Transcript

Lateria: [00:00:00] I was never, ever content with just starting here. I’ve, I’ve always had the thirst and the hunger to want more for myself. Be yourself so that the people looking

Lashana: for you can find you well because that’s who they want. They, they’re coming for you.

Marsay: There’s so many little pieces that make you who you are and the rest of the world is seeing it as well.

Lateria: Investing yourself can mean your education. It can mean your looks, it can mean your skills, it can mean your business. Teaching

Kelly: other people about where, where you start and how to keep going. And it’s going to be scary. It’s not gonna be easy. You’re gonna put this sweat in. It’s like you gotta keep going.

Lashana: Hello and welcome to Paperless Pathways, a podcast four stars by Stars. My name is Lasha Lewis, and I am your host. In this episode, we’re joined by three amazing guests, Kelly Powers, senior Associate of Marketing integrated campaigns and digital strategy at Opportunity at work. Marsai McKinney, [00:01:00] senior Product Marketing Associate at Opportunity at Work, and Terria Brown, owner and creator of Ladies mps Catering.

Lashana: We’ll talk about essential networking skills and ways to showcase your abilities to potential employers. I hope you enjoy. Alright. Today we’ve got Lara with us. Uh, Lara, tell the people who you are.

Lateria: My name is Lara Brown. I am a native of Baltimore, Maryland. I currently reside in Atlanta and I am the owner and creator of Lady in Pumps to Catering.

Lashana: Awesome. Uh, I’d like to start off giving just a little bit of your background, like how did you even get into that? Um, I know that I was in the kitchen watching my grandma cook all the time, so the stuff that I know is just, just from that. But, uh, yeah. Uh, let, let us know a little bit about like you, how you started.

Lashana: Was there a grandma in the kitchen? Who knows?

Lateria: Absolutely. I come from a long line of a family of majority women, [00:02:00] and we all share. Secrets, recipes and everything. And I kind of grew up in a age where health started being, um, an important factor. We couldn’t cook with bacon grease and Lauren anymore. I refused to eat those things.

Lateria: So it kind of forced me to get in the kitchen really early and learn how to cook so that I can eat the way that I wanted to. Um, and then that kind of led me maybe into my early teen years. And I was approached by a talent scout who then became my manager and, um, and modeling. So just throughout the years and modeling and my experiences and building up my resume and fashion and design, I always had a fall guy.

Lateria: With my food and my catering. I’ve always kind of decorated and styled and, you know, organized and hosted parties and everything. And it just made sense for me to tie all of those things together, you know, with fashion and [00:03:00] styling and food and just customer service all around. And I just was like, how can I continue to be myself and be in this industry of, um, fashion and styling, but still love to do what I do?

Lateria: So mm-hmm. That Birth Ladies and Pumps Catering and I basically just provide, um, like a luxury catering experience opposed to just your traditional catering. I, I do that as well ’cause a coin is a coin, but, um, you know, I just wanted to give an ambiance in addition to really, really great food and cuisine.

Lateria: You know, I provide an experience and, um, a look. You know, just to, uh, look to your palette, a look that’ll match your palette. Okay.

Lashana: I love that. I love that. Um, so like, while you were building this business, I’m sure you had some champions that would kind of come in and, and drop a little piece of advice.

Lashana: You don’t have to give names or anything like that unless you want to like shout out to your mom and whatnot. [00:04:00] But, but you know what, who were some of the people that kind of came in during like, um. Like instrumental times when you were trying to build your business, build your idea, that actually kind of helped you say, you know what, Lara, you can do this.

Lashana: You can, you can, um, you know, go forward. This will actually be a good thing for you.

Lateria: It was a couple of people. I cannot pinpoint one specific person because I, I like to call myself a Jamaican, not in an offensive way, but like, I have many, many jobs. I’ve always had my hands in a lot of different areas because I’m multifaceted and I never wanted to just put myself in a box.

Lateria: Um, but I remember maybe one of my first catering, um, assignments. Um, I just had a little kickback with my girlfriends at home and I cooked for them. And one of those people who just so happened to be my then modeling agent, and I remember that we had a showcase, um, a really big fashion show in the city and we were bringing out all the heavy hitters and [00:05:00] everybody, it was around New York Fashion Week and all of the different cities and fashion weeks, and our caterer pulled out and she just was like, T can you, I need your help.

Lateria: And I was like, no way. I cannot do it. I do not wanna be criticized in that way. I have no idea what I’m gonna do. And at the time, I was actually pregnant, um, like seven, eight months pregnant. Oh yeah. That’s the, and I was like, how am I gonna pull this off? And I did it, and I could not believe myself. And just from there, everybody already knew me and everybody expected from me to be behind the scenes helping with the models and everything.

Lateria: But I took a step off the runway for that occasion, um, because I was still modeling while I was pregnant. And, you know, I catered the event and I, the reviews that I got was so heartwarming and I kind of fell back just to see if I could get people’s honest opinions. I didn’t just come right out and say, oh, I did this, I did this.

Lateria: I really wanted to know. What made it intricate was that [00:06:00] it wasn’t really a space for people to kind of sit down and sit and eat. So that was another test, like, what can I, I still have to feed these people. They paid VIP, you know, they’re expecting at least an uv. So I just came up with putting this a small like pasta dish and a small steak dish in a martini glass.

Lateria: Like a, a really big martini glass like that.

Yeah.

Lateria: With the little miniature forks. And it, it looked so much better to walk around and still be able to hold a conversation and you have this glass in your hand and you’re not carrying your person carrying this

Lashana: or napkin and trying to

Lateria: Oh my goodness. Yeah.

Lateria: And it just went over so well, and it just continued to develop and grow based off of that. So that was, that’s why I said I can’t pinpoint, I do thank my agent for giving me that opportunity. She pushed me. She never once doubted me at all. Um mm-hmm. And she kind of, you know, just let me take the wheel and I just was like.

Lateria: I don’t know if this would be [00:07:00] too extra, but I’m gonna try my hand. And it was, everybody was satisfied.

Lashana: I mean, usually there’s always kind of, you know, those few circumstances where somebody comes in and says, you know what? I know you can do this. Um, you know, um, I’m gonna go ahead and sponsor you and give you like this chance that you might not have had, you know, any other chance to do, uh, otherwise.

Lashana: And that’s always kind of this very cool thing that happens with a lot of people who are stars, uh, who, who have, uh, you know, learned things through alternative routes. And if you want, I don’t know if you, uh, ever did, uh, do any. Like college or if you, um, went to anything after high school, uh, if you wanna talk a little bit about that, uh, what that journey was like.

Lashana: ’cause I know there’s a lot of people who are kind of sitting in our seats being like, well, how do I get to where Lara is from, from where I’m at?

Lateria: Yes. So modeling was definitely an escape. Um, growing up in the inner city of [00:08:00] Baltimore, um, you, you have to have really, really tough skin. You have to have more street smarts than book smarts to survive.

Lateria: And if you. You know, are attractive in any way, shape or form. You, you have to protect yourself in a way that a lot of people in rural areas wouldn’t imagine. And me modeling and me getting, you know, swept up in that group of individuals and those women, um, that were surrounding me never allowed me to become a statistic.

Lateria: So very early I learned how to earn income. I learned how to invest in myself and further in my education wasn’t something that was a necessity at the time because I was already making money so early and, and I was already traveling. And I was in these adult settings and I was just a teenager, but my maturity level and my understanding of business is what carried me and kept me.

Lateria: Um, but nevertheless, after high school I did go to [00:09:00] Copping State University. Um, and I did two years for an associate’s degree, and that was in business management. So although I had these extracurricular activities that I was dipping and dabbing into, um, I was still building myself up in the corporate world.

Lateria: And I started off very low, very low on the totem pole in the mail room of a finance company. And that is where I met one of my best friends in one of your colleagues. Um, and I just worked my way up throughout that company. Uh, stayed there for almost seven years, and I started in the mail room. I ended up being a network vendor handling big balance accounts and.

Lateria: Doing skip tracing and everything, and all kind of research to collect these debts. And from there, that started my corporate career and how I climbed up the ladder and became an accountant. So I had two very different lifestyles happening at the same time, at the very same Wow.

Lashana: Yeah, it was, I’m familiar with that.

Lashana: You got, you got [00:10:00] like a, a a day job and the night job and, and in between the day job, uh, you can walk the weekend job, you’re just like, you, you’re doing like 750 things. Yes,

Lateria: yes.

Lashana: I had the energy and the needs to do it back

Lateria: then.

Lashana: Yes. Awesome. Well, thank you for sharing a little bit about that because, um, again, a lot of times people are just like, I’m.

Lashana: You know, X how do I get to Z, you know? Mm-hmm. Uh, there, there’s some sort of transition, there’s some sort of bridge in there. Um, and then obviously you being a triple threat, you know, that, that, that helps a lot too. And having the energy, uh, and the time and the wherewithal to actually do and execute all of those things, um, mm-hmm.

Lashana: You know, definitely, definitely helps. I know we’re here to talk about personal branding. Um, so like, uh, just kind of give some, some tips and tools that other people could probably use. Things that you’ve learned in your life. I like to take from things that I messed up on so that you don’t [00:11:00] have to mess up on it.

Lashana: That actually would kind of, you know, help boost someone that is looking to, uh, kind of, you know, finesse that personal branding space for themselves. Yeah. Especially from a star’s perspective.

Lateria: Mm-hmm. I believe that investing yourself. Is something that isn’t just a one track mindset. Um, investing yourself can mean your education.

Lateria: It can mean your looks, it can mean your skills, it can mean your business. You have to believe in yourself before you expect anyone else to believe in you. And I was never, ever content with just starting here. I’ve, I’ve always had the thirst and the hunger to want more for myself and to, to be able to provide for my family in a different way.

Lateria: And that is kind of what kept me and pushed me and motivated me, um, just to keep building and to try new things. Sometimes even if I felt discouraged, I didn’t just stop there, you know? [00:12:00] Cooking is something that anybody can do. We have to survive, we have to eat, right? But how can you turn that over into something that is profitable?

Lateria: And then once you come up with that idea, then how are you gonna market yourself? And then once you come up with that idea, how are you gonna present yourself to bigger brands and bigger names like you, you can’t just be content with where you are right now because the sky is the limit, but not really anymore, you know?

Lateria: Um, and everybody’s journey is not the same. You could take the educational route. Um, you could be book smart you, but you might not execute those skills the way that somebody who has a natural niche for something. Hmm. And so how are you gonna compete? You know, this country is all about competition. It’s all about who you know is some of what, what you know.

Lateria: And I would just say if one door closes, five more will open. But you do have to go look for them, right? And, um. You can’t be afraid. [00:13:00] I feel like no question is a dumb question. Just because you get one. No, don’t let that knock you off of your journey, um, to what you wanna do and what you wanna accomplish.

Lateria: You gotta keep going because if you have in your mind that you unbreakable, nobody can even approach you with that mindset to try to change your mindset and discourage you at all. So, you know, yes, I went the corporate route. I did what I needed to do there. I understood I had to work my way up, but I also went, you know, the social route as well.

Lateria: Without social media, might I add? Always had to

more back then. Yeah. Before Facebook. Facebook, yeah.

Lateria: And then that was exclusive to college students for, for many, that a lot of people dont ever remember that. Mm-hmm. And, you know, yes, I had billboards across the country and I was on these high fashion runways and things like that.

Lateria: People knew me in that world, but. I couldn’t walk in the door when the work [00:14:00] got slow and, and have nothing on my resume, nothing to show for it. When I had to make ends meet, you know, I had to have something to show. I needed something tangible. Hey, I’m, I’m, I may be beautiful to each the eyes in the beholder, but I’m also intelligent.

Lateria: I’m, I’m also, I’m also dependable. I’m also resilient and I’m really smart. So how can I help you? This is beneficial for me, but this is beneficial for you as well. And I’ve always kind of, you know, promoted myself in that way. You know, I don’t just talk about me and what that opportunity is gonna do for me.

Lateria: I’ll let the consumer know what that opportunity’s gonna do for them as well, and how does that benefit them. Mm-hmm. You know, because anybody can talk the talk, but are you walking the walk? You know? So I think my life has been set up that way and. If I haven’t learned anything else, is that the pandemic actually [00:15:00] showed me.

Lateria: When you’re thinking about entrepreneurship, you have to have a service that is considered a necessity. Things that people need in life that you can’t do without. What can you provide that people can do without, because I made another investment into myself. My birthday is March 29th and I will never forget, um, the year that we came out with Covid, like it was a designer coat, you know, they announced the, um, covid, what was it, March 19th for 20th of that year.

Mm-hmm.

Lateria: And I had just taken all of my savings. I had just purchased all of the equipment. I turned a room into my house. I was gonna make it a little, um, aesthetic oasis of facials and extractions using all natural products, right? I had done the research, I had took a couple of classes, then I was, I was ready and I was gonna have a birthday party, which I do every single year, so extravagant.

Lateria: But I was gonna [00:16:00] make that birthday party a launch party, and my guest was gonna be surprised with that launch, right? I had it all planned out March 19th. Oh, we have Covid. So I’m just like, oh my God, I’m broke. I can’t do this job. I can’t do this service. What am I gonna do? How am I gonna survive? I was so confident and I, it can’t tell you, it broke me in so many different ways.

Lateria: It broke my spirit, it broke me financially. It just broke my optimism. We didn’t know what Covid was going to turn into. We didn’t know how long we were gonna be on lockdown. I couldn’t take the risk of working so closely with people and then risking my health, risking my daughter’s health, and inviting people into my home.

Lateria: I had nothing. But I did have my corporate job, you know? Right. And even in catering, if that was my primary source of income at the time, I would’ve failed in that too. Mm-hmm. So Covid taught me how to [00:17:00] rethink, um, my necessities and what it is that I wanna promote, what I wanna give to the world, and how I’m gonna do that in any environment in this country.

Lateria: Um, and I feel like any new business owner

mm-hmm.

Lateria: Have that in the back of your mind. Have that big What if in the back of your mind, ’cause you never know. One another shutdown was gonna happen. We, we, we, we’ve learned so many things as human beings with that experience in those two to three years, and we’re still learning about that.

Lateria: You always have to take that into consideration. I call it a covid consideration, like mm-hmm. Just that mindset. Like the biggest what if, what if this happens? How is my business going to survive? What am I gonna do? What is my fallback plan? And I would, I would tell them to take that, sit down, brainstorm and, and be realistic with yourself.

Lateria: It’s not a time for diluter when your money is on the line right now. And, and it was my own money. So what if [00:18:00] you had investors, you know?

Mm-hmm.

Lateria: What if you had investors? They don’t care that something like that is happening in the world. They expect for their income.

Lashana: They’re like, what are you gonna do?

Lashana: Yeah. How you gonna save it?

Lateria: Exactly. It’s no such thing as a PPP loan in that, in that life. You have to do what you have to do. Especially if you on one person, man. You know, that would just be my tidbit.

Lashana: No, thank you for sharing that, because that is another thing that, you know, I found kind of commonplace with stars is our ability to pivot, especially during, um, times of strife or, you know, hardships or, you know, when a global pandemic comes, you know, once in a lifetime, you know, are, are there things that you have done that other people are like, there’s no way that I would’ve done blah, blah, blah, that you end up like kind of being the first in your group or in your family to kind of experience something and then being able to kind of go back and tell people about that experience.

Lateria: It was a lot of, I’m, I’m, I’m really tall for a woman. I’m [00:19:00] five nine and in heels I’m about six feet. Um, I used to be really skinny and liny and awkward, and, you know, the, some of the people in my family, I mean, people in our culture generally don’t understand how important it is to feed positivity and to young women, um, because that contributes greatly to their confidence.

Lateria: So when, you know, when I started modeling, I was take two left feet. I was pigeon toed. I couldn’t, couldn’t walk straight. So, yes, I, like I said, I had a group of women around me I’m so grateful for, um, as well as my mom, who’s always been very classy and elegant, um, who emphasized how important it was for me to kind of, you know, smooth out those rough edges and take some etiquette classes and some modeling classes and things like that.

Lateria: Um, and once again, like not be a product of my environment, they, they saw something in me that I didn’t necessarily see in myself. [00:20:00] Mm-hmm. But um, with that being said, it also generates a lot of negative attention as well because what somebody thinks is awkward about you, you know, they try to make it your insecurity, right?

Lateria: And that can just derail any and everything. And I can just imagine if I would’ve listened to those nasty comments or things that were said or made about me and my body type every single time or every time I went for a job or an audition, you know, I was a size two and it’s a guy told me, maybe you should run around the block a few times with the trash back on.

Lateria: I need you to be a zero, Sarah. What? Mm-hmm. Like, you know, it’s things like that. Like it taught me how to be resilient and, you know, those things I took with me into corporate and I understood. You know, sometimes you’re picked over. You have to find ways to stand out. If you’re working in a call center and you’re only, you know, your main task is to take incoming calls, you know, there might be some DNI [00:21:00] meetings, there might be a women empowerment meeting.

Lateria: There might be a town hall meeting. Just go, just sit in it. Rub elbows with people that are doing something different. Make your face recognized and, um, you know, and familiar to people and so that it, they don’t see that you’re just happy with the where you are. They will never consider you if they feel like you’re just happy with the way you are.

Lateria: And I, I, you know, that lifestyle taught me how to navigate in the corporate lifestyle. And, um, I’m grateful for that because that is a another way that I was able to climb up the ladder and not being afraid to be a student. Sometimes I don’t, you don’t know everything. Mm-hmm. You know, you have to be a sponge.

Lateria: You have to be open and receptive to new information. Um, and education comes in many forms, you know, and I feel like that is what got me, you know, certain corporate jobs of being a paralegal, um, being a, um, an executive assistant being, um, an um, an executive admin without [00:22:00] having that bachelor’s or master’s degree because I had the experience.

Lateria: So when an employer is looking at your resume and looking at somebody who has a four year degree with no experience, you might get picked over that person who has that four year degree with no experience because you have the experience. So the time that it would take for them to train you and, you know, teach you their system or new system or anything, this person already got it because they have the experience.

Lateria: That only happens when you are in oyster for information, you know? Um, so that is definitely. Ways in which that I’ve used my education and my lack of education to my advantage. Um, and associate’s degree is fine, but most people, they won’t even ponder over your resume if you don’t have a ba, you know?

Lateria: Right. And that’s unfortunate because sometimes I feel like they can lose out on having a really, really good, loyal employee, somebody who cares, um, about the company and their [00:23:00] contribution to a company just because they don’t have that. But I understand it from a business aspect as well. It’s kind of like you could be considered a liability, but you know, I’ve, I’ve just figured out ways to maneuver and survived in that space.

Lateria: And sometimes I got in, sometimes I didn’t, but I kept shooting for the stars. I definitely kept shooting for the stars, and I never once doubted myself. Um, if I applied for something that might have been a little farfetched, you know? I maybe went about it a different route. I tried to highlight what my good qualities are and what I felt like was the most important quality opposed to having that tenure degree, you know?

Lateria: Um, and like I said, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. But I always had my other aspects and businesses to fall back on.

Lashana: No, thank you for sharing that. And I could talk to you for another hour and a half, but we’re gonna, we’re gonna let you have some rest, get back to your [00:24:00] daughter. Um, but I have one last question and that is, um, if you were going back in time, you could talk to younger la you know, when she’s just starting out.

Lashana: And, and, you know, feeling lanky. And I had that bean sprout, I call it the bean sprout face, where my limbs were like super long and short torso and trying to walk around and do things like that. Got, if you were to go back and, and talk to her, give her, drop her a little bit of advice, what would you say to her?

Lateria: I would say speak up. Um, I don’t know. Sometimes I just look back like, I don’t know how I survived a lot of the spaces that I was in, but I was almost on mute. Like I didn’t talk much. I didn’t, I didn’t do too much. I didn’t do too much and. Maybe my quietness and my calmness came across as maturity. Um, so people handled me differently.

Lateria: But if you don’t have the guidance that you need, find somebody that you can trust, somebody [00:25:00] that you know is going to root for you no matter what that wants your best interest. And pray those who don’t have your best interest at heart. Pray them away. Don’t pray them any harm, but pray them away. Um, if you don’t have a spiritual background and you want to only rely on what your education is, then just keep going, keep going.

Lateria: Um, you know, your education can turn into something that could be a very, very promising career. I’m not trying to discourage anybody from furthering their education, but we don’t all have the same means. Financial means, um, stability means we don’t always have that. Um, so whatever you feel like is at your reach.

Lateria: Um, maybe a little outta your reach. Find somebody that you can trust. Um, get some mentors. They don’t have to be somebody that, you know, they don’t have to be a stranger either. It could just be somebody that you know and you trust. If you want a new job, go and buy a new suit. [00:26:00] If you wanna be an executive, do some mentoring.

Lateria: I mean, do some volunteering, do some philanthropy work. Um, try to get yourself out there. Try to make yourself known. Um, and that’s, that’s different from popularity. We, you know, lot, a lot of young people search for popularity, especially on social media, but that kind of attention is not always positive.

Lateria: Um, have, have a good heart, have some strong substance, and always keep yourself first. Keep God first. Keep what whatever it is that means something to you. Keep those things first and near and dear and close to you and water those seeds and continue to build and encourage yourself if you don’t have anybody else.

Lateria: Encourage you. Encourage yourself. And that’s what I would’ve told myself because I did let my fear of new things and stepping outside of the box keep me from, you know, leaping forward in certain opportunities because I fear rejection a lot [00:27:00] and I just had to shake myself up one day and say, cut. Cut it out.

Lateria: You wanna get out of the city, you wanna see the world. You know your mom is working sun up to sundown, your dad is working sun to sundown. They have enough to provide and that’s it. And that’s no shade to them. But we’re not here just to work, live and die. That’s not what why we’re here. I wanna be impactful.

Lateria: I wanted to make a difference. Um, I wanted to give back to my community in ways and I’ve been able to do those things. And, you know, if I was scared, I had that conversation with myself. I didn’t share it with anybody, I kept it to myself because you don’t wanna speak those things into the universe because that is what you’re going to give back.

Lateria: So speak positivity, manifest good things for yourself, and, you know, reach for the stars. I’m a star. You a star. They are the stars.

Lashana: I think that’s a great ending. That’s a great ending. So thank you so [00:28:00] much, Lara, for joining. Thank you for sharing your story. Um, and, uh, I hope you have the a, a good rest of your day.

Lashana: Um, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being a shining star.

Lateria: For sure. Maybe we can do a cooking class or something too. There you go. Do that, I’m down. But thank you again and I hope you have a wonderful day as well. I really appreciate it. Warm space.

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Lashana: Hello? Hello, hello, hello. Um, we’ve got Kelly kp, um, back with us again and Marsai, uh, to talk about personal branding and net Worthing. So, uh, I’ll, I’ll, you know, assume that this might be the first time that people are here from both of you. So, uh, I want the people to know who you [00:30:00] are. Let’s start with Kelly.

Kelly: Hi, Lashanna. Thank you for having me back again. Um, I’m k I’m Kelly, also known as kp. I’m a marketing professional with a passion for impactful campaigns. So I am on my job. My role is integrated marketing. It’s a fair way to make sure that all channels are in a line and consistent.

Lashana: Awesome. Well, thank you Kelly.

Lashana: Uh, let’s hear a little bit about Marsai.

Marsay: Hi. Thanks for having me again. Um, I’m Marsai and I am a product marketing associate here at Opportunity Network. And, um, my. Realm of references in email marketing at the moment. So that’s what I highlight here. Okay.

Lashana: Well, we’re here to talk again about personal branding.

Lashana: When I was a youngin, um, I thought, you know, personal branding was just for celebrities and, you know, really famous people and you know, that what they needed to do to kind of secure who they were. And basically to me was like, you know, [00:31:00] advertising themselves like a store, like you would, you know, for a big box store of, of some sort.

Lashana: But I was just like. Wait a minute, now it’s starting to talk about, you know, personal branding’s really important and you need to know what your personal brand is and et cetera and so forth. And like now it’s for the every person. So, um, I was wondering if you all can kind of explain a little bit about what that means, especially for stars.

Lashana: Uh,

Kelly: and I’ll start with you Kelly. So, personal branding is, well, branding in general is something like, I mean, I definitely love and passionate about personal branding for a star is definitely walking, the, walking, talking, the talk. Um, you do have skills, so share those and shine those through anything that you do, especially through like, I also, my mini love is like social media.

Kelly: So your best thing to do, your personal branding through your own voice is definitely going on. Social tiktoks reels, amplifying yourself, amplifying others. Making sure that your voice is like [00:32:00] there and consistent because your voice is your brand, and that’s like your whole package from start to finish.

Kelly: So, yeah.

Lashana: Oh yeah. Um, Marsai, uh, you have anything to add to that? And what does personal branding mean for you?

Marsay: I would say just about the same. It is that voice of yours that spreads across, um, like how you work within your work relationships and your personal life. Um, and you can set that apart, um, and make it like for your work ver version of yourself.

Marsay: You’re, you know, very professional, you’re very detour orientated, whereas like your personal life you can have like, oh, I’m the fun bowly person and I do all this and that. So it can cross and wave in between, or it can be two separate things. Um, personal branding for me is just basically like, like Kelly said, how to set your way apart from the others, what highlights you the best, and just owning that and making sure.

Marsay: Translate through everything else.

Lashana: Awesome. So it’s kind of like, you know, those, uh, little vignettes I see about personality hire, [00:33:00] like what personality are you bringing in? It’s like, I’m the bubbly one and I’m like, you know, the organized one and I’m the, you know, ET and so forth, um, within your journeys as a star.

Lashana: And I’ll, I’ll, you know, speak to, to mine as well, I, uh, ended up kind of inadvertently having like a personal brand. Like people kind of told me what, what, what it was that they would come to me with. And, you know, they would say, you know, Lashanna for some reason, if, you know, servers crash, you’re completely calm and you’re just like sitting down and dictating everything and you know, following along a path where everybody else is kind of screaming.

Lashana: Like, you know, that episode of, what is it community where it’s like everything is like on fire.

It’s like,

Lashana: right. And I’m just sitting there like, okay, well, you know. Crash this, and we can’t access this system, we can’t access that system. So, um, it ended up kind of getting me into, uh, business continuity [00:34:00] and disaster recovery because that’s the type of mentality you need in order to, um, you know, do that kind of work.

Lashana: Like, you know, service crash all over the world. Somebody has to be there to make sure that, you know, all the transitions happen that that needs to happen. So I ended up doing that inadvertently in two different jobs. I guess my reputation ended up following me or something like that. So with personal branding, is that something kind of akin to what maybe a star needs to, uh, seek out?

Lashana: Because I know we come from a non-traditional route a lot of times to get to where we’re getting to. Some people are like specifically trained for that, but we may have like more circumstantial. Um, like how, how do you actually encapsulate that and um, kind of, you know. Push that out there.

Kelly: So I always love, um, when we do a lot of talks about storytelling or telling stars about storytelling or telling their own [00:35:00] story, I was like, that’s pretty much the start of your, your journey.

Kelly: That’s the start of your branding. That’s the start of where you’re gonna, like, where your story goes from beginning to end. Because I, we talked about it before on a deaf and pod, but like, your story will never end. Um, that’s just you and branding. That’s like, even if like, just like you said, Lashanna, like it, someone else is recognizing your brand without you even noticing because that’s just, we as stars, we don’t think of branding as like, oh my goodness, I’m not, huh?

Kelly: This be these big Fortune 500 companies. Like I don’t have a brand, I don’t have a logo like that doesn’t, like scratch all that. Like that’s not you. Like I’d barely have a Twitter. Exactly. Like, what are you

Lashana: talking about?

Kelly: Yeah. I was like, your branding is like, it goes much deeper into your own story and your own self being because.

Kelly: That’s where it all starts. Like it’s really what you lay the groundwork for yourself and you’re literally setting your own brand without you even noticing the way you talk, the way you walk, the way you [00:36:00] pursue different career paths, the way you tr your career changes, the way you go to different certifications.

Kelly: Like that’s all part of your brand, your story, and that’s where it all lies, like right in there. But please, Marsai, I would love to hear more from you and now how that ties in.

Marsay: Yeah. Um, so when I think of branding, I think of like when you initially go to write your resume, right? Like you write your name, that’s who you are, your location, your phone number, those are like details.

Marsay: Um, but then they ask for this summary on your resume and it’s like, tell us about you, tell us what, like something about your work. And that’s, that summary alone is your brand. That’s your little, your elevator pitch essentially. Mm-hmm. And that’s something you have to own and work through and figure out like what are key things about me.

Marsay: That could be a selling point to a job. So then when you start putting together like your skills, these are also part of your brand. So it’s like, okay. I’m detail orientated. I am adaptable, I am goal-oriented. I think on my resume I put like, [00:37:00] I’m a, I’m an avid learner and that’s a big thing for me, like constantly trying to learn and adapt and grow.

Marsay: But that was having like constant change that’s a part of that adaptability piece for me. Mm-hmm. Um, so then when you start adding like your job details, I think your, your brand even flows in the, the what you list there for your resume. It’s like, okay, like, well, what did you do at your company? Well, I can tell you what.

Marsay: The company expects me to do, I can tell you how I went about doing it. And those goals, those tactics, putting those in that resume is what resonates with employers. So I feel like your resume itself is your brand, but it, you have to know who you are first and not show, like showcases and highlights when you give it to someone else.

Marsay: Um, and then as well as like branding, like. Like I said, I come across a room and everyone has always been like, you’re so bubbly. Like, you’re, so, you come across happy. And at first I was like, well dang, like, what am I, I’m glad I’m putting something positive into the world. Like when you see me that, like, that’s an another version of a brand like that, a first, first meet.

Marsay: Um, so I’m like, okay, that’s [00:38:00] something positive. So you have, be mindful of just how you enter a space, enter a room, what do you, what do you say? And how you act is also a part of your brand. So like when you watch tiktoks, when you watch YouTube videos or even stuff that people post on social media, that’s a part of their brand.

Marsay: That’s what they’re putting out into the world. So if you’re constantly seeing someone say something negative, you associate and identify them as something negative. So it’s like there’s so many little pieces that make you who you are. And the rest of the world is seeing it as well.

Kelly: Everyone always thinks of like, the word networking just scares them.

Kelly: And every, it’s intimidating, just the word itself. Mm-hmm. But you don’t realize that you’re networking and every day without even knowing it. These conversations, getting to know people. At your local stores or when you’re at leads events that you end up showing up for, or just taking a little bit of time just to get to know people around you because one, you’re experimenting with your, your own self-awareness, but you’re also knowing what’s going on.

Kelly: But just like you said, Lashanna, like knowing who people are in your own [00:39:00] world or your own industry or even just around you, like knowing, knowing that you have a community. Because at the end of the day, those are the people that are gonna help you get like into different skills or if different learnings or going go get a good different certification.

Kelly: Or they’re gonna be like, oh yeah, I know that person. Oh my God, Marsa would be great for this. Let me, you’re networking without even knowing it. And that’s like, that’s something that I always. Like, wanna let people know that you’re doing it without even doing it. Like, and just keep going because you’re gonna build your brand through the people that you have in your community and who you’re networking with.

Lashana: And I’ll add a little bit that, um, I never go into like connecting with someone thinking that it’s gonna pay off immediately. A lot of times I have connections with people that I may have known off and on for years, and all of a sudden something will come up and they’ll think of me. And I may be doing something completely different than, than, you know, what I, I thought I would be doing, but I kind of more so [00:40:00] interested in connecting with people and finding out what their story is.

Lashana: Mm-hmm. And, you know, the occasional sharing memes or funny videos or something like that on, on Insta or Facebook or whatever, say, you know, this reminded me of our conversation about blah, blah, blah, uh, just. Keeping people in your realm, you know, and I know some of this sounds like self-serving and you’re like trying to take advantage of people, but I was like, no, when you make friends, you’re making friends with people.

Lashana: It’s like, you know, I know that this person likes SpongeBob or whatever, or I know that they are a fan of, you know, rare flowers from X, Y, Z uh, you know, location. And you’re like, oh, you know, this is something that I think this person would love or like, or really appreciate. So it’s, it’s pretty much doing that to me, but just on a very professional level of being, you know, hey, let’s connect, let’s be human beings to each other.

Lashana: Um, nice acquaintances. [00:41:00] And you know, if you find something that you like, you know, that, that you have in common, let’s, let’s talk about that, you know? And. Vibe on that. So it doesn’t always have to be very stoic, and this is my golf buddy or whatever. It’s, it can also be extremely organic. So, um, I try to tell people that, uh, I think it’s generational too.

Lashana: Some, some generations view networking a different way, uh, than, you know, some of the, uh, the younger generation. So if you wanna talk about that, feel free. I know I have just kind of blah, blah, blah for a while, but Yeah. Um, so I wanted to throw that in because a lot of people think it’s, it needs to pay off literally as soon as you leave the conference or whatever.

Lashana: And it’s like, I might not see that person or talk to them for a few months and then they’ll hit me up in LinkedIn and say, oh, I was thinking about you with blah, blah, blah.

Kelly: That’s how it goes. Keeping those connections, keeping those and strong and all that. [00:42:00] Marsai, do you have any, um, I. Advice about networking?

Marsay: Um, I am very much introverted, so I, I’m typically the type of person who shy away from networking events. Um, but I know in some of my roles I have been like forced to be in attendance at events and speaking and stuff like that. So I think for me, like networking is definitely important. And like Lashanna was saying, sometimes it’s just, it’s just organic.

Marsay: You don’t even realize you’re doing it. Um, so like I’ll go into these spaces and I’m just like, oh, like I’ll talk to this person ’cause they seem cool, or I’ll talk to this person and the next thing I know, I’ve already have like three new contacts, sometimes 10 contacts in my phone where it’s like, okay, well if something ever arises or if the co if you need this, then let us know.

Marsay: And like, especially now, I feel like a lot of us will just be like, oh, what’s your Instagram? And like, without knowing it, you just added a contact to your list. So like, one of them is a photographer, so you reach out and you’re like, Hey, I actually have this, the. Thing I’m working on at work and we need a photographer [00:43:00] now you have a contact in photography and they might know someone who’s working on, um, other things.

Marsay: And having all those connections that you need at these events is really beneficial. So, um, advice I would give to someone who’s like, like myself, who doesn’t, who don’t like to speak out, um, would just be to cry. Um, you never know who you’ll meet. You’ll never know what that brings or who can, you know better your career path or life path or in what ways you can form or shape someone else’s.

Marsay: Um, ’cause I’ve had that definitely happen to me several times. And I know for the most part it’s more so people coming towards me and be like, Hey, like we were thinking of you and you did this, this project and you remembered how well it was to work with you, so let’s try it this way. And we wanted to run numbers by you or something like that.

Marsay: So it’s, it’s nerve wracking for sure. I’m like, I the nerves, all of that, I’m just like, oh my god. Like. You, you immediately wanna shy away. But when it [00:44:00] comes organically, when, when you’re able to get in those spaces, it’s. If beneficial.

Lashana: No, I love the, um, the little tips too. Uh, and please feel free to share more.

Lashana: Um, I know for me, when I first started out, um, you know, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just like going to things. And again, Marse and I, I share like a comment of, you know, I’m pretty much an introvert, so I like, unless I specifically have something to talk to you about, I’m not like just randomly going up, uh, and, and doing that.

Lashana: But was, was there anything in particular with either one of you that you kind of, uh, used, like a resource you went to or some tips that somebody gave you that was just like, Hey, you know, go here if you wanna learn a little bit more about how to do it? I had to figure out small talk because again, I was behind the computer.

Lashana: Ask me whatever you need to ask me, let me do the thing. And then, you know, I’m going on to the next project. But then like, getting out on [00:45:00] stage. And, you know, talking to people. And then when you, you get down from the stage, you know, after the q and a session is over with, it’s like people are still asking you questions.

Lashana: So it’s like, oh wait, I need to like actually be able to compress with folks about stuff. Um, and then, you know, you’re in the hallway and people grab you to the side and you know, they wanna ask you questions and find out more about it. But I had to, um, I was fortunate enough to go through a Fortune 500 company that took me through media training.

Lashana: I don’t think that’s accessible to everybody. It was just my, my thing that, that helped me, um, kind of set up, uh, a, a standard of the type of, uh, way that I need to communicate to people. But for either one of you, um, you know, for folks to, that don’t have a Fortune 500 company media training, uh, accessible to them, what would would be some tips that you would give them or, um, things to keep in mind when they’re trying to like enhance their personal brand?

Kelly: So [00:46:00] when, um. When that crazy word comes out, networking, everyone does get the, like the, the tingles on the back of their neck and their hair stands up. Um, but the best way, like I cope with all of those is just like Marsai said, like, just do it. Um, you don’t know unless you try. The, the worst thing that anyone can do is just like, probably flip their hair and be like, girl, I’m not talking to you.

Kelly: Um, but like my best way, like what I practice a lot, like it maybe sounds like a little weird, but like talking to yourself in the mirror, like seeing what you look like, like seeing how your face is. Like a lot of us have those resting faces where we just don’t get a lot of like crazy highs or, um, but there’s also like a lot of things out there in the world too.

Kelly: Like you can literally like go on any type of social media, like quick tips. There’s a lot of influencers out there that are always sharing quick tips and things. YouTube is a great way to also find some courses. Uh, there’s also like LinkedIn that has a lot of free courses about public speaking and stuff.[00:47:00]

Kelly: Also another crazy word that you don’t wanna hear all the time, like when you wanna public speak. But at the end of the day, like it’s, it’s another skill in your two belt, like another skill a star can add to their their list. Another thing that you can add to your branding, the better you like do it and the more that you do it, you’re going to shine, you’re going to succeed.

Kelly: And they’re going to remember you for talking. Yeah, you fumbled and you messed up a couple words, but they’re gonna be like, oh my God. Like Kelly, she made me laugh. Like I want her to do that again. Hence why I’m back on another episode because I just me back so bad. So like just, just talking and see, like I always talk to Marsai and I always make her laugh and that what makes me happy.

Kelly: Like if I can talk to you and I can drop some knowledge, but I can also smile during that. Like that’s a successful thing. But learning those tips and those tricks and just coping with yourself. Is the biggest thing to like get over it, but like please reference YouTube or go on TikTok. Mm-hmm. Go on Instagram.

Kelly: Go to your local bosses or your local like coffee shop, start talking to [00:48:00] people. Like, just like what? Like lashawna, when people pull you aside, you’re probably just like, no. Like those are easy ways to just let me have a quick conversation. Let’s see if I can do this. Let me see if it can drop some knowledge.

Kelly: Like then you walk away and you’re just like, ah, yeah, I didn’t say

Lashana: we’re gonna be taking lessons from kp. There we go. There you go.

Marsay: There we go.

Lashana: Mar say you got any tips, tricks?

Marsay: I would say, um. First, just accept that it might be awkward. Like the first couple times it will probably be awkward. You might say something.

Marsay: And if you have anxiety like me, then you’ll probably be like overthinking it for the next couple days. Um, so just be prepared. Like it’s gonna be a little bit awkward, but like Kelly was saying, like that experience in person. So like coffee shops. I know for me when I go to grocery stores, like the small tark isn’t easy for me.

Marsay: So I will try to say something. And the first thing that a grocery, like someone at the grocery store will say to you was, did you find everything easy? No. Like I always say no. And then I ask like, [00:49:00] do people ever answer this question? And then that’s how you get a conversation going. So building rapport with people goes a long way.

Marsay: Small little jokes, little interactions go a long way. I do that at Starbucks all the time too. Like, like I would just talk to people. Um, especially the, the Starbucks people are really nice. They’re, they’re, they’re paid to be nice. So you can practice there.

Lashana: But um, so practice there. Practice at the Starbucks and at the Trader Joe’s.

Marsay: Exactly. Because

Lashana: cashiers are really nice.

Marsay: Talk to the cashiers. They will. That’s how you do the small talk. ’cause it’s really quick and. Really quick interactions that you have with these people. Mm-hmm. Um, and then when it comes to like, recording yourself, I definitely think that’s a good thing. So you see what you look like, like, ’cause I know sometimes, uh, in the beginning I would be like, oh, you use your hands a lot.

Marsay: Like they’re moving every time you say something. Um, so it’s like, be calm, be collected, like work on that. Definitely watch it back a couple times. I’m a singer so I have to record [00:50:00] myself sometimes and see like, oh, am I making odd faces? Like what do I listen? What do, what do other people see? Um, and then just be comfortable with yourself, like it’s okay.

Marsay: Um. Definitely get into those habits, little things like that. Um, as far as like networking itself, um, I feel like the best places to network for one is your job. Like wherever you work, someone knows someone who knows someone. Mm-hmm. And so for me, when I was trying to get into marketing, it was like, who can I ask?

Marsay: So I was in school, right? I asked my, my teacher, I’m like, Hey, like you’re my marketing teacher. What are some places you think I can just go to and ask to shadow? Like, can I sit down and shadow people? And surprisingly they gave me these contacts, I reached out and everyone was like, yes, we would love for you to come sit and just learn.

Marsay: People say yes all the time. Um. So I would do stuff like that over the course of my career and I would learn a lot. Um, you can even shadow classes if you want to, like [00:51:00] mm-hmm. There are so many little things you can do to like better yourselves, but I would just say first and foremost, ask where you work and you can shadow people in different, like departments.

Marsay: ’cause I did that as well, just to see what they do. So when you understand what someone else does, then you can, like, as me as a marketer, I can be like, Hey, like, well this person does this. They don’t need their story, their brand, how they work. Now I have to tell it back. How can I tell it back in a way that like presents it in a, the, the most favorable way to get someone else engaged.

Marsay: And that’s when you learn that storytelling. And that’s. All branding is, is storytelling. Like you’re constantly telling the story with the narrative that you want. So I would say practice there, do those small things. And I, I’m, I guarantee it’ll go far.

Lashana: We wanna extend a heartfelt thank you to the Tear, the Paper Ceiling Coalition of Partners.

Lashana: Your continued support has played a vital role in bringing awareness to stars and uplifting the movement to recognize the power of [00:52:00] skills. Thanks to your partnership, the Paperless Pathways podcast has been able to share powerful stories, elevate star voices, and cause a shift in practices within the workforce.

Lashana: We look forward to continuing this important work together, amplifying the impact and driving real change for stars everywhere. Let’s keep tearing the paper ceiling together. Excellent. Excellent. Both of you give like these excellent tips that, um, I wish I would’ve had. It started out in my career and, you know, figure it out.

Lashana: Uh, I, I feel like I got the crash course version where it’s just like, throw me out there and, and sink a swim. But I also, um, wanna ask, and I’m going off script again, but, you know, I think everybody knows me. I’m gonna just ask the question that’s not there. Um, so, uh, I just wanna get you all’s, uh, viewpoint of people taking like these professional speaking, um, you know, courses and, and [00:53:00] certain organizations.

Lashana: I don’t wanna mention any names, but we’ve probably all heard of them where they’re just like, don’t say, um, don’t say, uh, don’t say this. You know, say things that way. Um. I find that, you know, maybe that it’s good for certain areas, but not good for everything. So I know a lot of people were like, well, if you wanna be really good at personal branding and networking, you need to join this organization and do this.

Lashana: Um, I never did, but um, again, I’m out there speaking as well. So maybe my crash course was what was my, my learning, uh, session. But what are you all’s feelings on? Um, taking routes like that?

Kelly: I always let people know, um, you don’t need to pay for stuff just to level up in the world. So if it is like a paid thing or you have to like go against like 50 people to get involved in it.

Kelly: I’m just not that type of person. I’m like, if I see a dollar sign next to a certification, I’m like, hmm, yeah, I’m gonna source out and see [00:54:00] something else. Just like we were talking earlier, like networking, finding someone who is like in that thing, in that field or can help you or can give you pointers.

Kelly: There are ways, like sometimes you do need to pause and you need to, um, uh, doesn’t mean that you’re not getting your point across. It doesn’t mean that you’re not better than the person next to you. We’ve seen plenty of people out in the world that you could probably search on YouTube, where even we could say the Obamas, like they do have speeches out there where they do take their time.

Kelly: Sometimes it just gets the message to across when you do have those pauses. So even if you’re in the front of a mirror or you’re in the public speaking or engagement, or you’re presenting something and you do do the, uh, um, doesn’t mean you’re like, you’re lack of, or you don’t have that skill. Like, no, you’re, you’re polishing up yourself.

Kelly: You’re doing what you need to do. You, you don’t need to take crash courses. You can. Us being stars. We have that resilience that if we want to, we will. If we want to, we, we, we know how to, if we need to, we will get it [00:55:00] done. Um, I’ve never really taken any crash courses in public speaking. I did a couple in high school, but like, even when that happened, I did a lot of ums.

Kelly: And even my teacher was always just like, you gotta get better. You gotta know what you’re saying next. And I’m just like, well, first of all, my mouth just runs and my head is little back. Right? Get together. Uh, you know, and I talk a lot and sometimes I’m just like, I ramble too much. But you need those ums.

Kelly: You need those breaks. No one’s gonna be perfect. I’m sorry. This world is nice and fancy and shiny. But guess what? Like, there are holes. There are cracks in the system. There are things going wrong and some people just need to, to do that. It’s, it’s a coping mechanism. It’s also, you’re in front of people, you’re nervous, things are gonna go.

Kelly: Different. Like, you know, so you give yourself grace, um, always polish up those skills. Always do what you need to source out, source outward, sort upward source laterally. Your own friends can give you the best tips, like your own people [00:56:00] that you work with can give you the best tips. If you need anyone. I know Lasha is always around.

Kelly: She can give you some great pointers. Um, but yeah, that’s, that’s just my, like, spiel in a nutshell about all of that. But I do wanna hear what Mar saying. What?

Lashana: Yeah, I wanna hear Mars say’s take,

Marsay: um, I would say if you feel it’s beneficial to you and you have the funds, it’s not a necessity. It’s something like you don’t need it.

Marsay: Um, but if that’s something you would like to do, definitely weigh your options, research, make sure it’s reputable, make sure these are people who you feel like could help you. Um, I, like, I took a couple of like classes at a community college. So one of the. Um, teachers, like it was a communications class, but we did everything online.

Marsay: It was so, I’m like, how do I learn how to be an effective communicator if I’m taking online classes? And so one of her assignments was like, we all had to go somewhere, pitch it to [00:57:00] friends or family, like write something. It had to be like five minutes long. You had to write something and speak it to your friend’s family.

Marsay: I moved somewhere where I didn’t have friends or family, and so I was like, well, who the heck do I ask? Like, who do I ask to do this? And I had to find someplace that was a spoken word and I went, there were about 50 people. I’ve never spoken to anyone and I’ve never read my poetry to anyone. But I wrote one that was five minutes long and I read it and I was nervous and it was very loud in there.

Marsay: And. Eventually everyone calmed. And it was weird reading it and seeing it, like actively watching people just go silent and listen to me. Like the bartenders there just stopped moving. Everyone was watching all eyes on me. And you would think you get more nervous, but it’s more so empowering and you’re just like, okay.

Marsay: Like they’re paying attention to me. And so I’m reading this thing for five minutes and at the end, you know, [00:58:00] spoken where usually everyone snaps. I was getting applause and I was just like, frozen. ’cause it’s like, whoa, wow, this is crazy. Go to the bar. He’s like, here’s a shot. And he’s like, no one has ever done this here.

Marsay: Usually people talk through the whole thing. So it’s like you never know what you’re capable of until you try. So I’m like, if it takes you going somewhere and just speaking out in public, do it. Like even with like social media talkers, they do it in the stores. They walk around and talk to their phone and they’re talking to millions of people.

Marsay: It’s just one person you should feel whatever you’re speaking on is to you. You should be speaking to yourself, your younger self, your family member. Like take that in stride. But no, I don’t necessarily think you need any professional courses or classes to like get you far. There are so many things in your community at the YMCA with little kids.

Marsay: Like you can do so much with little resources. So as Kelly was saying, you could go to your, your [00:59:00] employers and just be like, Hey, like I noticed you are an excellent speaker. Tell me your tips or tricks. Like we all make mistakes. We’re all human and we’re so like into social media as well that like we forget that things are edited.

Marsay: So a lot of the stuff we watch on YouTube, they’re taking out the deep breaths, they’re taking out the pauses, they’re taking out their arms. We are human in real life. We do take breaks. We need to breathe, we need to gather our thoughts and that is okay. Um. I think we need to sometimes like reel it back into that human experience.

Marsay: It, it is okay to have those, it’s okay to like not be perfect. ’cause I know for me, I’m trying to work on fill of words, but. It’s a, it’s an evolving process. I might slip up, I might, I might not. It just depends.

Lashana: No, I love that. Um, um, I was thinking about, um, a quote, I don’t know if I’m gonna get it correct, uh, from Arlan Hamilton, who’s a VC out in, uh, in LA and, uh, she says, be [01:00:00] yourself so that the people looking for you can find you.

Lashana: Uh, and I feel like that’s kind of an excellent way to, you know, yeah, put your brand out there in, you know, in, in your head as you’re talking to people, because that’s who they want. They, they’re coming for you. They’re not coming for the polished version of, you know, that type of person. And then you gotta ask yourself, if you’re coming out there with this polished version, that’s the you that they’re gonna think that you are.

Lashana: And is that what you wanna put out there? So, um, what I usually ask people, what do they think they wanna do in like, um, five or 10 years, or either, like, if they went back in time, what, what they say, um, I will. Kind of, uh, be dealer’s choice with both of you on that. Um, do you wanna answer what you would tell younger you or would you like to answer where you’re hoping to be in five to 10 years with like, the building of your brand, the building of networking and, and we don’t know what’s gonna be the [01:01:00] next, uh, you know, social media, uh, epic thing, but, um, you know, where are you hoping to be, uh, as well, you know, when, when, uh, all is said and done, but, uh, either one.

Lashana: Either one. Uh, and I’ll start it back with Kelly.

Kelly: So my future self, I would hopefully be like an awesome person, like making like six figures. Star status. You know, like all of it. Telling the world, telling the whole world, like where I started and how it all became, um, one of my, like, hopefully in five years I can like, turn back to the podcast and be like, guess what?

Kelly: I, I really did great. I did stand up and I’m a great comedian and dah, dah. I was like, that’s like, that’s the goal. Like for, I wanna level up my own career, but I also wanna, like, my hobbies are joke telling. Like, I do love it. I, it’s nerve wracking being in front of people, but I think that’s the best way to get out there and get like, on stage and do all that.

Kelly: So I would love to be like, [01:02:00] I would love to be a comedian. I would love to be an actor. I would love to be an influencer. I love all the statuses, the status quo stuff, teaching other people about where, where you start and how to keep going. And it’s going to be scary. It’s. Not gonna be easy. You’re not gonna wake up the next day and all your dreams come true.

Kelly: Like you’re gonna put the sweat in, you’re gonna put the, the blood, sweat, tears, agony, back pain, neck hurts. Like you gotta keep going. Like you gotta keep going. And I, I, I think I’ve met, touched on it in another pod with you, Lashanna about my old self. Like, I would tell that her like, Kelly, like, it’s gonna be tough.

Kelly: It’s gonna be tough and you’re not gonna find an easy way, but you’re going to get there and you’re going to find great people that you’re going to connect with and make those connections, get that network in. We don’t have that as stars. So like, already off the bat, like we already start off with no community.

Kelly: We don’t already, we don’t start off knowing networking. We don’t know what public speaking is too much because that all that, all those [01:03:00] words are just like, Nope, not for me. Not gonna happen in that realm. I don’t have those skills. But learning those skills, getting those skills, knowing that it’s okay, like it’s going, it’s gonna hurt, it’s, it’s gonna, it’s gonna be hard.

Kelly: I was like. Keep going. So my future self and my younger, like younger self, it’s gonna be hard. Life is hard, but guess what? Like you’re going to gain so much skills and so many networks through it. If you just try, just try keep going. And if you need any like support, like call me, hit me up. I will be your biggest cheerleader and there are cheerleaders out there, so find the right network that are gonna cheer for you.

Kelly: So that’s my little thing.

Marsay: Awesome. Yeah. Thank you Mar Say, I think what I would tell or hope for my future self, I love to write. Um, and so I would love to be someone who eventually is like a content mar, uh, a content writer or, um, eventually put out a couple books. Um, I think that would be [01:04:00] aligns well with what like.

Marsay: My dreams. And so hopefully in 10 years I have a book written, or my role here is now I am the, the content marketer and I can write all the things, blogs and et cetera. Um, but as far as like my younger self, um, I think I, I mentioned that the, I read a poem and I wrote it for my younger self. So the last line in that poem is, my dear, you are strong and in case you forget, put your hand on your chest.

Marsay: It beats purpose. And I would tell that to her over and over until she understands I. That you have this, and I would say that to anyone else out there.

Lashana: I wanna thank both of you for joining me today, sharing a bit about your thoughts on personal branding and networking, or net worthing. Um, and I hope both of you are enjoying the rest of your day, um, because, uh, you know, I know there’s a lot of stuff going on at the, the opportunity at work office.

Lashana: So, um, but thank you, thank you, thank [01:05:00] you. I appreciate both of you.

Marsay: Thank you for having us. We

Lashana: love to be here.

Kelly: Yeah. Thank you so much, Lashanna, and thank you Marsai. I loved hearing from you.

Lashana: Thank you for listening to Paperless Pathways. You can find the podcast on Spotify, apple Podcasts, and on YouTube.

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Lashana: Every listen, share, and follow. Help support the future of stars, people who are skilled through alternative routes.