July Entertainment Issue 2021

Page 16

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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WIB Magazine

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


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