WEBVTT - Express Yourself: Kalilah Wright and Mess In A Bottle 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:15.200 Welcome to PM mood, the no Talking Points, no Bullshit 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:18.880 podcast that takes you behind the curtain, off the red carpet, 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.880 and to the front lines of progress with change makers 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:24.880 and innovators that are doing the work to shift our 0:00:24.880 --> 0:00:29.640 culture and expand our social impact. I am so excited 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:33.600 to welcome to PM Mood Khalila Wright, who is the 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:38.600 founder and CEO of the expressive brand Meth in a Bottle. 0:00:39.240 --> 0:00:43.040 I love Mess in a Bottle so much. If you 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:46.920 are not following them on Instagram, you should because the 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:52.519 quotes are funny, are insightful, are amazing. Khalila, Welcome to 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.640 PM Mood. Hi, thank you guys so much for having me. 0:00:55.960 --> 0:01:00.120 So you are Jamaican, I am. I was born in 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:03.560 Jamaica and I migrated to the United States around five 0:01:03.640 --> 0:01:07.480 years old. So I'm Jamaican. I don't know that. Yeah, 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:12.440 my parents came to the United States in nineteen seventy 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:15.679 so I was born in the States, but they Jamaican. Jamaican, 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:22.960 So you can up yourself. Yes, I love it. I 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:27.760 love it. So tell me about the idea behind Mess 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:32.840 and a Bottle. You are this incredible black woman entrepreneur. 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:35.520 Tell me how Mess and a bottle came to be 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:39.800 so mess and a Bottle we started in twenty sixteen 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:45.200 and in twenty fifteen the Freddy Gray Riots here in Baltimore, Maryland. 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:50.520 I really just wanted to figure out a way of 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:55.120 being expressive. And you know, after the Freddy Gray Riots, 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:57.919 people were kind of walking around like almost on shore 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:01.760 of how to say how they felt. And I think 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.880 that the riots made people a bit stifled, like they 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.560 didn't have a voice. So I created mess in a 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:10.000 Bottle as a way of giving a voice to the 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:13.240 voice less. And so I just started creating messages and 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:17.160 putting them on T shirts and people were very intrigued 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:19.079 and they were like, this is how I feel, Thank 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:22.280 you for saying it. So, you know, that was my 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:25.360 way of being able to give a voice to the 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:29.040 voice less and getting people to say something without saying 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:32.760 anything at all. I love the fact that your products 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.799 come in a bottle. Yes, tell me about that, because 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.360 that's so interesting. And one of the things that I 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:41.480 followed as I was following your Instagram was your first 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:45.680 visit to Essence Festival and your vending machine, and I 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:48.760 just thought this was, like, your concepts are so cool, 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:51.160 So tell me about how well about the idea of 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:54.000 putting the products, putting the shirts and everything inside of 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.360 an actual bottle. Well, that happens because I am an 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.400 architect and designer by trade, and I used to work 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:03.080 for under Armour. And while I was at under Armour, 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.520 I was listening to music and I had no idea 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:09.200 who the person was, what the album was. But when 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:11.760 I looked down at the screen, it was an album 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:15.400 called Surf from Chance to Wrapper and it had you know, 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:17.600 it was like a bottle in the ocean, in the sands, 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:19.880 and it was like a message in a bottle. And 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:23.240 it just really quick that these messages that I was 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.160 putting on a T shirt were my messages in a bottle. 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:29.760 And so this was my way of kind of giving 0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:33.080 a form of communication in the twenty first century way 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:36.640 of like this three hundred and ten DC concepts of 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:40.600 receiving a message in the ocean. And so, you know, 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:42.920 I decided, I was like, okay, I want to name 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.040 the company message in a bottle. But of course, you know, 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:50.920 brand wise, there's a lot of messages. Ian quickly realized 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:54.240 that I'm a mess, Like this is a mess is 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.440 you know behind the message? I decided to name the 0:03:57.480 --> 0:04:00.000 company Mess in a Bottle, and I was like, okay, well, 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:01.840 you know, such a mess and a bottle, you gotta 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:05.160 have it in a bottle. So initially when we started out, 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.440 we did these glass bottles from Ikea with like a 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:13.280 round mouth, and we quickly then within probably a year 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:16.880 after starting, after launching, we then ended up, you know, 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:20.880 manufacturing our own plastic bottles. And that is how Mess 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.479 and a Bottle was birth. I just I love it 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:26.920 so much because, you know, it conjures up memories of 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.680 my childhood going to the beach. I grew up on 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:32.719 Eastern Long Island going to the beach as a little kid. 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:34.960 Like I literally did this was you know, before we 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:38.000 understood you know, pollution is bad, but I did. I 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:40.919 didn't put messages in bottles and throw them into the 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:42.719 ocean because I felt like it was like, you know, 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.680 my little time capsule. At some point it'll wash up 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:48.160 somewhere and somebody will open it. So I just I 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:51.600 love the concept behind it, and I love the idea. 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:55.120 I was so excited for you and for your brand 0:04:55.680 --> 0:05:00.359 when Serena Williams wore one of your jackets, Queen what it? Queen? 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:02.520 Don't be afraid to rule like a king. Tell me 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:06.920 about that particular message. And then also you're feeling that 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:09.760 moment when you saw that she was rocking your coat. 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:14.320 So you know, the whole evolution of Serena, it's quite 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:17.560 an interesting journey, and it's a good one. I think. 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:19.560 You know, I had a run in with her at 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.799 one point and I wasn't able to give her any products. 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:25.960 And then I have a really good friend who's now 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:30.160 a friend, Bozoma Saint John. She is great friends with Serena, 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:34.239 and so Bozoma had on my queens don't be afraid 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:36.960 to rule like a king jacket. And you know, she 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:39.720 worked to Coachella, So when she worked to Coachella, of 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.320 course Serena being her friend, was like, I want that, 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:46.760 And that is exactly how the connection happened. And so 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:51.400 the message itself, you know, I create these messages and 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:53.680 the queens don't be afraid to rule like a king. 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:57.800 It's really a message that's saying like the strength of 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:01.520 a woman should not be minish because you're not a man. 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.240 And I think a lot of the times, you know, 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:08.120 women get a bad rap for really like ruling and 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:11.200 being strong and their strength. You know, we've been taught 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:13.760 for most of our lives to be you know, very 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:16.880 subtle and very like scene and not heard, and you 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.680 know all these things. And so my jacket is saying, 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:23.159 don't be afraid to rule just like a king might rule. 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:27.719 Don't apologize for that, be unapologetic. So I think that 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:30.760 Serena she realized, like you know, the message itself was 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:39.440 very powerful, especially in exactly in Tennis, where I think 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:42.320 that she really resonated with the message. And just to 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.040 answer as well in regards to the vending machine and 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:48.200 the bottle, you know, that was also something where when 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:51.039 I created the T shirts and in the bottle, I 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:54.560 had the vision of being able to spread and share 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.719 my messages all over the world. And so that is 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.560 how the vending machine also played into part. I did 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:03.040 not know until I was prepping to talk to you 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:06.480 that you are an architect by trade. I am, And 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:08.719 so how did you make that or do you feel 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:13.400 like it's even a transition from designer of buildings right 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.520 to clothing. You know, when I was in high school 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:19.640 and trying to figure out my profession, I loved fashion, 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:24.400 but I told myself that doing architecture will probably get 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:27.840 me to be a well rounded designer. And I think 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:31.880 that that is actually what happened, where now I became 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:35.600 a great designer. So of course creating buildings is different 0:07:35.640 --> 0:07:38.320 than creating you know, fashion and design and all this 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:42.560 other stuff. But I think that within architecture I can 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.960 now use you know, my background. Where for the vending machines, 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:49.000 we've design certain things, and I need to have certain 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:52.559 architectural drawings, and you know, for our bottle design, again 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:55.000 we have to have elevations of the bottle, how does 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:57.680 it look, where does the cap? How tall is the cap? 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.240 So those are all things that architecture really has helped me, 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:04.160 you know, even with spacing and figuring out like okay, 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:07.360 well where the position you know, the machines, or how 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.720 to lay out a space when I'm vending. So I 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:12.480 think all of those things have really played a part 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:15.679 within my career and it's a lot more well rounded. 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.240 I just think that that's extraordinary, the fact that you 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:22.400 have all of that spatial understanding and all of those things, 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.160 and how art kind of translates into all of these 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:29.600 different spaces, from buildings to you know, creating the vending 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:33.120 machine to your actual clothing and home decore products. I 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:37.079 just think that that's so incredibly cool. As a black 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:42.800 woman entrepreneur, What are some of the obstacles, if any, 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.320 that you have had to face over the past couple 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:48.320 of years since launching in twenty sixteen. You know, I 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:52.320 would think that the biggest obstacle, I mean, everyone you 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:55.880 know knows it. It's capital, and I asked us to capital. 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:59.800 I think that that especially as a woman own you know, 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.400 black women owned business, it's different because you know, you 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:07.640 know that there is a lot of capital available, but 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:11.720 then within our sector, it just feels like we aren't 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.120 growing as fast and as big. We don't have as 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.959 much access. We're not you know, so that becomes really difficult, 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.640 you know, to build a business. And I think that's why, 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:23.000 also just being a black woman, so many people root 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:25.320 for us because we know how much odds, you know, 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:28.199 there is to actually get to the point that we're at, 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:31.079 especially with nothing. I started this company with less than 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:33.440 five hundred dollars and I am where I am today 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:35.800 and I'm four years you know, we've been in business 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.840 for four years and still standing. You started the company 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:42.360 with five hundred dollars, less than less than five hundred 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:45.880 dollars and a two year old right as a single mom. 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:51.120 So yes, I did. Yeah, that's extraordinary. That's that Jamaican 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:54.960 hustle right there. All the way, all the way you 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:58.200 refer to your sons. Is he your co CEO? He's 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:01.360 a CEO. I don't run this thing. I'm the oldest thing. 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:03.760 Like I'm in the process of transferring at all and 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.800 making sure that his name is on everything. And so, 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:10.760 you know, I want my son to understand that he 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:14.120 can have ownership, you know, of his life of things. 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:16.959 And I want him to understand at a young age 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.600 that he is a boss. And so I think, you know, 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:21.760 some days I do have a lot of mommy guilt 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:25.080 about like maybe staying up LAIDs or not being able to, 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:29.200 you know, do certain things, And quickly friends and family 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:32.080 remind me that I'm giving him so much more. You know, 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:36.040 he's really learning about entrepreneurship. You know, he asked me like, 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.840 oh are the workers in today? What hours do they work? 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:40.800 You know, like there's a lot of things that he 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:44.000 taps into. You know, he's starting to understand certain things 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:48.280 about paying in voices and do it on a regular basis. 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:49.760 So he's like, you know, if we go to the 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:52.600 post office, he knows, like, you know, where to go, 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:54.680 what packages, like I tell him all the time, like 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:57.480 he's the male person. So he helps with you know, 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:00.760 trying to help me with the labels and sing labels 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.560 and putting stuff and packages and sending them out and 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:05.800 helping us, you know, when he's in the shop. You know, 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.120 at times I get him to do some work as well. 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:11.240 You know, that's so wonderful because I tell you, you know, 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:15.559 oftentimes people who are parents. I'm not a parent myself, 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:18.760 but people who are you know, keep such a distance 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.840 from their work and their family. So it's like they 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:25.480 leave the house, they go to work, but their kids 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:28.600 really have no idea what they're doing, right, Like they 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:31.280 have no investment in it. They don't understand it, and 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:34.720 it's never really explained to them. It's just like, oh, 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:38.480 you know, mommy or daddy or grandma whomever is at work, right, 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:40.520 but what does that actually mean? And so I love 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:45.280 the idea of teaching and showing at the same time. 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:49.040 You know, seeing those late hours I think is incredibly important, right, 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.800 Like things don't just happen, you know, you have to 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.360 make them happen, and I think that that's an incredible 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:58.800 message that you're sending to your son. Well, yes, what 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:01.640 was it like to go too? I tell you, I 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.719 felt like I was on the road with you when 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:07.840 you when you went to Essence fast. I loved your 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.679 telling everybody every step of the way what was happening, 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:13.720 so that we could feel like we were on this 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:16.560 major journey with you. What was it like to get there? 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:19.679 It was difficult, you know, like the vending machine or 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.800 was our first time bringing it on the road, as 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:26.079 well as just trying to figure certain things out packing up. 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:29.280 So Essence Fest is of course one of our favorite, 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:31.839 you know events, It's one of our things that we 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:34.600 love to do. This was our second year and launching 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:38.000 the vending machine, and it was a really good experience 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.439 until our truck you know, broke down like an hour 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:44.480 yeah before we got to Essence and it was like no, 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.800 and um, you know, I had my PR marketing person, Regina, 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.800 as well as one of my great girlfriends, Lavandre, and 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.120 we just got in a truck from VC and we 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:58.120 drove all the way AID to New Orleans and baby 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.880 it was it was hot. We have to know each other, 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:06.320 ye well, yeah, it was a road trip. Like we 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.000 got there, we were like, we need out of these clothes, 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:11.720 We need to you know, pull it all together. But 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:15.040 it was a great experience and I'm really happy that 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:17.280 I did it. It taught us a lot. And that's 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:20.520 what entrepreneurship is really about. You have to sometimes get 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:22.760 in the car and drive the vehicle and you know, 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:25.280 and gets to certain places and things will break down 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.480 and you know, shirts and stuff might go missing or 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:30.920 you can't find something. But it's really how you problem 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:32.920 solve and you figure things out. Do a lot of 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:35.760 women come to you now that you are four years 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:37.400 in Do a lot of folks come to you for 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.800 advice about how they start their business? Or many people 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:43.160 who are like, you know what, I don't have the money. 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.920 I know for a fact that denture capitalists, right, who 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:50.720 fund a lot of companies, a lot of businesses Black 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:55.120 women get zero point zero zero zero zero zero zero 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:59.320 one percent of the hundreds of millions of dollars that 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:02.600 are given out each year. And so what advice do 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.920 you provide to women and especially women of color who 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:11.439 want to do something but capital really is the obstacle 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:14.120 that they can't seem to get over Well, what I 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.480 do tell people all the time is your journey is 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:19.960 going to be your journey, and you really need to 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:23.320 feed on that path. I think sometimes people look at 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.040 others and feel like, oh, I want you know, I 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:29.160 can obtain the same success, and the truth says you can, 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.720 but it might be different. So you might unfortunately have 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:34.720 to stay at your nine to five a little bit 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.400 longer and get that to help fund your business a 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:40.200 little bit more. You might have to you know, volunteer 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:43.160 at certain places and get you know, almost funding through 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:46.160 that by letting them give you free space for certain things. 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:48.680 You know. I tell people to try to be flexible 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.920 and not think that their journey and story is gonna 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:54.600 be the same. And like, you know, my success at 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:57.240 all is not overnight. You know, it might have came 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:59.720 a little bit faster than others, but I've worked my 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:02.560 ta A law to accomplish it, and so you know, 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:06.800 I try to be transparent about my journey because I 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:09.600 want other people to realize, like, there's a lot of 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:13.160 work that is put into this for you to get 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:16.360 those results. And I think that you can't think that 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:18.960 what I've attained is going to be what you'll attain 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:22.400 because your journey and your story is going to look different. Yeah, 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:25.600 And I think that that's right. You know, oftentimes people 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:29.760 think they see people's success right, and they believe that 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:33.040 it happened overnight, that they believe like, oh, those people 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:35.720 are just lucky. What frustrates me is that people only 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:39.080 ever see the end product. They don't actually see the journey. 0:15:39.400 --> 0:15:42.640 Which is why I think I was so excited as 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:45.360 I became a part of the mess and a bottle 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:48.920 community on social media because I love the fact that 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:52.360 you were sharing all parts of your journey so that 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:54.880 people don't look at you and say, oh, this is 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:57.840 so easy, like it doesn't take any effort. And I 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:01.120 think that you sharing the way that you do really 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:05.120 opens up people's eyes to what effort really looks like. Right, Like, 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.400 I think one of my favorite pictures I think that 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.160 goes around on social media a lot is of a 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.920 ballerina looking, you know, absolutely beautiful, but then the next 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:17.760 shot is of her feet and it's like broken and 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:20.880 mangled and twisted, and it's like, this is what it 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:23.920 looks like. Like it may seem like it's beauty, but 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.480 this is the work. This is the literal blood, sweat 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:31.200 and tears that it takes other than telling people that 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:33.560 they need to keep at it and focus on the 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:37.160 fact that everybody's journey is going to be different. What 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:41.040 other advice specifically have you gotten that people have given you, 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:45.320 whether it's family members or friends that keep you going, 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.560 that continue to push you to be your best you 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:51.400 put out your best products and come up with bigger 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:54.760 and bolder ideas. What is some advice that has inspired you? 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:57.840 You know, I think that one of the biggest advice 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:02.200 that I probably haven't given is to like not be 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:05.440 afraid of change. I think that if you want to 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:07.800 get to the next level, if you want to, you know, 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:11.919 do something different, it does consist a level of concentration, 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:16.439 and it does consist you shifting and changing. And I 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.120 think that sometimes we kind of get so stuck in 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:21.639 our way and we see things working in a certain 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:25.040 vision that we already have implanted, that sometimes we don't 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:28.679 look ahead. So I think like being able to you know, 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:31.199 be able to adjust, and right now we live in 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:34.360 a time where things are changing at the minute, So 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:37.360 I think that that's probably one of the better advices 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.040 I've been getting. Yeah, I think that It's just so 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:43.640 important to keep pushing, to keep doing, to keep growing. 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:46.560 It's what makes you better. I'm looking at you at 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:48.359 your site and folks, you have to check it out. 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:50.919 Mess and a bottle dot com. Do you have a 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:53.720 favorite shirt? Do you have a favorite saying? Yeah? The 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.560 first one that I've created is probably one of my favorite. 0:17:56.600 --> 0:18:00.000 It says entrepreneur, a fancy word for a crazy person 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:03.960 been following their dream. And I think that that's probably 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:07.960 the epitome of what a true entrepreneur is. And I'm 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:10.080 just like a crazy girl that I'm like, look, I'm 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:12.600 going to continue following this dream no matter where it 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:14.560 takes me. So I think that that's one of my 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:18.399 favorite messages. I love that message because I feel the 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:22.760 exact same way. I also love the creative one as well, 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.440 which is a fancy word for a person who came 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:29.400 up with this shit you couldn't think of right, who 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:34.000 can't come up with it right exactly? I love it. Yeah, 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:37.600 I love that one so much as well as you're 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:41.119 one hundred percent black owned. Yeah, a black woman created this. 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:43.600 Like the list goes on, I like, I'm like, I 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.400 just love them all. Do these just pop into your head. 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:49.680 Do they come up in conversation with friends. No, they 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:52.480 really just thought, Like I go to sleep thinking of messages, 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:54.600 and things just come to me. The one that we 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:58.320 just mentioned, one hundred percent black owned. To me, that 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:02.960 one is so incredibly bald old, right, tell me a 0:19:03.000 --> 0:19:07.280 bit about that particular one. So one hundred percent black owned. 0:19:07.400 --> 0:19:10.560 I think I created that during Black History months. I 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:12.320 think it was just one of no, you know, I 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:14.720 think I was either heading maybe to an essence of them, 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:18.120 and I just really wanted a shirt with a message 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:21.320 that said exactly how I felt, and that was that 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:24.160 I was one hundred percent black owned. I think right now, 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:27.320 even you know, not that I wouldn't want investors and 0:19:27.400 --> 0:19:30.159 all this stuff, you know, to expand the business, but 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:32.880 I think that it just says something to know them 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:37.119 I am and the company is one hundred percent black owned, 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:39.040 and I think it's a big deal. I do. I 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:40.960 think that it is really a big deal. And you know, 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:44.240 I often talk on the other shows that I host, 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:49.800 I talk a lot about race, about racism, about white supremacy, 0:19:49.800 --> 0:19:53.960 and so for me, that shirt stands out so much 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:58.280 because we're told not to be proud of being black, right, 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:01.640 we're told not to be proud of our skin, of 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:05.320 our history, of our existence. And so when I saw 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:08.440 the one hundred percent black owned and also a black 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.920 woman created this, yes, that's probably one of my favorites. 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:14.800 It is just it's so much power, right, Like, it's 0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:18.160 so much power in that message, and like you say, 0:20:18.520 --> 0:20:20.840 you know, the whole point is that you're giving voice 0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:23.880 to the voice list for people who you know, may 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.800 not have a platform right who have not created what 0:20:26.840 --> 0:20:29.840 you have created, or don't feel like they can say 0:20:29.880 --> 0:20:32.320 what they want to say, and you literally put it 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:34.399 on a shirt for them so that they can own 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.639 their blackness, they can own, you know, their womanness and 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:39.720 feel really good about that. And I just think that 0:20:39.760 --> 0:20:44.160 it's so inspiring what you're doing. What are your plans 0:20:44.240 --> 0:20:46.640 from Mess in a Bottle? What kind of upcoming events 0:20:46.680 --> 0:20:49.920 and projects that you're most excited about. I think right now, 0:20:50.000 --> 0:20:53.560 we've got a cool podcast happening and it's called What 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.439 a Mess. You can find it on Spotify and Apple 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.920 Music or Apple Podcasts and all that good stuff. As 0:21:00.920 --> 0:21:04.480 well as we're just expanding and looking at the growth 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:07.959 of the brands. We have some great collaborations coming up, 0:21:08.200 --> 0:21:10.240 so we just got stuff. We got a lot of 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.119 mess happening. You got a lot of mess happening. You know. 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:17.040 One of the questions that I ask everyone who joins 0:21:17.320 --> 0:21:21.639 PM mood is what gets you in the PM mood 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:24.400 to change the world, because you are indeed doing that 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:28.600 with all of your mess, all of your mess in 0:21:28.640 --> 0:21:30.840 a bottle. What gets you in the mood to do that? 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:33.040 You know? I think what gets me in the mood 0:21:33.080 --> 0:21:36.960 the most is either a really long run, a quiet run, 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:39.280 or just being in a room alone, Like you know, 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:41.840 when I'm at my shop and I'm looking out into 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:45.199 the space and I'm seeing the clothing and there's no 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:48.639 staff here and I'm just looking that definitely gets me 0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:52.600 in a space where I am I'm happy, where you know, 0:21:52.640 --> 0:21:55.120 I'm just looking out at what I'm building. I just 0:21:55.240 --> 0:21:57.399 you know, and I love the fact that everything is 0:21:57.480 --> 0:22:01.600 done in Baltimore, in Maryland, that creating and shipping and 0:22:01.920 --> 0:22:04.680