Trinity Simone is the founder and CEO of Black Vibe Tribe, a lifestyle brand she launched at 14 to celebrate and uplift the African diaspora through bold, culture-rich apparel. Now a nationally recognized entrepreneur, Trinity also leads “The Youth Will Be All Write”, a nonprofit that donates composition notebooks to incarcerated youth, giving them tools to express their voices. Her work is rooted in community, creativity, and a deep commitment to Black liberation and storytelling.

At 14 you decided to start your brand “Black Vibe Tribe”, but you also started a nonprofit “The Youth Will Be All Write”. Tell us a little about the inspiration behind the meaning and purpose of your businesses and what you hope young adults can gain from these initiatives.

TS: Black Vibe Tribe was created with the mission really rooted to connect, love, uplift and build with those deriving from the African diaspora. When I started the brand, I really used clothing as a medium and platform for cultural pride, for social justice and advocacy, and so it was always more than fashion to me. It was really about building a movement that amplified the voices of marginalized communities, challenge systemic inequalities, and really advocated for the preservation of black identity. I grew up in a household where we were really rooted in the teachings of our culture and our people, and when you start peeling back the layers, you really see how we adorned ourselves and with the symbolism of what fashion meant. And so this was just an extension of that for me, when it came to the statement tees and the expressions that we put on these shirts that people could really wear, align themselves with, and really resonate with.

With the Youth Will Be All Write, I felt like there was such power in storytelling. I felt like writing just really rooted us in a sense of rehabilitation. And I feel like even for myself, words have always been consistent within my journey and how they showed up for me, how I utilized them, how they really helped me, just give this outlet of expression for me to put a voice to. So when you look at incarcerated youth within the system, they have been silenced, they've been diminished, and they've just gone on unheard for far too long. I really wanted to create something that would amplify their voices and give them a platform to express themselves. When you look at justice involved youth I wanted to give them a chance to really reclaim their narrative because I feel like we kind of snatched that from them when we just label them as a convict or a criminal or someone who stories aren’t deemed worthy to be heard. I wanted to really give them that ability to express themselves and also develop literacy skills that could change the trajectory of their lives.

You made the decision to not attend college, what advice do you have for young adults conflicted with the choice to follow their passion or to retain an education?

TS: So surprisingly college was originally a part of my plan. I’ve always been very into education, loved school, always got good grades, very interested in learning so I was even doing dual enrollment while I was a freshman in high school. I was taking college classes while in high school with the intention to get my associates degree when I graduated and I had my whole college plan. I was the girl meeting with her counselor like almost every week like “Ok this is what we need to do, these are the credits I need”. But I also started my business at 14 and I really saw it takeoff in between the times of me being 16 and 17 so you’re looking at junior year now where it’s kinda like the decision needs to be made and kind of solidified now of, “Am I going to college?”. And if I go to college, what does it look like to sustain this business and this company as a freshman or in a sophomore college? That’s a lot to juggle, that can be very hectic. Or do I kinda devise from the traditional route and bet on myself and say, “I’ve already proven to myself that I can do this, who’s to say I can’t take it further?”. Why wouldn’t I lean into it, embrace it and take that leap of faith? College isn’t the only path, it’s just one of many I like to say. For me choosing not to go wasn’t about rejecting education, it never was about that. It was just about redefining where I wanted to be educated, I chose the world, I chose experience, I chose entrepreneurship and community as my classroom.

Explore what’s gonna get you up out of bed, ask what do you wanna pour yourself into? Follow that. It may not always be the easiest path, but it will be the most honest one and I think we’re now in a generation more than ever that embraces devising from the tradition. We are not doing it like the generations that came before us. There’s so many opportunities now to really bet on yourself. My advice is just explore yourself, really get to know who you are because I feel like as we chase purpose, as we chase fulfillment, we need clarity within that journey and that just comes with really sitting with yourself and venturing and finding out what it is that would be most fulfilling to you.

“Explore what’s gonna get you up out of bed, ask what do you wanna pour yourself into? Follow that. It may not always be the easiest path, but it will be the most honest one.”

- Trinity Simone

In what ways has digital media given you the space to tell your own story? And how can young adults use digital platforms to amplify their voices and advocate for causes they care about?

TS: Digital media gave me the microphone when no one else did. I’ve been able to document my growth in a very organic way that I feel really resonated with a lot of people because I’ve been doing it since I was 14. I was showing my wins, my pivots, the uncomfortable in between. I really had no shame in how I showed up online. I vowed to never be the influencer who you thought lived a perfect life. To me showing your story in an unpolished way is one of the most powerful things you can do because then you really build a community of people who you gain their trust, you gain their comfortability with you and their ability to resonate with you. Because I’m sure that someone saw my post about having transitioned to corporate and was like, “Girl I’m going through the exact same thing. Thank you for making me feel like this is OK.”

My advice to people my age, my peers, young adults, any type of creator or individual who wants to show up, start where you are…it’s all we can do. Don’t wait until you’re perfect or when you think you’re perfect, because perfection is just a construct, it doesn’t exist. Use your voice even when it shakes, even when it quivers, even when you’re scared, choose the consistency over chasing clout. Clout is short-lived, it comes and it goes. Focus on the impact over the impressions, don’t get caught up in the numbers, don’t get caught up in how many views something gets, who’s liking, who’s following, don’t worry about. Your tribe will find you, your people will connect with you, keep showing up for them. You never know who you’re giving permission to do the same, when you take the first step.

In a recent Instagram post you shared “If you have a pulse, you have a purpose. For those of you who have followed my journey for a substantial amount of time, you’ve witnessed an evolution. Child Actor, Teen Entrepreneur, Budding Philanthropist, GirlBossCorporate Girly, Corporate Quitter. One redirection, after the next.And now here…A new chapter? Or simply one rewritten and tweaked? I’m still figuring that part out.”

Given your journey, what guidance would you offer to multi-hyphenates striving to turn their many passions into one powerful, purpose-driven life? And what would you say to someone at a crossroads, unsure whether it’s time to let go of one path and embrace a new one?

TS: That was me making peace with the fact that I’ve never had a linear path and I probably never will. I’ve been it all, worn all the hats and there were many times on that journey where I thought I had to pick one to be taken seriously. I was even given the advice at times to pick one, double down on something, but the truth is I feel like being a multi-hyphenate is the gift . Your purpose doesn’t have to live in one lane, it doesn’t have to exist in one identity. It can exist at the intersection and the crossroads of all the things that light you up. With that said to anyone at a crossroads, my biggest piece of advice to them is that pivoting isn’t a failure, it’s really your sense of faith. You lean into it, you embrace it and you understand that the magic doesn’t happen within your comfort zone. The hardest part isn’t starting over, trust me, I’ve done it many times and I’m still doing it. It’s trusting yourself enough to believe that what’s ahead of you is just as valuable is what’s behind you.

Let go of the idea that your path has to make sense to anybody else it doesn’t. The redirections are really just a part of the rewrite as you figure out what you want to venture into next. Don’t get so caught up in feeling like, “I’ve done this, I’ve done that. I’ve started over this many times, I don’t know what I’m doing. This feels like a disappointment or a sense of disappointment within myself because this isn’t where I was supposed to be, this isn’t what I was supposed to do.” Who really knows what we’re supposed to do? You really don’t know until we do it and then we fall into that feeling of, “This feels right.” But you’re never gonna get to that point unless you venture all those directions, unless you take all those turns.

What role does representation play in helping the next generation believe that their dreams and aspirations are truly possible?

TS: I believe that representation is more than just seeing someone who looks like you. It’s seeing someone who reminds you of what’s possible. Even though I was very educated about what I came from, the lineage that I had derived from, and the people who came before me. Within my space I didn’t always see young black girls in board rooms or on billboards, or behind brands. But I did see resilient, confident, charismatic women who are rooted in their power and went after what they wanted within my own household, between these four walls that I existed in. I think that propelled me forward in my own journey, because I knew the power I came from.

Every time I show up as my full self, unfiltered, black, woman, multidimensional, multi-hyphenate, not boxing myself in. I feel like that’s part of leaving a blueprint. Representation tells the next generation you belong here too, there is space for you. Whether you're soft spoken or whether you’re bold, whether you’re artsy or analytical, there is space for your version of success. And when we step into that, you’re giving someone else permission to do the same, just like someone else in their own way gave us permission to do the same. I’m not like this, because I’m like this, I’m like this because I saw somebody, whoever it may have been that allowed me to feel comfortable being like this. And I think that when we create those spaces and we bring others with us, that’s how we really create a society, a generation and a community of people where dreams become legacies.

Want to hear more amazing stories like this? Check out our “More of Us” series! If you want to connect with Trinity and support the work she is doing, follow her on social at @mstrinitysimone, @blackvibetribe and @theyouthwillbeallwrite, support her brand Black Vibe Tribe , or donate to her cause The Youth Will Be All Write.