Meet Tejal Parekh of Brightdollface

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tejal Parekh.

Tejal, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Tejal Parekh, MSW and I am the CEO of my brand/blog platform known as @brightdollface. As a Hype Coach, plus-size model, writer and advocate of DACA, body positivity and self-love, I ensure to provide empowerment in the community both in-person and via my platforms.

As a Hype Coach, I ensure to provide empowerment to build an individual’s self-esteem, confidence and guide them on their journey. I am the founder of “Goddesses Unite” a women empowerment group that I facilitate to empower elite women in our community and providing them a safe space with interventions, coping skills and tools to keep going. Growing up in Jersey City, NJ and living in Hudson County, I noticed there is a need of an in-person group for all elite women to feel connected and that they do not feel alone. Today we can feel so “connected” but in reality, we are not such as due to lack of face to face contact that we all desire more times than often to speak.

I saw that there is not a group who has a facilitator like myself to represent them as a multiracial diverse woman that I am, with my Master’s Degree in Social Work. This includes with my Social Work background, career, CEO of Brightdollface/empowerment platform, and experience as a therapist in the fields of foster care, Unaccompanied Minors crossing in the U.S. and Higher Education.

As a multi-diverse woman, I knew I always wanted to continue with my blog of Brightdollface not only as a Curvy Blogger but more with my work as a Hype Coach including that I do not have to only have one career but multiple, so I am walking in my greatness as currently a College College Counselor and Professor. I am running my own brand/platform and working both full-time, all is possible if we remain motivated and know WE ARE WORTH IT! I notice that we in our society tend to have this notion that we can only have one career, but as individuals who are ALL talented in our own ways, we can be multidimensional.

I have multiple years and experience in the field of Social Work in the area of foster care both with the City of New York and in my prior position as a Clinician working with children who are Unaccompanied Minors crossing into the United States to be reunified with their parents or family members. Graduating with my Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2018 from Rutgers University-School of Social Work, I obtained the tools to succeed and do more towards once I begin my non-profit.

Obtaining my MSW was one of my goals and I am proud to have achieved this because it empowers me now to be able to do more community work and run my own workshops/seminars to women and girls in NJ/NYC area and god willing in L.A. as well! I decided to be on my own journey of self-love, self-care, and fitness journey as I a domestic violence survivor. I left a toxic abusive relationship of eleven years since I was fifteen years old until the age of twenty-six years old.

I exited this relationship as it began at the last five years of the relationship to become worse and I knew that if I didn’t finally kick him out of my home and leave the relationship, I was going to die or allow all of the toxicity take from all the goals and work I was pursing while studying for my Master’s Degree program while working in the field of foster care in New York City. It took courage for me to leave as my mother who remains a domestic violence victim and survivor due to growing up at home in this and then she continued to a new marriage who was also an abuser.

I have done my best for my mother and my platform to see that YES AS WOMEN WE CAN SURVIVE, OVERCOME, CONTINUE ON, BE ALONE WITH ONESELF, DATE OURSELVES. All of this is possible! I discuss my testimony and my journey via my platform to empower more women that they can leave and will survive. Therefore, much more to come to Brightdollface as I plan to run more workshop events on self-love and body positivity including my upcoming one “You Got it Girl”- Dating Oneself in 2020: A Self-Love and Body Positivity workshop on February 15th, 2019 held in Jersey City, NJ.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been MANY MANY struggles along the way, the type of hardship that you’d like to throw in the towel but I reminded myself each and every time, to keep going. I am a domestic violence survivor and growing up in domestic violence as a child and teenager, I was my own mother and father as my parents were too depressed and my father suppressing this with alcohol always.

Losing my father in 2011 to alcoholism and liver failure was detrimental but a last here I stand. They have both been my motivation to improve as a woman to empower our community to know how to love themselves and not to fall into coping with alcohol and drugs. I grew up in the inner city of N.J. in Jersey City and born in New York City. My family, we grew up poor and I always reminded myself one day I’d have enough one day to provide for myself.

Remaining positive when you are with an abusive narcissistic partner was most definitely difficult due to the fact as an optimist, to see crack cocaine eat away at your partner due to their choices was hard at the age of 21. I knew I couldn’t remain any longer in that relationship and I was never taught how to love myself first and enough to remove myself from any toxicity.

Therefore, I decided to be my own muse and find the courage after many years of him stealing my laptop and tablets while studying in my Master’s program and having to tell my Professor’s the reality of my life and how it was affecting my studies. I still graduated with honors with my Master’s in Social Work which was a true definition that I was a resilient woman while studying an intensive weekend program non-stop for two and a half years, working in foster care as a Case Planner and Home Finder and conducting my clinical internship hours working in therapy with clients.

No one knew I was dealing with this all in the background, only a few friends who did not also understand the trauma and situation. Now, today I ensure to empower women and girls that it does get better once we leave and fill our cup back up again. We have to love ourselves first more than anything and learn that we cannot accept less.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
My brand and platform are Brightdollface and I specialize in therapy, Hype Coaching and empowerment to my followers via my platforms. I am the CEO of my brand/blog platform known as @brightdollface. As a Hype Coach, plus-size model, writer and advocate of DACA, body positivity and self-love, I ensure to provide empowerment in the community both in-person and via my platforms.

As a Hype Coach, I ensure to provide empowerment to build an individual’s self-esteem, confidence and guide them on their journey. I am the founder of “Goddesses Unite” a women empowerment group that I facilitate to empower elite women in our community and providing them a safe space with interventions, coping skills and tools to keep going. I also currently started my own Brightdollface merchandise of shirts and hoodies to empower women and girls to wear words that they relate to and define them.

I am most proud that the term Hype Coach isn’t known and I am determined to continue to teach the world how important it is to have a Hype Coach in their lives. What sets my brand apart from others is that it is genuine, it is realistic and it can be related to. This is something that is not seen often and followers resonate with my work. Today authenticity and community are appreciated more than anything else.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I give credit so many of the women who support my blog and platforms, to my followers thank you, bright doll souls, you are amazing! I am so grateful for them! I am grateful to my circle of sisters in my life they ALWAYS ensure to help me with ideas or give me real feedback so I can improve which is important to be able to take critic and not personal. To the women, I meet every day because we inspire one another! I am grateful for all my mentors in college both undergrad and grad school including my field supervisors throughout my Graduate studies.

Pricing:

• Hype Coach Session $50

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brightdollface.com
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Photo taken by – Constances Irena

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