Lateshia Pearson & Kerri Paul Tease ‘Belle Collective’ [Exclusive]

With Belle Collective back tonight, the Mississippi stunners agree with Carlos King that viewers are in for “the most shocking season yet.” “I agree—wholeheartedly,” Lateshia Pearson told BOSSIP. “[It’s] VERY shocking.”

Pearson, who has long balanced her role as the head of Women Brunch Mississippi and her complicated marriage to Glen Pearson, said that this season of the OWN show airing at 8 EST takes viewers into uncharted territory.

“Things have changed since last season, and I think that’s going to shock a lot of people in itself. Marriages were tested and friendships–the loyalty, I’m going to be shocked so that should be a shocker in itself,” Lateshia told Managing Editor Dani Canada.

The new season introduces a fresh presence to the Jackson, Miss., ensemble: Kerri Paul, a boss badie restaurateur and influencer from the Gulf Coast who owns multiple locations of Brick & Spoon, a breakfast and brunch concept.

Paul told BOSSIP joining the cast was “a no-brainer.”

“Lateshia invited me to join, and of course, I said yes immediately,” she said. “I’ve been watching them for years and admiring them [and] I really admire Lateshia, what she’s doing to uplift women, especially in the brunch realm. This isn’t my first foray into television but I really love it. It’s been a really fun time, and I’ve enjoyed the process.

Paul quickly found her footing among the group of established “Belles,” especially with the help of “Jackson, Mississippi’s Beyoncé,” Selena Johnson.

Selena was the most welcoming,” Kerri told BOSSIP. “She is such a sweet person and really from the heart, a southern belle. She just really exudes that Southern presence.”

But Belle Collective has never shied away from conflict. Paul admitted her straightforward nature sparked tension with fellow cast member Marie Hamilton-Abston, who thought she’d talk to her like a child.

She apparently thought wrong.

“There was a moment when Marie tried to little girl me, and I felt like, maybe don’t do me because I’m from the Gulf Coast,” Kerri said with a laugh. “I got a little fight in me. Marie felt like, you know, ‘I’m big, bad Marie,’ and I’m like, no, baby, you’re not.”

At the heart of Lateshia’s storyline this season is her evolving marriage to Glen, her longtime partner.

In recent months, fans speculated about the couple’s relationship amid the Belle Collective trailer showing newbie Amanda alleging that Glen sent inappropriate DMs. The divorce talk also reached a fever pitch after Glen shared on Instagram that “the journey to working on yourself can be lonely, but rewarding.”

Lateshia told BOSSIP that the caption is reflective of where their relationship stands.

“Right now, where we are, it’s best to work on ourselves individually. Glen and I, we’ve been together forever. We have history together. And I think that it’s very important for us to work on ourselves. I hope that whatever it is he’s working on, everything works out great for him.

But in this season of my life, I am just really focused on my gifts, my talent, and just really walking in purpose and realigning myself,” she added.

She also echoed what she shared on superproducer Carlos King’s Monday Night Live about her husband [?], quipping with a laugh, “Glen is healthy.”

Paul said that, for her, the show is a chance to portray a new model of womanhood.

“I’m excited for viewers to see a woman who is existing in a nontraditional space,” she said. “Sometimes America wants us to go to school, get the degree, build a business — but then judge us for doing that. I want to show women you can be an entrepreneur and a mom and a wife and be successful in all of those things at one time. And you don’t have to constantly exist in your masculine energy to be a boss.”

Ultimately, Pearson hopes that viewers will see her own resilience.

“What I’m most excited about is the growth,” she said. “A lot of situations that were sent to destroy my peace, I held it down. Things that would have triggered me two or three years ago didn’t anymore. I’m proud of me. I love that for me.”

The new season of Belle Collective airs tonight, Friday, October 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern on OWN.