For Mia “Mimi” Johnson, a career in beauty has grown into a commitment to helping women build businesses, find community, and recognize the value of their creativity. Through celebrity makeup artistry, Grind Pretty, Grind Pretty Fest, and GlamTrack AI, she has created opportunities for women to connect, learn, and grow. With Grind Pretty approaching its 10th anniversary in 2027, her journey reflects how creative experience can become a foundation for supporting others.
A Clark Atlanta University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Mimi brings both creative experience and business knowledge to her work. In a published Grind Pretty interview, she described how her purpose evolved from helping individual clients feel confident to supporting women on a larger scale as they navigate life and entrepreneurship.
Over more than 15 years in beauty, Mimi has worked with clients including Angela Simmons and Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter. Her experience includes television work associated with Bravo, VH1, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta, along with creative direction and brand consulting. These roles have given her an understanding of the artistry, relationships, and strategy involved in sustaining a creative career.
Her entrepreneurial journey also includes The Glamatory, which she founded in 2014 as a venture encompassing a beauty studio, vegan makeup line, and artist agency. According to Grind Pretty’s account, the pandemic prompted a shift away from its physical space and toward the platform she had already begun developing through Grind Pretty. That transition illustrates how the lessons and relationships developed through one business can help shape another.
Founded in 2017, Grind Pretty has grown into a media and experiential brand serving women across entrepreneurship, creative work, corporate careers, and leadership. Its digital magazine, events, and partnerships provide opportunities to discover founders, exchange knowledge, and develop professional connections.
For Black women, the significance of that work is reflected in the founders, creatives, executives, and cultural figures featured across its programming. Their experiences become part of a broader conversation about ownership and opportunity. Through storytelling and events, Grind Pretty gives audiences ways to learn about these women’s journeys and consider the possibilities within their own.
Grind Pretty Fest brings that community together through entrepreneurship, beauty, music, and culture. In her published interview, Mimi emphasized how connections have influenced her career and her desire to help attendees build relationships beyond their everyday circles. The experience creates room for learning on stage and for introductions and conversations throughout the event.
According to Grind Pretty’s 2026 Atlanta recap, the festival welcomed more than 200 attendees to the Westside Cultural Arts Center. Programming included panels, workshops, fireside chats, and a founder marketplace, with discussions covering pitching, media, artificial intelligence, and business pivots. Honorees included Blavity founder Morgan DeBaun and recording artist Nivea. The event also awarded $3,000 in grants through Grind For Good, including an elevator pitch grant.
Mimi’s commitment to women entrepreneurs extends through Grind For Good, her nonprofit supporting women in underserved communities and mothers of neurodivergent children. Its stated approach includes financial assistance, business education, mentorship, community, and personal well-being. Mimi’s experience as the mother of an autistic son informs its attention to women balancing business ownership and caregiving. According to Grind Pretty’s website, the nonprofit has awarded more than $50,000 in grants to women in business.
With GlamTrack AI, Mimi is bringing her experience into technology. The platform helps beauty professionals and creators document looks, organize products, retain client details, and share shoppable recaps. Mimi explains on its website that the idea grew from challenges in her own work, including remembering previous appointments and connecting product recommendations to potential affiliate income.
GlamTrack includes client profiles, searchable look histories, AI-assisted summaries, and tools for incorporating existing affiliate links into recaps. It offers another way for beauty professionals to organize the knowledge behind their work and share it with clients and audiences.
Across these ventures, a consistent purpose emerges: turning experience into resources other women can use. A magazine feature creates visibility. A festival makes introductions possible. A grant provides financial support. A technology platform addresses a practical business need.
As Grind Pretty approaches a decade, Mimi’s story shows how a creative career can continue to evolve while creating opportunities for others. At The Black Beauty Network, we celebrate her contribution to the relationship between beauty, culture, and community, and the spaces she continues to build for women pursuing their own visions.
Learn more at mimijonline.com and follow Mimi at @mimijonline. Explore Grind Pretty and festival updates at grindpretty.com and @grindpretty. You can also learn about Grind For Good and explore GlamTrack AI at glamtrack.ai.
