I don’t know if I've ever smiled so hard when writing a newsletter, but who can blame me when this week we surpassed the £250,000 target of our equity crowdfund? As I was writing this newsletter, a friend sent me a WhatsApp message saying that she had no doubt we were going to reach our goal, but I’m still in disbelief that it happened and I am beyond grateful to every person, but especially to every black woman, who has invested in Black Ballad.

Since I was in Secondary School, one thing I know about myself is that I actually work best under pressure. Depending on how closely I work with you, it might not be particularly great for my colleagues and for those who live with me, it's probably not the best either. However, when my back feels like it's against the wall, when things feel on the line, I somehow manage to get the best out of myself. That said, I know now that while I perform well under most types of pressure, some pressures that come my way will no doubt have scarring effects that will probably last a lifetime.