HER Co-Founder Zawadi Elaine Carroll Releases Debut EP

It’s past time we remixed the entrepreneur archetype. The tried-and-true definition of an emerging or aspiring business owner feels tired. The modern entrepreneur is a mover, shaker and doer who’s not content with simply breaking all the rules. Our 52 trailblazers featured in the October issue are rewriting the rules, tearing them up and doing it all over again. It’s creation at its purest, because the fruits of one’s hustle are not actualized overnight or by following one jet-lagged recipe. It’s no longer adequate to measure entrepreneurs by the brick-and-mortar spaces they manifest or the jobs they create. Those are all important elements but fall short of what it truly means to build something — often with blood, sweat and tears. Whether you’re revamping the vintage clothing industry, introducing a fresh dining concept, cultivating an advocacy-focused creative agency or advancing the cause of equality for the LGBTQ+ community, the only thing that matters is freedom — the freedom to march to the beat of your own badass drum. Read our full rundown of trailblazers here. 

Zawadi Elaine Carroll just released her first EP, “Planet 26.” She’s also the co-founder of House of Ethereal Realness (HER). She’s busy — but her day isn’t complete until a therapeutic-sounding ritual of podcast, nature and Whole Foods.

Advice that keeps you hungry
Every single desire and wish inside of you is there for a reason. It is there because it’s a part of your birth right.

What your day is incomplete without
A “Black Girls Heal” podcast episode, Earl Grey tea, a good Twitter scroll, time in nature without electronics and a Whole Foods run.

Your power outfit remix
We need to consider the power outfit dead [laughs]. If people want to wear it or remix it, that’s cool, but it’s so embedded in this corporate capital aesthetic of “power.” I feel most powerful in a well-tailored mini dress made out of sustainable and breathable fabric paired with a cute cardigan or leggings and a crop top — there is no in-between.

What every entrepreneur needs
You need to have initiative paired with a deep understanding of self. It can be extremely uncomfortable [when] so much of your success is driven by sacrifice. But with a deep knowledge of self, one can reap tailored rewards, which are the best kind.

Early bird, night owl, or in-between
Definitely a night owl, but I’m becoming an early bird as I get older.

Burning question for an iconic trailblazer
The entrepreneur that inspires me the most is Emily Weiss, the founder of Glossier. She studied art history like me, and I love how she’s been able to integrate herself into the business and digital world. I would ask her about the art of initiating a cultural shift.

The current soundtrack to your life
My EP “Planet 26.”

@zawadicarroll + @etherealrealness // zawadicarroll.com

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