The Power of Showing Up As You Are | What happens when you build your own table instead of waiting for a seat

There's a moment when trying to be anyone except yourself becomes unbearable. For Shameika Rhymes, that moment came after years of trying to fit into boxes that weren't built for her. Traditional newsrooms. Editorial standards that didn't leave room for her voice. Pitching stories about artists who shaped a generation—only to be told nobody cared.

So she built her own table.

Today, Shameika is an award-winning journalist, producer, and host behind Check the Rhymes TV—a platform preserving the stories of musical legends who no longer have outlets like Soul Train or Video Soul. She also hosts Soul Liberation on BlackDoctor.org and co-hosts the Ladies Edition podcast.

When I sat down with Shameika for the Shaping Freedom podcast, I wanted to understand the woman who decided that being herself was more important than fitting in. What I discovered was someone who's mastered something most of us are still learning: that authenticity isn't just a value. It's a strategy.

Here are three truths from our conversation that'll make you rethink what it means to build a career, tell your story, and show up proudly as yourself:

1. Build your own table when nobody makes room for you at theirs

Shameika's dream was Soul Train, Access Hollywood, entertainment journalism. But studying broadcast journalism in northeastern Tennessee made those dreams feel impossible.

So she took the jobs she could get. Production assistant making $6 an hour. News producer working overnight shifts. "I'm going to use this sometime," she told herself.

A terrible breakup in 2005 led her to start blogging. She was just pouring her heart out online. People started reading. That blog became her portfolio, opening doors to Soul Train's website and other outlets.

But she kept hitting walls. "These outlets aren't telling the stories that I wanted to tell," she realized. "I was tired of pitching those stories."

So she stopped pitching and started creating.

Check the Rhymes was born from a simple recognition: the artists who defined Gen X's youth don't have anywhere to tell their stories anymore. "I just made it my mission," Shameika told me. "I want some place for them to be able to tell their stories."

2. What you're afraid to share might be exactly what someone needs to hear

Shameika recently had surgery—a breast reduction plus two additional procedures. Four months later, she's still healing, still dealing with swelling and nerve pain. She's been documenting the journey on TikTok—bandages, bonnets, and all.

"I would have never probably gone online still bandaged up to talk about surgery," she admitted. "But I decided I'm going to be real about this. You don't just wake up and you're healed. You've got to go through the process."

She was upset that everyone else seemed to heal instantly. "How is everybody else healed from this so quick? They're liars."

So she shared the real version. The messy, uncomfortable truth.

Then someone tagged her saying she had the best content about the actual process. "I didn't think anybody was listening," Shameika said. "But I thought, you know what? I can be real and share my experience. And I think that is what's helping people."

3. Celebrate your wins before moving on to the next thing

Shameika has a friend who asks the same question every time she accomplishes something: "How are you going to celebrate?" At first, it annoyed her. Eventually she realized: her friend was right.

"I am very much like, okay, I finished this project or this article—onto the next thing, onto the next show, onto the next interview," Shameika explained. "I wasn't taking time to pause."

She'd go online ranting that nobody recognized her work. Then the awards started coming. She hung them on her wall. "Anytime I start to doubt or question, have I been successful? I just look at the wall now."

But the real measure came when a student she'd invited to shadow her sent a message: "This has been one of the most incredible experience of my undergrad."

That's when it hit her. Success isn't about money or accolades. It's about impact.

Most of us check boxes and immediately look for the next mountain. We don't pause to feel gratitude or celebrate wins.

But here's what Shameika taught me: when you stop celebrating yourself, you start resenting the work. And when you resent the work, you lose the joy that made you start.

So what would your life look like if you stopped waiting for external validation and started celebrating yourself—not just the big wins, but the small victories too?

The authenticity you're afraid to show? That's your superpower. The story you think nobody wants to hear? That's exactly what someone needs. And the wins you're rushing past? Those deserve to be acknowledged.

TL;DR

• Build your own table when nobody makes room for you. When you stop asking for permission and start building, you create space not just for yourself—but for everyone who's been waiting for that table.

• What you're afraid to share might be what someone needs most. Being real about the messy parts builds trust and reminds people they're not alone in their struggles.

• Celebrate your wins before chasing the next thing. Success isn't just about achieving—it's about acknowledging what you've accomplished and letting yourself feel it.

Learn More

• Follow Shameika Rhymes: Explore Check the Rhymes TV on YouTube for interviews with musical legends and follow her on Instagram to stay connected.