Nicole Ari Parker balances being a working actress and entrepreneur while building a life alongside her husband, Boris Kodjoe.
Parker and her "biggest cheerleader" recently celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary — and she hopes there are many more milestones to come.
"When I met Boris, I just thought, 'I want to see him when he’s 80.' I want to grow old with him and make him breakfast when we’re old," Parker exclusively tells OK!, adding that having a supportive partner helped her navigate building her fitness brand, Gymwrap.
"We both are juggling business and careers at all times, but we made our kids a priority from the beginning, so being on the same page about that and having a center focus makes everything possible," the Baltimore native shares.
Parker's own needs inspired her to create Gymwrap after struggling to preserve blowouts, laid-down edges and other popular natural hairstyles while hitting the gym. The mom-of-two started the business in 2011 in her kitchen, as she would cut up Kodjoe's workout shirts to create headbands that absorbed moisture, wicked away sweat and kept her locks preserved.
After years of hard work and experiencing challenges that come with building an empire, the multi-hyphenate was able to create a beloved brand that her two kids, Sophie and Nicolas, were able to witness get bigger and bigger.
“They literally watched me sew the first Gymwraps in my kitchen," Parker reveals. "My daughter Sophie was around 6 or 7, and she would help me sew them."
"It’s really cool for my kids to have been exposed to this because I know they’re thinking, ‘Wow, my mom did that!' It’s so cool to see their reactions and their pride," she adds.
Since the beginning, Parker's noticed how the industry has evolved.
"I always felt free in my hair choices as a Black woman, and I think over time, the biggest change has been productions hiring more Black hairstylists to honor all the possibilities of what our hair can do," Parker notes.
"With more products available now — created by Black women — I feel hair care has reached new levels," she adds.
Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!
As the And Just Like That star's company expands, she doesn't want other people of color to give up on their dreams despite the adversity they may face.
“We can’t get discouraged. It’s so easy to doubt yourself, and you have to hear no a lot of times before you hear yes — but if you have a great idea, you have to go for it," she stresses.
