Meet Delana Latrice | Entrepreneur & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Delana Latrice and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Delana, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Growing up I was taught to work so I could survive. I didn’t experience family trips to theme parks or annual festivals. I thought the biggest places to visit were Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. I grew up a country girl who knew how to cook from scratch and how to run a business by helping my grandmother with the paperwork for our Asphalt and construction company. From the ages of 16 to 45, I worked in the food industry, as an Executive Chef, Catering business owner and Chef, and Fast-Food restaurant management. I was married with children and did not have a work life balance. I couldn’t take Paid Time Off because I didn’t have anyone to take my place as the irreplaceable Manager/Chef. At times I had to lie to get a day off to attend an event that I really wanted to go to. I wasn’t’ aware that I didn’t have a no work life balance or personal life balance. I was always the ‘Yes’ girl. Last year I was directed to a Leadership Coach, I signed up for one-on-one coaching to help me understand the ‘Who I am’ and the “What I want to do’. In my coaching sessions, I learned in the first month how to obtain and maintain balance in my life, I was instructed when asked to do something that would take off my course, to simply say ‘No, I can’t do that for you’, I can direct you to someone who can’. I’ve been working from home since 2020 and have grown accustomed to standing up to eat, because I sit all day working. I would also spend my lunch hour doing things for people, then clock in and eat while I work. I was told to enjoy my hour and do not work for anyone on ‘My’ lunch hour, and to enjoy my food at my table and not at my desk. I will admit it was a struggle at first, especially the part when my reply was ‘No’, but after a few “No’s got out”, It felt good, the weight was lifted off my shoulders, my deep tissue massages transformed into regular soft tissue massages. I took the first step in creating balance in my life. I learned to create a schedule for my daily living and made a commitment to stick to it. Believe me, at first it was not easy. I now have time for ‘Delana’ to do what I want to do on the selected days. When it’s time to relax, I do just that.

Balance is an important factor in our daily lives, it gives us peace, less stress, and helps create healthy habits that will evolve into a normalization of how many irons in the fire is enough. It took self-discipline and the courage of the lion that was deep within me to say ‘No’ to things I really didn’t want to do, but I did it just because I knew how.

Without hesitation, I have passed the torch on many of my money-making talents and finally made room for the ‘Me’ in ‘Me’. I now have a passport, I work five days a week and at 5:00pm I am off the clock, on the weekends I do what I want to do.

Balance is important for our mental and physical health. Creating balance is not just a plan, it is lifestyle that has not been introduced to many.
“Hello, allow me to introduce you to an oldie but goodie friend of mine: Balance, it is here to serve as the peace point in your life so you can enjoy your life and be happy.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Inimitable: extraordinary and unique. That word came to be in the early hours a few years ago. I have never heard of it before. It stayed in my head for days until I asked God ‘why is this word still here?’ I looked over at a bottle of the same lotion I was dedicated to for many years. I looked at my skin and thought, “Wow, I have spent so much money on this product and the only return I get is soft skin that glows, I can’t begin to add up the amount of money I spent on that product I used for over 20 years. After thinking about it I made my mind up and decided it was time for me to create my own”. I began researching and experimenting with Shea Butter, essential oils, and scents until I found what I thought was a good homemade product just for me. I loved it and wanted others to experience my homemade product too, so I started gifting scented body butters to my family and friends for holidays and birthdays. While in a training session with my I Leadership Coach I told him about my hobby of making body butter, he asked me for a sample and the following week my homework task was to start my business. It wasn’t easy, especially when I worked long hours as a Property Desk Adjuster on a Catastrophe team. I invested the money I planned on purchasing a house for my products. It took almost a month to learn how to get the correct label size and layout. I did everything myself, mixing, designing, cutting, filling, cleaning, hauling big boxes from shipment upstairs to rubbing my own feet. 

The thought of quitting was nowhere near my address. I had tunnel vision and determination to complete my task of having a variety of scented body butters, natural lip balm, sugar scrub, moisturizer mist spray, and plans to add more skincare products each quarter. I had to give up ordering Door Dash and shopping because I had a business to build and maintain. Some nights I was very tired but wanted to get some things completed, not listening to my body I wasted expensive product over the counter, used the wrong measurements and even forgot what I already added into the mix. After having a few ‘choice word’ episodes, I knew it was time to stop and rest because the next day would be better than the last. 

I quickly learned how to ask for help and to document the process steps for someone to step in and understand what needs to happen. I also learned not to depend on the ones that depend on you. It gets lonely at the top, but when you have peace and a mission to fulfill, it’s now or never, together, or alone, with self-discipline, motivation, and determination the dream in mind, it will manifest into something so powerful, not even a power outage will be able to stop you from reaching your goal. Winners don’t quit and I don’t have that option. 

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I love breakfast I would start the day at the local diner, coffee, great food, and conversation. Then off to have our nails and pedicures from my favorite spot where they know my name and the style I like. We would hang out in the Boathouse district, ride the water rafts and act like kids in the water park. For lunch we would visit the moms and pops Italian restaurant Spazio Ristorante in Moore, Oklahoma, there Lasagna is the best. Take in a paint and sip, laugh at my unskilled hand in painting. On Sunday evening UCO Jazz Lab is the place to be for live music or even hang out at the Ice Event Center where there’s always live music or a nice event going on, they have the best house burgers in my book. If school is in and in the fall season, I would check when the high school battle of the band performance is, we’re former band geeks from high school and me being the Drum major. Yes, the band life is still in us, we would be sitting in the best seats in the stadium to receive the full sound and capture the field show design, and that’s on the 50-yard line at the top of the stands. Finally, I couldn’t let my bestie go home without me preparing the Ayam Cemani chicken drizzled with my homemade plum sauce and rolled peach rolls for dessert.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

My Leadership Coach and John Maxwell certified, Rodney Payne CEO of One Voice Leadership LLC, who challenges and holds be accountable to achieve my goals. I never thought I would be the CEO of my own company. As I understood what the work ‘Inimitable’ meant and why it was in my head, I named my company: IMI Life Skincare Products, LLC. Thanks to Coach Payne seeing my talent and providing the tools that took me from where I was and now, I am headed in the direction where I want to be and that’s Happy being me.

My Spiritual Mentor, Isaac Miles Sr. He has taught me how to dive deeper and get connected with my inner being, and to know things happen for me and not to me. 

Pastor Wilma Scott, her warm spirit and strong faith reminds me to never give up, keep going even when I think I can’t, it’s not me doing it alone, God is with me. 

Andrea Rainey: We agree to disagree, she challenges and shows me both sides of me when I’m wrong and when I’m right. A true friend will tell you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it to help and not hurt you, only to love you like a sister. 

Sage Dusk (my Sheldon Cooper), my brother from other parents, he will laugh even when I’m being corny, shake his head when things are weird and has never sugar coated anything concerning my endeavors, he has helped me brush my shoulders off and continuously reminds me that the next ten minutes will be better than the last.

Facebook: IMI Life Skincare products

Other: Kordelaenterprises22@outlook.com