When Seasons Shift, So Do We: Diarrha N’diaye’s Powerful New Beginning
As the year winds down and the pace around us softens, many of us feel a quiet pull to slow down too. Here in Canada, the change in seasons announce themselves boldly, and that shift can feel especially profound. This time of transition invites reflection, realignment, and the courage to let go of what no longer serves us. Change can feel uncomfortable, but it often brings the clarity and momentum we’ve been craving. And this season, few stories capture that truth more powerfully than Diarrha N’diaye’s. Her journey reminds us that endings aren’t failures; they’re openings, invitations to evolve.
Photo via The Cut
A Visionary Who Built for Us, With Us
A veteran in the beauty industry, Diarrha has long modelled purpose-driven leadership. She began her career in social media marketing and strategy at L’Oréal before moving into product development at Glossier. Along the way, she noticed a gap: beauty products intentionally crafted for melanin-rich skin were still limited, despite undeniable demand.
Ami Colé became her answer: a clean beauty brand built with care, intention, and community at its centre. What she created wasn’t just a product line; it was a space where Black women were seen, reflected, and prioritized. Her approach mirrored values many Black women founders and marketers hold close: authenticity, innovation, deep audience understanding, and community-first thinking. Ami Colé proved that inclusive beauty isn’t a trend; it’s a standard.
Photo via Ami Colē
An Honest Closing, Rooted in Courage
This year, Diarrha announced the closure of Ami Colé due to the financial pressures of scaling and sustaining a beauty brand in an unpredictable market, a decision she shared both on the brand’s Instagram and in a deeply personal essay for The Cut. Instead of stepping away quietly, she chose transparency. She spoke candidly about the realities of fundraising, shifting DEI commitments across the industry, the challenges of maintaining cash flow, and the emotional weight of closing something she built with heart.
Her honesty resonated, especially with Black women entrepreneurs who often juggle vision, execution, and limited resources while navigating systems not designed for our success. Closing a chapter in entrepreneurship is rarely simple; it can come with grief, reflection, and disappointment. But Diarrha showed that endings can also be acts of integrity and alignment.
A Powerful Door Opens at SKIMS Beauty & Fragrance
Not long after closing Ami Colé, a new opportunity emerged and it was monumental. Diarrha was appointed EVP of SKIMS Beauty & Fragrance, stepping into executive leadership at one of today’s most influential brands.
This is more than a career pivot, it’s a moment of representation that carries weight. For Black women in marketing, beauty, and creative industries, seeing a Black woman step confidently into an executive role reinforces a simple truth: our expertise belongs in every room.
As a founder, Diarrha brings insights that only come from building something from the ground up, insights that will shape brand voice, product vision, and cultural resonance on a global scale. This is what it looks like when one door closes and another opens wider than you imagined.
Photo via Cosmopolitan
Why Her Story Matters for Financial Literacy and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Diarrha’s choice to close Ami Colé also invites a deeper conversation about the financial realities of entrepreneurship, especially for founders of colour. As we mark Financial Literacy Month in Canada, her openness is a timely reminder that financial clarity is not optional; it’s foundational.
Her story highlights several key truths:
Understanding cash flow is essential.
Funding gaps still disproportionately affect Black women founders.
Investor expectations can shape a brand’s pace, scale, and pressure points.
Sustainability matters as much as vision.
By naming the financial barriers she faced, Diarrha helps demystify the numbers behind the narrative. Her transparency empowers other Black women entrepreneurs to make informed decisions grounded in both passion and financial health.
Photo via Ami Colē
Five Lessons We Can Take Into Our Own Next Chapter
Be honest about the struggle, transparency creates community and trust.
Clarity about challenges reduces shame and helps others navigate their own journeys.
Closing a chapter is not failure, it’s often the beginning of alignment.
Letting go can be the most strategic and self-honouring choice.
Your skills translate across industries, expertise is adaptable and portable.
What you’ve built, led, and learned travels with you.
You deserve visibility in financial conversations, your leadership belongs in rooms where capital and strategy are shaped.
Your perspective is valuable and worthy of influence.
Change is an invitation, sometimes a new season requires letting something go.
Releasing what no longer fits creates room for what’s next.
A Closing Note for Your Own Season of Change
As we move toward a new year, Diarrha’s journey invites each of us to reflect: What are you releasing? What are you making space for? What new beginning might be quietly taking shape?
Whether you’re redefining your role, considering a career pivot, or simply adjusting your habits to protect your wellbeing, remember this when seasons shift, you have permission to shift too.
And just like Diarrha, your next chapter may be more expansive than you ever imagined.
