- 5 weeks ago
The star of the newest Real Housewives franchise on representing for multifaceted moms, being a Black woman in Dubai and the fiery reunion.
Category
đ ď¸
LifestyleTranscript
00:00I saw someone on YouTube who was literally like, she manifested her life.
00:04You know, I am genuinely a firm believer in if you think it, you can achieve it.
00:10I've always lived by that.
00:11And I actually saw that comment a few times on my social media as well.
00:15And I was like, what are they talking about?
00:18And then I went back to College Hill and yeah, I was basically law of attraction, right?
00:23I was basically manifesting my life because I'm that type of person.
00:26If there's something that I want, I say it out loud.
00:29And subconsciously, that's the manifestation, right?
00:32So no, it's absolutely amazing getting back on screen.
00:36I think for me at first, I was a little bit hesitant because I know what comes with reality TV, right?
00:50It's been a journey and how are you feeling?
00:52How are you?
00:54Oh, well, thank you so much for having me.
00:56Honestly, this is such an honor.
00:57I love Essence.
01:00So this one is, it's over the top.
01:03It means a lot.
01:05Nice, nice.
01:06I love it.
01:06And so, you know, for many people, you know, many Bravo fans mainly, you know, they got to meet you for the first time with the, you know, this first season of The Real Housewives of Dubai.
01:15But for others, like myself, just saying, you know, we were introduced to you years ago as Milan Miss Jamaica from College Hill.
01:24So how has it felt to get back on reality TV after all of these years and share this next chapter of your life and the career that you built for yourself?
01:32I saw someone on YouTube was literally like, she manifested her life.
01:36You know, I am genuinely a firm believer in, if you think it, you can achieve it.
01:42I've always lived by that.
01:43And I actually saw that comment a few times on my media as well.
01:48And I was like, what are they talking about?
01:49And then I went back to College Hill and yeah, I was basically law of attraction, right?
01:55I was basically manifesting my life because I'm that type of person.
01:58If there's something that I want, I say it out loud and subconsciously that's the manifestation, right?
02:04So no, it's absolutely amazing getting back on screen.
02:08I think for me at first, I was a little bit hesitant because I know what comes with reality TV, right?
02:14So I know the pros, I know the cons and I wanted to think it over before definitely deciding.
02:23But on the other hand, I think it's been amazing because people, they've seen my growth from College Hill.
02:28You know, I'm not the same Milan from College Hill.
02:32Now I'm a wife, I'm a mom, I'm an entrepreneur and, you know, it's amazing.
02:38I think people get to see my journey and my growth and that's been a positive, positive experience.
02:44I love that.
02:45And so when the opportunity to join Real Housewives of Dubai came about, what was like the deciding factor or the reason for you to want to be a part of it?
02:53And what were you hoping to present to the public in regards to who the real Lisa is?
02:58Well, besides that, I am a businesswoman and I think long term.
03:03You know, it's such an amazing platform for me to represent women that look like me and show that, you know, you can be classy, you can, you know, run a successful business, be a great mom, be a great wife.
03:17You can ultimately have it all.
03:20And, you know, I wanted that message to come across because I feel like so often we don't see that on reality television, right?
03:29We get the angry black women and the stereotypical things that we don't, most of us don't really relate to.
03:36So I wanted, I was very, very conscious of, you know, everything that I did on the show because I know it's not just for me, but it's for women that look like me.
03:45And little girls who are going to come up in this industry, you know, you don't have to go left all the time.
03:51You can keep it classy.
03:53Yes, for sure.
03:54Very true.
03:55Very true.
03:55And how many years have you been in Dubai and what do you love about the city and raising children there as a black woman?
04:03Because I know many of us are embracing, especially in the pandemic, like expatriate life, being open to moving to other places.
04:10What makes Dubai like home for you?
04:13So I've been in Dubai for almost nine years now.
04:17I met my husband in Miami.
04:19We're in a long distance relationship for a while.
04:21And basically love brought me to Dubai.
04:24Dubai and it's been such an amazing, amazing transition for me.
04:29I mean, Dubai is known as the city of gold, but it's also the city of dreams.
04:34And if you put in the hard work, you know, with grit and grace, you can, you can get far.
04:40And so I really, really love it.
04:41I have three amazing little boys.
04:44I'm a boy mom.
04:45And as a woman, an Afro-Caribbean woman, it's just the peace of mind and the safety here is really what I love most.
04:58You know, I don't have to worry about people discriminating against my kids because of the color of their skins.
05:04We don't really have police brutality, you know.
05:08So the safety of it is what keeps me here.
05:11Okay.
05:12And if you had to pick a few places, I know, obviously, on the show, you guys go a little bit everywhere.
05:17What are some go-to spots that you love, you know, to frequent in the city?
05:22So I love Berger-la-Rab.
05:24It's the world's first seven-star hotel.
05:27And when I tell you, you get seven-star treatment, you do.
05:32It's really amazing.
05:34But because I have my little boys, I think something that a lot of people don't know is that this city was built around families, you know.
05:42So one thing I really, really love is that they cater to children a lot.
05:46So I love going to Legoland and all these fun kids' places.
05:51And for date night, oh, my gosh, there's so many restaurants.
05:55I feel like in hospitality, Dubai has nailed it.
05:58So it's hard to think of, like, one thing because there's so many different amazing places that if you come, you have to visit.
06:07For sure.
06:08But I love that concept of, like, there's a lot for family because I think people think of, like, the fancy, luxurious, you know, opportunities to enjoy as opposed to, like, yeah, there's a Legoland here, too.
06:19Like, that's good to know.
06:22Honestly, it's so amazing.
06:24It's the best place for kids.
06:25My kids don't run out of things to do.
06:28There's always something new for us to try.
06:31And even with restaurants, you know, a lot of places, kids are not allowed.
06:35In Dubai, even the finest of restaurants, Michelin star, kids are allowed.
06:40So it's amazing.
06:41It's great for families.
06:43Oh, I love that.
06:44And like you mentioned, I've seen, you know, that you travel frequently to Miami.
06:49You said you met your husband there.
06:50Are there any other destinations that you love to travel to as a jet setter?
06:54Well, I am a yachty.
06:56I am Jamaican.
06:57I love Jamaica.
07:02I mean, I love traveling to the Caribbean in general.
07:04You know, of course, I'm Jamaican, so I like going back home to see family and, you know, experience the food and the culture.
07:12But I also, you know, I am Jamaican, so when I'm back in Miami, I love to hop on a flight to New York, to L.A., to Chicago, you know, and outside of the U.S., I would have to say Kenya.
07:26Kenya has been the most impressive place that I've ever been in my life.
07:31Oh, wow.
07:31I haven't been to Kenya, but I mean, it's beautiful from every image.
07:34You would love it.
07:36You would love it.
07:38And just seeing animals, actually, because of my visit to Kenya really quick, I've kind of become, well, my son's kind of made me become an animal rights activist when it comes to, we don't go to zoos and stuff.
07:51Because once you've seen them in their natural animals and their natural habitat, it's kind of hard for you to go to a zoo and see it.
07:58So, yeah, definitely visit Kenya.
08:01It's one of the most amazing, amazing places.
08:04Nice.
08:05I love that.
08:06And so the first season of Real Housewives of Dubai just wrapped.
08:10And, of course, we're getting ready for the reunion, which will air, you know, in two parts.
08:15How do you feel about the experience that you have had?
08:17And what has it been like kind of bumping heads with some of your castmates?
08:22Oh, it's been a lot.
08:24But overall, but you know what?
08:27To be honest, overall, the experience in general surpassed my expectations.
08:32You know, it wasn't as invasive as College Hill, for example.
08:37So that part of it was a breeze.
08:40As far as bumping heads with some of my castmates, I mean, it happens, right?
08:45We're all strong women who are very opinionated.
08:49But I would have to say, as a feminine, modern woman of color, you know, there's this negative connotation that people have when Black women are successful.
09:01Or we have a nice bag or we have, you know, we're living a luxurious life that we had to basically sell our souls to get it.
09:09And I feel like that's one thing that came up in the reunion, for example.
09:14And I didn't like that because I work really hard to be who I am, just like many other African-American women, just like a lot of other women of color.
09:24And to put me in that box was very, very hurtful and damaging.
09:31Okay, well, I hate to hear that because I was going to ask, like, what can we do from the reunion?
09:38Yeah, I mean, but it's true, right?
09:41I mean, we have our children of doctors, lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, you know, and our parents provide a really good life for us.
09:50So for people, and we work really hard to provide a good life for ourselves.
09:54So for people to put us in this box, especially in Dubai, where, you know, Black women are the minority, like the minority.
10:03I'm the only Black mother, even though it is a melting pot, very diverse, people of all different nationalities and religion living in harmony.
10:11You know, we are really the minority.
10:13So we have to be very, very careful of how we carry ourselves.
10:16And when you work really hard to be where you are and who you are, it's just damaging on every level, not just for me, but for all the women who look like me.
10:26You know, we're one in a million.
10:29And it's just, it's a lot.
10:31But I think overall, it's going to be an entertaining show, for sure.
10:38I'm going to, you know, read them here and there.
10:40But most importantly, I just want women to come together instead of fighting all the time.
10:45Like, I feel like we've moved past that.
10:48People want to see different things.
10:49They want to see things that are aspirational, just as much as they want to see the drama.
10:55That's true.
10:55People do get tired of, you know, all of the catfights and things that they see on reality TV.
11:00So it is nice to be able to see something different.
11:02And I love the, you know, the diversity as well as the diversity of you guys' personalities on the show.
11:08So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the reunion.
11:11And speaking of women and supporting women and being encouraging and empowering of women, you do that in your businesses.
11:17So you have your successful maternity line, Mina Rowe, that has been embraced by Hollywood's finest.
11:24So how does it feel to have that success?
11:26And what is next for that business and your other entrepreneurial pursuits?
11:31I am so proud of Mina Rowe.
11:33Honestly, I, the queen of moving in silence for so many years.
11:37No one even knew I owned Mina Rowe, you know, because I, I believe in self-validation and not, you know, what Jamaicans would say, don't count your chickens before they hatch, right?
11:49And I felt like now was a good time for me to tell the world because we're at a certain level.
11:54And it's just been amazing.
11:57I aspire, you know, to inspire.
12:01And, but we've done well.
12:03We're definitely, definitely launching our body butters and we're going into skincare.
12:09So I'm really, really excited about that.
12:12Nice.
12:13And what's just next for you in general?
12:15When you're getting a break from, you know, the show and you're getting the focus on your businesses and on your family and on your relationship.
12:21How are you, what are you looking forward to doing during this off season of, from TV?
12:27Well, being that I just came back from vacation with my kids.
12:31I am looking forward to them being at school and me being able to take a nap.
12:38Moms can relate.
12:40Moms can relate.
12:41It's been a lot, you know, having them with me all summer, even though I love them so much.
12:46It's just, I'm looking forward to just that downtime and really just, you know, speaking out more, doing more engagements with women and just taking it to that next level.
12:59Got you.
13:00Nice.
13:01Well, this has been lovely getting to learn more about you, getting to hear more about the reunion and, you know, what's to come with your business and your life and just your love of travel.
13:09And Kenya, I got to get there.
13:12So I really appreciate you making time to chat with me today, Lisa, and, you know, getting to chat with us and the audience.
13:19So thanks so much for your time.
13:22Thank you so much for having me.
13:23Honestly, this has been an honor.
Comments