time, ask for help when I need it, and be accepting of help. I want to thank my friends and close family for being my lighthouses this year while I was struggling to weather the storm.
As you can see, even though I went through all of these struggles, I never let that stop me from achieving everything that I set out to accomplish. I achieved my goals scared and unprepared, but I did what needed to be done. You have one life to live. Are you going to stop going and hide or are you going to face your struggles head-on and heal?
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When I’m not working at my government job, I create content for social media. I host my show called Never Gave Denied Podcast, which can be found on YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, and TikTok. I love giving back to my community by being a freelance pageant judge, serving as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and being a Confidence Coach for the best step team in the land, Chi Omega Delta Steppers of Florence SC.
I’m most proud of my determination and willingness to keep going no matter what is going on in my life. What sets me apart is that I’m well-rounded, I have enough confidence to teach people about confidence on and off the stage.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Don’t be afraid to ask for a mentor!! I always advise people to be around like-minded people who you know will help lift you and guide you through life’s challenges. If you admire someone who’s doing what you want to do, don’t be afraid to ask them for mentorship. As for networking, I believe that if you have a brand, you should be a walking billboard, you are your biggest fan, you share your content as much as possible, and you go to those networking events looking good with your logo displayed somewhere on your body. You pass out those business cards and follow those who follow you on social media. Most importantly, invest in yourself!!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anukkahc_/profilecard/?igsh=MWF5Z2VlaTVmYWt3aQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/UBM1xfBFBN8ncTEv/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@NeverGaveDenied
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@anukkah_blindreactions?_t=8qIpBrvau0x&_r=1
Image Credits
Sorority Photo: The Hatten Agency
Graduation Photo: Patrick Williamson
