WEBVTT - Awesomely Luvvie Ajayi 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:19.320 You guys, this is a momentous day for Brown Ambition podcast. 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:22.520 It is we have the most brownest, the most ambitious 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:25.279 person that I think my life joining us. 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:28.000 She personifies Brown Ambition and I want to do a 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:30.440 little intro because she deserves it. I mean, come on. 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.040 Our guest today is Levey Ajaye. She is an award 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.879 winning writer. If you do not read her blog awesomeilovey 0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:38.800 dot com, I don't know what is going wrong with 0:00:38.840 --> 0:00:41.199 your life, but you must do it now. But she's 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:43.839 not just a blogger. She is a writer, a speaker, 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:47.120 a digital strategist, and she says she thrives at the 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:51.880 intersection of comedy, technology and activism. Lovey is a thirteen 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:55.560 year thirteen year blogging so basically since the Internet was born. 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:59.360 Levey as a blogger. She is the voice behind Awesome 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:00.840 Me Levey. Of course, it's a humor of block that 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.120 covers everything pop culture. She also has a new book 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:07.480 out now called I'm Judging You, The Do Better Manual, 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:10.720 which is going to be released in September twenty sixteen. 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:12.440 Unless you want to get out of the game, you 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.520 can pre order it right now wherever books are sold. 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:16.200 So I. 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.640 Do and she's best friends with Oprah. 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:26.280 I mean, this has been I feel like this has 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:28.000 been the year of lovey. But lovey, thank you so 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:29.440 much for coming on Brown Ambition. 0:01:30.240 --> 0:01:32.320 I am glad to be here. Thanks for having me. 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:34.360 Are you calling us from Chicago? 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:35.400 Yes? 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:38.360 I love the Shy only in the summer though, because 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:39.600 the winter is ignorant. 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:41.160 Our winter is stupid. 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:45.000 Yes, So tell us, like, you know what has been, 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:47.520 because honestly, this has been the year of lovey. Every 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.720 time I turn around, I'm like, well, gosh, darn it, 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:52.840 this girl is just killing it in these streets. I mean, 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:55.200 you were killing it before. And I hate when people 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:57.480 tell me it's your year, girl, I'm like, it's my life. 0:01:58.000 --> 0:01:59.680 But es come on to say that. 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:03.920 Yes, but definitely this year, you've got some major milestone. 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:06.880 What probably is your what was your favorite or your 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:09.600 most like momentous milestone that's far this year? 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:19.320 Probably interviewing Oprah that would do it. Yeah, yeah, I 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.600 gotta say that that must have been it. And when 0:02:22.639 --> 0:02:25.000 she grabbed my head, I was like, well I saw 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:25.600 that picture. 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:29.560 Wait, So for me, who's not an inner of this world, 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:34.560 I'm like a hanger on. So I just ride Tiffany's 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.680 delightful coattails. No, tell me how did this happen? How 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:41.320 did you get to sit next How does one sit 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:43.800 next to Oprah and get to ask her questions? 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:48.640 So first Oprah did this, She chose one hundred people 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.640 to be a part of her Super Soul one hundred lists, 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:53.440 her first Super Sol one hundred lists, and I was 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:56.560 one of them. That was in April, so that was 0:02:56.680 --> 0:03:00.400 when I first met her. And then her team at 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.400 Owned was just like, you're dope and we think you're 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:07.800 pretty cool. So they had me come to LA for 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:12.440 the premiere of their latest show, Green Leaf, that Oprah 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:17.160 stars in and executive producers and they were like, yeah, 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:18.440 so we want you to interview our. 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:21.120 Cast while you're here. What And I was like okay, cool. 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:23.880 I didn't think the cast will involve would include Oprah. 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:29.040 I was thinking it was everybody, but Oprah the first person, right, 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:31.000 Oprah was the first person who sat next to me. 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:34.800 They probably purposefully don't tell you though. 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:36.440 Well they told me the day of. 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:39.120 They were like, yes, so you are going to be 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:40.640 intervening Oprah and I was like wait what. 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:44.120 I was like, I'm going to be interviewing who? 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:49.720 Oprah, Yeah, what did what did your mom say? 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:52.080 She was watching because it was all going down on 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:56.600 Facebook Live and she was watching it on Facebook Live 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:58.160 as it was happening, and she was like. 0:03:58.160 --> 0:03:58.720 Oh my god. 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:00.760 I found out from my sister that she was texting 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.560 my sister like, oh my god, I'm watching her right now. 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:05.960 Like they all stayed up late because in La it 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:08.480 was eight o'clock in La time, which was ten pm. 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:11.760 Actually was yeah, eight o'clock La time, so ten pm 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:12.680 Chicago time. 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:15.800 But it was incredible, It was It was incredible. 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:18.880 Yeah, I mean I could only imagine, you know, when 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:20.560 you went down this journey. So, for those of you 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:22.440 who don't know, Luvey is Nigerian. 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:26.599 Yes, a blog. You know. 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:31.640 So growing up in a niger household where like you know, 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:36.320 your your choices for careers are doctor, lawyer, engineer, pharmacists 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:37.000 in that order. 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:37.880 You know. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:41.960 How how was that transition like being allowed to kind 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.200 of be yourself and do this. Was it easy where 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:46.880 your parents are always kind of on board or was 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:48.120 it something you had to fight for? 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.200 I think for me, so when I started college, I 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:55.000 said I was going to be a doctor. My my, 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:59.919 my watch, McCall it my major coming in was psycho 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:03.360 g pre med. But then I dropped that pre med 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:07.320 after first semester of college when I got my first 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.840 d of my whole academic career, and I was like, 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:14.080 I don't even like hospitals. But I didn't actually tell 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.000 anybody in my family that I dropped the pre med. 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:25.039 They just came to graduation. What they just came to graduation. 0:05:25.120 --> 0:05:27.160 I got my degree in psychology, so I kept the 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:28.119 psychology piece. 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.840 But then I think the whole time at that. 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:35.200 Point, I basically proved that, like, I'm not ridiculously irresponsible, 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.440 and I hadn't done anything up to that point that 0:05:38.640 --> 0:05:41.680 was crazy. So I was kind of left to my 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:44.560 own devices. But of course, when you when you were 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:46.880 trying to be a writer, I mean, even though I 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:49.360 was still fighting at tooth and nails, people just think 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:50.800 you're playing on the internet. So I still had a 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.440 full time job for up until twenty ten. 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:57.200 That's how did you balance them both? 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:58.080 Oh? 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:01.679 I would come home at night and write because honestly, 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:03.479 I just love writing and I love marketing, which is 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:05.600 what I was doing full time. So it was like 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:08.239 I was kind of enjoying both of it. But really, 0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:11.120 writing is what I was supposed to be doing, and 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:14.400 I think it became really really real probably twenty twelve, 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.600 when I did press coverage of the Academy Awards red 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:20.240 carpet and backstage. 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:22.000 That's when of them. 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:24.160 It actually kind of like solidified for my mom that oh, 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:25.600 she's not just playing on the internet. 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:26.080 Okay. 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:29.360 I mean you're the first person I go to when 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.520 I'm looking for like a pop culture wrap up like 0:06:31.720 --> 0:06:34.000 your game. I found you through your Game of Thrones 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:37.920 reviews that, oh, like my favorite thing. I just love 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:40.160 how you embrace the nerd, you know what I mean, 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:42.600 Like you're so yourself, you embrace all like the little quirks. 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:45.159 And then you were doing the Scandal reviews for was it? 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:47.400 No? 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:51.039 I actually started Scandal reviews for myself, like I and 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:54.560 then Comcast had me do it for them for like 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:58.320 six months. So I just everything I've been doing has 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:02.120 kind of happened organ So I just paid attention to 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:04.280 what I loved doing, and I did it even when 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:05.640 I wasn't getting paid to do it. 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:08.800 That's an AHA moment for those of you guys who 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:13.000 know what that means. Oprah lovers aha moment. Ah. 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:15.840 I feel like everyone's always like, oh, how did you plan? 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:19.440 I didn't plan anything, which is interesting. I didn't plan 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:21.320 any of it. I didn't have any type of strategy 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:24.280 on this time. I'm going to become an amazing writer. 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:27.000 I was just doing it every day. I was writing 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:30.960 every day. I was blogging before it was popular to blog, 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.080 just because I had things to say and I wanted 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:33.679 to say them. 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:34.320 So I did. 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:37.280 Let's get to like the real liitty gritty, because I 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.840 think people look and they think, like, oh, well, love, 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:41.920 he's funny and she knows all these people, and it 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:44.440 seems like it's easy. But I always like to know 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:47.400 what's the hard part, what's the part that you're like, yo, 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:49.240 I still struggle with this, or if this part is 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.920 not that fun to give people like that it's obviously 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:54.800 it's awesome, but there are parts that are not so awesome, 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.040 And how do you deal with them? 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:00.160 With everything, people always see the glory without the that 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:04.440 the grit behind it. You know, it's when you're a writer, 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:08.800 there's no straight path, there's no blueprint. You don't necessarily yeah, 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:10.120 you can get a degree, that doesn't mean you're going 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:12.120 to get a job. I think it comes down to 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:16.240 pushing past those hard times and really standing in your 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:19.120 worth because one of the things about being a creative 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:26.560 is people will constantly challenge you on your pricing. Photographers 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:30.200 feel this, you know, artists feel this. Anybody who's working 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:33.680 for themselves feel this. People feel like they can always 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:37.200 negotiate you down. Like you can't walk into H and 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:38.720 M and be like, hey, I know this your cost 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:39.440 seventeen dollars. 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:41.000 Can I pay twelve dollars for it? Now? 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:45.880 Can you preach it please? I'm like Jesus, So it's. 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:48.040 Just like, no, you have to accept people's value is 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:51.080 what it is, and it it got easier for me 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:53.400 to say no to people and say no, but if 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.199 you ever have the money, come back. And you know 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:58.120 what's funny is a lot of times people are afraid 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:01.280 to say no because they're afraid that they'll lose money. 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:04.800 But a lot of the people who I've said no to, hey, 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:09.200 come back, have come back just because they're like, you 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.960 know what, I've got my money together and I understand 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:15.160 that you are worth what you are charging because you 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.040 have proving this over and over again. 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:21.880 I hear some is that a little person in the background. 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:22.679 That's my niece. 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:26.480 I was just saying I have no babies. I know, 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:31.199 I just closed the door. Kids are like, damn your life. 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:32.040 I'm over here. 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:34.920 That's your niece. So what's your family like, let's talk 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:36.760 a little bit about your family. They can switch scars 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:37.360 for a little bit. 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:44.720 I have a Nigerian family, I am. I mean, honestly, 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:49.240 it's just regular, like I don't know. They are interesting, 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:54.400 they're funny, they're shady. I have a very Nigerian mom 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:58.200 who is amazing that cooking gel off rice. 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:02.360 Because ye better than Ghanaian rice. That's not even let's 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:06.240 not even start because right, Jeff right. So there's a 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:07.000 war going on. 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:11.800 Man, No I know about that Ghandians and the Nigerian wars. 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:12.600 Two friends in college. 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:15.839 Nobody somebody had the nerve to post y'all don't know nothing. 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:19.920 Liberian jellup I said, whoa librarian? Jealof right, don't even 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:20.599 You're not even in this. 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:22.040 You don't even go to the same school as. 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.000 You still take it the short bus. What no offense 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:28.200 to liberrians. I love y'all, we're talking about your rights. 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:32.000 And wait, wait, lovey, you just said school. 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:32.240 Now. 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:34.640 I heard a rumor that you went to school with 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:37.840 none other than Michelle Obama, not with Michelle Obama, but 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:39.400 the same school as Michelle Obama. 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:42.400 Can you confirm school Whitney Young. 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:49.280 So this school is the part well of course, yeah, 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:51.120 oh my god. So this school is like what the 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:51.880 Golden School. 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:55.960 It is actually like Whitney Young is known for being excellent. 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:58.440 It's one of the best city high schools in the 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.920 in the country. It's actually been ranked every year since 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:04.960 its existence. So yeah, like I think one of the 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.360 first black astronauts went to Whitney Young too, So we're 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:08.040 just amazing. 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:10.360 Yeah, just pushes out in winter. So I want to 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.600 learn more about this book. I know, like I already 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.360 pre ordered mine and I'm excited. So tell us about 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:18.680 like your book and what people can expect and when 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:19.560 they can expect it. 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:22.600 So my book is called I'm Judging You, The Do 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:29.160 Better Manual, and it is a collection of essays on life, culture, 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:32.080 social media and fame and why we are all ridiculous 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:35.040 and why we can do better. So, and I include 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:37.400 myself in that, I'm also ridiculous and I can do 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:40.680 better because as a Nigerian, I can't be on time 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:45.760 for nothing. What I can't I'm terrible. I'm late for 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.120 the most random things. I'm late for conference calls. I'm 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:52.839 just terrible. So this book is just me turning the 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.280 mirror on all of us. And it's basically my blog 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:58.240 on steroids, but it's brand new content. 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.160 It's like me, my best, So I'm excited. 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:05.240 I don't think people get you, know, as I'm a writer. 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:09.280 I studied journalism, that's my background. But what you do, Like, 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:11.160 I don't want people to think that it's easy, Like 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:14.120 it's not easy to be funny and smart as a writer. 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.240 So who were some of your influences? Like when you 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:20.280 sit down to write, Like who taught you to be 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:21.960 funni or to see humor in your writing? 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:26.160 Honestly, my writing is who I am in real life. 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:29.640 Like people who know me very well in real life 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.240 will read my blog inside I heard your voice because 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:36.160 it is truly me, Like you can see you can 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:38.200 read my blog and be like, this is a conversation 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:41.160 I would have with her over brunch. So honestly, it's 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.920 been me just being true to myself. 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:44.240 And my voice. 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:49.520 But I of course have people who've inspired me, and 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:51.319 one of them is Angela Nizzle. 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:53.840 She wrote The Broke. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.840 Diaries like ten or fifteen years ago, and I remember, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.520 back when I still had a full time job, I 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.800 found her book and I was reading it on the 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:05.680 bus cracking up, like you know, one of those laugh 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.280 where you can't keep yourself from laughing and everyone around 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:11.400 just looking at you, funny. 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:13.760 One of the bog Yeah. 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:15.599 Yeah, it was one of those where I was just like, 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:17.720 oh my god, I don't even care because I just 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:23.000 found myself gafoy in different places. And she ends up 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:24.640 being like one of the writers of one of my 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:26.199 favorite shows ever, Scrubs. 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:27.160 She's a black woman. 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:31.640 Her and I end up actually finding each other online 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:33.600 because I was like, I'm a huge fan. We actually 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:35.800 end up becoming friends, so it's kind of crazy. It 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:37.200 was like a full circle moment for me. 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:40.520 She's one I'm inspired by. 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:46.160 Anybody who really stands in their power as critics, as 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:50.840 smart people who live in the world that has a 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:56.560 lot to criticize, and just smart people in general inspire me. 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:00.480 One of my favorite of your recent stories has been, well, 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.880 you're really protective of the Obamas, as I think we 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:07.199 all should be. Yes, but your post about Malia and 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:13.439 what she's gone through because she live why do you 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:14.800 feel protect I mean, I can kind of guess, but 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:17.599 why do you feel protective of Malia and Sasha and 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:18.880 the Obamas in general? 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:21.600 So I'm protective of black girls in general because I 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:26.120 think the world is too critical of black people, especially 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.000 black girls, Like we get the brunt of everything. We 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.840 are torn to pieces even more than anybody else. So 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:35.520 for me, I want to be one of the people 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:39.400 who's balancing it out, you know. So when black girls 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:42.040 are being when people are calling them some types of names, 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:45.160 I'm over here like, no, that's not fair because when 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:47.920 you compare the way people treat us how they treat 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:51.160 other people, you see the discrepancy. So for me, it's 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:55.120 a matter of oh no, oh no, I think standing 0:14:55.200 --> 0:14:57.160 up for black girls is one of my favorite hobbies. 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:01.200 No, I love that. So where do you see yourself? 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:03.440 Like what I know you said, you don't really plan. 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:05.400 I remember hearing Oprah say that wants to think and 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.120 she was bugging like she just kind of like leans 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.920 into the experience's life throws her way in. But I 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.880 totally get it now. But sometimes you do have an 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:16.160 overarching like, well, this is kind of like what I'd 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:19.440 love to do, Like is there anything huge or major 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:21.240 that you have that accomplished that you're like, you know, 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:23.560 this is on my vision board that I'd like to 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:24.840 do in the future. 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:29.160 Honestly, my book was like the biggest goal I had 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:33.360 set for myself thus far, and for me, that goal 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:37.400 was to become a bestselling author. So I'm hoping by 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:41.080 the end of this fall, I will say check. Now 0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:44.840 what comes after that, I'm not sure because again I 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:48.240 haven't planned for any of this, and thus far I've 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.760 done pretty well by just kind of waiting and seeing 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:52.080 what the universe has for me. 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:55.280 So maybe TV's next. 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:57.280 I saw that. 0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:01.640 I mean, you're sitting to Oprah. Now Oprah and Ava 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:05.880 Duverne are creating original content featuring you know, all black casts, 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.120 mainly black cast. I mean, do you see yourself getting 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:10.200 into that world. There's been so much talk about the 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.080 need for more black female writers, especially. 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:15.520 Well, yeah, I think so. I think that might end 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:17.880 up being the organic next step for me. That's the 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:21.520 feedback I keep getting from people. People who are even 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.080 in TV have been like, you should be writing for TV. 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.440 So I'm open to it. 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:28.880 I am very open to it. 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:31.840 You know, Shanna is like your bff two I was like, 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:37.960 look at Shanda, because you know, so. 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:40.040 A Shonda Rhymes is Bay. Like I actually called her 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:41.640 fairy Bay mother. 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:48.040 Because she she has taken a liken to my work 0:16:48.240 --> 0:16:52.680 that is like it's beyond flattering, Like there needs to 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:54.720 be a different word beyond flattering. 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:58.160 She shared like my she's tweeted randomly by my book. 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:03.280 She's talked about my while she's been in rooms on panels. 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:07.080 So it's been it's been crazy. Yeah, has it sunken in? 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:09.760 People ask me sometimes when something big happens, like how 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:12.200 do you feel? And honestly, I don't know. Has it 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:16.000 Like has it sunken in? You know that these things 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.120 are happening or are you still kind of like yeah, 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:19.960 I'm just like, you know, living life. This is how 0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:22.480 it is. Or do you actually feel the magnitude of 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:23.280 like what's happening. 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:28.520 I don't feel the magnitude of what's happening, which sounds 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:34.800 weird to even say I don't, because I I don't. 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:36.600 I don't think I take enough time to sit there 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.440 processing like holy smokes, that just happened, like last night, 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:43.720 for example, the head of the Writer's Guild of America, 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:48.359 and like I think Northwest tweeted that he loved my 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:51.439 book and I was like what, And I did what 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:57.880 for like ten minutes and then moved on. So I think, one, 0:17:57.920 --> 0:17:59.960 I don't want to be I don't want to lose 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:03.280 myself in the magnitude of what's happening. And I don't 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:06.400 want to be like oh Man, spending days congratulating myself. 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:12.719 But I do sometimes kind of scroll through. I use 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:14.639 my Instagram in my face with account now kind of 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:19.240 like a yes. And honestly, there are some evenings when 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:22.120 before I go to sleep, I scroll through my Instagram 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:26.439 to remind myself of what's happened, and that those moments 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:31.480 I'm like, wow, okay, we're like now wow, like. 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:37.200 You know, yeah, that's crazy. It's just yeah, it's crazy 0:18:37.280 --> 0:18:40.280 but awesome. And when I look at what you're doing, 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.399 I was I was telling her Mandy, I was before 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:44.679 we had our little mixed up in earlier. I was 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:47.600 just telling Lovely like it's that lovey like when you're 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:49.800 a Nigerian kid, like your parents don't want to hear 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:53.120 anything about any other possible major, but when you can 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:57.040 show another niger kid that had succeeded without going to the 0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:00.600 traditional ride of doctor, lawyer, engineer. Then they give you 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:03.160 kind of like, well, okay, so Lovey, like literally, there's 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:06.000 gonna be hundreds of thousands of kids, Nigerian kids in 0:19:06.040 --> 0:19:09.800 the next unforeseeable future, saying like, but Mommy, look at Lovey. 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:12.120 She didn't go to medical school and she's killing it. 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:15.720 And you know, Mom's be like, oh, well, you know, okay, Lovely, 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:18.960 that's real. 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:21.480 Because part of the reason why I thought being a 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:25.240 writer for so long is because I hadn't seen anybody 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:28.600 who had made a great living at it while they're 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.639 not like writing if they're not Tony Morrison, you know 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:34.800 what I mean. So not having that example was part 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:36.400 of the reason why I was like, nah, I can't 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:39.320 do this. So like the idea that I could be 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:43.600 somebody's example of like I can do this, that's that's incredible. 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:46.639 Now, speaking of making a living as a writer on 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:48.560 you know, you have you have a couple of different 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:54.760 websites now awesomely Techie, which focuses more on tech entrepreneurship businesses. 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:57.359 Then you have your pop culture blog Awesomely Lovey. But 0:19:58.040 --> 0:20:00.320 I mean, as you're scaling up to business and like 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:02.760 earning an income, how do you learn how to manage 0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:04.919 that and budget when you're you know, going from a 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:08.200 full time job to just you know, owning your own business. 0:20:08.280 --> 0:20:12.080 Well, you learn quickly because if you spend your money. 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:14.560 If you get a check and you spend your money 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:16.520 and the next time you get a check is in 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:18.400