Meet Erica Williams of The Posh Female

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Williams.

Hi Erica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My name is Erica! I’m originally from Florida, but moved to Tennessee when I was still in elementary school. I lived in Nashville most of the time, but my family moved out to Watertown my sophomore year. I moved from Watertown to Nashville when I was 18 with a bag of clothes and no idea what I would do career-wise. College and a career wasn’t something discussed a lot at home as a kid. Growing up I did learn, nothing comes easy. I knew I would have to work hard and I could be whatever I wanted to be. I’ve done everything from banquet serving, bartending, event management, and accounting, just to name a few. This all led me to be the co-founder of a company called Eat Well Nashville (that I’m no longer affiliated with) and to do contract work for Facebook. In late 2017 I was a director for a marketing firm, I loved my job, it was high-stress and challenging. In 2018 almost a year later I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer called small-cell neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma. A few days after my surgery I was told it metastasized to a lymph node and was given 3-12 months to live. My life completely changed at that moment. I stayed with the marketing firm for a few years longer when I realized, I’m not doing something that was truly helping people.

I prayed a lot about it and needed to find a way to be able to chat with women and bring awareness to such a rare cancer that wasn’t detected by pap. And just share how much diet can heal you. Fast forward a few weeks, I had this unique interaction with a girl online which lead me to another girl who does microblading in Indiana. The light bulb went off. I could do this!! I can give free eyebrows to cancer patients! So, I went to school and did a year apprenticeship to become a microblading and permanent cosmetics artist. I have now been fully certified for almost 2 years and hold a tattoo license! After I gain enough clientele, my next goal is to learn areola tattooing! With this career, I’m exposed to women and young girls all day and often share my story. If you would’ve told me 10 years ago I would be tattooing makeup in the future, I would say you’re crazy. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me!!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not! I often wonder how I’ve made it through all I have. Starting with a rough childhood and too many health issues that slowly crept up into adulthood. All of the health issues were very rare, especially for my age and active lifestyle.

I’ve had atrial fibrillation which led to heart surgery, a uterine avm (that I almost lost my life to), ulcerative colitis, small cell neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma (a very rare cancer). That’s just to name a few to not be overwhelming.

All of these things slowly caused me to feel a little lost over time, but I know God has a plan!

As you know, we’re big fans of The Posh Female. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m in the middle of getting my LLC, which is scary and exciting! I’m currently at Browology Waxing Studio off of 8th and Wedgewood. My goal is to help one cancer patient a month with complimentary eyebrows and hope to grow from there and what I can offer to cancer patients. I’m a fully certified PMU artist that specializes in lip blushing, microblading, and eyeliner. What sets me apart from other artists…I did a full year apprenticeship. I’m finding more often than not, most artists only do the 2-week course and go out on their own lacking a lot of knowledge you learn from doing an apprenticeship. Another thing that sets me apart from other artists, I offer eyeliner as a service, which isn’t offered by most PMU artists. It takes a steady hand and a lot of confidence to do eyeliner.

Brand-wise, I am most proud of my reasoning and purpose in doing PMU, which is to be able to help cancer patients feel and look their best. Also, educating my clients about cancer and how important advocating for yourself is if you feel something in your body is off. A lot of my clients ask how I got into this field of work and that opens the door for me to share my story and educate them. I’ve shared meal plans and health tips with many clients and that makes me proud to do what I do. Readers, if you know a cancer patient who is looking for this service please share my contact info.

My brand is all about helping others and mostly in my own unique way that they won’t even realize until many years later. They know I’m always here to share resources and info from my experience to help ease the burden of cancer when it may arise. Every client is different and I get to share a unique and unforgettable experience with each one. I do what I do to have a purpose and hope to meet the right person to help put me in front of young adults in colleges, to share my story about cancer

I also want the readers to know how important it is to take their health seriously now more than ever. Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but there are many things you can do to help prevent it. The services I offer are microblading, lip blush, eyeliner, and combo brows, SMP (scalp micro pigmentation) which is a non-surgical, cosmetic tattoo that gives the illusion of a close buzz cut style or density to a thinning crown). You can find full details on all services and what the process is for each one on my website.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Finding the right mentor can take time, kinda like a therapist. Volunteering is a great way to find a mentor who has the same morals/values as you, which I think is very important when choosing a mentor. Honestly, my best advice when it comes to networking is to go out and be social at public events, yes, even the free ones. I actually found I wasted a lot of time and money going to paid networking events, social meetups, etc. Oftentimes people were shy, intimidated and hung out with the people they came with and chatted amongst themselves. They weren’t all a waste of time or money. However, if you are super social, like to go to sporting events, the new local restaurant that is opening up, the farmers market, or volunteering, this is what worked best for me. This approach makes it easier to be yourself and definitely more relaxed since you’re already doing something you enjoy. Strike up conversation. Tell people what you do and what your goals are. You never know who is looking for exactly what you have to offer, or someone who sees the fire in you and takes a chance on you. Most importantly, be yourself!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://poshfemale.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: @pmu.babe.nash

Image Credits
@beyondpixelsphotography