Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandy McCurrie.
Hi Brandy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story really begins in Detroit, where I grew up surrounded by family, faith, music, community, and service. I come from a large, loving family, and some of my earliest memories involve watching my mother serve others. She was a seamstress and was very active in our community. We would help feed people experiencing homelessness, and those experiences taught me early that helping others should be more than something you talk about. It should be something you do.
Faith was also a major part of my upbringing. I grew up singing and loving music in the church at Greater Mitchell Temple Church of God in Christ under the leadership of Bishop John Henry Sheard, and I eventually graduated from Marvin L. Winans Academy of Performing Arts. My heart for mentorship also started early. As a young person, I had the opportunity to mentor through Le Madame Maisel at Longfellow Middle School on Linwood in Detroit. Looking back, I can see that the foundation for the woman I would eventually become was already being built.
But one of the most defining parts of my story is my relationship with my older brother, Harold.
My brother and I were extremely close. He was outgoing, spontaneous, loving, and full of personality. He graduated from Specs Howard School of Media Arts and dreamed of becoming a sports anchor. Unfortunately, during his late teenage years, his mental health began to change, and watching someone I loved so deeply struggle affected me in ways I did not fully understand at the time.
I became angry. I had questions. I had emotions that I did not know how to process. That eventually introduced me to therapy at a young age.
What felt painful at the time ultimately became part of my purpose.
My experiences helped develop my passion for understanding people, behavior, mental health, and the importance of having the right support system during difficult seasons. Over the years, that passion evolved alongside my own life experiences. I became a mother, mentor, serial entrepreneur, behavioral health professional, content creator, business consultant, and philanthropist.
As The Rasta Princess, I have also been able to build a platform around my personality, lifestyle, experiences, and perspective. I have learned that you do not have to fit into one box. I can talk about business, mental and behavioral wellness, motherhood, travel, lifestyle, personal development, and community impact because all of those things are genuinely parts of who I am.
When my brother passed away in 2023, my purpose became even clearer.
I founded Brother Figures in his memory and because of what his life taught me. I understand how important it is for boys and young men to have support before they reach a crisis. They need mentorship, structure, resources, positive relationships, opportunities, and safe spaces where asking for help is not viewed as weakness.
I cannot change my brother’s story, but I can allow his life to help change someone else’s.
Today, I am continuing to build businesses, create content, mentor others, and develop initiatives that allow me to serve my community. My goal is not simply to be successful. I want my success to create access, opportunities, healing, and resources for other people.
Detroit made me resilient, my family taught me love, my mother showed me service, my dad keeps me grounded, my brother helped reveal my purpose, and every chapter of my life has taught me something about becoming the woman I am today. My mentor Dr. Karron Dodd continues to encourage me.
I am still building. I am still learning. And I believe some of the most meaningful parts of my story are still being written.
Most importantly, I want to be part of the shift happening in Detroit, especially around how we support our young people, our families, and the mental and behavioral wellness of our men and boys. If something I build can help another person receive support earlier, dream bigger, or realize that their circumstances do not have to determine the ending of their story, then everything I have experienced has a greater purpose.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. One of my earliest challenges came when I became pregnant. Although I graduated from high school, I was not allowed to walk across the stage because I was pregnant. At that age, it was difficult to understand how I could accomplish something so important and still feel excluded from celebrating that achievement.
Therapy became a real eye opener for me. It gave me tools to understand my emotions, process difficult experiences, and navigate life in a healthier way. Those tools have carried me through motherhood, entrepreneurship, grief, and some of the biggest transitions of my life.
Going through a divorce in 2020 after 7 years of Marriage was another season that required me to rediscover myself and learn how to move forward in a new chapter. Then, losing my brother in 2023 brought another level of grief and change. Through it all, I still had to be a mother, work, build, and continue showing up for myself and the people who depended on me.
My journey has included setbacks, starting over, financial challenges, and moments when I questioned myself. But I have learned that starting over does not mean you failed. Sometimes you are simply starting again with more wisdom, better tools, and a clearer understanding of who you are.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work lives at the intersection of behavioral wellness, entrepreneurship, content creation, and community impact. As a Behavioral Analyst Expert, also known as The Behavior BAE, I focus on helping individuals and families better understand behavior, communication, relationships, and the patterns that can affect their everyday lives. I am passionate about making conversations around mental and behavioral wellness feel relatable, practical, and accessible.
I am also an entrepreneur, business consultant, philanthropist, and content creator known publicly as The Rasta Princess. Through my platform, I share lifestyle, travel, business, personal development, and real life experiences while encouraging people to embrace every part of who they are. I believe you can be professional and still have personality. You can build businesses, serve your community, travel, enjoy life, experience setbacks, reinvent yourself, and continue evolving.
One of the things I am most proud of is turning my personal experiences into something that can serve others. That includes founding Brother Figures in memory of my brother and building initiatives centered around mentorship, resources, support, and opportunities for young men. My philanthropic work is especially important to me because success means more when I can use what I have learned and built to create opportunities for someone else.
What sets me apart is that I do not fit neatly into one box, and I no longer try to. My professional experience, entrepreneurship, motherhood, creativity, community work, and personal journey all influence how I connect with people. Whether someone encounters me as Rasta Princess, The Behavior BAE, a business consultant, or through my nonprofit work, the mission underneath it all is the same: to educate, empower, connect people with resources, and create meaningful impact.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I would say there is never a perfect time to start. Sometimes you just have to start with what you have and figure the rest out along the way.
When I became a content creator, my two cousins, NaNa and Marri, were actually the ones who pushed me into it. I started as a streamer, simply sharing my experiences and showing people that it is okay to work hard and still enjoy your life. You can build a career, take care of your responsibilities, travel, experience new things, and create memories along the way.
I know people who have never left Detroit, Michigan, because they are afraid to step outside of what is familiar. One thing I want people to understand is that it is a beautiful world out here waiting for you. Sometimes the biggest thing standing between you and a new experience is simply being willing to take that first step.
I have learned not to wait until everything looks perfect because life rarely works that way. Give yourself permission to try, learn, change directions, and even start over if you need to.
One of my favorite quotes from Napoleon Hill, which we have discussed in my book club, says it perfectly: “Do not wait. The time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command.”
That is how I try to live my life. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do not be afraid to experience something different. There is so much more waiting for you on the other side of what feels comfortable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/OrgNaturalBeauty
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therastaprincess
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093930681092
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandy-mccurrie-a90205294
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rastaprincess
