Walk It Out (w/ Barbara "Sky" Burrell)

several red carpets, and did countless of interviews. All why standing forth and being there for friends, family and friends? What is your excuse? What is holding you back? Why are you afraid to be great? Let me guess you don't have it all figured out. When I think back on my first idea of what Vitamin D would be, all I knew was that I had a voice and that I should use it. I also knew that I had a passion for music, and I knew that music makes you hear words differently. And I said, We'll wait

a minute. I love inspiring people, so let me go to the music and pull out an inspirational message that can reach people universally, something that everyone would understand. And whoila, here I am Vitamin D is coming out of your speakers. Don't tell me it's not possible, and you can't tell me that you're not worth it, because you are. And it's time for you to get out of your own way and make your dreams a reality. Which brings me to today's dose of vitamin D. Our guest today comes

with a little bit of that fusion flair. She comes to drive and I'm talking about a woman who quit her corporation. I haven't made her dream of reality with only two thousand dollars and an idea. I'm speaking with Miss Barbara sky Barrel, founder of l A's famous Skies gourmet tacos. We discussed what to do when you don't like the direction of your life, what to do when passion doesn't get you past the line, and how you can walk it out not having it point by point

planned for your life. I mean, who really has it all figured out right? We talked how some of the greatest ideas are some of the ones we throw away is too far fetched, too trendy, and how a little girl in Chicago asking her mother what a taco is la decades later to some of the best tacos in southern California. Without further ado, it's time for your dose of vitamin damin D right with me and get excited about Well. Hello, they're miss Barbara, Jean Bara. How are

you doing today. I'm wonderful good to meet you. It is an absolute honor to meet you. I say that because I was just thinking how I live in the neighborhood and Darren, who is a neighbor of mine, and I would see he had one of his cars were wrapped in Sky's Tacos. I remember a couple of years ago. Actually, I stopped by before you moved to your new location, when you're in the smaller area. I thought the tackles were absolutely wonderful. So then here's how we met. Dan

received a package at my house. I want to go drop it off, he says, Hey, Don, I am just in such gratitude for what you did. He's like, I'm gonna bring you something from my good girlfriend Sky. You know Sky's Tacos. I'm like, of course, I know Sky's taco I'm gonna bring you some caramel cheesecake. My heart dropped, my paler danced. I saw a new day. Oh you know what to say? I got it. Thanks thanks so much at me so much. It really does. Dan David and my biggest fans. I don't know what I do

without him in the in the team. But again, I'm glad you enjoyed the cheesecake, and thank you absolutely. And here's the thing as well, as I was getting prepared, and if you're listening, I am talking to the CEO and founder of Skies Gourmet Tacos located right well, you have a couple of locations, but located in southern California. Yes, you've founded it almost but almost thirty years ago. This year mark the year. Yes, that's correct. It's it's unbelievable.

Where the years gone? And and I look up and I say, well, I do this again. I'm stupid. I would, Okay, I would, but let's talk about that doing again. And that just makes me think of the start. First and foremost, we have something in common. Okay, we are two Midwest girls. I'm from Detroit. I saw your from Chicago. Went to Michigan State. My sister went to Michigan State. Welcome, welcome,

It's good to know you. You know, there's there's something about us Midwestern here that's a there's another there's another touch to us. Okay, I hadn't kill anybody, says, because I thought I was gonna ask you where you from. Mr. Gone, I thought you were from somewhere in the Midwest, not idle home, not Iowa, but like Detroit, Google, that's where my folks are from. Yes, grow but Joe Brow is environment my uncle, um, my father went to cash Tech

and all my my relatives went there. Yeah, very prominent musician, first African American and is somethany so fior wow wow Detroit. So respect always say Detroit. They breed us differently. There's a go about us. There's a buzzas there is, There is and and and that that came on through to Chicago. And if you and I think that I think it doesn't leave, it doesn't mean that that that or doesn't leave. It's good to know you, my follower, Midwestern. It's good

to know you. And Ms Barbara Jeane or should I call you sky whichever you prefer. They call me the Countess. They me the Countess because I was dot in my Marina, dol Rey, my opening up here in the marina, and sky Score made marketplace, and so someone came in and said I heard that there's a countess moving in with her son, a rich, rich countress with the side, so that's better. Really started calling me the countess and I said, well, it wouldn't be better to be a queen. And then

I was told what queens get replaced the countess? You better speak that. I love that counter sky. It sounds so majestic, So let's start. Let's talk about it, because you have a very interesting story. Uh. And I think, like when we talk about stories of success, we see the ups and downs, the twist and turns and all that in between. And like we said that you're from Chicago, tell us about what it was like going up to Chicago and what actually sparked your interest in the restaurant business.

Grew up in Chicago, moderate U income family that aspired for the best for my sister and I. On there were the culture very little um, very few African Americans and are good um Latinos. We rarely solvm um, we rarely interacted with them. But I was always culturally diverse in my mind and heart because I would live with a person, say how they look different, Let's see what

do they do? How they live? So this is how my interests started, and then of course the taco threw up somewhere on a billboards with my mom and I said, what's that. She's out to taco, says taco, and I'm like, well, can we get a taco? And never had a taco, So somehow we ran to a taco, started eating tacos, developed tacos, cultivate a tacos. Tacos a part of my life, for real, for real, so interesting having to be a

part of your life. It didn't start out that way because when you were studying at Michigan State, you were actually going down the business route. And I'm wondering you were with your mom with that tackle. But I understand. Darren was telling me that your mom was a professional celebrity chef. That's correct. My mom cooked for Diana Ross. My mother took for Diana Ross right here barely Hills.

She cooked for the Cassidy's David Cassy, he cooked for James conen Um Fred Sands, and that that inspired me. But I didn't know at the time it was my inspiration. I didn't know. Sometimes we as life goes on, we don't know really the answers, and we could be experiencing something very beautiful. And I truly understand. My mother was a meticulous cook that was um of the perfectionist that she would grow away. And I understand that if it wasn't righteous, it's gotta go. My mom was stellar. She's

not WITHO list any longer. But I'm telling you she got so much. She gave so much to my hone and for order for me to give in the arena cooking. SOB please with that. I'm called. And I love what you said. You said sometimes you know, I think you know, coming up and in life, we are trying to map out every single thing, and we realized that sometimes you

have to live just to let things unfold. Absolutely absolutely, and and you speaking on and just reading someone can see that you were studying, you know, you were getting a degree in strategic business management at Michigan State, and then one day you just said, decided to say, hey, this isn't for me, so let me get this straight. I've done everything what they call aspect what you see, I didn't just go right from high school into Michigan State.

I made some detours. You see. I had a child, Um, I was I worked at the phone company, I was here. I moved to California, so in movie in California. But I was able to catch up on my education. Okay, through the route. But it didn't just I'm oh, I'm doing this, this and this. No, there was no, it was not simple the clear cut path. No, I didn't do that. No, that's not me. I didn't do that.

Within me have done in life. My past have been very um, they've been very uh what we would say, off the the off, the stray, off the main off the main site. But it's come around. It's coming, It comes around, that's what they say. You know, you just live a little longer and just experience some things and you see how all the pieces come together. Yes, yes, yes, yes, So when it came down to you and I was reading you decided to take a break, when you decided, hey,

this is not what I want to do. Uh, depending on you know, going down the business route, because I understand you were also an executive of several major companies and actually had a hand and the drive through being established at McDonald's. That's correct, that's correct, making maybee want

to believe. So how did you get to the point I can imagine McDonald's what it is today a very lucrative stand up job to say, hey, I'm walking away from this from something that possibly was unknown or possibly a seat that had been planted. It was. It was a wonderful stepping stone. The experience when I wouldn't trade it hard work, discipline and instilled um systems things that's needed what I do every day, you have to system for everything. McDonald was fabish, but I wanted. I wanted

something else in my life for me. McDonald was just ablished when I quit Mcdoaldy was. It was right after I finished the Drive Too, and I resigned because I knew there was something else and I didn't have another I didn't want another job, but there was something else because I've always thought in the back of my mind, I want my own business, and maybe this is time. And you see, I'm not a I'm an intuitive person. Sometimes my intuition is a lit long and it was off.

So some several years later, nonetheless, I knew that I wanted McDonald's was established. I wanted to establish what Barbain needed and was put here to establish speak on it. And I think that's what's so important when we talk about dreams, it's about what is your passion and are you still enough to hear it? Are you disciplined enough to see it? Are you ambitious enough to pursue it? Absolutely? Absolutely, And I would I would suggest when people talk about

all my passion is my passion is this or that? Well, passion doesn't always get us to the to the line. It's it's uh something that will motivate us. The passion doesn't take us the way the distance. Passion doesn't do that. What passion will do is it will get you started. Because when as you walk that line, you're gonna need something more than passion. You're gonna need persistence. You're gonna

need a touch of a touch of hard handedness. You're gonna need a confidence that you have to constantly cough up sometimes every morning in order to make it. You're gonna need a brashness to know that, oh we need to tell me this the whole wide world like you do it. These are the things that you have to muster up in addition to that that that cool word passion, fashion is a wonderful word, and it's a wonderful thing. It's only a start, and it's a good start, but

it will it will never take you the distance. So you found your passion and you said, hey, you're with your mom. You saw these tacos, then you decided to step away from McDonald's. I read that all you had was two thousand dollars and a vision. That's correct. What was that about? While you see when you believe, first of all, when you believe, when you know that you've come to the end of the road, the end of the road, that is the jump off for the beginning

of the real road. This is what I did. I was working on as an asset manager dog tom Hira high rise for Black Investments Company of Men for ten years, save money, quit oh nine months head of ball and spent all the money except for probably to grab And I said, okay, God, am I gonna do now? And this is the truth. So so I did my no arena. It was nine days, you know. And that ninth day I awakened at six a m. In the morning with tackles.

I said, I believe the six am January I had a space, that small space that interfer a weight was people. I wasn't planned. I had no I had basically no money, but I knew that this was what I needed to do go in that space. I sit down in the chair. I've got my two sons, and I said, now what I do. My one son was excellented plans building whatever. The other sun was there saying, you know whatever you mean. He was that they were both in school. But whatever

you need, mom, we're gonna We're here for you. And and they worked for me, and that March five comes along and I said, we're gonna open up March five one forty four in nineteen nineteen, I said, open the doors. We're not ready and will never be ready. Open the doors anyway. We open those doors. And those doors when we opened them, we were like because we were still in the developmental state. We weren't totally you know, together, and you know we had everything. You know, people have

donated compressors. I gotta we'll still two thousand dollars. Let's that's all I needed. I don't know how it has happened. I don't know how it happened. When I say don't know how, I know that I took step by step and said I'm going on anyhow. When I do it again, yeah, yeah, wow. And you know, just hearing somebody else say hey, and that one morning in January, the vision came. Then you said, wow, I got the space. So now you got the vision,

you made room for the vision. Now this is the part I think you talked about that exceeds the passion. Now what are we gonna do with it? Now? Where we get to it's called the jump. You gotta jump off. You are jump right and wrong. You gotta jump and for somebody to hear the success. And I'm sure and that's what I wanted to talk about as well, the road and to your success. One can look at it and say, well, that's easy for you to say. You know,

everything was provided for you already. It was easy, but it takes a level. No matter where you are, we no matter what platform you're standing from, you still realize the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Absolutely absolutely, And and my my background has been I work for men, and you know men, you know they got another tostof thing going where they got they got the answers and if they don't have the answers, they're like, like they've

got the answers. Well, I learned some of their some of their tricks, their tricks and white that sustained them and help them to get through. That is what one of them was, which I find to be so much a part of me. You fear, call them the defense if you have to, because fear is fear is going to be with us, and every every big step we're gonna we're gonna have this fear. Men have fear, but you never know it. M. These men, I worked for men that were strong men. When I see strong and

very very strong, I was right. I was easily right next to them, sat on the board, right next to these men in terms of more heat and working habits, work, ethic, work, presentation, work, conclusion. And one of the major things that I noticed was how they handled fear. They had fear. They crawled under defense,

whatever they had to do, but they moved along. M it's that fear, and that's what I learned what these men and I have the experience of having many many wearing many hats and being able to bring these hats to my business. I learned about insurances and business. I learned about UM. I learned about how to how to maintenance. I learned a lot of different different things. Okay, I learned how to just get through, just go on anyway they tell you know. Oh, that's okay, that's a good

that's a good answer. Knows a wonderful answer. I'll be right here tomorrow. Thank you learned. And it's interesting of how you got that perseverance coupled with that persistence, because here we are in twenty we can still compare how much a woman is getting paid by the data to a man, let alone an African American woman. And that's in now we're talking. You established your business, you opened it up on Pico In. Therefore, I'm teen years prior

to that. You are an African American woman standing in a room of how many other women? Were you usually the only one? Yes? Yes, that was always amongst men. Mhm. Talk to me about some of the things that you had to push through. That was said because I talked to people oftentimes and they're going after your dreams and like you stated before, not having it figured out. But sometimes you get in certain situations and you think that you're going to have us a support system of people

that are rooting you on. But of course, when you look different and when you're breaking a barrier, when you're doing something that's unknown in foreign people don't always take a liking to that how did you persevere opposition was tough. The positions that I held. For example, I would never get addressed by my name. I was asset management, but I never got addressed as Barbara Burrell. I was always

addressed as dear sir, dear sir. Other places, people would write me notes and then your asshole, I mean men, men predominantly men, and aren't going to be offended by the way. I was very offended, but I would never let them know it. I would go in and I said, well, I guess I'll be a there asshole the day because there I come. But every day that this chips away, it can chip away at you. It can chip away

at your confidence. And if you don't, if you don't really work and believe in yourself and every day tout yourself and say were you waking at the one and said, oh, I'm I'm great, I'm great, I can make this, I can make this, and I can do this well to be defeated because I have worked along nothing but NET made more money than NET. And the setups some of the things that happened, I mean the setup that they do, they create for you to fail. There's nothing but set

up for failure. And when they get and I've been fired five and fired, and when they get ready to fire you, they bring down a whole bunch of suits and even a set of just one suit. But for for a strong woman, they're gonna bring down suits like three and four because it's a psychological thing, okay. And of course I thought it was an honor because they did not define me. And I knew the reason, did I southe No, it wasn't necessary. I don't have time. I got other things to do. But it was. It

was a blow. It was a blow in that you have to really sit down and get in touch with yourself and say, let me figure this out. And it's about being a woman. It's about being a woman, a woman that looks different. And we're still we're still in this battle. We're in this woman inclusion battle. We're trying to break out of it. It looks like we're it looks like we're on the way, but it's a way to go. Women do not get respected. Yeah I was.

And when I worked as asi manic drivers a woman, I wore high heels and lipstick and they were like, oh, here she comes. And so I was to be men can go around and they can they can taunt and then taunt in terms of say other things to women. And it's okay when you say something to a man in terms of instructions, they're like, oh, she's a bee h. But a man he could, he could say what he wants to say to a woman. You know. So we're we've come some way, but we've kind of go a

long way. We're gonna go to distance too. We're gonna go to distance, and you know, the way society has definitely opened up doors. And I think there's a different light and a recognition for a lot of women that have dreams. But I think, or I feel, what you said was so imperative. And this goes for a lot of women that are being bold enough to go against the grain, to step in their truth to say, you know, you know, I want a business and I may want

a family too, and if not, that's okay. But what I find is so interesting with a lot of not only women but men and going to your path of success is that it can be lonely and there's a sure enough confidence in yourself that you just have to know what you know. And I just think about you and you're saying that, Hey, I'm the only one in hills and lipstick in this entire room, and probably the only one of color. H What would you say was

your inspiration or who are what kept you going? I was raised around the mother that was extremely strong, and she was much stronger than she even gave her some credit for. I watched my mother great battles. I watched her fight battle after battle, and I said to myself, I could never do this. Oh, I could never listen. This is the battle for for homeownership, you know, just just the usual living uh arena nothing nothing, you know, tremendous like buy a building or high rise. It was like, yeah,

let me fight get my home. Let me I had to get my loan from the bank. Let me fight to get my job. And civil service because I've been discriminating against discrimination was real and there was little we could do about it. Okay, she was be discriminating as a woman, an African American woman, Okay, and her abilities and my mother, I said, I watched her. I watched her with civil service, fight fight and say I'm going to keep my job. I watched my mother's study so hard.

They gave her another test and she came out number one. I watched my mother fight. And this was back in in the in the in the sixties. I watched my mother and my mother it's I didn't realize how what an important influence that was. But every day that I went to work that I had to fight this because it was it was a bash against my my personality and my confidence. Every day I went to work, I said, here, I come watch me. And every day I had to.

I had to pick myself up because by days in I would I would be so tired that when I would leave work, I'd have to pull over and breathe and say, ah, now that's not right. No one you'd have to live. No one should have to have an environment to work like that. But the environment was meant no that that. So this is what you do. This is what this is what we're gonna put you through. Can you stand? Yes? I can wrong one wrong one. So but this was from my mother. It's just from

the model I had. It's amazing of how the influence of our parents have because I like to say, just with my story and the things that I've done of just leaving Detroit, going to Howard, living in New York now living in Los Angeles, and people are like, wow, Dawn, and you know, being to the point of having a job to no car, to no job, well my but still making it happen. And just like you mirror that because I had a strong mother. I had a strong,

strong mother. I saw my mother battle cancer three times, and I didn't realize how serious it was until it was the third bout. But I'm saying, it's interesting when we talk about our pedigree and we talk about the legacy, and just like the legacy that you're leading with Sky's Taco, is that when you know what you know and that's who you are, you have no other choice but to go forward. And and you do, and you do, and as Uhria Reva says, with a Forge, wowlen't go exactly.

And it makes me think because I look over the years of just reading it, almost these past three decades, you've gotten several accolades of the amazing thing in l a Weekly, whether you're featured on Katia like countless of other television shows and news programs, and again we're like, wow, look at Sky. Yes, yes, but what I think is so interesting. And we talked about the perseverance and pushed through.

It's one thing to be fighting the outside sources. But I understand that you two had a battle with cancer. You also dealt with the loss of your son. Yet still almost thirty years later, you still have your business. But more importantly, as I sit here before you, you still seem to have a peace of mind. How is that? I'm extremely blessed. I'm extremely blessed. When I was diagnosed. Um, First of all, I I was diagnosed and kind of

an unusual way. I remember it was on Wednesday evening and I had a long I noticed my breast and I said, oh, I must be picking up these tomatoes. You know, I've been picking up too many cases of tomatoes are too heavy. And I said, well, i'll check it out later. Well, there's Wednesday. Something came into my spirit and I went to emergency on Sunday and then Monday they said come back tomorrow because you need to see a surgeon. I'm like, okay, Well, this fear or

just was like was overwhelming inside of me. And I got that fear under control, so I had They took out what they call it aspect to me uh to uh to find out its cancerous. And I didn't know what they were really gonna because I don't hear a lot of information. A lot of yeah, a lot of information can throw me too much information. So I told my sister, I said, so I'm going over, I'm gonna have a biopsy and and whatever. So that was on a Wednesday, sort of Friday. My sister's picking me up.

My mother's in the car, my other sisters in the car, and it's one's reading this book it's called Doctor Susan a lot of first book, right, and I'm saying, we're going to see the doctor. I mean, but it hasn't gone on me. That's where I had. That's how, that's how. Immediately I gone to another plane. So we got the doctor's office and the doctor said the surgeon said, uh, I'm mother sitting to my left. And he says, you

have and I said, oh, my mother was just my family. No, no, no. So I got up when I walked down and I said, thank you, thank you, I said, but I want you to know that I'm healed me And I walked out of there and I sat down and I thought to myself, what what is this all me? So fortunately had your family and right there with me and my sons were right there at the business. And so I wasn't worried about people say you have to close the business. Said no, I don't. I've got sons. I've got sons that are

interested and that I have my best interests. And I believed the interests of the business at heart. They took they did take over. There was no issue. There was no issue. It was support that chemotherapy all gone through the whole thing um radiation but not but and and I believed at every step that I was field, not not in remission. I don't believe nor mission. It saves nine percent and that's nothing to me. A hundred percent and give it all to me. But that's what was

my belief. And fortunately, you know, I was able to go widely after chemo therapy two days after and start waking out because I wanted to be strong. Wow, I was very, very very weak. I was very weak. I was very old. Because it will do that to you. The disease will ravish, it will do that, it will make you weak, it will make you old before your time. And I was able to have a wonderful trainer who was like my angel fabulously walked in one day in

walking the skies. I was sitting in the back as I was hiding, and I said, Scott, I says, I'm just going to try to work out, Mrs I'm a trainer. And I said, well, you know, really I love to. I said, you will tell me how much does it cost? He's all worked that out, he was my angel. I could not afford it, and he did not charge. And I will always always be so thankful because I worked out for not one year, two years, three years. I mean I I started returning to Barbara and and I

was just really tremendously blessed. And again my troven knew there to support my families, there to support me tremendously blessed. I find that so amazing how we can find ourselves in certain situations and be in the space of not knowing how, but God shows up and sends those angels and the people that we need. And the thing that is required is just to have faith, oh yeah, of little faith, and just walk it out and walk it out. You don't have to worry about tomorrow. Can we just

walk it out? And if we can learn this with everything, oh my God, our lives would be so much richer, and it would be so we'd be so much healthier. We worry about things that may never come to pass. If we can just walk this day out, that's that's what the truth that I had to come to one step in front of the other, one step, just one step,

Ye'll take two, which is one I um. I tried to relieve myself of that sometimes because you get so caught up in the long house instead of figuring out the right now and it's like, it's just right now and it's It just reminded me of you just saying one step even in your in your when you were speaking and you said not but but and because and allows a plus and it's more, but is a stop a restriction, And I feel that's what happens, what comes

with stress. You're trying to control, you're trying to stop. But like you said, just walk it out. There's a free forming feeling and it's a piece. Yes, yes, if we could just take it day at a time. And I mean I've been faced with, uh, that lesson over and over again, because that's how really lesson that can be our monthly of course, it just you just don't accept and so I'm gonna walk this out here. I

am everybody in walking now. Now you while you're walking it out, you're working it out in your head to try to walk it out. And then after you know, come on, now we're real, We're really we're human beings and we're real people. We got roads of thoughts going through. Or when I say walk it out, it's it's it's walking out in terms of turning it over to to whomever your power is and my power is gone. And if you could turn over and just say, when you know,

give us this day, and there's so much truth. If if in the world, work in the world of relationships, in the world of spouses, because you can't see when you're trying that you've got the rain so tight. Oh come on, say it again. You can't see when you got the rain so tight not to see. But if you let let go, act like it's a bar stap in your handle and see what happens, it's wetting, keep you handle, it will work out. And I still I still have to go through that this day. But it's

just not an automatic. Nothing is automatic. You have to work at it every day. If it's your business, if it's your marriage, if it's your everything. Do you work out every day and people don't think that maybe they're working at it, but you're either working out it, you're doing nothing. Okay, choice And if we think about it, we're here to live. You don't stop living until you're dead. So why are you stopping now? It's most people think about life. We're here to We're here to make an

impact through change, through through role model, through empowerment, to encouragement. Uh. If it's the people we see on the street, how are you doing the day with a smile, But they can look at me with that smile and it means so much. And not because you're needing, but because you're human. Because it's spirit to spirit. Hello, the spirit to spirit and it's kind of like that energy source that you just allow it to flow. Whether it's you know, like

you're talking about having that faith with the business. All you have to do is see it. All you have to do see it and know that every day that you put in, every day that you put in, it's your it's your bank, it's your bank. And listen to this.

You made me smile because there's something I talked about with my platform I always coined myself as the life bank account expert, and I say that because I charge and I challenge people to think, what kind of deposits versus liabilities are you putting in your life bank account? Because in this account you are your greatest asset. The value whether you're reading, whether you're resting, whether you're working out,

whether you're eating right, those are deposits. But just like anything that has a positive and a negative, you understand that there is a bentalance with that. So there is some take. Maybe there is some sacrifice, maybe there is some bumping your head learning a lesson, but like you said, having that grace and walking it out, working it through and having that forgiveness. Let's talk about that a little bit more. Um here you are you started the business,

like I said before this to twenty eight year. I mean, I'm sure tons of people that are listening right now or like that's the time I've been on this earth. That's a huge accomplished man. Grew up, go to college, Finnish college. In their careers kids at eight beans that were so hot, you know, and little Johnny middle Johnny's uh, you know, as an adult married when we think we're doing me meal worth understand that nothing is menal when we put purpose to it. Or why I don't care

what you don't give your janitor, I don't care. So we clean it. I can we clean our homes when we go in with intecht and purpose. Well, when it's done, it feels so good, it looks good. Same basic premise. That's everything you're in life, same basic premise. What is the what is why? They say your wire is what's gonna wake you up, Your wi is what's going to keep you pushing. That's it. As a gentleman, his name is Eric Thomas, who happens to be from Detroit as well.

He cause him off et. He says, he's he coins it as your dream. But let's just say if it's your why, you have to want your why, your dream as bad as you want to breathe, because you realize it's beyond you. Like you said, when you had this vision, it was beyond the comprehension of this realm of understanding how it was to be. You knew your assignment. I did, I did, I did. And what's interesting when we know

on our assignment. Sometimes we can start on one path, but I promise you whatever your assignment is, it's somehow in life. It's gonna drag you to that place. Like it's life. It is an interesting thing. It's like we think we have to know. I already get to come. I don't know what fools be doing. I tell someone, I tell them pick something, pick something that you like, and do it. It's okay because if it's not right, it will take you on to whatever you're assignment is.

They'll take you on, but you have to pick something. You gotta stick with it long enough. And even if you veer off, and whatever mistakes we make, if you believe, I believe in my heart that you do have an assignment and everyone here has a purpose, it's gonna show a face. It's gon show up. Sometimes when it shows up, you won't even know it. You're like, oh, oh, I mean come, I started doing tacos and I knew, we

didn't know this was really my assignment. I knew of having a business, wasn't I mean, I was on the grill. And you know, it's just been no sweet picnic. In other words, it's been a prooful. But I've worked it from the growing up. A matter of fact, it hasn't been that long since I got off the grill that long, but I'm not ashamed of saying I get on it again.

So so sometimes you don't even know, but all of a sudden, one day you'll awaken it's like, Wow, this is This couldn't have lasted had it not been much bigger then test me. Usually I assigned me so much bigger than wow. And I feel like even when you say that, that's how it comes back and it keeps giving because there's a surplus and an overflow, And when you talked about your why and talking about how it's bigger, I can't help but think about how you've built your

business where your employees are basically like family. My employees are very important to me. My employees are they are part of me, and that blooth have been brought me a long time. First of all, I've taken the time first the trainer. I'm a teacher. I trade, okay, I I I criticize, but I'm gonna bood you. I'm gonna I criticize you and I'm talking. I'm a taskmaster and I and I do that first, I want to see how tough you are, dis whmember I come out of

the world. I caught her. And it's not about um. It's not about being um, being ugly. It's about getting to the point, getting to the point of what you need in your business and making this picture for them so they can see what this picture is about. Once you defy and stop telling them, your employees and the people that you work with very closely, what your goal is, what the vision is, then they don't know why they're working.

You have no idea, okay, But in telling them, training them, encouraging them, finding out what what is their loves Sometimes you know, I've got one person looking for over twenty years anstag actually is the greatest food designer and you ever want to run into who would have known? But I let her have it. I let her have encouraged you go to school, do what you have to do what you need to do. I don't want you just

to be able to work for sguise. I want you to be able to go out there work for yourself. Because I get nothing, get nothing. If you don't vote, the world gets nothing, the community gets nothing unless you go up. That's my truth intention and again, task Master, But I'll tell you, but I'll tell you. But you'll learn. You'll learn, and you will understand that this has to be carried over. You will take this home with you. You will take this to your children, to your family.

You will take this to your employees. Did you start a business business? I um? I was on a panel a couple of years ago, and after the panels over, I met someone who's came up and she said, you don't remember me? And I said, he'll remember you. Oh I don't. And she said, I am so and so And I said, she decarted to work for you, and she said wow. She said you were tough. She said, but she taught me so much. And I want to tell you thank you. I'm like, oh God, that touches

my heart. That touches my heart. That and and she's a professional woman. She's gonna stop. She's a stockbroker, professional woman. If she wasn't a professional woman, she's doing what she's doing. But she came up to say to me, thank you. Why do I mentor why do I stay in this business? Because there's people like her, You're going to benefit And that's what we're here for. We're here to teach, We're here, we're here to share. We're here toa We're gonna go

through the troubles. So what you do with us? And it's no wonder like why your your establishment has been so f fruitful not only am Marina del Ray, but where I am right now here in mid city because of what you have given to the community and how the community has nourished and how it serves everyone in the community. I was reading how you said, listen, this is not a Mexican so food fusion and in fact maybe you cringe with that, and you said, because there's

a piece that it fits for everyone. Why is it so important to be in the community for so long? As well as serving the various aspects of the community. Part of community we have to understand and encompasses each and every one of us. We all have long we

all have our path and community. Some volunteer, some open businesses now when we open the business or you're there for profit, but also you're there to serve because there are people along the way that now on do we meet, but we we hear, we hear about that have losses and how can we serve this person? I mean, people have been so good to me in my life. I can do nothing but share and deal. But community can come. It's a many, it's within a person. Community is part

of having a business that has integrity. Community is part of the person that are part of any person that stands for citizenship within as a whole, as part of the goal. Skies I believe represents these things because it's important that it's important that Skies have the integrity support. It's important Skies serves. That's therefore uh human human kind and we care. That's community and it's us coming together.

And now tell me if I have the incorrect information prior to actually opening up in a store, was skies? Did it start off as a truck? Were you solely on a truck at first? No, I started out nine negatitude. Again, the truck came along in two thousands him the truck was truck was a wonderful line. The truck is another uh facet our business. It was the facet that I found to be interesting. We did well, We did well with weddings and different events, but it was not my direction.

It's not the direction I wish to go. So we sold with truck a couple of years ago. And again it's it takes another takes another facet of business two truck okay, and we had that experience and it was finished. And I love that. I just and I think that's just another part of your story that I appreciate because when you talk about, you know, breaking barriers, when you're talking about being a pioneer and trailblazing and leading the way, you realize too about how many chances that you have

to take. And sometimes it's just learning, like you said before, ways of not doing something and once we ease the pressure on ourselves, allowing us to live. I'm wondering, from your perspective and your experience, what would you say is one of the most valuable experiences that you've learned being a restaurant for Newer one of the most valuable experiences I've learned. My God's been so maybe through the years, I think, but one is the people understanding how people

that's our that's our resource. Lot of us confunction about being able to ban, being able to uphold one another, uh to share with one another, to understand the the life experiences and one another justice what we're experiencing. Something now with the we've had the protests, because the pandemic, we're all learning something new about one another, and all of it isn't bad. Some good things happening. And I think that the experience in my wary it's a bit

about people sharing experiences both ways given tape. That's that's perfectly and it's the magical part of life. It's it's a gift that keeps on giving because with one person may not have someone else. And like you said, working with that overflow, reaching out, that's how we all become better as one. And I just think when I think of Sky's tackos, I just think of um. I just think of just being limitless, because you know, we score

in the sky and we fly. And just speaking with you and just seeing how many firsts you've done, how you've taken your intellect, your your ability to not only stand in a room but to command your room, and how eloquent you speak, and how much of a boss you are, and just to be an African American woman.

I sit here and I'm thinking all the news with Kamala Heris and what that can mean for someone such as yourself that has pioneered and creative even vegan menus and l a right, right, right, right right, Vegan menus in l A wow that was. That was a tough one for me because I'm not. I wish I was a vegan night, but I'm not. That's okay, that's okay, um delicious, delicious fair. So what we did is my son and I, Victor and I, we went looking for this vegan fair. He says, you know, mom, we gotta do.

There was not my idea. It was not my idea. It was Victor's idea. Who was the president of my son. He says, let'sen look look for let's let's go vegan. This is important. This is uh, this is an important part, and that there are a lot of v nice people are not embraced them embracing. Then I said, okay. So we went around tasting food, vegan food. It was horrible. And when I said horrible, it was horrible. It was like I'm like, for real, So I really have to

go through this And he says yeah. He says, but remember it doesn't they're taste. It tastes like this because this is what they know. What do we know? So we come back to skies and we're looking at it with another attractiveness. Let's make this food attractive in taste and let's make it where people haven't had this, this soul flair. You know, vegan food is like plant based and now one Okay, let's let's let's pice it up. Let's put some skies seasoning in here. Let's let's put

it on. You can put on another grill. We'll make everybody happy. And let's know that we're Are you talking about vegan meat, because in my head I was like, you mean eight now no, Now you've got talking mushrooms. You've got your new red potatoes. You know, we've got um, You've got some good stuff going on here. Okay, it's not about tofu. I mean I hate it too before I love to tofu. It's like, glad, let's do this. We put our season in there, you know, shell dipper shell,

all the world go around. And let me tell you something. We am one of the best vegan menus movie because it's not your gland source. It is a delicious vegan taste. It's just not your usual you know. Oh well it's vegan, so it's supposed to be good for us. It tastes good, cool, it supposed to be about it. So that's our actually vegan I love that. And in true story I actually tried to before our interview. I wanted to get, you know, refreshed on how delicious the tackles were, but we didn't

have enough time. By the time, it was just it was so crowded, of course, and I couldn't get it. But I definitely will be in there to tell the good folks how amazing that is, because when you see someone such as yourself that first of all, you got the Midwest and we just we have that flair, we have that season of how we cook and how we do what we do. And then to see how you merged it over here, like I can't wait to tell everybody about it, and I'm so proud, um to be

living in the community where you have flourished. Like I could walk to your restaurant from where I am. Thank you, thank you, thank you, And I just couldn't help but to wonder, um, you know, just the thoughtfulness in the process where it came when you were developing your menus. What were these recipes from your mother? Part of it? But most of all, let me talk about the vegan menue, the vegan venue. I was confused because I understood, I understand all that plant based I read all about it.

But you see when you try to marry the pallet with Serri on paper, you're like, is not this is not driving. So you have to pick up what you read on paper. What you're gonna do with this plant based school? This? I read it, and then what you're gonna do is you're gonna say, now, let me interpret it in terms of my own creativity. And that's what we did. So so um and I keep going up the vegan because I gain I was not I didn't. I love to go. Yeah, colet Skies, it's good. So

what's next for Skuys? What do you see Skyes Tacos in the next ten years? Got long? I'm impressed. I'm impressed. Um. The next the next move for Skies is um Skyes University and we're opening up next week. Yah, so tell us about skys University. Sky University. It's see yeah, it's pick up delivery strictly, it's um Skies warming Tacos Okay, and uh, we're exciting about it. It's it will it's basically in the delivery. It will service the downtown area

to a sea area over in that area exposition. So again we're excited because we have not penetrated that area, they have not had the skies experience. Again, we're excited about that. And then of course we've got the sauces, our sauce you can seasoning that are coming out. They're gonna be on amazonal Foods a bit. And that's right, that's right. We're talking about the reason it's not not ours because the plant because of the pandemic, the plant

shut down, whatever is the work, they're delayed. But it's okay, there's no delay. There's always the right time. Okay. So there's that will be out probably for the month, hopefully within a couple of months or less or less. And then we have, of course we're gonna start shipping our wonderful cheesecakes that will start week okay, and that will

include our playing pineapple caramel bunge for mango. But maybe you want something a little different, you know, give us a ring, won't will work at it will have it right for you. And then of course you have the so fine, what the stadium, because that's excited. The stadium is coming up for us. That's seal deal. Wow. The uh yeah, that would be able the next year or so. And again that's Uh, that's the real deal. It's a nice beautiful space. It's going to be. Um, it's gonna

be a little bit more upscale. It's gonna be okay, it will be okay. Then we are have the Westfield West built a panga. We're going in there and that's in a year and half. That's a sealed deal. So and then but seven this is a year year to half so far as a year. Um Westfields a year and a half. So we really don't know what's gonna happen between them, because you know, we we we're on

the move. We're the team that's on the move. So we don't know what we're gonna pick up in between we all we're you know what we know that we know our movement is with us, the movement, Okay, it's with us. That's where we're going and that's where this is where we are again next week University City scott

University's we're excited about it. We're excited because it gives jobs, I mean jobs going on you know, jobs right and like you said, like, um, it could be a year or a year and a half from now, but like you said, walking out walking and fuck it out, walking out and person, it's like I'm a right now, right now, it is right now, m because whatever we're walking out,

it's right now. So right now we're excited to hear you speak, you know, just learning more about the success of your business and what you've done, but also you fed my soul, you felt my spirit of just the perseverance, the mindset, the know how, your empathetic approach to want to give back. You know. It's it's this one pope that I've heard a couple of years ago when working with Lisa Nichols, and it's all about lifting while we climb.

And I see your climb as just everything that you've announced. Mind you, we're in the middle of a pandemic and you have these praise reports the blessing. The blessing pays off, and it pays off at the most unusual time. What has come into our world, the black swat the event that we could never ever ever preap Dick, it has been a blessing. Oh prayers are God knows for those that have longed there longed, Oh my God, just with

my heart. We have to understand that the circle is still there, circle of blessing, and and it it does not. It doesn't ear mark a time that we think it should be. It ear marks the time that he thinks that you'd do well. Okay, And what had a perfect time is that that's right now, that's right now. This is what we're walking through right now. I had to raise my hands. I wanted to show me because everything is about it right now. How are you feeling right now?

Does it drive you? And like you said, talking about your intuition, what did your guts say? My gut said when this first, this pandemic first hit, and wasn't market draw market kempt. I was like, what, Oh my god, you know because because that's the first reaction that we're customed we're accustomed to that that we're running in on it's okay, Like, oh what's good? And I said and something a piece came over me, So it still will be okay. You'body to try over laying off people. And

I said that, I said, don't don't anybody move. We're okay, we're okay. And I not only trust at some point you know that you know what what you say. Don't that you know that there is no laws okay, because if there's a detour it's gonna come around to the right space. There's no laws, there's no there's no failure. We're's no failure. There's are stepping stone to your success. Someone walks out to I said, and it was a perfect time for me to get some rest. I was exhausted,

probably all exhausted, and all got was re rest. We're we're being moved, happing new we we can we can come on and ready to do a new thing. Things will never say they will never be the same. They're not supposed to be the same. They're gonna be better. This is a time when people can we think their lives, we think they're their avenues and which they're taking. We define themselves. This is the time we got time reset

rab a job okay then, which is real? Wow. Well, I want to thank you so much for for your time, for your intelligence, thank you for your wisdom, but more so for your presence, for not only what you've given in this interview, but also what you've done not only for our community, but what you are doing abroad because because of you, somebody's doing what they're doing because of you.

There's another woman that's sending their making big deals and meager corporations in a field that's predominantly ran by man because of you. Thank you, thank you. I'm think, I'm I'm honored because when it comes down to the why, yes, yes, yes, Sky's Tacos is where it's at. So thank you, and I hope that for you that's listening to understand the

importance of just walking it out. Well, that's it for your dose of Vitamin D. Thank you, miss Barbara Jeans sky Brill for joining me and telling us about what it took to establish to persevere, Persevere and the rise of Skies Gourmet Tacos. Now, I want to ask you before we officially close out, tell us where your locations are if someone's in the California area, and where they

can check you out. The next city Tacos that fifty three three West called Boulevard, and that's Los Angeles phone numbers three three nine, three, two six, two five three, And of course you can check us out Skies Tacos dot com or Skies blomet Tacos to Tease dot com, uh at a well dot com. So we're also at the Britao City Club forty three thirty three Admiral two way, Sweet one Skyscourmet market Place four to four, three five,

three zero two nine two. Okay, all these tellicboo numbers, Okay, you know how you do it all your fingers and that that's nothing right. Anyways, We're open daily from seven am until ten eleven on the weekends and we'd love to see you. Thank you, and I'm telling you from Dawn Dave myself. Skies gourmet tacos are truly get delight. It speaks to your palette and touches yourself. Thank you so very much for joining at to that. It was so nice to sit down and talk with fire from

us too many West girls. I just felt like were connected that way you do with an aunt or like an older sister. So much wisdom just going between us. I want you all to reach out to me in fact and tell me what you think. Is there anything getting away of your dreams? Just like Barbara said, you don't have to figure it out. Sometimes you just gotta walk it out day by day. But nevertheless, I want to hear from you. How are you going to get over that fear that keeps you from getting what you wanted?

Is there anything you feel looking back that you want and you want to go back and try and get it. Let us know email Vitamin D at Dawn day Speaks dot com. That's Vitamin D at Dawn day Speaks dot com. If you want to find Sky's Gourmet Tackos, you can check out their Peko location at fifty three oh three West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles and they're Marina del Ray location at forty three thirty three add multi Way. You can also follow them on social media at Sky's Tacos.

As always, you can catch us where you get your podcasts every Monday with more inspiring conversations and insights. If you're looking to get even more Vitamin D in your life, you can also follow me at Dawn day Speaks on all social media. That's Dawn d a I speaks on all social media. Well that's it for your dost Survitamin D until next time. Always remember you are your greatest days I had