“Never Too Late” Guest Ronne Brown and Changemaker Jamila T Davis

in our minds. We're gonna be there, but we're speaking it into existing time, getting calls some folks that I know you've been saying the same, um some who My sister Sharon, she critiques every week. We had a hair, wasn't in place, we didn't say the right things. But then she'll be like, but overall it was good it and she watches it every week. So if the show doesn't, it's not up on any platform on time. Sharon Denise Mallory, she knows it. She ain't gonna play about this. She

does not play. She definitely played about her, my son and her to me because and I know for you people have been saying they want to see more topics about what's happening like in the streets. You know, we're gonna I'm gonna work. We're working on some streets things. We're working on some music. You know, I want to bring like conscious rappers that are dope, that have good music. Like we we're working on some things that we want incorporate. The guy's name from Cleveland. I love, oh my boy,

Connie son Man. Please just get him on. You know, he's one of the dopest artists, like the dopest artists in the game, and he's underground. We're about to be working on a project together, So shout up to Connie son from Cleveland. We're gonna get We're gonna get him in our artist spotlight. You know, we want all artists right because there's this false, false narrator there. You go.

I knew it was a narrative. I just want to make sure I said right, false narrative of that if you're not industry, and you're not you know, in the commercial music industry, that somehow you're feeling and there's a lot of musicians that are underground that have not had commercial success, that have an impact on so many lives, so we want to be able to highlight those give platform. That's what's up. But you know, again, we're grateful because I've been hearing from people who are like you know,

I'm listening to the show every week. I see the growth we are trying to grow. We started out, I know, for me, I was nervous, probably why that's why I procrastinated, if you will, with doing the show for so long. I knew it was something that I wanted to do with this podcast, and thank god, we have a team that kept pulling us along. And you kept talking crazy to me, telling me that I was playing myself for not jumping in head first, um, you know, into the

podcast space. But over time I learned that if you don't tell your stories, other people will tell it for you. And we really did need to have a space where we could talk about our issues, talk about v issues, and allow folks to come and bring information to our audience. It doesn't matter to me, which it does, but it doesn't.

But it does, But it doesn't if there's five hundred people that are listening in those five hundred people need information that they may only be looking for from us, and they're gonna give it to and and that's exactly right. In fact, they five hundred people can reach millions because people talk to folks and their families, their homes, their jobs there, you know, their communities. And so I'm proud of us of what we are continued to do with

street politicians and how it's growing. And I do believe it's going to be number one, number one. Shout out to the Black Effect Network and I heart Radio and our women TV for TV cat triggering the whole team, betune the tags. Family first for me. Man, it's the family first for me. I hear that. I hear that.

So I was thinking thinking, because you know, the last few weeks I've been trying to have I've eased up a lot on socials and just again, as I said, reflecting and thinking and what have you, what have you? And it's okay. It happens to each and every one of us. And if it doesn't, if you don't take time to reflect on everything. You know, someone said to me the other day like, wow, you know, uh you you you go through so much and and I know you must be beat down and whatever, and then we

do get beat down sometimes. But I I had a different response, and I'm so proud of my own growth and maturity mice because I said to the young ladies that you know, it's funny that for the first time in my life, I'm actually grateful to God for even the trials and tribulations, because I've already seen over time how every single time that I go through something, it's really just the next level comments right, like and that,

and that's been every single solitary time. And the thing about it is that I have learned to trust God so much that I know that He's going to do the same thing this time that he did the last time, at least the same right that he did the last time. So it's a space where but but the only problem is that so many of us lack the willingness to sit still and obedience, right, we lack it. And I

and sometimes I'm disobedient. I think when I'm disobedient, that's when all kinds of anxiety and troubles get into me because I'm not following what I know is right. I worried too much about trying to please everybody, because you know, that's my that's my daily mission is how can I please the world that no so but I was thinking. I was as I was sitting and I'm like, man, I just read people things and I listened to stuff, people calling me. They're my friends and my family. They'd

be like, oh, you know what happened? They said and this and that, And I said, you know what, are you gullible or dumb? If you hear something from a source that you don't know that you can't trust, you don't know if you can trust them, and then you go and spread it as fact, That's that's that's that's

so deep, right because I had this this problem. Right, So you know, I'm used to being attacked on Instagram, being called or type of names and people there's a new thing where people get their whole YouTube pages started or for me and you like, they are people who have gained three hundred to four hundred thousand followers just

talking bad about me and you nothing else. But they don't have anything else to talk over thirty forty But you get paid for that, right, they get paid for So I'm just saying but on YouTube, but I'm not. I don't know how to navigate these too it all, but you get paid, So you're making money off of talk and about somebody else and using people's names that you don't really know and really have had very little bit of conversation. Found somewhat like what they say we do.

But I'm glad that they're able to. If if my life can provide food on your table, use it. However, union so the issue. So I'm not mad at that, but it became an issue when it's somebody that I've known for years, Right, when you have a twenty plus year relationship what you think is a friendship, and they go to Instagram and they go to YouTube, you know, they start a podcast and they utilize your name and start colling you out your name, So I coined you frauds.

But maybe they just think you know that. But that's what I'm trying to say, right, It's it just only exposes the truth because I was having this, We were just having this conversation a minute ago when you decided that somebody that you never heard of, right, said something negative about me, and you know me, you got my phone number. You didn't call and say, hey, Mike, somebody

just said something. This is stirred me. The true just getting my side of the story, even if you don't agree or believe the you know, the grace that you should give somebody that you know is the acts and say, hey, is this true? That didn't happen, right, So I was so taken back. And what happened was people started jumping on that train like, yeah, you're right, I'm glad you're saying.

So it's and that's what it is. Is that like I said, you know, we said, you know, we've accidentally posted things that we didn't fact check and had to say, oh, you know what we made. But the reason why we posted those things because they already supported what we felt from the beginning. Right. We would never just jump to post something about something that we already didn't believe, right.

So what happened is you realized that after twenty years, this person always felt this way about you, right, and they just needed something to to give them the energy and give them reason. They didn't need no facts, They didn't die forbid you ever make a mistake that you better be perfect, man, you better be perfectly okay, people to look he he made a mistake. Look, he said the and he put a Y instead of the He said, I you know this God, and that's what that I

think I mean, I don't know. It's like I guess, there's always been gossip, There's always been these things. But I do think that we all have to be responsible for more research. And I certainly have been challenged and checked a number of times where I ran to support something or I shared some information and I was wrong, you know, And so when I say are you gullible or down my guests in those instances, I was being a little bit more gullible. But it's a little bit

of both. Yeah, it's both man and it's it's biased. Like I just said, it's not it's both bias because when you post anything on your page, it supports a notion that you have. You you would never post anything that goes disaccording to what you already believe without doing fact checks, because if you see something, you're gonna be like, where are they said this? Let me check? Because let me check? Because I don't really believe that anyway. You

will do some research. You're gonna google, You're gonna go to, you know, places that you know the information is fact and if you don't see it on none of these places where you know that they give factual information, then you're not gonna post it. You're not gonna support it, you know. So when people decide that just merely a person on Instagram that you never met, a person on YouTube that you never met, can say something that you

cannot back up with evidence. They ain't got no receipts, they ain't got no facts, they don't have You can't fact check nothing they said, and you take it at face value. You have to ask yourself, are you okay? So okay, let's let's look at it from a different perspective. So I I heard, I know, uh, miss Laura, and Miss Laura doesn't like or trust certain people, and so she talks about them all the time. And I actually like how she speaks. I like the things that she says.

She seems to be authentic to me, and she's saying something and I believe that maybe what Miss Laura is saying it is true. Right, So what's the next step? Because if I'm only hearing from Miss Laura and she's giving saying all these things and making it sound really, really good, do I therefore have a responsibility to go to the other side of the equation, especially when it's about serious business, and say, hey, this is what I've heard.

What do you have to say about it. And it's a tricky thing because we're most people are not inclined to talk to folks who come at them a certain way one and two. People who seemingly are they already believe it and they really are just trying to antagonize you. But I think that when people come to you, you genuinely trying to understand, do we therefore have a responsibility They have a responsibility to ask you, and do you have a responsibility to answer? Well, you know what it is.

I think it's um subjective, right. I think if somebody comes to you who you value, and you believe that they come with authentic energy and they really want to inquire and they want you to give them an answer because they've heard something else, that's nothing wrong with that. Now. I have no problem. That's why you like you go. But no, I have no problem with engaging people because

these are people who follow you on these platforms. These are people that either believe in you their fans system degree. And even a hater is a misguided fan, right, So sometimes you got to educate a hater because I've turned haters into fans. I've heard I've turned people it was like, ya, I didn't like you at first I thought this, and then I started listening to you, and then I realized that you was the truth. So I understand that happens.

So you have to make a determination based on how the person addresses you about the information, because say such said this, I know that ain't true? Man? Is it true? Give me some information, and you have to make a determination. Do I believe that this person is worth me given you know, the information, or explaining something to do our mind? Or am I okay with that person believing whatever? They're here? You know? And I think us as leaders and were

having people following us. I think the world deserves certain explanations, especially when it's something that you know goes in conflict to what it is that we say that we represent. Right, So if if the other person can't present receipts and it's just left on phase value and we don't give them anything to combat the information, then we can't be mad if that's what they believe in, right, especially if

they're looking for something to combat the information. If you just leave it out there and you said, I'm not going to even respond and there's nothing to even and that's true, because I I contemplated recently whether or not I should respond to false allegations against me, and I decided that one, especially when it's connected to us organizationally and our our business every day, that it's not a good idea to have, or that it doesn't benefit us to have one side of a story in the media,

because people google things, and when they google your name, these things come up, and there needs to actually be a response so that folks can see the balance and make a determination of what it is that they believe. And there is of course for some people will say, well, you know, the people who are with you are with you, but you have new people every day who are trying to get to know you, and they get to know you based upon your profile, based upon things they read,

things that they hear. So it's always important for me that on certain issues, especially when they're very serious allegations or serious conversations, to make a statement that allows people to find where you, where your voice is, and then again make their own determinations. And I think, I think for us is important because we've always been vocal. Yah is the act. We've always been vocal. We always use our platforms, we always talk about things that we believe

in don't believe in, and we've been vocal. So when somebody attacks you with things that are vital and you become silent, then it gives ever had I'm always talking, so you know, I guess that's what that is. That's what it is. So as we always say, we have a lot of friends that and people probably think we are what we play favoritism with our friends, but friends that we do, that's okay. That's why we got to show so we can bring our friends on so I don't have to feel bad about it. Okay, So then

this is my friend. So I am so proud today to bring to the street politicians family because I feel like of the guests that we've had, you know, you want to talk to more people that you don't necessarily agree with. I don't like to give clowns space on my platform, but there needs to be a balance, and there's some people who we don't agree with that are not clowned. So those are the ones I want you

to find, the ones that we can respectfully disagree. So when you find those people, let me know I'm down to do it. Um. But I think it is a family of people who are coming together with different ideas, and as we grow, and as this show continues to grow, we want to bring the type of content that makes people feel like they're learning something. And I certainly have learned from this. Uh. Next guest, this young lady m who you know, among a lot of things, she's like

super fly, super amazing um. And also she's an author and her book really sort of sums up the title of her book sums up why she's on here today and what we need to be doing more of with our time we're on social media, and that is from mopping floors to making millions on i G. My sister Ronnie Brown is joining us today. Hi Ronnie, thank you guys for having me. How did you transition from up and floors to making millions on G? Well it did.

It wasn't an overnight thing. Let me make sure. Actually, yeah, I'm not one for fluff. I'm one for you know, real transparency. So this was something that happened over the course of probably about five to six years when I really learned how to monetize social media. I was a janitor UM. I grew up in the projects of Washington d c UM. I had my son. At sixteen years old, I dropped out of college. Um, all of the people that were around me were hustling, selling drugs in the streets,

doing all that kind of stuff. And I decided that I was going to go in a different direction. And it was primarily based on all of the odds that were stacked against me. You know, when you have a teen mom and you have a kid young, everyone's already telling you like, oh, you're gonna fail, you're gonna be on welfare, you're gonna do this, So it kind of pushes you to go in a different direction. And I was really determined to figure out how to make some money.

And honestly, I started off on Facebook and I used Facebook to sell handmade products that I was making in my home. That's how I started my first business. And the reason why I started on Facebook is because I could not afford to have a website built. I could not afford to have a report design and build a website. And I figured out how to go to PayPal, and y'all, it's gonna tell how old I am, y'all, so you know,

don't judge me. But I figured out how to go to PayPal, and I don't know if y'all remember this, but back in the day, you could go to PayPal and you could take PayPal buttons and you you could take the link from the button and then you could paste it and it would generate buy now buttons and paste to buy now buttons on Facebook. And I would make these products in my home because I had gotten fired from my job, and I said that, I'm like, man, I'm not going to continue to allow people to be

able to tell me when I can make money. And I'm not gonna keep going through this this this cycle because another thing people don't really talk about is I'm being a mom in corporate America and the lack of grace that is given for mothers who have children who have to have to do daycare and doctor's appointments, in

school activities and conferences. So I was sick at that point, and I got on social media and I started plugging those buttons and I went from hustling on Facebook to hustling on Instagram and it just took off from there. I have two things. The first thing is, do you mean to tell me that getting fired from your job wasn't the end of your life? Like I just can't

believe it. You know what I'll tell you guys. Um, when we are in the midst of the fire, we think that we're just gonna burn up and it's over right. But when you get out of the fire, you look back and you say, man, this had to light me up like I had. I had to literally get lit for a second for me to figure out ways to become creative and and getting fired from my job to some people was the worst thing that could probably happen

to them. But honestly, um, I feel like our success is in our sacrifices, and I feel like me getting fired it was a sacrifice that I had to make and it pushed me right into my purpose and I needed that. So I mean, I'm being sarcastic, but you know, there are some people who, first of all, losing your job when you need your money is very very serious.

So I totally respect that. But I also have lived long enough to understand that sometimes you don't need that job anyway, right, Like, it's just it's time to move on. And I think what you're speaking to is exactly that you really it was time for you to step into your own It was time for that boost UM and losing your job probably is what set you on the right path, right, But what was the first product that

you sold on Facebook? It was a beauty product. I created a beauty company and it's so crazy because now I'm also the CEO of Holistic, which is a clean self care beauty brand. I have two companies, Girls CEO, which is a community for women in business, and then I have her Listic, which is a self care company that we actually have clean products. But people don't know that me relaunching and building her Listic was me coming back to my initial business that failed, which was actually

called um a MORMONAI. And if you hashtag or MORMONAI or you google a more monai, you will literally see pictures of myself and my daughter at six years old doing bending events at tables and with t shirts on UM and she was actually the only person that could help me. I needed help and people may have thought like, oh, her kid was with her, but my daughter was with me. My daughter just turned eighteen on Tuesday and she's now building these companies with me. But that was my first

big business. And when I tell you that God's time and it is perfect, I'm coming back after eleven years picking back a dream that I was not able to finance back in two thousand and nine when I started that company. Wow, So how many children do you have? I have two boys and two girls. I ain't got no three kids? Four you can't count? Yes and two and two all dayenized. My son will be twenty one this year, and my daughter turned eighteen on Tuesday, and

my baby girl is turning nine. Hit different, don't it different? I have a fifteen year old little boy that's up here on top of my head in his room, UM playing PS five right now. So I am blessed. Yes you are. Let me tell you are blessed. And I know it because you've been through well, absolutely and it shines through um just when I met you and just throughout all of our encounters and even you know, some people when you go to their page, it's like you're

not sure who like. It's like something is weird about the person that you see versus the work they claim they do for it's just all strange. But with you, it's very, very seamless, and it's very clear that you're selling authenticity. So you transitioned over to I G. What did you bring to I g and how has a platform that sometimes can be so hateful been successful for you? Well, I bought a few things. Um, I bought my story. That was the most important thing, because a lot of

people we don't really want to tell the story. And the story that I bought was this story that I was once ashamed up, which was having you know, three kids by the age of twenty five. That was something that just followed me growing up, and everyone made in me for that, and you know, I would be on welfare, I would be this I failed. I grew up in the hood, like I let I let my life go down the drain. So that was the story. But the

story wasn't just that. It was that with everything that you go through, you can overcome and you can still make the best of yourself, regardless of the things that you've done. Um at a young age and even I'm not looking at your children as a liability. So I don't look at my children as a liability. My children there and there they are an asset to my life, right and I was determined to change that perspective around.

So I've told people what I dealt with, even in the workplace, and people not giving me grades and being able to take that time, you know, off. So I showed mothers and women that you can be a mom and you can be successful and your story doesn't always have to be you know, welfare, or even if it is, you can transition out of that right and you can build a business and create something that you are ashtionate about and monetize that thing on social media. So I

came over to social media and I started to sell products. Well, I really blew up doing that, okay um, And I started to help other women create their companies. When I initially started, I did it for free. I did it for free for seven eight years, just helping women start companies, helping women build their social media follows. I would get my phone now I would go in parks and take

pictures of women. They would come to me. I would do their makeup and take pictures of them and help them build you know, their images up on mine, and then teach them how to sell and create names for their companies. But what happens is, as you continue to so seeds, it's only a matter of time before that harvest start. So I have to market myself. The more

people I helped, they started marketing me. They started sharing people, they started you know, showing people by page and what I was doing, and it just started taking off from there. Are just really serving organically. You know, everyone's like, what do you bring to social media? I bring serving shop. I tell people that all the time. You know, there's a process. People love the you know, the finished product,

but they don't they don't love the process. You know, they see where you got, but they didn't see what got you there. You know, I just was reading a quote that you made in the book about your parents and how they brought how our payments bring us up in fear and it extends to us. You know, do you have certain fears that your parents extended to you that made you scared at first? Timbuk On, You know your journey for sure entrepreneurship. When I quit my job,

I was working for the government. You know, my mother is from the old school, and the old school we were taught to go to school, get an education, and go work for the white ning. That was the mother knew. So when I went to school, okay, and I graduated from high school, I started college. I dropped out of college because I had to make a choice whether I was gonna go to school, I was gonna go to work inside for my son, who was now about to one years old. I chose to go to work and

make money for my son. My mother was piste with that, but I also started to build my business. And even though let me distress this, I remember this day as clear as yesterday. I remember sitting at a government job and and at this point I was making about fifty thousand dollars a month in my company, in my business, and I had so much fear inside of me, based on the fear of that money and inside of me that I was still afraid to walk away from this.

This is the part you need to hear. A job that was paying me forty five thousand dollars a year a month, but I was still paralyzed, still offer paralyzed, because my mother was saying, what are you thinking? Because because they made you believe that that job was some level of stability and health and the benefits, the benefits, honey, Yeah, but no one says, No one teaches you. I have benefits right now. I'm an entrepreneur. I have an oral one K, I have health insurance, I have Dino insurance.

I have investments. I have stopped. I have every single thing that that job offered me on my own. So now we need to talk about financial literacy so that I could transition out of being a worker and being an owner. Because that's what my mother, that's all she knew. Well, and I just read another excerpt when you said that you will fight after you begged them to keep you on the job. Let me tell you a quick story. I was almost nom as pregnant. I'm working at all

Center at Kais of Permanente, and I was broke. When I say broke, I mean a different level of broke, the broke where you go home and you smile at your kids and they don't know that you're broke. Okay, you're just you just fake it with the smile. Okay. But I remember ember going to work. I'm running late. The tags on my dad, the tags on my car are already dead. Okay, so I'm taking a risk just trying to get to work. Okay. I had just moved into a condo with my children. I had three kids

and we were in a two bedroom condo. All three of them were sharing a room. Okay, we were making work, all right, And I remember getting there two minutes late because I was driving from DC to Virginia and the freaking call center was probably almost over an hour and a half in trific away. But I needed the money. I was gonna pay fifteen dollars an hour. And I got there two minutes late, almost due to have my baby, and the lady was going to fire me, and I

got on my knees. I remember, I never forget. It was a tall white woman. She was my supervisor. And I got on my knees and I begged and I cried. It was probably the most humbling and embarrassing experience ever. I cried to this tall white woman, almost nine months pregnant, on my knees pregnant, and I said, please, I said, I need this job. I cannot go home without this job because I have bills to pay and I had children. And she said, okay, we'll give you a chance. She

allowed me to work. I worked to the end of the day, did everything I needed to do, and at the end of the day, I thought finished filing and closing out all of my calls. They called me in the office and she said, we have had to make a change in our decision. Today is going to be your last day. And I will never forget that. I will never forget that, because that alone just made me remember why ownership was so important. And I drove home

that day with the radio turned off. And I don't know about you all, but when you ride home and you ain't got that radio, yes, yes, people thought I was thinking. And I told myself, I said, I am never gonna put myself in a position and where someone else feeding me will be my only source of income.

And I went home and I looked around my house, and I remember one of my mentors telling me, whenever business you started, look around your home and see what you got a lot of, because whatever you're spending your money on, that's what you were really invested in. Start something in that area. Whatever you spend most of your money on, that may be the thing you need to start. And all around with beauty products and candles and all

the stuff. And I went home. I remember had about two to three hundred dollars in my bank account, and I got on Google. Baby, I'm Google University. And this is why no excuses was making a way out of nowhere, all right, mama, three no college degree. I got on Google and I started researching how to make candles, how to make this, how to make that, And within ten days I had a product and I was selling it on Facebook, and I was making just enough to cover

my rent, and I was going out begging. My friends were going to the club and they were partying. Oh, I got pictures on my Instagram page and they were at the parties. And I'm sitting there with a T shirt on says a Mormon name, holding up lip gloss, candles and all the products that I was making. And I was selling stuff and people were laughing at me. They were laughing. They're not laughing now, they're that's right. The first they laugh at you and asked you why

are you doing it? Didn't ask you how you how you did it? Ronnie. I wish we could stay with you day too, because your story is so inspiring. The business component is important, but the story of how you got there is where the real t that's the real sauce. That's that's it right there. Can you just do one thing before you leave, because I know we gotta go, But can you just give a word of encouragement to old young girls and entrepreneurs who are scared right now?

Who who at that job and they want to quit and they think they got it, but they just scared. Just give them one word of advice. Your ancestors are there for you, waiting for you to take that lead. We are the most valuable, the most needed people that that that are had literally walked this earth. Okay, we are strong. We have so much within us and we have to know what we have inside of us. We have yet to really see our true worth, and once

we see that true worth, everything will change. Our data, our social media platforms are influenced and is so valuable, and we have to stop allowing people to monetize us and to leverage us and not truly get what we deserve. We are the souls how you also, we are the secrets also to all the women that are listening. You are so valuable. People need what you have. You have the magic and it's time that you start monetizing yourself. Don't allow other people to see your value before you

see it. Well, God, bless you, queen. That is a word. I'm not even a woman, but I'm gonna take world. Thank you so much, Ronnie Brown. We appreciate you for mopping floors. She's at Ronnie Brown. R O N N. E. Brown. There's no eye and Ronnie, come and check me off. You listen to this episode and you love it. Come tell me you're all harmed? All right? Thank you, Ronnie.

She appreciate you so very much. I love you, says take care before we go to the next segment and have our special guests joint, We're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors. Niel. She could be a motivation. That's what she does. I'm motivated. Yeah, yeah, she's the truth. I feel like I could win a championship right now. If I had a job, I would quit right now and be like, listen, I'm going you do have a job. If I do have a job. But if I had a job that I didn't love, that I did because

we developed a job, we created our job. We did we entrepreneurs were we found what we love, we found that passion, and we didn't go to no corporation and we didn't just get a desk job, and we didn't you know, take the regular They okay, but I'm just trying to say, but they're not. I'm gonna tell you the truth. The world is not kind to those of us who actually are behind the penalties and leadership you're dealing with. Listen to me, they don't. You ain't the

first woman and they're gonna be the last. This is what we gotta deal with. I've realized that we all put for this exact moment in top. But sometimes being black in America is really really hard, especially being a black person who's fighting for people that you also have to fight. So we're dealing with out trauma and sometimes you gotta whip somebody's ass. Oh Lord Jesus, I said that it's not physically, it's not about that. I was like,

you're the peacekeeper. Sometimes every now and then you might have to whip somebody's as. You might have to whip mentally, not physically, but there has to be some level of whipping. M and for I would change maker section another one of our friends, you know, our sister, you know somebody that I don't think we ever gonna run out of friends now, We're never gonna You know why, because when you've got good nature and you've got a good spirit,

good soul, you're gonna track those same people. You know you're progressive, and you know you're innovative, you're gonna attract that same type of energy. When I say innovative and energetic and motivational, that is an understate. You know, we both know, like this sister gives you a call, you know, it's about something that's gonna be progressive. I've never got a call from her that didn't amount to something that was evolutionary and that was evolving and got me up

and said, okay, what you got? You know what? Either about a dollar, but I did. She definitely gonna get to a bag. And it's crazy because her life story has always been about getting to a bag. But in this time, with this iteration of her story in her life, she's trying to turn all the skill sets that were used in bad ways, negative ways into positive ways to

help some of us. So when people say, oh, well, y'all, are you know making money off of this and off the movement and blah blah blah, those things are not true. But the one thing we can say is there's somebody that's our friend that does help us, our sister, our sister, Jim Miller, David Davis. And it's going down. It's going down. I'm so excited about being kid with you guys today on this incredible game changing podcast. Thank you for having me.

Thank you. Are you feeling you're part of the street politicians family. I need like a bell or something so I can be like, yes, ing ding ding ding ding, you're at home. I can see when your home. You work all day and night. Yes, I've been on these phones all day long, all day long, making some moves happen. Tell us about this book that you have built to outlast the storm. So built to outlast the storm is the twelve points of turning a set back into a

major comeback. And for me, this book is important because it's the road map I use to see my way out of a twelve and a half year sentence in federal prison. Right So for me, like I got hit so hard that I wanted to die, And some of us go through experiences in life that no one teaches us or prepares us for. How are we gonna get

to the other side of it? So it was important for me to create a book to help people see the glass half full instead of half empty, to see the possibilities of what can come out of any situation, even what you think is the most craziest situation, because usually it's in those situations that God is either working on you or about to work through you to do

something amazing. So this book is all about preparing the mindset for trials and tribulations, understanding the reason for obstacles and how they can make a stronger, wiser and better Wow. So first, because we know your story, so I'm telling you, I'm talking to you like everybody already knows. Just so you went to prison for twelve years? And what did you go to prison for twelve years? So? I was like always kind of that mover and shaker in the street.

I was that chick that wanted to get money by any means necessary. UM I got into cars. I used to do a lot of stuff with a lot of rappers and entertainers with credit and cars, and I graduated from that into real estate. UM. I actually became a multi millionaire. By the time I was twenty five years old. I had um controlled over thirty million dollars worth of properties and Alpon and Saddle River, New Jersey, which is

pretty much like the highest ends of New Jersey. I controlled the states, and I thought I had it all made until the Feds kicked in the doorway. The full four. You know you didn't see me no more. That was just what it was. You feel me. So what was what was your particular crime? If you will? That you were charged with bank fraud. So I was charged with

bank fraud and conspiracy to the fraud banks. And I was sentenced to a hundred and fifty one months in federal prison, which equated to me actually serving nine years behind bars in a year when I came home on house arrest. So basically I gave the feeds ten years of my life. So when did you come home? I came home in seventeen. I remember that. I remember that.

Remember the first day I met you, you you, We was at an event and um, you was with Yandy and I remember you had on these high hill shoes and you and you was like, I ain't walking high hills, and so long you bringing me back because in prison we only have still told boots, right, I trt to

be cute. And actually that was the day that I met one of my faves, which is to mek A D. Mallory, it's crazy that we're sisters now, but to me Gett somebody I used to read about on the bunk beds of my my my prison, you know, in the prison I was in, and I would see her and essence to Ebony as this change maker. She actually inspired me to create the movement that I created behind bars, which

is women over incarcerated. So to see someone that I admired so much, and that was like the first time I ever met her, kind of wanted to be a little cute, a little bit, you know, my but my feet was definitely hurting. But I definitely remember that day very very clearly. Yeah, from day one, Um, you know, you let me know that you were like, I'm about it. I'm a worker, like, put me to work. I want to be a soldier in the army. And at first I was kind of like, I don't, you know, like

why does she like me? Because you know, I deal with insecurity issues around, you know, not feeling as important as some people have ordeemed me to be. And so I was kind of like she keeps saying that she was watching me from prison. I'm like, first of all, how and then second of all, why why me? Um? But over time I understood that God put us together, like the team that we have built over the last few years, now five years or four years, and it's it's been even a little bit longer than that for

my son and myself and and others. That team was put together and designed by God because what we're doing together is revolutionary. It is, it's amazing. I mean. And people will say to me, I don't see you, you know, building community centers. Well, my brother, my dear brother A. T. Mitchell of man Up does have a community center. Other individuals that I work with are either building or have built community centers. People say, well, you're not doing enough

for our youth, you're just protesting. Well that's not true because my sister also has the v I P Online Academy and other programs that we work within schools with young people, and I'm very much so a part of that. Well, we don't see you doing financial little Well, we just had some folks on the show and have other folks that we work closely with who do financial literacy work.

So you know, the the issue is that we're all trying to be in our lanes, you know, and and but at the point that our lanes intersect, where we may have to get in the right lane, get in the left lane, get in the turning lanes, that's where we that's called collaboration. And our collaborative efforts with you, Jamila have been extremely powerful. So you came back and said, and let me ask you, was a part of the terms of your release that you would never be involved

with like banks and housing and all of that. Again, the fans got a whole hole on me, a whole like I can't be involved in real estate. If I am, then I could go back to prison. So I had to find a whole another career path. Um, and with the help of you know yourself. I just think that people don't know enough of about you and know enough

about the work that you do and the mentorship you do. Right, So UM, working with you guys, I found the lane within the school system and you know, from there started doing mentorship program to what we have today. And we have the v I P Online Academy, which is really in schools and all across now New York City and

now we're in New Jersey and expanding. And then with the work of Until Freedom and your team, we are creating a whole social justice curriculum that's about to be mandatory for school students in schools throughout the Troy State area. I mean I just I just think it's amazing when you look at how we come together and we form like what I call vote, you know, And I just want to say, I'm always amazed by you. You know.

It's it's a few people that I look at that have come home and they have evolved like they have. They didn't wait. They didn't say, Dad, I don't have this. I got nothing. They didn't look for handouts, they didn't get mad at it. You know yourself, My brother Wilow, you know, y'all came home and immediately just hit the

streets running. You wait around and to see your success constantly, you know, And and it became it is because you prepared before you got to society, you know, being formally incarcerated. I used to always tell people that you can't go home. You can't wait till you go home. To be successful. You have to prepare to come home and be successful. You have to prepare that you might not be successful. You have to prepare to fail. You have to say, yo,

you know what everything. Body's not gonna say. Yes, the plans that I have might not go right, but I'm not gonna stop. You have to make up your mind that first of all, I'm never coming back to prison. And second of all, why I'm in society. I'm going to be productive. I am going to win. And you have that energy, and you've had that energy from day one? What keep what gives you that energy? Well, let me just say this. First of all, I know that I'm

God's child. He chastens those that he loves, right, So I know that he had put me in a situation because he wanted to get my attention and wanted to me to understand that the streets tricked me. The things that I thought meant something really meant nothing at all. Um, I've been able to stand on the shoulder of giants literally.

So I was inconservated with Lauren Hill, who became a very close friend of mine who inspired me in great ways right, And for me to even meet her, she had a ninety days sentence in prison, and for me to even meet her and she to inspire me the way that she did was just incredible. So I started off with an advantage, like from a lot of people don't know, but from behind bars. Lauren and I started filming,

so we had a whole production company. I'm a prisoner, I'm a whole casting agent getting people together to come out of prison. I did that. Then Gandy came along and then put me on her back and I was able to work with her um with e. G. L pulled doing the incredible, amazing things that she does. And then my sister to Mika, I was able to get on her back and she helped to stamp me as an activist in you my song. So it's like, I'm blessed.

Then I just want folks to know because sometimes people look at me and they'd be like, yo, she's guarded than life. You know what. I'm just blessed because God had me in lie with his vessels and that's key. Folks gotta understand. For God the move, he needs vessel right as some of us answered the call. And I'm just grateful for those that answered the call. And I'm a quick learner, So I got up underneath them, soaked up the information and did what I needed to do

with the contacts and the information I got. Wow, it puts me in the mind as we we want to close out and thank you so much for being here, But it puts me in the mind. Uh. And you were just with us recently at the one year anniversary of of Brianna Taylor's murder, where we looked up and I saw a tweet from her where she right twelve days before she was killed. She tweeted, take me to a place that I can't even imagine. And I feel like all of us are going to places that we

can't imagine. But it's not work that we're doing, when it's work that is happening for us because we are. We've decided that it's okay to answer the call. That call is on your life, Jamilla, and we appreciate you so much innovative, creative nature and also your unwillingness to allow us to slip, like you're always saying, you know, we could do more, we can do better, we can make changes, and I think because of that it makes us all better. You make people better when you put

your hand in their lives. So thank you so very much for being the vessels. When I think about teams, you know, everybody has a job to do. They got point guards, they got somebody that rebounds the ball, and you just do You are motivating. You know you are somebody that not and you take something from a to Z. You know, I have ideas sometimes when I call you an idea and you're like, it's done, It's gonna get done, and it gets done. Man. So we need people like you.

You are a jewel. Continue to be great, continue to shine and you know, and I'm just glad that I know you and I can call you my sister. Yes, Humility, Davis, thank you outlast. Make sure you get that book right now, not now, but right now now. Peace, love you, love you, Thank you. Guys. Are Jamial is not just a motivator, She's an executor and I think that's and that's the one thing, you know, we didn't have a lot of time, but that was something that um I wanted to talk about.

Is the idea, like you said, when when you call in and say I need to do something, the next thing, you know, Jamiller calls back and she don't put together more than you asked for because she's so creative and she's an executor and she will if you give her your blessing, she will take projects and run it as far down the field court whatever you want to say as she can and then come and say to you, I just you know, I I need your help to

sort of kick it over the line. And I'm I'm I'm really, really really thankful for her friendship because I can see where I've grown even in my own business acumen since you know, being becoming friends with her, same as moths. You know, I always tell her like you motivate me. She'll call me. Every time Jamiller calls me. Is what an opportunity. It's just gonna be the right thing. Bro, This this is what I got for you. And it's like every time I see jam Miller's phone, I don't

I don't let it bring twice. You know it's about something, Yeah, because you know you got to bring home the bacon. Man, you got three you don't do bacon. Oh you're gonna bring home. You've got to bring home the business. Yes, I love Jamillan. Now you know it is Women's History Month. We're still right. We're still celebrating Women's History Month. We have tried to highlight all months women owned businesses, but as a part the Street Politicians, going forward, we will

be highlighting many businesses of all type of people. To hit us up. We definitely want to get your business on our show so we can highlight you. If you're doing amazing things, send us your information. So for those of you who are listening and are not seeing us in all of our fabulousness today, you can go to Street Politicians um pod, Street Politicians Pod on Instagram and

d m u s information about your business. Our brand Expert LaToya Bond is constantly checking those resident Resident brand Expert LaToya Bond is constantly checking those messages and she will check out your business and ask you to send the products so that she would have an opportunity to um evaluate whether or not you are prepared for the business that should come on the number one influx of the number one got watch our show. But if you

are watching, you see the information on the screen. Look you know they do that thing on our show when it goes like You'll see the information there where you can send inquiries and and send information about your businesses. In keeping with that, I want to make sure to mention that I have on my Milano sweatsuit today Milano de Rouge. I think it's rue. Yeah, it is Rouge. This is uh, one of the dear sisters out of

Philly who it has a brand. Her name is Milano and she has this brand and you can go online right now and find her at I am Milano. She has a number of amazing items on her website, lots of clothes, lots of fabulousness, and I ordered some stuff and so I wore it today so I can support women on support women owned businesses. And again in keeping with that, we're highlight a small business today, Yes we are. We have another one of our friends today is the

Friendly Show. We should have called it Street Politicians, the Friendly Show. It's always the Friendly showman. You know, we like to highlight all people doing good things. But we have a show, so why not highlight our friends doing absolutely? You know. So this is a person who we've known forever. She is one of the most creative and beautiful persons that we know, and she has a brand that is so dope because we need this like therapeutic services. Absolutely,

you know. She's also a psychotherapist and she has had to psychle work on my give me some therapy. She had to give you some therapist was working. I don't know if it's working because you're still crazy. Well, listen, that's not true. We are not going to perpetuate falsehoods on this show. If you need a therapist that does not make you crazy, No, I didn't say no. I just said I don't know if it's working. I ain't

tell anybody's different. But yes, our friend Precious, we always call her just precious, regular precious, our Baklea, and she has a product that I think is so important because people are really especially during this pandemic, getting into self care. And she always talks about meditation. She has a book, a book called Just Breathe as well that I have read and have received a number of tips in the book.

And now she has a product line that will help you reading um, meditating, getting yourself in the right mood and the right spaces. And we definitely need to find ways to bring it down because there's so much happening. Bring it down and be you gotta get your cheat together. Okay, now what I'm saying I atten, So listen. We're gonna go to our resident brand expert, latoy A Bond, and she's gonna tell you about Just Breathe. Thanks to Mika and Mice, Welcome to the brand market. I'm LaToya Bond,

your resident brand expert this week. The product that we're highlighting is specifically to promote wellness and self care. I struggled with being able to take time for myself for a long time, and I started to do a lot of research into meditation, and to be honest, it was really overwhelming when I found this box. It was a breath of fresh air because it was curated specifically for

people that are just to get in meditation. It has just the items that you need to start your journey into meditation, and it has been very helpful to give me exactly what I need to take a moment to just breathe and to sit with my thoughts. I'm gonna introduce you the Precious of Oaklea, but she can tell you all about the box that why she created it.

Thanks LaToya, and thank you Street politicians. I'm Precious of Horkleia, licensed psychotherapist and founder of Just Breathe, Inc. And I have our just Breathe Meditation Box that has been particularly curated for the beginner meditator. I've brought this box forward out of a moment in time where I recognized that stress management and anxiety management was particularly difficult for me, and I also noticed that within the black and brown community,

meditation is a highly underutilized method of coping. So I wanted to bring my community something that was very digestible and simple, so you can literally open the box and create a wonderful meditation experience a little more about what we have in the box. We have our fourteen count Affirmation Card, which helps you in setting your intentions for your meditation. We also have our Meditating and Ship candle, which is a soy candle infused with essential oils that

helps you do stress reduction and relaxation. We have our lavender eye pillow that helps you get it right into a relaxed state for your meditation. We also have a simple Sage s Much stake to start your meditation with cleansing your energy so that you can move through and start to harness whatever energy you choose to harness. And then we have our Crystal bundles which come in three options. You can choose your Joy Bundle, your Transition Bundle, or

your Peace Bundle. So all of these items come together to create a beautiful meditation experience and helps you manage whatever you would like to manage, whether it's stress, whether it's anxiety, whether it's you trying to create a self care practice, or you just want to start living a different human experience. So thank you three politicians for highlighting my small business. Oh I'm sorry I was. I was having amount of moment. Thank you, prats, thank you so much.

I love this product. I hope you guys support this business. Before I thought back to to me and mice, I want to tell you guys how to submit your products to be through. You can find us at the BBS Agency on all social media platforms, and information is also below. Just breathe, Just breathe. Precious man. That's That's how I'm gonna get that is precious. She is so precious man. Her soul is just so beautiful. Man. When you're looking at this show man, seeing how many people have just

moved in their purpose. Right. We had Ronnie Brown, who you know, she was pushed into her, but she's told you how the world had broke her down. She didn't believe in herselves. She had passed, you know, inferiority and you know fear that passed from parents. That because we all have had that, you know, and our parents just told us to get a job. And it brings me to my I don't get it. Why are we, especially black people, afraid of our greatness? Why are we so

scared to be great? Why are we so scared to move in alignment with our purpose? You know, a lot of us second guests ourselves all the time. You know, I have conversations with a lot of people all the time, and I don't not saying I'm bid than anybody. I don't really have a lot of that, you know, you know, because I believe I do. Even if I can't, I believe I can. You know. But I've realized that most of us, when you can see greatness in somebody, be like, yo,

you great. Do this, and they'd be like, no, you know, I just rather just keep playing this little safe role because I told you why. I have had this conversation with you nine thousand million, five million, thousand, million thousand times. And what is it that sometimes people feel afraid of what they believe? Like my family is gonna say I think I'm all that. Um, you know what if I succeed? Like, then what do I do? Uh? You know what if

I fail? It's it's so many different things that have been instilled in us from over general rations of people beating us down and telling us we can't, and we're even afraid of that if we can, we are afraid of the backlash of family members and friends who might not support us, or people who might who might laugh at us if it doesn't work out. So people are dealing with a lot of insecurities. And I know for me, it's like after being on the Grammy stage, I was

one hundred sure sure every people around me. People around me will tell you you know it, Yandy sat in my room. In fact, I'm excited that because people think,

you know, you're making it up now. But there is a piece of um, I hope they actually don't edit it out, but there's a piece of something that a film that filmer's or what do you call them TV people, um that they filmed where right before the Grammy performance is going live that night, I'm having a conversation with Porscha, Yandy and lend this our sore about how I'm feeling, and I explained to them that unfortunately, my level of excitement wasn't where it needed to be because I already

knew I was a hundred percent sure that people were going to lose it over me being in that space, just because I think folks are more comfortable when you are, you know, not not about doing better than that you know what I mean, and and and not to say that being at the Grammys makes you great, but certainly everybody needs wants and needs, in my opinion, the opportunity to stand before the world and say what they have been, what they've been saying all along, right, And so I

was being given that opportunity, and I knew already that there was gonna be haters. And guess what, I still continue to deal with haters from other things that have happened recently. That's just what it is. I mean, I understand that, and I realized that, I realized that the level of confidence that I have, even when if I might be the words to son always thinking I'm the best, it's something that's rare. So that's why I asked the question.

But I also know that we need to figure out how do we empower our youth, right because, like you said, there's been this generational fear that's been passed down, There's been generational trauma that we have. You know, there's this insecurity that people have. You know, we need to start courses, We need to start things that empower you, that talk

this energy into them. I'm starting, I'm starting, actually starting the course and the organization court raising kings just for that purpose, because I realized, you know, affirmation is real. I have these conversations with my sons every morning before I drift them with the school, you know, and I said, my mantra is their mantra is I'm a king and I'm chasing greatness. And if I can't control myself, I can't control anything, you know, And this hat actually comes

from that mantra. This is, you know, shameless, shameless them, don't get in trouble in school. Control yourself and you can't control you. You can't control nothing. But it's something that when you keep saying it to yourself, when you say I'm a king and I'm chasing greatness, it gives you a level of empowerment. Man. So I just I just tell all of our young kings and queens out there, don't be scared to live in your purpose, don't be

scared to walk your path. Don't allow anybody's insecurities, you know, to rub off on you. Jay Z said that you know, you can't tell me what I'm I'm not gonna be because what you haven't been. You know, people want to rub their insecurities and their fears on you, and I don't allow that, and I empower everybody, like I have these conversations with you all the time. Like you said, you always be like, oh, I don't know, I don't want to you know, and I say all the time, like,

you have to live in your purpose. You have to continue to walk in your purpose. God designs you for this exact moment. You know what you're dealing with right now, the the backlash and everything is exactly what you're supposed to be dealing with because you are exactly you are perfectly prepared to deal with this. I guess that's what they say. And don't always feel like that when you're going through it. But hey, listen to me. What we're going through is most great leaders in this world have

went through. You know, they home Jesus Christ, Well, listen, and we know we ain't nowhere near Jesus. And they shot Malcolm well and we know we're not so nowhere. They killed nowhere near Malcolm, although they couldn't even find Malcolm a good place to be buried in Harlem, the place where he came from. So and now, people in Harlem, not all of them, but many of them have his pictures hanging on the wall and he got a boulevard.

They got to me, And that wraps up our shows a good information good good teamwork around here, guys, teamworksitians. You know what I'm saying. My chocolates is a linement. Shout out to everybody that came on the show. Shout out to you at home. We appreciate you for making us a number one podcast in the world. Continue to continue, watch, Continue to give your critiques. Tell us if you love us, tell us you hate us, to tell us something. Tell me.

Listen to me. I love because I embrace it because when you hate me, it just gives me more f you I feed off the day. So listen to me. Give us all of your critiques. If you have something that you want us to discuss, let us know, man, and we appreciate y'all. Once again, I'm not gonna always be right. Jamika Mallory would not always be wrong. Sometimes she's gonna but not always, but we will both always be authentic. Yes, yes, thanks for joining Thanks you for

joining us. Peace number one show number one, number one. That's how we owed it. That's how we owe it. That's how we that's something that's how we owed it. That's how that's how we owed it. Welcome. That's something