WEBVTT - Les Alfred: Why the Journey is the Destination 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.239 Alright, ba fam, we are so excited to introduce you 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:13.080 to this week's guest. Les Alfred is an award winning 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:15.360 podcast host. She's a speaker of content creator. I've been 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:17.320 a huge fan of hers for a long long time, 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:20.720 and my most favorite thing about less is that she 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:23.840 hosts one of my favorite podcasts, Balanced Black Girl. It 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:28.160 is a chart topping weekly podcast, and she facilitates thoughtful 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:32.920 interviews and incredible solo episodes as well, where she just 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:36.200 shares everything about sort of building that building, that well 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:42.120 rounded life where you are living your best version of yourself. Tiffany, 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:44.800 how do you feel about our combo with Balanced Black Girl? 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:46.080 That was your first time meeting her? 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:48.360 It what although I'm following her on social because of 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.320 course my brain was like, of course you are me 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:54.600 and I had already liked pictures, So our conversation with 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:58.720 our conversation with Leus was really awesome. And what I 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:01.680 really love is that to be a balanced Black girl 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:04.240 is not to have it all together. It is the 0:01:05.200 --> 0:01:07.640 It is the journey, not the destination, which you will 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:10.560 hear us talk about. So you're gonna enjoy this episode, 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.319 Zen out, chill out. If you're going for this is perfect, 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:15.839 About to wash the dishes, about to do laundry, about 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:16.840 to go for a walk. 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:19.240 Episode, So do something to self care. 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:22.319 Yes, add this to your self care today. 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:24.880 Now, Tiffany, I have a follow up from the show 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:27.200 actually because you talked about self care this summer. But 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.240 it was like a bunch of like traveling and about 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:31.200 mem and like all the family and stuff that, like 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:34.520 when it's just you, what are you doing to if 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:37.360 you're anxious about something or you're having a tough time, 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:39.240 like what are you turning to? 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:41.600 Well at that moment, I. 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:45.280 Am excited because I just finally I've been dragging my feet. 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:47.880 Book the movers to come on Friday. 0:01:48.960 --> 0:01:50.680 Okay, we've rescheduled last week. 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:56.280 Right, Yes, they're finally coming. Just like no next week, No, 0:01:56.400 --> 0:01:58.560 next week and the next some I'm like, so I 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:01.480 will officially by the time we tape again be in 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:05.080 my new place. And I think that I just want 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:06.760 to get a moment because I've not lived alone for 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:09.160 a long time, and so I think that self care 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:14.040 is going to look like I don't know, like acclimating 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:17.600 myself emotionally, mentally and physically to my new place, like 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.280 just spending so every day I go there. I take 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:22.560 a walk almost every day, and doctor Green suggested, take 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:25.040 a walk, have lunch there, have breakfast there. Start to 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:27.120 integrate it into your life. So it's not this big, 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.720 big shock. And I think I'm going to mainly spend 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:32.400 the summer outside of like, you know, these three trips 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:35.880 that I kind of have, planing business things, just literally 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.480 almost like getting on the frequency of my new place, 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:41.480 if that makes sense, sitting on the couch and just 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.760 looking out the window, you know, yeah, listening to music 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:48.560 like my my boo bought me a record player and 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.320 have all these amazing records, and listening to records in 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:54.520 the place, you know, liking at home. Yes, And so 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.720 I think that's the core thing, because it's a realignment, 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:00.280 if you will. And so outside of like the moving 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:03.600 and shaking, I'm really looking forward to like just connecting 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.400 to my place and allowing it to be like this 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:09.080 is where you this is home. Now home, offying it 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:09.840 if you will. 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:13.919 Yeah, like yes, hanging up some arts. 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:16.799 Yes, Oh you know, we came over just a couple 0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:20.280 days ago. Kimberly remember from the she's the curator for 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:21.560 Brooklyn Museum, one of the curates. 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:23.480 Oh, that's right, you guys went to an art show 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:25.760 that is so sexy, very rich. 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:30.560 Well, she was in Newark to visit a studio. Do 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:33.359 you want to come? And this is amazing artist Adama 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.440 Adama Delphine, and she is amazing. As soon as I 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:39.400 walked into her studio, which is in newk She's actually 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:41.640 from Brooklyn and lives in Brooklyn, I was like, I 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:42.920 feel like I've seen this work before. 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:43.240 I have. 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:45.600 This woman is like famous. I'm like, not you being 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:48.040 a whole. She's like has stuff in the Smithsonian that 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:52.839 I've seen in the portrait gallery in DC. I've seen 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:56.080 her in Newark studio, I mean Nework Museum all over. 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:57.560 Her stuff is so famous. 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:00.360 I was like, girl, man, and but it. 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:02.240 Was beautiful and there's like two pieces I really want. 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:03.800 I don't know, it might be too rich for my blood, 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:05.600 but I certainly put an offer into be like I'd 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:09.080 love to purchase. So that was really awesome. And then 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:10.760 I was like she was so awesome. I was like, 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:12.600 do you want to come to the condo because Kimberly 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:14.760 was gonna come anyway to give me some suggestions about 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:17.279 what kind of art I can feel it with. And 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:20.440 so she came and we had. 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.000 Like a whole national artist, like I mean. 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:26.160 She is all over the world. And I was like, 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:28.520 so that was just that's the kind of thing I 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:30.679 want to do more of this summer and to invite 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:34.119 good energy, especially black and brown women into my home 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.919 to create these amazing, beautiful memories with you know. 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:40.359 So that's nice. 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:43.360 Well I'm going to do since we're talking a little 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:45.280 bit about weekends, I have to do a shout out 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.720 to my brother. 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.240 Drake, I said, look d on the red carpet. 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:57.720 Yeah, and his lady friend, who I'm like very self 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:01.159 conscious about not saying the wrong thing or too much things. 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:03.680 I don't want to like step on any too's. But 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:05.000 aren't they zo gue together? 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:09.640 So she's a filmmaker and that's how they met. And 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:13.760 you know, Alex has his own film production, but she 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:16.560 if you guys, have you heard a Tribeca Film Festival's 0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:19.280 this big festival. It happens that every summer, New York. 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:19.600 Yeah. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:22.159 So her film that she produced, they won a million 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:24.640 dollar grant last year from AT and T and the 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.240 film festival. I know, major, right, And they took this 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.920 million dollars and they made a movie last fall and 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.919 somehow they edited it and they premiered it like within 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:36.440 less than a year, which is like bananas to me. 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:39.480 And I got to go to the premiere, which was 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:41.880 really cool. There was a carpet and it was at 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:45.719 this really gorgeous historic theater, the Angelica Theater on Second 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:49.200 Avenue in New York. Really beautiful, and the film itself, 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:51.760 Oh my god. So if you're listening, you got to 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:55.600 write down The Color Book. The Color Book is a 0:05:55.640 --> 0:06:00.440 feature film and it is everything that you everything that 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:02.040 I think we all need in a film right now, 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:05.359 but and also like nothing that you are worried it 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:07.960 might be. So I went into this film because I 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.200 knew it was about a black father and his son 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.120 who has Down syndrome, and I think I went into 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.359 this movie with like a sense of foreboding. I was 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:18.400 telling Kaya, the producer about it, you know, just like 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:20.360 a little bit of foreboding. You see a black man 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:22.640 in a vulnerable state with a child who has special needs, 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:24.240 and it's all in black and white. The film is 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:28.279 very quiet and heart wrenching, and I just kept like 0:06:28.320 --> 0:06:30.080 I had this fear over me the whole time, like 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:31.719 something bad is going to happen. To this kid and 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.440 his dad, and you know what, I don't want to 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.080 spoil the movie for you, but it just got to 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:39.360 be a really beautiful love story between a dad and 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.120 his son. And I realized how poignant that was and 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:44.719 how powerful it was. It seems like such a quiet 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:49.359 movie about just this relationship and at the same time, 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.560 like so rare. When do we get to see that 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:56.840 in a black father from his perspective, just being a 0:06:56.880 --> 0:07:00.840 good dad, struggling coping with grief, but also just being 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:05.200 an amazing dad. And the actor who played the boy, 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:08.799 the little boy Mason, his name is Jeremiah, so sweet. 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:12.760 His whole family was there. Yeah, so just shout out 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.480 the Color Book. I don't know if you can see it. 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:17.800 It was at Tribeca, so probably it'll come to theater soon. 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:21.800 But yeah, Hugh, shout out to Kaya who produced it. 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:26.000 And then my brother, who directed and wrote his first 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.360 short film, told me recently, actually I just foun out 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:29.680 this weekend. 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:30.320 I was so late. 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.600 He got his film accepted into the Palm Springs Film 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.440 Festival AMAZ, which is like not something that happens with 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:40.120 your first ever film written and directed yourself. So it's 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:44.080 called Thomasville it's based on my dad. Him and his 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:47.120 family grew up in a neighborhood in Atlanta called Thomasville, 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:50.320 and so it's a short film like that. Yeah, just 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:53.760 calls back to my dad's upbringing and my uncle Mark 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:58.320 and just really really really freaking proud of my brother too. 0:07:59.320 --> 0:07:59.560 Yeah. 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.680 So happy to get to I don't I don't have 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:05.520 that many moments where I just, especially recently worth gotten 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:07.720 to connect with him and just celebrate something. It's been 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:10.120 a very stressful year in our family, so to just 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:12.760 like be there and to celebrate and see how happy 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:14.960 they are and how they're doing what they love and 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.200 they love each other, and there's so beautiful. 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:19.600 It was. 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:20.680 It's gonna get your girl. 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:23.600 Listen. 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.680 If you guys just go like his I'll tell you 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:29.920 what he will forgive me. If you guys run to 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.600 Pineapple Cut's Instagram page, that's his production company, and then 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:36.480 you run to well, just we'll start there. Run to 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.240 his his page and like follow him and leave a 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.280 comment saying brand Ambition loves y'all, and then he will 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:47.760 forgive me anything else Pineapple Cut, product cuts or I 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:53.000 don't know, pine I think it's just with with with 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:56.800 no s pineapple, how many pineapple cuts? 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:00.320 I was there, Yeah, you'll be fine. And you know 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:02.079 what he looks like? Just me? What less hair? 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:04.559 Okay, he looks like Drake Chah. I literally because I 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:06.840 saw it in your Instagram stories and I was showing 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:08.880 my Pardner. I was like, oh my god, tell me 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:09.480 you don't like Drake. 0:09:09.640 --> 0:09:11.480 You know, had to come up with a new thing, Tiffany. 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:14.760 Every time it's Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake. Come how 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:16.439 could it be a new thing with That's what I mean. 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:18.280 He looked even more like Drake than ever before. I 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:22.319 was like, with his hair out. I was like, come on, man. 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:26.960 And I got recognized twice at that event. And then also, yeah, 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:29.760 I went to see Michelle Buteau's comedy show and one 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:31.360 of our fans, oh, and I thought I was gonna 0:09:31.840 --> 0:09:32.200 was there. 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:33.760 She was like, maybe he was here. I would have 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:34.120 seen there. 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:36.680 So I got so many Deanstrim folks like I didn't 0:09:36.720 --> 0:09:37.160 know you were here. 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:38.199 I was here too, my y. 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:40.280 We were all out there for you were black and 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:42.559 female and a millennial. You were at that you were 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:45.920 at that Radio City show. It was really good. But yeah, 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.840 one of our listeners she tossed up me in the 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:51.199 line when I was getting a little drink drink. It's 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:54.600 like give me the large blood katonic please, and well 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:58.840 it's always nice running into ba fam. We love you guys. Yeah, 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:01.440 all right, should we take a little breaky break, can 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:04.440 come back with our interview with Less Balanced Black Girl. 0:10:05.000 --> 0:10:05.520 Let's do it. 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:07.080 Oh? 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:09.400 I love that there, Lee. 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.400 State Farm agents are small business owners too, so they 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:19.880 know how to help you choose personalized policies that figure needs, 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:22.960 like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. Talk to 0:10:23.000 --> 0:10:34.640 your local agent today. Hey, hey, hey, we're back. We're black, 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:42.760 We're brown. Ambition ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition. The stew is 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:44.040 extra brown today. 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:50.560 Okay today, Yes, yeah, we have a guest. Welcome to 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:55.439 the show Less. If y'all don't know about mine, can 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:56.480 I call you my friend? 0:10:56.520 --> 0:11:01.160 I don't know. I feel like I text your less 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:03.640 Alfred Less Alfred. 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.240 She is the award winning podcast host of one of 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:11.120 my actual favorite podcast, Balanced Black Girls, and I actually 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:13.200 I've had to recently come up with like a list 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:15.600 of things I can do for self care, just as 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:16.760 like an emergency kit. 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:18.520 You know, I'm going through a hard time. What is it? 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:19.720 That relaxes me again. 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:23.000 And I added Balanced Black Girl to the list because 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:25.760 I just feel like there's always, like if it's not 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.120 the most recent show, there's something in the top ten, 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:29.760 like the next ten that I can sort of like 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:31.679 put on and I'll feel a little bit better about 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:34.520 myself or like I'll have a better perspective. 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.319 So what better review for your show can there be? Then? 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:40.240 Like it is on the list of ways to self sooth, 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:44.280 right next to like a Pina Ben and Jerry's. It's like, 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:46.520 am I gonna listen to Balance Black Girl or I'm 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:47.800 not going to like stuff my face? 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.400 Oh my gosh, that is the best compliment. I'm so honored. 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:53.480 I mean, I'm also such a big fan of Brown 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.920 Ambition and of both of you individually and together. So 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:00.600 I'm so excited to be joining you. Yeah. 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:03.280 So okay, So let's tell folks what was the origin 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.240 of Bounce Black Girl? Because you're around you were coming 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.440 up around the same time as us, right what your. 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:12.800 Day launch I started in October of twenty eighteen was 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:13.800 when the show launched. 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:16.760 Okay, so a couple of years after yeah, and then 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:19.320 at the time, like you were working nine to five 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:23.760 up until like yesterday almost, I mean up until really recently. So, yeah, 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:26.600 where were you working at the time? Why the podcast? Like, 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:28.800 when did you start making money? Tell us everything? 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:33.440 Oh my goodness, Okay, Well the podcast wouldn't be a 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.640 thing without the initial blog that I started ten years ago. 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.800 So I started a blog a decade ago that was 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:44.280 a wellness fitness blog. I was working in corporate but 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:46.240 I was also a personal trainer. I was really into 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.520 nutrition and healthy recipes, and so I started blogging about 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:51.880 that ten years ago. And that was when I started 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:54.360 building a following online in a little bit of a community, 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:57.760 I mean micro, micro, tiny. It was not major by 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:00.400 any means, but I started building a little bit of 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:04.760 a community, and I got really burned out. I did 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:07.040 that for about four years, and I just got super 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.480 burned out. I got really sick of it. I got 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:12.439 really tired of fitness. I got tired of talking about fitness. 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.320 I got tired of being in fitness spaces, and so 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:17.400 I took a break from all of it, took a 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:20.440 break from the Internet, from creating content, from the whole thing. 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:23.360 And while I was away, I was getting messages and 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:25.800 emails from people who followed me and they were like, hey, 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.000 less I know you're taking a break, but when you're 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:30.440 not posting, I don't see other black women or brown 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:33.720 women posting about wellness in my feed, like can you 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:37.200 come back? And I thought, Okay, maybe there's a way 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:39.760 that I can introduce my audience to other black and 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:42.120 brown women in wellness so that if I want to 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.160 tap out, they're not just looking to me for that. 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:46.840 And so that's a lot of pressure. 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:47.160 For one. 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:51.880 It was a lot of pressure story of my life. 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:55.079 And so by this time it was twenty eighteen, late summer, 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:58.120 early fall twenty eighteen, and I was working at a 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:03.520 startup as a social media manager making zero dollars, which 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:07.800 was a great experience. I'm being very sarcastic, it was. Yeah, 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:12.560 I felmatic, very traumatic work experience. Lots of therapy from 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:15.320 that from that job. But honestly, I was just sitting 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.640 at work one day and I got the idea of 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:21.000 start a podcast name it Balanced Black Girl Interview Black 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:24.240 and Brown Women in Wellness. I went on Amazon, ordered 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:27.640 a microphone, and launched the podcast a week later and 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:28.840 have been going ever since. 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:33.840 Hasy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy see just like Brown ambition. Let's 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:35.440 just do this thing, all right? 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:39.000 That's LIU. What happened? Did they go into a podcast? 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:40.400 I'm like, what's a podcast? Okay? 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:43.840 I don't know, but I have Amazon and you trust me, 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:47.400 so come hang right? Oh man? So wait when you 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:49.280 launched it, you were working at the startup. What were 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:50.680 you doing? You said? Social media? 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:52.640 Yeah, I was a social media okay. Sure. 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:54.600 So do you tell at that point do they know 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.640 that you're doing the podcast? At what point does it 0:14:57.680 --> 0:14:59.360 become a problem or it. 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:04.000 Became a problem almost like immediately. I mean I didn't 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:07.120 keep it a secret, but it you know, people could 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:11.200 see it and they knew about it, and it became 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.760 a problem. I would say probably about six months later, 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:15.640 when it started kind of doing well and when I 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:19.280 started getting opportunities and things started taking off. It it 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:20.600 did become a problem. 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:25.520 How do they articulate that it was a problem. Oh, 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.640 I mean, let me be messy. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.240 I'm like, it was pretty messy. I mean, at that 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:35.320 time through quite a bit of cattiness, which is like, 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.200 I don't want to throw anybody under the bus. But 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.280 it was a super small company and so you know, 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:43.680 I would get texts from the founder like unhappy about 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:46.600 what I was doing and so stuff like that. I 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:49.080 didn't stay on odd job for much longer because it 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:51.880 just wasn't really worth it. But yeah, it was rough. 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:52.640 It was a rough time. 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.400 Love I hate no, I love no boundaries. 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:57.520 No. 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:00.120 That is like when people talk about the startup and 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.160 working for a startup, like that is such a broad term. 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.360 It sounds like it's very specific, but there are so 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.760 many different versions of startups, and it sounds like you're 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:09.480 at one of those ones where it's tiny and toxic. 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.040 Oh not the TNT, tiny and toxic. 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:17.640 It's like Napoleon complex and startups and because they're so tiny, 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:21.160 they like everything is so like it's people are they're 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.160 hyper aware of what each employee is doing. And then 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:25.680 there's this sense of like I need to Like you're 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:28.040 so anxious about the company and like what's happening that 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.160 you feel like you need to control everything and everybody. 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:32.680 And you don't get that as an employee. You don't 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:35.600 get that freedom to just like not feel like all 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:38.080 eyes are on you, you know, because they're just putting 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:42.280 so much outsize pressure. I'm I feel spoiled because when 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.560 Tiffany and I launched brown ambition. I was working at 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.280 a big brand like Yahoo, and we could sneak around 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.360 and go unnoticed, you know, like it wasn't a huge deal. 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.560 I was just like one of a gajillion, you know, 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.920 employees with the really famous CEO of the time, and 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.200 in some regard that gave me like a little bit 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.720 of a level of ymity and like, you know, do first, 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.240 ask permission later. So I just want to acknowledge that 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.280 that's rough. But then you got it out. 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:11.760 Of there, I did, Yeah, right, yeah, And when did. 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:13.840 You feel did you have a satin it like, did 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:16.720 you have money saved or were you just like did 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:17.480 you have another job? 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:20.640 I ended up getting another job. Yeah. So at the time, 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:24.000 I was doing some freelancing. I was doing some freelance writing, 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:27.159 some freelance you know, marketing for other businesses. So I 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.240 was able to do that to sustain myself for a 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:32.359 few months, and then I ended up getting another full 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:34.359 time job pretty quickly after. 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.520 What is your relationship with money in general, Like, is 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.840 it something that you've learned a lot growing up? When 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.800 you launch Balance Black Girl, were you thinking, oh, this 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.040 can be a source of extra income for me, because 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.439 you're thinking ahead talk a little bit about that. 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:55.959 My relationship with money has always been really tricky. I've 0:17:56.119 --> 0:18:00.280 always aired on the side of being very frugal, of 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:03.959 pinching every penny really tight, because I grew up in 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:08.840 an environment where that was not modeled, where spending even 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:11.040 when we didn't have it was kind of the norm, 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:15.119 and I saw the repercussions of that, and it freaked 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:17.600 me out, and so I very quickly just wanted to 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.359 do the opposite of what I saw, and that was 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:24.200 save safe, save cheap, cheap, cheap. And I'm still working 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:26.919 to dismantle that a bit because I think, of course, 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:31.400 there is a time to be, you know, very conscientious 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:33.560 about your saving and to do these things, and there's 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.280 also a time to live. And I had gotten to 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.720 a point where I did start doing better financially, and 0:18:38.760 --> 0:18:41.320 I was working really hard, and I was still like 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.760 holding on to every little thing and like forcing myself 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:46.879 to be really small, and so I've had to do 0:18:47.440 --> 0:18:51.560 quite a bit. You're in a safe space, yeah, a 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:52.440 lot of unlearning. 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:58.320 So so the ANI and I can can attest like 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:00.960 you know, especially don't know if many I you're quite 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:01.960 as cheap as I am or. 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:06.600 What, But yeah, something about having kids and seeing the 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:09.680 dollar signs that go with just the basic things like daycare. 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:14.280 It's it's created a sense like I definitely spend. 0:19:14.160 --> 0:19:15.320 So much more. 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:18.000 It's easy to justify anything when you're like, oh, what's 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.879 for of the kids. I have a lot of understanding 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:22.959 of people who go into bankruptcy when they have children, 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:23.680