Before social media and algorithms, Tia Williams was already shaping the way we talked about beauty, culture, and women’s inner lives. A former magazine editor turned novelist, she built one of the earliest digital spaces dedicated to Black beauty and self-expression—Shake Your Beauty—while holding senior editorial roles at ELLE, Glamour, Lucky, and Essence.

In this episode of Origins of Influence, Tia joins host Dina Fierro to revisit that groundbreaking moment in beauty media and to trace the evolution of her creative voice—from beauty journalist to blogger to bestselling author of The Perfect Find and Seven Days in June.

Together, they discuss how Tia carved out space for authenticity long before it was industry language, what she’s learned about love and visibility through her novels, and how she’s navigated career reinvention across two decades of cultural change.

Along the way, Tia shares her thoughts on:

• Why she launched Shake Your Beauty when beauty media still lacked inclusivity
• How early blogging shaped her voice as a storyteller and author
• The discipline—and duality—of balancing brand work with creative writing
• The cultural power of romance as a genre
• How it felt seeing The Perfect Find adapted for Netflix
• What she’s learned about love, womanhood, and writing herself into the story

Whether you followed Tia’s early beauty blog or discovered her through her novels, this conversation is a reminder that influence isn’t about trends—it’s about the stories that stand the test of time.

Browse Tia Williams’ books at a bookseller near you, at Bookshop.org or on Amazon.

About Origins of Influence

Hosted by longtime fashion and beauty marketer Dina Fierro, Origins of Influence is a limited series exploring the past, present and future of the creator economy through intimate conversations with pioneering influencers, creators and founders. Find show notes and exclusive content on Substack. Subscribe on YouTube and follow Origins of Influence on Instagram and TikTok for clips, full-length episodes, BTS and more.

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