ABOVE: Tanisha Carothers and Brittani Hunt
When Tennessee State University sophomores Tanisha Carothers and Brittani Hunt were pledging for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 2006, they leaned on each other to get through the rigorous process. What they didn’t know was they would continue to hold each other up through some of their hardest times well beyond college.
The 15-year “sister friendship” has been their lifeline, they say.
“From the beginning, it really felt like a divine intersection,” said Hunt. “We show up for each other no matter what. We nurture one another, anticipate needs and tap into our own reserves because that’s what real friends do.”
Although they understand their bond is rare, it’s something every woman deserves.
“I can’t imagine where I would be without my ‘Brit-Brat’,” Carothers said affectionately about her friend. An attorney by day, she says she finds refuge in pouring into the brand, especially while juggling other obligations. “We hold each other accountable, remind one another of our strengths, provide space to reflect on our wants, needs, desires. We pour into our friendship. Everyone should have that type of support system.”
Thus, the Hunt and Carothers’s idea for HerSpace Co. was born. According to their website, the lifestyle brand began to take form almost 10 years ago long before it even had a name.
In 2014, we sat in the Palace of Auburn Hills arena for Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend. We were right in the middle of our own individual life transitions – jobs, engagement, relocation, degree completion, relationships, financial strain, spiritual droughts, mothering and Bar examination preparations. We were tired and discouraged. And so there we sat, in a room full of thousands of middle-aged women who seemed to be discouraged and tired too.
HerSpace Co. provides tools for the modern woman to not only manage her obligations, but her spirit as well, just like a bestie would. Through in-person and virtual events, and their layered living planner, which fully lives up to its name, the two founders’ goal is to help women be the CEOs of their lives.
The brand aims to help Black women debunk the superwoman archetype that many of us take on, sometimes to our own detriment. According to a 2020 study by the American Heart Association, researchers found that Black women’s intense motivation to succeed and feeling an obligation to help others – seemed to worsen the physical harm from life-induced stress and increased the chances of the woman neglecting her own physical and emotional needs.
“We wanted the layered living planner to help with all aspects of life,” said Hunt. “It is the manifestation of that healthy space every woman needs to become her best self.”
And for the last 10 years, the planners have been doing just that. Thousands of women have utilized it as a tool to remain connected with themselves and those around them. It was even recently featured on the Tamron Hall Show as the perfect gift to offer your girlfriend in time for the holidays.
“We are so grateful that we’re able to share what we have with one another, with other women,” said Carothers. “Everyone should feel empowered to take their lives to the next level.”
The Layered Living planner can be purchased at HerSpace.co.