Screen Shot 2014-05-31 at 1.16.29 PMLast week, I sat down with CentricTV.com editor Gerren Keith Gannor to talk about my start in blogging, my future after blogging and how the impact of the deaths in my family have affected me.

Two minutes into her interview with CentricTV.com, Necole Kane, widely known by the moniker “Necole Bitchie,” is in tears.
“Damn. Every time someone brings up my parents…” she says before stopping mid sentence to dry her eyes.
The famous blogger’s mom and dad both died at the age of 42, just two years apart from each other and, as expected, it’s something that remains a soft spot. In fact, death has become quite a devastating theme in her life. Before her parents, Necole’s grandmother had passed when she was 16, and just last year, she reveals, she lost her other grandmother as well.
“It’s something I didn’t publicize,” she said. “I didn’t go to the funeral and it’s only because you get tired of your last memory of people being in a casket.”
Kane, who’s website NecoleBitchie.com is the one of the fastest-growing celebrity news sites on the Internet, tells Centric despite her traumatic personal story, it’s only been used to light a match to her burning success. But more importantly, it’s taught her to value life that much more.
“I think that’s why I work so hard because I don’t know how much time I have here,” she says.
If her six-year career as a blogger is any indication, Necole will be here for as long as she wants to be.
Before urban bloggers were posting selfies with celebrities and building their “brands,” there was Kane. Her girlie persona and transparency came at a time when most bloggers hid behind their computer screens. The site, which attracts mostly women, has propelled the smalltown Maryland native to a stage she didn’t exactly intend to be.
Back in 2007, Necole quit her radio gig and took a leap of faith by moving to New York City in order to pursue a career at a record company.
“I didn’t know how to sell myself, so it was hard for me to get a job,” she admitted.
In an attempt to prove she had the goods to market herself, Necole started her blog, which continues to be one of the most read urban sites on the Net.
It’d be safe to assume that Kane’s many bouts with adversity is what got her this far. Through the loss of loved ones, and being broke and homeless, Kane seemingly made a way out of no possible way. However, she points out there’s a price that comes with success.
“They see the fun. They say ‘I want to be just like her’ or ‘I see her on the scene at all these celebrity events,’ but they don’t know how much you sacrifice to have a website of that caliber,” she said. “I sacrificed family, friends because I couldn’t afford to [stop]. There’s always something breaking and somebody’s always willing to take your place or steal your audience.”
After a rough year of lawsuits, and her grandmother’s death, Kane says she took a 10-day vacation overseas in 2013 that changed her outlook on her career and personal life.
“I realized you gotta work smarter not harder,” she said. “So I hired writers and help to open up a little time to live.”
But even with the success of the site, Necole tells Centric her dreams and aspirations go far beyond blogging.
“I don’t want my legacy to be that I was some great celebrity gossip blogger. I want my legacy to be something more impactful,” she says.
Kane says when she was younger she was inspired by Oprah Winfrey just when her talk show was beginning to take off. When Winfrey started doing city tours, Necole was amazed at how many women – of all races – paid to see her. She, too, wanted to have that kind of effect on people. But when she went to college, Kane says she was often teased for her country accent.
“I mispronounced words and everybody thought I was unintelligent. They mocked me when I talked and I was like OK that’s not what I want to do anymore,” the self-described introvert said. “I let those people steal my voice and they took my dream and I think I want to get that dream back.”
While she’s not entirely sure when or what her exit strategy will be, Kane says she thinks about it often and makes it clear that she wants to separate Necole Bitchie from Necole Kane. One way of doing that is also blogging on her personal website IAMNecole.com.
Eventually, Necole says, she wants to turn to book writing and inspire people around the world to go after their dreams, the same way she did so many years ago.
“You have to block out the noise so you’re not comparing yourself to other people. Don’t follow anyone else,” she says. “I don’t know what’s next. I just ask God to just use me and guide me to my next chapter.”

Via Centric.