Today we’d like to introduce you to CoCo.
Hi CoCo, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been someone who believed there was more for me, even before I fully understood what that “more” looked like. Helping and encouraging others has always come naturally to me, but a big part of my own journey was first learning who I was for myself.
A major turning point for me was attending modeling school. At that time in my life, I was beginning to create an identity outside of my friendships and really discover who I was as an individual. Around that same time, I also began walking much stronger in my faith and developing a deeper relationship with God. The more I learned who I was in Him, the more confident I became in who I was becoming.
That foundation became extremely important when I entered the modeling industry. I was stepping into an environment where it can be very easy to compare yourself, feel pressure to fit in, or believe you have to become something you’re not in order to succeed. Because I had already started developing my identity and knew where my foundation was, modeling didn’t create my confidence. It challenged me to evolve in it. I learned how to walk into rooms, stand out, remain true to myself, and not allow the pressures of the industry to determine who I needed to be.
Over time, modeling opened incredible doors for me, including working with brands and designers such as Lancôme, Olay, Radmila Lolly, and LaQuan Smith, walking in New York and Los Angeles Fashion Week, and being featured on a billboard in Times Square. I’m grateful for every opportunity, but some of the biggest lessons I’ve gained from my journey have had less to do with accomplishments and more to do with identity, purpose, discipline, and having the confidence to remain yourself as your life continues to evolve.
As I continued growing personally, I realized that so much of what I had learned through my own experiences with confidence, relationships, healing, purpose, boundaries, accountability, and emotional and relational intelligence was something I wanted to pour back into other women.
That eventually led me into life coaching, image consulting, and creating GURL Code, which stands for God’s Undeniable Real Love.
GURL Code was created from my desire to give women a safe space to grow, connect, heal, and remember who and whose they are. What started as an idea has grown into sold out events, community experiences, personal development conversations, outreach, and a growing sisterhood of women who genuinely want more for their lives.
Faith is at the center of so much of what I do. I truly believe God has been intentional about every part of my journey, including the seasons that did not make sense while I was going through them. Some of the things I once viewed as setbacks ended up shaping the way I lead, coach, encourage, and connect with women today.
I’m still building, I’m still evolving, and I think that’s one of the most important parts of my story. I don’t want women to look at me and think I have everything figured out. I want them to see someone who continues choosing growth, faith, purpose, and becoming. My goal is to use what I’ve learned, the doors I’ve been blessed to walk through, and the platform I’m continuing to build to help other women recognize their own worth, create an identity that isn’t dependent on other people, walk confidently in their purpose, and become everything God created them to be.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! There were times I genuinely felt like I was just winging it lol! Hoping something would stick. But one of the biggest things I’ve learned as I’ve continued to grow and evolve in entrepreneurship is how important it is to let go of control and allow God to navigate my story.
I’ve learned that the more you try to hold onto situations, force an outcome, or constantly hustle to figure everything out, the more anxious and drained you become. There are so many things in entrepreneurship that you simply cannot control, and I’ve had to learn that everything doesn’t have to happen when or how I think it should.
I’m learning to embrace a slow and steady pace and understand that there will probably never be a point where I feel like I’ve completely “arrived.” There will always be another level of growth, another lesson, and another version of myself that I’m becoming.
So for me, one of my biggest lessons has been realizing that breaks are necessary. Rest is necessary. And sometimes the best thing I can do is stop trying to figure everything out, release my need to control the outcome, and trust God to direct my course. I’m still learning that, but I think that has been one of the most important parts of this journey.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Gurl Code, which stands for God’s Undeniable Real Love, is a personal development community rooted in the work I do as a life coach. My coaching focuses on helping women grow in confidence, identity, purpose, emotional and relational intelligence, accountability, healing, and becoming more intentional about the lives they are building.
What makes Gurl Code different is that I never wanted it to feel like just another women’s empowerment brand. I wanted it to be a space where women could have honest conversations, be challenged, feel supported, and actually apply what they are learning to their everyday lives. A lot of the same conversations I have through coaching naturally show up within Gurl Code, whether we are talking about relationships, boundaries, confidence, discipline, purpose, career, healing, or learning how to become the woman God created you to be.
Through Gurl Code, we host networking and empowerment experiences, intimate Gurl Talk conversations, personal development programming, community outreach, and coaching. I also incorporate study guides, reflective exercises, and personalized resources because I want women to leave with more than just inspiration. I want them to leave with tools, clarity, and something they can actually apply.
One of the things I am most proud of is seeing how quickly women have connected with the vision. Our events have consistently sold out, and what started locally has continued to grow as we expand throughout the DMV. To me, that shows there is a real need for spaces where women can connect, grow, have deeper conversations, and feel supported in becoming better versions of themselves.
At the heart of Gurl Code is the reminder of “who and whose you are.” My goal is for women to become more confident in their identity, more intentional about their choices, and more willing to hold themselves accountable to the standards, purpose, and growth they know they are capable of.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
God, my family, and my support system are at the top of my list of course…. But something that matters just as deeply to me is “practicing what I preach”. I’m really big on being a woman of integrity because that’s how I was raised, and I never want to be in a position where I’m encouraging someone else to do something that I’m not also willing to work on within myself.
Authenticity is also extremely important to me. I want to continue showing up as myself in every room, in every season, and in every part of my life. I never want what I teach or inspire others to do to come from a place of simply sounding good. A lot of what I pour into women comes from things I’ve actually lived through, learned from, healed from, or had to overcome myself.
For me, it’s important that my life reflects the things I speak about. I’m not perfect, and I’m still growing, but I want there to be consistency between who I am privately, what I believe, and what I encourage other women to become. That integrity matters more to me than looking like I have everything figured out.
Pricing:
- 20 minute intro consultation: $30
- 60 minute life coaching session: $100
- Gurl Code event tickets: varies by event
- Gurl Code Membership: 9.99
- Multi Service Package: Includes life coaching, image consultation, and makeup services in one experience 175.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gurlcode.us
- Instagram: gurlcode.us
- Youtube: CoCo Genai
