Why Strategy is a Life Skill, not a Trick

 

When most people hear the word strategy, they think of manipulation. They picture someone plotting in secret, trying to trick or outsmart others. But the truth is: strategy is not about deception, it’s about survival, protection, and intentional living.

I learned this early. Growing up in Detroit, strategy wasn’t optional, it was a life skill. It was how I protected myself, how I raised my children, and how I made sure we moved smart in a world that wasn’t always safe. 

Later, when I moved to Las Vegas, I discovered just how deep the need for strategy ran. Beneath the surface of the bright lights and endless parties, I saw the shadow of human trafficking, exploitation, and broken stories. Some of my own clients who sat in my chair as I styled their hair shared their pasts with me. They wanted me to know about their pain, and the dangers out there in their stories, I found confirmation: strategy saves lives.

It was no longer just about me. Strategy became how I protected my children, how I built boundaries, and how I created a path that kept us safe.

That’s what inspired me to write Confessions from a Las Vegas Hairstylist. Writing became another form of strategy, it helped me heal mentally and physically, but it also helped me tell the truth. And in telling the truth, I built clarity.

When I moved to Los Angeles, that clarity became my compass. I remained grounded while energy vampires tried to steal my time and my ideas. As time went on and they began to uncover their true personalities, I made cuts and tightened my circle of influence as well as changed it. Suddenly, I was sitting across from Hollywood executives and powerhouse businesswomen. These women weren’t “tricking” anyone. They were thriving because they had strategies: systems, boundaries, and intentional moves that kept them from being pulled in a thousand directions.

And that’s when it hit me

Strategy isn’t negative. Strategy is life. 

It’s how you protect your energy.

It’s how you prepare for what’s next.

It’s how you shift from just surviving to intentionally thriving.

So the next time someone tells you strategy is manipulative, remember this: the only people who fear strategy are the ones who benefit when you don’t have one.