Today we’d like to introduce you to Eboni Harbeson.
Hi Eboni, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I don’t think I started with some big plan to build a media company or host a show. A lot of my story has been me following my curiosity and being willing to try something before I completely knew where it was going.
I started creating content several years ago, mostly as a creative outlet. Over time, I realized the part I loved most wasn’t just making something look good, it was finding the story. I love figuring out what makes a person, business, or experience interesting, and then finding a way to help others feel that through content.
That eventually grew into Mystic Muse Media. What started primarily as content creation has evolved into creative strategy, storytelling, event coverage, short-form video, social media support, and creative direction. More recently, I’ve started building a team, which has been a surreal milestone because, for a long time, Mystic Muse Media was me doing everything myself.
Along the way, another part of me started asking for more room, too. I wanted to have deeper conversations about the moments and decisions that change our lives, which led me to create Do It Scared Anyway. The show has allowed me to sit down with people in my community and talk about starting over, changing direction, identity, creativity, relationships, and all the things we’re usually figuring out as we go.
I think that’s probably the biggest theme in my story: I’ve allowed myself to keep becoming. I’m 37, I’m raising three kids, I have a full-time career, I’m building a creative business, and I host a weekly show. None of those things cancel the others out.
I’m still figuring out where all of this ultimately leads, but I’ve stopped believing I need to know the entire plan before I take the next step. A lot of the opportunities I have now came from being curious enough to try something, learn from it, and keep going.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. A lot of what I’ve built has happened while I was also rebuilding parts of my life personally.
I spent most of my adult life married. Starting over in my 30s meant figuring out who I was outside of the life I had known for so long. I was raising three kids, working full-time, navigating a completely different chapter of my life, and, at the same time, trying to give myself permission to explore the creative parts of me I hadn’t fully made space for before.
One of my biggest struggles has probably been getting out of my own head. I can overthink things, worry about how I’ll be perceived, or convince myself I need to know exactly what I’m doing before I begin. I’ve also had to learn that being capable of carrying a lot doesn’t mean I should have to carry everything by myself.
Building Mystic Muse Media while working full-time and being a mom has required me to be very intentional with my time and energy. There have been moments of burnout, self-doubt, financial uncertainty, and plenty of figuring things out as I go.
I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that growth doesn’t always look like having everything together. Sometimes it looks like changing your mind, asking for help, trying something you’ve never done before, or admitting that the way you’ve been doing something isn’t working anymore.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but I also don’t think I would want to erase the messy parts. They’ve made me more willing to trust myself, more comfortable with starting over, and much less afraid of becoming someone different from what I thought I was supposed to be.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At the center of everything I do is storytelling. I’m a creative strategist, content creator, podcast host, and the founder of Mystic Muse Media, a creative marketing and media company based in Frederick, Maryland.
Through Mystic Muse Media, I work with businesses, nonprofits, creatives, and community organizations to figure out what story they’re trying to tell and how to communicate it in a way that makes people care. That can look like short-form video, behind-the-scenes content, event coverage, social media strategy, creative direction, or simply helping someone find the angle they couldn’t quite see themselves.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m not just thinking about getting the shot. I’m paying attention to the people, the energy, the little moments, and the details that tell you what something felt like. The camera is really just a tool. My favorite part is finding the story underneath what I’m looking at and figuring out how to translate that for an audience.
That same curiosity is what led me to create and host Do It Scared Anyway, a weekly show on Frederick LIVE Network. I get to sit across from people and have conversations about the decisions, pivots, identities, and experiences that shape who we become. Whether I’m interviewing someone or creating content for a client, I’m usually asking the same question in some form: What’s the story here, and why should someone care?
I’m also incredibly proud of my professional career at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It may seem like a completely different world from my creative work, but I think both sides of my career say a lot about who I am. I’m strategic and organized, but I’m also curious, creative, and deeply interested in people. I’ve learned that I don’t have to choose one version of myself.
What I’m most proud of right now is that the things I once treated as separate interests are starting to come together. Mystic Muse Media is growing beyond just me; the show has created opportunities for meaningful conversations in my community, and I’m continuing to build a creative career alongside a professional career I value. I’m still figuring out what all of that will eventually become—and I think that’s part of what makes it exciting.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Start before you feel ready. You’re probably going to overthink it, wonder if you’re qualified, compare yourself to people who are further along, and make mistakes along the way. Do it anyway. Most of what I know now I learned by being willing to try something before I had it completely figured out.
I also wish I knew sooner that changing direction doesn’t mean you failed. You’re allowed to learn, evolve, change your mind, and build something different than what you originally imagined.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growwiththefloweb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eboni.harbeson
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB3b-I28IWBI
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/mystic.muse.media
