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Speaker 1: Ay Va fam, it's your girl, Mandy Money.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the wash Day. Wou saw.

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Speaker 1: I have a very special guest for y'all today. Her

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Speaker 1: name is Lisa Cunningham. Lisa is a visionary storyteller who's

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Speaker 1: brought her creativity from directing thousands, hundreds thousands of chart

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Speaker 1: topping music videos to producing campaigns that drive health equity.

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Speaker 1: As the head of marketing at the Black Women's Health

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Speaker 1: Imperative and the director of a documentary called Me Period,

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Speaker 1: Lisa is changing the way we tell stories about Black

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Speaker 1: women's health. And I'm just really honored to have you

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Speaker 1: at Brown Ambition.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for having me. I am honored. You are

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Speaker 3: a veteran in the podcast game, so thank you for

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Speaker 3: having me on Geriatric Podcaster.

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Speaker 1: Although we talked about just owning our age, y'all may

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Speaker 1: not know this, Lisa and I met, I don't know,

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Speaker 1: three years ago.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, somehow, somehow.

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Speaker 1: Somewhere, in some divine chain of events, I ended up

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Speaker 1: getting tapped to moderate a panel for Black Women's Health

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Speaker 1: imperiod imperative?

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Speaker 2: Is it imperative?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's imperative because Black women's health is in fact imperative.

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Speaker 1: Now, this is an iconic nonprofit. It is the oldest

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Speaker 1: nonprofit in the US.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's focusing on health equity for black women and girls.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, And when I got tapped to moderate this panel,

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Speaker 1: I was nervous but ended up being such an incredible experience.

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Speaker 1: And through that process I got to meet you, Lisa,

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Speaker 1: and you just had this energy, this aura about you

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Speaker 1: that you were one of the people I remembered from

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Speaker 1: that you know, that short but meaningful experience for me.

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Speaker 1: And then you know, you follow people and you follow

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Speaker 1: their journeys and I was just like, oh, Lisa, Like,

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Speaker 1: her style is amazing. You can tell she has a

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Speaker 1: toe with entertainment, but she's also such a huge health advocate.

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Speaker 1: And I saw that you had directed this documentary me

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Speaker 1: period and You've got Tabitha Brown in it and Sir

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Speaker 1: Lee Ralph, and I was like, this does it. I'm

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Speaker 1: tired of not knowing more about Lisa. I'm gonna have

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Speaker 1: her on the show. And you are so gracious to

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Speaker 1: say yes, So thank you, first and foremost, thank you.

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Speaker 1: So tell Brown ambition. We're going to get into your

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Speaker 1: career trajectory, but tell us what we need to know

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Speaker 1: about Lisa today, Like what what's actually when you got

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Speaker 1: cooking over there? What are all the projects you're working on?

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Speaker 2: What?

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Speaker 3: What it's I'm working on myself every every day of

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Speaker 3: my life, Like seriously, that's what I'm working on over here,

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Speaker 3: and you know, making such a big pivot as time

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Speaker 3: goes on. I'm actually thinking about three point zero right now.

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Speaker 2: Right So it's just.

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Speaker 3: Like, how do you keep retranslating your life into you know,

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Speaker 3: the next best version of you for that particular time.

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Speaker 3: In all honesty, that's what I'm working on right now.

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Speaker 3: I'm working on me.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so we might have a pivot. Well, pivot sounds

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Speaker 1: so like, but it's almost like so binary, like changing

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Speaker 1: from this to that. But I think that you, I mean,

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Speaker 1: let's talk about your career, because I do think that

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Speaker 1: you have done a wonderful job, just from an outsider's perspective,

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Speaker 1: kind of harnessing all your talents.

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Speaker 2: And it's not like you.

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Speaker 1: Do one and only one thing and then that's the

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Speaker 1: period when I'm only doing that thing and then I'm

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Speaker 1: going to switch to something new.

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Speaker 2: Can you talk about how.

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Speaker 1: You've layered your career, you know, leveraging all of your

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Speaker 1: different talents.

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Speaker 3: You know, because I was in the entertainment industry for

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Speaker 3: most of my career.

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Speaker 2: And I'm dating myself right now.

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Speaker 3: Because I'm thinking back to the first paycheck I ever

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Speaker 3: got was handed to me from Pebbles with La Face

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Speaker 3: Records because I was on the site set of TLC's

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Speaker 3: What About Your Friends?

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Speaker 2: WHA.

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Speaker 1: So you're not directing just any like this, you're directing

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Speaker 1: like music videos in the nineties.

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Speaker 2: That was a pa I was the lowest on the total.

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Speaker 2: We're just can rite, okay, but this is, you know.

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Speaker 3: Nineteen twenty, you know, year old Lisa at that point twenty,

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Speaker 3: I forget.

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Speaker 2: How old, but I was very young.

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Speaker 3: And I got that check and I used to kind

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Speaker 3: of like scramble. I was still in college and I

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Speaker 3: got that check and I was like, I'm dropping out

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Speaker 3: of school. I just made one hundred dollars for one

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Speaker 3: day work and that's it, Like it was over, and

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Speaker 3: and that began this career that I am so grateful for.

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Speaker 2: I truly am.

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Speaker 3: I mean, when I look back at all of the

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Speaker 3: people that I've gotten a chance to work with, from

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Speaker 3: your Missy Elliott's to your Sierra's to your gladys Knights

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Speaker 3: and all these different folks at different stages of that journey.

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Speaker 2: But I call my.

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Speaker 3: Pivot because I do agree with you. I think the

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Speaker 3: word pivot is so binary. I call it the remix

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Speaker 3: because I was in the entertainment industry and one of

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Speaker 3: my favorite stories is that I used to be marketing

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Speaker 3: director at our radio station Hot one O seven nine

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Speaker 3: here in Atlanta, and we were doing some sort of

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Speaker 3: promotion with with with Ryan Cameron, who was at the

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Speaker 3: station at the time, and all of these acts, you

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Speaker 3: know those those radio station events where all of the

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Speaker 3: acts come to perform, And there was this newer act,

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Speaker 3: a girl group, and they I actually I wasn't marketing director.

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Speaker 2: This is way before that.

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Speaker 3: I was working at a record company at the time,

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Speaker 3: Itchabond Records, and I had brought a group that had

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Speaker 3: one of the biggest songs out and so I was

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Speaker 3: all excited, like, you know, this is like one of

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Speaker 3: those things where you have that proud moment of like,

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Speaker 3: my group's hotter than your group, right, So nodding, but.

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Speaker 2: I have no idea how that feels. But yes, yeah,

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Speaker 2: I had.

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Speaker 3: I had the hottest group out and so we're just

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Speaker 3: waiting for our time. So this girl group has to

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Speaker 3: get up and they start doing their song and this

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Speaker 3: crunk crowd in Atlanta is listening to them, and they're like,

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Speaker 3: when I say no, no, and dead, crowd is dead.

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Speaker 3: And so somebody from their camp says, put on the remix,

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Speaker 3: and here comes that beat, here comes white Flat, here

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Speaker 3: comes the energy, and all of a sudden they had

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Speaker 3: the crowd eating out of their hands. They got off

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Speaker 3: that stage. I remember being introduced to Beyonce at that time,

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Speaker 3: the young Beyonce, and I'll never forget that because it

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Speaker 3: was the remix. Had it not been for that song,

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Speaker 3: we don't even know if we would have had Destiny's

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Speaker 3: Child and Beyonce and in the version that they grew to.

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Speaker 3: And so I think about that so much with regards

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Speaker 3: to my own life, because when I was twenty seven

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Speaker 3: years into a career that I wanted to pivot from,

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Speaker 3: I had to take some inventory in another way. And

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Speaker 3: so that concept of the remix, because sometimes in the

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Speaker 3: remix you speed things up. Sometimes a remix gets slowed down.

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Speaker 3: Sometimes you have to collaborate with a new individual. So

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Speaker 3: I was scared to get out of my little entertainment

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Speaker 3: bubble because I felt so validated within that world. But

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Speaker 3: knew that I just wanted to use my gifts for

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Speaker 3: some sort of social impact, and so how was I

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Speaker 3: ever going to do that though, you know, if I

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Speaker 3: didn't get it right in here? And so my you know,

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Speaker 3: shamelessly tracking back to brown ambition, you know, my ambition.

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Speaker 3: I had to get rooted in something though, So I

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Speaker 3: had to take that ambition and say, okay, now what's

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Speaker 3: my intention? My intention is to give people aha moments

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Speaker 3: from the content that I produce and have that content

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Speaker 3: be something that is, you know, redeeming for our people.

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Speaker 3: And boy, it has been a damn journey.

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Speaker 1: So when was it, so you said, a twenty seven

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Speaker 1: year career, So when did this pivot start to happen?

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Speaker 1: When did you start to think I'm ready for something different?

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Speaker 3: You know, it's so funny. I was on the set

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Speaker 3: of a music video. And I really like to tell

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Speaker 3: people this because we think of these things as like

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Speaker 3: this epiphany and then my life changes, and no, no, no, no, this.

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Speaker 2: Was a slow process.

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Speaker 3: My dad died and the same week that my dad died,

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Speaker 3: I will never forget I had directed Gucci Man's first

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Speaker 3: few so icy don't go.

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Speaker 2: Back and look at that video y'all, it's got awful.

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Speaker 3: But anyway, I had directed that video and I remember

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Speaker 3: then just being in a state, Mandy, and I'll just

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Speaker 3: keep it real right now, emotionally, physically, spiritually, garbage, garbage.

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Speaker 1: You found out your father passed after you had completed

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Speaker 1: the video or during this Yes.

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Speaker 3: After I had completed the video. I found out. I

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Speaker 3: was literally in my producer's office and got the call

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Speaker 3: to come to And I never at the time, I

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Speaker 3: was such a bad human. I never answered my mother's

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Speaker 3: calls because I was always so busy. Yeah, trash, right,

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Speaker 3: And I something told me answer mama's call.

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Speaker 2: And my dad was in.

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Speaker 3: His last stages, and she said, you need to come

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Speaker 3: now because they don't expect him to live through the day.

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Speaker 3: And I raced over there and was able to hold

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Speaker 3: my dad's hand and he would pass away two hours later.

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Speaker 2: And there was.

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Speaker 3: Something about that moment of my dad's passing that began

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Speaker 3: the process. But it was a it was It still

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Speaker 3: took many years for me to really sink into this

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Speaker 3: better version of myself. But I was on the set

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Speaker 3: of of a of a Big Rappers video one day

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Speaker 3: and he happened to also have a TV show on

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Speaker 3: a broadcast network and we had it was all about

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Speaker 3: gangs and drugs and guns. And so he had all

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Speaker 3: of these guns out and his family came in and

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Speaker 3: the son was playing with the with the weapons and

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Speaker 3: I'm not you know, everybody could do what they see

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Speaker 3: best with training.

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Speaker 2: Raising their children, right, don't do that.

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Speaker 3: People don't don't do that, And so I was just

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Speaker 3: it was that was my real AHA moment.

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Speaker 2: Like that was the day where I set it all

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Speaker 2: in motion.

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Speaker 3: I was like, I've got to make a change, and

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Speaker 3: so I'm going to start going about what does that

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Speaker 3: look like. And as soon as I set that real intention, Mandy,

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Speaker 3: and this is what I need your audience to know

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Speaker 3: is that I started listening for the signs to get

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Speaker 3: out of my comfort zone so there would be an

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Speaker 3: opportunity here to collaborate with somebody. There would be an

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Speaker 3: opportunity here. And so that is what started me on

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Speaker 3: that path. But what I now know is that I

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Speaker 3: didn't trust myself enough. I didn't care about myself enough

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Speaker 3: to make the remix. Until I started doing those things,

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Speaker 3: everything opened up.

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Speaker 1: You know, a little bit before we started to record,

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Speaker 1: you said something that I thought was honestly refreshing to hear.

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Speaker 1: But you said I'm a reformed ask and then just

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Speaker 1: now as you were talking about you know, your father

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Speaker 1: and not wanting to answer your mom's call, talk to

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Speaker 1: me about that. It's refreshing one to just let that

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Speaker 1: sit in the let that those words kind of sit

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Speaker 1: hang in the air for a bit, because I wish

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Speaker 1: more people could accept that, like have that moment where

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Speaker 1: they're like, oh, I am not this is not right.

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Speaker 2: I am holding.

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Speaker 1: Myself accountable and then making some change. So can you

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Speaker 1: talk to me about yea, so think about that.

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Speaker 3: I say that if I if, hopefully I will write

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Speaker 3: a few books, but the title of one of them

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Speaker 3: will be maybe It's you. And that's truly because I

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Speaker 3: feel like all of our books are written for the victim,

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Speaker 3: you know, they're not written for the air quotes narcissist.

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Speaker 3: I don't think I was a narcissist, right, because that's

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Speaker 3: such an extreme clinical term. But just I wasn't my

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Speaker 3: highest self and write I need somebody to write the

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Speaker 3: book for that person because I needed somebody to help

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Speaker 3: me through my own I don't know what to how

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Speaker 3: to pinpoint it in terms of you know, how I

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Speaker 3: got out of it. But I knew I know one

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Speaker 3: thing for sure. I decided to take baby steps, and

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Speaker 3: each day, each month, that's what I would do. I

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Speaker 3: would envision myself constantly. I would do this, envision myself

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Speaker 3: talking to a different group of people than the people

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Speaker 3: that I currently was talking to. So I would take

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Speaker 3: and then I would slowly start eliminating. If I talked

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Speaker 3: to ten people regularly that I knew were kind of toxic,

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Speaker 3: I would just slowly start eliminating them. I wouldn't answer

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Speaker 3: the call. If I had to answer the call, I

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Speaker 3: would keep the call to five minutes. I started assessing

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Speaker 3: who brings out the worst in me? Every time I

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Speaker 3: talk to this person, I would gossip. I am not

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Speaker 3: a gossiper, So why is it that every time I

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Speaker 3: talk to this person, I'm led down the path of gossiping.

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Speaker 3: So I started to just not, you know, quiet, quitting friendship. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: because what you don't want to do is that you

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Speaker 3: don't want to upend your life and be so abrasive.

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Speaker 3: I don't think that works for everyone. I don't think

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Speaker 3: it works for most of us. I think you have

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Speaker 3: to kind of layer this thing so that your nervous system.

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Speaker 2: Other people's reactions to you.

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Speaker 3: Half of the people I quiet quit, probably ninety percent

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Speaker 3: of them don't even know that I even did.

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Speaker 2: It, because of the.

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Speaker 3: Space and grace and the way that I did it,

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Speaker 3: don't even know.

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Speaker 2: So are you.

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Speaker 1: I'm saying that you were realizing you were surrounding yourself

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Speaker 1: with people that was kind of normalizing or letting you

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Speaker 1: feel okay behaving the way you were behaving and acting

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Speaker 1: the way you were acting.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So part of it was realizing this is not right,

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Speaker 1: and I need to stop associating or surrounding myself with

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Speaker 1: people that normalize this kind of behavior, and that aren't,

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Speaker 1: you know, giving off the energy or the vibe that

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Speaker 1: I want to give off.

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Speaker 2: The entertainment industry can be.

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Speaker 3: I won't, I won't speak for everybody in it, but

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Speaker 3: I do think that it can be a place where

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Speaker 3: you can easily lose yourself, and so you have to do,

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Speaker 3: like the Goodie Mob said, you know, fight to keep

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Speaker 3: your spirit in mind throughout that industry.

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Speaker 1: Hey, ba fam, We're going to take a quick break,

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Speaker 1: pay some bills, and we'll be right back.

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Speaker 3: And I applaud anybody who's able to stay in it

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Speaker 3: and keep themselves and be the best version of themselves.

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Speaker 2: I remember I was.

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Speaker 3: Doing a video for what is now like one of

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Speaker 3: the biggest rap artists groups out there, and we were

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Speaker 3: shooting at the Fox Theater and nobody had ever shut

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Speaker 3: down Peachtree Street and changed the marquee of the Fox

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Speaker 3: Theater in Atlanta, like this had.

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Speaker 2: Never been done.

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Speaker 3: And we were waiting on them to come downstairs from

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Speaker 3: the hotel that was right across the street. We were

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Speaker 3: waiting for hours, and I will never forget that feeling

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Speaker 3: of why am I waiting right now? Like what good

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Speaker 3: and purpose is this product going to serve once they

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Speaker 3: get down and once we film, and once we go

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Speaker 3: to the next location, which was the Strip club, Like

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Speaker 3: what value is any of this actually going to bring

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Speaker 3: into the world? So I am this upset right now,

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Speaker 3: But I knew that there was no real substance or

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Speaker 3: value that was going to come from that. And that's

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Speaker 3: when I start, you know, like I said, it was

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Speaker 3: just this quiet you know, nope, And I would say

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Speaker 3: my meditations, I would say my prayers, and I would

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Speaker 3: just continue to ask God for the strength to just

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Speaker 3: walk away, because I remember I used to do a

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Speaker 3: journal entry that would say, right now, eighty five percent

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Speaker 3: of my projects are entertainment industry. Like I had clocked it,

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Speaker 3: and I said, and I want it to be the reverse,

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Speaker 3: and I want this to happen within a year. But

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Speaker 3: I had to accept some things about myself first. And

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Speaker 3: that is the real secret, I believe to the remix.

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Speaker 3: Because I did a video for the Atlanta Voice, this

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Speaker 3: heritage newspaper in Atlanta, and they were turning fifty years old.

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Speaker 2: I believe I was tasked.

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Speaker 3: With doing this beautiful tribute video for them, and they

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Speaker 3: were going to have a gala and the mayor at

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Speaker 3: the time was going.

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Speaker 2: To speak at it.

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Speaker 3: And I'm in the car Mandy outside of this venue

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Speaker 3: not wanting to go in. Why because it was the

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Speaker 3: first time I was presenting like a whole man in

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Speaker 3: suit and I had never gone into a formal situation

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Speaker 3: like that before. As this you know, version of myself

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Speaker 3: with old Atlanta in the building. I don't know if

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Speaker 3: your audience knows, right, there's New Atlanta and then there's

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Speaker 3: old Atlanta. That's a crowd of folks who may be

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Speaker 3: a lot more judgmental. I am in the LGBTQIA plus community.

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Speaker 3: I was born a woman, but I get called sir

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Speaker 3: every day of my life. I identify as a woman,

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Speaker 3: and I didn't want to walk into that space where

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Speaker 3: people would sit in judgment on and I got the

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Speaker 3: courage to get out of that car. And the editor

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Speaker 3: of the newspaper, her husband, mister Washington will never forget

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Speaker 3: this ever.

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Speaker 2: He walks up to me. He's like, he's probably like

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Speaker 2: a sixty five.

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Speaker 3: Year old man, and he said, first of all, I

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Speaker 3: want to ask you, how do you identify I said,

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Speaker 3: identify she her? And then he goes, well, then, girlfriend,

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Speaker 3: we just played your video.

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Speaker 2: And you did the damn thing. What year was this?

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Speaker 2: This was only seven years ago. He was fresh out

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Speaker 2: that training.

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Speaker 3: I love that and think about the impact that had

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Speaker 3: on somebody who was so frail and broken and didn't

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Speaker 3: want to walk in the damn door. And that moment

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Speaker 3: was one of those pivotal moments in my life. When

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Speaker 3: I tell you every door I walked in I have

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Speaker 3: walked in since that day, I have walked in with

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Speaker 3: my head held high. That's the person you met at

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Speaker 3: CBC because of mister wash and or.

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Speaker 1: Make me get all emotional. So you said you had

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Speaker 1: to accept some things about yourself. So were you grappling

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Speaker 1: with your your sexual identity or how you presented yourself

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Speaker 1: while you were directing? And it sounds like you were

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Speaker 1: in these like really intensely males like sexist yah, like

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Speaker 1: the worst and worst of hip hop culture that you

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Speaker 1: think about, the massogre noir and the you know, the

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Speaker 1: over sexualization of black women, black female bodies and all the.

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Speaker 2: Most toxic parts of hip hop. We love hip hop.

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Speaker 1: Obviously, like we're from Atlanta, like we we appreciate that culture,

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Speaker 1: but it can be so so toxic for black women.

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Speaker 1: What were some of the challenges you would encounter.

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Speaker 3: Well, I think that you know, I'm glad you brought

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Speaker 3: that up because I had to forgive myself. I had

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Speaker 3: to forgive myself about what you just said. I was

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Speaker 3: a part of the culture that was telling people, you know,

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Speaker 3: do this and do that on camera, and so I

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Speaker 3: had to forgive myself for all of that. And I

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Speaker 3: used to say that I'm trying to outrun my past.

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Speaker 3: I'm not I honor my past. It's okay. That was

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Speaker 3: that version of me, and so that was a part

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Speaker 3: of that healing journey, right forgiving myself. And then in

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Speaker 3: terms of my identity, I've always identified as a woman.

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Speaker 3: I like to I like to present on what people

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Speaker 3: would call, you know, a more masculine presenting way. And

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Speaker 3: so that's y'all's problem, not mine. I like to dress

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Speaker 3: like this, you know. But at that time I.

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Speaker 1: Was still look damn good. Can we just say you

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Speaker 1: look good and you carry it so well?

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Speaker 2: Thank you?

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Speaker 3: So that's I mean, that's you know, but that's that

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Speaker 3: work we got to do on ourselves. Because the moment

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Speaker 3: I started accepting myself in.

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Speaker 2: My full glory, I can. I can be honest with you.

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Speaker 3: I do not have people when they're really able to

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Speaker 3: interact with me.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 3: I don't have issues with folks. I really don't. So

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Speaker 3: I'm blessed with that now. Using the restroom in public,

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Speaker 3: that's a difference.

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Speaker 1: You know, you're really you're I'm from Atlanta, I know.

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Speaker 1: We talked about that. We both went to UGA different

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Speaker 1: different classes. Will say overlap.

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Speaker 2: I was there the year you were born.

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Speaker 1: I think, yes, you were there the year I was born.

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Speaker 1: University of Georgia BA FAM if y'all aren't familiar, it's

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Speaker 1: the largest public university, is it the oldest public university

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Speaker 1: in the country.

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Speaker 2: It's real old.

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Speaker 1: But the phrase pwy UGA invents that. It was definitely

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Speaker 1: like even when I went there, you know, some years

401
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Speaker 1: after you attended University of Georgia. It was I had

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Speaker 1: a great experience because of the small pocket of black

403
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Speaker 1: Uga that was able to lift me up. But shit,

404
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Speaker 1: you were going to campus. You said you were going

405
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Speaker 1: to class and they were marching on Robert E. Lee's

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Speaker 1: birthday instead of mlk's birthday.

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Speaker 3: Yes, yes, that's a real thing with cannons in full,

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Speaker 3: you know, Confederate guard.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, only about twenty years after it was integrated by

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Speaker 1: Charlene Hunter Gault too, that's right. Yeah, what was your

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Speaker 1: experience like at UGA.

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Speaker 3: Well, it was it's all a blur, right, because we

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Speaker 3: had a lot of fun. That's a party school, and

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Speaker 3: I have some great, great memories from there. And so

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Speaker 3: because the black population, I think when I was there,

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Speaker 3: it was like about fifteen hundred out of the thousands,

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Speaker 3: But if you think of your average black college, that's

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Speaker 3: you know, that's about how many people are at the

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Speaker 3: entire college. So it's almost like we had a university

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Speaker 3: within a university.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's how it felt.

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Speaker 1: I went to so many differ high scho and I'm

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Speaker 1: a mixed kid, like I grew up all over the place.

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Speaker 1: Never really felt really very very well rooted in my

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Speaker 1: black identity and self love. And yes, yes so by

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Speaker 1: any means, I did not go to historically black college. However,

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Speaker 1: I agree within Uga, it felt like I was in

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Speaker 1: a bubble, like I really cocooned myself in the bosom

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Speaker 1: of my black friends. Were you able to be out

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Speaker 1: during that time in college?

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Speaker 3: No, No, I definitely I had boyfriends. And you know,

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Speaker 3: I did a ted X talk once where I talked

433
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Speaker 3: about that transition of being able to come back to

434
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Speaker 3: my home city during those years of Atlanta and Atlanta

435
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:55,240
Speaker 3: being a place of inclusion. And I remember walking into

436
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Speaker 3: this night club and I saw this tall person in

437
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Speaker 3: thigh high go go boots on a platform dancing, and

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Speaker 3: I was so mesmerized by this entire culture. The first

439
00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:18,159
Speaker 3: time I had ever been in a gay club. And

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Speaker 3: I would later find out that that was RuPaul Wow.

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Speaker 2: Okay.

442
00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:29,600
Speaker 3: And what people don't kind of understand is that those

443
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:35,760
Speaker 3: nightclubs were more like family reunions. There was no other

444
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:42,040
Speaker 3: place where we gathered, right, So it seems it seems like,

445
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,879
Speaker 3: you know, real trivial, but it's it's really not. And

446
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,840
Speaker 3: so that's where I started to kind of find my

447
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,719
Speaker 3: footing in the community and kind of transition, you know,

448
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 3: out of you know, being this woman that I was,

449
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:03,160
Speaker 3: you know, culturally expected it to be. But Atlanta definitely

450
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,639
Speaker 3: was a great city to be able to, you know,

451
00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:11,639
Speaker 3: finally materialize into my full rainbows.

452
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:14,320
Speaker 1: You know, I visit my brother, he's an East Atlanta

453
00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,600
Speaker 1: village and all the kamalassigns and all the rainbow flags

454
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,159
Speaker 1: and all that, but it's still Atlanta, It's still Georgia.

455
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,159
Speaker 1: Do you feel safe and do you feel supported? I

456
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,399
Speaker 1: know you said you every day someone is questioning your

457
00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,760
Speaker 1: identity and how you present, But what's it like for you?

458
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:34,359
Speaker 1: Do you do you see both sides of it on

459
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:35,360
Speaker 1: a daily basis?

460
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,520
Speaker 3: Yes, that's interesting, you would you would say that because

461
00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,480
Speaker 3: there's this, right, there's that juxtafication right, And I think

462
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,360
Speaker 3: that most areas in the country are kind of like this,

463
00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,359
Speaker 3: you know, where you've got this these different pockets. So

464
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,000
Speaker 3: there's there is the pocket where I can be absolutely

465
00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:59,359
Speaker 3: affirmed where I sit on the LGBTQ Advisory Board at

466
00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:03,040
Speaker 3: the Mayor's and where you know, Atlanta is a city

467
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:07,679
Speaker 3: where the Human Rights Campaign gives us an extremely high rating.

468
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,679
Speaker 3: And that's that's with regards to our you know, local

469
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:16,760
Speaker 3: government making sure that LGBTQ folks are protected from you know,

470
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,960
Speaker 3: regards to employment and housing and all of those things

471
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,520
Speaker 3: in public spaces. So we live in that city on

472
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:27,920
Speaker 3: one end, but to your point, there's still a culture

473
00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:31,919
Speaker 3: of folks that are very different. And so yes, I

474
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:36,360
Speaker 3: have moments that when I walk outside of my door

475
00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:40,200
Speaker 3: and I need to just simply do the most basic thing,

476
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:44,879
Speaker 3: mandy use the public restroom, And as soon as I

477
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,000
Speaker 3: get ready to walk towards that door at a movie

478
00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:54,239
Speaker 3: theater or something like that, I'm immediately on guard and

479
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,760
Speaker 3: hesitant and dare I say, maybe even a bit of

480
00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,919
Speaker 3: a panic attack, because I know that somebody as I

481
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:06,040
Speaker 3: emerge to that door might say you're not supposed to

482
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:09,440
Speaker 3: go in there, or even when I tell them I'm

483
00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:15,400
Speaker 3: a woman, they say, no, you're not. Or this part

484
00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:20,160
Speaker 3: right here where I'm at the in the bathroom stall

485
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:25,639
Speaker 3: at the sink, and some parent has their daughter and

486
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,560
Speaker 3: they hold their daughter tight and they rush out.

487
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:30,400
Speaker 2: This is what I have to experience.

488
00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:35,879
Speaker 3: I actually am executive producing a short film about that

489
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:41,480
Speaker 3: right now, because it is something that this is women

490
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:46,000
Speaker 3: doing this to women, hello, Right, because we always talk

491
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 3: about what the brothers are doing to us. No, no, no,

492
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:52,200
Speaker 3: no, no no, this is this is what women are doing

493
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,920
Speaker 3: to women because I am a woman. So there's there

494
00:28:55,000 --> 00:29:00,240
Speaker 3: is definitely you know, there's definitely two sides to the

495
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:01,680
Speaker 3: city of Atlanta.

496
00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:04,280
Speaker 1: Did you grow up in the church or in a

497
00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:05,280
Speaker 1: religious household?

498
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:10,120
Speaker 3: I grew up in a very religious Catholic household. So

499
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:12,400
Speaker 3: when you say that you grew up in the church

500
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:16,680
Speaker 3: as a black person, that is not the church they're talking.

501
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:20,000
Speaker 2: That was a.

502
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:25,480
Speaker 3: Part of, you know, my shame, right because growing up

503
00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:31,280
Speaker 3: Catholic and obviously that religion denounces you know, gay folk,

504
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,760
Speaker 3: and so yeah, I had to deal with that. I

505
00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:38,720
Speaker 3: had to deal with zero representation of not even one

506
00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:43,200
Speaker 3: person on the television screen that looked like me. So

507
00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:48,040
Speaker 3: I didn't even see an example of hope youwhere, And

508
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:52,719
Speaker 3: so yeah, it was definitely a struggle to find the

509
00:29:52,760 --> 00:30:00,239
Speaker 3: footing to understand my identity throughout all of those spaces. Right,

510
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:04,120
Speaker 3: Because you did talk about the entertainment industry and how

511
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:09,040
Speaker 3: misogynistic it is. And I saw a lot of my sisters,

512
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,200
Speaker 3: you know, have to play that game. It's painful to

513
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,120
Speaker 3: see and to think back on. I'll be honest about that.

514
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:19,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, ba fam, We're going to take a quick break,

515
00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,200
Speaker 1: pay some bills, and we'll be right back. You posted

516
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,600
Speaker 1: this on Instagram. You had recently gone to the Sarah

517
00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:29,520
Speaker 1: Jakes Roberts conference Women Evolve. When you were telling that

518
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,280
Speaker 1: anecdote about the Atlanta Voice party and being afraid to

519
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,560
Speaker 1: walk in, you had a similar hesitation about going to

520
00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,800
Speaker 1: Women Evolve. Which Women Evolve is my mean? Sarah Jake's

521
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,560
Speaker 1: Roberts is you know, this huge brand and has this

522
00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:47,360
Speaker 1: huge community, and it's very rooted in like Christianity and

523
00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:51,440
Speaker 1: like really religious. That's that's my understanding of it. Yeah,

524
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,080
Speaker 1: and you were invited as a speaker.

525
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:58,920
Speaker 3: No, I had an activation there with our organization, the

526
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:03,800
Speaker 3: Black Women's Help Them Narrative and with Gilliad, And I

527
00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:07,320
Speaker 3: was super excited about the activation, but I knew that

528
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,240
Speaker 3: I was gonna interact with a lot of folks who

529
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,800
Speaker 3: you know, had come to this conference and you know,

530
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:17,800
Speaker 3: some hyper religious people, and so yeah, that definitely gave

531
00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:24,480
Speaker 3: me pause. And I'm so excited that I pushed through

532
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,880
Speaker 3: that fear because that was probably one of the few

533
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,520
Speaker 3: moments I've had that, you know again, And I'm so

534
00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,360
Speaker 3: glad that I pushed through it because it was a

535
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:38,160
Speaker 3: glorious experience and there were people who came up to

536
00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:42,360
Speaker 3: me and literally affirmed me. One woman said to me, I'm.

537
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,720
Speaker 2: Glad you're here. Oh you know.

538
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,600
Speaker 3: So it's just like every time, And that's why I

539
00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:51,360
Speaker 3: just want to keep saying to your audience, It's like,

540
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,840
Speaker 3: every time you make that leap through your fear, God,

541
00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:59,560
Speaker 3: the universe will show you right, Fere's a sign.

542
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,240
Speaker 1: Okay, I would have held my breath on your behalf

543
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,560
Speaker 1: if I knew you were walking into that space. That's

544
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,960
Speaker 1: really comforting. And I mean, I don't think either of

545
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:11,160
Speaker 1: us is saying that, like things are perfect and rosy

546
00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:14,560
Speaker 1: and we're in such a dangerous time for the LGBTQ,

547
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,400
Speaker 1: you know, ia plus community and in a lot of ways.

548
00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,120
Speaker 1: But at the same time, two things can be true.

549
00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:23,480
Speaker 1: And I'm so happy to hear that you're getting the

550
00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:27,520
Speaker 1: embrace that you deserve in some rooms. And my sister

551
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:29,560
Speaker 1: I've talked about she's married to a trans man and

552
00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:31,880
Speaker 1: I've seen him through his transition.

553
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 2: I mean they've been together for shit more than half

554
00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:35,160
Speaker 2: my life.

555
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:40,840
Speaker 1: They're like the the most romantic, happiest love story in

556
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:45,120
Speaker 1: our family. And we were not the most hospitable. We

557
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:49,360
Speaker 1: were not hospital at all towards the time. Wow, there's

558
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,320
Speaker 1: the general lack of knowing how you're going to be

559
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:54,800
Speaker 1: perceived when you walk in or if you're going to

560
00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,680
Speaker 1: be safe, you're going to be embraced like that, that

561
00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,360
Speaker 1: level of anxiety I've heard them talk about and hearing

562
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,760
Speaker 1: you talk about it, and just I'm glad to hear

563
00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,760
Speaker 1: that that's not always the case. That you are walking

564
00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:09,640
Speaker 1: into rooms where you're embraced. You're so embraceable this Lisa

565
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:11,360
Speaker 1: that I have had the pleasure to know.

566
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,160
Speaker 3: But you know, but I think that that that level

567
00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:22,800
Speaker 3: of you know, getting getting to that point in my

568
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,360
Speaker 3: life where I can be fully embraced and even if

569
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:31,040
Speaker 3: I'm if I'm not like in the bathroom scenarios, you know,

570
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:35,920
Speaker 3: I kind of don't hold it in my heart right

571
00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:41,680
Speaker 3: from this resentful perspective, I understand, I, you know, try

572
00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:44,120
Speaker 3: to give folks grace, and I think we need a

573
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:49,040
Speaker 3: lot more grace in this world today. I just I

574
00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,880
Speaker 3: just do all of these you know, other ring, the

575
00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:59,080
Speaker 3: other ring of society is something that is very dangerous.

576
00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,440
Speaker 3: And hope that we can turn this thing around.

577
00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:03,680
Speaker 1: So we got to get out of our internet silos

578
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:04,240
Speaker 1: and get.

579
00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,840
Speaker 2: Yeah and mixing. Yeah, you know, And that's why I

580
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:08,440
Speaker 2: just love.

581
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,960
Speaker 3: I love the aspect of my life as a filmmaker

582
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:17,800
Speaker 3: because I love getting people into a room and letting

583
00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:24,759
Speaker 3: them talk about potentially things that they've never spoken on before, right,

584
00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:30,520
Speaker 3: and then being able to uncover and give real information

585
00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:35,080
Speaker 3: to folks that's rooted in facts and make it digestible.

586
00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:36,960
Speaker 2: I mean, these this is what I like.

587
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,279
Speaker 3: Wake up in the day and I'm like, hey, get

588
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:46,680
Speaker 3: so hype about because once again, accurate information, community, all

589
00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:51,120
Speaker 3: of these things, getting outside of our silos, all of.

590
00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:53,319
Speaker 2: These things will help us to heal.

591
00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:56,600
Speaker 1: And you said you're producing or working on a film

592
00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:00,600
Speaker 1: about the bathroom experience. Let's talk about I mean, what

593
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:05,480
Speaker 1: a masterful and beautiful, you know story of your career

594
00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,560
Speaker 1: and how you took all those all those incredible creative

595
00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:12,560
Speaker 1: skills and marketing and film direction and production and you

596
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:17,040
Speaker 1: are now using those forces for good, you know, And

597
00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:21,160
Speaker 1: talk to me about making that transition into the nonprofit space.

598
00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,359
Speaker 1: You ended up with Black Women's Health Imperative. You've been

599
00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:25,520
Speaker 1: there now for how many years?

600
00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,120
Speaker 3: It's so funny, five years. I kind of just started

601
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,480
Speaker 3: working with the organization as a contractor and then kind

602
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:34,400
Speaker 3: of back and forth.

603
00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:35,319
Speaker 2: Okay years. You know.

604
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:37,839
Speaker 3: It's like it's like putting your baby tow in and

605
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:38,960
Speaker 3: then coming back out.

606
00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:44,520
Speaker 2: And it's an organization that, even when I'm not there anymore,

607
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:45,680
Speaker 2: my heart.

608
00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,800
Speaker 3: Will always be rooted in it because of our founder

609
00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:53,719
Speaker 3: Billy Avery, who is eighty seven years young, still a

610
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:57,960
Speaker 3: major factor in our organization, and she actually is the

611
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:03,960
Speaker 3: impetus for me creating the film me period. She created

612
00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:07,200
Speaker 3: a documentary back in the eighties called on Becoming a Woman.

613
00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:11,360
Speaker 3: I saw it on the Black Women's Health Imperatives YouTube page.

614
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:13,120
Speaker 2: And I was like, what is this?

615
00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:16,799
Speaker 3: And then I go on Beyonce's Internet to see if

616
00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:21,799
Speaker 3: anybody had ever done it. Maddy, nobody else had made

617
00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,719
Speaker 3: anything like this, and so I was like, you know what,

618
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,799
Speaker 3: if we can get some funding for this, let me

619
00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:30,680
Speaker 3: try to make this film. And then, unbeknownst to me,

620
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,800
Speaker 3: the president at the time, Linda Gohler Blount, had actually

621
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:38,160
Speaker 3: made that promise to Billy that we would eventually make

622
00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:42,480
Speaker 3: this film one day. So you know, for those who

623
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,800
Speaker 3: don't know me, Period is a film where we brought

624
00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,640
Speaker 3: together real world women. So I brought together a set

625
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,879
Speaker 3: of those folks in Atlanta, and then we went out

626
00:36:53,239 --> 00:36:57,040
Speaker 3: in la and filmed Tabitha Brown and Cheryl Lee Ralph

627
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:59,440
Speaker 3: who are also real world women there, but they just

628
00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:04,000
Speaker 3: happen to be celebrities. It is a love letter. It

629
00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:09,960
Speaker 3: is a love letter to young people, to mothers. I

630
00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:13,560
Speaker 3: believes it was done with so much intention and love

631
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:21,600
Speaker 3: about dispelling myths. The amazing aka Period doctor on social media,

632
00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:27,560
Speaker 3: doctor Charis Chambers led us through a lot of that film.

633
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:34,719
Speaker 3: But what I saw is that women are parenting with

634
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:37,839
Speaker 3: a lot of trauma, a lot of misinformation. They were

635
00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,960
Speaker 3: looking for the information. It was just beautiful to see

636
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:46,760
Speaker 3: how much they shared. You know, in this sexual assault

637
00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:50,759
Speaker 3: came up. I mean, we could have not predicted that,

638
00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:53,680
Speaker 3: and we had a therapist on hand to handle that

639
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:57,359
Speaker 3: using my powers for good Mandy, Oh my gosh, So.

640
00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:01,120
Speaker 1: You're making the documentary so me Period, it's what does

641
00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:04,160
Speaker 1: it actually cover? This is an independent documentary, so we

642
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,439
Speaker 1: can't really see unless we go to a screening right.

643
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,880
Speaker 3: Have made it available from a limited standpoint and I

644
00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:14,319
Speaker 3: can share the platform with you. But it is on

645
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,359
Speaker 3: Kinema with a K like cinema and you can put

646
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:19,759
Speaker 3: in the movie me period and you can view it.

647
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,040
Speaker 1: So you're making this film, so the documentary, are you

648
00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 1: interviewing mothers and daughters about coming out, like getting their period,

649
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,080
Speaker 1: coming into that? Okay, so we're talking young women, So

650
00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,640
Speaker 1: that makes perfect sense. I mean Tabitha Brown, you know,

651
00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:37,000
Speaker 1: and SHIRLEYE. Ralph are like America's moms in some ways

652
00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:40,440
Speaker 1: black black women's moms, I should say. So what can

653
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,600
Speaker 1: we expect or what's like the synopsis of the documentary

654
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,000
Speaker 1: or it is?

655
00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:49,080
Speaker 3: It is really where and we have a discussion guy

656
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:52,160
Speaker 3: that goes with this and a caregiver's toolkit because what

657
00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:57,520
Speaker 3: we really want is to arm our caregivers and parents,

658
00:38:58,239 --> 00:39:03,840
Speaker 3: arm our mothers with the resources to be able to

659
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:07,080
Speaker 3: have a young person in your life and take them

660
00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:11,719
Speaker 3: through that process of their first menstruation and set them

661
00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:16,600
Speaker 3: up for success with their whole reproductive health journey and

662
00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:19,960
Speaker 3: health journey for the rest of their lives. Because what

663
00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 3: we find is that you know, oftentimes if you're stigmatized

664
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:29,960
Speaker 3: at that point, right, you're not my little girl anymore.

665
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:32,440
Speaker 1: Even though girls are so damn young now that they're

666
00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:36,200
Speaker 1: getting even period at like eight nine years old, trying.

667
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:39,360
Speaker 3: To get rid of that stigma and then from there

668
00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:45,440
Speaker 3: arm them with the ability to embrace their health journey

669
00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:51,880
Speaker 3: and pay attention to their health so that as they

670
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,960
Speaker 3: get older. We know that black and brown folks have

671
00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,200
Speaker 3: you know, a higher instance of a lot of different

672
00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:04,080
Speaker 3: things by broid, pcos, different things. So imagine if you're

673
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:09,319
Speaker 3: tracking properly, you're paying attention to your body, you're empowered

674
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 3: when you go to see your physician, you know how

675
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:16,320
Speaker 3: to talk to your physician. Doctor Chambers in the film says,

676
00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:20,720
Speaker 3: you know, my favorite thing is when I come into

677
00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:24,799
Speaker 3: a session knowing that I am the expert in medicine

678
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:27,319
Speaker 3: and you are the expert in your body. And when

679
00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:31,279
Speaker 3: these two experts can come together, that's when we get

680
00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:35,399
Speaker 3: the best outcomes. So, I mean, that's the gist of

681
00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,399
Speaker 3: what that film is promoting. I'd love nothing better than

682
00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:43,719
Speaker 3: for everyone with a young person, you know, as young

683
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,759
Speaker 3: as as young as five to watch, you know, and

684
00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:51,200
Speaker 3: younger to watch that film so that they can see

685
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:55,560
Speaker 3: how to prepare themselves for that journey. And if you've

686
00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:58,759
Speaker 3: got a young person in your life, it might be

687
00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:01,239
Speaker 3: your sibling. You might be the older sister you can

688
00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:04,120
Speaker 3: watch it. You may be the father. We included fathers

689
00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:05,320
Speaker 3: in the film.

690
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:06,759
Speaker 2: They're a part of it too.

691
00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:10,640
Speaker 1: So do you hear from fathers in the documentary as well?

692
00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:14,000
Speaker 1: And are they like having conversations with their little girls?

693
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:15,200
Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah.

694
00:41:15,239 --> 00:41:18,000
Speaker 3: This one father said that he after she got it,

695
00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:20,799
Speaker 3: he had a conversation with her and the mother was like.

696
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:23,239
Speaker 2: You did, and he was like, yeah, I did.

697
00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,839
Speaker 3: And so it's just that kind of revelation that this

698
00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:34,560
Speaker 3: everyone in the family kind of can be involved in

699
00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:37,320
Speaker 3: our own health journeys. I mean, we have to normalize

700
00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:41,319
Speaker 3: men taking their health serious as well. Right, So when

701
00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:44,680
Speaker 3: you destigmatize it, you need to destigmatize it for everyone.

702
00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:48,120
Speaker 3: And that can get us to a whole health journey

703
00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:52,560
Speaker 3: for families because we've got we've got to understand that

704
00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:55,080
Speaker 3: there is a system that's broken, all right, So we

705
00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:57,520
Speaker 3: know that, we know that we need to deal with

706
00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,640
Speaker 3: physicians who don't deliver the standard of care that our

707
00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:05,040
Speaker 3: folks need. We know that and we're working to change that.

708
00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:09,799
Speaker 3: But the reality is, until that's changed, there are some

709
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:12,879
Speaker 3: things that we can do ourselves, and that's what I

710
00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,360
Speaker 3: advocate for, and that's what the Black Women's Health Imperative

711
00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:17,279
Speaker 3: advocates for.

712
00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:19,280
Speaker 2: On a day to day basis.

713
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:23,400
Speaker 1: The work couldn't be more important than it is.

714
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:23,680
Speaker 2: Now.

715
00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:27,439
Speaker 1: Can you talk about what kind of impact this work

716
00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:30,240
Speaker 1: has had so far? And like, what are the big

717
00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:32,960
Speaker 1: themes or issues that y'all are focused on right now?

718
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,279
Speaker 1: What should we as black women understand about the landscape

719
00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:39,440
Speaker 1: of health and reproductive health right now?

720
00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:42,279
Speaker 3: Well, I think that, you know, I've been thinking about

721
00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,640
Speaker 3: this a lot with regards to you know, and like

722
00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:50,080
Speaker 3: I said, we're every day we are as an organization

723
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:54,040
Speaker 3: out there, you know, doing research that includes us. We

724
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,360
Speaker 3: just had a press release come out where we've partnered

725
00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,560
Speaker 3: with the Morahouse School of Medicine for breast cancer and

726
00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:06,160
Speaker 3: cervi cancer study. Right of once again our folks. We're constantly,

727
00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:12,720
Speaker 3: you know, trying to get policy passed for once again

728
00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:16,600
Speaker 3: our folks. So we're doing all of those things.

729
00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:17,560
Speaker 2: On that on that end.

730
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:20,000
Speaker 3: But when you when you when you ask kind of

731
00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:22,799
Speaker 3: what we can do, you know, I like to think

732
00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:27,040
Speaker 3: of it like this. I like to call women we're

733
00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:31,239
Speaker 3: the chief health officers of our family. So we're we're

734
00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:34,680
Speaker 3: typically the one that schedules the doctor's appointments, right.

735
00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,399
Speaker 2: We're we're the ones who cook the food a lot

736
00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:40,040
Speaker 2: of times.

737
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:43,840
Speaker 3: And not to put that whole pressure on us, but

738
00:43:44,239 --> 00:43:47,799
Speaker 3: as a chief health officer, we also get to delegate.

739
00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:51,160
Speaker 3: We also get to say, hey, partner, maybe you need

740
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,240
Speaker 3: to do this for for our whole health of our family,

741
00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:56,719
Speaker 3: and maybe you need to do this. And then it's

742
00:43:56,760 --> 00:44:00,440
Speaker 3: also about extending that message out to our commune unity.

743
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:04,120
Speaker 3: So for us, you know, we really are focused on

744
00:44:04,320 --> 00:44:05,760
Speaker 3: chronic disease prevention.

745
00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:11,880
Speaker 2: I mean that is really is.

746
00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:15,000
Speaker 3: We are at critical mass with regards to obesity in

747
00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:19,279
Speaker 3: this country. We need to understand that obesity is in

748
00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:22,359
Speaker 3: fact a disease and there are many.

749
00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:24,960
Speaker 2: Tools in the toolkit to help you deal with that.

750
00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:28,680
Speaker 3: But we can't just act like a magic pill can

751
00:44:28,719 --> 00:44:31,360
Speaker 3: save the day, right we can't.

752
00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:34,200
Speaker 1: You mean, Serena Williams says, all you do is inject

753
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:36,440
Speaker 1: my bicep with whatever she's saying it.

754
00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:40,160
Speaker 3: You can't just act like a magic pill can save

755
00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:40,759
Speaker 3: the day.

756
00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:43,680
Speaker 2: We believe that.

757
00:44:43,239 --> 00:44:48,120
Speaker 3: That there is a space for those therapeutics, you know,

758
00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:54,080
Speaker 3: we believe that I personally believe that right. I believe

759
00:44:54,120 --> 00:44:59,600
Speaker 3: that some people choose bariatric surgery, and that's another tool.

760
00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:03,440
Speaker 3: There's many tools in the toolbox, but when you start

761
00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:09,239
Speaker 3: from the premise of lifestyle change and dealing with how

762
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:12,720
Speaker 3: can how we can deal with our system in terms

763
00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:16,040
Speaker 3: of the food we put into our bodies, of the

764
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:19,240
Speaker 3: amount of sunlight we get, or the amount of sleep,

765
00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:25,400
Speaker 3: I mean just sleep alone, it's so huge to potentially

766
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,360
Speaker 3: how it can impact our health. And so I understand

767
00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:31,960
Speaker 3: that people live in food deserts. I understand that people

768
00:45:31,960 --> 00:45:34,279
Speaker 3: don't have green spaces, and so we have to kind

769
00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:36,360
Speaker 3: of look at these things. We call those in the

770
00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:40,719
Speaker 3: health industry the social determinants of health, like these are

771
00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:43,839
Speaker 3: things outside of kind of your control that are in

772
00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,640
Speaker 3: your environment. So then we have to figure out how

773
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:49,160
Speaker 3: can we help our folks through that, And that's a

774
00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:52,400
Speaker 3: lot of what our organization does. We have a wonderful

775
00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:56,120
Speaker 3: program sponsored by the CDC called the Change your Lifestyle,

776
00:45:56,239 --> 00:46:00,440
Speaker 3: Change Your Life Program, and it helps you to prevent

777
00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:05,000
Speaker 3: or manage your chronic diseases like diet type two diabetes.

778
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:06,960
Speaker 3: In my in my late thirties now and I have

779
00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:10,120
Speaker 3: two children. All I always thought I was going to

780
00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:13,920
Speaker 3: be like different. This was my ego, This was my

781
00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:15,920
Speaker 3: my millennial snowflake energy.

782
00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:16,919
Speaker 2: I was bringing.

783
00:46:17,320 --> 00:46:22,080
Speaker 1: Kidney disease, diabetes, you know, heart issues. My grandma died

784
00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,560
Speaker 1: fifty six, and so many members deal with chronic you know,

785
00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,359
Speaker 1: conditions and obesity, and it just runs rampant. And I

786
00:46:28,480 --> 00:46:31,279
Speaker 1: was like again thinking I'm a snowflake and I'm going

787
00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:33,520
Speaker 1: to do mazumba and I'm going to eat healthy.

788
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:34,520
Speaker 2: And that I know better than you.

789
00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:36,800
Speaker 1: And let me tell you, I didn't have these two kids,

790
00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:40,520
Speaker 1: got a little got a little bout with postpartum depression.

791
00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:42,000
Speaker 2: And anxiety, yes, a pandemic.

792
00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:45,080
Speaker 1: Later starting a business, trying to be a black woman

793
00:46:45,120 --> 00:46:47,239
Speaker 1: in this world, and why don't you know here I

794
00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:50,759
Speaker 1: am dealing with these My body is like showing me

795
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:55,920
Speaker 1: that these it feels like they are these these like

796
00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:59,279
Speaker 1: I don't know, something sneaking behind me, like something like

797
00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:01,680
Speaker 1: in the closet that that's just trying to like get in,

798
00:47:01,760 --> 00:47:02,360
Speaker 1: come get me.

799
00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:02,759
Speaker 2: Like.

800
00:47:03,840 --> 00:47:07,200
Speaker 3: So that's the thing called epigenetics. I want you to

801
00:47:07,239 --> 00:47:08,160
Speaker 3: look that word up.

802
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:11,080
Speaker 2: Say it again, epigenetics.

803
00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:14,239
Speaker 3: Right, yeah, you know I'm not a clinician, so I

804
00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:17,360
Speaker 3: don't want to get too deep into that terminology.

805
00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:19,760
Speaker 2: But it's basically it's.

806
00:47:19,640 --> 00:47:24,479
Speaker 3: In our DNA, right, So you're fighting you're fighting all

807
00:47:24,560 --> 00:47:28,600
Speaker 3: of the trauma, the health trauma. You're fighting that health

808
00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:32,640
Speaker 3: trauma in your DNA. But I got news for you.

809
00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:35,640
Speaker 3: You can get you can push through that. One of

810
00:47:35,640 --> 00:47:39,680
Speaker 3: my favorite phrases is it ran in my family until

811
00:47:39,719 --> 00:47:40,680
Speaker 3: it ran into me.

812
00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:42,160
Speaker 2: I'm gonna send you that shirt.

813
00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:44,600
Speaker 1: Doesn't it suck being a millennial. I know you're a

814
00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:47,560
Speaker 1: gen xer, but god damn, it just feels like millennials.

815
00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:49,880
Speaker 1: We have to fix everything that's wrong. We have to

816
00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:53,440
Speaker 1: heal a generational trauma. Nope, my elders can't really help me.

817
00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:55,520
Speaker 1: And like, I'm doing it for the youths, but we

818
00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:58,160
Speaker 1: I just want a moment for the millennials because I

819
00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:00,880
Speaker 1: think we have a lot on our show. There's to

820
00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:01,640
Speaker 1: be better.

821
00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:02,200
Speaker 2: Than you all do.

822
00:48:02,920 --> 00:48:06,760
Speaker 3: Anybody who knows me knows that I love the generations.

823
00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:08,759
Speaker 3: I love the generations.

824
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:11,200
Speaker 2: You know you're not watching on YouTube.

825
00:48:11,239 --> 00:48:12,799
Speaker 1: You need to be watching on YouTube if you need

826
00:48:12,840 --> 00:48:15,040
Speaker 1: to see Lisa as she's telling you this, because I'm

827
00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:17,719
Speaker 1: telling you. If they did a black version of the

828
00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:19,360
Speaker 1: Age of Adelaide with Blake Lively.

829
00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:20,439
Speaker 2: We don't say her name.

830
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:23,600
Speaker 1: They need to cast Liez to Cunningham because you're giving

831
00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:27,319
Speaker 1: I'm twenty two years old, maybe twenty five, maybe twenty five,

832
00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:27,839
Speaker 1: maybe you.

833
00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:30,600
Speaker 2: Just got out of grad school. Well I am.

834
00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:34,239
Speaker 3: I am fifty five years old and proud to say it.

835
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:37,200
Speaker 1: But you've gotten to if you're so wise, because you've

836
00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:38,560
Speaker 1: lived all these different decades.

837
00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:42,560
Speaker 2: But the reason why I go back to.

838
00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:48,440
Speaker 3: Saying that I embrace this kind of generational aspect of

839
00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:51,600
Speaker 3: things is that I've learned to kind of take the

840
00:48:51,640 --> 00:48:56,120
Speaker 3: good of the different worlds right. And so I've got

841
00:48:56,160 --> 00:48:59,040
Speaker 3: baby boomer sisters. And my sister on the road to

842
00:48:59,120 --> 00:49:02,160
Speaker 3: sixty five, she had always been, as we say in

843
00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:04,759
Speaker 3: our community, heavy set her whole life, and I me

844
00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:10,680
Speaker 3: thicker than a snicker, right, found whole life. And she said,

845
00:49:10,719 --> 00:49:12,960
Speaker 3: on the road to sixty five, that's just not That's

846
00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:16,800
Speaker 3: not how I'm gonna end up. My sister lost sixty

847
00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:20,480
Speaker 3: plus pounds two years on the road to sixty five.

848
00:49:20,600 --> 00:49:21,160
Speaker 2: She made it.

849
00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:25,440
Speaker 3: So what'd that do for me? I said, Okay, game on.

850
00:49:25,719 --> 00:49:30,040
Speaker 3: So we talked through some strategies together as a family,

851
00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:33,200
Speaker 3: and she helped me to get to what is now

852
00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:34,760
Speaker 3: seventy pounds down.

853
00:49:35,560 --> 00:49:36,719
Speaker 2: So I feel you.

854
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:40,480
Speaker 3: When I saw you, Yeah, when I met you three

855
00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:43,439
Speaker 3: years ago, I was in the grips of what you're

856
00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:48,120
Speaker 3: talking about right now, and I put something in motion

857
00:49:48,560 --> 00:49:51,680
Speaker 3: through baby steps, and this was my journey. So, like

858
00:49:51,719 --> 00:49:54,680
Speaker 3: I said, not to vilify anybody who needs a GLP

859
00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:59,400
Speaker 3: one or anybody who chooses surgery. I did it naturally.

860
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:04,160
Speaker 3: Continue to do it naturally every day because I realize

861
00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:08,200
Speaker 3: that I did not. I did not sign up for

862
00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:12,759
Speaker 3: this addiction that America gave me. And it's real. It

863
00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:16,400
Speaker 3: is a real thing. It is built into the DNA

864
00:50:16,600 --> 00:50:21,000
Speaker 3: of our food, unfortunately, and so I've had to, you know,

865
00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:22,880
Speaker 3: figure out how to get through that.

866
00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:25,840
Speaker 2: And it's a daily struggle.

867
00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:29,400
Speaker 3: Though Mandy, it's a little easier for me because I

868
00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:31,920
Speaker 3: didn't have those things. So it's a it's a it's

869
00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:34,640
Speaker 3: a little you know, I was partnered, but I didn't

870
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:37,640
Speaker 3: have you know, the young child and cooking of this

871
00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:40,239
Speaker 3: different food, and the partner who wants you know, the

872
00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:43,280
Speaker 3: unhealthy you know, right there in my physical space.

873
00:50:43,360 --> 00:50:46,040
Speaker 1: This is brown ambition, right, And we don't shy away

874
00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:49,960
Speaker 1: from conversations around career strategy and money. And I'm wondering

875
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:52,920
Speaker 1: for you, did you have any like sticker shock moving

876
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:56,719
Speaker 1: from the entertainment industry to you know, you said you

877
00:50:56,760 --> 00:50:59,479
Speaker 1: started contracting a nonprofit. Now you've been in this world

878
00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:01,520
Speaker 1: for a while, Well, how have you managed your fight?

879
00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:03,880
Speaker 1: Has anything changed with the way you've managed your money?

880
00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:05,640
Speaker 1: Absolutely not transition.

881
00:51:05,719 --> 00:51:10,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, So, you know, when you're in the entertainment industry,

882
00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:15,359
Speaker 3: and I was successful in that industry, I took I

883
00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:18,040
Speaker 3: took a bit of a break, and a lot of

884
00:51:18,080 --> 00:51:22,680
Speaker 3: people don't realize this because I wasn't very public about it.

885
00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:26,800
Speaker 3: I was caregiving for my mother. My mother had cancer,

886
00:51:27,440 --> 00:51:31,080
Speaker 3: she was having you know, dementia. All of the things

887
00:51:31,160 --> 00:51:34,719
Speaker 3: started surfacing, and you know, I was the single, no

888
00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:40,440
Speaker 3: children child, and I was honored to caregive for her.

889
00:51:41,800 --> 00:51:46,000
Speaker 3: And through that process, I was already shedding those layers

890
00:51:46,080 --> 00:51:50,200
Speaker 3: of you know, kind of different financial, you know, comforts.

891
00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:55,640
Speaker 3: And I think, you know how the entertainment industry you

892
00:51:55,719 --> 00:51:59,440
Speaker 3: have extreme highs and lows. You'll be balling out of

893
00:51:59,480 --> 00:52:02,440
Speaker 3: control week and then like wait a minute. So it

894
00:52:02,560 --> 00:52:06,279
Speaker 3: was always this kind of roller coaster ride. But I

895
00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:10,880
Speaker 3: think that when I set the intention and motion and

896
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:15,279
Speaker 3: the thought of turning down jobs, it started because I

897
00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:18,799
Speaker 3: was caregiving for mother. So it wasn't even you know,

898
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:21,960
Speaker 3: this new work. It was just I couldn't leave the house.

899
00:52:22,480 --> 00:52:28,239
Speaker 3: So that was the was the financial strain physically being

900
00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:32,879
Speaker 3: having to be attached to the house. And how long

901
00:52:32,960 --> 00:52:36,640
Speaker 3: was that period? For oh my gosh, years years. So

902
00:52:36,719 --> 00:52:39,680
Speaker 3: people would see me out because I would do these

903
00:52:39,719 --> 00:52:43,440
Speaker 3: cameo appearances and even when I met my partner at

904
00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:46,840
Speaker 3: the time, she thought I was this jet setting person, right,

905
00:52:47,080 --> 00:52:50,400
Speaker 3: So I would be out for fifteen thirty minutes at

906
00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:52,879
Speaker 3: a time and race back to Mama because somebody would

907
00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:57,840
Speaker 3: be with her and I would be dressed at the affair,

908
00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:02,440
Speaker 3: keep it moving, and no nobody even knew that, you know,

909
00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:05,080
Speaker 3: that month, I might have made, you know.

910
00:53:05,120 --> 00:53:08,640
Speaker 2: A thousand dollars because I just couldn't work.

911
00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:14,680
Speaker 3: And so that actually started where I was able to

912
00:53:14,719 --> 00:53:18,759
Speaker 3: transition into the nonprofit space a lot, you know, a

913
00:53:18,800 --> 00:53:23,080
Speaker 3: lot easier because I had already gone down to next

914
00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:28,920
Speaker 3: to nothing, and it's it's been a glorious ride to

915
00:53:29,040 --> 00:53:33,839
Speaker 3: get back to this point where I feel so you know,

916
00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:39,520
Speaker 3: secure financially, but fulfilled personal.

917
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:41,719
Speaker 2: And I know that's the space a lot.

918
00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:44,319
Speaker 3: Of us are trying to get to and so I

919
00:53:44,400 --> 00:53:48,239
Speaker 3: just want to tell everybody to keep swimming because ten

920
00:53:48,320 --> 00:53:52,400
Speaker 3: years ago I couldn't see myself today.

921
00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:54,520
Speaker 2: But I just you know, the baby steps.

922
00:53:54,800 --> 00:53:57,319
Speaker 1: Yeah, ten years ago. You're in your mid forties. I

923
00:53:57,360 --> 00:54:01,040
Speaker 1: know we have listeners. I mean our listeners age range

924
00:54:01,040 --> 00:54:03,000
Speaker 1: from like twenty five to fifty five, but we have

925
00:54:03,040 --> 00:54:05,920
Speaker 1: a very healthy listenership. Shout out to my forty plus

926
00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:09,000
Speaker 1: my fifty plus BA fam. I know they need to

927
00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:11,640
Speaker 1: hear what you're saying because a lot of and I'll

928
00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:13,880
Speaker 1: get coaching clients too, are in mid forties and you

929
00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:16,600
Speaker 1: feel at that stage like maybe you have been doing

930
00:54:16,680 --> 00:54:19,480
Speaker 1: their version of the music video industry and like you know,

931
00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:21,839
Speaker 1: and not feeling fulfilled and is it too late? Can

932
00:54:21,880 --> 00:54:25,200
Speaker 1: I make a change you? I mean, just to break

933
00:54:25,239 --> 00:54:27,680
Speaker 1: down your career path. I mean you go from like

934
00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:30,759
Speaker 1: the entertainment space obviously the ups and downs of that.

935
00:54:31,280 --> 00:54:34,360
Speaker 1: Then you start to like contract and freelance. It sounds

936
00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:36,880
Speaker 1: like and just doing like, you know, similar to what

937
00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:39,480
Speaker 1: you're doing in the entertainment industry, doing folle off projects.

938
00:54:40,040 --> 00:54:43,040
Speaker 1: But then you transition to what's now a full time role.

939
00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:46,520
Speaker 1: What was that like for you? Was it scary? And

940
00:54:46,600 --> 00:54:49,759
Speaker 1: like how did you even negotiate a salary because at

941
00:54:49,760 --> 00:54:51,880
Speaker 1: this point you've been doing one off projects. What was

942
00:54:51,920 --> 00:54:54,960
Speaker 1: that like for you if you don't mind sharing, Yeah.

943
00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:55,160
Speaker 2: I think that.

944
00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:59,439
Speaker 3: You know, Fortunately for me, I will say, the Black

945
00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:03,920
Speaker 3: Women's Help Imperative we're a national organization, right, so we're

946
00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:08,520
Speaker 3: not talking about a grassroots nonprofit. So fortunately for me,

947
00:55:08,719 --> 00:55:11,840
Speaker 3: they had a budget, not with the reserves of the

948
00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:16,720
Speaker 3: American Cancer Society or anything like that, or even the NAACP.

949
00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:20,239
Speaker 3: But when you do talk about a national nonprofit, you're

950
00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:23,000
Speaker 3: really talking about, you know, a different pay scale at

951
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:23,520
Speaker 3: that point.

952
00:55:23,719 --> 00:55:24,960
Speaker 2: So I was.

953
00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:30,440
Speaker 3: Blessed to not have to, you know, worry about my

954
00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:32,239
Speaker 3: lifestyle from that perspective.

955
00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:34,360
Speaker 2: But I did give up some things.

956
00:55:34,480 --> 00:55:38,040
Speaker 3: And you know, the if you look at what's going

957
00:55:38,080 --> 00:55:42,080
Speaker 3: on right now November of last year to today, the

958
00:55:42,120 --> 00:55:45,680
Speaker 3: world has turned upside down once again. Right we went

959
00:55:45,680 --> 00:55:49,640
Speaker 3: through COVID, it was unprecedented times. Now we're in unprecedented

960
00:55:49,719 --> 00:55:54,480
Speaker 3: times again, which which are creating so many financial tail

961
00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:57,320
Speaker 3: spends for people, especially black.

962
00:55:57,040 --> 00:55:57,800
Speaker 2: And brown women.

963
00:55:58,160 --> 00:56:01,760
Speaker 3: And so we've heard the statistic about three hundred thousand

964
00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:04,560
Speaker 3: black women losing their jobs and what have you. So

965
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:09,040
Speaker 3: I think for me, I'm I'm grateful to be able

966
00:56:09,080 --> 00:56:13,520
Speaker 3: to have that sort of stability, and a stability that

967
00:56:13,600 --> 00:56:17,600
Speaker 3: didn't have me, you know, kind of compromising my lifestyle.

968
00:56:17,920 --> 00:56:20,000
Speaker 3: But I mean, I live pretty simple though.

969
00:56:20,200 --> 00:56:23,880
Speaker 1: That's that's the thing. That's another thing. I just I

970
00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:27,919
Speaker 1: just live pretty simple lifestyle. Inflation will kill you.

971
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:28,320
Speaker 2: Today.

972
00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:32,799
Speaker 3: I was like, okay, Lisa, you could cut out subscriptions,

973
00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:36,200
Speaker 3: and so I did take a lot of inventory on

974
00:56:36,320 --> 00:56:41,040
Speaker 3: subscriptions and didn't realize I get did like twenty five subscriptions.

975
00:56:41,160 --> 00:56:44,759
Speaker 3: I mean things that range from six ninety nine to

976
00:56:44,880 --> 00:56:47,759
Speaker 3: things that range from to one hundred and forty nine

977
00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:48,439
Speaker 3: ninety nine.

978
00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:51,800
Speaker 2: So that was definitely helpful to take.

979
00:56:51,600 --> 00:56:56,080
Speaker 3: Inventory of because you just don't pay attention what's coming

980
00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:59,520
Speaker 3: in and out. You know, of your bank account on

981
00:56:59,560 --> 00:57:03,240
Speaker 3: a monthly basis, like that with regards to subscriptions. Yeah,

982
00:57:03,320 --> 00:57:06,200
Speaker 3: that's one of my success stories, getting my subscriptions in check.

983
00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:08,960
Speaker 2: I could do it.

984
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:11,600
Speaker 1: I could do an audit every month because it's insane.

985
00:57:11,680 --> 00:57:14,520
Speaker 1: I subscribe for hairdel because that's the only way to

986
00:57:14,520 --> 00:57:16,840
Speaker 1: buy it. I'm like, do I really need to subscribe?

987
00:57:16,880 --> 00:57:18,320
Speaker 1: I don't know if I'm gonna need this in six

988
00:57:18,400 --> 00:57:22,560
Speaker 1: more months, but it's good hairtel Oh the subscription economy,

989
00:57:22,600 --> 00:57:24,160
Speaker 1: my god, by the way, join our Patreon.

990
00:57:24,840 --> 00:57:25,720
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I will.

991
00:57:26,760 --> 00:57:28,280
Speaker 1: I'm part of the problem.

992
00:57:28,840 --> 00:57:29,920
Speaker 2: You can join for freedom.

993
00:57:30,200 --> 00:57:32,680
Speaker 3: Then I'm a bit of a philanthropist, so you know,

994
00:57:32,800 --> 00:57:35,920
Speaker 3: I also had to assess. That was another hard decision

995
00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,440
Speaker 3: for me. I did have to assess, you know, my

996
00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:42,800
Speaker 3: monthly giving. So I did go. I did take that

997
00:57:42,960 --> 00:57:43,520
Speaker 3: down a bit.

998
00:57:43,680 --> 00:57:47,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, what about retirement savings? Were you setting aside any

999
00:57:47,440 --> 00:57:49,480
Speaker 1: nest egg who was teaching you how to start that?

1000
00:57:49,560 --> 00:57:51,640
Speaker 1: When you were an entrepreneur it were solopreneur.

1001
00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:53,960
Speaker 2: Nobody, zero body, you know.

1002
00:57:54,080 --> 00:57:57,800
Speaker 3: I started listening to you all and getting nuggets here

1003
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:01,480
Speaker 3: and there. I remember when I did pay for a

1004
00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:05,640
Speaker 3: Budgeanista course and things like that, you know, for credit

1005
00:58:05,720 --> 00:58:08,720
Speaker 3: repair all of that. Yeah, because it was a mess.

1006
00:58:08,760 --> 00:58:12,040
Speaker 3: It was just an absolute mess. Because you that industry,

1007
00:58:12,080 --> 00:58:14,600
Speaker 3: you just live by the seat of your pay Attie.

1008
00:58:14,800 --> 00:58:16,960
Speaker 3: And I never forget.

1009
00:58:17,040 --> 00:58:19,160
Speaker 2: I used to. I used to joke with my partner.

1010
00:58:19,200 --> 00:58:21,760
Speaker 2: We would always I would be like, my.

1011
00:58:21,760 --> 00:58:24,280
Speaker 3: Credit score just got raised by this, and and then

1012
00:58:24,360 --> 00:58:26,400
Speaker 3: next week and you know, next month it was by this,

1013
00:58:26,560 --> 00:58:29,240
Speaker 3: And She's like, girl, catch up because mine's mine's like

1014
00:58:29,320 --> 00:58:30,800
Speaker 3: seven eighty already, So.

1015
00:58:30,640 --> 00:58:34,520
Speaker 1: We're we're okay, all right, don't need to be annoying

1016
00:58:34,520 --> 00:58:35,680
Speaker 1: about it exactly.

1017
00:58:36,200 --> 00:58:39,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, but it was definitely motivation. And that gets back

1018
00:58:39,040 --> 00:58:41,800
Speaker 3: to what I said much earlier in the conversation, right,

1019
00:58:42,320 --> 00:58:46,480
Speaker 3: it's about having those people around you that bring out

1020
00:58:46,520 --> 00:58:47,720
Speaker 3: the what the best?

1021
00:58:47,880 --> 00:58:50,120
Speaker 1: So is that how I got invited to the CBC

1022
00:58:50,280 --> 00:58:52,600
Speaker 1: by y'all? Did y'all did you listen to Brown Ambition before?

1023
00:58:52,800 --> 00:58:59,360
Speaker 2: Of course? Oh? Well thanks? I so.

1024
00:58:59,520 --> 00:59:02,320
Speaker 1: Now okay, so you weren't really setting aside for retirement.

1025
00:59:02,360 --> 00:59:04,560
Speaker 2: How have you been catching up? Yeah?

1026
00:59:04,680 --> 00:59:08,320
Speaker 3: I mean I've been touching up best I could. And

1027
00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:12,040
Speaker 3: I literally that's so interesting. Just signed up for some

1028
00:59:12,160 --> 00:59:14,400
Speaker 3: like real financial planning.

1029
00:59:14,800 --> 00:59:18,200
Speaker 2: Just now. Oh okay, keep you post it, keep you

1030
00:59:18,320 --> 00:59:21,120
Speaker 2: posted on that. Yeah, I'm excited.

1031
00:59:21,520 --> 00:59:25,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was Listen, we have to give grace to ourselves.

1032
00:59:25,920 --> 00:59:28,240
Speaker 1: And there's so many seasons of life, and like I

1033
00:59:28,440 --> 00:59:31,720
Speaker 1: made the best financial choices when I was twenty four

1034
00:59:31,760 --> 00:59:33,640
Speaker 1: with no kids. Let me tell you, the last five

1035
00:59:33,720 --> 00:59:38,000
Speaker 1: years adn't broke every rule I talked about. Life is laving.

1036
00:59:38,040 --> 00:59:40,840
Speaker 1: What do you want me to do? We just got

1037
00:59:40,840 --> 00:59:43,919
Speaker 1: to give grace, got to give grace and I'm very

1038
00:59:44,040 --> 00:59:45,920
Speaker 1: happy for you to hear that you're going to get

1039
00:59:46,000 --> 00:59:47,919
Speaker 1: some professional help.

1040
00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:51,040
Speaker 2: We deserve, we deserve, we deserve.

1041
00:59:51,560 --> 00:59:56,280
Speaker 3: Health is our birthright, but it encompasses all the different

1042
00:59:56,360 --> 01:00:01,440
Speaker 3: areas of health right, mind, body, spirit, finances go right,

1043
01:00:01,720 --> 01:00:03,120
Speaker 3: all of that hand in hand.

1044
01:00:03,240 --> 01:00:05,680
Speaker 2: So health is our birthright. We have to stop.

1045
01:00:05,760 --> 01:00:10,640
Speaker 3: I love I never forget watching a Lisa Nichol's YouTube

1046
01:00:10,720 --> 01:00:14,360
Speaker 3: on money and it was just it just is so

1047
01:00:14,560 --> 01:00:17,880
Speaker 3: powerful because she just talks about our relationship with money

1048
01:00:18,120 --> 01:00:22,480
Speaker 3: and we just have to have a better relationship in

1049
01:00:22,560 --> 01:00:25,440
Speaker 3: order to get to that healthy side of it.

1050
01:00:25,800 --> 01:00:29,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, having financial freedom, it brings out the best

1051
01:00:29,440 --> 01:00:33,720
Speaker 1: in everybody. It does, especially when you're able to achieve

1052
01:00:33,760 --> 01:00:36,600
Speaker 1: that by doing such a great work like you have. Lisa.

1053
01:00:37,560 --> 01:00:40,440
Speaker 1: I so appreciate you joining me a Brown ambition and

1054
01:00:40,520 --> 01:00:42,560
Speaker 1: getting to know more about you. It's been such a treat.

1055
01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:45,280
Speaker 1: It's been such an honor to get.

1056
01:00:45,600 --> 01:00:47,360
Speaker 3: Now I want to do the reverse. Now I want

1057
01:00:47,400 --> 01:00:53,800
Speaker 3: to have you on my podcast. So I literally am

1058
01:00:53,920 --> 01:00:57,240
Speaker 3: about to launch. I did it as a pop up

1059
01:00:57,280 --> 01:00:59,960
Speaker 3: podcast a few times, and so now I'm going to

1060
01:01:00,120 --> 01:01:03,440
Speaker 3: do both pop up podcast mixed with a traditional format

1061
01:01:03,600 --> 01:01:07,040
Speaker 3: and see what we got. The brand is called take

1062
01:01:07,120 --> 01:01:09,000
Speaker 3: what you Need, so we'll see.

1063
01:01:08,920 --> 01:01:11,560
Speaker 2: Take what you Need? Okay. I love that?

1064
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:13,720
Speaker 1: All right, Lisa, I wish we had more time.

1065
01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:14,160
Speaker 2: I want it.

1066
01:01:14,160 --> 01:01:15,920
Speaker 1: Will you come back sometime or can I see you

1067
01:01:16,000 --> 01:01:16,280
Speaker 1: next time?

1068
01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:17,520
Speaker 2: Moment, next moment at Lanta.

1069
01:01:17,480 --> 01:01:20,360
Speaker 1: I'm gonna hit you up, yes, because I'm just like

1070
01:01:20,360 --> 01:01:22,680
Speaker 1: that Kiki Palmer Sierra, like I need to see more

1071
01:01:22,720 --> 01:01:25,680
Speaker 1: of you. I have not stopped thinking about this conversation.

1072
01:01:25,880 --> 01:01:29,959
Speaker 1: It's so good. Thank you for your vulnerability, your transparency

1073
01:01:30,080 --> 01:01:33,520
Speaker 1: or candor and sharing your light with Brown Ambition. Now

1074
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:36,000
Speaker 1: tell us we're gonna go watch this documentary. We're gonna

1075
01:01:36,000 --> 01:01:37,520
Speaker 1: get a link I can put in the show notes.

1076
01:01:37,720 --> 01:01:41,360
Speaker 2: Yes, yay, I'm so excited. We can post, we can

1077
01:01:41,360 --> 01:01:42,640
Speaker 2: tag it. What do you need from us?

1078
01:01:42,680 --> 01:01:47,240
Speaker 3: Put us to absolutely spread the word about this documentary.

1079
01:01:47,600 --> 01:01:50,920
Speaker 3: It's called me Period and just share it, share it

1080
01:01:50,960 --> 01:01:54,400
Speaker 3: in the group chat. You can go to meperiod dot

1081
01:01:54,440 --> 01:01:57,600
Speaker 3: info and that'll get you there.

1082
01:01:57,640 --> 01:01:58,360
Speaker 2: But we'll put it.

1083
01:01:58,320 --> 01:02:00,360
Speaker 1: In the in the link and we'll get the first

1084
01:02:00,360 --> 01:02:03,560
Speaker 1: guide you mentioned that comes with that as well, and

1085
01:02:03,600 --> 01:02:06,640
Speaker 1: then we can find you at Lisa Cunningham on Instagram.

1086
01:02:06,680 --> 01:02:09,560
Speaker 2: I am Lisa Cunningham on Instagram and.

1087
01:02:09,520 --> 01:02:11,360
Speaker 1: Then we're going to check you out on your podcast.

1088
01:02:11,440 --> 01:02:14,600
Speaker 1: It's called fake what you Need, Take what you Need.

1089
01:02:14,680 --> 01:02:17,160
Speaker 1: I love that's another good book title. We'll have you

1090
01:02:17,200 --> 01:02:19,400
Speaker 1: back when you're promoting your book because that's just the duh.

1091
01:02:19,440 --> 01:02:20,360
Speaker 1: Of course is happening.

1092
01:02:20,920 --> 01:02:21,360
Speaker 2: Of course.

1093
01:02:21,520 --> 01:02:24,000
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Lisa. Take care all RIGHTBA Fan,

1094
01:02:24,320 --> 01:02:29,360
Speaker 1: I will see you next time. Bye, okay va fan,

1095
01:02:29,480 --> 01:02:31,800
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to this week's show.

1096
01:02:31,920 --> 01:02:35,160
Speaker 1: I want to shout out to our production team, Courtney,

1097
01:02:35,320 --> 01:02:40,200
Speaker 1: our editor, Carla, our fearless leader for idea to launch productions.

1098
01:02:40,600 --> 01:02:44,080
Speaker 1: I want to shout out my assistant Lauda Escalante and

1099
01:02:44,240 --> 01:02:47,480
Speaker 1: Cameron McNair for helping me put the show together. It

1100
01:02:47,560 --> 01:02:51,120
Speaker 1: is not a one person project, as much as I

1101
01:02:51,200 --> 01:02:53,720
Speaker 1: have tried to make it so these past ten years.

1102
01:02:53,840 --> 01:02:57,040
Speaker 1: I need help, y'all, and thank goodness I've been able

1103
01:02:57,120 --> 01:02:59,440
Speaker 1: to put this team around me to support me on

1104
01:02:59,480 --> 01:03:02,280
Speaker 1: this journey. And to y'all, BA fam, I love you

1105
01:03:02,440 --> 01:03:06,280
Speaker 1: so so so so much. Please rate, review, subscribe, make

1106
01:03:06,320 --> 01:03:08,280
Speaker 1: sure you're signed up to the newsletter to get all

1107
01:03:08,320 --> 01:03:12,640
Speaker 1: the latest updates on upcoming episodes, our ten year anniversary

1108
01:03:12,720 --> 01:03:16,760
Speaker 1: celebrations to come, and until next time, talk to you

1109
01:03:16,840 --> 01:03:18,440
Speaker 1: soon via bye