July Entertainment Issue 2021

Check Inside for July Models of The Month

Exclusive Interview with Sheila O. as She Talks Afrobeats

The POWER of

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CONTENTS JULY 2021 Sheila O Mazi O Dana Macc Eric Jordon Tidwell Amber Rodriguez Benny Duhay Jamilah Ewing Timothy Maurice Lil Meek Amun Cosme Lila Brown Sharina Harris Peta-Gaye McCalla Toni Gilliard Chi Ilochi Jordan Chiles Danusia Francis Cassandra Lucas LaVonda P. Rouse Nakikia Wilson

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60 51 Founder – Cece Hymes

62 W.I.B (Where It Begins) is an Independent agency with the aim to always be innovated in each approach taken to projects and making sure excellence is given in a projects execution when it comes to media marketing, branding, networking and management.

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Founded by the well experienced and ever growing force; D.C native - Cece Hymes, the most important and integral aspect of W.I.B is that branding for both Creatives and Businesses is taken to the next level with each and every project undertaken.

We’ve continued to represent a very diverse and well acclaimed roster of emerging talents in the entertainment, and businesses!

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With a determined persistence for continued excellence, our Founder – Cece Hymes, with a college Degree in Business Management, has also worked within radio and with many companies such as: RDE Entertainment, H.I.G.H Entertainment and Caribbean Gospel Records Ltd.,

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Sheila O 4

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. So, thanks for having me. My name is Sheila O. I am the host of Afrozon's with Sheila O. Afrozon is the only nationally syndicated Afrobeat show in the United States of America. It's also syndicated in some parts of Africa. It has a TV division called How Far with Sheila O that adds it to over 44 African countries on primetime. And also, I'm a booking agent. That's me all in a nutshell.

Q. Wow, congratulations. But tell us how you got started and what motivated you to get into TV and radio.

A. Okay, I was born in Lagos, Nigeria.

So that should be one big answer right there. Because when you're from Lagos, you're a natural-born hustler. It's like being from New York. Born in Lagos, Nigeria. I grew up in England, went to school in England and University and everything else. That's where I spent most of my formative years.

While I was there, I joined the mobile awards organization, run by my big sister, Connie King. It's the

music of black origin. It's an award show out there in England. I joined there as an intern and of course, worked my way up and became a part of the establishment. And then I realized there is a lot of A-list artists when going back to Africa for concerts and stuff like that, I was like this gap that needs to be breached. And we can only bridge this gap by introducing X to Africa.

So, I started my company, Zone's PR. A PR firm, a booking firm and it was taking artists to Africa.

And it became really successful.

I give God the glory. Got my first shout-out on Forbes when I was much, much younger. And then I got married, moved to Chicago, and came to the United States.

I'm like hold on a minute, though.

Do they know what Afrobeat is doing in Europe? Afrobeat is popping. I realized A-list artists like Beyoncé she did an album The Gift dedicated to Afro beats, where she featured key Afrobeat artists as well, But then just to take us a little bit back in 2017, I was able to pitch the show to Power 92.3 Chicago, one of the biggest stations out here in Chicago, the station that found Chance the Rapper, and found Kanye real Major stations but they do their own thing. So, I thought they would see my vision.

And they did. They took my show on and now four years later, we're still on Power. And now the show is nationally syndicated in more markets in the USA. Q. Tell us a little bit about the journey. Tell us the challenges you’ve had?

A. Oh, my God. Every other female, the fact that I'm a female with two breasts and everything. Trust me I had my challenges. Being taken seriously, sometimes was a challenge. Being a woman, having to take time out to be a mother was a challenge. Men don't have to go through that. They don't have to give birth and stuff. So, they keep pushing their careers. Women, fortunately for us, we have the best of both worlds. We get time to be mothers and have our kids and of course, we have to heal. So, we take time from our careers. That's a big challenge. Trying to make sure you don't lose your footing in the industry and someone else doesn't come and take over. And then

you're starting from scratch. You know we have to deal with that.

Sexual advances. Most females have to deal with that too. You go into a studio, you are just trying to hear an artist track because you want to do the PR. You want the artist track but then you start to get advances. So, a lot of things are being faced when you're female.

So, I think my challenges have just been the fact that I'm female, but it's also been my strength. It's also made me learn how to overcome situations. It's also made me more patient, and it's also given me a bigger vision. Because when you able to bring that check-in, bring that bag in, have your kids ready for kindergarten, do this, do that, multitask, and still have dinner ready, your brain is working 360 and so is your business mind. So, I've been able to balance it out. So yes, that's what I've been going through and am still going through.

But my most recent challenge now isn't because I'm female. It's because I'm pushing a genre that is trying to break into the United States. And that's Afro beats. We picked up five Grammy Awards recently, you know, in different categories. So, we are growing, but unfortunately, not every PD, the program director is as advanced or as open-minded, as the guys we have here in Chicago planning to or used to know, the markets that actually have our show. So, I'm still out here pushing and preaching the gospel of Afro beats.

Q. Let me go back. So, for people who don't know what Afrobeat’s is, can you explain to us what Afro beats are?

A. Afro beats is a sound of music that is the African sound. So, I think it's the first sound of music because of course, we are all Africans. That's the first continent, the biggest continent, and where we're all from. Afro beats was started in West Africa in Nigeria, by King Fela Kuti, who's also going toe to toe right now for the Hall of Fame with Tina Turner. I think Tina Turner just overtook him. She's number one. He's number two. So Fela started Afrobeat, with an S. So, of course, the other journals of music in Africa, like the high life, house music and all the other music that Africa encompasses, but Afrobeat

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was originated from West Africa.

So, today's Afro beats, which is run by the likes of Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and other artists.

Manifest, Stone Boy, just so many artists are Afro beats with an S. So basically, the new sound is coming out from the Motherland is also fused into piano, which is another sound of music that's coming from South Africa. It's on the Afro house. So, let me say this Afrobeat’s is a fusion of different beats and sounds coming out of the Motherland. That's what it is.

That's the best way to explain it.

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next couple of years?

A. Doing great things, not giving up, keep pushing the boundaries. A lot of things we do here at Afrozons have been the first of its kind. And sometimes it's really hard when you're the first because there's really no one else that you're trying to look up to, or emulate or whatever. You don't even know the limits to what you can do.

Sometimes you're the one who's the servant who's actually laying the foundation. Other people come and step on you, and then they go to the next level, which is also a good thing. Because obviously, when you're the founder of something your name goes down in history as the person that actually pushed a certain path or certain music or certain career. So, I see myself as Sheila O growing. I see myself having more markets to play Afrobeat’s nationally syndicated markets in the US. I see my TV show that's doing so well in Africa, always number one on Twitter. I see that

“Never give up. The grass always gets greener on the other side. ”

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transitioning nicely and coming into the US because that's sure where I go one on one with musical geniuses, entrepreneurs, forward thinkers, and the powers that be.

I just get him to spill the tea. And people who love Afrobeats or love Afro Caribbean music get to listen to these two styles they like, and they know what makes them tick. And how they got to where they are today. So, my platform creates that inside view. And I also see my platform more of a tool to help bridge the gap between African Americans and Africans. I see my name being written down somewhere in history as one of the servants that actually played a role in music.

Q. How do you pick your categories and make it into the top charts?

On your show, you said you do it by categories, and then you have the top charts. How do you pick those to be number one, number two, how do you bring them?

A. It also stems back to what I said about being the first. There's never been an Afrobeats chart in the US. So, we were the first to create an Afrobeats chart in the US in partnership with Mixcloud. Mixcloud is well known, they're UK-based.

They’re like the US SoundCloud.

So, what we do here on the Afrozon show is we try to be very accurate. They say men lie; women lie but figures don't lie. So, we try to play around with numbers. So, we depend strongly on Nielsen's, you know, the Nielson's figures, the BDS scans. How many spins, the songs gain on the radio. Then we look into your Spotify, we look into your social media, not the social media of IG but the music side.

I'm talking about iTunes, Spotify, numbers like that. So, we look at all that and we use that to curate a chart, and whoever is the highest on that chart that's how we rank it 1 to 10. And then we put that out there as a way to also expose the music and expose the talent. And

of course, honor the talent as well to let them know that man, you're doing good man, your song came out like the Wizkid track that came out with Drake. He was playlisted everywhere. We were the first of course to play it because it's Afro beats. But then, I guess the affiliation with Drake made iHeart and some other stations, Radio One, actually put the spins on it. So, we will go out there and count all those spins.

It's very easy for us to get it from Nelson's or the BDS spins. And then that's how we put it together. It's not really about favoritism for us, unfortunately, because we have some parts of the Afrobeats world. They say things like, well, we're never on the chart, you have the same names, unfortunately, these are the numbers. So these are the ones breaking the US interest and use the word the US interest where you hear their songs in clubs, you hear their songs on the radio, and they are songs that the US market is exposed to. So, they get on the chart.

Q. What has been one of your memorable accomplishments you've had?

A. One of them is the one I'm actually dealing with right now. First, I'll say having the show here in the US has been a big accomplishment for me because I don't want to measure accomplishment with success. I want to measure it with challenges. When you're doing something that has never been done before. That's an accomplishment. So being the first to have this syndicated show is a big deal for us here. That's one and then secondly, also playing a part in the yield return with Ghana. Ghana was offering African Americans citizenship for the yield return, being a part of that movement was a good achievement for us. And now we're doing something really big with the

United Emirates with Dubai. We get to fly away over 100 people for free to Dubai for six nights with a lot of other celebrity friends of mine in attendance. So, all this is just because we have a platform most clients or countries feel that we have direct access to African Americans and Africans in the diaspora. So yes, these are big

achievements we're very proud of. And we're working really hard towards it.

Q. Are there any upcoming events or anything that you will want to share with us that you have going on?

A. Of course, I just mentioned, the Dubai event. You're going to have more on that once people follow our platforms, Afrozon's platform, or my personal platform, Sheila O zons. There's going to be a lot of information and how best to get those free tickets to go to Dubai, and also how to get discounted package deals. Dubai's on most people's bucket lists, right. So, then people think, oh, it's such a luxurious place, it's not affordable.

But through us, we're able to put

together packages in partnership with the United Emirates, the tourism department of Dubai, to make it affordable. Because the way they see it in Dubai as well, we go to Mexico, we go to the Caribbean, but we don't come out to Dubai, we don't even come out to Africa. Do you know what I mean? I'm talking about African Americans. So, the whole idea is creating an opportunity for people to know. When you know something you take advantage, right. So, I'm really looking forward to that promotion. It kicks start in October this year and it's going to be crazy. And of course, I always look forward to our festival that we do.

It's owned by flight time Music Festival, but we are the agents for that festival. We get to take a lot of artists for four days to Africa. On the last trip we took Megan the Stallion. She was so emotional while she was out there, loved every minute of it. We took Boyz II Men, Mase, the list is endless. Trey Songz, Chris Brown, you just name it. So, I look forward to that festival as well. Because we also give away free trips to Africa while the festival is running in the Motherland.

Q. Who are your top five Afro beats artists?

A. Wow, you're trying to put me in trouble. Okay, let me see the best way to answer this now, right.

Alright, I'm going to use the chart.

Because that way people know that I'm using numbers. No favoritism.

It's really like those really pushing it hard. So Burna Boy is number one.

Obviously he won the Grammys this year. We're very proud of him.

After Burner Boy, I'm going to say... this is in no particular order.

Okay, I'm just going to list the names. Okay. Ranking just five. I got Wizkid of course, in my mind he's done a lot of great things.

The Queen Tiwa Savage. I Tiwa savage on My Mind. Stone Boy

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wealth is just how people see you, and that can determine how long you live on Earth unless you have an untimely death, accident, or whatever. But you can also control what you put in your body. That is why they say health is wealth. In fact, that's the biggest wealth, isn't it?

from Ghana. They are doing great things. There's a song out right now with Vic Mensa. How many have I listed now? Are we almost there? Top rappers like Manifest.

He's a very strong rapper from Ghana. And then I think another one will be, let me go to another country. Let me go to Tanzania. Let me go to Diamond Platinum. So yes, I tried. So yes, but I love them all.

Q. So, can you share that with us the four types of wealth and what you mean by it?

A. Okay, financial wealth, obviously, that's the money we earn. We get a paycheck for what we do, no matter how big or small. Time, whew. Sometimes people don't understand that giving people time is money. And it's also wealth, and also you have to protect your time.

It's an energy you need to protect.

Because I read somewhere, and I love that thing where it says I wish I could actually invoice people for wasting my time. You can't invoice before wasting your

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time. Time is money. Time is, is precious. So that's a form of wealth. So, when people give you their time, please acknowledge it.

Social relationships, like look at me and you now we are having this beautiful meeting because we have a mutual friend. And now I'm going to be honored to be a part of your magazine. Well done.

Kudos, kudos, well done. Because I love to embrace new ideas and new concepts and the world is big enough for so many authors like yourself to come in and journalists and actually introduce people like me to the world. So social relationships and all that. That is wealth that is money. I can get into a club because I'm hanging out with Ish. Or I'm going to get out with Joe. Or I'm hanging out with Megan or I'm just chilling with Da baby. Forget who I am. I'm in the crew. You're going to let me in, so social wealth. Physical. You got to work out, man. You got to invest in your body. You don't need to do the cosmetics. But you could just work out, go to the gym. Physical

Q. What advice can you give to other leaders and entrepreneurs?

A. Never give up. The grass always gets greener on the other side.

Cut back on social media. People sometimes be phony on social media. Nobody ever shows you their problems. They just show you the good stuff. Here I am in a Maserati. Yeah, I'm chilling. I'm doing this, I'm doing that. But they're not going to tell you how many nights they've cried themselves to sleep and what they're going through. So be appreciative of your own achievements, no matter how little it is. Just give God the glory for that, because you're actually doing better than somebody else. I don't know who but somebody else.

So sometimes we're so hard on ourselves and we don't appreciate things. Also give yourself time and patience, because sometimes you're so in a hurry. They say only fools rush in so don't be a fool.

Your time will come. And when that time comes, no one can take that away from you. And pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, and pray. Without God, without Jesus, without Allah, whatever your religion is, without the higher being, which is God. There's really nothing for you. So, put him first in everything you do, and everything else will fall in line.

Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you?

A. Okay, guys, so check me out. It's Sheila O. It's @sheilaozons and that's sheilazons. And of course, the parent company's Afrozon. It's Afro. Afrozon. So, check us out on all social media platforms. Check us out on YouTube as well on Afrozons radio. And we here, we here bridging the gap and pushing the gospel of Afrobeat’s where Afro beats meets hip hop.

“The time to be most focused is when you are down. ”

Mazi O WIB Magazine

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other things going on in your life.

And I've seen a lot of guys come and go but if you stay persistent, you can outlast the others. So, hurdles have been just trying to get in where you fit in as they say.

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My name is Mazi. People call me Mazi O, because of my last name. I am a cinematographer, videographer, director, and editor.

For that, I like to say I'm your favorite rappers' favorite director.

Q. What motivated you to be a director?

A. I actually stumbled upon it. It wasn't something I intentionally wanted to do. I wanted to be a rapper, like, a lot of people back in the day. So, I thought I was going to be the next Jay Z. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out the way I expected it to. So, I started nibbling and dabbling in video. I was watching TV, you know the home shopping networks where they are selling stuff on TV? I was sitting in the house one day, and he was like, hey, get this camera for only three payments of 25.99.

So, I was like, oh, that looks fun.

And I bought it. And then I got some software from one of my brothers.

And I just started fooling around. I was like, wow, and try this. And the first video I did was with a friend from making the band. I got so much great feedback that I was like, wow, this is what I should be doing.

And I just stuck with it. So, I didn't realize I had the talent for it until then.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and the roadblocks you've had building your business?

A. The journey has been, it has had a lot of highs, a lot of lows.

It's difficult. I'm actually working

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on a course, a video course for other people who are aspiring to be videographers and have some measure of success in the entertainment industry and doing stuff with celebrities. For me, I had to learn the entertainment industry is very different from the normal, everyday life in industry. A lot of the things that we take as normal, you just won't do in the entertainment industry. So, when I do what I do, when I get into a job, when I get a gig, when I'm working with a client.

I had to learn really quickly that as the camera person, as the camera operator, you're just supposed to be invisible. I've worked with a lot of clients. I've worked with Akon, Cardi B, French Montana, and Ray Kwan. I've worked with just about every major rap label in New York City. And some of these people are people that I've listened to. I grew up listening to these people. But once you're on set, I can't fan out, I can't be like, hey, and can I get a picture with you really quick. You have to just do your job act like it's nothing, and just stay focused.

So, that was one thing I had to learn. Then the next thing as far as hurdles, is you learn real quick, or you have to learn really quickly, that you need to be better than the next person, especially now. Like 20, say 2015 up to 2020 equipment started getting cheaper and cheaper, everybody was able to get their hands on a camera. So, you had to start learning how to separate yourself from other people with cameras. And that can be a hard lesson to learn. Especially if you're juggling multiple jobs or you've got

Q. Okay, I love that. But I see you're working on a project, Traphouse.

Can you tell us more information about it and what motivated it?

A. Whoo. Traphouse is going to be good. I'm not one of the people who are into hyping things up but Traphouse is going to be good.

So, Traphouse the name is a little bit not what you expect. It's a lot of what you don't expect. But basically, Traphouse is the story of a woman who was trapped in somebody's house. And it is basically a horror/thriller. And what motivated me to put that project together is that there are a lot of horrors by black people. And then some of them that you do see, they tend to be a little cheesy, they tend to be corny. So, I wanted to get into that. I've done stuff. I've done a lot of rap music videos; I've done storylines inside of rap music videos. I've done things that are all centered around being a gangster, shooter, mob, drug dealer, and stuff like that. So, I kind of wanted to do something that was outside of that. But I like the idea that the name kind of implied that. You know when a person hears oh, did you see that movie Traphouse? They're going to think, oh, it's a drug-dealing movie or something like that. They're going to think about people who hustle.

But when you watch it, you'll see oh, it has nothing to do with that.

It's a woman trapped inside of a house. She's been abducted. And part one is all about her trying to get out of the house. And I just felt motivated to do it. Because at the time, I was thinking about, what do you call it? The abductions that were going on inside of Georgia.

That was a big thing. I think last summer or the summer before that everybody was talking about sex trafficking and stuff like that.

So, that kind of inspired me. And then also, when I saw, they got this movie called Paranormal Activity.

And just watching it from a creative standpoint, me being a directive, just watching how they were able to create this phenomenon with

minimal special effects, I should say. They did a lot of playing with people's senses. When you watch the movie, your eyes are wide open, your ears are wide open, and you’re really trying to figure out what's going on? What's the next move, and you're like on the edge of your seat? So, Traphouse has some elements like that. It has a few elements where you're looking for something. Wow, did I hear something? Did somebody move, wait what was that? So, I wanted to combine those elements right there. Then I wanted to work with an all-black cast, me being a black director, black writer. I got black producers working on it. So, I just wanted to give people a variety besides just a regular shoot 'em up bang bang stuff.

Q. Okay, I can't wait to watch it.

But out of at all the films you've done, which one is the most inspiring to you or your favorite?

A. So, I've worked on a handful of independent films. I've worked on one with... I come from a huge family. So, I got family doing all types of stuff, music and films,

books, all type of things. So, I worked with a family member on a movie called Brotherly Love.

That was about some kids out in Philly. And it was a great project to work on. It was a great project to be a part of. That one had a lot of people. It had Keke Palmer. It had Romeo. So, that one was great, because I really learned. Actually, that was my second movie. But that was the first movie that actually came out. So, I had worked on a project called Brooklyn Bread. I worked on another project called Playtime, which was a dating movie. Then I worked on two projects after that one called 99 Problems. But Brotherly Love, was great because it was a way bigger budget than the other movies I worked on. And there was a lot of magic going on. I was still kind of new because I was shooting music videos and shooting movies and shooting TV and shooting documentaries. They seem like they're all the same, but they have differences in them. And you can be an expert in music videos and not know a damn thing about shooting a television show. So, that

was a really great experience for me to learn and then to network and meet a lot of people. So, that one was good for that reason. I just did a pilot episode for a show called Shepherd, it's new. It's going to be on, the lead is Damon Dash has a network, so it's going to be on Damon Dash's network and it's about this principal who basically turns around this school. He's the guy who has to keep this school in order because it's just wild and crazy. So, probably something kind of like that Lean on Me movie from back in the days with Morgan Freeman. But a lot of projects and sometimes I even writing little stories, little stories that people use to put inside of their music videos mean a lot to me as well. Anything I get behind a camera for means a lot to me.

Q. Let's talk about your clothing brand. Tell us about it?

A. You see, I'm black, but I'm blackity black. That means if you mess with me, I'll flip this table over. Be careful. I'm not one of those oh, he's one of the good guys. Yeah, I'm a good guy, but just don't mess

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with me. Okay. So yeah, I have a clothing line. Black Boulevard.

And we started Black Boulevard in 2019, was the end of the year of 2019. The motivation behind Black Boulevard and the name was I had often heard about this city, this town that black people have created back in the days called Black Wall Street. And it was just like this self-sufficient area of just black excellence, and so on and so forth. So, I am one of those people you can call a serial entrepreneur.

I'm always taking the money I make from videos and flipping it into other things. So, I decided I wanted to do clothing. And that basically was my inspiration. I was looking for a good name, and I don't even remember how I stumbled on it.

I knew I wanted to have black.

I knew it needed to be black, I needed people to understand the power of black. I wanted black in it.

And when you think about a street when you think about the black culture, the black community, it's like, we get fresh, we get fly, and we go out on the block. Do you know what I mean? Or when we go out, especially in New York, because I'm originally from New York, you go out to Times Square or you go out to Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, or you'll go to Jamaica and Queens like you will get fresh, you would get drip, you would get fly, whatever word you use, that's what you would go and do it. So, I wanted something that represented that, and you have the street, you have the block, but then you have the boulevard, which is much bigger than all of that. And then anywhere you go, there's going to be a Boulevard. So, I wanted to put those two words together and there you go.

Q. Where do you plan to be in the next three years?

A. The next three years? That's a good one. Well, I want to start doing more documentaries. I've been lucky that the work I've done as a videographer and director has allowed me to travel the world. And there are just so many stories that can be told. Even if you just start here in America. A lot of the things that are going on

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within the black community, a lot of the issues that we have with ourselves and those outside of our community. I think they need to be captured. I think if you want to educate people on the whole, then TV movies are the medium that can be used. Music and television have a major influence that people don't realize. So, I want to start doing and creating content that is not too preachy, but definitely educational.

So, you'll be able to watch it. For instance, the movie by Jordan Peele, Get Out. It was a horror, but it had little jewels throughout the movie. That movie, to me it's one of my favorite movies because it’s kind of created its own genre. It’s kind of created its own category because it was just so genius that you can be this entertaining, and this educational and subliminal actor at the same time. So, in a few years, as you said in the next three years, I would like to have created several documentaries.

And then also some projects that are not necessarily documentaries but maybe biopics, tell some stories that just encouraging and enlightening. There are a million stories to tell. I'm in Atlanta right now. And Atlanta, the whole strip club culture, the gun culture. Being Georgians, it's a gun state. So, everybody, and their mama got guns. Me coming from New York that was kind of shocking to me to

just see people walking around with guns. But there's a story in that how did Georgia become that type of state? Besides this last election with Georgia being a red state, how is it to be a black person living in a red state? There's just so many stories that can be told.

So basically, that's what I want to do. I want to talk about just things that can help our culture. One of the things that is dear to me, is the relationship between black men and black women. Why do we seem to have so many problems with one another? And how do we solve that? How do we fix that?

How do we speak about the things that need to be spoken about without us offending one another?

So, I want to do a lot of projects on that as well. And then, on top of that, I want Black Boulevard to be the go-to clothing line.

Q. What is your favorite film?

A. Get Out is one of my favorite films.

Black Panther is definitely up there. Avatar by James Cameron is one of my favorites. I also love the NWA movie. It was something about that movie that was just, that was another movie that was shot great. You know what it is, is the fact that they took a group who call themselves niggas with attitudes, and they turn that into an underdog story that went mainstream. You would have never been able to

convince me that some rap group called niggas with attitude would be in the movie theaters and making crazy sales. So, when I see things like that, it's like, wow, this is great.

So, that's another one. But probably one of my top movies is The Social Network, which is the Facebook movie. The way they shot that as I said earlier, me being a creative person, a cinematographer, I look at certain things like lighting. I look at how stories blend together. I listen to dialogue, setting, and that movie is perfect. I can watch that movie over and over and over again.

Q. So, what makes a film great for you?

A. I think a great film, one thing that makes a film great is the ability to take a person and remove them from their reality. You could sit and watch a movie and completely forget you're sitting in a room or sitting in an office or sitting on a plane, and you're just caught completely in it. That is the number one thing that's great. You allow a person to take a break from their real world. Number two is the ability to evoke emotion. Making somebody laugh that's good.

Hysterical rolling on the floor, tears coming out of their eye laughing, that's good. But if you can make somebody cry, that is just like something in what you wrote and what you show reached inside of that person and it touched them.

Because we don't all just walk around crying. But if you can get me to sit there and start going like this, and like oh, man. Well, then you did a great job. A movie that was like that, for me was... it's been a couple I can't remember the older ones. But a recent movie was When They See Us by Ava DuVernay.

The movie about the Central Park five kids. That movie was touching as hell. They did an incredible, incredible job. So, to me, films that can remove you from your reality and films that can get any emotion out of you, are really good movies.

Q. What advice can you give to others that want to be a director?

A. I guess the first thing I would give is, get a tough skin, get a thick skin.

Don't be discouraged because you can be told no 100 times about stuff. I've walked up to artists and

said, hey, let me shoot your next video. And they'd be like, no, not even knowing what I can do. Just be like, nah. And then it's like, later on, or I've been on set with... I'm not famous. I'm not Spike Lee. So, people don't know my work unless someone shows it to them, or unless I show it to them. So, I've been places and people will think, oh, you don't know what you're doing. Or whatever. Things like that, things that come across as discouraging. You just have to have a thick skin. That'll be the first thing. And then the second thing will be to never stop learning. Like, really figure out how to be best at your craft. And sometimes that involves practicing. That involves doing stuff. Oh, wait, a matter of fact, let me take some of that back. The first thing would be do not try to do it for money. Okay.

If you're going into it for money, find something else. Because I probably shot dozens of videos before I got my first paycheck. And I think the first video I've ever done that I got paid for I was paid $50.

Did a music video, and I earned $50 to shoot the music video. Then it took a while and I just steadily kept building, building, building.

So, those are the two pointers that I would give. Well, three, don't go for money, never stop learning and have a thick skin. Learning is probably the major thing.

Keep studying the craft. I love watching YouTube videos on new equipment, on new ways to shoot things. I was just watching a video last night on how to shoot even more systematically because there are just new techniques and stuff like that to come out. I even went to school. I took some classes. I take classes all the time, I love to learn.

So, I'll take a few dollars to pay for some classes, and just try to learn about lighting, about green screen, about directing, actors on how to do things. It's just a constant learning process. So, that's the type of advice I would give, keep learning.

Q. Is there anything else you want to tell the audience, any upcoming events or projects?

A. Black Boulevard you know, go to the website. Blackblvd.com. Go to Instagram, same thing. The Black Boulevard on Instagram, theblackboulevard.com. We have Traphouse coming out which is going to be great. You're going to see some Black Boulevard gear in there. Let me see what else we got going on. There's a lot of stuff going on. I do app development. There's going to be some documentaries coming out. I want to tackle black beauty, beauty standards in America. Like there's so much. Just follow me.

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hi, everybody. My name is Dana Macc, So, I guess it's easier to say I am from, Los Angeles, California, but some of you probably heard of Pasadena. And so, I am several things. The main thing is that I am is a black woman, I'm a businesswoman. And so, shout out to all the other black women out there who are doing their thing. We

got to keep supporting each other in that way. So, I'm an educator first, I've been an educator for over 25 years. I am currently an author, my first book just came out for children on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Vroman's Online. It'll be on Apple and at Target and Walmart real soon, those are a little bit slower to get the titles put into their system. And the story is about a little girl, she's an eight-year-old.

She's just fiery like most black women are, she's got that gusto, and she’s emotionally intelligent.

And the themes in the book are on bullying, and diversity, inclusion, and awareness around just being mindful that there are others who have special treasures, and it doesn't always have to be silver or gold, but things that are just really

dear to their heart, and how she stands up to the unruly pirates to make that fact known. And so, I think, for any educator, or any parent, or anybody, it's even a good story for grownups when you read it, because the theme and the way the story folds out. It kind of helps you to think about, well, what is it that makes my heart sing? Or what are the treasures on my heart that don't have to be

that something, what you love and appreciate doesn't have to be something that I love and appreciate? But that doesn't mean that we don't support each other in that uplifting. What it is that makes your heart shine.

I'm a mindset coach. So, what is a mindset coach? I really focus on neuroscience, and how you use your own brain to change your habits. And just being aware of the traps that the ego sets, the limiting beliefs, the things that we've been inundated with as we've been socialized through our own families, and things that don't serve us what we can do, using our own mind and our own brain to start a new with fresh micro habits to get to those larger goals and the

successes that we really want. I'm also a yoga instructor, I teach yoga and mindfulness meditation, and I'm a speaker. And those are the main things that I am.

Q. You're just a jack of all trades.

But how did you get to where you are, who motivated you, or what motivated you to get to where you are today?

A. So, growing up here in Pasadena,

I went to schools all out here in Pasadena, And the only bad experience I had in school was algebra. And it was just getting really difficult for me. And the bad experience wasn't the teacher.

It was just me having to work a little harder to understand it. But I remember all my teachers. My second-grade teacher still lives here in Pasadena. My mom and her sister are really good friends and I'm still friends with her and so she was actually my second and third-grade teacher. So, just that motivation and watching them so that's what made me become a teacher myself. So, I have a credential for general education, I also have a credential for special education with a specialization in autism. So, that's what motivated

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me on that forefront. Then I have an aunt, my mom's oldest sister here in Pasadena in the 70s.

She and her friends opened up an afro-centric school for black children that taught the tenets of Pan Africanism, and our black history, focusing on leaders like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, and just really having a curriculum and an education that foster to black children. And so, I came up in that.

So, it was kind of inevitable that I would go in that direction. But as far as the leadership aspect that got me to what I'm doing now, just watching people that my aunt would have me around. I have another aunt who was one of the presidents of the Beverly Hills chapter of the NAACP. She and her group of friends started the Image Awards. I didn't mention that I was a publicist. And moving away from that I started a PR company because my aunt would always throw me into the fold of what they were doing on that level. And I was like, you know what, I need to get paid for this because you keep putting me in situations. So, that's how I created that company.

And so, just being around that, and then watching black excellence, just being able to be right in the middle of it. That's what got me

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to where I am now. And just being motivated from the inside, and then just wanting to be able to serve others. Because when you come up in that you watch your family members being there for others.

And my grandmother was that all day, she raised her eight children that way, just serving others. That's where that came from. And then one of the keys to success is it's a reciprocating relationship, when you give to others, you receive more back. And so, you don't put the money first, you put the gratitude, and then you put the fact that you're serving others. And that's how I got to where I am. And just this relentless drive to just be a pirate at all things.

Q. The good part is you have a great support system. Your aunts, it seems like they are very motivated into getting you to where you need to be. So, that's an awesome thing to have family support. How do you feel haveing a great support system?

A. Exactly. You're totally correct. I was just talking about that the other day.

I was telling Krissy, actually this morning, it's good to have family support. But when you have people who are not part of your family, they really recognize your hard work,

your struggles, your tenacity, your resilience, and they want to be a part of that. I wouldn't exchange them just to have my family. You know what I mean? Because the people who support you are the people who support you. Also my friends husband John Couch who just posted on his LinkedIn, he was the vice president of the graphic Artists at Hulu, for all the product design. And he just resigned on Monday. He wrote a blog, and it's on his LinkedIn. So, he's got over 15,000 people there, and on his Facebook, and he's also an author.

But he put why he was leaving, and all these positive things. He's really good man. He's the husband of my friend. And the books that I'm currently reading. And he's a businessman. He's into UX and UI and other design aspects. But he actually helped me.

There's a young lady in Atlanta. I won't say her name. But she's a published Illustrator. And I wanted her so bad. Oh, I wanted her. And so, I'm a member of the Society of children's book writers and illustrators. And so, she was in there and I found her. And so, I reached out to her and talking to her and she was like, okay, in May. Okay, in July. And then it just kept kind of extending out. So, John

emailed her for me, like, we're trying to do this. And then when she got back with me, she still said no. But I'll tell you the blessing in that is that my illustrator, he's in Ghana. And I got to show you just so you can see some of the work that they do. So, we met on Instagram. And we've never met face to face. It's just video calls and things like that. We've never met.

And so, the way he helped to bring the story to life, I am absolutely happy the other young lady denied me.

Q. But I want to go over to yoga.

What made you want to get into yoga? What does yoga do for the body?

A. Okay, so I'll start with the first question. What made me get into yoga? A bad breakup? I won't say I broke down, So, I had to go home. I didn't understand what was happening. And why were we separating, and I needed something to help me understand it. Because of my idea of what was going on, I thought we were fine. But we absolutely were not.

And we're cool now. He bought the book for his kids. So, we're good.

But this was in 99. And so, I was like, I need something just to help me. So, I was going from churches and going to bookstores and reading books on self-help and just trying to figure out what was taking place. And so, I was like, I want to try yoga and I knew the benefits of it, but I hadn't really delved into it.

And so, I started practicing online first with Denise Austin. She would do some yoga, but she was more Pilates and exercising. And then I found Steve Ross. Remember Oxygen? That was the first channel Oprah had but on another station.

It was on cable, but it was the Oxygen channel. And so, I loved it. The yoga he did, it would be set to Kirk Franklin and Heavy D and the boys, music like that. This is a 6ft tall white man. I love him.

Oh my god, I love him. He had a brother that was on there. And it was just this group of people and they would come on. I think it was 10 in the morning, maybe a little earlier. But he just had this whole following. And you would hear Mustang Sally. And you would be doing yoga to music like that.

Wow, I like him. So, for years and years, I watched until I think 2010, they went off the air. And so, I have a sister, she's a producer, she worked for a television station. My mom would take them and DVR them. And then we recorded them.

And then she put them on a disc for me. But you can see him on YouTube now. So, fast forward.

So, then there was another young lady before I get into that story.

Her name is Robin Downes, and she has a "Yoga Flava". And so, I was listening to Steve Harvey one morning here in LA, and he was interviewing her. And she was like my studios are in West Hollywood. And so, I went. And I would go every Friday, I would drag my cousin, I would drag my sister and we would go. And so, she had her "Yoga Flava" but that was her version of it. And she would play neo-soul like India Arie and she would play DeAngelo and Lauryn Hill. She would play all these neo-soul artists. And so, I was like, I'm digging this. And they would give us this tea. And it was just so delicious. And so, between Steve Ross and Robin Downes, that was my first interaction with yoga. And so, what it did, it helped you to really regulate your nervous system for many trauma that you're experiencing, teaching how to breathe. Because most of us don't know how to breathe, we're really breathing from our chest cavity when we should be breathing from our diaphragm. And so, what does that do for you? It helps you to bring your body back into what we call homeostasis. So, our nervous systems when we experience any trauma or something that adverse like childhood experience or an adverse adult experience, sometimes our nervous systems can become inundated with those sensations. And now it only operates in fight or flight. Think about it like a dog was chasing you or something like that. And so, your body just operates like that normally. But that's not where you need to be. That's not the balance of your body. So, what yoga and even breathwork can help you do is your nervous system, just like your brain can be changed.

But if you don't know these things then you're just thinking this is

normal for me, you're operating from that standpoint instead of understanding that you should always be in rest and repair because digestion is a major part of what your body does. And 70% of your digestion of your immune system is in your gut. So, even learning how to breathe, there's an important nerve in your body called the vagus nerve. And the vagus nerve touches every major organ in your body. Just think of it like a freeway system that touches all the organs in your body. So, when you regulate your vagus nerve, through yoga, through meditation, through breathwork, then it helps your body to be able to basically relax and be in rest and repair. So, that's when your body can heal itself. That's where your body can be in optimum working condition.

And so, back to the story. So, that trauma that I experienced and that adverse adult experience kind of made me go towards yoga.

And so, it's been helpful for me in that regard. And so, fast forward.

Russell Simmons opened a yoga studio in West Hollywood called Tantris. And so, I was going. I went a couple of times with Krissy, our mutual friend. And one Father's Day, he had Steve Ross there.

So, remember, I've been watching Steve Ross the whole time on TV. He had a studio in Brentwood, and I could have driven over there and see him. But I didn't. Brentwood is not very close to Pasadena and I didn't see the need. Because I have a yoga studio here, we're actually became certified. And so, he was there, and I was just ogling at the man. I've watched him for years. And so, I got to talk to him and Russell. And I had Russell's book. And then I had a book that Steve had recommended on one of the shows. One of the shows, he talked about this book about consciousness. And so, I got a picture with them. I had tears coming down my eyes. Because I got Russell Simmons on one side, and then I've got Steve Ross on the other side and their friends.

And he's here on Father's Day doing this talk. So, it was just so overwhelming. And so, Russell ended up posting the picture on his Instagram for Father's Day. It was dope. And I'll tell you a funnier

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story. I didn't know it was there.

And my ex called me, and he was like, I see your friend post you on his Instagram. He was like stop playing. And I was like, what do you mean stop playing.

He was like, Russell Simmons has you on his Instagram. I was like, shut up. Are you serious?

I pulled it up. And sure enough, it's me. Russell and Steve Ross. And I'm holding Russell's book and I'm holding the book that Steve Ross had suggested.

And I just got this big old KoolAid smile on my face. I have to tell you; I was in heaven.

So, I recommend that to anybody out there who's wanting to on Sundays. I do it and from my house, from Pacific Standard Time 9 am to 10 am with a meditation at the end.

Q. So what are your goals for this year?

A. For 2021, I am working on a documentary on fathers and daughters. And basically, it's when there is a lack of a father in your life as a woman, and its emotionally distant, or physically distant how does that translate into your interpersonal relationships from a heterosexual perspective with men? And so, it plays a big role in that. And so, we examine that, and we not only talk to women, we talk to men who may not have been allowed in their daughter's lives.

We talked to researchers, we talked to historians, we talked to therapists, and we talked to fathers and daughters who have harmonious and happy fully functioning relationships as well. The big thing and that's going to be a documentary.

I'm also filming. We're in preproduction. I've done some filming.

So, I've interviewed KRS-One. And Dana Dane is actually on this project with me, Brother J from X-Clan is also on the project with me. We have a soundtrack that will be accompanying the documentary and so we're working. My goal is to have it edited and ready to go by

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“ The biggest challenge for me was passing my Masters.

I got my Masters.

That was tough. ”

December of this year, 2021.

Q. So, out of everything that you do, what has been the biggest challenge for you?

A. The biggest challenge for me was passing my Masters. I got my masters. That was tough. One of my professors, Dr. Nancy Hunt she's still a friend of mine. She's asked me the other day and we were talking because she wants me to do this symposium with her that brings parents and children together to a symposium that talks about disabilities and special needs in a positive light, and any success stories that I might have had as an educator working with families that had children with disabilities.

It was difficult because there's a lot of parts to it. And not knowing what you were going to be asked, and then being able to answer in a way that you're going to pass. So, it was very stressful. I remember calling her one time, and I was like, Doctor Hunt, I don't know what to do. Now mind you, I've always been an A student. Even when I talk about school in my younger years, I've always been an A student. And even in school with my bachelor's and my master's always, in my A’s, I've always gotten top scores, top grades. So, really nothing to worry about. But then I was just anxious.

This is a lot. There's a lot riding on this. And so, she was like, Dana, you will be okay. That was hard.

And if I was going to be able to do it. So, you're timed. You're sitting there you have nothing but a flash drive and a computer. That's it.

That's all. Go for what you know.

Q. What is a piece of advice that you could give to someone that wants to do the things that you do?

A. I would say two things. You have to be self-aware. Self-awareness is very important because it helps you understand who you are as a person, individual. And it also helps you because you got to interact with other people. So, knowing what triggers you? What bothers you? What excites you? What

are your desires? What do you care about? And with that selfawareness, I would say you need a personal philosophy about life. You need to know, what are your core values? What are your principles?

Because that way, when you're on your hero's journey to get to where you're going, and you veer off the path, you remember exactly where you're supposed to be based upon what you said, you believe in, what you said you care about, and what you said that you value, your core values that make you. And hopefully, they're about something.

So, I would say that. You really got to do some self-reflection and self-inquiry, so that you can understand what it means to be self-aware so that you can reflect on that. So, throughout the journey, you're going to interact with people and you're going to have people that don't support you. For as many people we've talked about that support me there are people who don't support me and that's all fine and good. And then you have people who used to support you that don't support you anymore.

And that's still all fine and good because we can all make choices and there are consequences to our choices, but whatever. But the last thing that I would say with the self-awareness and then having your personal philosophy about life, you got to have a goal plan.

And as part of my coaching, I have created what I call a threestep strategic goal plan. It's called the See.Think. Be., it's a 3-Step Strategic Goal Plan that you go in.

And on the "See" page, you kind of get out everything that you want to do. Just dreamed outside the box, bold, abrasive, just brazen, get it all out. And then on the "Think" page, you think about what you've written and how you would formulate three of those things into goals.

So, on that page, you write that.

The "Be" page is how do you now take all of this ideation and go to activation? What are you going to do? So, that is the task sheet. So, it has a spot for you to write down who is an accountability partner

or a mastermind group. Have a time frame of reference. Because if you're doing anything when it comes to goal setting, you want to follow the SMART goal criteria, then you want to have, what it is that you're doing? What resources do you need? Who's responsible for it? And what is the timeframe that you want to complete it? And then you got to stick to it. So, each one of those goals that you formulated from the C page has to have that page. And then I also have an I am affirmation. So, I also make T-shirts but motivational t-shirts. So, I have a T-shirt that says I am. And on the I am page we all know that I am are two of the most powerful words in the English language for whatever you put after them affirm that is what you will be.

That is what you will be. And so, those two goals you want to write in the affirmative in the present moment, in the now that you have completed them. I am so happy that I have completed my Ph.D. I am so happy that I have created an LLC and I'm buying property and I've got a stat trust and contract trust and I'm doing Airbnb.

Whatever it is that you are trying to do. I am so happy that I have started a label and I've got some artists on there. Whatever it is but you write it as if you have already done it. There's a thing about the subconscious mind it's always on, it's always going, it's literal about everything, and what you tell your mind to do when you're sleeping at night it'll set out and try to figure out solutions to make that happen.

Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you?

A. You can follow me on all social media platforms at Dana Macc, my website, www.danamacc.com. And I have 2 Instagram. So one, I'm a little bit more playful, that's idmacc.

But you can follow me on both. But if you're up for silliness, and a lot of fun. Because on the business side, I keep it real business and professional. But on the idmacc, we get a little silly, a little playful.

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“I have been blessed to be where I am now but I'm still striving for my biggest accomplishment.

The best is yet to come. ”

Eric Jordon Tidwell 20

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year it was picked up by TV one.

And they ran it on their network, and we actually reshot a spin-off season called Tough Love Los Angeles. So, we shot that during the pandemic, and it was released the week of Thanksgiving. And the season finale just happened two weeks ago. So, 10 episodes are all out now on YouTube for the people that don't have cable. Definitely check that out. Tough Love LA.

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hey everybody, my name is Eric Jordon Tidwell, I'm from Detroit born and raised currently living in LA. I'm a writer, actor, director.

So, tap in. Can't wait to see you guys. Can't wait for you to see my future work.

Q. So, what plans do you have for 2021? What are some of your goals?

A. Well, I want to star in a feature film. A lot of the projects I've done so far have been music videos, short films, and series.

But I definitely want to carry a movie. I've also directed a short film this weekend. So, I'm looking forward to putting that out within the next couple of weeks. Other than that, it's just me writing and trying to continue to push our content. We are kind of still on lockdown here in LA. So, it just gives a really good opportunity to just do whatever you can do to be creative.

Q. Let's talk about Tough Love and the experience behind that.

A. Tough Love was amazing. I started it in New York in 2015 with season one and then this

Q. So, tell us what's been one of your biggest accomplishments you’ve had so far in life?

A. To me, I will actually say probably this most recent accomplishment with Tough Love. This was my first time being on national TV, It’s scripted series. I've been on TV before in music videos and commercials. But this is the first time actually holding the character and people being able to see me kind of be myself in a way. And that was huge for me because I don't have any family members or friends growing up that were on TV. So, I'm the first one to do it.

And I'm looking forward to doing it a lot more.

Q. Who are some people that have been your most influential or who motivated you to be an actor and a writer?

A. As far as acting, it was a natural transition. I started my career as a runway model in Detroit, Michigan.

And then I moved to New York to continue to pursue that career.

After walking in New York fashion week, I was contacted by Tough Love team. They contacted me through one of my model pages I believe it was model mayhem. And that was my first time going in and auditioning for even something like that. So, I went in, and they just handed me two scripts, and I read them for the first time there out loud with the writer and was casting for that project. And my very first day on set is when I fell in love with acting. Growing up in my career as a model it's very strict.

So, it's not a lot of playing around, I guess when the lights are on.

So, the fact that as an actor you kind of gets paid to play around.

It's pretty fun. I liked it a lot. And

I was blessed to work with a very talented cast. A lot of them had graduated from film school. So, being someone who just kind of fell into it being surrounded by all of these professionals I just soaked up all of their knowledge.

Q. What do you do in your spare time?

A. In my spare time, I guess, just the same old Eric. I just watch basketball, and I like playing video games. But most recently, in my spare time, it's been writing. And the transition for that actually came recently, after concluding with the production on Tough Love. I just kind of wanted to keep the momentum going. So, I reached out to a production company to see if they needed any talent because I knew that they were pushing out the shorts pretty often. And when I reached out to them, they actually told me that they were booked up on actors, but if I knew any writers, you know, they were looking for that. And I had written a couple of things before I never shot them just kind of wrote them down. And I ended up sending them a couple of things that I wrote, they loved it, asked me to write for them. So far, we've shot three projects that I've written. And the most recent one, as I said, I directed, and that was on Saturday. So, I'm still off a high from that.

Q. Well, what has been the biggest challenge of yours?

A. Being away from family and being away from the people that are cared about the most. That has definitely been very, very challenging. Every time I see them, I feel like 10 years have gone by even though it's only been three, four or five months. But that's the biggest challenge for sure being away from my family. And just being out here pursuing this path that you don't necessarily control.

So, while going along that journey, and looking back on the things that I miss, that sometimes is a challenge. But fortunately, I've made a lot of good friends and good connections here that just kind of motivate me and surround me with love. Being out here in

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hats, out of all the talent that you just name you said, you act, you direct, you write. Out of everything you do, what are you really passionate about?

A. That's a good question. I would probably say, I'm really interested in the directing aspect. It was something really new to me, but just the fact that you kind of control the vision and can bring a vision that you have to life. I really enjoy that. Because normally, as an actor, you're trying to bring someone else's vision to life. So, being a director, you control the story. And definitely being a writer, you create the story. So, I think that I really enjoy just from being an entrepreneur and growing up under one, I really enjoyed that building aspect. That building of a team and designating tasks, things like that. That's something I've always enjoyed. Anything that still allows me to be creative. But I could definitely see myself continuing to direct and produce projects. But the one that I directed on Saturday, I actually did do a small feature in it. That wasn't planned. It just kind of happened. Because it was a struggle kind of casting everybody.

But last minute, I decided to play one of the roles. And I think that was really fun too because it’s kind of made me feel like my hands were all over the project. So, that was a real joy and I hope to be able to continue to do that on a larger scale.

Q. Who are some people you would LA it's a lot of people that move out here for those same kinds of things. So, it's a community of people that have left their families, and I guess, kind of looking for a new one. So, that's been my biggest challenge for sure.

Q. So I know, LA is beautiful, tell me three things you love about LA? A. The weather, I could talk about that all day. If I wanted to be very specific, I love the ocean. The coldest it gets here is like 56, or something like that. It's a really good thing. And that's normally only at nighttime. The potential

that is in the air, there's so many different opportunities here to pretty much do whatever you want to do.

Not even strictly entertainment, but just the opportunity that's in the air, I love it. It's a whole vibe. The hills, you're riding through the freeway, and you got to go up and down hills. And you see all these elevated houses and things like that. It's definitely a vibe. And coming from Detroit I've never seen anything like this. I like it to a lot more than New York because it's greener. New York is a lot of concrete. So here, you definitely feel more of a homey feel.

Q. You wear so many different

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like to work with?

A. People I would like to work with. I would like to work with Michael B. Jordon. Just to be honest, I want to kind of go head to head with him or something. I want to work with The Rock. I want to work with Regina King. I like what she's been doing lately. And this is random but Teyana Taylor, I think she's a really dope director. I think that she's slept on and will soon make that transition to film. Ava DuVernay.

Amazing, amazing, amazing person. I really, really want to work with her. Ryan Coogler, and James Cameron. Like the list goes on and on. George Lucas, there are so many people that I want to work with just because I like the kind of movies that they make. I really see myself being someone that stands for something, playing characters that stand for something, as well.

I know growing up as an athlete, I also want to do action and showcase my athleticism. So, a lot of these people make movies along that direction of where's something that is impactful. You know, it still is entertaining.

Q. So, since you like directing, and you love movies and stuff, what's your favorite movie?

A. Lion King. That's been one of my favorite movies since I was a child.

And when they made the, what is it? When they made the live version, they had Beyoncé and all these other people playing the voices. A lot of people said they didn't like that, but I liked it. But just watching it as an adult, and just seeing the different messages that were being taught to us as children. Because we're being fed information so much, I think that whatever we watch and listen to we consume it. It steers our mind; it steers our life in a sense. So, for me, that was something that really kind of stood out to me as a kid. Just the fact that he had to go out on his own and kind of figure himself out. And while he was doing that it was problems at home. It's a lot of drama in that movie. But, yes, it's one of my favorites.

you can give to others that want to be into film?

A. Don't be scared, just don't be scared.

It's going to be uncomfortable. It's going to be different.

It's going to be unlike anything you've ever done before. But if you're afraid, you're not going to really do your best or try your best. Because sometimes it's not even about doing your best but just trying your best. Just giving it your all. And if you have these reservations, then it's really easy to see that on camera. If you are afraid of going in front of casting directors and producers, we have things like TikTok and Instagram and all of these different little apps that you can play around with that has a camera recording yourself. I see a lot of people mimic these characters on TikTok, that's actually something that I have a little concept and I'm about to start doing as well.

Actually, I'll let you in on this. So, a lot of people throughout my career have told me that I look like Ludacris. So, I'm actually about to start doing some TikToks strictly Ludacris. Right now, he doesn't have a movie about himself or anything like that. So, this will be me trying to build up some kind of momentum in that direction. So, it may happen, it may not happen, but I just think it will be something fun to do and just kind of stay creative and loose. But other than that, I will also say, work with your friends. Instead of trying to make it from half court every time you shoot, take the easy shots, take the layups, and take the win. Be willing to work onset. A lot of times when I work onset behind the scenes, I learn different things. So, just really invest in yourself and your community.

Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you.

A. Yes, so tap in with me guys. My name is Eric Jordon Tidwell. You can type that in on Instagram. You can type it in Google. Everything could pop up my Facebook, Twitter, IMDb, all of that. I have a website coming up soon too that will be ericJordontidwell.com. But yeah, guys, Jordon, don. So, make sure you don't spell it with an A.

Q. What are some tips or advice

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Amber Rodriguez 24

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Q. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

A. Signed to a major company such as WWE/AEW.

it, this is something that can't necessarily be taught but can be developed over time.

Next, you have to have thick skin, it's a lot of tough critics out there but you have to remember why you started.

Lastly, you have to be in good shape, it's tough what we do.

Especially day in and day out.

You got to be able to keep up.

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My name is Amber Rodriguez, and I am a professional wrestler and esthetician.

Q. What got you into wrestling?

A. I've always been into wrestling since my childhood.

When I was 15, I started training at Gillbergs Pro Wrestling Academy with my brother Chuck Lennox; we later transitioned into Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW).

Q. Who is your favorite male and female wrestler of all time?

A. Shawn Michaels and Mickie James.

Q. Can you tell us some skills you need to be a wrestler?

A. Charisma, you have to have that star power or that "it" factor as some people call

Q. If you can compete against anyone who would it be?

A. Jazz, she means so much to me based off what she's contributed to the business. The representation she provided for so many black girls, myself included; is amazing.

Q. If you can live anywhere in the world where would it be?

A. Cinderella's castle in Disney world, it looks so nice lol.

Q. Are you working on any projects or upcoming events?

A. I just received my seventh certification in esthetics and working on my eighth. I co-own and operate a skincare with my beloved sister named Ashley Renee Beauty Company LLC (ashleyreneebeauty. com). I also train at Elev8 Pro Wrestling weekly and have several upcoming events with promotions such as Renegade Wrestling Revolution, Revolt, Elev8, etc...

Q. What has been your biggest accomplishment you’ve had in your career?

A. Inspiring other girls and even teaching some of the new comers.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Twitter and IG @1AmberRodriguez and Facebook fan page Amber Rodriguez as well as my company website ashleyreneebeauty.com.

“ Charisma, you have to have that star power or that "it" factor as some people call it."

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Benny Duhay

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My name is Benny Duhay, I am a rapper, songwriter and producer out of Los Angeles, CA. Q. What motivated you to be a rapper?

A. I’ve always been passionate about writing lyrics, poetry, etc. It has always come naturally to me and I grew up listening to a lot of hip hop which helped make me realize that this is the lane I want to be in.

Q. Tell us a little bit of your journey or how you got to where you are today?

A. I probably have a more uncommon journey than most rappers and really most artists in general. I started recording and performing pretty early in life and then took a complete break from music for a while right after college. It was such an odd period of time for me because it felt like something had been missing in the same way that you miss a family member you love and haven’t seen in a long time. The time away was helpful, it truly gave me perspective but over the past year of getting back into music I realized that writing songs, performing, being in the studio are all just necessities for me.

Q. Can you tell us about the “WWBD” and the meaning behind it?

A. WWBD was exciting for me to record and release because it really feels like a statement song for me. I think that over my last

few releases I have been showing more and more diversity in my songs and WWBD is another example of that. I have been itching to get back on stage and when I started writing WWBD in the midst of Covid lockdowns and restrictions, I really wanted to paint the picture of what life will be like for me once we get back to normal.

Q. Who are some artist you would like to collab with?

A. Honestly the list is pretty long, I listen to a lot of different artists many of which I think would be really dope to collab with.

Obviously, there are the Kendrick Lamar’s and Drakes of the world that would be on my wish list. But some of the newer artists that are really starting to make a name for themselves like Jack Harlow or DaBaby would be an amazing collab.

Q. Tell us your top 5 Male and Female rappers?

A. Top 5s are always so tough…But I will give it a go: Male: Eminem, Tupac, Nas, J. Cole, Drake.

Female: Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, Da Brat, Cardi B, Missy Elliott Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

A. Yes, I’m actually working on an EP that will be dropping in August.

I have been recording quite a bit over the last few months and I feel really good about this album. I think it will show my versatility as an artist and also allow me to tell a full story.

Q. What do you think is missing in today’s music?

A. I’d like to see more artists cross genres; I think that for the most part a lot of artists are afraid to experiment with their sound. I’m guilty of that myself from time to time. But I think some of the best music is made when you don’t set boundaries for yourself prior to even fully figuring out your sound.

I love listening to alternative rap, pop rap, etc. I don’t even like to put myself in any of those boxes in general because my album could probably be categorized as either or.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Instagram @Benny_Duhay Facebook.com/bennyduhay Soundcloud.com/bennyduhay Bennyduhay.com

“ I've always been passionate about writing lyrics, poetry, etc. ”

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Jamilah Ewing 28

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My name is Jamilah Ewing. I’m a Beauty Consultant, Entrepreneur and Author.

Q. Who has been some of your biggest influencers?

A. My biggest influences are my mother and grandmothers, Toni Morrison, Bebe Moore Campbell, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Nikki Giovanni and Sonia Sanchez.

Q. Let’s talk about your new book “The Prototype” and the motivation behind the book?

A. The motivation behind The Prototype was to show a very human side to the black woman experience. People always speak to the strength and resilience of the Black Women as it’s a compliment. It’s how we survive!

I would like to create a space where, through these characters, we can acknowledge the shame resilience, emotional unhealthiness and covered up trauma that we don’t necessarily talk about. These characters make decisions, act and react having to carry this baggage.

Most of the time we hide and keep secrets in order to survive and cope.

Q. Being a salon owner what has been some of your biggest challenges?

A. Some of the biggest challenges are: the industry has changed so much. There was a time when ladies got dressed to come to the salon and it was an event! People talk and catch up. The Friday Crew in the book is a shout out to that. It’s now about YouTube and Instagram trends. Then there’s the juggle of clients and your personal life, salon management, resolving everyone’s issues and now COVID-19. Even if you’re exhausted you have to be found leading and directing.

Q. Who would be someone you would love to do hair?

A. I would love to have Erykah Badu in my chair. I think it would be an incredible experience.

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next three years?

A. In the next three years I plan to be producing and directing.

Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

A. Yes! We have our Prerelease Book Signing event on June 26th and our release date is August 5th. I just finished my children’s book and we are in the process of writing the screenplay.

Q. Tell us what has been your most memorable achievement or award you have received?

A. This is my first book, so the biggest achievement so far is making it into the top 15 on Amazon’s new release list. I did get a chance to style my favorite MC Monie Love, so that was a thrill!

Q. What advice can you give to others that want to pursue a career in your field?

A. Don’t follow the crowd, most of them are lost anyway. Follow your heart, Don’t give up. Do the research.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. IG @mahoganydesignstudio @ ewingjamilah FB /jamilahewing.

“Don't follow the crowd, most of them are lost anyway.

Follow your heart, Don't give up. Do the research. ”

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“The best thing I can say is, make sure its a passion. Because your passion will help you get through every hurdle, hole and wall. ”

Timothy Maurice 30

WIB Magazine

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My name is Timothy Maurice, the founder of Real Azul Tequila.

Q. Well, tell us about your tequila and how you got started and the motivation behind it?

A. Oh, man, I don't know where to start. I've been working on this tequila for about 12 years now. I worked on it for eight years before we released it in 2018. I've been designing for different industries for about 20 years. I've developed brands for a lot of companies, bottled waters, energy drinks, and iced teas. I've been there from the beginning, from scratch, to watch them go local to national to international, and I've been 60 to 70% of their brand development.

And I didn't own 1% in anything I created. So, you have to think that if you can develop for them, why can't you develop it for yourself? So that's when I started working on my brand, Real Azul.

Q. Tell us how your tequila is different from everybody else's.

A. That's interesting. I tell people, what makes my tequila different from other tequilas are three things, presentation, smell, and taste. Often times, when you go into a package store, you'll walk by a brand that looks and tastes like its cheap. You often think it tastes as it looks. Whereas if you see a good-looking bottle, you'll be like, I want to try that. So that's the presentation. And our bottle can sit next to any bottle and hold its own. Then there's the smell.

You know how you'll go to a bar and someone will buy a group of shots and you'll grab the glass and smell it and then turn your nose away because of how harsh the smell is of the tequila. This is an ultra-premium tequila so it's very smooth on the nose. You can enjoy the smell of this tequila the same way you would your favorite room temperature spirit. Just kind of close your eyes and enjoy it.

And yes, I am sipping.

Q. What are the different flavors you have?

A. The different flavors I have are Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo. Those are the three categories of tequila. A lot of people don't know that tequila gets its color from the barrel. So, the Blanco is clear because it doesn't go into the barrel. Our Reposado which means rest goes into the barrel for nine months. Our Anejo which means age goes into the barrel for 18 months.

Q. Okay. School me because I don't know too much about that. I'm not a big drinker. Well, what's your favorite?

A. Well, technically my favorite is the Anejo but it's almost like what mood are you in? Because the Anejo you want to take your time.

This is a sipping tequila. A lot of people don't know that. You use salt, chill and use lime just to mask how harsh the taste is and the bite.

This is a very smooth tequila and ultra-premium tequila, so you don't have to do that. You can enjoy and sip this tequila. Again, mine is the Anejo. But what you'll notice is all three, they all have different notes and aromas. This is a lowland tequila. So, the Blanco has a real sweet and earthy tone from the earth. Our Reposado has little notes and aromas of dark vanilla and cinnamon. This is why I always say smell the tequila before you try it. And now Anejo has small notes of coffee and chocolate. So, they all have their own signature.

Q. So are you working on any new flavors?

A. I am actually. I have Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo. What I've been working on? I have four more under the same brand. I have a mezcal coming out this summer. For the holiday, I have a coffee-flavored liqueur called Black Cafe. I have a chocolate tequila. That's really good.

Q. I know that your tequila is at a couple of stores here in Atlanta.

But is it located in all 50 states?

A. No. We're focused on Georgia.

This is where our headquarters is. That's where we focus first.

Now. Technically, we're going to announce tomorrow that our release into Indiana, and also next month we're announcing our release into Florida.

Q. Congratulations. Look at you.

So, where do you see this tequila going in the next couple of years? Or where do you see yourself in the next couple of years?

A. Well, the thing about it is, I see becoming a distributor. And what I mean by that is, like I told you about my past of developing brands, I plan to continue to develop brands. I did take the tequila a little further by making

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a tequila course. But now I'm also releasing, which a lot of people don't know, at a lot of my events I was buying orange liqueur, because Margaritas are the number one selling drink in the world. So, in order to make a margarita, you have tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and ice. So, all these events I was always buying orange liqueur. So, then I went to Mexico, and I was like, why don't I just make orange licorice so I can buy my own liquor to make? So, once I did that, I was like, hold up. Why can’t I make multiple brands, multiple flavors, pineapple, jalapeno, strawberry, passionfruit?

And next thing you know I have six tequila liquors also coming out this summer.

Q. What has been the biggest challenge for you?

A. Just to be frank, I guess I was on my own most of the time. So, for the first six to seven years I really couldn't afford to produce tequila. It cost too much. It was actually a little discouraging in the beginning because to own your own brand, pretty much in any alcohol it costs a lot. So instead of letting that discourage me, I asked myself, how many payments is that? So, it ended up being 8 years, 789 payments later, I own 100% of my brand. It took a while, but I got there. It's amazing what's happening right now with the brand.

That is amazing. Just listening to it. That is amazing.

Congratulations. Look, I have to keep on throwing that out there.

I appreciate it. I almost gave up twice. But I stuck it out. And now the feeling of watching someone come in and ask for the brand by name and not even know who I am. Just to see that and hear that knowing how hard it was to get here. Man, it's one of the best feelings in the world.

Q. What has been one of the most memorable events you’ve had so far?

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A. Oh my goodness. We released June 2nd of 2018. Two weeks later, we sponsored the Emmy Awards.

Another week later, we were live.

And next thing you know I'm doing a launch event for the movie Ford versus Ferrari. We did the second event at Tyler Perry Studios. And now we're partnered up with Harley Davidson and Miss Bikini Coast International. And it's just going amazing. Everyone's receiving this very well.

Q. Do you have any upcoming events or projects other than that?

A. We have a list of projects. Our focus right now is of course Cinco de Mayo is coming up so that's the number one-day margaritas are sold so you know we're going to be live on Cinco de Mayo. But besides that, we're doing tours with Harley Davidson. We're doing events with Rolls Royce and Bentley. We’re the official sponsor for Miss Bikini Coast International. And what I haven't announced is we're also the official sponsor for Buckhead Fight Club, which is a boxing gym that does a lot of pay per views and everything. Logos on the mat. It's going really, really good.

Q. What advice could you give to somebody else that wants to make brands like this and make tequila and just be able to put their brand out, in general?

A. The best thing I can say is, make sure it's a passion. Because your passion will help you get through

every hurdle, hole, and wall.

If you really want it, just stick to it because 12 years ago, all I knew was tequila came in a shot glass. So, I had to educate myself, and you have to understand that what you're about to get into, you are not completely educated in what you're about to pursue. You're currently unqualified and I was. So, you have to put in the work of educating yourself and developing. Everything is not going to happen just like this. It's going to take time just stick with it. And stick to your own guns with this, right. If you listen to a lot of people on the outside, it may not even be tasting looking like how you saw it, and how you dreamed about it. So, stick to it.

Just know it's going to take some time. And don't think everything's perfect. Just prepare. If something happens, just plan to get past that.

Don't think that it's going to be flawless, and you'll be fine.

Q. Is there anything else you want to share with your fans?

Because you gained a fan here with me now.

A. Absolutely. I want to say this.

Nowadays, everybody's doing everything healthy. People don't want to stop drinking. They just want to drink healthier. So, tequila is one of the top healthiest drinks for you to have. It helps with digestion, weight loss. This tequila is 100% agave. You will never get a hangover or headache off of this tequila. You drink half a bottle close to a whole, I guarantee no headache, no hangover.

Q. So tell everybody where they can get your Tequila from?

A. If you're in Georgia, check our website. We have the locations on the website. If you're in Georgia we're located in Tower as well as a few others. Max, Savvy Provisions.

We’re in probably 100 locations bars and restaurants around Georgia. Athens, Augusta. We also have a website which is realazul. com. Our Instagram is realazul_ tequila, as well as Real Azul Tequila on Facebook. Check us out.

“I really want you to take the time to really listen to my music and really just see what I am about. ”

Lil Meek WIB Magazine

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hey, my name is Lil Meek and I'm currently a rap artist out of Summerville, Alabama. I make T-shirts and I do shows, I perform all around.

Q. What made you want to be a rapper?

A. Oh, I always was fascinated by 2 Pac. I was fascinated by the image that he held. Because my mom used to always play 2 Pac all the time. And I was like, man, that'd be really cool if I was one, one day.

So, I always had that passion.

Q. Tell us about your new single you have coming out?

A. Oh, okay. Yes, the new single is Trying. And I make heartfelt music.

When people use the word rap, I don't really use that term. Because I'm an artist. I make really heartfelt music if you're going through some things. But my single Trying that is encouraged. It's anybody who just going through this COVID mess, who's losing family members to this COVID, as long as you keep trying this effort that you bring. But that was a really hot single. I had a homegirl cry. She said she cried when she listened to it. So, it's really heartfelt, though. And it's going to be on iTunes in a couple of weeks.

Q. Tell us about the show you did with the Ying Yang Twins?

A. I had just turned 25 and at my normal spot that I do my shows at I wanted to do something epic. So, the owner and I kind of went in and we looked up the Ying Yang Twins, they were free. And I brought the Ying Yang Twins out to perform and I opened up for them. The show was just kind of crazy due to the fact that, when I got on that mic and spoke, a lot of rappers as I said, I’m an artist I speak. The last person that spoke on the mic that spoke from real stuff was 2 Pac Shakur, at this age. He's no longer here with us. So, I figured that a lot of people got to really expand and open their horizons. I'm doing this by myself.

I got no manager; I have none of that. I booked my own shows. But that show was crazy. I felt that it opened a lot of people. You are talking about, I got the hoodest people, the most gangsterest people walking up, stopping what

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they're doing and just listen to what I got to say. And I got a lot of plot for that. So, the show was very amazing.

And we plan on doing some more.

Doing some more with artists, bringing some more artists out in the city.

Q. So, you say you're a big fan of 2 Pac. With that being said, if you had the opportunity to work with anybody in the music industry, who would you pick?

A. If I had anybody in the music, it would probably be Wiz Khalifa or somebody. Just to kick it with. Just to catch a vibe, a real calm, cool collective vibe. It would probably be Wiz, though.

Q. Now that you're kind of gaining traction and you're getting exposure with your music.

What's the ultimate end goal for you, where do you see yourself going in the next couple of years?

A. The next couple of years, honestly, I really see myself as my own boss, like being over an independent label. And helping other artists, and just being really successful. I see myself being a businessman. I see myself being like, Master P, or Birdman.

Q. And just to kind of go back to what you said earlier... you say you also made T-shirts. How do you incorporate your T-shirts with your artistry, and being a musician and being a musical artist?

A. Well, my logo and my brand are Team Meek. Team Meek is basically a movement, just basically saying that you believe in me. I came up with that idea when I was in the 11th grade, like in 2014... 13, somewhere around there. And I'm always just said I was fascinated as I said about Whiz, I was fascinated about the T-God, he always had his T-God, always written on the hoodies and I just said, "Man, it would be dope if I just had my own

thing, had my brand." And so, when I did it, that's when I really sparked. Then I started rapping, so it’s kind of just fell into place.

And that's when I got the name, Da Real Lil Meek, that's kind of where I got the name. I got the name Meek through my aunt. She used to call me Moo Meek, but I dropped the Moo and I just kept the Meek.

I'm a fan of Lil Wayne so I put Lil in front of it. And I was a really big fan of Da Real Gee Money, R.I.P to him. But I was a huge fan of G Money and I just kind of put the Da Real in front of it. So that's kind of how it all started. It's really, really a good brand, the tie-dyes was a really big sale. I learned that people in the south, love tie-dye.

You get on there and just show some tie-dye... I sold a lot of tiedyes and I'm really not a tie-dye type of person... I don't even rock tie-dye but when I did that, I was like, man... So, I sparked that then I did the cameo, then I did the pink camo for breast cancer awareness because I had this fan, she's a breast cancer survivor and I just kept her in mind. I was like, you know what we're going to do all pink for October. So, I did the camo for that. So, that's what Team Meek stands for, it's a lot more to it, it's more than rap, it's more than that, it's really a movement.

Q. Do you have any events or any projects coming up?

A. Yes, I'm currently working on that single, Trying. That is on my Meekology album. I named it Meekology because I'm so misunderstood, so you have to

get... like biologically. It's going to be tight though. It's real tight. I work really, really hard on every project, I do. I just got my second royalty check and it was bigger than the last. I sold some units overseas, some songs. So, I'm definitely going keep my foot on the gas and just really show these people and show these young black men, these young men period, that there's more than just rapping about I'm going to shoot this, I'm going to kill that. I really want to be different. I want to be that label, like, okay, well, he wasn't really about that. He built his movement of love and peace, that's how he built his movement, not off beef, or none of that. So, that's the main thing.

Q. So, on this new project, who are some people that are going to be on it?

A. Honestly, this one, I'll probably just do it solo because I've learned that my fans really like to hear me alone. They really don't like to hear other people and I respect that. I'm more of an independent artist, so I kind of just doing my own field, buy my own beats, and just kind of produce by myself. Don't get me wrong, eventually, when everything comes together, I will get somebody in the industry to feature on my album. That will probably happen soon, I just don't know who yet, but I got a few ideas. That is for sure. A few other people that I'm actually close with is Hot Boy Turk.

I don't know if you know him off Hot Boyz way back in the day with Wayne, Juvie, and B.G. He shows my love to my mother's radio station. I'm kind of just different but these people just tell me to keep going... don't stop young blood, don't stop, and just keep doing.

Q. You said your mother has a radio station. So how does that benefit you with being a music artist? Are you able to work with her? Does she kind of give you the ins and outs of how radio you play certain music or how things go into syndication?

A. Yeah, she does. I'm the type of person that really likes getting it on my own. I saw my mother, she got it on her own. She was an independent woman, she raised three kids. She didn't have help

from anybody and now she's the businesswoman that she wanted to be. I do come to her for advice like Hey, mom, what should I do?

What should I do in this interview?

What should I talk about? But as far as radio, I kind of let her have that on her field, and I just kind of run like the artists' standpoint of the field. I really don't ask her for a lot because she already got a lot going on as far as businesses. She has soul food; we opened our own soul food restaurant in a small town and that was pretty big. Me and her both were in the newspaper, rocking our Team Meek shirts. So, that was a pretty good highlight that was pretty big.

Q. So, by you being a new artist, what has been the biggest challenge for you?

A. The biggest challenge is probably, I'll personally say giving these people music. Because they're asking for so much music. They love my music; they love my voice.

It's basically that. Stuff isn’t cheap but I'm really into my craft. I'm really into perfecting my craft. Giving these people music because they want a lot and they want to hear more of my story. I have a very fascinating story. I was the only one going through it, so I put out “You Ain't Gotta Worry” and that one cut deep because that one I talked about abortion, SIDS, miscarriages I talked about all that. And that was for my ladies. That was like my keep your head up off that album for the ladies who have lost babies and had miscarriages and woke up to their babies passed away.

This stuff and miscarriages it's real.

People don't talk about it. But it happens every day. But nobody really highlights it. And nobody really talks about it, music-wise or news-wise. So, like I said, I wasn't too tough. I wasn't too hard to really speak on that. So that's when I say when people want music because they want more of my stories. Okay, he said this, like, what else has he went through?

And people get really excited.

And when they buy my T-shirts it's like okay this kid has been through hell. This has not been an easy ride at all. I keep focus.

And I keep it going. That's what I'm here for, is to get these people good music. But that's the hardest thing because they always want something different. Whether they want me singing or they want me rapping. Or they just want me on some trap stuff.

Q. Is there anything you want to say to the audience?

A. If anybody who's reading this interview, whether you're famous, whether you're not, I really want you to take the time to really listen to my music and really just see what I'm about, just speak what I'm about. And if you're really interested or booking me for any other occasion please don't be afraid to hit my inbox or my DM, thereallilmeek on Instagram. On Facebook, it's Lil Meek. YouTube it's Lil Meek. I am on Pandora. I'm on Spotify, iHeart Radio, all that.

It's all on me. You will see it. You will see me in black and white and in my all eyes on me cover. I had short hair dreads back then.

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Amun Cosme “The number one piece of advice I can tell you is to be consistent with what you want to do."

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. All right, my name is Amun “Moon” Cosme. I currently reside in Warner Robins, Georgia, but my family we are all originally from New York. We moved down to Georgia in the late 90s. So, I was raised down here, I was about six when we moved.

I'm a professional mixed martial artist. I fight in the cage. So, everybody says oh, you do the UFC stuff. I tell people UFC is the brand.

MMA is what I do. So boxing, kickboxing, jujitsu, wrestling, basically MMA is just a compilation of all the martial arts together. They'd lock you and another grown man in the cage. And you'll see who the baddest man is that night.

Q. What motivated you to want to get into martial arts?

A. Growing up, I always was interested in it because I'm not the biggest dude. I'm one of eight brothers and sisters.

And I'm the baby boy. So, I fought a lot. Older sisters beat me up, older brothers beat me up. Everything like that. But I was always interested in learning how to defend myself. And I was always a little bit of an athlete and competitive. So, I started getting into a little bit of boxing and a little bit of kickboxing. And then I got into jujitsu. And then one thing kind of led to another after six or seven months of just consistent training, I started doing competitions, and I started doing pretty good. I knew in the back of my head that I wanted to compete in fights. So, I came to my coach, and he was like, well if you keep showing up, you keep training we can keep putting you in competitions. One thing led to another and I took my first amateur fight in 2016. And then I went pro last year, and the ball has been rolling and even Corona can't slow me down.

Q. What's the next big move for you?

A. The next big move is definitely fighting in the biggest MMA

organization in the world, which is the UFC. They're known as the biggest brand out there. You have UFC, Bellator, and one championship or kind of the front runners for mixed martial arts in the world. It's not like the United States. But obviously, the UFC is the biggest one in the world. And if you want to be the biggest and best in the world, I want to fight for the biggest and best company in the world. They have the top competition and my current coach fought for their organization over 20 times. So, he knows what it takes to get there. And that's what we're doing right now. I moved just to train with Miller Martial Arts and Fitness in Warner Robins. Cole Miller is getting the pedigree ready to go to the big stage.

Q. Tell us some of the

achievements and awards you have won?

A. Alright. So, the first four years that I fought as an amateur I was undefeated, and I won three amateur titles. I worked my way up from being at the bottom of the barrel of 2, 300 fighters in the Southeast to be the number one ranked contender as an amateur. I beat the number three guy, got knockout of the year. And once I did that, I had acquired my third amateur belt. My first amateur title was for Valor.

And then after that, I acquired another one for a National Fighting Championship. And then after that, I went back to Valor because I got into a car accident, so I couldn't fight for a year and a half. So, I went back for Valor after that and won back the title that I never officially lost. So, I had three amateur titles. And then after that, I kind of moved on into the pro ranks. So that was kind of my resume as an amateur.

Everybody was like, oh my God, he's undefeated, is he going to do it like a pro? And I've had two pro fights, and I've won them both. So, I'm continuing that undefeated record, which to me is not really that important. I could care less about the record. Just going in there that night, when you fight that's really the only thing that matters. Your record doesn't win you the current fight. But as far as the biggest accolade, that's what everybody else would say my biggest accolades are. To me, the biggest accolade is just a person that I've became through fighting.

What fighting is done for me, and just helped me grow up as a man and as a human being.

Q. Well, tell us some tips and steps that you have to go through being healthy and eating right?

A. So that's the part that most people have no idea about. When I tell people about fighting, they think, oh man, this guy is crazy. These guys just talk crap, and then in eight weeks, they fight. I'm like, you have no idea what it takes to be a fighter. You're fighting every single day. You're fighting to eat the right food. I train twice a day,

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every day, and six days a week.

So, when people say, oh man, I want to do what you do. I'm like, no, you want to get the glory at the end of a win, but you don't want to do what I do. Because what I do is, when people say they work 40 hours, I'm like, yeah, but imagine if your 40-hour work week was 40 physical hours of training. My workweek is 60, 70, 80 hours. I train two hours in the morning, I eat breakfast, come back, stretch, I train other people, I'll do private sessions, I'll teach kids classes, I'll teach adult classes, and then I'll get another 2, 3, 4 hours of training in that night. And then I'll do that pretty much every day, Monday through Saturday. On top of that, I have to meal prep and cook my own food. And I also go lift weights at the gym, and I run my miles at the track. I tell people fighting is a huge balance of life. I tell people I fight and everybody else fights. But I came from a family of 8 brothers and sisters, and I've seen my mom and my dad fight to pay rent. And I see my mom and my dad fight to get jobs. I've seen them fight to get us out of poverty. I've seen them fighting my entire life. And this is no different. I just kind of focused it on martial arts-based fighting. So,

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I trained in martial arts throughout the week. I've trained other people in martial arts. And what I do to prepare for a fight is, I train my body, my mind, and my spirit to go to war. You got to put the best food in, you got to have the best trainers. You got to have the best mindset. But just like in life, it's not always going good. It's always up and down. So, as you prepare for a fight, you're fighting other people, you're fighting yourself, you're fighting your own personal demons, you're fighting that piece of cake that's looking at you in the face.

You're always fighting. And I tell everybody is there's no difference between what I do, and what you do. It's a physical altercation, but the hardest altercation that we all have as people are the mental one. The mental demons, you got to face every single day from whatever stuff that you had growing up to an adult. So that's the biggest battle and I think that's why I like the reward of going in there and getting the win. It's good but the best accolade is who you become along the way on that journey. And that's a balancing act. And that's the hardest thing. The nutrition, the mental nutrition, and the physical nutrition. Body, mind, and spirit,

every single day, to be checked in and motivated. To get up when you don't want to, to eat the right thing if you don't want to. To train 30, 40 hours a week physically and still do studying and stuff when you don't want to do it. So that's the hardest part of fighting. And that's the part that people don't see. They only see when they raise your hand.

And they're like, yeah, I could do that. I'm like, no you can't.

Q. Who is somebody that you really want to challenge or the person that you want to compete against?

A. Oh, man. My goal and the trajectory that I'm heading in is definitely to get to the UFC. So anytime that there's a fight on the UFC and I see people in my weight class, that bantamweight. I'm like, oh man, I want to fight these guys. I can't wait up on that level to where I'm already in the 1% of the population. 1% of the people on the planet don't fight. But then you got to think the people who do train, then you have 1% of them actually become professional athletes. And then 1% of them become the best in the world. So, the pool is getting smaller and the guys that are on that level

are some of my idols that I look up to. And I'm like, man, I'm not that many years away from being in the same league as them, and possibly fighting them. Like Jose Aldo, Aljamain Sterling, and Petr Yan. And I would really like to fight TJ Dillashaw. He's probably one of the best 135ers. He got suspended for taking illegal substances, like steroids and stuff like that. But I think matchup-wise, we would still be a really good match-up. We do a lot of things very similar. He's way beyond where I'm at now, but I think at the time once I get to that big stage, I think that would be a great fight, me and TJ Dillashaw.

Q. Who are your top three favorite fighters?

A. Oh, man. So, when we go top three favorite fighters, I always don't just think MMA. Because when I grew up, we're from up North, my family was born in New York, and we moved to Philly and then we moved to Georgia. So, I started watching boxing first. And my dad was born in the 40s. So, I grew up watching the old like, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, and Ali. I remember watching VHS tapes. So, if I would have to say top three fighters I would have to go all across the board. If I would say like, alright, in my head when I was younger, if you didn't tell me that Jackie Chan was a freakin actor, I would have said he was my favorite fighter. Jackie Chan, Roy Jones Jr. and Muhammad Ali have always been some of my

favorite boxers ever. So those would definitely be on my top as far as boxing. As MMA goes, I would probably say Anderson Silva still is one of my favorites, man. He's one of the goats. Him, Dominick Cruz, and Jose Aldo are probably three of my top favorite fighters. Their style, I like what they do. Israel Adesanya, the newer guy who just came into the UFC and lit it on fire.

He's from New Zealand. I think Nigeria. He's from New Zealand but his family from Nigeria if I'm not mistaken. Freakin phenomenal, a great fighter. And he's entertaining too. I just love to watch him get interviews too. He is super entertaining and he used to be like a B-boy so he used to dance, so he's got all the flavor, everything.

He's got the swag. And he's one of the best in the world. So that's one of my newest favorites. But Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya, Jose Aldo, and those kinds are in my top, Dominick Cruz.

Q. What advice would you want to give to your fans?

A. The advice I would give to my fans is I don't consider them banned.

Because I feel like whenever you call somebody a fan, you're making yourself seem like you're up here and they're down here. I've dealt with everybody, anyone that sends me a DM, a like, a comment, they message me, and we have a conversation. I'm a fan, I tell them and you're a supporter. Because along this journey I tell everybody that's extremely hard, and it's

very hard to do. That's why most people don't choose to do this.

I chose to do this. But they're a supporter. Because every time that they do something it supports the journey that you're on. I remember where I came from, and I'll never forget it. I can remember it like it was yesterday. 11 of us sleeping in a two-bedroom section eight apartment. And I used to make a joke that me and my cousin shared a closet, and somebody was like, what do you mean? I was like, no, no, we slept in the closet. Me and my six-foot cousin slept in a walking closet. I remember what that was like. So, I never look at myself as if I'm better than anyone or anything like that. And in a weird way, when you're training for fighting you have to have the confidence and tell yourself you're better than the average person, but not in the way that demeans them. It means your skillset. Like what I practice, I'm practicing being a better martial artist than you. But I'll tell people that support me or someone's who says, I want to be just like you, I want to train, I want to fight, I want to do this, I want to do that. I'm like, cool. The number one piece of advice I can tell you is to be consistent and be honest with yourself. So I'm like if you can be consistent with what you want to do, and if you're honest with yourself, anytime somebody asked me they want to do it, my first question is, why do you want to do it? And if they can't give me a solid answer on why they want to do it, then I'll tell them, to be honest with you, you shouldn't do it.

Q. Do you have any events or projects that are coming up?

A. Well, I just had the fight that was on Saturday. And as far as events right now, I've just talked with my management, and I can't give out the date but I had a couple of different promotions but one particular promotion reached out to me, and they want me to fight for them during the summer. So, I can't give out that information until I've met my management.

He's meeting with me tomorrow.

He's like, hey, man, don't say nothing. I was like, okay. July is what it's looking like. So, once they send over the contract and the information, and it's official,

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I'll let you know. I'll shoot you the message. And I'll be like, hey, look, it's official. That way everybody can know about it. But I don't have any particular events. The one thing we were looking forward to doing was getting my next fight. It's like, hey, I just went in there and fought, I'm healthy, and I'm ready to go back and fight again. So, give me two months at the training camp and an opponent and I can do it. So right now, they gave me a timeframe, they said July. I said, let's do July. I'm waiting for them to give me an opponent. I can't say anything, because they don't have an opponent. Once they get an opponent to fight me, and then it's official.

Q. How was the fight Saturday?

A. To be 100% honest, the fight went well, but I was extremely disappointed. Because I just have extremely high standards for myself. And there were some points in the fight where I feel like I could have finished. And there were some complications in the fight and things that I couldn't do, and I can't disclose why. Because I was nursing a little bit of a preexisting injury, but I didn't want to say anything going into the fight.

So, I can't disclose what happened.

But in the fight, there were some areas where I felt like I should have finished it. But I fought a tough dude and everybody enjoyed it. I just uploaded the highlights today.

And I feel a little bit back and forth.

I kind of started putting on the pressure and I won off every round decisively. But I was upset that I didn't finish it. I just hate leaving it to the judges. Even if you win every round, I just hate standing there at the end knowing that my fate is in three other people's hands and what they saw. Because they could see something different than what you thought happened. And I'm like, but I hit him more times than he hit me or he's bleeding and I'm not. It was a very weird feeling. I felt like that one other time, and it was at that one my second amateur title, which I was happy that I got the win, but I was disappointed that I felt like I could have done better. Not that I could have fought harder because I fought hard. I felt like I could have fought a little

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bit smarter. I got wrapped up in the excitement of the fight, and I started fighting. I was like, we in there. We like bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. And if I would have just kind of slowed down a little bit mentally and pulled off the gas I could have been like oh shit, this can be the one to finish the fight versus just going at it boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Okay, cool, hit, hit, not get hit. Move, move. Go, go, go, go, go. If I would have been like, alright, cool. Because I'm so normally just so cool, calm, and collected. But I was really excited because I haven't been in the cages in 15 months because I had four flights canceled. So, I was so excited to be back. I was like, oh my God, I finally made it. We're finally back in the cage and the fight didn't get canceled.

Because my other four fights got canceled the day before.

So, I did all this training for 10 weeks and then the day before I get canceled, and I did that for over a year, 15 months. And I was like, please just don't get canceled the day before.

And that's what I tell people when they're like, oh my God, I can't fight. I get mad. Sometimes the emotion is not the best. They're not good to fight emotionally. And I did go in there fighting emotional, but it wasn't anger emotion, it was excitement. I was excited to be there. And I came out, we touched gloves and after five seconds, I was like boom, boom, boom. And it was like 100 miles an hour and I never took my foot off the gas. If I would have taken the foot off the gas and maybe do like 90 miles an hour, I could of maybe saw, or maybe I missed a couple of opportunities to finish the fight. That's part of fighting and being a martial artist.

I am a martial artist at heart. Even when I stop competing in the cage, I'm going to teach and train martial arts to the day that I die. So that was my recap of that night. It was a beautiful night. I had a ton of people come out and support me.

Family and friends that I grew up with since I first moved to Georgia.

And people that knew my family from New York. The support was amazing. I've never fought in a

place when they're like, let's go, Moon. I can hear them in the cage.

I'm like damn, they're going off out there.

Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you.

A. All right. You can follow me, my Instagram is my first name, last name MMA. So, it's amun_ cosme_mma. And then I also have a website. I'm amuncosme. com. My Facebook is my first name, last name. If you find any of my social media, everything is attached. So, everything is there.

My name is Amun Moon Cosme.

So, I just launched my T-shirt lunar unlimited. And it's the premise to break the limits that we put on ourselves. So, the sky's not the limit.

“ As I continue to learn more about our history, and our place in this world, I'm discovering how prominent we have been across various empires.

We're excellent people.

Lila Brown WIB Magazine

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working with athletes. A particular athlete and Olympian wanted my agency to do more work for her outside the scope of just PR and Marketing. It was then that I really started thinking more seriously about Management. I knew it would be a huge undertaking because you really have to care for your talent and nurture them. I've been able to nurture a lot of talent in this industry, but more so my focus is on sports. That eventually rolled over to me becoming a sports agent to where I'm just like, I just love business. So, I treat my company, agency, just as any other business. It needs so much in terms of accounting, it needs its own Marketing and PR, social media. It's fun, I love it; it's not work for me, I really do love it.

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hi, my name is Lila Brown. I am an entertainment publicist, a Sports Agent and overall a business executive. I am located in Los Angeles, California.

Q. What made you want to be a publicist?

A. My roots, starting out way back to elementary school. I went to a Crispus Attucks Mass Communication and Writing Magnet School. So, I learned a lot about content creation, working behind the scenes in media journalism, news writing and news reporting at an early age. I kind of matriculated on, went throughout high school, and then when I got to college and had to pick a major.

I knew I wanted to be in the mass media arts. But I was learning a

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lot more about the different areas within journalism. It was so funny coming out of high school because I remember watching "Sex and the City", the character Samantha worked in public relations and I was like, let me explore that.

And when I got deeper into it, I realized how important public relations is to the overall field of journalism. We are the people that feed the media the news stories. We get the press releases and media alerts out about our clients. If you have major clients, especially like a corporation, or celebrity-there's always somebody in the press that wants to speak to them, do interviews- so we're always feeding them the latest in what's going on. Representing organizations and talent is pretty much my background and then that transitioned over the years into

Q. Can you tell us more about what a publicist does differently from a manager? Because everybody thinks that a publicist and a manager are kind of the same thing; So, what differentiates the two?

A. So public relations is definitely just more focused on working with the media and how we can relate you to your fans and public overall.

So, we're just making talent more relatable. For example, in order to reach the fans, and how do we do that is through a medium.

Sometimes that medium is social media. On a micro scale, we can't reach every single fan. We cant reach every person in our target market who we're trying to reach. So, you use widely distibuted publications such as Vogue Magazine to reach as many people as possible within the fashion industry or those with fashion interests. So, we can touch millions, just through a few publications and outlets. A manager is managing your entire business, your manager is going to be the person that counsels you, guides you, and helps you maintain all incoming inquiries and requests. So, then management can break off into so many other things, maybe a PR manager or maybe a brand manager, social media manager; but just a general manager, should be that talent's, most trusted confidant and advisor.

I've worked in the industry for all these years and the best decisions

I've seen. You'll see someone with a smart career, they've made a lot of smart decisions and choices and it reflects in their work. I love creative genius, but for me, when I'm solely working just in public relations for a talent, my main concern is how do we reach the audiences just through a few means, just through a few media outlets and publications. It's so much more intricate than that, but the functions are different, the focus is different.

Q. What are your goals for the next three years?

A. Well, for me, my life is chopped up into every two years because both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

On the sports side, it is the Olympics, but on the entertainment side, it's annual for me. I would say every two to four years, I'm working on an Olympics, but what I'm really getting ready for is the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. It seems so far away, but I'm thinking, 'How do I get there?', I have to have my mental health, my dietary health, I need to make sure my business is strong enough to sustain the next couple of years. So, I'm getting ready for another Olympics, but the big one for me is Los Angeles 2028.

Within the next couple of years, Los Angeles is getting a Super Bowl and then there are still those things in between. I'm thinking ahead, but then I work my way backwards and say, 'Okay, what do I want my life to look like in the next couple of years?' 'What type of talent what type of clients do I want to have?'

'What type of partnerships do I want to have intact?' and then I start working on it right now. People are always thinking 'you think too far ahead'; so, I got to operate both in the present and in the future. It's really tricky sometimes.

Q. Tell us about the CBD and the line you have?

A. So, I have a cannabis product line, it's called Mood Sticks. Mood Sticks is a pre-roll brand. And we use glass tips with vegan papers to roll it in, I really try to move away from using any type of tobacco because those additives are still very cancerous. I want to give the cleanest smoke possible for whoever wants to consume it

and, however. So you know how people will take like a Swisher Sweet or something and they'll cut it open, they'll dump the content, and then they'll go in smoke exactly, essentially what they just dumped. They're still using those tobacco leaves as paper. So, I don't want to get into what's good, what isn't good when it comes to tobacco versus cannabis, because those are two different sectors, but tobacco has shown to be cancerous. And Mood Sticks are something that's just giving you pure cannabis smoke via vegan papers. The glass tips, extracts all that tar from the THC; you get the very pure smoke. We do a lot of branding in this area, it's a new concept and so, right now just educating audiences is important. People want to know, is this going to make me sleepy, is this going to make me hyper is it an upper or a downer. With Mood Sticks, it's color coordinated. Our blue and purple Mood Sticks, are Indica, our orange our golden and red are our Sativa brands and then our green will be our hybrid strains. So, people can kind of get the typ strains; orange/golden and red are our Sativa strains and then our green are Hybrid strains.

Consumers can expect the type of smoke they want based on what type of Mood Sticks they purchase.

It's highly interactive, but it's also about you controlling the high or stoned effect you get based on the color you pick. Shoppers are becoming more educated about cannabis; they say, 'Hey, I have this ailment or this issue and I want to solve it, how can I get more energy?' or 'How can I relax and calm down because they may have anxiety?' So, it isn’t all about recreational smoking, it's also about what can benefit you medicinally.

Q. What has been the biggest challenge for you in your career?

A. First, the cannabis industry, I would say because of all the regulations and I'll go into the sports and entertainment side as well but being on the forefront of something and you're trying to do things while it's not federally regulated is most challenging. It's still a Schedule

one drug and they list it with opioids and barbiturates; however, cannabis is more medicinal. Trying to have a bank account in an industry where it's not accepted federally is complicated. So that's the challenge, but it makes you more of an advocate and makes you more of a fighter. You may become discouraged thinking you can't do business. But at the same time, I'm also advocating for 'free the weed dealers'-- get those people out of jail that were prosecuted. It's just disappointing, I would say in the sports and entertainment industry, being a black woman working in sports, in an industry where, for one, it's so funny, because athletes, trust people that don't even look like us with their money and their careers is mind-boggling. Sometimes I see a lot of mismanagement and that frustrates me the most. My agency tries to provide unique services, where some kind of just treat our athletes as property. I call them our athletes because these are our brothers and our sisters, these are friends, these are people that grew up in our neighborhood, and we cheer them on. Then when they go to the pros, I'm kind of that person in the industry, like, don't forget to give back. And not just for tax purposes. You will find a lot of athletes, male or female athletes, it doesn't matter, I should say, men or women, it doesn't matter; they want to give back to the people and sometimes they just don't know how. They know that they've had a great career, but they don't know how to leverage it in giving back. So, there's a lot of ways to give back; it's not always about hosting a camp, sometimes you just being vocal on matters that affect our communities, or being an advocate, or using your celebrity and your influence to positively impact what's happening to us.

At the end of the day, sports and entertainment, it's folly, It's fun, it's a distraction, and its escapism from some real stuff that's going on with us right now. So that will probably have been my biggest challenge in trying to still work and play in the entertainment and sports industry, while there are some real serious things happening in our communities. Sometimes you

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want to just put that aside. But I will give the best example: everything that was happening last year with Black Lives Matter. LeBron James saying 'we're just not going to play anymore' and then he has a phone conversation with former President Barack Obama and then he talks to him about 'No, use your power to turn stadiums into voting/polling stations in your cities'. There will be times that we want to give up, but I think at the same time, you got to confront the issues, tap in, be creative, and figure out how can we use whatever influence and power we have to really help our people.

So that'd be my best example.

Q. Who would you consider your top five athletes?

A. We got to go with Michael Jordan, because what he was able to do business-wise, and not just on the court, but also what he was able to do with his whole Jordan Brand. I think Tiger Woods for how he transformed an entire sport that has excluded us, Many don;t realize that what's rooted in those golf and country clubs is various forms of discrimination.

So sometimes we can't even get to the green.His father just did not take that, didn't take exclusion, and being discriminated against. He didn't let that stop them. Number three Serena Williams. Just the power and just watching her grow up seeing two black girls her and Venus, I'll put them both at three.

With their beadss and the beads flying all over the court during competition. I was like that's some real sisters. How involved, their father was in their careers. They were just game changers. Plus, to see the longevity in their career, they've been playing probably as long as most people have been alive, like, probably half my life.

I've grown up watching them.I just love tennis.Growing up I didn't understand why my grandmother, my great aunt and my mom loved tennis so much. They would watch it all the time then I started to learn the history of it. Just all the black women that have paved the way for Venus and Serena. Even as a member of my sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha had Althea Gibson breaking barriers and being the first to win a Grand Slam title. Just thinking 'Wow, black people are

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still continuing a legacy'. I would say number four, Simone Biles.

Just watching her career, that's somebody I really wanted to work with, she's amazing, she changed the sport of gymnastics on a global scale, she will forever go down as the best gymnast who has ever lived male, female doesn't matter.

Number five, this is crazy. I'm going to say, Michael Phelps. Because for swimming, he got people interested in the sport from the United States perspective, because a lot of European nations were doing well, then he got out there. And what I love about Michael Phelps, and what I can even take away for even black athletes is that he's tall. I tell people he's successful in this sport because he's tall. So, he's lean, he can touch that wall before anybody. We are known for having tall men and women, so I'm like, 'Come on, guys. he's just showing you it's not even who he is. It's the body type that helps him succeed'. So, I feel like maybe you didn't have a basketball career, maybe you're tall, but you're not even interested in basketball as a sport and you want to try another sport, get into swimming. if I could I want to change that number five, and say, Simone Manuel instead.

Simone Manuel, because a black woman again, breaking stereotypes in the world, and winning a gold medal for swimming is why I love the Olympics. It expands to other sports that are not popular in the United States, but internationally, man, black people dominate. We dominate in marathon running, dominate track and field. So, that was a tough five because I was thinking of so many sports, but those people to me were gamechangers, and then they have the business behind them to kind of go for it. Simone Biles and Simone Manuel, I wish they had a little bit better business plans for engaging with our communities; but thats where we need more black people to get into the business of sports.

So, we can really just knock it out of the park. I have some ideas that will be coming up in the next couple of years.

Q. So, being in the sports and the Olympics, what has been one of your memorable experiences?

A. Going to the Winter Olympics in

2014. It was my first time out of the country, I went to Russia. That was tough I didn't know the language or anything about the country. This story is special because it goes back to my upbring as well. I was listening to the news and they were saying don't go to Russia for the Olympics. They really try to scare people from traveling to the games. I was determined to attend because I worked hard for my Olympians. We we’re going to Russia and that was final. It was challenging to even plan, but a simple reminder is what helped me get through it. Paul Robeson. I attended a school for his namesake titled Paul Robeson Classical Greek Middle School.

Paul Robeson was received by the Russians. I went back to his life story and he became a guiding light for me. It felt like an Ancestral Spirit, that told me to 'go for it, they are going to tell you that Russians don't like black people, they're going to tell you that you're not safe in Russia'. but he was well-received in Russia, so much so that they thought he was a communist. When he came back to the States, he had to go in for a congressional hearing. Thinking back on my time in Russia, the experience was amazing. People were in awe. Walking around town, I had a black Olympian with me, and even my business partner who is Liberian- American.The locals were so drawn to us and wanted their families to take pictures with us. I broke down-even for myself so many stereotypes about what I thought I knew about Russia, and I definitely want to go back.

I was near the Black Sea. When we came back home and shared our experiences only but a few could relate. There was an Olympic welcome home event hosted

by Sal Masekela for Microsoft.

While speaking on stage about his experience during the Russian Olympics he was just as culture shocked. He recalled, 'Man, the way the Russians treated me as a black person was amazing. Then he was like, wait, see those black people in the back of the room that's listening. He was like, y'all know what was up? Y'all were there too'. And he shouted us out.

Like in front of all the guests. He was like, 'aren't I telling the truth?'

and we were like happy to agree.

Over time we bonded over the experience, but I didn't even know his father was the famous South African musician Hugh Masekela who used his art to tell the stories about apartheid in South Africa.

Naysayers are going to tell us that we are not safe in this world.

They will tell us that there's no place for us to go. But my team and I shattered all those myths for so many others who wants to travel. I can attest that we were well received. As I continue to learn more about our history, and our place in this world, I'm discovering how prominent we have been across various empires. We're excellent people. So, I love it. Black pride.

But flashing back, yeah it was my first time out of the country. My next time will be Bejing then Paris.

Thanks to the Olympics I've also been to Brazil and South Korea even with the same narratives and fear tactics telling us not to go to the favelas, you might get robbed, don't tell people you're Americans, etc. I just learned not to listen to people, just go with my own gut instinct.

Q. Do you have any projects or upcoming events?

A. A lot of things I can't really talk about because my business partner, Richard Thorpe, Jr says wait until the ink is dry. This is with a major company and they want to be the first to break the news. But the project is for my client Jasmine Fenlator who was on the USA women's bobsled team. She did well, she made the Olympics. And then she came back home, and she was still facing a lot of the same discrimination, prejudice, racism, things like that. And I said, 'Isn't your father Jamaican?' You're a female bobsledder with a Jamaican father, why don't you leave team USA and go help develop a black nation? Why don't you forget Team USA; and then we started the first-ever women's bobsled team for Team Jamaica. And so, they competed at the 2018 Olympics.

There are so many other things, a lot of projects with our athletes, As endorsement deals roll out, we'll announce the news, but there is so much that we dont dwell on it. We

simply mark it off our list and keep it moving.

Q. Do you think that publicists get enough credit for what they do?

A. They don't get any credit, you barely see them. If it were me, I would want to give a special credit to everybody that has helped me.

This is evident when talent wins an Academy Awards. They never say 'I want to thank my publicist.'

Even though the publicist is the one that makes sure they hit the red carpet for awards show season, they look good during campaign bids and nomination season. Publicists make sure that the media is being utilized for them to even get the votes because people don't realize when you're

going for an Oscar that you have to go do alot of press. The PR is the one helping you promote your show PR is the one helping you promote your projects, film, or show. Publicists will promote your new single, and then that song will go on and do well, yet they won't even put their publicist in their Instagram bios. Celebrities don't neccessarily need to say thank you to my publicist for securing the cover of this magazine, because we work behind the scenes, it's our job, but what I've realized is that especially being a black woman in this entertainment industry, is that they will try to make us hidden figures. The other executives will try to make it where we do the work and somebody else takes the credit

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because nobody wants to admit that they needed a publicist for success.to But I always want to give good examples too. An A-list such as Halle Berry during a red carpet for a movie premiere will be guided by studio executives who will tell her 'Oh, you don't have time to talk to the black media', but she pushes back and recognizes our brothers and sisters on the red carpet working to secure interviews. Hollywood executives want top-tier celebrities to skip over black media on the red carpet and she has been noted for having the attitude of asking 'How much time do you need?' If they need 15 minutes, she will give them 30.

When helping one another we must be that aggressive. We have to go above and beyond to really show appreciation for black media. Lastly, I just want to shout out to billionaire Byron Allen, because he is going hard for black media right now saying 'Why aren't you giving your advertising dollars to black media?

If your budget for advertising is $2 billion this year, 25% of that should be going to black media'. Can you imagine black magazines receiving multi-million dollar from advertising budgets, per outlet or publication on average? I love his approach. When we rise up in our careers, is not good enough just for one of us to rise up. I need my brothers and sisters to be doing well, too, We must. It is great to see our billionaires also fighting for us.

Also, we still keep in mind our beginnersthose who are starting to find their place in this industry.

We got to work together. We have to.

I, in particular have no target audience. I have a diverse range of clients from Latina, to Italian, but at the

Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, and they also have a Lakers all-access where volunteers could come out because they were trying to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles. So, there's a lot of opportunities, I used to volunteer for the Chick-Fil-A, I would work in the media hospitality suite.

Volunteering can really help you break into some rooms. Because when it comes time, now that you have the experience, now you can turn that into a job, hopefully, within media opportunties. I would say the same thing. Start local, every city/town has a local news station, learn about what they do, ask especially if you're in college and you're interning or even before internship, explain that you just want to get more experience, you might want to shadow somebody for a day. So, get involved, be a helping hand. And that's what we're all in business to do is to help people, help assist and support. So as long as you're helping people, you will always have work, you'll always be able to get clients and gain new business.

So, whatever it is, you do start local, it might seem something small, but small blogs, small newspapers feed into a services such as the Associated Press.

In media everyone is working together. So never think that something is too small because it can feed into a larger machine. We are so interconnected, we need one another. So, you being really excellent, even if it's in a small market or space can still get the attention because we all came from somewhere. So, you'll be surprised some of the most prominent people started at HBCUs or they started with a small local newspaper or they started entry-level. So, we all grow in progress. So that is the gist. That's like the infinite loop. It's like the circle of life. It just doesn't stop going. So, what goes around comes around.

same time, we're multicultural.

Everything I do, I do it for us. It might take me longer to get to the top of where I'm going, but I will get there. I'm extremely persistent.

Q. What advice can you give to somebody that wants to be in the sports industry or want to be a publicist?

A. For one for the sports industry, I always say start local. Start with your local team, for example, if I was in Atlanta, and let's say I wanted to work with the Falcons, I would probably seek out some volunteer opportunities while I was in college, or even high school, summer jobs. Companies are always extending volunteer opportunities, you'll come to find out, there are 50- and 60-yearold people that are volunteering, because they have experience and they want to stay active in the field, so they volunteer their time. The Superbowl that's coming to LA, there are some instances where companies can get paid for their services. But there'll be some volunteer opportunities, I volunteered with the Los

Q. Tell everybody where they can follow you?

A. Follow me at @LadyLilaBrown on Instagram and Twitter and my agency Instagram account is at @ TeamEBMG for EB Media Group on Twitter.

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“Don't be afraid of feedback and rejection, it's one of those things that unfortunately go hand in hand."

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Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Hello, everyone, I am Sharina Harris; I'm an author. I write women's fiction and romance, and most recently young adult, fantasy and paranormal. So, kind of all over the place. I've been writing since 2016 and most recently, in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, I released two books, Judge's Girls, and (IM) Perfectly Happy. But thank you so much for the invite. Super excited to be here and to chat with your audience today.

Q. Thanks for being here. I am a big fan. And I read both of those books, and they are so good. But before I get into that, I just want to know what made you want to be an author?

A. I've wanted to do it for a long time.

I really honestly have known since I was 12 years old. And I think about it, I've been writing little books, very terrible books, but books here and there. But right around the time I got into high school, I said, okay, I want to be a writer, maybe journalism or something along those lines and so my English teacher, she gave me a book, and it had the salaries and the salary was really low and I said: "oh, I can't be poor". So, I decided to pursue Public Relations and Marketing. I still do marketing to this day; it's my day job. I just really came back to it when I was laid off in 2012, I want to say. I just heard a voice, it was like, "alright, you can cry about this or you can take this time to write". So, I did some freelance marketing, and did some writing. It was one of the best years of my life. It was just great.

And then that's when I knew. I said, "okay, I'm going to go for it. I won't quit my day job just yet". But this is something I definitely want to do. I feel like God has a way of course correcting. And that was the course correct from me choosing money over what I really am passionate about. So, I'm really glad that I had this hindsight.

Q. Who are your favorite authors?

A. So, I will say that because my mother's friend gave me a whole bunch of romance novels, three or four big hefty bags. It started off with Nora Roberts to Jay Chris.

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And then I didn't really see any representation I'm like, okay, who the characters who look like me.

And kind of got tired of that. So probably around high school I really got into Francis Ray and Brenda Jackson, Donna Hill, and Terry McMillan. Now I was definitely reading up. Steven King. So those are my favorites. I definitely focus more towards the contemporary romance side, and then a little bit of horror, but I really enjoyed it.

That was my bread and butter. Ask me 10 years ago, Brenda Jackson, I've read all of her books. And then over time I've gotten exposed to a lot of great authors, both indie and traditionally published, and there are so many talented authors out there so I'm always reading, always discovering new authors and it's just been amazing.

Q. Which novel did you like to write more?

A. To give you all an honest answer, I really enjoyed writing (IM) Perfectly Happy and Judges Girls, because It allowed me to kind of explore.

With romance, you have to make sure those characters are always together, the central theme is romance, it's just more prescriptive as it should be. That's what you expect as a reader, right? By reading a romance author, they need to be together and doing things. But with women's fiction, I get to kind of explore different layers. And really, some of the things for (IM) Perfectly Happy in particular, there were things that my friends and I were going

through or have gone through, or I knew someone who knew someone, right. And that felt more relevant to me at that time in my life. So, I like the freedom, that the women's fiction with romantic elements allowed me to have. And I will also say the industry, although they're kind of like, interconnected, from the publishing side; with romance, it's a little bit harder for African American writers to really get in there and get the support that we need to be successful, from a romance perspective, and so I felt like the industry was just a smidge bit kinder, it's not something that there's been a lot of reports out there about, being a black romance writer, and like the amount of the percentage with the big five publishers. So, it was kind of the bomb that I needed, but I will always go back to romance. That was a really long-winded question, but I wanted to be honest.

Q. That's a good break down and that's a good thing, too.

So, while you're writing these romances, has that ever helped you in any of your relationships that you ever had?

A. You know, I think of it. You know sometimes my friends are like "did you do that?" I'm like "listen, I have a good imagination". But I will say this from a psychological perspective, I'll stay on the safe side of it. Like understanding that there's always context to what someone is thinking, we only get the surface, the dialogue, right.

But we don't understand that this person is saying that Sharina is saying this because of the wounds from her past. So, it's not that she's trying to be rude it's because of all the things that have happened.

So, for me, from a romance perspective, I am that friend who is like, "well, let's get some more context". And I think sometimes it drives my friends, and even my mom, she's like, "why do you keep saying that" I'm like, it's not just a surface dialogue, there's something there's always layers beneath that we're not considering.

So, give people a little break, now if they're being jerks, they're being jerks, but give people a little break of what they really, really need and what their intentions are.

Because most people have good

intentions, sometimes it's just not executed well. There's really going to be perspective from like our relationship. I'll give my husband a lot more breaks than I did before.

Before. I'm like, Yeah, but that has forced me to be like, Alright, if I'm going to give my character that I'm creating breaks, I got to get my real-life husband some breaks too so that's been, I think about that, but that is destined.

Q. How did you come up with the characters in the book and what are the different challenges you had writing this book?

A. Oh, so the idea was sparked because I definitely have a mixed family. So, my dad remarried years ago, when I was 12, I have a great relationship with my stepmom. And my stepsisters and they have my little brother from that marriage too.

She is Asian, dad's black. They're located in basically Alabama and so anytime, especially in the past when we would go out there it would just be like a bunch of stares.

So, it's just kind of like that tension in the deep south. So, it's just like, what if I didn't get along with my stepmother? The characters themselves, I'd say a challenge was writing a white woman and trying to have those layers. So, a lot of times I would write I would be drafting, and I would have this one-dimensional character because of my preconceived notions of like, "Well, you know, she's a little ignorant, right?" "She, you know, is tired of her kids", but I had to pull back to say, "Okay, how does she get to this point? She's not all that foolish. She can, you know", just making sure that I'm giving her an opportunity to really be a fully formed person, that she's soaking up with someone genies room speaking about the character. "Is she someone I would be friends with? No". And I think that was a challenge, because I usually like my characters, even if they're deeply flawed. I'm usually like, "Oh, yeah, I can be". And for her, maybe at the end of the book, I could be her friend. But like, the whole transitioning and her learning, it would have been really hard for me. So that was really a challenge, really getting into her psyche and stepping in her shoes. And her privileged shoes. And that was

really hard for me to do it in a way that wasn't colored, fully covered with color with my personal opinion of how things should be. If that makes sense.

Q. Are you going on any tours?

Or do you have any upcoming projects?

A. So, tours, nothing set in stone, I'm still a little gun shy with the pandemic; but I was just thinking that maybe since the release in 2020, maybe I should reach back out to these bookstores that I initially wanted to work with so if anything is updated, it will be on my website, SharinaHarris.com. As far as books, like I told you all before I am all over the place. And so, a book that I'm working on now, that was recently acquired by entangled publishing. It's a young adult, paranormal romance. It's a vampire slayer series. And so that's going to release in 2023, January 2023.

So, I am in the trenches working on that. And I'm also working on a road map. So, I'm really excited about that one. So literally I have it with my agent and she's going to give me feedback and it's not a state secret, but I'm big on tropes.

I love tropes. So, this is like, stuck in a snowstorm, enemies, to lovers, about two writers, one is an accomplished thriller writer, the hero, and the heroine is an aspiring writer and she's a fan until she got to know him and he's a jerk, and he's grumpy, but there are reasons. So yeah, I am working on that right now. And hopefully, someone will pick it up. Who knows that either way, even if they don't,

I will definitely go the indie route because it's been a lot of fun and a lot of joy writing this book, for sure.

So, this was like my pandemic fun.

While things were going on, and pandemic, just writing this on the side was a lot of fun.

Q. How do you think your audience is going to take onto the new vampire book that you're about to come out with?

A. You know, I have thought about that. I was like, some people are going to be like "What are you doing?" But I've always loved paranormal so what I plan on doing is just making sure people understand the difference like this is the young adult, these are the books, and then this is the adult stuff, so I want to be as specific as possible. So even I'm working on revamping my website right now, so people can understand the differences. And if you don't want updates for this little vampire thing, then you know, you don't get it because I understand, as some friends are like, I'll read your contemporary, but I'm not going to read your vampire, and I'm like, "that's fine, that's fine, I respect that I totally do". So, I want to have it, at least from an online perspective, in a way where people can really quickly understand the difference and what it is. But I imagine there'll be some people who will rock with it, and some people will be like, "I will stick to your contemporary".

So, my goal is to have a book in contemporary romance, women's fiction, have a book with the

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paranormal, and just have a nice little trade-off. So, it's not like 10 years later, you get my next book.

Q. How do you deal with writer's block?

A. I used to be like, "I don't get writer's block", I did during the pandemic, that was like my first time and not surprisingly, because there's just a lot going on. And what I try to do is just little by little I write, on average, between five to 10 pages per writing session, if I have writer's block, I will either just write an outline of what I'm trying to say.

Or it's just like a very rough draft with more telling than anything.

And it's kind of forcing me to go through the mechanics and get the words down. And just keeping in the process, and then something will loosen up. So that's one way.

Another way is through inspiration.

So, I'll read another book, I'll read like a favorite or something of mine, or "Oh, this person is getting really, really well". Or I'm going to read this book. So, during a pandemic, fantasy novels, in particular, by a lot of newer, black authors and young adult, they just like really good books, and helped me because it wasn't set in contemporary so I wasn't reading something saying like, "can't do that now you're in a pandemic. Oh! did you wash your hands" You have all this stuff in your head and when you're in an alternate universe, you don't have to think about that; or maybe not an alternate universe, but somewhere where contemporary vampires exist that you're not worried about. So those are the kinds of things that I did while watching movies. It's not just books, I love movies. I'll listen to podcasts. I love inspirational

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YouTube videos, just something that gets me going and just remember what I'm trying to do and why I'm doing it too. So, it's like, it's writer's block and it's also motivation because usually, my writer's block is the source of it. It's not just like, "I got a block today" it's usually a mental thing or my personal life that's impacting my ability to write.

Q. What advice can you give to others that want to be an author?

A. You know, I used to roll my eyes at people who would say this, but it's so true: just write. I think sometimes we get in our heads about perfection, being a perfectionist. But the more you write, the better you will get. I think about some of my earlier works that will never see the light of day. And then even some of the earlier books that I published.

And it's night and day, how much I've grown as an author, but some people are like, "Oh, I'm not a writer" like, no, you're a writer, you're writing, you're a writer, keep going, you're just going to go up, you're just going to keep going up. Don't be afraid of feedback and rejection, it's one of those things that unfortunately go hand in hand. And it doesn't stop when you become a published author.

I got rejected on a proposal three weeks ago, right. It doesn't stop but you have to think "okay, that person wasn't the right person for me", because you want to get there and you want somebody who's going to be your cheerleader, who's going to push you up and make sure you're getting your marketing support

and it makes a difference. So, you can have that fear, you can acknowledge that fear but just say, "Hey, okay, fear, I'm going to put you right over here. And I'm going to keep writing, and I'll get rejected, and I'm going to keep writing", you cannot allow others to dictate your passion. So, you just got to keep going and you're going to get better. Your favorite author was probably garbage when they started and that's okay; just know that your favs had to start somewhere too. And you're no different and you can really keep it going. So just keep writing. Keep going. That's all.

Q. Tell us more details about your new Vampire Book that’s coming out?

A. Yes, I will just give you a high level for maps it's basically this young lady, but basically, girl in college is attacked by you know her band, she's in an HPC Band and at the battle of the bands her band is attacked by two vampires and this activates her slayer powers this whole society that is dedicated to eradicating vampires and so that's kind of the basis of it. There's definitely love, some love interests and some twists and turns there.

But if you're a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with some black girl magic you might want to check it out hopefully you will like it when you do.

Q. Is there anything you want to tell the audience?

A. Yeah, if you want to check me out online, I feel like I'm pretty nice so you can find me on Instagram at Sharina writes and as my main on there. So just Sharina writes altogether. Same thing same handle for Twitter Sharina writes, on Facebook you can just search for author Sharina Harris. So yeah, you can check me out those places go my website you can subscribe and I promise I'm going to have some segmentation so if you don't want to read one particular genre you can sign up for the other so yeah, I would love for you to check out my latest books agendas Judges Girl, (Im)Perfectly Happy and if you do and whether you like it or not, I would love to hear your feedback, drop a review too if you get a chance to. Thank you that's it thank you so much for having me.

Peta-Gaye McCalla

photo by: Andrew Fennell

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photo by: Andrew Fennell

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Introducing myself is quite easy now that I've found out it's ok to be multi-talented. I've created a lifestyle brand as a serial entrepreneur, I started out as a hairstylist with a boutique where I helped style my clients for any occasion, now an author of Journey my life behind the chair. Recently I've made a few investments in real estate which lead to home staging and interior decorating. Now I'm opening an event space to host intimate gatherings.

Q. Give us a little detail on how you got to where you are today?

A. I've been behind the chair for 30 years which I never dreamed of. However, it's been life's best teacher. I've met some of the most influential people in my community and had conversations which helped broaden my horizons. From being a mother to a business owner, I've learned how to multitask, being a woman of integrity. Branding myself and business as genuine and authentic

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as possible. With my faith, drive and love for people I find myself evolving. It's like my prayers are being answered by creating generational wealth and being happy with what life offers.

Q. Let’s talk about your book “Journey: My life behind the chair” and the motivation behind the book?

A. Journey My Life Behind the Chair have been notes written down to stories in my head. It was a bursting desire to let anyone who's going through it, that there is hope. Don't give up. We all have obstacles in life but it's your perspective which has the biggest impact.

Q. What was a challenge for you when you wrote this book?

A. I would say the book was written in the pandemic and released then also. Being able to properly promote it. Having meet and greets have been challenging due to COVID. However, it's teaching me timing. Because I'm able to pace myself and better prepare for the bigger things ahead.

Q. As a female leader what has been the most significant barrier in your career?

A. Being a black female leader in my career is a challenge we face barriers of not being accepted as equals. There weren't many opportunities or advancements being behind the chair besides being an owner without business knowledge. Most stylists have the skills but have limited resources to grow and expand until social media gives us women exposure.

Q. Tell us about your boutique and the meaning behind the name?

A. Shop Quintessential is an extension of Quintessential Lifestyles. The word quintessential sums up my brand representing quality and class. My love for fashion is displayed here giving my clients options for their wardrobe.

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?

A. Next 3 years, I hope to have my own clothing brand. Wholesaling and teaching other young women such as myself.

Q. What advice would you give to your younger self in order to pursue today’s society?

A. Be brave, Bold speak up for what you believe in and never dim your light to fit in. Always stand out without trying.

Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

A. In my heart, I would love to host more women's conferences.

Network with like-minded women and start a podcast.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Please follow me on Instagram @ officialpetagaye Facebook PetaGaye McCalla.

“Be brave, Bold speak up for what you believe in and never dim your light to fit in. Always stand out without trying." photo by: Andrew Fennell

photo by: Andrew Fennell

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“I'll say my favorite accomplishment is having the chance to help people build wealth."

Toni Gilliard 54

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a commercial level by leasing your land. Land is not an asset if you do nothing with it.

Q. What has been the biggest challenge you've had in your career?

A. Nothing has really been challenging but a learning lesson in this business. What I did find very interesting is that some folks still choose not to do business with people who look like me based on my skin tone or cultural background.

That is something that was surprising to me not just within my own community but outside.

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. I am a residential and luxury realtor with Berkshire Hathaway in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. I cover the entire Lowcountry and assist buyers and sellers with real estate transactions, including but not limited to first time homebuyers/ sellers to second homes as well as investment properties.

Q. Who or what inspired you to get into real estate?

A. I’ve always been inspired by real estate transactions which initially started in law school. I’ve always believed it was a great way to build assets and wealth and been fascinated by how the transactions changed state by state as well as internationally. Most importantly I was inspired to do things differently as it relates to people of color, ownership of land, set a mission to educate people about real estate and what can be done to build wealth. Not just by selling but on

Q. Can you tell us 3 tips you can give to someone that is looking to buy a home?

A. 1. Be patient with the process and understand that this market is very competitive on a national level.

2. Stay within your budget and do not pay more than the value of the property. I see many people making offers above appraisals that is the worst thing you can do for yourself from a business perspective.

3. Make sure you get at least 2 to 3 quotes from mortgage Lenders and compare the rates and terms and make the decision that makes the most financial sense. Interest rate, down payment, terms of the loan, and most importantly your mortgage payment.

Q. Tell us about your greatest accomplishment you’ve had in your career?

A. My greatest accomplishment in the business was after being in the business a little shy of a year I was recognized in Real Producers magazine. I was featured and received national recognition on that article.

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

A. I see myself on the development side internationally. Real estate for me is more than transactional.

I see myself assisting with affordable housing as well as creating development projects for self-sustainable communities.

Q. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

A. I would live in Belize. It’s a lovely country that I love to travel to often. It is a lovely blend of Caribbean culture as well as Latin culture. The economy is stable and it’s not so far away from the United States should I need to visit family and friends. The country prides itself on a no waste policy and they have one of the largest protected Coral reefs in the world. And it also helps to know that every month there’s a celebration of some sort.

It fits well with my work life balance as an aging adult.

Q. How was your experience being an attorney?

A. I was called to be an attorney to serve others. It laid the foundation for me in my real estate career to also be a woman of service. My experience as an attorney also opened doors and opportunities that otherwise I likely would not have received. Even without running by boutique law practice my skill set remains the same. I will always be a lawyer no matter what career path I choose.

Q. What is one piece of advice you would like to give to the readers?

A. Remember to do what you love, and the money will always come.

I never chase the dollar but the deal. From that I’ve learned even with nominal transactions the level of service remains the same.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. On Instagram @ sellingincharleston.

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“I''d have to say my favorite accomplishment is having the chance to work with nonprofit "Empowering Cuts" and style one of the homeless."

Chi Ilochi 56

WIB Magazine

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. I am the Founder and CEO of the fashion styling company “Styling By Chi”. I aim to heal, empower, and inspire my clients through fashion and style.

Q. What or Who motivated you to be a fashion stylist?

A. I must say life itself motivated me to be a fashion stylist. Fashion styling has changed my life for the better, and once I became aware of the benefits of fashion styling, I knew I had to pay it forward and share that with others.

Q. Tell us about “Stylingbychi” and the motivation behind it?

A. Styling By Chi aims to heal, empower, and inspire others through fashion and style. Life can be very challenging at times, and

I wanted to use something I’m passionate about to ease life’s many burdens.

Being able to witness the transformation that my clients undergo and the joy they express during the styling process will always be my motivation.

Q. How was your experience styling for reebok and other brands?

A. I had such a great time styling pieces for Reebok and other brands. It’s an honor to have brands of such high stature trust my creative gift and vision. I’m truly grateful that God deemed me worthy of such opportunities.

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

A. In the next five years, I see myself

living in Brooklyn, New York doing what I love. I see myself styling for one of Issa Rae’s short films, and I see myself creating fashion styling scholarships for fashion lovers who want to take their gifts to the next level but lack funding and support.

Q. What is your styling process like?

A. My styling process varies. I must say, no day is the same. Some days consist of responding to emails; prepping for photoshoots, consulting, and returning pieces.

Styling is way harder than it looks haha but I love every part of it.

Q. Tell us some of your favorite stores you like to shop at?

A. I love to shop at AVNU Official, Can’t Colonize The Vibe, Pyer Moss, and various thrift stores.

Q. If you could style anyone in the world, who would it be?

A. I would love to style SZA, that would be the best blessing ever.

Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

A. I am, yes! I’m currently working on styling this photoshoot for a magazine with the incredibly talented photographer Natalie Lacek! I believe this will be some of my best work yet so I’m really grateful and excited.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Readers can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram. com/stylingbychi/ or check out my website https://stylingbychi.com.

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“The best moment so far for 2021 period.

From Winter Cup to US Championships and then qualifying for Olympic Trials has been the dopest experience to date."

Jordan Chiles 58

WIB Magazine

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us.

Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Thank you for thinking of me. My name is Jordan Chiles and I am an International Elite Gymnast on TEAM USA.

Q. Who or What motivated you to be where you are today?

A. That is a really good question. To be honest I don’t know the exact minute, but I do remember that while watching the 2008 Olympics I watched Shawn Johnson and Nastia and I knew that I wanted to be an Olympian. I didn’t know what that actually required, but I just knew I wanted to be there.

Q. Tell us more details about the “Gold America Tour”?

A. I am so excited about this! When I was 7 years old, I went to a postOlympic tour and I remember how in awe I was. I watched gymnasts I looked up to in person. The Gold Over America Tour is going to be even more incredible and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. It is like a dream come true. We will be in 35 cities around the country and I can’t wait!

Q. What has been your biggest accomplishment you’ve had?

A. I have had so many great moments in my career. Representing the USA for my sport has been pretty cool.

I loved Pacific Rim Championships in Colombia and our team took Gold which was amazing. I think the best moment so far is 2021 period. From Winter Cup to US Championships and then qualifying for Olympic Trials has been the dopest experience to date.

Q. How was your experience training with Simone Biles?

A. I love her so much. She has been the best teammate, best friend and sister that I could have asked for. She inspires me every day in the gym. She is the greatest of all time and I get to see how hard she works to earn that. She pushes me to be better. She pushes all of us to be better. I can say enough about her. I got her back I know that.

Q. Tell us about “Melanin Drip” and the motivation behind the brand?

A. Melanin Drip Clothing Co. is a clothing line I dropped during quarantine. I had wanted to do this for a long time, and I decided to just go for it. After the world experienced the pain of the George Floyd killing and the racial mess, we were going through I wanted to give people who look like me something. So, I designed messages to remind us that we are Kings and Queens and royal. At first, I was going to call it Black Royalty but after talking with my mom we came up with Melanin because black people are every beautiful shade. Then Drip because I am swaggy! So that is how Melanin Drip Clothing Co. came to be. It was birthed during a pandemic and racial unrest to remind people of color that we are dope.

Q. What is one fun fact about yourself?

A. The one everyone probably knows is that I was named after Michael Jordan. The GOAT. Something people might not know is that I can read music and can play the the clarinet and sax and I used to be in marching band. I had the tall hat with the big feather and everything.

Q. Tell us one message you will give to your fans?

A. Oh man, without you all I could not have made it. You inspire me to keep pushing on my hard days. I really love you guys.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. https://www.instagram. com/jordanchiles/https:// www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100063692107525 https://twitter.com/chilesjordan https://www.tiktok.com/@_baby_jo

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?

A. Well I plan to attend UCLA on a full ride gymnastics scholarship, so I hope to be going into my last year of school. Maybe break some school records and have already won 3 National Championships.

Hopefully my business will be growing into what I see in my heart.

I hope that I will have been casted in a superhero movie hahaa.

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Danusia Francis photo by: Matt Benstone

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WIB Magazine

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

A. In the next five years I will be married and hopefully pregnant! I will have retired from gymnastics, but I will still be involved in helping to grow the sport in Jamaica, and in coaching and choreographing. I can’t imagine not being involved in the sport to some degree. I will be doing stunt work for film and TV. "I would like to try WWE, I was lucky enough to do a try-out at the end of 2019 in Orlando. So I'll definitely explore that option, and see if it's a possibility within the next five years."

photo by: Diamond 9 productions

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us.

Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My name is Danusia Francis and I am a Jamaican gymnast competing at the Tokyo Olympics!

Q. Who or What motivated you to be a gymnast?

A. It was just an after-school hobby my mum took me and my siblings, to burn energy but I immediately loved it and wanted to spend more and more hours there and learn every skill I saw all the older girls doing.

Q. What has been the biggest accomplishment or award you have received in your career?

A. It has probably got to be qualifying for the Olympics as I came so close in both 2012 and 2016, so to finally accomplish my dream of qualifying at the 2019 World Championships was such a great achievement for me personally. In 2012 and 2016 it was a decision down to selectors whereas in 2019, I got to achieve my dream through my own score and so it truly was a proud moment for me.

Q. Are you ready to go to Tokyo Olympics?

A. I am leaving on July 17th, I am so

excited and going to try and soak in every minute, even if it is slightly different due to the pandemic.

Q. What is one fun fact about yourself?

A. I am half Polish and half Jamaican but was born and raised in the UK! Q. Out of all the places you’ve been. Which place is your favorite?

A. It is so hard to decide, I don’t think I can. But LA will always be a second home to me after spending 4 years there during college at UCLA. It is such a fun place to visit with a great atmosphere, so I’d recommend it to most people for sure.

Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

A. The Gold Over America Tour is the main event coming up after the Tokyo Olympics followed by my wedding in June 2022!

Q. What is one piece of advice you would like to give your fans?

A. Follow your dreams, you only get one life so live it with no regrets!

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Everyone can follow me at www.danusiafrancis.co.uk @danusiafrancis (IG, Twitter)

Q. Can you give us more details on the “Gold Over America Tour”?

A. It will be a showcase of some of the world’s best gymnasts, headlined by the one and only Simone Biles. It is really exciting to be a part of it, and it will be a lot of fun. We are visiting lots of cities around the US from September to November.

“Follow your dreams, you only get one life so live it with no regrets!” photo by: Filippo Tomasi

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“ Never ever give up!

No matter what it is.

Whatever you want to do in life, do it!!”

Cassandra Lucas 62

WIB Magazine

Q. What do you feel is the best song you’ve ever released?

A. Wow now that’s hard so many songs it’s hard to pick. I really love my Solo album. I feel it tells a great story. I love “Summer Day” Q. How would you describe the music that you typically create?

A. I’m a songwriter, so I love creating for myself, but I get a lot of joy creating for others, because it allows you to step outside of you and do all genres of music. I don’t like to categorize music because it boxes you in as an artist. You should create whatever speaks to you and go with it.

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us.

Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. My pleasure Thanks for having me. Well I’m a singer songwriter and one half of the duo “Changing Faces’.

Q. Tell us about your new Album “Longway Home” and the motivation behind it?

A. My Album “Longway Home” is my first solo project. That makes it very special for me. It’s my baby!

I believe it’s a great first project. It says so much lyrically and speaks truthfully about Love, Life and Lessons that we all will at some point in our lives experience in one way or another. I’m so happy with it.

Q. Who are your top 5 music artists that you are currently listening to?

A. My Top 5 music artist right now is totally different from my “TOP FIVE ARTIST” lol... But I would say I’m currently listening to a lot of different people from Old school to today. I like Bruno and Anderson’s single that’s on repeat right now, Jazmine Sullivan, Frank Ocean, Kevin Ross, H.E.R.

Q. If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

A. I would change the way the industry addresses R&B music. I believe that all genres from country to pop and hip-hop use R&B as their base. Yet it’s unbelievable how R&B music and artists get no shine or recognition, when the pop / hip hop songs you are listening to and that are number one on the airwaves are all really R&B songs. They just disguise it with a different name.

This really bothers me.

Q. Are you working on any events or upcoming projects?

A. I’m working on a few artists and getting them set up to come out on the label as well as my 2nd album.

I have a few dance singles coming too. And some media Podcasts work as well. Yes, so I’m having fun right now!

Q. What is one message you would give to your fans?

A. Never ever give up! No matter what it is. Whatever you want to do in life, do it!! This is not a dress rehearsal. The show has already started so go get it!!

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Well you can follow me on IG and Facebook @Iamcassandralucas Thanks for the great interview, God Bless!!

Q. Tell us one fun fact about yourself?

A. I love Karaoke in my car or should I call it Caraoke.. lollll Q. With there not being many groups out will you be doing anything as a group as “Changing Faces”?

A. Yes, there is a shortage of groups right now. Well groups are hard because it’s a lot of work and as of now I have a lot going on outside of my solo project, so I don’t see any Changing Faces stuff in my future.

Q. How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?

A. Yikes, well it’s good and bad.

The good thing is the internet can give world exposure for independent artists who are not signed to the big labels. The bad is unfortunately, like trying to find a needle in a haystack because we have millions of artists at our fingertips, so they will have to work extra hard to compete with these major labels that have all the money etc...

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“Invest in Yourself.

Give Your Dreams the Runway to Take Flight.”

LaVonda P. Rouse 64

WIB Magazine

Q. What is the mission of The Blend Talk?

A. The Blend Talk focuses on helping African American women identify and resolve their unspoken needs and real-life issues so that they can achieve holistic health, enrich their spirit, mind, and body, and ultimately live meaningfully.

LaVonda P. Rouse Brings AfricanAmerican Women Voices to the Media Forefront LaVonda P. Rouse, creator and executive producer of The Blend Talk, had the idea several years ago to change the narrative and empower women looking for actionable ways to transform their lives.

After a year on hiatus and pivoting because of the pandemic, The Blend Talk returned with a new look, a twist to the theme song, and a few new faces. However, the premise is the same—to heal the spirit, mind, and body.

Rouse is successfully bringing African-American women’s voices to the media forefront. In doing so, she handpicked three African American women—a balanced blend of ages, backgrounds, and outlooks—to co-host the one-hour weekly show. Dr. Lisa Lewis, ND, MBA, Lac, and CEO of the Lewis Healing Institute, and owner of Nature Drs Nutritionals; Jewel Diamond Taylor, aka The Self-esteem Doctor, is a life coach, counselor, spiritual coach, emotional-wellness and relationships talk therapist, and founder of Women on the Grow, Inc., and newcomer Karen McGibbon, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, and CEO and Founder of Live Free Coaching & Counseling Services, and the Assistant Professor of Clinical Counseling at Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio. We reached out to Rouse to get more insight on The Blend Talk.

Q. What makes The Blend Talk different from other talk shows?

A. The Blend Talk differs from other talk shows. It’s a ministry that brings African American women to the forefront, riding the wave of #blackgirlmagic as shown through VP Kamala Harris, Naomi Osaka, and Issa Rae. The women I sought are professionals who are the best at what they do and are not on the show to take part in frivolous banter. They dig deep into the real you. They unapologetically embrace the fact that we are all spiritual beings and look at issues that affect our whole person.

Q. Why did you choose the webbased route as the platform for your show?

A. A web-based show allows me to maintain creative control, keep my rights, and make the series highly accessible. I did not want to be part of a network because I didn’t want anyone to say that black women could not lead a talk show, that I have to give up my rights to the show, or that we could not talk about Jesus. God graced me to do this, and anything I do is faith based.

Q. What obstacles did you face after being on hiatus then having to pivot because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

A. The show tapes in the studio in Los Angeles. The pandemic prohibited our co-hosts from traveling because of the stayat-home order. However, once I figured out the logistics of the show, we were back remotely.

Q. Any advice to women in the industry wanting to create or executive produce a faith-based TV show?

A. Don’t be ashamed to share what God has given you. You can do it—network backing or not.

Q. Where can the readers follow The Blend Talk?

A. IG: @theblendtalk1 Twitter: @theblendtalk FB: @theblendtalkshow The Blend Talk airs every Wednesday at 4 PM PST/7 PM ET at Affirmed TV and Facebook.

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“Be open minded and open hearted to the idea of learning from others who are successful at what it is you have a desire to do.”

Nakikia Wilson 66

WIB Magazine

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Greetings all. I’m Nakikia Wilson affectionately known in the community as “CoachKeepItMoving.” I am the mother of 3 children, Mea, Michaihu, and Mataya. I am the owner and operator of KIMCESS, LLC, and Founder and President nonprofit organization K.I.M. (Keep It Moving) 4U, Inc. I received a certification as an Emotional Support Trainer/Facility through the Community Healing Network. I am also certified as an Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Life Coach, Mental Health Awareness Advocate, Emotional Function Technique, Mediation and Mindfulness Practices. I am an inspirational speaker and an emotional support and self-love coach, using my personal journey to inspire others to get the help needed to improve mental wellness and resolve emotional insecurities that keep you from experiencing overall wellness, MIND, BODY, & SPIRIT. Q. How did you get the name “Keep It Moving” and the motivation behind the name?

A. So “Keep It Moving” has been my life’s motto for quite some time now. Keep It Moving,” not only serves as the name of my nonprofit organization and business but is also my life’s motto. For me it’s a testament of the good and bad experiences I endured throughout my life and shows the growth that happens as I continue evolve. See, like so many others, I grew up in a very toxic environment. My mother and father became young parents.

I was born to a 15-year-old mother and a 19-year-old father. Later they would both become addicted to drugs and alcohol. This only continued the generational toxic attitudes and abusive behaviors, which negatively impacted me and my brother as children and would unfortunately follow us into adulthood. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2011. MS is a disease of the central nervous system which includes the brain and the spinal cord. Is it potentially debilitating and can affect, your sight, ability to walk, breathing etc.

It is a serious illness. MS for me has definitely encouraged me to

work on my overall health, MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT, so that I can KEEP IT MOVING literally.

Q. Do you understand your passion and purpose?

A. Absolutely! I so completely understand my purpose and why it is important to what I do. More importantly, I recognize the NEED in the community, especially in communities of color. As we have seen or heard in the media, the events that are taking place in our society and the chronic psychological trauma experienced in communities of color, is enough to negatively affect anybody’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

I also recognize that mental and emotional wellness is key to good OVERALL health, this includes physical health. Every day, people wake up to a reality of loving someone with or dealing with their own mental health challenges.

Unfortunately, current events and the injustices in this country are exacerbating mental health symptoms and fueling emotional insecurities. It is very important that we start having healthy conversations about possible mental health symptoms and emotional insecurities. My goal is to create a safe space for building and maintaining a support system of positive like-minded people who are ready for total healing, MIND, BODY, & SPIRIT!!

Q. Right now at this very moment what do you want most?

A. FREEDOM. I understand I have to work a regular 9-5, to pay bills and feed my children for now.

However, the time I give to my 9-5 needs to be redirected towards my passion. I want to be able to redirect my time and efforts to helping others achieve mental wellness and conquering emotional insecurities. Yes Yes Yes, I want the FREEDOM to inspire and encourage others, especially in the Black community, and normalize having conversations about mental and emotional challenges and how important it is to love yourself. I want to continue to provide education, and advocacy services that encourage treatment and management of mental and emotional wellness to improve overall health. I want to go into churches, schools, and other business organizations promoting the importance of understanding how mental health awareness and emotional intelligence can fuel healthy personal and professional relationships.

Q. Tell us about your company “Keep it Moving” 4U and how you started your company?

K.I.M. (Keep It Moving) 4U, Inc is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower the community through awareness, education, advocacy, and supportive services that aid in understanding the importance prevention and/or management of mental illness and other chronic health issues. The organization was created shortly

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challenges. If you, would like to make a donation to support this movement, you can contact us via email at startspeakingstopstigma@ gmail.com. You can also simply CashApp your contribution to $StartSpeakingMH or you can send them via PayPal using email address startspeakingstopstigma@ gmail.com . Please make sure we have your contact information in order to receive a small token of our appreciation for your generous donations.

after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is becoming more and more prevalent. There is a need for continued research and understanding in our community about this disease as well as many other chronic illnesses. More importantly, I have come to realize the need to understand the impact that mental and emotional stability has as it relates to other medical situations. Learning how manage my own mental and emotional health has improved the symptoms I experience with MS. I can’t say this enough. Managing mental and emotional health is key to helping with other chronic illnesses as well.

It is my hope that through the Keep It Moving non-profit organization, I am able to increase understanding of chronic diseases like mental illness, MS, diabetes, and other illnesses. KIMCESS, LLC (Keep It Moving Coaching & Emotional Support Service) was birth from the passion I have for being mentally and emotionally well. I have found many people do NOT know the term emotional intelligence nor are they equipped to recognize and understand triggers that fuel emotional insecurities. It is so important educate others and discuss the seriousness of not treating or managing mental health and not resolving emotional insecurities. Overall health is at stake.

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Q. Are you working on any events or upcoming projects?

A. Yes. K.I.M. 4U, Inc and KIMCESS have created the #StartSpeakingStopStigma movement to advocate and raise Mental Health Awareness. Every Sunday at 7pm eastern, I host a group Emotional Support session virtually via google duo. I am expanding to add a weekly Monday group session via Zoom for others who are ready to start their journey towards mental wellness and emotional security. I frequently host community discussions with guest panelists on topics surrounding the state of mental and emotional health in communities of color, generational toxic attitudes and behaviors, and our own personal struggles with mental and emotional health challenges.

I am currently collaborating and partnering with Dr. Shana Williams, a clinical mental health nurse practitioner of “Forever Healing Hearts & Minds,” to provide additional mental health services and resources to the community.

We certainly can use some financial support to do this. We are also asking for donations to support the #StartSpeakingStopStigma movement and to help equip and position us to provide the services and resources without the financial worry for many in our community who are dealing with financial

Q. What are some goals you would like to accomplish?

A. Wow!! I want to help as many people as I can experience mental wellness and emotional security and understand the importance of self-care. I want to serve more people, Nationally and Internationally, encouraging the normalization of healthy communication surrounding mental health and emotional intelligence and realize the importance of diagnoses and treatment.

Q. How would you describe your future in three words?

A. Blessed. Secure. Peaceful.

Q. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?

A. Be open minded and open hearted to the idea of learning from others who are successful at what it is you have a desire to do. Remember to reach back to help others also achieve their dreams. There is room for everyone. Mindset is everything. So, make sure you have a growth Mindset to create success in your personal and professional lives. Be diligent about recognizing and resolving mental and emotional insecurities. Selfcare is a necessity. How yourself accountable. No matter what; Keep It Moving!!!!

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. You can find me on the following platforms: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ CoachKeepItMoving3 Instagram @CoachKeepItMoving Twitter @CoachNakikia Also please visit www.KIMCESS.com

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