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Attending the Dartmouth Fellowship through SheaMoisture in partnership with Fifteen Percent Pledge is a moment I’ll always associate with presence. Not pressure. Not performance. Just presence. Being there felt like stepping slightly outside the day-to-day rhythm of building Unbraider and giving myself the space to fully take in where we are, how we got here, and what it means to keep growing with intention.
As the founder of The Original Unbraider, I’m usually focused on momentum. What we’re improving, what we’re learning, what’s next. Building a Black-owned hair care brand comes with constant movement and a lot of responsibility. This experience created a pause that felt earned, not forced. A chance to reflect without questioning our success or second-guessing the work. Just a moment to be grounded in it.
When I arrived on Dartmouth’s campus, I felt calm in a way I didn’t expect. Not intimidated. Not overwhelmed. Just open. Open to learning, to listening, and to taking in what this moment represented for Unbraider. It felt aligned, like being in the right place at the right time for the right reasons.
The Dartmouth Fellowship, hosted at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, is a week-long program designed to support women entrepreneurs as they build and scale sustainable businesses. SheaMoisture has invested in this fellowship for more than a decade, and this year — alongside Fifteen Percent Pledge — expanded the opportunity to bring together women founders from different industries and stages of growth. Being selected for the Dartmouth Fellowship felt affirming, not in a celebratory way that says “we’ve arrived,” but in a steady way that says the work matters and the direction makes sense.
What stood out to me almost immediately was the energy in the room. There was no competition. No pressure to perform. No need to over-explain our businesses or justify why our missions matter. Everyone there understood what it means to build something with intention and responsibility. Especially as Black women entrepreneurs, there was a shared understanding of how personal our work can be, and how closely it’s often tied to lived experience.
The conversations flowed naturally. About leadership. About scaling. About staying grounded while growing. About protecting the heart of your brand while allowing it to evolve. There was honesty in those conversations that felt refreshing and necessary. No one pretended to have all the answers, and that openness made the space feel even more valuable.
Some of the most meaningful moments didn’t happen during structured sessions. They happened in between during side conversations, shared laughs, and quiet reflections. Those moments reminded me that growth doesn’t always have to feel heavy or rushed. Sometimes growth looks like listening more closely, asking better questions, and giving yourself permission to refine instead of reinvent.
There was also something really affirming about being in a space that encouraged reflection without urgency. No one was pushing for overnight answers or instant pivots. Instead, the focus was on sustainability, building something that lasts, something that feels steady even as it grows. That mindset stayed with me. It reminded me that Unbraider doesn’t need to rush to prove itself. We’re allowed to be thoughtful, to refine, to move at a pace that honors both the brand and the people it serves. That kind of reassurance is rare, and I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I was sitting in that room.
This experience also reinforced something I’ve been learning over time: vulnerability doesn’t have to mean doubt. For me, vulnerability during this week showed up as honesty. Honest conversations about where Unbraider is now. Honest reflection on how we want to grow next. Honest acknowledgment that confidence and openness can exist at the same time.
The Unbraider was created to make braid takedown easier, gentler, and less stressful — because that experience is personal to me. Every decision we make as a brand comes back to that. The Dartmouth Fellowship didn’t change our mission. It strengthened my connection to it. It gave me the space to zoom out and think about how we grow without losing what makes Unbraider special. How we build systems that support longevity while staying rooted in community. How we continue showing up thoughtfully for the people who trust our products.
I left Dartmouth feeling grounded. More confident in the direction we’re moving. More connected to other founders navigating similar paths. And clearer about the kind of growth we want — growth that’s intentional, aligned, and sustainable. Not louder, just deeper.
Looking back, what made the Dartmouth Fellowship especially meaningful was the reminder that growth doesn’t always need to be reactive. Being in that environment encouraged intention over urgency, something I want to continue carrying into how we build Unbraider moving forward. The conversations, the pace, and the space to think all reinforced that the Dartmouth Fellowship wasn’t just about learning frameworks, but about learning how to protect the heart of what you’re building while still allowing it to evolve. That perspective feels especially important as Unbraider continues to grow into its next chapter, staying grounded in purpose while remaining open to new opportunities.
I’m incredibly grateful to SheaMoisture for continuing to invest in women founders in meaningful ways, and to Fifteen Percent Pledge for helping expand access and opportunity for Black-owned brands. And to the women I met during this experience — thank you for the conversations, the honesty, and the reminder that none of us are building alone.
As this year comes to a close, I also want to say thank you to our Unbraider community. Every customer who trusted us, supported us, shared us, and believed in what we’re building. You are a part of this journey more than you know. Your support is what makes moments like this possible, and it’s what continues to shape how we grow.
We’re heading into the new year grounded, grateful, and excited. Excited to keep building. Excited to keep learning. Excited to continue growing Unbraider with the same care, intention, and community-first mindset that brought us here.
Thank you for being part of this chapter and for everything that’s ahead.
— Khadija
