Laurencia Burt is a passionate and giving person by nature. It’s no wonder she decided to jump into the self-care business. The social worker and mompreneur was sexually assaulted at work and once thought that her life was over on numerous occasions. From the assault and birth complications that came with having a pre-mature child.
To cope with the pain she decided to help others not give up, to love themselves and overcome. She launched her own skincare business as a role model to men and women that have been in a dark place.
As the founder and owner of Waist Deep Health Spa and The Brooklyn Sky Skincare Collection, Laurencia has done extensive research to understand the anatomy of skin and the best practices for glow-worthy skincare and regimens for lean and toned bodies.
As a busy wife, mother of two, and two-time entrepreneur, it was important for her to develop a skincare line that wouldn’t require unnecessary steps to achieve flawlessly glowing skin. The Brooklyn Sky Skincare Collection features ingredients that can easily be understood, so there’s no second-guessing your choice to use the products. This collection features healthy and chemical-free items for every part of your body.
Additionally, as a certified body contouring technician, Laurencia specializes in laser lipo, body cavitation, skin tightening and butt enhancements. All these services are available at the Waist Deep Health Spa.
In a world where women want to feel good about their bodies, Laurencia has made it a top priority to help women all around achieve those goals.
What inspired your career in social work?
I’ve always wanted to help the youth because I grew up as a homeless child with my mother and younger siblings. We were back and forth living in churches, and cars. It was pretty rough. My mom was a very smart educator. At the time we were homeless, we lived in California and her salary was not conducive for those high-cost areas. She also wasn’t receiving financial support from my father (who I love), for her three children. That experience of homelessness is what inspired me to become a social worker.
Initially, I wanted to either go into the medical field or be an attorney working on behalf of youth. I stumbled upon social work, but I believe that social work found me. It is something my spirit needed. I started my career in social work as a foster care case manager on December 2nd, 2002. Since then I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years.
After your assault, how did you re-define your wellness and purpose in life, your career, and beyond?
I am still in the process of redefining my life. Every day is a blessing to be here but it still comes with its own challenges. Just because of historical things I’ve been through being a sexually abused child. The incident that occurred and the aftermath of how I was treated by my previous management of a particular agency I realized at that moment in time when things were happening to me I would never want my children in a job where they were mistreated and mishandled in the way that I was.
I prayed to the Lord to help me change and do something different. All I could think about was my daughter who was 2 years old and my son who was newly in high school. I was only on the job for 90 days when this took place so from that incident I said there has to be change and major adjustment. Even though I was a social worker for 20 years I knew at this point that things were going to come to a close. I was doing one business providing body contouring services and then this pain of assault gave me the passion to start my skincare line.
I wanted the skincare line to have a purpose and create a legacy for my children, nieces, and nephews so they can expand and build black-owned brands. It’s called Brooklyn Sky which is named after our rainbow baby. Hence, our debut body butter and sugar scrub which is our Unicorn Dreams line symbolizes the rainbow. Just a few months I pitched my story and products to GNC stores and now they are being sold in participating area Atlanta stores.
There has been triumph, and pain but I always say my daughter is such a light to our family due to the loss of a baby prior to her. She has captured our hearts in a place of darkness.
What tips would you give to others along their wellness journey?
First and foremost, keep God in your life. He needs to be in it from the beginning, middle, end, and all through it. Continue to love on your family, keep that bond, and love on you as well. Put stuff on your calendar. Be sure to take time out for yourself. I am still struggling with that with this newfound busy streak in my life. I am closely bringing the craziness to an end because I am currently working on getting people to assist me within my business.
Drink your water, take care of yourself and take your vitamins. I fuse at myself with that too. Make sure you get exercise daily and nutrition as well. If you’re not in the right state of mind there is no way you can accomplish what you need to accomplish if you want to have a successful business and life.
Success isn’t just monetary, the quality of life can be successful and important.
Lastly, have fun and don’t take yourself so seriously. People get very hard and guarded and we as a society have to remind ourselves to love life. Adults forget to love and experience life. We just live it. We have to change our mindset to be more loving, and freer and we all will have a better quality of life.
How does your wellness translate into your entrepreneurship?
Wellness translates to entrepreneurship through identifying I need and desire more for myself. I had to figure out I was going to obtain it. The biggest change I had to change was my mindset, it’s imperative in entrepreneurship possible of the adversity that one has to face through the journey.
What does beauty mean to you?
My mother is, was, and will always be the most beautiful woman in the world. She is my first expression of beauty. She embraced so much even through the struggles she endured in her youth pushing through the odds of racism, and being the only child of an only child. We didn’t have any backup. She was her backup. She graduated from high school at an early age obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and being one of the first African American women to attend Mississippi State University. For someone to do that at that point of time, is beauty. My mother showed my siblings and I how you could push forward. A Black woman like herself, she was peacan tan with freckles, short, full of lips, very eloquent, a pianist, musician, reader, and writer. My mother was all of that and plus some.
Finish the sentences:
Purpose will… Push you past your wildest dreams.
Inner beauty is…Providing service with no expectations of anything in return
My life will…Impact those presently, in the future, and beyond.
Connect on Instagram
(Photography-AZU Studios)
❣️