Why I Do This Work
I didn't arrive at self-possession through theory. I lived the cost of losing it.
For over a decade, I worked as a personal makeup artist to high-profile clients—award-winning actors like Mahershala Ali, professional athletes like Nneka Ogwumike, cultural movement leaders like Patrisse Cullors (co-founder of Black Lives Matter), and global brands like Vogue, Time, and MAC Cosmetics.
I was behind the curtain with women operating under intense visibility, scrutiny, and pressure. I witnessed the impossible trade-offs they navigated daily: choosing safety over preference, advocating for their value while being undermined, performing flawlessly while life felt chaotic beneath the surface.
In those final minutes before cameras, stages, and public scrutiny, I learned something profound: what high-performing women need most isn't another technique for looking the part—it's permission to be themselves under pressure.
I also lived it myself. I was the reliable one, the strong one, the one who held it together—until I realized I was disappearing inside my own life.
The Sacred Interruption
In 2018, I passed out unexpectedly.
After four surgeries in five years, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. But that moment wasn't just a health crisis—it was a sacred interruption.
My body was carrying the weight of years of performing, peacekeeping, and pushing through. I had abandoned myself to be the good daughter, the overachiever, the perfect partner.
And even after that diagnosis? I kept going. Kept performing peace. Smiling on the outside. Shrinking on the inside.
The Mirror Moment
In April 2019, I flew to Kenya to nurture a relationship that was already unraveling.
What I found wasn't restoration—it was revelation.
That trip became a mirror. I saw how deeply my patterns of self-neglect and self-sacrifice were rooted in childhood. I had been chasing love, acceptance, and validation from people who could never meet me where I was.
So I stopped waiting. I chose me. And everything changed.
The Healing That Followed
I got still.
For 30 days, I isolated myself in my apartment and started searching for answers: "low self-esteem," "no one will love me," "I feel broken."
What I found was a lifeline—messages from Oprah, Wayne Dyer, Brené Brown, Iyanla Vanzant, and Rick Warren.
I started listening. Praying. Writing.
Then one day, I heard a voice ask: "What are you afraid to lose that I'm not going to give you on the other side of your obedience?"
I answered honestly: my family—especially my nieces and nephews.
And God whispered: "I got you."
That moment changed everything.
Letting It All Go
By the time I reached the height of my beauty career—earning over $1,000 a day as a personal makeup artist to high-profile clients—I had already begun a deeper journey: reclaiming my life.
Between 2019 and 2021, while building a name in the beauty and entertainment industry, I was quietly rebuilding myself. I immersed myself in spiritual growth, therapy, and deep mentorship.
The deeper I went, the more I realized: success didn't mean wholeness.
I learned to speak up for myself. Hold boundaries. Choose myself—even when it cost me relationships.
I know what it's like to:
- Make decisions you can control and decisions you can't—and carry the weight of both
- Set a boundary and lose a client because alignment mattered more than access
- Recognize that no one is bigger than the work—and that includes you
I lost friendships. I made the hard choice to go no-contact with my mother, sister, and most of my family. Painful as it was, I've never lost a person that didn't need to go. And I would do it all over again to choose alignment over attachment.
By 2021, I looked around at the career I had built—an 18-year journey that put me in rooms with cultural icons—and I knew: it was time.
I was performing for validation, not walking in purpose. And God was calling me higher.
So I let it all go. Three major clients. My car. My apartment. Half my belongings.
By December 20, 2021, I left Los Angeles with no full plan—just full trust in God.
The Life I Wrote Down
From Chicago to Los Angeles to Botswana, I started living the life I wrote down in 2019.
In 2022, I launched my first international empowerment workshop in Gaborone, Botswana. In 2025, I co-founded a nonprofit, The Beauty Standard, dedicated to uplifting Botswana's beauty and wellness industry.
Between The Patent Leather Project and The Beauty Standard, I now live between Ghana, Botswana, and Los Angeles—leading a global, spirit-led life that once lived only in my journal.
And I'm still walking in restoration. After two years, I reconnected with my mom. This past July 2025, I saw my sister for the first time in five years.
This isn't about perfection. It's about showing up fully, trusting God, and creating space for love on new terms.
Why I'm Telling You This
I'm Latoya De'Shaun, M.Ed.—Self-Possession Strategist, Speaker, and Woman of God.
I help high-performing women and organizations operate from internal governance and God-given authority—not external approval—so success no longer costs them themselves.
I've spent 18+ years behind the curtain with high-profile clients—Mahershala Ali, Nneka Ogwumike, Patrisse Cullors, Vogue, Time, MAC Cosmetics. I know the pressure, the trade-offs, the impossible decisions. I know what it costs to perform at the highest level.
And I've done the work to reclaim myself—through therapy, spiritual mentorship, and relentless self-honoring.
Now, I guide women like you to do the same—without losing your ambition, your impact, or yourself in the process.
Who I Am Now?
I'm a Self-Possession Strategist who teaches high-profile women and organizations how to shift from reacting to deciding, performing to standing, managing perception to honoring truth, and people-pleasing to self-stewarding.
Through The Blueprint to Personal Freedom™, my trademarked liberation framework, I guide clients from self-abandonment to self-possession—so they can lead powerfully, love deeply, and live fully.
Whole without compromise.
What I Bring
✔️ Master's in Education and Higher Education (leadership development and student development theory)
✔️ 18+ years behind the curtain with high-profile clients (Mahershala Ali, Nneka Ogwumike, Patrisse Cullors, Vogue, Time, MAC Cosmetics)
✔️ 6+ years of private coaching experience
✔️ International workshop facilitation (Botswana, Ghana)
✔️ Co-founder of The Beauty Standard, a nonprofit uplifting Botswana's beauty and wellness industry
✔️ A lived transformation from self-abandonment to self-possession
✔️ Deep spiritual grounding and strategic action rooted in obedience to God
But more than credentials? I bring lived experience. I've been where you are. And I know the way through.
Real Freedom Looks Like:
✔️ Setting boundaries that protect your peace—and holding them without guilt
✔️ Walking away from what doesn't align—even when it's family, clients, or money
✔️ Honoring your needs without over-explaining or performing
✔️ Letting discomfort lead you to destiny
✔️ Operating from internal governance instead of external approval
This Is Your Sacred Interruption
You don't have to wait to be chosen.
You don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt.
You don't need another certification or permission slip.
You don't need to be stronger—you just need to be anchored.
Let's walk this freedom journey together.
This message isn’t just meant to be read—it’s meant to be felt in the room.
Connect With Latoya De'Shaun
I'd would love to stay in touch along the way.
The information provided by Patent Leather Project, Inc. (“we,” “our,” or “us”) on this website, through coaching programs, downloadable resources, emails, blog posts, podcast episodes, social media, workshops, events, or any other content is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. It is not intended as professional advice. While we offer spiritual and strategic guidance, we are not licensed therapists, medical professionals, attorneys, or financial advisors. For specific concerns, always seek professional advice that fits your needs.