Dreena Whitfield 00:00:00 Welcome to how I got here with me, Drena. Whitfield, the podcast where we dive deep into the incredible journeys of remarkable women who have found their path to success. Today, we're excited to have Michelle Ganey, the heart and soul of Lamiga Events. Join me on the podcast. Michelle brings magic to everything she touches, from crafting unforgettable life moments to empowering creatives in business. Join us for episodes you won't want to miss. So today I'm here with Michelle Ganey of Lamiga Events. I am so excited to have her here with me on How I Got Here with Drena. Whitfield. Michelle, thank you so much for joining me.
Michelle Gainey 00:00:35 Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here with you.
Dreena Whitfield 00:00:37 Of course. I love the yellow. Nice and radiant. Bringing sunshine in today. But before we dive in, I like to always ask my guests this question, and it's going to take it back a while.
Michelle Gainey 00:00:51 Okay.
Dreena Whitfield 00:00:51 Because even for me, I can't remember, but when you were graduating high school, when you had your high school yearbook and it said, in ten years, Michelle will be XYZ, what did you write?
Michelle Gainey 00:01:03 I was going to be an attorney. Yes. Completely different.
Dreena Whitfield 00:01:09 Right. So was that always the plan?
Michelle Gainey 00:01:12 It was from the time I was in fourth grade watching Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show. I was like, this is what I'm meant to do. I love to argue. I'm type A. So it was always the plan to go to law school and become a lawyer.
Dreena Whitfield 00:01:29 And so was that your trajectory after you graduated high school?
Michelle Gainey 00:01:33 Yes. So I went to college and got a degree in political science. Yes, fully in. And then when I graduated from college, I didn't want to move back home, but I wasn't ready to go to law school, so I was going to take a year gap and study for the LSAT and then apply to law school. So I did come back to Atlanta. I got a degree I'm sorry. I got a job working full time so I didn't have to move back home. I could support myself. And it was completely unrelated to law. But they had a legal department that I was able to move into. And thankfully, I worked as a paralegal for six years before deciding to go to law school, and along the way discovered a passion, another path that I did not invest in law school because that is the hardest when you invest in it, to now decide to do something different.
Dreena Whitfield 00:02:28 I read somewhere that you jumped into creating your own event planning house based off of your own personal experiences with planning your wedding, which is a major overhaul. I know I semi planned mine, but this is your world, so I know you dove fully in. What elements of your wedding were you like, you know what? This is the path I need to take.
Michelle Gainey 00:02:55 Well, first off, it was many years ago. It was 23 years ago, and so there was no real career path to become. I didn't have people to look up to in terms of, oh, you become a wedding planner, you become an event planner, you start your own business. So I really didn't see it as a thing that you really did as a career. I just did it for fun. So with my wedding, I had one month to plan. We got engaged. Oh, my God. November. Got married in December. Wow. So I think that there were some soft skills that I already had that made me realize I'm really good at this. I'm really good at putting the details, the logistics together, creating a plan. And from there, it was more of a hobby. So I would help friends and family with their milestone birthdays, their baby showers. And I kept getting encouragement, you're really good at this. You should really make this a business. And I'm like, oh, it's just something I do for fun. It's not something that you really earn a living at. And I was on maternity leave with my first daughter in 2004 and was really at a crossroads of the attorney I worked for was like, you really need to go to law school, make the jump. Like, you're too talented and to just stay in the spot that you're at. And that's when I decided, I don't see my life in that way. If I have one life to spend, and I could spend it in an office working 60 hours a week, not seeing my family, my kid, versus creating a job, a career where I could be there with her when I wasn't doing events. I still work 60 hours, weeks, but I can be creative in when that time is with my schedule and how it works. And planning events brought me alive. Everything about it. The creativity, being able to interact with other people, problem solving, taking something that doesn't exist and building something that is memorable for everybody that is there is just all the things I want to touch on that.
Dreena Whitfield 00:05:15 But I want to bring it back to when you first started, because there's a lot of entrepreneurs who have this vision of a company or a dream they want to fulfill, but they have a full time job and this is their passion project. Right. So you started off that way. How did you even determine your price points? Especially because you didn't have someone to say, like, oh, this is who I'm going to aspire to be. Like, how did you figure that out?
Michelle Gainey 00:05:42 So the difference between 2000 and 2004, the Wedding Planner, the movie had come out, and wedding blogs started to come on the scene. So there was no instagram. I'm trying to remember. I think maybe there was Facebook at that time.
Dreena Whitfield 00:05:57 That's when it first kind of came. Yes.
Michelle Gainey 00:06:00 So blogs were really big then, and I discovered the world of blogs and realizing there are people who are like me and who are creating these events everywhere and being able to tap into like it's possible. And then I started reading books. I started attending trade shows and an education around running a business. And not just a business, but figuring out what I wanted my business to look like. There was one wedding planner that I sat in on a talk that she gave, and it really changed everything for me because she said, every year there are thousands of weddings in my local market. There's 200,000 weddings. I only need ten. And I set my pricing for those ten so that I can also be there for my family and my kids, because I don't want to run a business that becomes my life. So that spoke to me. So from the start, because I started my business with a family, I created a business model that allowed me to not make my business my life, not take on too much that I couldn't handle. So to your point, I did start as a side hustle. I started working full time, doing this little by little. And because of that and having a family, I didn't want to take on too much too fast. So if I did two events, but they were the best events and I served my clients, it really kind of created that word of mouth. So then I started getting referred by friends and family to their friends and family, and that's really how it started.
Dreena Whitfield 00:07:44 So your family was really like the foundation for how you manage your schedule as an entrepreneur. And so since you started off as a side hustle, you were like, if I do two amazing events a year, I'm good. But then I'm sure once you killed those two events, the referrals came in, word of mouth kept growing. How did you meet that demand? Was there a point where you're like, okay, now this is when I can take that leap? To do this full time, it was.
Michelle Gainey 00:08:15 Difficult because I did have a family that I was contributing to financially. So I couldn't afford to just jump out there and be like, I'm following my passion. I'm doing this full time. I had to work with my husband and figure out what made sense. And so I made the decision to create another revenue stream. So at that point, I opened a wedding collective studio. Back then, there was no co working spaces that we have now. I'm being careful not to say the brand names. So it was a place where other vendors like myself could be under one roof. Back then, we did meet clients face to face. So we were meeting in Starbucks, and there's a level of professionalism of, I have my space, I have an address, you can come and see me. So I opened the space. We had about 2025 vendors under the space, and it allowed all of us to kind of grow together in our business. We shared marketing costs. We created one location for couples planning their wedding to come to and find quality vendors.
Dreena Whitfield 00:09:29 Oh, I love that.
Michelle Gainey 00:09:30 So that is what allowed me to go full time and continue to build my business and continue to get enough clients and enough brand recognition to really go full time.
Dreena Whitfield 00:09:43 You launched in 2004 and now you have been hailed as one of the leading international event planners. Are there any pivotal moments throughout your journey from inception to now that stand out as like, these are the big events or opportunities that really helped take us to the next level as a company?
Michelle Gainey 00:10:06 There's been so many, I will say from the beginning because I get a lot of DMs and questions about how do you do it, how do you start? From 2004 to 2007, it was a side hustle doing a lot of milestone birthday celebrations. And I found that a lot of the other small vendors that I were working with were also having some of the same challenges. And so I came up with the idea to do like a showcase, showcased our designs. We invited all of our friends and family. I think so many people take for granted the community that they already have, your friends and family and their friends and family and bringing them together in one space and knowing that they came because their friend or their family member knows me. There's already a bit of a trust factor. And so that's where a lot of my initial clients came from. And then that experience allowed me. In 2007, I did my first wedding and it was like all the things in terms of just it being such a special occasion and being able to take that journey with a couple and see it all come together from there in 2009 is when I decided to open my wedding collective studio. And so then that allowed me to go full time, but it was also having these vendors that we came alongside each other at the same time. And I have a lot of people who, especially with social media these days, I want to work with so and so. I want to create relationships. But I think people negate the fact of building where you are. I built with a team of people who we had a similar style, we had a similar clients, but we were hungry together and we supported one another and we grew together to where we are now. And I think building that strong community of like minded people where you are instead of always trying to go to the top can be very helpful. And it was definitely helpful for me from there. I think it was 2011, I did like my first celebrity wedding, and from there I started picking up some athlete clients and just different clients that allowed me to express creativity in a different way. I didn't start out doing weddings. I started out doing milestone celebrations. And with that, it's always, what's the theme? What's the theme, what's the color palette? And even before event design was a thing, as it is now, I had this sense of even with weddings, my approach was, what is the story that we're telling? And it was around 2012, 2013. I was sitting in a workshop for wedding vendors, and the speaker was challenging us to really decide what was our
Michelle Gainey 00:13:09 distinguishing factor that separated us from everyone else. And he asked me, what do you do? And I'm like, well, I do beautiful and elegant weddings. And he was like, Everybody does beautiful and elegant weddings. You're not saying anything. And the people in the room started coming to my defense. You don't understand. She's so good at what she does. He's like, I'm not saying she's not good at what she does, but if she can't distinguish what makes her unique and own it and I think until then, I was trying to be like everybody else. I was trying to look like everyone else. I was trying to have my services set up like everybody else, because that's what you do as a wedding planner. You have packages. You have X, Y, and Z. And through that process, I really discovered, like, design is what brings me alive. I'm type A, so my logistics have to be on point. It doesn't matter how beautiful something is if it doesn't start on time, if people don't have food, if their feet hurt, that adds to the design. But design is my passion. And so he was like, well, you should never be working on a project where you're not designing it, and you need to call yourself a designer. Like, well, nobody knows what that is. Back there, then, there wasn't, like, event designer. You were either a florist or a wedding planner. But from that, I started building my business around that, and I started to speak to a client that really appreciated design and that really wanted someone to come in and tell their story through the details. And when I built a brand around that and my website and all of my marketing, like the experience that I gave, then I started attracting the clients that fit that style of planning and designing and what my company looked like. And I think that helped me set myself apart and really start to emerge from others around me and really have a focus in what I wanted to do. From there, I continued to work with different celebrities. I think doing cardi b's, baby shower was probably another highlight point that kind of boosted me up another level, just with the press that came with that and just being really proud of the concept that we designed and what we worked on. I continue to think that it's not about who the names are that you work with, but really what you deliver. And I get so excited when I have the chance to create an experience that hasn't been seen or done before that really impacts people. And thankfully, I've continued to be able to do that and elevate
Michelle Gainey 00:16:04 every year of my career.
Dreena Whitfield 00:16:05 I love how you talked about how you had to really sit down and figure out what's your differentiating point and what really makes you excited about your business, because it seems like that was, like, an extremely pivotal moment. For you where you had to kind of like it really helped take the business to the next phase of its iteration from when you started it. And so given that, what are some of the challenges that you've experienced over the years between coming as an event planner then pivoting and saying you really love the design element while still growing your business? So what are some of the challenges that you have faced that you've been able to really turn into successful stepping stones to help contribute to where you are today.
Michelle Gainey 00:16:55 Well, being based in Atlanta and starting in Atlanta, I started in a time where it was like cotton and mason jars and haybells. The rental inventory was rustic tables, and that wasn't my client. They wanted ghost chairs and chandeliers. And I really had to fight hard to get what I needed to deliver what I needed because it didn't exist. And they thought, those clients aren't here. And they were. It's just that they weren't being offered or shown something different. So it was having to develop confidence in my own design style and my vision because that's why I was being hired. I was being hired because of my vision. And instead of just going with the flow and going with what everybody else know, sometimes it required me finding a vendor in Florida to build tables and having them brought to Atlanta. But then when they were shown and they were seen, it looked so different from what everybody else was doing that it helped me stand out and people go, oh, well, if this is the look that you want, this is who you call. As well as then my rental vendor started to see, wow, she's really doing this. I guess we need to start adding to our inventory and bringing in some things. But it felt like everything was kicking and screaming and dragging along the way because it didn't exist, and I had to literally create it. So that was definitely a challenge, I think.
Dreena Whitfield 00:18:32 Look at you, making your vendors step up and diversify. What they have in.
Michelle Gainey 00:18:38 There was I remember there was a custom linen vendor. She was from Canada, and she came and she was like everyone's telling me I'm crazy, that no one will pay for custom linens and no one will you know, they're fine with their satin and their overlays. And I and I'm like, no, I disagree with you. And together, she and I would work together and we would custom design linens for every event. So when you're comparing events and you're looking at somebody who's using the same satin tablecloths and we're literally taking custom lace and cutting it and fitting it to the tables, it really changed the way we looked at what was possible for events.
Dreena Whitfield 00:19:19 How did you keep up with the emerging trends of the industry? Like you said now, event design is like a huge component of any major activation. So how did you stay on top of those trends as it don't follow trends.
Michelle Gainey 00:19:35 Come on. I always hate the what's the new trend this year? Because trends come and they go, especially with weddings and even milestone birthdays and even brands. I feel like when we're true to the story of who they are, what we do is we find fresh ways to tell that story. So, for instance, I had a wedding where the bride was a chemistry professor, and for her escort cards, we did letter press escort cards inside of test tubes, and we displayed them in, like, a chemistry test tube setting, but it came from the story of who she was. And then I just found a unique way to tell that story.
Dreena Whitfield 00:20:21 How did you even come up with that, though?
Michelle Gainey 00:20:24 I'm story driven. Like, I want to know what is the story we're telling? Even a brand. When I work with a brand and I'm doing activation, I always start with, what's the story we're telling? How do you want people to experience your brand? What do you want them to walk away feeling? I start with the feeling we want our guests to have, we want our couple to have. And I reverse engineer it. And I think that's what makes me great at what I do, because I do find new and unique ways at telling that story. But it's always story driven. So I don't want to hang a chandelier because it's trendy that year. I want to hang a chandelier because yes, like, the bride is obsessed with Disney, and she wants to feel like a Disney princess. And by hanging that chandelier, it's giving her that every every event that I've done, I can look at any detail and tell you why we chose that detail.
Dreena Whitfield 00:21:19 I love that. And honestly, it very much aligns with how I am as an entrepreneur with my company. We were having the conversation earlier about PR and what differentiates that from direct marketing, digital marketing, but at the core, it always goes back to the story. And so I love that that's the main driving point for every single event you plan in your business, because I don't think and I've never even really thought about an event planner or designer really caring about the story that I'm trying to tell through an event.
Michelle Gainey 00:21:57 Yes. And we always elevate what we're doing. So it's going to be glamorous, it's going to be beautiful, it's going to have wow factor. But I always say there has to be meaning in the details. And I think the more that I get those elements of story and we can collaborate and we know where we're going with it, I get so excited. I geek out on what we can create and what we can do, and it's so authentic, and I think that's why it doesn't look like anybody else's, because nobody's story is the same.
Dreena Whitfield 00:22:30 Is there an event that you planned or a story that you told through one of your events that truly stands out as, like, this was one of the most heart touching events that everyone left feeling, even like it brought tears to your eyes, or it made you feel excited and like you loved putting it together. Is there one that really stands out over the years?
Michelle Gainey 00:22:55 It's hard because it's like asking you, who's my favorite child? There's just so many details that but I will give you an example. I designed the Bet her awards. It was the first time it being in Atlanta, and we had about six weeks, so it was a very short time frame, and come on, doing it all, it was a new concept. They had their honorees, and all the honorees kind of represented a different point of black culture, and that's why they were honoring them. And they knew they wanted the room to be beautiful. But aside from that, that's all I got. I didn't have a color palette. That's all I got.
Dreena Whitfield 00:23:46 They just said I wanted to be beautiful. Yeah, okay.
Michelle Gainey 00:23:50 And present us something, and let's see what you got. And I went with the story in my head of these are powerful black women who are beautiful, who are at the top at their level of what they do. They're sophisticated, stylish. And so I designed a space that I felt like really became the background for who they are and what they represent. So I wanted something that was powerful and strong. So we went with black as a base color, which, number one, we didn't want it to feel like a wedding, right, because it was an award show. But I got a lot of pushback that shouldn't we'd go with, like, blush and gold, blush and ivory? That, to me, is boring, and it doesn't represent the power of who these women are. So we went with black blush, gold, burgundy, rose, gold. So you had the dynamic colors of the deeper tones with the blush and the gold. And then we designed the stage and the room that they were in to create this setting of powerful black women being honored for all that they contribute to our community. But even from reverse, from there, we created the step and repeat that carried on the story. But outside of the space, we designed an articulating wall so it's visible from two sides. So one side had the face, the other side had their name in the category that they were in so it's all black and white, really clean, but then beautiful blush floral on top of it. So just that dynamic. As dynamic as these women were, I wanted that to be represented. We created a portrait set for the guests and the honorees to be photographed, and it was this 1012 foot frame, and again, in the blush tones, but I just felt like if a queen on a throne, on, like, a modern throne, and these women were able to stand in their power and be photographed. So it was just like, so many layers of meaning, but it all came together in a way that I was really proud of.
Dreena Whitfield 00:26:31 How long does it take you to come up with these concepts? So, like, for instance, you said the Bet Her Awards was like, we just want a beautiful space. We're honoring all these amazing black women. They didn't really give you much to work with, right? And so you came up with this concept. How long did it take you to come up with that? Because I'm sure you said it was a tight timeline.
Michelle Gainey 00:26:53 It was a tight timeline. So I think I had a total time of six weeks. And then the problem with that is, when you're dealing with at that level, you have to do renderings. Like, all the brands have to approve logos. So it's a very like, I do not prefer to work in that way. We make it happen, but I prefer not to. I mean, I feel like a three to six month time frame is a little bit more comfortable. I like to have time to really get to know my client and the story and research ideas and concepts, have time for renderings and back and forth in real life. It just doesn't always happen that way.
Dreena Whitfield 00:27:36 So I'm sure your schedule is pretty packed, right? You were telling me some of the events you have coming up, even in March of next year. How do you take care of yourself? What's your level of self care that you so important?
Michelle Gainey 00:27:52 It's so important. It's like I can't keep giving out of an empty space. I can't be creative, I can't be fresh. I can't have the space to deliver my best and the best ideas if I am exhausted and running on fumes. A couple of different things, thankfully. So I have three kids and I'm married, so it's also important to me to carve out time for them. So the first thing is saying no, which is very hard. But I've had to create systems and processes that allows me to say no to the wrong things, so I can say yes to the right things. And so then when I do get the right projects, I have the availability, and I'm excited and I'm not overwhelmed because I've said yes to everything. So that's first thing, on a daily basis, I'm able to carve time out for myself. My kids go off to school, I'm up and ready. I work out, I do my devotional, I shower and I sit down at my desk. So by the time I've sat down at my desk, I've worked off stress because I've worked out, I'm breathing. I realized one time how much I hold my breath, because when you're stressed and you're running from place to place, just having time to take deep breaths very true. And just feeling like and having quiet time with kids and the dog and the husband and the clients, the rest of my day is craziness. There's like no time where there's not somebody in my ear. So having that quiet time by myself, I can work my body out. I can do my devotional. I can think about what am I grateful for? Having a gratitude journal, having a practice of kind of getting out, especially being type A and a Worrier, having a place to get out. Everything that's in my head, everything that's worrying me, just gives me clarity in my spirit, in my mind. So then by the time I take a shower and I sit down, I'm like, hey, great, what's on the plate today? Let's get it done, let's attack it. So I think that's a big part of it. I love to travel. So making opportunities and time to travel with my family, by myself, with my friends. My favorite quote is, you can have it all, not all at the same time. So understanding in this season of life, what is my priority? Because it can't be all the things and then really carving out the space for my priorities and then understanding, okay, the rest will come. So that might mean in this season, I can only do ten events a year, but I'm going to be good with my ten events a year because my kids are going to leave at some point. And if I want to do more, I can do more. My first just went to college and I
Michelle Gainey 00:30:54 can't believe it. And so it's not going to be that long before you know, where did they go? She went to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. So she's not too far away. But it just makes you realize we feel like this is going to be our life always, and I'm never going to regret being there for her and making memories with her versus well, I've had to miss it all because I was working right.
Dreena Whitfield 00:31:22 What time are you up in the morning, though?
Michelle Gainey 00:31:25 What time do you my youngest is in second grade, and his bus picks him up at 720, so we're usually up at 645. I get him on the bus at 720, so then I usually have from like 730 until ten to do all the things before I sit down to my desk. Okay, so it's not crazy early.
Dreena Whitfield 00:31:45 I was like, because that sounds a lot, because I thought you were doing all that before you got. Them out?
Michelle Gainey 00:31:49 No, I was like, they're out the house, so I really haven't myself.
Dreena Whitfield 00:31:54 I hear you.
Michelle Gainey 00:31:54 It's hard when you've got Mommy. I need that.
Dreena Whitfield 00:31:58 I have an eight year old, and I have a one year old, so I know. And you talking about quiet time. I like to drive in my car with nothing on.
Michelle Gainey 00:32:05 And my shower time. My shower time is sacred. They know unless the house is burning down or you got to call 911, do not bother me when I'm in the shower. I will take a 20 minutes shower, and that is my quiet time.
Dreena Whitfield 00:32:17 We talked about the evolution of the industry, right? And so, like you said when you first started, there was no roadmap for you on. Like, I want to aspire to be like, XYZ. Now, I'm sure there are plenty of event planners and designers that are like, I want to aspire to be like, Michelle Ganey. What is your top tip of advice that you would give to the next emerging event designer or planner that's coming up that may have started their business as a side hustle like you?
Michelle Gainey 00:32:51 So my favorite, favorite tip and advice that I give everyone is find what makes you unique and make it your superpower so the world doesn't need another like, they don't need another Lamiga, another Michelle Ganey. But everyone has something that makes them unique, that makes their approach unique. And it's boring to look like everybody else and do the same. And you don't stand out. You really don't stand out, because you look like as you're scrolling, you look like everyone else. But when you lean into what makes you unique, and that becomes your superpower. I was mentoring a planner who she was. I can't stand out. I don't know what to do. And so I'm like, well, tell me a little bit about yourself. And she's like, Well, I'm from Nigeria, where there's these beautiful luxury weddings and no one realizes how wonderful our weddings are. And I said, but you're not talking about that. You should be the authority on luxury Nigerian weddings. When someone Googles luxury Nigerian weddings, you should be what pops up. And you build a business around that. It doesn't mean that you can't do other things. But when you become an authority in that and you emerge, then you can talk to people and show what you're capable of. And so I think people are so scared of limiting themselves by niching down, but when you niche down and you emerge as the expert, it actually allows you to stand out from everybody.
Dreena Whitfield 00:34:21 What's next for you?
Michelle Gainey 00:34:23 Well, I'm excited because over the past year, I've been working on a rebranding or brand refresh, launching a new website. I think, for me, it's not about getting bigger. So I'm not trying to grow my business in a way that adds a giant staff or big buildings, but just continue to elevate our services, continue to deliver excellence in our process. I'm a big process believer. I want it to feel seamless. I want it to feel effortless for our clients. I want it to feel like we have anticipated their needs and taken care of them. And I'm also excited that we have really been able to create a market in brand activations. And so while we do weddings and we do social events, our brand activation clients have grown considerably. And I've really enjoyed that work. So I would say what's next is just continue to elevate our brand, continue to tell our story in a more meaningful, deeper way, continue to connect with our clients. I'm really proud that we have legacy clients. So instead of very rarely do we work with someone one time, we really become their person. And so it allows me to serve them on a continuous basis and get to know them. And then it's just really easy because they don't have to continue to tell their story because I know their story, but just being able to elevate our services, our process, and do amazing work.
Dreena Whitfield 00:36:02 Who's one of your legacy clients?
Michelle Gainey 00:36:04 Oh my God, I love that. It sounds so fancy. Well, legacy just means that I'm their person. I have a client where I'm about to do their ten year anniversary party and before that so I did their wedding and then I did their family Christmas parties and then I did their daughter's birthday party in La. And now I'm about to do their ten year anniversary party. I'm their go to. They know without question that I've got them, that I've got it taken care of, and that I'm going to come in and just make it amazing. And so thankfully, I've been able to build those relationships where we just continue.
Dreena Whitfield 00:36:41 To be coming in, you're delivering, you're showing up, you're bringing excellence. I love it.
Michelle Gainey 00:36:47 Absolutely.
Dreena Whitfield 00:36:48 So I want to ask you some quick fire questions.
Michelle Gainey 00:36:50 Okay.
Dreena Whitfield 00:36:50 And so with these, you really just say the first thing that comes to mind.
Michelle Gainey 00:36:56 Okay, let's do it.
Dreena Whitfield 00:36:57 Don't overthink it.
Michelle Gainey 00:36:58 Don't overthink it.
Dreena Whitfield 00:36:59 Okay, so what's your go to song to get you in the creative zone?
Michelle Gainey 00:37:03 So in the morning I usually have my gospel playlist on. If I'm really like, I want to feel the vibe. It's Beyonce. I love Blackest King, obviously renaissance lately, but that's definitely like if I need to feel like my best self, that's what come on.
Dreena Whitfield 00:37:26 Queen Bee is always the way to go. DJ or live band?
Michelle Gainey 00:37:30 Both. That's what we do. We start out with the live band and we end with the DJ.
Dreena Whitfield 00:37:37 Okay. I like that. Modern or vintage?
Michelle Gainey 00:37:41 Modern.
Dreena Whitfield 00:37:42 Yeah. And what's one word that describes you?
Michelle Gainey 00:37:47 Gracious.
Dreena Whitfield 00:37:50 Love it. What's one thing that you would attribute to the success of you and Lamiga events?
Michelle Gainey 00:38:00 Having a mom who was my biggest cheerleader, who prayed for me, who in this industry, there's a lot of well, there may not be a lot of I had a lot of imposter syndrome. Who am I and do I really fit in? And am I worthy to be in this room? And she is the person that always reminds me who I am anytime that I forget or that I'm not sure. She reminds me who I am, what I'm capable of. And so for sure, my mom is a big reason why I'm here today.
Dreena Whitfield 00:38:36 Can we talk a little bit about impostor syndrome?
Michelle Gainey 00:38:38 Sure.
Dreena Whitfield 00:38:40 And I'm asking this because I've gone through that too, especially because, like you, I started my company with not really having anybody to look up to, like, how do I do this? So do you feel like that's why you experienced impostor syndrome for a while? Because you came into the space, you created this company without a clear roadmap or even just like a mentor to help guide you along the way, and you're figuring it all out on your own?
Michelle Gainey 00:39:08 That is definitely part of it. I think part of it, too, was I knew that I wanted to create something that didn't exist, but in a way that was not expected of me. So I feel like as a black female, the expectations are down here. Right? And so in every room that I walked into, I had to prove that I was greater and better than the expectations that they had of me. Stop acting like you know, my life. Okay. And so because of that, it's like, in the end, I surpassed and I rise to the challenge, and I get it done, and they remember me, and they never have that low expectation again. But there's always that little fear when you step into the room of, am I going to be able to do this? Am I going to be able to blow them away? And even though I know in my gut I'm doing the right thing, it's that feeling of, will I get it done? And thankfully, I have always gotten it done. And I've been able to build a company and name where they always say the biggest compliment is your name being brought up in rooms that you don't even know about. And I'm so thankful that I've had clients and people that have referred me for opportunities based on my reputation, based on the work that I've done. But it's because of the consistency of delivering excellence and surpassing expectations that has gotten me to that point. So it's a work in progress, and I think owning up to it and understanding is the first step in overcoming it and keeping those people around you that are going to help you remind you who you are when you're doubting yourself.
Dreena Whitfield 00:41:06 And I also think celebrating your wins, no matter how big or small right?
Michelle Gainey 00:41:10 And I have a problem with that, for sure.
Dreena Whitfield 00:41:15 You got to celebrate.
Michelle Gainey 00:41:16 I know, but I'm always like, but it's the team, and it is the team. It's always a team effort. And then also, just one of the hard things, too, is you're only as good as what's next and what's ahead. And so often we get so caught up in that that it's like, well, it doesn't matter that I did that. It doesn't matter that I was on that list, because I'm not on the list this year or what's coming up. But you're right to own it and to sit in it and say, yes, I am.
Dreena Whitfield 00:41:46 I think what I would love from you, because I also love coffee books, and there's this amazing one right here. You should maybe create some. I don't know if you already have, but maybe create, like a coffee book or just something that commemorates all of the amazing events you've curated and designed.
Michelle Gainey 00:42:04 I used to do back when I would meet with clients. So with the pandemic and virtual and zoom so often now I don't meet with my clients and sit down for a consultation anymore. Everything is over the phone or virtual. But I used to create yearly coffee table books, so every year, like, a compilation of the events that I did that year, and that's when we would sit and meet, my clients would pull out the books and flip through and see examples of my work. But you're right, because so much has gone digital now. I think there is something about the tangible product of holding it in your.
Dreena Whitfield 00:42:34 Hand and then it's a reminder for you.
Michelle Gainey 00:42:37 Yes, but you know what? I love it. We could take it one step forward. I think you should make a coffee table book of just amazing women. And what are these key things that we don't? Give me an idea that we can remind ourselves of and motivate other women and tell the stories. I think that would be an amazing conversation.
Dreena Whitfield 00:42:58 Don't give me an idea, because I will have the team on it. Alia, where you at? Alia will be working on it tomorrow, but yeah, I like that. Maybe you could work on it together.
Michelle Gainey 00:43:09 Yes, maybe.
Dreena Whitfield 00:43:11 Michelle, thank you so much for joining.
Michelle Gainey 00:43:12 Thank you for having me.
Dreena Whitfield 00:43:14 Truly appreciate you. I can't wait to see everything that's coming out for you in 2024, this ten year anniversary part. It's an anniversary, right?
Michelle Gainey 00:43:22 Celebratory yes, it is.
Dreena Whitfield 00:43:24 I can't wait to see that on social.
Michelle Gainey 00:43:26 The story is crazy because they were high school sweethearts, they separated, they broke up in high school. They reconnected at their 35 year high school reunion.
Dreena Whitfield 00:43:36 Really?
Michelle Gainey 00:43:36 Yes. And the love was there. Yes. It's such a great story.
Dreena Whitfield 00:43:41 We got to talk. I must help you figure out how you could share the stories even more on your pages. But thank you so much for joining me. I truly appreciate you. Thank you so much for scooby, for introducing us. Love you. And I can't wait to see what's next.
Michelle Gainey 00:43:58 Thank you. Thank you so much.