Today we’d like to introduce you to Monique Gaines.
Hi Monique, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is one of growth, faith, self-discovery, and learning to embrace all the different parts of who I am. If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my life, it’s that I’m not meant to fit into a box. But that wasn’t always something I embraced.
Even as a child, people would tell me I had an old soul. I often heard things like, “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” I’ve always had a natural ability to connect with people, and even as a teenager, I found myself helping friends navigate difficult situations and traumatic experiences. Looking back, I realize that the desire to encourage, support, and help others was always a part of me. I just hadn’t figured out what to do with it yet.
Growing up, however, I struggled with being different. I knew I stood out, but I didn’t necessarily want to. I spent a lot of time trying to blend in, be like everyone else, and avoid drawing attention to myself. After experiencing sexual assault, that desire became even stronger. There was a period when I didn’t even want people to notice I was in the room. Ironically, that was difficult because I’m naturally outgoing and have always had a big personality. There was an internal conflict between the person I naturally was and the person I was trying to make myself become.
Motherhood brought about a significant shift in me. Once I had my daughter, I became much less concerned with impressing people or meeting their expectations. My priorities changed, and I found myself caring less about what people thought of me and more about living authentically. I didn’t want to spend my life worrying about whether I was too much, too different, or somehow not enough.
My journey into the creative world began with modeling in 2015. I eventually adopted the moniker “Tweenie Queenie,” which is a play on the fact that I don’t fit traditional modeling standards. I’m too big for standard sizing but too small for plus sizing. I’m too tall for petite modeling but not quite tall enough for traditional runway standards. Essentially, I fall somewhere in between everything!
But rather than allowing those industry standards to define my limitations, I decided to own my uniqueness. I may not fit the mold, but I can certainly own the runway! I bring my own presence, personality, and confidence to every show and photo shoot. Modeling challenged me to embrace the very things I’d spent years trying to hide or change. It helped me realize that I didn’t have to fit someone else’s definition of what a model should look like to be successful.
Toward the latter part of my modeling journey, I began receiving more hosting opportunities and discovered another passion. I realized how much I enjoyed entertaining, connecting with audiences, and expressing myself creatively. It opened my eyes to the fact that there was still so much more to me than what I had initially explored.
For a long time, I believed the traditional route was the safest route. I thought having a steady job and a guaranteed paycheck was the way to financial security, especially if you didn’t come from money. I believed that trying to make money on your own could leave you financially struggling before you ever got ahead. Entrepreneurship wasn’t necessarily something I planned for; in many ways, it found me.
A few years later, after experiencing a personal mental health crisis, I began looking more deeply into my own thoughts, emotions, and healing. That season helped me recognize and better understand something that had been present in me all along: my ability to connect with people on a deeper level and help them navigate difficult experiences.
That realization eventually led me to establish The RoseGold Experience in January 2021, a life coaching and meditation business focused on helping people identify internal barriers, work through difficult emotions, and become more intentional about their personal growth. I became a certified life coach in October 2023, further equipping myself to do the work I felt called to do.
My desire to empower others also extended to young girls, inspiring me to create One More Girl (OMG), a mentoring initiative designed to help tween girls develop confidence, emotional intelligence, and a healthy sense of self-worth. I believe that sometimes having the right person in your corner at the right time can change the trajectory of your life.
Faith has been a constant throughout my journey. I’ve learned that sometimes the opportunities meant for us don’t come with a roadmap. Entrepreneurship taught me that all you sometimes need is the courage to take a leap of faith, believe in your abilities, and trust God with the parts you can’t see.
Today, I’m a mother, entrepreneur, certified life coach, meditation guide, mentor, model, host, and aspiring actress. I’m also actively involved in ministry and community service. I know that sounds like a lot of different things, but that’s exactly the point!
I’ve never believed that I should be limited to one title, one passion, or one version of myself. I’ve spent much of my life learning to give myself permission to be who I’ve always been. Not who I thought people wanted me to be, not who I thought I was supposed to be, but simply ME.
If my journey has taught me anything, it’s that you don’t have to fit into someone else’s definition of what success, purpose, or identity should look like. You don’t have to choose just one thing, and you don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin.
Sometimes your greatest strength is found in the very things that make you different.
I’m still growing, still learning, still exploring, and still discovering what’s possible. I don’t believe I’ve reached the end of my story, and honestly, I don’t think I want to. I’m enjoying the process of becoming.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it hasn’t. And I think one of the interesting things about my journey is that many of the people who encountered me during some of my most difficult seasons probably had no idea what I was dealing with behind the scenes.
I’ve experienced things that could have easily changed the way I viewed myself, other people, and even God. The sexual assault I experienced was something I kept very private. It affected me in ways that went beyond the event itself. There were times when I was more than angry with God, convinced He didn’t love me at all, and believed He didn’t care about what happened to me. I struggled to understand how I could believe in a God who loved me while trying to make sense of something so painful.
And that wasn’t the only battle. There were periods of mental and emotional struggle, and moments when life felt like it was piling on more than I knew how to handle. Most of those experiences were shared with only a select few people. Yet, somehow, even in those seasons, I continued to show up for others. I was still the person people could call, talk to, lean on, and trust to help them through whatever they were facing. I could be going through something privately and still make myself available when someone else needed me.
Looking back, I recognize how much I was carrying while trying to maintain the ability to be there for everyone else. I don’t say that to suggest I was some kind of superwoman. I was human, and there were times when I was struggling more than anyone knew.
Finding my way back to my faith has been the biggest source of strength for me. It didn’t happen because I suddenly had all the answers or because everything in my life got better. It happened because I eventually realized I needed God, even if I didn’t understand Him. I had to work through the hurt, the questions, and the disappointment I had carried for so long. Rebuilding that relationship changed the way I approached life. It gave me somewhere to take the things I couldn’t explain, fix, or carry on my own.
I’ve also had to learn that being someone who helps others doesn’t mean I should have to do everything alone. I can be a source of encouragement and support for someone else and still need those things myself. I can be strong and still have difficult days.
I think that’s one of the biggest lessons this journey has taught me: the person everyone sees isn’t always the person who knows what it took to get through the day. And sometimes, the people who spend so much time pouring into others have to learn to make room for their own healing, too.
My road hasn’t been perfect, and I haven’t figured everything out. But I’m in a much different place spiritually and emotionally than I once was. I’m grateful that my difficult experiences didn’t get the final say in how my story would unfold.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
If I had to describe what I do, I’d say I’m a creative at heart, an entrepreneur by experience, and someone who has never been particularly good at staying in one lane!
My work spans several different areas, including life coaching, mentoring, modeling, hosting, creative direction, and acting. Although they may seem like very different things, they all give me an opportunity to do something I genuinely enjoy: connect with people, create experiences, and make an impact.
I’m the founder of The RoseGold Experience, a life coaching and meditation business I started in January 2021. I specialize in helping people work through internal barriers, gain a better understanding of themselves, and become more intentional about their personal growth. My approach is centered around creating a judgment-free space where people feel comfortable being honest with themselves and exploring the things that may be holding them back. I’m also the founder of One More Girl, a mentoring initiative for tween girls that focuses on confidence, emotional intelligence, and mental and emotional well-being. Creating spaces where people, especially young girls, feel seen, heard, and encouraged is something I’m incredibly passionate about.
On the creative side, I’ve been modeling since 2015. I’m known as the “Tweenie Queenie,” a name that came from the fact that I fall somewhere between the traditional modeling categories. I’m too big for standard sizing but too small for plus size, too tall for petite but not quite tall enough for traditional runway standards. Essentially, I don’t fit neatly into the industry’s boxes. But I’ve never allowed that to stop me. I bring my own presence to the runway and every photo shoot, and I take pride in being able to show that you don’t have to fit a particular mold to belong in a space.
Something else I’ve discovered is that I enjoy being on the other side of the camera just as much. I love stepping into the role of creative director for other models and creatives, helping develop concepts, visualize a look, and bring an idea to life. There’s something equally exciting about being part of the vision behind a shoot and watching someone else bring it to life. I enjoy recognizing the potential in an idea and helping others see what they can create with it.
Over time, modeling opened doors to hosting, which I discovered I absolutely love. I enjoy entertaining, engaging an audience, and being able to connect with people in real time. Acting is another creative outlet I’m pursuing. It’s actually my first love, and although I’m still growing in that area, it’s something I’ve always envisioned myself doing.
What am I most proud of? I’m proud that I’ve created things that allow other people to see possibilities in themselves that they may not have recognized otherwise. I’m proud of building The RoseGold Experience and One More Girl from ideas into something tangible. I’m proud of stepping into spaces where I may not fit the traditional description of what someone in that space is supposed to look like and showing up anyway. And I’m proud that I haven’t allowed age, size, titles, or other people’s expectations to determine what I’m allowed to pursue.
I think what sets me apart is that I don’t believe I’m limited to one gift, one purpose, or one version of myself. I can be on a runway, behind a microphone, behind the camera developing a creative vision, in front of an audience, or sitting across from someone helping them work through a difficult season of life. I bring a different part of myself to each experience, but the ability to connect with people is always there.
I’m not interested in being easily categorized. I’d rather be known for the impact I make, the experiences I create, and the permission I give myself to explore everything I’m capable of becoming.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’ve always felt that what some people call luck, I sometimes recognize as timing, opportunity, or God’s favor. I do believe there are moments when things seem to fall into place unexpectedly, when the right person crosses your path or an opportunity presents itself at just the right time. I’ve experienced those moments throughout my personal life and career.
I never set out with a master plan to become an entrepreneur, a model, a host, or even a life coach. A lot of the opportunities I’ve pursued came about organically. One opportunity opened the door to another, and sometimes I found myself in spaces I hadn’t even considered being in. Looking back, I can see how certain introductions, experiences, and unexpected opportunities helped shape the direction of my life.
But I also don’t believe luck is the whole story. Opportunities mean very little if you’re not willing to recognize them, take a chance, and put in the work. I’ve had to step outside of my comfort zone, take leaps without knowing exactly how things would turn out, and trust myself enough to pursue things that didn’t necessarily come with guarantees.
I’ve experienced what some might consider bad luck, too. There have been disappointments, financial hardships, missed opportunities, and seasons when things simply didn’t go the way I hoped. At the time, I couldn’t always see any good in those experiences. Some of them were painful, and some forced me to reconsider my direction altogether. But they’ve also taught me patience, resilience, and the importance of not allowing one disappointing chapter to determine how I view the rest of my story.
My faith has changed the way I look at all of it. I don’t necessarily believe that everything that happens is meant to be celebrated or that every setback has some immediate hidden blessing. But I do believe God can use circumstances, even difficult ones, to redirect us, develop us, and prepare us for things we may not have anticipated.
If I’ve been lucky in anything, I’d say it’s that I’ve continued to find opportunities to explore who I am and what I’m capable of, even when the path looked nothing like I expected. But I also recognize that I’ve had to show up, take risks, and be willing to walk through doors when they opened.
So, while I won’t discredit luck, I don’t give it all the credit either. I believe in preparation, perseverance, divine timing, and having enough faith to move when an opportunity presents itself. Sometimes the opportunity is the blessing, but having the courage to pursue it is a decision.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Tweenie_queenie_
- Facebook: Monique C. Gaines
