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In a world where spirituality meets entrepreneurship, Tina Marie Ahari stands as a testament to the power of embracing the unknown and forging a unique path. As an heiress to her mother Lala Inuti Ahari's million-dollar spiritual empire, Tina Marie's childhood was immersed in astrology books and arcane knowledge, laying the foundation for her unique journey.
In our exclusive interview, Tina candidly discusses her belief system, moral boundaries, and her evolved perspective on spirituality. Beyond her mystic persona, Tina Marie's influence extends to the world of fashion, where she effortlessly transitions between distinct styles that reflect her multifaceted personality.
Your mom, she's built a pretty powerful empire and business around spirituality. Those are big shoes to fill. Are you prepared to follow in her footsteps or do you want to pursue that?
Yes, continue the legacy. Of course, I also have my sisters to help me continue. But it's more of a natural "as time goes" type of thing. We are led by spirit, so some things that you're not ready for when you're 18. It'll be different when you're 25 and it'll be different when I'm 30. So, it's really uncovering. But of course, I will definitely continue the legacy.
Okay, that's a good segue into talking about the nitty gritty. Because of course, when we grow up, we have these pictures and images from movies, and storybooks about witches, and many might perceive that it's evil or you worship the devil. Let's talk about some of those things. Let's start at ground zero. Do you worship anything?
Yes, but how do I explain I believe in God, my family believes in God. But we also don't believe that God is the only entity or spirit that is around. Just like our loved ones pass away and they are in spirit. There are other types of spirits, there are angels, there are demons, there are passed away loved ones, there are deities. So, it's not that I think people have the misconception that we don't believe in God. We just believe in more than just God. Our beliefs are not limited to societal and religious conditioning,
Let's talk about spells because again, there's that, oh, I think there's a perception of I want to fall in love, so cast a spell for me, or this person did something to me, so cast a spell. I'm pretty sure you get asked these questions, of course, when you take on what you're going to take as far as spell casting, do you have parameters that you have like, okay, this isn't wise to do, or how do you go about that part of it?
Well, I definitely have a moral scale. I have ethics. The thing about any spirituality, any path of spirituality, any religion, is that everyone has their own moral ethics. With Christians, some Christians are this way and some Christians are that way. And the same thing with Muslims and the same thing with people who don't put a label on themselves but are openly spiritualists. So, there are no set rules for our spirituality. Everyone has their own. But yes, I do have a moral scale and ethics and it's different for everyone what they think is justifiable.
Okay, so we're going to shift gears a little bit about dating. I can imagine that that might be difficult. Is it difficult to tell someone you are dating that you are a witch?
It’s never been difficult for Erykah Badu to keep a man. That's one thing for sure. I think spiritual women, I feel like in general, not just if you're a witch, but if you are a spiritually connected or inclined woman, I feel like your energy is naturally magnetic anyway. They don't care. They're intrigued if anything. And I would say that the effect that I have on the people that I date is at being a spiritual woman. You will see a difference between before and after. Definitely evolving in all ways. You do. You evolve spiritually, you evolve in every other way.
Okay, so fashion, I can tell you are a fashionista. I would also consider you an influencer as well. What are some of your favorite designers or brand?
My favorites are definitely Louis Vuitton and Chanel right now. I kind of like sticking to those two. I'm not going to lie. I love Dior. It's summertime right now, so I'm kind of into Celine and Casablanca's, real summery vibes.
So how do you describe your own personal style?
I would say that I kind of have different alter egos for myself and I have layers to my personality, so I don't really limit my style to just my one personality when I have multiple. So, if I am being Tina the Witch, then I may be a little more I don't know if dark is the word, but I'm just going to say it. And if I'm Tina the Rapper, then I may be more flashy. If I'm Tina Bina, then I might be more pink and know it just depends on the personality for that day. That's what I would say.
Sounds like you have a lot that you are pursuing right now. We’ll come back to talk about that. But looking back on the empire that your mom built and the things that you've accomplished, what are you most proud of?
I would say that I'm most proud of the collaborative effort that my family has that keeps us strong and keeps the empire strong. Family is family and business is business and we get that. I think that's why we continue to grow and evolve.
Working with family, a lot of times it either works or it doesn't. And it seems to work for you. What do you think makes those relationships and businesses successful?
To be honest, for me, we grew up in the business, so I really was a young girl. I considered myself a young adult at the time when the business started booming. But it's kind of all I know. I would say that I'm not sure. I feel like for our family, I feel like it's a little different because me and my sisters, me being the oldest, we grew up in the business, so it's really all we know. Like my youngest sister, she hasn't been outside of the family business. She hasn't worked outside of it. It's just what we know so I think it comes natural to us.
With all of our different personalities and we are all very different, we definitely clash sometimes. We have our issues, but we don't let anything get in the way of business.
Let’s talk about what's next for you. I heard rapper earlier. Are there other things you're pursuing in addition to the family business? What's next?
Okay, absolutely. TV is definitely next. I can't really say much about it, but that's next for me. It's very comfortable in a natural place for me in front of the camera. And we already filmed one season one and season two, so that's where I want to be. That's what I'm doing next. And then in terms of fashion, I am going to be releasing a brand. I'm not really sure in what terms of if it's going to be bags or if it's going to be clothes. But I've explained before that the reason for working with and being so close to these high-end brands and us going to fashion shows and us going to fashion events is not just so that we can blow our money on designer clothes, it's so that we can have a seat at the table. So, I'm working closely on that.
What is your definition of grinding pretty?
A boss that can keep it together, because a lot of people who are entrepreneurs know that we are looking crazy a lot of the time. And it's hard when you're running a business and you're doing multiple jobs to keep yourself together. I would say grind pretty is when you keep it all together; you keep the money together, the business together, and the relationships together. I just feel like it's somebody who is doing everything.
To find out more about Tina Marie you can find her at @tinamarieahari on Instagram.
photo credits:
photo: Jeremiah Bishop @phinallyphocused
makeup: @aysha_tbp
In the bustling world of entrepreneurship, there are events that stand out as crucibles of creativity, community, and commerce. Grind Pretty Fest 2024 was undoubtedly one of them. Showcasing a vibrant set of female founders and their businesses, this gathering not only celebrated beauty and innovation but also served as a nexus for empowerment and collaboration.
In addition, Grind Pretty Fest 2024 featured a special partnership with Braintrust Founders Studio, founded by Kendra Bracken Ferguson including founders from their Black Beauty Bazaar! Check out the founders below and click to discover and shop their brands!
