When Personal Experience Turns Into a Passion for Change

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Welcome, you've stepped into a protected space for Black women founders to think, build, and breathe.
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A dedicated space for those of us carrying brilliance and the challenges that come with it.
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Here, we honor your time, your growth, and your unique journey.
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So if you're navigating to year five and beyond, hey sis, you're in the right place.
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These conversations offer insight, relief, and honest perspective.
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I'm Lynette Catrill, and this is the Empower Her Business Podcast, where we talk mindset, money, and thriving.
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Let's get right into another great episode.
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Okay, welcome everyone to another episode of the Empower Her Business Podcast, where we support black women entrepreneurs working through those crucial first five years of business so that they can thrive and survive past that period in business.
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And today we have with us another wonderful Black woman entrepreneur building a great business, and I'm excited to bring her to you today.
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We're diving into a conversation about something that we don't talk about often enough: the emotional, financial, and even spiritual weight of housing.
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And if you're building a business in your first five years, you already know stability is not an option, it's oxygen.
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So let me introduce you to LP.
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She's the founder of a great app, House Store.
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This app brings transparency, safety, and truth to the rental experience.
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She's an advocate for fair housing and a champion for community-driven storytelling.
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Her mission is to empower renters with comprehensive insights into housing history, fostering trust and confidence in the rental market.
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So let's get into it.
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So, LP, for those, meeting you for the first time, tell us who you are behind the title, the woman before the CDR.
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Yeah, I would say the way that I describe myself is, you know, I'm an advocate for people.
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Um I've always been in people-centered roles.
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Um, whether my title was, you know, director of HR or recruiter or community advocate, I've always put people at the center of everything that I was doing.
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My professional career is marked by over a decade in strategic human resources roles.
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Um, and this has been a dramatic pivot from working in HR to now transitioning to um managing and starting up my own company.
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Got it.
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Wonderful, beautiful.
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Well, take us to that moment, Yelp, when you realize I have to feel this.
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What problem was it that you absolutely was not going to tolerate?
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Um, so there's a couple of problems I decided I wasn't gonna tolerate.
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And there's like different moments in my career in my life where I was faced with something and I I had to make a decision whether I was gonna lean into it or whether I was going to shy away from it.
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And back in 2012, I was fresh out of college.
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I was managing a quarter million dollar nonprofit program for At-Risk Elementary Youth in Brooklyn.
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And I was moving out of my parents' home near Long Island and trying to find a place in Brooklyn.
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And I was faced with all these issues where I'd talk to someone on the phone and they would love me, and the second I walked in, they're like, Your credit must be bad.
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You're not gonna be a good fit here.
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I'm like, what do you mean?
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I'm from New York.
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Why wouldn't I be a good fit here?
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Um, or what do you mean I walked in my credit bad?
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Like, did you run my credit?
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No.
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Like what in what possible factors?
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And it was just faced with this time and time again.
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Um, and then at the same time, I was working with a student population that was deemed at risk, which meant that they were at or below the poverty line.
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Um, and they had several different systemic factors that um would be indicators that they would continue to be at or below the poverty line.
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And so one of the things I did as a nonprofit program director was try to find an alignment between how do I have them um learn how to be self-sustaining.
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Because there's one thing where a lot of these programs come in and they're like, look at all these services we provide for you.
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Um sort of like the savior complex.
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And I wanted to say, like, I want you guys to save yourself.
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So we partnered with the local community garden to have my older students um plant fruits and vegetables and then take those fruits and vegetables, bring them back into the classroom.
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Um we used toaster ovens, which were like$40 or$50, um, and had them learn how to make their own takis, which is a snack that they love.
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So it was very much farm to table, but it was them using their community resources to build something that they liked with the spices that they liked in a device that if you have to move from home to home for whatever reason, you can use a toaster oven pretty much anywhere.
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And learning how to be innovative with that.
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Um and then taking those skills um that's not only met the requirement of being STEM, but also met the requirement of how do you sell how do you build self-sustaining practices and getting them to think about, okay, well, this is in my community.
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So how do I find other things in my community I can build?
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And um anyway, throughout my career, I kept having instances where it just the idea of house re keep coming back to me, where I would work in an organization and I start to see the breakdown in their values of a communication, and I was like, this isn't the place that I want to work, it doesn't feel great when I come in.
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Everyone's telling me everything's great, yet people are crying at their desk.
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Right?
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Or leadership says, uh, these are our guiding principles, these are our guiding values, and then them going against their values when it's convenient because that person's a really great hire.
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And we can bring them in, and it's fine if this person's harassing people, you know.
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Um obviously never in those words.
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Right, exactly.
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And I remember there were several moments, um, like when I was working in the district attorney's office, I was having this candid conversation with a vendor, um, we were set up and we're recruiting, and she said to me, She's like, This seems like this isn't your calling.
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What you're talking about is your calling.
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And I said, Yeah, okay, thanks.
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And it kept happening in my career.
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And was one day I was on a plane coming back from a leadership development conference, and the messaging that they were telling me was that where I was wasn't doing me any favors, and I needed to trust myself because I had so many skills and they can see it.
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And they were like, We would be so excited to work with you, you need to get out where you are.
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And that's when I thought about House 3 again, and I said, Well, I don't know how to move forward.
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And I said, Why not make it a map?
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Accessibility, right?
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And um, and then 2024 happened where I was officially laid off from that role, and I think that was another sign.
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It was right before I got married, it was about two and a half weeks before my wedding.
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And that's when it really hit home when I was like, I'm leaning into myself.
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Like I'm getting married, we're starting a new chapter of my life, I need to move into this.
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Um, and then it was in February of 2025 that I officially filed um for an LLC and finally made house three.
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Got it.
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A business.
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And it was just like there's so many points in my career where I was pushed to do this.
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And anytime I said no, something happened in my career, that was like, well, see, this is what happens when we don't listen to the universe.
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Right, right.
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That's it right there.
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I love that you um shared that journey with us because a lot of us uh entrepreneurs, we go through those journeys, right?
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It's not a one-minute decision, you know, instant decision, oh, I'm gonna go do do this.
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It's usually an experience, a journey.
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It's something that keeps popping up, you know, whispering to us as we go through life.
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And you um beautifully illustrated how you just kept getting a nubbed about, oh, this doesn't feel right.
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I don't like this.
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Let me put something in place to change this.
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I don't like this, let me leave this situation, right?
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I don't like this, and then even people telling you, right?
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Because that's one of the things too.
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Other people can see it for us too.
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So I love how you took us on that journey of how you really got to actually launching your app for half story.
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I think it's really telling too because it's sometimes it's also a negative experience that pushed you towards it.
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So I was in a situation um at a place I was working where I had it was so much bullying going on, bullying from the top throughout their entire organization.
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And the biggest piece of it was this rumor that I was gonna start my own consulting firm.
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And when the rumor got to me, I said, What?
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I was like, I I'm in school.
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I'm planning a wedding.
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What do you mean I'm starting an HR consulting firm?
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And it was funny because it was based on these stereotypes that um I feel like often if you're part of several marginalized identities, expressing myself, I'm a black uh woman with Caribbean roots, I'm queer.
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And oftentimes when they hear all these differentiators, they want to put you in a box.
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And so they just made all these assumptions about me, and then they would start these rumors, and I'd have executives come to me and be like, So, you want to start your own HR consulting business?
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And they would say it to me as if they were scared.
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Like, I was like, I don't understand why, like, why this is happening.
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And I kept getting it and getting it.
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And I was like, well, clearly, besides the bullying, which is like a toxic culture, but there was an element to what they were saying that I was like, if you're seeing this, someone that doesn't respect me, right, as an individual and they just see me as a walking stereotype, if they're telling me these things, there must be something because even even the the ops see it.
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Even they see it.
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And so I think that the, you know, I I'm not necessarily like a spiritual person, but there are moments where there's just like the universe is gonna tell you whether you want to hear it or not.
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It's gonna tell you your friends are gonna tell you, your family's gonna tell you, the people that don't like you or respect you are gonna see it and they're gonna tell you, and everybody's gonna tell you until you wake up and realize.
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Uh-huh.
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Yes, I like to say I hope I heard Oprah say one time, you get whispers and it gets louder and louder and louder until you can't help but pay attention to it, right?
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Wonderful.
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So we know that housing is one of the biggest stability markers for new entrepreneurs, especially.
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How does half story shift the power back to renters?
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Yeah.
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So I um I tell people I I have a lot of hot takes.
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Um that's like the you know, Gen Z fun way of saying, you know, controversial topic.
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But when I tell people my hot takes are, they're like, LP, that's not really a hot take, that's just a normal observation for somebody that's not sipping a Kool-Aid, you know.
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Um and one of my observations that I made is that um lack of information um leads to control.
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Lack of information leads to destruction.
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Um, lack of information is a tool of the larger, what do you whatever want to call it?
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Patriarchy, white supremacy, some sort of overarching belief that somebody else needs to control an entire group of people.
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And when I'm looking at my history, my legacy, my ancestors, and finding out when they find out information how far they took it and how far they went, um, I notice that there's knowledge and power.
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So my platform uh is currently in a div the design um phase, and we plan on launching um our beta sometime late January.
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Once it's out, the goal is really to get people engaged with it and for them to understand that all the resources are there.
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We're bringing all that information in a centralized way that makes it easy to understand, especially if you're emotionally dysregulated because you're going through not only working 40, 50, 60 hours a week, but dealing with any sort of housing issue or trying to find housing, the goal is to have house story be a tool to be really like an ally to folks to give them the information they need to make informed decisions.
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So whereas if you go down the rabbit hole and Google or Reddit, you're not gonna be able to make an informed decision, whereas House 3 is gonna bring all that context to the forefront so that way you can feel more confident about saying yes or no, or at least give you some tools to negotiate um, you know, with your situation.
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Got it.
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So how would House Story be different?
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Because I think that's very important for people to know, oh, I can just Google about this certain place and get the information I need, or like you said, read it, or you know, just search on the internet and find out about this place.
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How would House Story um be different?
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Yeah, so I think the biggest thing with House Story is um, so if you imagine this, right, like so the renters I talked to are renting in the DMB area, which is uh DC, Maryland, Virginia, particularly Baltimore, and the NYC area, which is like New York City and like neighboring uh New Jersey and Connecticut, um, the biggest thing they say is that they asked me that and I asked them, okay, have you done that?
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And they said, Yes, did you get the information you need?
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They say no.
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Why?
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It's not succinct, right?
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It's not succinct.
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And the decision, especially in New York, when you have to like, there's like 50 other people apply for this place, you're in that space.
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Do you really have the tool to sit there and Google for five hours when you got a job to go to, when you have kids to be, when you have to like like even take time for yourself?
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The goal is house three is just bringing all that information to you, including stuff that cops in Google and working alongside these different tools to filter out the nonsense that you don't need to know.
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Um, the goal is to have verified reviews on the app and not just AI bots being like this place is great.
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Right so that you have to filter through on Google.
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It's um it's being designed to really pull the information that people need to know.
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What's the rent price?
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What is it listed as?
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I've rented a place before that I saw three or four different price ranges that it was listed as.
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Um and it's like, is it 1900 a month?
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Is it 2200 a month?
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Because I'm telling you that$300.
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Makes a big difference.
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Makes a big difference.
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Another thing that you don't find out is what's the uh what cable am I supposed to get?
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Because there's certain areas you can only get certain cable, and what if you know, what if you have preferences?
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Um, then it's like, uh does my phone work in this neighborhood?
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Does my phone work in that neighborhood?
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Or what I find most important, I'm gonna know about the history of the place.
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This apartment looks great, this neighborhood looks great, but is it safe for me to walk around?
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Um, what is the cultural history or heritage here?
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And then the most important thing when we think about the impacts of gentrification, how can I contribute to this community in a meaningful way?
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What local mom and pop shops are here do I need to support?
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What should I be made aware of?
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Because I'd rather my dollars stay in this neighborhood in this community than for me to have another box chain movement and you know further displace the population, especially the small business owners in a particular area.
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Got it, got it.
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That's remarkable.
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So what you offer with your app is more of not you offer a information about the community, plus you offer the detailed information that the individual really wants to know.
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Like I really want to know, like you said, um what what cable is there in this area?
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I really want to know um if I'm moving into this area and I don't have a lot of time to make a decision because the the availability is limited, where can I go to get the most information that really matters to me and I don't have to spend hours getting it, right?
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Mm-hmm.
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Absolutely.
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That is the biggest thing.
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Yeah, you answer a lot of key questions that I think most people looking for housing feel like they can't find the answer to it, right?
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They think, um, okay, I can I can find now the size of this place, the location, how maybe how close it is to where I work.
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But that's pretty much it, right?
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Yeah, I mean it's really not succinct in that way.
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Um the the crazy thing is is um so you know, throughout my career I got so I'm you know, I also don't want to say that like I think that I it's good that I'm doing house three now, is that if I did it ten years ago, it probably wouldn't have had been built with as much intentionality.
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Um, because you learn things.
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I mean just experience, I have experience.
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You get life teaches you and you have to take those lessons and apply them.
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When I was working at the DA's office, and I was always that that person that asked a lot of questions, I'm always curious.
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Um I found out later it's because I have ADHD, which is like driving force behind a lot of it.
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But um, I would find out when I worked at the district attorney's office that um there's something called the complaint room where there's any sort of complaints come in um before they leave to the court system.
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And I noticed that certain names kept popping up, and I was like, well, that's interesting that I see this company thing pop up here as a complaint, but where is that information otherwise, anywhere else?
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And the information and the response that I would get from people is that, well, this is open, so people can find it.
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And I was like, But how do they know to look here?
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How would they know to look here?
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Because if I ask more neurotypical people, I'm like, oh, are you gonna search the um Bronx County like, you know, uh complaint room, uh, you know, cases that come in or any of the sort of open cases, like most people would say no, unless they're doing a background check on hiring somebody or you know, looking up information before they agree to date some guy, right?
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So but they typically don't look at that stuff or like housing to see how names keep getting popped up.
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And that's something that people don't realize is that, and or even, you know, we've had a couple of um, you know, disasters hit New York City and Baltimore.
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Um, people don't look at the FEMA data that comes in or any of the environmental data that comes in that could affect it.
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If you find out that the area that you have is at risk of flooding and you move in, um then you find out that there's mold there, and it's like, why is it mold?
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Because there's more moisture in the in the area, and you have kids that have asthma.
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Like, so there's so many different factors, but they're in a million and one different places.
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And like, how do you bring that?
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Ah, I love that.
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So you, with your half story app, you're bringing all those elements together so you're a one-stop place that a renter, perspective renter, can go to and ask all these questions.
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That's beautiful.
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So I'm sure you've heard a lot of renter stories, and I'm sure you've had your own too.
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But which one sits with you?
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Which one made you think um this is a big issue?
00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:39.200
So the stories all have similar themes, and and um a lot of them and the the the thread between it it hits on privilege a lot of times.
00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:45.840
Um but I would say the story that hit the hardest, um, that opened my eyes, uh, was really an experience that I had.
00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:55.759
And I didn't fully understand my experience, I think, until recently, when I started looking back through my emails, through my photos and researching um my own story to tell people exactly what happened to me, that I realized how bad it was.
00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:58.879
Yeah because when you're going through it sometimes, you don't fully grasp it.
00:13:59.039 --> 00:13:59.200
Right.
00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:15.440
And so um my own story was um, you know, as I was looking for a place in Brooklyn, I um, you know, I kept hitting the wall with um these people that, you know, they'd love me on the phone, walk in, they didn't want to rent to me, that they had questions about um, you know, my ability to pay rent all of a sudden as soon as they saw my face.
00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:20.720
Um or I'd walk in, I said it's a private one bedroom, and it's just a couch with a curtain, and I can't use the front door for$900 a month.
00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.679
And I'm like, okay, first of all, and you're in the middle of nowhere.
00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:25.759
Excuse me, no thank you.
00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:32.559
Um and um I got set up, and so I I walked into a realty um office and I said I looked at this is my budget, this is what I'm looking for.
00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:37.120
So I told her, my budget's$1,200 a month, uh private one bedroom, um looking in Brooklyn.
00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:40.159
And the real estate person I was working with was like, Great, I have a place for you.
00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:42.960
She showed it to me and I said, It wasn't great, and I was like, fine, this is cool course.
00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:45.519
She said, I need first security and broker fee.
00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:46.960
So I go empty my savings.
00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:48.480
Uh remember, I'm 22 years old, I don't have money.
00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:50.159
So I empty my savings is what I got.
00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.120
And I give her the money, I give her the cash, hand it over to her.
00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:57.039
Okay, and then the second I handed it to her, she says, that place is no longer available.
00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:01.919
Oh, it gets better.
00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:03.279
Then she says, But I have another place.
00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:06.399
It was$50 more a month, different part of the neighborhood, different neighborhood.
00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:12.559
I go there, feeling like, well, I lost my money, so if I don't do this, you can take my money, and then I'm, you know, I don't know where to go.
00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:19.840
Um I said yes, move in, and then almost immediately, um, my eccentric neighbor tells me, Oh, the last tenant here was a drug dealer.
00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:23.279
Um, that's why your door doesn't like you can actually open your door even if you lock it from the inside.
00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:24.159
You can open it from the outside.
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.639
I was like, oh, because they the police kicked it in because there's a drug dealer.
00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:31.440
Um I can't lock the security gate on my first floor apartment that's right next to an alley um from the inside.
00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.159
Um the smoke detector, it's actually missing.
00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:38.879
Um the tunnels by the um stove were peeling stick tiles that were put on, and some of them caught fire, so they took it off.
00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.440
So it was like the original tunnel with the peeling stick tile on there.
00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.120
Then they were the roaches.
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:48.080
And I expected roaches because that comes with living in an apartment sometimes, but I didn't expect as many roaches.
00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:49.600
I wasn't used to living like that.
00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:51.759
And then was the bed bugs.
00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:55.519
And then when they came in to take care of the bed bugs, then there I found out there were also ticks in the apartment.
00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:56.000
Oh no.
00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:58.080
I didn't realize in Brooklyn, New York that they were ticks.
00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:00.320
But I was told by the super himself that they were ticks.
00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:07.279
Then um the super came in to make some maintenance um uh uh repairs, and he showed me his head, there was a giant lump on his head, and he's like, Yeah, I have cancer.
00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:12.960
And then he passed away a couple of weeks after that, and then I find out from his widow that they were trying to evict his widow and his kids almost immediately.
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:16.799
And so I didn't actually have to leave their apartment because I didn't feel safe coming back there.
00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:23.919
Um but it's just that story itself was just like a recipe for like problem after problem after problem as if I didn't have other life things.
00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:25.039
Right, right.
00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.919
That by itself is enough to stress you out.
00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:29.919
And that's coming home, right?
00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:30.720
That's coming home.
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:31.759
Then you're home.
00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:32.879
You can't be at home.
00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:34.399
There's no there's no peace in coming home.
00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:35.600
So my goodness.
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:40.000
And it was like I never lived um in a space where there were so many issues.
00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:40.240
Right.
00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:47.600
I've also never been, I never even understood the term gaslighting, really, until like I would send them pictures of stuff and they would send an email, I don't see anything belong with here.
00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:49.279
And I was just like, Are you serious?
00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:50.559
Or they tell me you brought the bedbugs.
00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:53.440
And I was like, I came from my family home where I, yeah, my mom did not play.
00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:55.120
We're not allowed, we're only allowed to eat in the kitchen, that's it.
00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:57.840
Like, and we clean up every night, no, nothing in the thing, nothing there at all.
00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:00.480
We never had any sort of, you know, anything.
00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:01.840
Um, and then be blamed for these things.
00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:03.440
And I was like, how can I bring this stuff here?
00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:03.679
Right.
00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:07.039
When I have neighbors telling me that they've always had a roof problem or they had history of bed bugs in the building.
00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:07.519
Right, right.
00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:09.440
It was just absolutely awful.
00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:15.759
So to your point, that is that is such a real story, and I love that you add the gaslighting element to it because that happens a lot too.
00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:20.960
Whenever you complain, you file a complain about something, it's very easily turned around to, oh no, the problem is you.
00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:24.160
No, this is not, you know, you kind of, am I crazy or what?
00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:34.079
But to your point, for every issue you just described, a person using your app will be able to find someone who put those details in there about this place, right?
00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:46.079
So if those details were in place, when you were offered this apartment and you could go there and see someone already put a oh, the doors been kicked in, you know, they got brochures, they're fair, you know, all these issues, you would be more aware of, okay, that's not where I want to live.
00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:48.160
So from your own experience, I really get it.
00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:54.319
You want to empower other renters so that they don't have to go through that same experience before they realize I don't want to live here.
00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:55.519
Absolutely.
00:17:55.680 --> 00:18:00.000
And then also finding out about how quickly this this like it's almost a business.
00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:02.799
And so, like through my research, I find out that it there's a business in evictions.
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:05.440
There's a business in not taking care of different things, and people don't realize it.
00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:10.400
Where um play like this particular apartment, like even still now, this unit is still listed almost every single year, it's available.
00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:21.359
So that means like if you're signing a year lease with people, like there's something missing there, and you find out that it's in business, that some um companies will purposely do things like that to move forward in the eviction process because they can it's actually a business.
00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:22.000
They get a lot, right?
00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:22.160
Right.
00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:23.599
Depending on how fast they go through the process.
00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:26.880
And it's a lot of them are very sneaky this way, and it's just like finding that out.
00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.200
And then another piece is like we don't really know the true costs.
00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:33.119
Because remember, I mentioned to you, my limit was$1,200 a month, but they rented to me for$12.50.
00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:35.279
And then you have the fees that you have to pay this place.
00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:37.359
Then you have the gas, then you have the the electric.
00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:37.519
Right.
00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:40.079
Then you have they didn't think about transportation because this was further away.
00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:40.720
Transportation.
00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:43.039
So there was all these complex costs associated with this.
00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:48.880
Um, then you have the cost of, you know, when people don't understand about bed bugs and they don't understand this, they can lay dormant for months.
00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:56.079
And so they can be in books, they can because we know about couches and beds, they can be in books, they can be in electronics, they can be in furniture, they can be in the floorboards.
00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:58.079
And that messes with you.
00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:04.559
I think for years after I rented, I anytime I felt anything on my arm, I'm like, is that is that a bad bug?
00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:06.880
And it is actually the worst in the summertime because I have I'm allergic to bug bites.
00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:13.200
So if I get bit by a mosquito out of it at night and I wake up and I see a lump and I'm like, traumatic traumatized.
00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:15.279
The traumatizing experience.
00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:16.079
100%.
00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:18.960
And I know that there are people that experience way worse than me.
00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:19.920
Way worse than me.
00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:24.079
And when I'm thinking about everything that's happening politically now, I don't want to necessarily get into the nuances of that.
00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:41.039
But one thing that I'm seeing is that especially for people that are out or below the poppy line or um that are undocumented, or um, maybe English is a second or third or fourth language, um, and culturally there is a sort of um uh people are up against them because they, you know, they come from a different cultural background than they do, and they're trying to navigate housing and realizing how easy it is to take advantage of people.
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:43.039
Here I was a native New Yorker.
00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:50.000
Um I should have been in a better position to be able to navigate this, but I was 22, 23, young, not really knowing the laws or the legal landscape.
00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:52.799
Um, but I can only imagine if I was a single mom.
00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:57.920
I can only imagine if I was like, you know, undocumented trying to navigate all these things and then having all these housing issues.
00:19:58.079 --> 00:19:59.519
Um it is really difficult.
00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:00.640
It is, it is.
00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:06.319
So I love that your app really addresses all the pain points of a renter, like everything they could possibly be dealing with.
00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:09.680
You give them a resource to help to address those pain points, right?
00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:13.359
So we don't have to go through that experience and feel alone, so like, okay, now I'm stuck with this.
00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:16.799
Because housing, being able to come home to peace, it's really big.
00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:18.480
It's really big for mental wellness.
00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:22.960
It's really big for if you're trying to do anything outside of just go work a job and come back home, right?
00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:24.559
You need that peace of mind.
00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:28.000
And it's a, I think it's a fundamental thing that everyone deserves to have.
00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:28.720
It is.
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:30.720
It should be a right that we have right to housing.
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:31.599
But you know, it's interesting.
00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:38.880
I'm having conversations with folks that live in the UK, that live in Germany, and I made a comment about housing, and they're like, well, the state manages that, so I don't really worry too much about it.
00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:41.039
And I'm just like, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?
00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:43.839
Because when the state or the city manages it here, um, it's very different.
00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:57.839
It's almost like they treat people like criminals in the housing where they you have, you know, someone coming every couple of months to check up on you and and invade your space and invade your privacy and treat you like a criminal when you're just trying to afford to live and raise a family, or just even if it's even if you don't have kids, just it's just such a difficult system to navigate.
00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:00.400
And I wonder if that is part of the design to control people.
00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:01.680
That is the question that we need to answer.
00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:08.240
Is that part of the design to make people so emotionally dysregulated that you won't have time or you won't recognize when other things are being changed?
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:08.880
Right.
00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:09.759
That's a great point.
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:12.319
I love you talked about um emotional regulation.
00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.519
That's really big, and that's something we I don't I don't think we talk about enough either.
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:18.400
Because usually we see it as just our own emotional issue, right?
00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:20.480
But emotional regulation is very real.
00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:21.119
It is.
00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:30.000
So LK, when preferences are rights, like the uncertainty of fundraising or product challenges, what practices do you use to help reconnect you to yourself and to your core?
00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:46.720
I um well my wife keeps trying to get me to meditate, and that's not my but I I have been taking like so something simple like taking daily walks, which forces me to leave my office and forces me to walk and think, and um, you know, um, that's one thing that I do just to really center myself.
00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:50.240
And I don't know if it's meditation so much, but it's meditative related because it forces me to go on in nature.
00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:55.599
Um and then another thing that I do um that's really big was like trust my skills that have got me here.
00:21:55.839 --> 00:22:01.519
I I mentioned to you, like when I was at I was program director, um, partying with the local Community garden wasn't on like the blueprint for my job.
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:02.400
It was like get the job done.
00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:04.400
And I needed to be innovative and creative.
00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:05.359
And so I leaned onto that.
00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:06.319
I was like, what are my skills?
00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:09.119
I'm innovative, I'm creative, I'm not afraid to take risks.
00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:10.400
I'm not afraid to get no's.
00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:20.720
I used to do sales and I quickly became one of the top salespersons on the campaign consistently because I wasn't afraid to go up and say, cool, that guy before you said no, but you might say yes, and I'm gonna have that conversation.
00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:25.599
And being scrappy, and um, I think I I was um applied for a program for house degree and I got denied.
00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:30.079
And then I reached back out to them about five or six months after that to their email where they denied me.
00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:35.759
And I I I detailed their feedback, I detailed everything that I've done since the last conversation and told them I want them to reconsider.
00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:36.720
And they reached out to me.
00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:43.680
We had a call and they're like, no one's ever done that before, where they've responded to a rejection email with the feedback applied, and of course we're gonna accept email.
00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:50.079
And it was just like me being persistent and just pushing back and then losing my skills and just saying, like, there's gonna there has to be a way.
00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:55.279
And I know that this is gonna be a good thing, and to just be creative about how I may move forward.
00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:06.160
And then and another piece that people don't think about, it's okay to have they call them crash outs, it's okay to have a moment or two where you panic and you cry and you know that happens.
00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:10.640
Let yourself feel your feelings and then get back to it.
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:12.480
Got it.
00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:13.599
Very good advice.
00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:21.119
So if a woman listening um now feels called to solve a big systematic problem like you're doing, what in a shift does she need to begin making right now?
00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:23.119
What would you suggest that she focus on?
00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.000
I would say I would focus on the why.
00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:30.720
Um so you see a problem and then focus on why do you, why do you, one, why do you want to fix it?
00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:34.079
What about you makes you the right person to fix it?
00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:38.720
And um also think about when you think about your why, is it to make money?
00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:44.400
Because if that's the answer, you might struggle a lot uh with getting end results.
00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:48.000
So if your goal is to make money, that might not be the best framework because there's gonna be times where you lose money.
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:51.519
And if you're just about making the money and thinking about it from that perspective, you might not follow through.
00:23:51.680 --> 00:24:05.440
So if your why is I see this problem and it, I deeply care about it, and I have a personal story that attaches to this and I care so much about it, you're gonna invest so much more time, energy, effort into it to make it happen that if you lose money, that's not gonna deter you off of the path.
00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:10.480
Because you're gonna lose money, you're gonna lose friends, you're gonna lose, you know, you're gonna lose things that happen.
00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:13.440
And and that is that is like the universe way of saying these things you didn't really need.
00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:13.920
Right?
00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:20.720
You need to lose all this stuff because if you're really pouring yourself into it, asking the right questions, having a strong why, um, then everything else will fall into place eventually.
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:24.240
And it takes nothing great that's just built right overnight.
00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:24.960
Exactly.
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:33.359
Any of what so you've you've probably seen this like throughout your career too, of businesses being built and getting really successful or people getting really successful really soon, and almost always it crumbles, right?
00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:33.920
You see it.
00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:34.640
Yes, absolutely.
00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:35.039
Yes.
00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:36.160
See it so many times.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:41.039
And so if you really care about something, it's gonna take sacrifice, it's gonna, you're gonna cry, and that's okay.
00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.599
Um don't do it for the money, do it for their social impact, um, and lean onto your strengths.
00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:53.839
And also, and this is the biggest thing, and this is also something that I feel like is a sign of high intelligence, is realize the limits of like what you're capable of doing.
00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:57.039
If you're not capable of doing something, recognize that and address it, talk about it.
00:24:57.119 --> 00:24:58.240
Don't say I'm great at everything.
00:24:58.400 --> 00:24:59.920
No, you're not, and it's okay.
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:04.640
Um, recognize the limit, recognize where you need to upskill, um, look to your own community.
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:07.839
Um, there are so many resources out there, and don't be afraid to ask.
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:13.200
And I say this, and I say this to my students, and I say this all the time: do it messy, do it scared, but just do it.
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.079
Very, very important, very important.
00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:19.759
What resources have you found most helpful to you when you want to spend your journey?
00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:24.559
Um, I found um for me um in building this is my community.
00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:28.079
Um, that has been the biggest, the biggest resource for me.
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:36.880
Um leaning into my community, and and not for like fundraising or anything of that, but um people will tell you so much and will help you so much in ways that you can't even begin to explain.
00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:39.200
And the funny thing is, it didn't happen with house three.
00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:41.680
I started leaning into my community with house three after I got married.
00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:55.680
It was um so planning my wedding was such a stressful time because not only was I dealing with like work stuff, but I was also like planning a wedding that I never planned before as a child because I never could picture myself marrying a woman because I I grew up with that wasn't really something that was an option for me, right?
00:25:56.000 --> 00:26:02.319
Um and so when I was planning the wedding, it was so stressful, but there were so many people that showed up in meaningful ways, um, in ways I didn't expect.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:08.640
And that that I translated to house rare because it's like people are gonna help you in ways that you don't, you just need to accept it.
00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:09.599
Accept the help.
00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:14.319
And then there are gonna be people that are gonna show up or not show up for you, people that expect you, and you have to learn how to drop them.
00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:18.400
And I don't know if this is Capricorn energy or not, maybe, but I am so quick to drop.
00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:24.240
I notice when there's like bad juju or somebody that's like negative about what I'm doing, I'm so quick to drop that.
00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:27.599
We don't need that, but people are gonna show up for you in ways and you need to accept it.
00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:29.920
And it might not be the way that you expect, and that's okay.
00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:31.440
I love that.
00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:33.920
So accept how they show up and accept how they don't show up, right?
00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:34.240
Exactly.
00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:38.640
Because either way, they're telling you who they are and what they're here to, either foreign to you or not foreign to you.
00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:41.759
So a lot of times we end up trying to hold on to people who we should be letting go of.
00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:49.119
Like they're telling us you should let me go, but we're saying, no, but long if it's so long, and we think, you know, yeah, but at this point, it's time to let it go.
00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:51.519
So I love that you say you have a problem with that.
00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:53.839
You're like, uh, fine, I get the message.
00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:54.640
See you later.
00:26:54.799 --> 00:27:00.160
And when a lot of us are like, we're trying to figure out a way to steal on until something bigger happens, and then we finally get the message.
00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:02.880
So accept the accept the help as it shows up.
00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:04.880
Release people when they should be doing.
00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:05.599
Mm-hmm.
00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:06.079
Absolutely.
00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:10.480
I think you know, they so there's um, you know, you know, we talk a little bit about the universe telling you certain things.
00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:15.279
Um and the universe is gonna tell you unless it's gonna get with the lo the whisper is gonna get louder and louder and louder to your screaming.
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:15.920
Gotcha.
00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:29.920
So looking at your journey from the beginning to now to uh all the things you went through when you shared your journey at the very beginning of our conversation, what would you say has um been your biggest challenge and what has changed about you from that time to now?
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:32.480
I lost a piece of myself.
00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:40.319
Um I had this conversation, I was in a coaching conversation um where I was talking to somebody and they had said something and I laughed and they're like, Oh, you laughed because it's funny I said that.
00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:42.240
And I was like, No, I laughed because that used to be me.
00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:44.400
And I lost her.
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:48.720
I lost her because I was focused on making myself small, on doing the safe route.
00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:53.839
I can't tell you the amount of times I've had conversations with people saying, like, um, just let them say that they're older, they could do that, whatever.
00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:55.599
They're gonna be disrespectful, just keep the peace.
00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:00.880
Don't argue with this person for this reason, or um, just let this person have this thing, they're not doing well, like give them the win.
00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:04.880
And I was like, so you want me to like relent and still exist in this space?
00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:06.799
Um, and I lost that.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:25.839
So for me, it was finding her again, finding the fiery version of LP, the one that would talk to, you know, and sell and and and and and and work when I was in uh sales, like just not being afraid to go talk to somebody, and the person that would just go up to someone and have a conversation, and the person that would just sit down and be like, you know what, I have an idea, let's move forward with it, even if it's nasty or sloppy.
00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:36.880
And I lost her from working in an environment where they were, you know, not willing to be like work with me or see me, or um, they were just so focused on control um and manipulation.
00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:46.880
And so it was nice that I was able to work in an environment that I'm now creating an environment where um I'm going back to that fiery version of myself and redefining how I want to show up in the world and tapping into my younger self.
00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:49.039
I know sometimes people say, you know, we grow up, you get more mature.
00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:53.920
Sometimes some of the things that we see, and we see this in young kids all the time, there'll be an element in them that you're like, oh man, I hope they don't lose it.
00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:54.079
Yeah.
00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:57.599
And um, that's what I found.
00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:59.759
It was like, let me go back to the element and let me bring that back in.
00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:00.160
Got it.
00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:02.240
Almost the audacity to show up as myself and not that.
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:04.160
Yes, got it, got it.
00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:15.599
So it's both opposed to shrinking in certain environments for those environments, you uh were able to recapture that freedom of being just you, your authentic self, and being what you represent, and being true to yourself.
00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:23.039
Um, I think that's really big because a lot of times the things that we need to be successful are attracted to us because of who we really are, right?
00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:24.400
Not who we shrink to be.
00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:29.599
So a lot of times when we're struggling with certain things and life just not working out because it needs you to show up as your real self.
00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:37.920
And your real self, you know, that real big light you got inside of you, that true energy that is yours, it's gonna attract all those right things that are out there just waiting for that light to come out.
00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:39.359
So kudos to you for that.
00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:39.920
I love that.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:40.559
I love that.
00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:53.200
So as we close up today, I would love to give you the opportunity to share anything that's on your mind in front that maybe I didn't ask you the question for, but it's something that you really want to make sure that our audience here today, um, this is your opportunity to the floor is open to you to share that.
00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:53.839
Awesome.
00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:54.960
Um, thank you so much.
00:29:55.119 --> 00:30:03.519
I um I was sitting in the um one of the classes I had for a master's program, and the TA had asked, um, design the place you want to work, design your your ideal boss.
00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:05.200
And I went up to him and I said, How dare you?
00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:06.079
And he got real scared.
00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:08.000
He was like, you know, because you know, angry black woman.
00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:11.920
Um by the way, anyone that knows me knows that I'm never angry.
00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.079
I'm just like always in deep thought and or whatever.
00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:15.759
Um but and I said, How dare you?
00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:17.119
Assume I want a boss.
00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:19.519
And he was like, interesting.
00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:20.319
And I said, Yeah.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:22.880
I said, Why do we have to have a place where there's like this weird structure?
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:26.160
Because it feels very much like parent to kid relationship.
00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:26.480
Yeah.
00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:29.279
And I've worked in places where so I'm 35, about to be 36.
00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:31.759
And um apparently I'm told all the time I look young.
00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:35.519
And I think it's really interesting because this is what 35, 36 looks like where I'm from in New York.
00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:42.240
And I tell people, if they say I look really young, I'm like, it must be the water in New York because why are you looking so like this is what we look like.
00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:52.160
What's wrong with the water down where we we re um and um and then the amount of disrespect that I would get um because people thought I was like a college student, like an undergrad college student.
00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:54.240
And I was like, I don't know, like and they're like, one day you're gonna love that.
00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:57.599
And I was like, really though, be treated like a child my whole career, I'm gonna love that.
00:30:57.839 --> 00:30:59.680
Um it's just like so interesting.
00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:10.079
So um uh, you know, for me, it was just like I um yeah, I just I I just thought that was like describe your best bottles, your dream bottles, and you're like, why should I need a bottle?
00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:14.000
Right, but I did like a parent child, you know, I need you have to ask permission to take time off.
00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:19.200
You have to ask you to make permission, you have to go before them to get merits on, you know, how am I acting?
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:20.480
Uh you know how am I gonna grow?
00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:20.720
Yeah.
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:21.599
How am I gonna grow?
00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:26.000
Because you're telling me, oh, you have to do this one and then you move to this one, and I'm like, I'm going to go somewhere else.
00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.039
And I do that.
00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.640
And yeah, I have a lot of audacity.
00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:30.480
Like, if I don't like what's going on, I will leave.
00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:31.279
Like like why?
00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:33.119
And people are just not, they're like, oh, she just left.
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:34.400
And I'm like, yeah, because you weren't it.
00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:36.160
So hi, no explanation needed.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:42.880
Um, so and I wanted to design a workplace where um, you know, we're able to um to grow authentically into ourselves and not have that.
00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:45.920
And so I had my first all hands this past week with my team.
00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:47.200
Um, we have a team of 10 now.
00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:48.720
It's so cool, it's so cool.
00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:53.200
And um, I told them that um the model that we're following, something called the teal model.
00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:54.880
Um we're trying to follow closely aligned to that.
00:31:54.960 --> 00:32:00.240
And I said, what means is is that like for everybody that I have on the team, they're consulting in a different area where they're the expert.
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:02.880
And I said, that means you get to make the decision.
00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:04.400
I'm asking you for help.
00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:06.240
And you are an expert in this area.
00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:07.599
That means you get to make the call.
00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:08.319
Why would you ask me?
00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:10.720
You would only ask me for alignment and mission and values.
00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:14.799
But if you're like, we need to move forward for this reason, maybe I'm gonna trust you.
00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:15.359
Uh-huh.
00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:20.240
And I want to design a workplace where that is the standard, where we hire people that know what they're doing and getting out of there.
00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:21.359
Let them do what they know.
00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:22.880
Let them do what they know.
00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:26.880
And the only type of um sort of guidance would come through mentorship.
00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:30.079
And I'm gonna build a place of mentorship so it's not structured like most of the companies we see.
00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:30.799
And you know what?
00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:35.839
We've seen this teal model be successful in so many different organizations, and I really like it, and that's what I want to do.
00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:42.000
And I think that people that people that know what they're doing, the experts, really gravitate towards that, and that's the type of workplace that I want to have.
00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:43.519
So I don't even call myself a CEO.
00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:46.960
I call myself managing director intentionally, and maybe that might change in the future.
00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:53.920
But the reason I call that is that I am managing a different aspect and making sure the team has what they need, but I'm just directing people to where they need to go, but I'm moving out of their way.
00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:54.240
Right?
00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:58.319
The decision-making process is if you are the expert in the area, you're leading that decision-making process.
00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:00.079
So they are empowered.
00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:00.720
Absolutely.
00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:01.920
Wonderful, wonderful.
00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:03.839
Okay, thank you, LP.
00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:09.279
We appreciate you sharing that great information with our audience today, being a part of the Empower Her Business Podcast.
00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:20.799
Thank you for coming here and sharing your journey and uh we're looking forward to the bright future of Half Story and that app to help renters with more stability and more answers before they step into spaces that they're gonna live in and call home.
00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:22.559
So thank you for being a part of this.
00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:24.079
Thank you for having me.
00:33:24.400 --> 00:33:25.680
It's been a pleasure.
00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:30.880
So now we're gonna go to our after the podcast exclusive questions for LP.
00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:37.680
The first one is uh what's something you overcame in silence while building how story that you've never shared with us ago?
00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:39.279
Something that I dealt with.
00:33:39.680 --> 00:33:46.319
Um so I mentioned to people that I was um laid off about two and a half weeks before my wedding.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:51.440
That was an adjustment um how to manage my own time day to day.
00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:55.680
Um and trying to figure out what works best for me.
00:33:55.920 --> 00:33:59.119
Um that took a long time for me to understand how to do that.
00:33:59.279 --> 00:33:59.519
Yeah.
00:33:59.839 --> 00:34:03.039
Um and like I can tell my team right now, like my hours are 11 a.m.
00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:05.359
to 4 30, and then 7 p.m.
00:34:05.599 --> 00:34:06.319
to 2 a.m.
00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:08.639
And I said, I mean, I'm flexible with that.
00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:11.360
Like if we have a party with me, I'm like willing to, but generally those are the times that I go on and off.
00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:12.719
Those are, you know, and the 11 a.m.
00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:14.639
to 430, that's like on camera time, the 7 a.m.
00:34:14.800 --> 00:34:15.119
and 2 a.m.
00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:16.159
that's like response time.
00:34:16.239 --> 00:34:16.320
Right.
00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:20.320
Um uh and I said that I didn't want to start work before 11.
00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:23.039
And I know people make fun of people, they're like, oh, you're waking up late, you know.
00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:25.760
You might I still get it from my parents where they're like, You want a kid?
00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.400
You gonna have a kid?
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:27.360
Oh, you gotta get up early.
00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:28.320
And I'm like, guess what?
00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:30.559
I don't have a kid, so I don't have to get up early, but I'm gonna get up at 8 a.m.
00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:30.960
on a Saturday.
00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:31.440
What am I?
00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:32.159
Right.
00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:33.119
What are we doing?
00:34:33.280 --> 00:34:34.639
No, I'm not gonna get up before 10.
00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:35.440
I like sleeping in.
00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:36.719
I also like staying up late.
00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:41.840
And um being neurodivergent, being having ADHD, um, it actually works better for me to have that schedule.
00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:43.519
I get energized at night.
00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:46.880
Um, I had a couple of sprints a couple of nights ago where I stayed up to six a.m.
00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:47.440
coding.
00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:49.039
And I'm not a coder by the way, I taught myself.
00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:54.159
So teaching myself how to code, and I built something for my team that when they saw it, they were really amazed about the work that they did.
00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:55.280
And I said, I stayed at 6 a.m.
00:34:55.519 --> 00:34:57.840
figuring this thing out because I want to work for me.
00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:01.840
So I think just finding my schedule and trusting like what works best for me, that was something that I worked on.
00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:03.199
I wasn't that hardest.
00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:03.440
Yeah.
00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:04.320
Yeah.
00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:04.559
Right.
00:35:04.639 --> 00:35:06.639
And that's one of the nuances when I talk to entrepreneurs.
00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:13.679
I always say one of the nuances and the challenges that we're not aware of when we go into a full-time entrepreneurship is that we don't have to stick to that 8 a.m.
00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:14.400
or 9 a.m.
00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:14.960
schedule.
00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:17.119
We get to create exactly what you're saying.
00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:19.119
We get to figure out when do I work the best, right?
00:35:19.199 --> 00:35:20.239
When do I have the most energy?
00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:21.519
When am I the most creative?
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:25.440
And if it's not early in the morning, if it's late at night, then that's when we should be doing our work, right?
00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:26.800
So I'd love that you discovered that.
00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:35.039
And it does take time to figure that out because one is that we have all those messages, right, that says you should be up at a certain time or you're just lazy, right?
00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:37.840
So we have to work through that personally with ourselves.
00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:41.280
And two, because we've never had the opportunity to figure this out.
00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:45.119
So it's not something that we know because we never work in these particular schedules.
00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:47.599
So we have to actually do it to find out, oh, this feels good.
00:35:47.679 --> 00:35:48.559
Oh, I'm still wide awake.
00:35:48.639 --> 00:35:51.280
I can go for a couple more hours, you know, and it's after midnight.
00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:52.880
But I have all this energy.
00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:56.320
So it's giving ourselves permission to do things differently as entrepreneurs.
00:35:56.559 --> 00:35:58.239
And there's no paybook for that, right?
00:35:58.320 --> 00:35:59.599
We just have to be willing to embrace that.
00:35:59.679 --> 00:36:01.039
So I love that you shared that.
00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:02.079
That's remarkable.
00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:04.000
I would say there's another piece of that too.
00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:06.639
So I was doing this when I was, I was my master's was mostly online.
00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:11.840
Um, I realized that sitting down at a computer trying to type something, I would like blink screen.
00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:17.280
But what really helped me, and still I do this today, I voice texted most of my essays and then went back to edit it.
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:25.280
And then I um even now when I'm walking, I voice text myself documents, come back and edit it because it's so much easier to just flow.
00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:26.400
Yeah.
00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:29.840
And then and learn, and by the way, that's an accessibility tool, the voice texting, so just use it.
00:36:30.159 --> 00:36:30.320
Yeah.
00:36:30.480 --> 00:36:33.840
Um so that was a big piece, just thinking about who said that I have to sit down and type things.
00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:34.079
Yeah.
00:36:34.880 --> 00:36:35.119
Yeah.
00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:36.079
I I do the same thing.
00:36:36.159 --> 00:36:36.719
I love that too.
00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:41.679
Because sometimes when I sit down and type, I'm like, I can't, you know, this is like I can say it more fluid, then I can type it.
00:36:41.760 --> 00:36:44.480
So then I just turn on the microphone and I speak it, and like you say, go back and edit it.
00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:46.239
So that's a great tool, audience.
00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:56.159
If you're getting stuck when you sit at the computer, or if you're just tired of sitting there typing things out and it feels slower to you, think about turning on your microphone and just speaking it, speaking it into your phone, then coming back and editing it later.
00:36:56.320 --> 00:36:57.119
Beautiful, beautiful.
00:36:57.199 --> 00:36:58.000
Thanks for sharing that.
00:36:58.159 --> 00:37:05.280
So if there is anyone from any time in history that you could take to dinner and just pick their brain, who would you choose and why?
00:37:05.760 --> 00:37:12.800
Um I'm a fan of not meeting your heroes because reality sits in, right?
00:37:13.119 --> 00:37:15.760
Um but let me think about this.
00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:18.880
Um, so I am naturally a very silly person.
00:37:18.960 --> 00:37:21.360
I think when I'm like my most healthy version, I'm very silly.
00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:25.840
I'm very like choky and I tell a lot of jokes, and I'm very like, that's just like who I am naturally.
00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:27.280
And I I love that energy.
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:34.159
Um, I think I would probably want to sit down with like Shell Silverstein, who is the poet of like where the Tibok ends and is very silly in his poetry.
00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:36.480
I think sitting down with him would be really interesting.
00:37:36.559 --> 00:37:39.920
Um to ask him about like, why do you choose to be silly?
00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:41.599
I think Robin Williams would be another one.
00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:43.440
Um lean into silliness.
00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:43.840
Right.
00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:53.280
Um and I think like I can't think anybody else, um, and then I guess for a personal standpoint, I don't know how this would go because I also don't know how my ancestors would receive me.
00:37:53.760 --> 00:37:58.320
But I'd want to sit down, we trace her lineage back to a woman um named Susie, and she was an enslaved woman.
00:37:58.559 --> 00:38:04.159
And I would want to meet with her and ask her, did you ever envision a future one?
00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:06.639
Did you ever envision a future of yourself where you weren't enslaved?
00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:09.760
And what were your dreams?
00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:22.559
And did your dreams ever include having descendants that were like caring and empathetic and then successful in different areas and tackling issues that are still reminiscent of the time that she's in.
00:38:22.639 --> 00:38:24.000
That you know, those themes don't end.
00:38:24.480 --> 00:38:27.360
Um I probably would want to sit down with her and ask her those questions.
00:38:27.840 --> 00:38:30.559
Um so that would be something I would want to do.
00:38:30.639 --> 00:38:36.239
And I would also tell her, like, hey, the journey that you're going through, I really know nothing of because they don't teach us exactly what it was like.
00:38:36.320 --> 00:38:39.280
They say, Oh, we picked cotton, but that actually wasn't the biggest farms.
00:38:39.360 --> 00:38:44.239
People don't realize about the farms where they used to breed people or everything else that went with slavery.
00:38:44.320 --> 00:38:48.880
That was far more horrendous that I'm now learning, even as somebody with a degree in Africana Studies.
00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:49.679
I didn't even know that.
00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:53.119
Even I didn't have a fancy degree that says African Latino Studies, I still don't know what happened.
00:38:53.440 --> 00:39:02.159
And I'd want to talk to her about what happened and what dreams did she have for herself, for her family, for her children, and what she thinks about where we are now, because I'd be really curious about it.
00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:03.519
I love that.
00:39:03.679 --> 00:39:04.400
Thank you for sharing that.
00:39:04.880 --> 00:39:06.639
All right, that wraps up our questions.
00:39:06.880 --> 00:39:07.679
Awesome.
00:39:09.840 --> 00:39:12.639
You've been listening to the Empower Her Business Podcast.
00:39:12.800 --> 00:39:15.280
And before you go, I want to thank you for being here.
00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:18.239
If this episode supported you, please pay it forward.
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You can do that by hitting the follow button, rating us five stars, leaving a comment, and sharing us with others.
00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:28.000
This is how we ensure the podcast reaches more closer than business.
00:39:28.159 --> 00:39:32.639
Until next time, I wish you the very best of joy, health, and wealth.
00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:33.519
Be well.