One reason that we do the spotlights here on AOL Black Voices is to profile businesses, organizations and individuals who are doing outstanding (but perhaps unsung) work within the African-American community. While most media enjoys highlighting the dysfunction of the black community, we believe that there is plenty to celebrate. What I love about Ayize and Aiyana Ma'at is that they've found a way to use their love to create the financial fuel that helps to sustain their family. As certified relationship counselors, they also work together to help other couples find the love they've been seeking as well. It is because of their empowered commitment to strengthening the black family in America that Ayize and Aiyana Ma'at are today's Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight on AOL Black Voices:


What is your name, and what do you do?

We are Ayize and Aiyana Ma'at, and we are relationship coaches and marriage educators. We are in love and in business together and are absolutely passionate about what we do! We are the cofounders of B Intentional: a Human Potential firm that exists to help people improve their quality of life and love through increasing their self-awareness. Our approach is always to start from a place of honest self-examination and relevant real talk. We believe everything - from our perception of the problem to the solution - begins with a willingness to look within, tell the truth and commit to change. We teach people how to elevate their relationships and themselves in the process. We operate the Website blackloveandmarriage.com and have the largest collection of original love and relationship advice videos geared toward African Americans on the Web. We talk about everything from how gender impacts our perceptions to learning how to co-exist in a relationship, the art of communication, coping with infidelity, parenting, sex and so much more.

What is your educational and professional background?

I am a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist. I hold a bachelor's and master's degree in social work. My specialization has been in counseling families and couples and in working with emotionally disturbed and at-risk adolescents. My husband and business partner, Ayize, is a relationship coach and marriage educator certified in various singles and marriage education curriculums. He has earned a bachelor of science in history and is also a licensed realtor in the state of Maryland.

However, we feel our greatest education has come from what we've learned through being in relationship with each other. We are high school sweethearts, have been together for 16 years and are the parents of beautiful and busy children all under the age of 10.

Your company, B Intentional, LLC, assists people with improving their relationships, overcoming obstacles and reaching their goals within their personal and professional lives. Through what means do you help people to achieve these goals, what makes your services superior to that of your competitors and where can readers find more information?

We tell our students all the time that the things they are experiencing in their lives and in their relationships are a direct reflection of what's going on in their hearts and in their minds. In other words, if you come to us for help and you've got your finger pointed outwards, we're going to tell you to take that finger and point it right back at yourself. The primary and most important tool we utilize in helping people go to the next level is challenging them to take 100% personal responsibility for their lives and their relationship.

It stands to reason, then, that if we are pushing personal responsibility then we, ourselves, have to demonstrate that as well. We are the real deal: a real couple building a real life together and being real successful at it, if I don't mind saying so myself. Our relationship has pretty much been an open book from the day we opened our doors for business. It has proved to be one of our most valuable assets and has really helped to set us apart. We are transparent with each other and with our clients, and they have rewarded us well for just being ourselves.

For more information on how to book us for speaking engagements, coaching, classes or to peruse all of the free relationship information and resources we have online, we can be reached at blackloveandmarriage.com or by e-mailing us at info@BIntentional.com.

You offer phone coaching, workshops and classes. Of these services, which one is the most popular and why?

Our clients seem to just fall in love with our classes, and I'll tell you why. It's the power of the group. There is something so sacred and powerful about connecting with other people who have had or are having some of the same experiences as you. So many people say to us, "I thought it was just me that was dealing with this issue!" They are so relieved that it's not just them. We facilitate the class in such a way that it allows people the opportunity to see themselves in other people. I can't begin to tell you how liberating that is. Folks begin to say to themselves "Okay, maybe I don't have to take things so personally. Maybe, there's another way to look at this conflict or issue in my relationship. Maybe, there really is more to this than I realized. Maybe, men and women really and truly are different and look at things differently and maybe, just maybe, it would be worth it to start paying more attention to those differences." I am always amazed by how every single class we teach becomes a little family. People share things with strangers that they would never share with their closest friends, and people form bonds with other people who want to be better and do better just like them. It's the power of the group. It really cannot be adequately explained. You have to experience it to understand it.

As a matter of fact, we've gotten such a great response that we decided to take the classes online. Our online Couples & Singles Relationship Classes will officially be going online April 18, 2011, and registration begins March 9, 2011.

Building a business is a great feat. What challenges did you face when starting B Intentional, LLC, and could these challenges have been avoided? What is the number-one piece of advice you would offer to other entrepreneurs?

In the beginning, we knew that in order to be successful we had to build a strong online presence. In business today, if you're not online then you don't really exist. The only problem was that when we started we only used the internet to check e-mail and go to an occasional Website from time to time. We knew absolutely nothing about building a Website, maintaining a blog or using social media. There was a huge knowledge gap there. But we just decided that we had to get in the game. We couldn't worry about getting everything done perfectly. We just had to get started. So, that's what we did. We built our Website on our own, and we maintain it and all of our social media campaigns on our own. We got started, and every day we learned and did something new and pushed ourselves beyond our comfort zones. Today, the biggest way new clients find us is through word of mouth referrals and the wonderful World Wide Web!

Another challenge we had early on is learning how to be married and business partners with each other. We have totally different work styles and creative processes. I am a talker, and Ayize is not. When I am creatin,g I need stimulation and conversation while my husband needs calm and quiet to get his creative juices flowing. I tend to think quickly, conceptualize what I think needs to be done in a matter of minutes and want to execute now. My husband, on the other hand, tends to be a more contemplative thinker, take his time processing his thoughts and plans and want to execute tomorrow. So, suffice it to say, that we are like complete opposites in many ways. We've definitely had our fair share of professional disagreements, but we have learned to value our differences. We can still get frustrated with each other, but we really try to stretch ourselves to learn from each other's ways of doing things and give each other the professionalism and respect that we would expect from anyone else we work with.

The greatest piece of advice we can give may sound cliché, but it is the 100% truth. Do what you love, and the money will follow. Having passion and a sense of purpose are critical if you want to be successful. Look at anyone who is highly successful in what they do, and you'll find a person who has an intense sense of purpose or passion around what they do. Simply put: Passion + Purpose = Powerful Possibilities.

Do you have any advice for aspiring young African Americans who wish to follow in your footsteps?

#1 I would say never stop expanding your knowledge base. Become a member of marriage educator consortiums and personal development organizations. Never take your hand away from the pulse of what's going on in theory or practice in this field.

#2 Decide what your unique approach will be. Don't try to be like anyone else or sound like anyone else. Just be yourself, and figure out how to consistently bring your uniqueness to the forefront of your business.

#3 Start right where you are with what you have. Oftentimes, we delay our progress because we think we need to know more, have more, or be more in some way. But, the truth is that we all have everything we will ever need to do exactly what we want and need to do. And, as we go along we will receive confirmation that we're on the right path doing the right thing.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our AOL Black Voices audience?

We want everyone to share with their friends and family that our fabulous Couples & Singles Relationship Classes will officially be going online April 18, 2011. Registration begins March 9, 2011. We've received so many requests from people all over the country asking if we could do something online because they just don't have the resources where they live. We are so happy to be able to provide this opportunity to so many! This is our premier project for 2011, and we are so excited about of all the wonderful people we're going to meet and relationships that are going to be elevated.

You can follow the Ma'ats on Twitter by clicking here. You can learn more by visiting BlackLoveandMarriage.com.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. To follow Dr. Boyce on Facebook, please click here.