October 1, 2025 • 63 mins
In this week’s episode, Mandi sits down with Lisa Cunningham, a powerhouse creative and the Head of Marketing at the Black Women’s Health Imperative, to unpack her incredible journey from directing music videos to becoming a champion for health equity.
Lisa shares how personal loss and self-discovery shaped her purpose, leading her to use storytelling as a tool for change—especially in women’s health. Through her documentary Me Period, she’s breaking down stigmas around menstruation and helping young women and their caregivers access the knowledge and confidence they deserve.
Together, Mandi and Lisa dive into what it really means to prioritize your health, wealth, and wellness—and how those three things are deeply connected. They discuss:
✨ The role women play as health advocates in their families
✨ Why accurate health information is key to empowerment
✨ How chronic disease prevention and epigenetics shape generational well-being
✨ Navigating career pivots with purpose and financial confidence
✨ The importance of community and partnership in personal growth
Mentioned on the show:
Watch Me Period: https://kinema.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Ay Va fam, it's your girl, Mandy Money.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to the wash Day. Wou saw.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
I have a very special guest for y'all today. Her
name is Lisa Cunningham. Lisa is a visionary storyteller who's
brought her creativity from directing thousands, hundreds thousands of chart
topping music videos to producing campaigns that drive health equity.
As the head of marketing at the Black Women's Health
Imperative and the director of a documentary called Me Period,
(00:33):
Lisa is changing the way we tell stories about Black
women's health. And I'm just really honored to have you
at Brown Ambition.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Thank you for having me. I am honored. You are
a veteran in the podcast game, so thank you for
having me on Geriatric Podcaster.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Although we talked about just owning our age, y'all may
not know this, Lisa and I met, I don't know,
three years ago.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, somehow, somehow.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Somewhere, in some divine chain of events, I ended up
getting tapped to moderate a panel for Black Women's Health
imperiod imperative?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Is it imperative?
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, it's imperative because Black women's health is in fact imperative.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Now, this is an iconic nonprofit. It is the oldest
nonprofit in the US.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, that's focusing on health equity for black women and girls.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Absolutely, And when I got tapped to moderate this panel,
I was nervous but ended up being such an incredible experience.
And through that process I got to meet you, Lisa,
and you just had this energy, this aura about you
that you were one of the people I remembered from
that you know, that short but meaningful experience for me.
And then you know, you follow people and you follow
(01:42):
their journeys and I was just like, oh, Lisa, Like,
her style is amazing. You can tell she has a
toe with entertainment, but she's also such a huge health advocate.
And I saw that you had directed this documentary me
period and You've got Tabitha Brown in it and Sir
Lee Ralph, and I was like, this does it. I'm
tired of not knowing more about Lisa. I'm gonna have
her on the show. And you are so gracious to
say yes, So thank you, first and foremost, thank you.
(02:06):
So tell Brown ambition. We're going to get into your
career trajectory, but tell us what we need to know
about Lisa today, Like what what's actually when you got
cooking over there? What are all the projects you're working on?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
What?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
What it's I'm working on myself every every day of
my life, Like seriously, that's what I'm working on over here,
and you know, making such a big pivot as time
goes on. I'm actually thinking about three point zero right now.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Right So it's just.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Like, how do you keep retranslating your life into you know,
the next best version of you for that particular time.
In all honesty, that's what I'm working on right now.
I'm working on me.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Okay, so we might have a pivot. Well, pivot sounds
so like, but it's almost like so binary, like changing
from this to that. But I think that you, I mean,
let's talk about your career, because I do think that
you have done a wonderful job, just from an outsider's perspective,
kind of harnessing all your talents.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
And it's not like you.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Do one and only one thing and then that's the
period when I'm only doing that thing and then I'm
going to switch to something new.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Can you talk about how.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You've layered your career, you know, leveraging all of your
different talents.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
You know, because I was in the entertainment industry for
most of my career.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And I'm dating myself right now.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Because I'm thinking back to the first paycheck I ever
got was handed to me from Pebbles with La Face
Records because I was on the site set of TLC's
What About Your Friends?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
WHA.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So you're not directing just any like this, you're directing
like music videos in the nineties.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
That was a pa I was the lowest on the total.
We're just can rite, okay, but this is, you know.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Nineteen twenty, you know, year old Lisa at that point twenty,
I forget.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
How old, but I was very young.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
And I got that check and I used to kind
of like scramble. I was still in college and I
got that check and I was like, I'm dropping out
of school. I just made one hundred dollars for one
day work and that's it, Like it was over, and
and that began this career that I am so grateful for.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I truly am.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I mean, when I look back at all of the
people that I've gotten a chance to work with, from
your Missy Elliott's to your Sierra's to your gladys Knights
and all these different folks at different stages of that journey.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
But I call my.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Pivot because I do agree with you. I think the
word pivot is so binary. I call it the remix
because I was in the entertainment industry and one of
my favorite stories is that I used to be marketing
director at our radio station Hot one O seven nine
here in Atlanta, and we were doing some sort of
(05:18):
promotion with with with Ryan Cameron, who was at the
station at the time, and all of these acts, you
know those those radio station events where all of the
acts come to perform, And there was this newer act,
a girl group, and they I actually I wasn't marketing director.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
This is way before that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
I was working at a record company at the time,
Itchabond Records, and I had brought a group that had
one of the biggest songs out and so I was
all excited, like, you know, this is like one of
those things where you have that proud moment of like,
my group's hotter than your group, right, So nodding, but.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I have no idea how that feels. But yes, yeah,
I had.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I had the hottest group out and so we're just
waiting for our time. So this girl group has to
get up and they start doing their song and this
crunk crowd in Atlanta is listening to them, and they're like,
when I say no, no, and dead, crowd is dead.
And so somebody from their camp says, put on the remix,
(06:28):
and here comes that beat, here comes white Flat, here
comes the energy, and all of a sudden they had
the crowd eating out of their hands. They got off
that stage. I remember being introduced to Beyonce at that time,
the young Beyonce, and I'll never forget that because it
(06:49):
was the remix. Had it not been for that song,
we don't even know if we would have had Destiny's
Child and Beyonce and in the version that they grew to.
And so I think about that so much with regards
to my own life, because when I was twenty seven
(07:09):
years into a career that I wanted to pivot from,
I had to take some inventory in another way. And
so that concept of the remix, because sometimes in the
remix you speed things up. Sometimes a remix gets slowed down.
Sometimes you have to collaborate with a new individual. So
(07:32):
I was scared to get out of my little entertainment
bubble because I felt so validated within that world. But
knew that I just wanted to use my gifts for
some sort of social impact, and so how was I
ever going to do that though, you know, if I
didn't get it right in here? And so my you know,
(07:54):
shamelessly tracking back to brown ambition, you know, my ambition.
I had to get rooted in something though, So I
had to take that ambition and say, okay, now what's
my intention? My intention is to give people aha moments
from the content that I produce and have that content
(08:17):
be something that is, you know, redeeming for our people.
And boy, it has been a damn journey.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
So when was it, so you said, a twenty seven
year career, So when did this pivot start to happen?
When did you start to think I'm ready for something different?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
You know, it's so funny. I was on the set
of a music video. And I really like to tell
people this because we think of these things as like
this epiphany and then my life changes, and no, no, no, no, this.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Was a slow process.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
My dad died and the same week that my dad died,
I will never forget I had directed Gucci Man's first
few so icy don't go.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Back and look at that video y'all, it's got awful.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
But anyway, I had directed that video and I remember
then just being in a state, Mandy, and I'll just
keep it real right now, emotionally, physically, spiritually, garbage, garbage.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
You found out your father passed after you had completed
the video or during this Yes.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
After I had completed the video. I found out. I
was literally in my producer's office and got the call
to come to And I never at the time, I
was such a bad human. I never answered my mother's
calls because I was always so busy. Yeah, trash, right,
(09:48):
And I something told me answer mama's call.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
And my dad was in.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
His last stages, and she said, you need to come
now because they don't expect him to live through the day.
And I raced over there and was able to hold
my dad's hand and he would pass away two hours later.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
And there was.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Something about that moment of my dad's passing that began
the process. But it was a it was It still
took many years for me to really sink into this
better version of myself. But I was on the set
of of a of a Big Rappers video one day
and he happened to also have a TV show on
(10:33):
a broadcast network and we had it was all about
gangs and drugs and guns. And so he had all
of these guns out and his family came in and
the son was playing with the with the weapons and
I'm not you know, everybody could do what they see
(10:55):
best with training.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Raising their children, right, don't do that.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
People don't don't do that, And so I was just
it was that was my real AHA moment.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Like that was the day where I set it all
in motion.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
I was like, I've got to make a change, and
so I'm going to start going about what does that
look like. And as soon as I set that real intention, Mandy,
and this is what I need your audience to know
is that I started listening for the signs to get
out of my comfort zone so there would be an
(11:32):
opportunity here to collaborate with somebody. There would be an
opportunity here. And so that is what started me on
that path. But what I now know is that I
didn't trust myself enough. I didn't care about myself enough
to make the remix. Until I started doing those things,
(11:52):
everything opened up.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
You know, a little bit before we started to record,
you said something that I thought was honestly refreshing to hear.
But you said I'm a reformed ask and then just
now as you were talking about you know, your father
and not wanting to answer your mom's call, talk to
me about that. It's refreshing one to just let that
(12:16):
sit in the let that those words kind of sit
hang in the air for a bit, because I wish
more people could accept that, like have that moment where
they're like, oh, I am not this is not right.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
I am holding.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Myself accountable and then making some change. So can you
talk to me about yea, so think about that.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
I say that if I if, hopefully I will write
a few books, but the title of one of them
will be maybe It's you. And that's truly because I
feel like all of our books are written for the victim,
you know, they're not written for the air quotes narcissist.
I don't think I was a narcissist, right, because that's
(12:59):
such an extreme clinical term. But just I wasn't my
highest self and write I need somebody to write the
book for that person because I needed somebody to help
me through my own I don't know what to how
to pinpoint it in terms of you know, how I
(13:19):
got out of it. But I knew I know one
thing for sure. I decided to take baby steps, and
each day, each month, that's what I would do. I
would envision myself constantly. I would do this, envision myself
(13:40):
talking to a different group of people than the people
that I currently was talking to. So I would take
and then I would slowly start eliminating. If I talked
to ten people regularly that I knew were kind of toxic,
I would just slowly start eliminating them. I wouldn't answer
the call. If I had to answer the call, I
(14:01):
would keep the call to five minutes. I started assessing
who brings out the worst in me? Every time I
talk to this person, I would gossip. I am not
a gossiper, So why is it that every time I
talk to this person, I'm led down the path of gossiping.
So I started to just not, you know, quiet, quitting friendship. Yeah,
(14:26):
because what you don't want to do is that you
don't want to upend your life and be so abrasive.
I don't think that works for everyone. I don't think
it works for most of us. I think you have
to kind of layer this thing so that your nervous system.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Other people's reactions to you.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Half of the people I quiet quit, probably ninety percent
of them don't even know that I even did.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It, because of the.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Space and grace and the way that I did it,
don't even know.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
So are you.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I'm saying that you were realizing you were surrounding yourself
with people that was kind of normalizing or letting you
feel okay behaving the way you were behaving and acting
the way you were acting.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Yeah, So part of it was realizing this is not right,
and I need to stop associating or surrounding myself with
people that normalize this kind of behavior, and that aren't,
you know, giving off the energy or the vibe that
I want to give off.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
The entertainment industry can be.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I won't, I won't speak for everybody in it, but
I do think that it can be a place where
you can easily lose yourself, and so you have to do,
like the Goodie Mob said, you know, fight to keep
your spirit in mind throughout that industry.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Hey, ba fam, We're going to take a quick break,
pay some bills, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
And I applaud anybody who's able to stay in it
and keep themselves and be the best version of themselves.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
I remember I was.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Doing a video for what is now like one of
the biggest rap artists groups out there, and we were
shooting at the Fox Theater and nobody had ever shut
down Peachtree Street and changed the marquee of the Fox
Theater in Atlanta, like this had.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Never been done.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
And we were waiting on them to come downstairs from
the hotel that was right across the street. We were
waiting for hours, and I will never forget that feeling
of why am I waiting right now? Like what good
and purpose is this product going to serve once they
get down and once we film, and once we go
(16:45):
to the next location, which was the Strip club, Like
what value is any of this actually going to bring
into the world? So I am this upset right now,
But I knew that there was no real substance or
value that was going to come from that. And that's
when I start, you know, like I said, it was
just this quiet you know, nope, And I would say
(17:08):
my meditations, I would say my prayers, and I would
just continue to ask God for the strength to just
walk away, because I remember I used to do a
journal entry that would say, right now, eighty five percent
of my projects are entertainment industry. Like I had clocked it,
and I said, and I want it to be the reverse,
(17:31):
and I want this to happen within a year. But
I had to accept some things about myself first. And
that is the real secret, I believe to the remix.
Because I did a video for the Atlanta Voice, this
heritage newspaper in Atlanta, and they were turning fifty years old.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I believe I was tasked.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
With doing this beautiful tribute video for them, and they
were going to have a gala and the mayor at
the time was going.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
To speak at it.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
And I'm in the car Mandy outside of this venue
not wanting to go in. Why because it was the
first time I was presenting like a whole man in
suit and I had never gone into a formal situation
(18:24):
like that before. As this you know, version of myself
with old Atlanta in the building. I don't know if
your audience knows, right, there's New Atlanta and then there's
old Atlanta. That's a crowd of folks who may be
a lot more judgmental. I am in the LGBTQIA plus community.
(18:47):
I was born a woman, but I get called sir
every day of my life. I identify as a woman,
and I didn't want to walk into that space where
people would sit in judgment on and I got the
courage to get out of that car. And the editor
of the newspaper, her husband, mister Washington will never forget
(19:12):
this ever.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
He walks up to me. He's like, he's probably like
a sixty five.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Year old man, and he said, first of all, I
want to ask you, how do you identify I said,
identify she her? And then he goes, well, then, girlfriend,
we just played your video.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
And you did the damn thing. What year was this?
This was only seven years ago. He was fresh out
that training.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
I love that and think about the impact that had
on somebody who was so frail and broken and didn't
want to walk in the damn door. And that moment
was one of those pivotal moments in my life. When
I tell you every door I walked in I have
walked in since that day, I have walked in with
(20:02):
my head held high. That's the person you met at
CBC because of mister wash and or.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Make me get all emotional. So you said you had
to accept some things about yourself. So were you grappling
with your your sexual identity or how you presented yourself
while you were directing? And it sounds like you were
in these like really intensely males like sexist yah, like
the worst and worst of hip hop culture that you
(20:32):
think about, the massogre noir and the you know, the
over sexualization of black women, black female bodies and all the.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Most toxic parts of hip hop. We love hip hop.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Obviously, like we're from Atlanta, like we we appreciate that culture,
but it can be so so toxic for black women.
What were some of the challenges you would encounter.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Well, I think that you know, I'm glad you brought
that up because I had to forgive myself. I had
to forgive myself about what you just said. I was
a part of the culture that was telling people, you know,
do this and do that on camera, and so I
had to forgive myself for all of that. And I
used to say that I'm trying to outrun my past.
(21:14):
I'm not I honor my past. It's okay. That was
that version of me, and so that was a part
of that healing journey, right forgiving myself. And then in
terms of my identity, I've always identified as a woman.
(21:34):
I like to I like to present on what people
would call, you know, a more masculine presenting way. And
so that's y'all's problem, not mine. I like to dress
like this, you know. But at that time I.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Was still look damn good. Can we just say you
look good and you carry it so well?
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Thank you?
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So that's I mean, that's you know, but that's that
work we got to do on ourselves. Because the moment
I started accepting myself in.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
My full glory, I can. I can be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I do not have people when they're really able to
interact with me.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I don't have issues with folks. I really don't. So
I'm blessed with that now. Using the restroom in public,
that's a difference.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
You know, you're really you're I'm from Atlanta, I know.
We talked about that. We both went to UGA different
different classes. Will say overlap.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
I was there the year you were born.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I think, yes, you were there the year I was born.
University of Georgia BA FAM if y'all aren't familiar, it's
the largest public university, is it the oldest public university
in the country.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
It's real old.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
But the phrase pwy UGA invents that. It was definitely
like even when I went there, you know, some years
after you attended University of Georgia. It was I had
a great experience because of the small pocket of black
Uga that was able to lift me up. But shit,
you were going to campus. You said you were going
to class and they were marching on Robert E. Lee's
(23:08):
birthday instead of mlk's birthday.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Yes, yes, that's a real thing with cannons in full,
you know, Confederate guard.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Yeah, only about twenty years after it was integrated by
Charlene Hunter Gault too, that's right. Yeah, what was your
experience like at UGA.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Well, it was it's all a blur, right, because we
had a lot of fun. That's a party school, and
I have some great, great memories from there. And so
because the black population, I think when I was there,
it was like about fifteen hundred out of the thousands,
But if you think of your average black college, that's
(23:49):
you know, that's about how many people are at the
entire college. So it's almost like we had a university
within a university.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah, that's how it felt.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
I went to so many differ high scho and I'm
a mixed kid, like I grew up all over the place.
Never really felt really very very well rooted in my
black identity and self love. And yes, yes so by
any means, I did not go to historically black college. However,
I agree within Uga, it felt like I was in
(24:18):
a bubble, like I really cocooned myself in the bosom
of my black friends. Were you able to be out
during that time in college?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
No, No, I definitely I had boyfriends. And you know,
I did a ted X talk once where I talked
about that transition of being able to come back to
my home city during those years of Atlanta and Atlanta
(24:49):
being a place of inclusion. And I remember walking into
this night club and I saw this tall person in
thigh high go go boots on a platform dancing, and
(25:10):
I was so mesmerized by this entire culture. The first
time I had ever been in a gay club. And
I would later find out that that was RuPaul Wow.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
And what people don't kind of understand is that those
nightclubs were more like family reunions. There was no other
place where we gathered, right, So it seems it seems like,
you know, real trivial, but it's it's really not. And
(25:46):
so that's where I started to kind of find my
footing in the community and kind of transition, you know,
out of you know, being this woman that I was,
you know, culturally expected it to be. But Atlanta definitely
was a great city to be able to, you know,
(26:07):
finally materialize into my full rainbows.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
You know, I visit my brother, he's an East Atlanta
village and all the kamalassigns and all the rainbow flags
and all that, but it's still Atlanta, It's still Georgia.
Do you feel safe and do you feel supported? I
know you said you every day someone is questioning your
identity and how you present, But what's it like for you?
Do you do you see both sides of it on
(26:34):
a daily basis?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yes, that's interesting, you would you would say that because
there's this, right, there's that juxtafication right, And I think
that most areas in the country are kind of like this,
you know, where you've got this these different pockets. So
there's there is the pocket where I can be absolutely
affirmed where I sit on the LGBTQ Advisory Board at
(26:59):
the Mayor's and where you know, Atlanta is a city
where the Human Rights Campaign gives us an extremely high rating.
And that's that's with regards to our you know, local
government making sure that LGBTQ folks are protected from you know,
regards to employment and housing and all of those things
(27:21):
in public spaces. So we live in that city on
one end, but to your point, there's still a culture
of folks that are very different. And so yes, I
have moments that when I walk outside of my door
and I need to just simply do the most basic thing,
mandy use the public restroom, And as soon as I
(27:44):
get ready to walk towards that door at a movie
theater or something like that, I'm immediately on guard and
hesitant and dare I say, maybe even a bit of
a panic attack, because I know that somebody as I
emerge to that door might say you're not supposed to
(28:06):
go in there, or even when I tell them I'm
a woman, they say, no, you're not. Or this part
right here where I'm at the in the bathroom stall
at the sink, and some parent has their daughter and
they hold their daughter tight and they rush out.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
This is what I have to experience.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
I actually am executive producing a short film about that
right now, because it is something that this is women
doing this to women, hello, Right, because we always talk
about what the brothers are doing to us. No, no, no,
no, no no, this is this is what women are doing
to women because I am a woman. So there's there
(28:55):
is definitely you know, there's definitely two sides to the
city of Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Did you grow up in the church or in a
religious household?
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I grew up in a very religious Catholic household. So
when you say that you grew up in the church
as a black person, that is not the church they're talking.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
That was a.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Part of, you know, my shame, right because growing up
Catholic and obviously that religion denounces you know, gay folk,
and so yeah, I had to deal with that. I
had to deal with zero representation of not even one
person on the television screen that looked like me. So
(29:43):
I didn't even see an example of hope youwhere, And
so yeah, it was definitely a struggle to find the
footing to understand my identity throughout all of those spaces. Right,
Because you did talk about the entertainment industry and how
(30:04):
misogynistic it is. And I saw a lot of my sisters,
you know, have to play that game. It's painful to
see and to think back on. I'll be honest about that.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Yeah, hey, ba fam, We're going to take a quick break,
pay some bills, and we'll be right back. You posted
this on Instagram. You had recently gone to the Sarah
Jakes Roberts conference Women Evolve. When you were telling that
anecdote about the Atlanta Voice party and being afraid to
walk in, you had a similar hesitation about going to
(30:36):
Women Evolve. Which Women Evolve is my mean? Sarah Jake's
Roberts is you know, this huge brand and has this
huge community, and it's very rooted in like Christianity and
like really religious. That's that's my understanding of it. Yeah,
and you were invited as a speaker.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
No, I had an activation there with our organization, the
Black Women's Help Them Narrative and with Gilliad, And I
was super excited about the activation, but I knew that
I was gonna interact with a lot of folks who
you know, had come to this conference and you know,
(31:13):
some hyper religious people, and so yeah, that definitely gave
me pause. And I'm so excited that I pushed through
that fear because that was probably one of the few
moments I've had that, you know again, And I'm so
glad that I pushed through it because it was a
(31:34):
glorious experience and there were people who came up to
me and literally affirmed me. One woman said to me, I'm.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Glad you're here. Oh you know.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
So it's just like every time, And that's why I
just want to keep saying to your audience, It's like,
every time you make that leap through your fear, God,
the universe will show you right, Fere's a sign.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Okay, I would have held my breath on your behalf
if I knew you were walking into that space. That's
really comforting. And I mean, I don't think either of
us is saying that, like things are perfect and rosy
and we're in such a dangerous time for the LGBTQ,
you know, ia plus community and in a lot of ways.
But at the same time, two things can be true.
(32:21):
And I'm so happy to hear that you're getting the
embrace that you deserve in some rooms. And my sister
I've talked about she's married to a trans man and
I've seen him through his transition.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
I mean they've been together for shit more than half
my life.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
They're like the the most romantic, happiest love story in
our family. And we were not the most hospitable. We
were not hospital at all towards the time. Wow, there's
the general lack of knowing how you're going to be
perceived when you walk in or if you're going to
be safe, you're going to be embraced like that, that
(32:56):
level of anxiety I've heard them talk about and hearing
you talk about it, and just I'm glad to hear
that that's not always the case. That you are walking
into rooms where you're embraced. You're so embraceable this Lisa
that I have had the pleasure to know.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
But you know, but I think that that that level
of you know, getting getting to that point in my
life where I can be fully embraced and even if
I'm if I'm not like in the bathroom scenarios, you know,
I kind of don't hold it in my heart right
(33:36):
from this resentful perspective, I understand, I, you know, try
to give folks grace, and I think we need a
lot more grace in this world today. I just I
just do all of these you know, other ring, the
other ring of society is something that is very dangerous.
(33:59):
And hope that we can turn this thing around.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
So we got to get out of our internet silos
and get.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah and mixing. Yeah, you know, And that's why I
just love.
Speaker 3 (34:09):
I love the aspect of my life as a filmmaker
because I love getting people into a room and letting
them talk about potentially things that they've never spoken on before, right,
and then being able to uncover and give real information
(34:30):
to folks that's rooted in facts and make it digestible.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I mean, these this is what I like.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Wake up in the day and I'm like, hey, get
so hype about because once again, accurate information, community, all
of these things, getting outside of our silos, all of.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
These things will help us to heal.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
And you said you're producing or working on a film
about the bathroom experience. Let's talk about I mean, what
a masterful and beautiful, you know story of your career
and how you took all those all those incredible creative
skills and marketing and film direction and production and you
are now using those forces for good, you know, And
(35:17):
talk to me about making that transition into the nonprofit space.
You ended up with Black Women's Health Imperative. You've been
there now for how many years?
Speaker 3 (35:27):
It's so funny, five years. I kind of just started
working with the organization as a contractor and then kind
of back and forth.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Okay years. You know.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
It's like it's like putting your baby tow in and
then coming back out.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
And it's an organization that, even when I'm not there anymore,
my heart.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Will always be rooted in it because of our founder
Billy Avery, who is eighty seven years young, still a
major factor in our organization, and she actually is the
impetus for me creating the film me period. She created
a documentary back in the eighties called on Becoming a Woman.
(36:07):
I saw it on the Black Women's Health Imperatives YouTube page.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
And I was like, what is this?
Speaker 3 (36:13):
And then I go on Beyonce's Internet to see if
anybody had ever done it. Maddy, nobody else had made
anything like this, and so I was like, you know what,
if we can get some funding for this, let me
try to make this film. And then, unbeknownst to me,
the president at the time, Linda Gohler Blount, had actually
(36:33):
made that promise to Billy that we would eventually make
this film one day. So you know, for those who
don't know me, Period is a film where we brought
together real world women. So I brought together a set
of those folks in Atlanta, and then we went out
in la and filmed Tabitha Brown and Cheryl Lee Ralph
(36:57):
who are also real world women there, but they just
happen to be celebrities. It is a love letter. It
is a love letter to young people, to mothers. I
believes it was done with so much intention and love
about dispelling myths. The amazing aka Period doctor on social media,
(37:21):
doctor Charis Chambers led us through a lot of that film.
But what I saw is that women are parenting with
a lot of trauma, a lot of misinformation. They were
looking for the information. It was just beautiful to see
(37:42):
how much they shared. You know, in this sexual assault
came up. I mean, we could have not predicted that,
and we had a therapist on hand to handle that
using my powers for good Mandy, Oh my gosh, So.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
You're making the documentary so me Period, it's what does
it actually cover? This is an independent documentary, so we
can't really see unless we go to a screening right.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Have made it available from a limited standpoint and I
can share the platform with you. But it is on
Kinema with a K like cinema and you can put
in the movie me period and you can view it.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
So you're making this film, so the documentary, are you
interviewing mothers and daughters about coming out, like getting their period,
coming into that? Okay, so we're talking young women, So
that makes perfect sense. I mean Tabitha Brown, you know,
and SHIRLEYE. Ralph are like America's moms in some ways
black black women's moms, I should say. So what can
(38:40):
we expect or what's like the synopsis of the documentary
or it is?
Speaker 3 (38:45):
It is really where and we have a discussion guy
that goes with this and a caregiver's toolkit because what
we really want is to arm our caregivers and parents,
arm our mothers with the resources to be able to
have a young person in your life and take them
(39:07):
through that process of their first menstruation and set them
up for success with their whole reproductive health journey and
health journey for the rest of their lives. Because what
we find is that you know, oftentimes if you're stigmatized
at that point, right, you're not my little girl anymore.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Even though girls are so damn young now that they're
getting even period at like eight nine years old, trying.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
To get rid of that stigma and then from there
arm them with the ability to embrace their health journey
and pay attention to their health so that as they
get older. We know that black and brown folks have
you know, a higher instance of a lot of different
(39:58):
things by broid, pcos, different things. So imagine if you're
tracking properly, you're paying attention to your body, you're empowered
when you go to see your physician, you know how
to talk to your physician. Doctor Chambers in the film says,
you know, my favorite thing is when I come into
(40:20):
a session knowing that I am the expert in medicine
and you are the expert in your body. And when
these two experts can come together, that's when we get
the best outcomes. So, I mean, that's the gist of
what that film is promoting. I'd love nothing better than
for everyone with a young person, you know, as young
(40:43):
as as young as five to watch, you know, and
younger to watch that film so that they can see
how to prepare themselves for that journey. And if you've
got a young person in your life, it might be
your sibling. You might be the older sister you can
watch it. You may be the father. We included fathers
(41:04):
in the film.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
They're a part of it too.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
So do you hear from fathers in the documentary as well?
And are they like having conversations with their little girls?
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Yeah? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
This one father said that he after she got it,
he had a conversation with her and the mother was like.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
You did, and he was like, yeah, I did.
Speaker 3 (41:24):
And so it's just that kind of revelation that this
everyone in the family kind of can be involved in
our own health journeys. I mean, we have to normalize
men taking their health serious as well. Right, So when
you destigmatize it, you need to destigmatize it for everyone.
(41:45):
And that can get us to a whole health journey
for families because we've got we've got to understand that
there is a system that's broken, all right, So we
know that, we know that we need to deal with
physicians who don't deliver the standard of care that our
folks need. We know that and we're working to change that.
But the reality is, until that's changed, there are some
(42:09):
things that we can do ourselves, and that's what I
advocate for, and that's what the Black Women's Health Imperative
advocates for.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
On a day to day basis.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
The work couldn't be more important than it is.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
Now.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Can you talk about what kind of impact this work
has had so far? And like, what are the big
themes or issues that y'all are focused on right now?
What should we as black women understand about the landscape
of health and reproductive health right now?
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Well, I think that, you know, I've been thinking about
this a lot with regards to you know, and like
I said, we're every day we are as an organization
out there, you know, doing research that includes us. We
just had a press release come out where we've partnered
with the Morahouse School of Medicine for breast cancer and
cervi cancer study. Right of once again our folks. We're constantly,
(43:06):
you know, trying to get policy passed for once again
our folks. So we're doing all of those things.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
On that on that end.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
But when you when you when you ask kind of
what we can do, you know, I like to think
of it like this. I like to call women we're
the chief health officers of our family. So we're we're
typically the one that schedules the doctor's appointments, right.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
We're we're the ones who cook the food a lot
of times.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
And not to put that whole pressure on us, but
as a chief health officer, we also get to delegate.
We also get to say, hey, partner, maybe you need
to do this for for our whole health of our family,
and maybe you need to do this. And then it's
also about extending that message out to our commune unity.
So for us, you know, we really are focused on
(44:04):
chronic disease prevention.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
I mean that is really is.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
We are at critical mass with regards to obesity in
this country. We need to understand that obesity is in
fact a disease and there are many.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Tools in the toolkit to help you deal with that.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
But we can't just act like a magic pill can
save the day, right we can't.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
You mean, Serena Williams says, all you do is inject
my bicep with whatever she's saying it.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
You can't just act like a magic pill can save
the day.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
We believe that.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
That there is a space for those therapeutics, you know,
we believe that I personally believe that right. I believe
that some people choose bariatric surgery, and that's another tool.
There's many tools in the toolbox, but when you start
(45:03):
from the premise of lifestyle change and dealing with how
can how we can deal with our system in terms
of the food we put into our bodies, of the
amount of sunlight we get, or the amount of sleep,
I mean just sleep alone, it's so huge to potentially
(45:25):
how it can impact our health. And so I understand
that people live in food deserts. I understand that people
don't have green spaces, and so we have to kind
of look at these things. We call those in the
health industry the social determinants of health, like these are
things outside of kind of your control that are in
your environment. So then we have to figure out how
(45:46):
can we help our folks through that, And that's a
lot of what our organization does. We have a wonderful
program sponsored by the CDC called the Change your Lifestyle,
Change Your Life Program, and it helps you to prevent
or manage your chronic diseases like diet type two diabetes.
In my in my late thirties now and I have
(46:07):
two children. All I always thought I was going to
be like different. This was my ego, This was my
my millennial snowflake energy.
Speaker 2 (46:15):
I was bringing.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
Kidney disease, diabetes, you know, heart issues. My grandma died
fifty six, and so many members deal with chronic you know,
conditions and obesity, and it just runs rampant. And I
was like again thinking I'm a snowflake and I'm going
to do mazumba and I'm going to eat healthy.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
And that I know better than you.
Speaker 1 (46:34):
And let me tell you, I didn't have these two kids,
got a little got a little bout with postpartum depression.
Speaker 2 (46:40):
And anxiety, yes, a pandemic.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
Later starting a business, trying to be a black woman
in this world, and why don't you know here I
am dealing with these My body is like showing me
that these it feels like they are these these like
I don't know, something sneaking behind me, like something like
in the closet that that's just trying to like get in,
come get me.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Like.
Speaker 3 (47:03):
So that's the thing called epigenetics. I want you to
look that word up.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Say it again, epigenetics.
Speaker 3 (47:11):
Right, yeah, you know I'm not a clinician, so I
don't want to get too deep into that terminology.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
But it's basically it's.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
In our DNA, right, So you're fighting you're fighting all
of the trauma, the health trauma. You're fighting that health
trauma in your DNA. But I got news for you.
You can get you can push through that. One of
my favorite phrases is it ran in my family until
(47:39):
it ran into me.
Speaker 2 (47:40):
I'm gonna send you that shirt.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Doesn't it suck being a millennial. I know you're a
gen xer, but god damn, it just feels like millennials.
We have to fix everything that's wrong. We have to
heal a generational trauma. Nope, my elders can't really help me.
And like, I'm doing it for the youths, but we
I just want a moment for the millennials because I
think we have a lot on our show. There's to
be better.
Speaker 2 (48:01):
Than you all do.
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Anybody who knows me knows that I love the generations.
I love the generations.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
You know you're not watching on YouTube.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
You need to be watching on YouTube if you need
to see Lisa as she's telling you this, because I'm
telling you. If they did a black version of the
Age of Adelaide with Blake Lively.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
We don't say her name.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
They need to cast Liez to Cunningham because you're giving
I'm twenty two years old, maybe twenty five, maybe twenty five,
maybe you.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Just got out of grad school. Well I am.
Speaker 3 (48:31):
I am fifty five years old and proud to say it.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
But you've gotten to if you're so wise, because you've
lived all these different decades.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
But the reason why I go back to.
Speaker 3 (48:44):
Saying that I embrace this kind of generational aspect of
things is that I've learned to kind of take the
good of the different worlds right. And so I've got
baby boomer sisters. And my sister on the road to
sixty five, she had always been, as we say in
our community, heavy set her whole life, and I me
(49:04):
thicker than a snicker, right, found whole life. And she said,
on the road to sixty five, that's just not That's
not how I'm gonna end up. My sister lost sixty
plus pounds two years on the road to sixty five.
Speaker 2 (49:20):
She made it.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
So what'd that do for me? I said, Okay, game on.
So we talked through some strategies together as a family,
and she helped me to get to what is now
seventy pounds down.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
So I feel you.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
When I saw you, Yeah, when I met you three
years ago, I was in the grips of what you're
talking about right now, and I put something in motion
through baby steps, and this was my journey. So, like
I said, not to vilify anybody who needs a GLP
one or anybody who chooses surgery. I did it naturally.
(50:00):
Continue to do it naturally every day because I realize
that I did not. I did not sign up for
this addiction that America gave me. And it's real. It
is a real thing. It is built into the DNA
of our food, unfortunately, and so I've had to, you know,
(50:21):
figure out how to get through that.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
And it's a daily struggle.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
Though Mandy, it's a little easier for me because I
didn't have those things. So it's a it's a it's
a little you know, I was partnered, but I didn't
have you know, the young child and cooking of this
different food, and the partner who wants you know, the
unhealthy you know, right there in my physical space.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
This is brown ambition, right, And we don't shy away
from conversations around career strategy and money. And I'm wondering
for you, did you have any like sticker shock moving
from the entertainment industry to you know, you said you
started contracting a nonprofit. Now you've been in this world
for a while, Well, how have you managed your fight?
Has anything changed with the way you've managed your money?
(51:04):
Absolutely not transition.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
Yeah, So, you know, when you're in the entertainment industry,
and I was successful in that industry, I took I
took a bit of a break, and a lot of
people don't realize this because I wasn't very public about it.
I was caregiving for my mother. My mother had cancer,
(51:27):
she was having you know, dementia. All of the things
started surfacing, and you know, I was the single, no
children child, and I was honored to caregive for her.
And through that process, I was already shedding those layers
of you know, kind of different financial, you know, comforts.
(51:50):
And I think, you know how the entertainment industry you
have extreme highs and lows. You'll be balling out of
control week and then like wait a minute. So it
was always this kind of roller coaster ride. But I
think that when I set the intention and motion and
(52:11):
the thought of turning down jobs, it started because I
was caregiving for mother. So it wasn't even you know,
this new work. It was just I couldn't leave the house.
So that was the was the financial strain physically being
having to be attached to the house. And how long
(52:32):
was that period? For oh my gosh, years years. So
people would see me out because I would do these
cameo appearances and even when I met my partner at
the time, she thought I was this jet setting person, right,
So I would be out for fifteen thirty minutes at
a time and race back to Mama because somebody would
be with her and I would be dressed at the affair,
(52:58):
keep it moving, and no nobody even knew that, you know,
that month, I might have made, you know.
Speaker 2 (53:05):
A thousand dollars because I just couldn't work.
Speaker 3 (53:10):
And so that actually started where I was able to
transition into the nonprofit space a lot, you know, a
lot easier because I had already gone down to next
to nothing, and it's it's been a glorious ride to
get back to this point where I feel so you know,
(53:34):
secure financially, but fulfilled personal.
Speaker 2 (53:40):
And I know that's the space a lot.
Speaker 3 (53:41):
Of us are trying to get to and so I
just want to tell everybody to keep swimming because ten
years ago I couldn't see myself today.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
But I just you know, the baby steps.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
Yeah, ten years ago. You're in your mid forties. I
know we have listeners. I mean our listeners age range
from like twenty five to fifty five, but we have
a very healthy listenership. Shout out to my forty plus
my fifty plus BA fam. I know they need to
hear what you're saying because a lot of and I'll
get coaching clients too, are in mid forties and you
feel at that stage like maybe you have been doing
(54:16):
their version of the music video industry and like you know,
and not feeling fulfilled and is it too late? Can
I make a change you? I mean, just to break
down your career path. I mean you go from like
the entertainment space obviously the ups and downs of that.
Then you start to like contract and freelance. It sounds
like and just doing like, you know, similar to what
(54:36):
you're doing in the entertainment industry, doing folle off projects.
But then you transition to what's now a full time role.
What was that like for you? Was it scary? And
like how did you even negotiate a salary because at
this point you've been doing one off projects. What was
that like for you if you don't mind sharing, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:54):
I think that.
Speaker 3 (54:55):
You know, Fortunately for me, I will say, the Black
Women's Help Imperative we're a national organization, right, so we're
not talking about a grassroots nonprofit. So fortunately for me,
they had a budget, not with the reserves of the
American Cancer Society or anything like that, or even the NAACP.
(55:17):
But when you do talk about a national nonprofit, you're
really talking about, you know, a different pay scale at
that point.
Speaker 2 (55:23):
So I was.
Speaker 3 (55:25):
Blessed to not have to, you know, worry about my
lifestyle from that perspective.
Speaker 2 (55:32):
But I did give up some things.
Speaker 3 (55:34):
And you know, the if you look at what's going
on right now November of last year to today, the
world has turned upside down once again. Right we went
through COVID, it was unprecedented times. Now we're in unprecedented
times again, which which are creating so many financial tail
(55:54):
spends for people, especially black.
Speaker 2 (55:57):
And brown women.
Speaker 3 (55:58):
And so we've heard the statistic about three hundred thousand
black women losing their jobs and what have you. So
I think for me, I'm I'm grateful to be able
to have that sort of stability, and a stability that
didn't have me, you know, kind of compromising my lifestyle.
But I mean, I live pretty simple though.
Speaker 1 (56:20):
That's that's the thing. That's another thing. I just I
just live pretty simple lifestyle. Inflation will kill you.
Speaker 2 (56:28):
Today.
Speaker 3 (56:28):
I was like, okay, Lisa, you could cut out subscriptions,
and so I did take a lot of inventory on
subscriptions and didn't realize I get did like twenty five subscriptions.
I mean things that range from six ninety nine to
things that range from to one hundred and forty nine
ninety nine.
Speaker 2 (56:48):
So that was definitely helpful to take.
Speaker 3 (56:51):
Inventory of because you just don't pay attention what's coming
in and out. You know, of your bank account on
a monthly basis, like that with regards to subscriptions. Yeah,
that's one of my success stories, getting my subscriptions in check.
Speaker 2 (57:08):
I could do it.
Speaker 1 (57:09):
I could do an audit every month because it's insane.
I subscribe for hairdel because that's the only way to
buy it. I'm like, do I really need to subscribe?
I don't know if I'm gonna need this in six
more months, but it's good hairtel Oh the subscription economy,
my god, by the way, join our Patreon.
Speaker 2 (57:24):
Oh yeah, I will.
Speaker 1 (57:26):
I'm part of the problem.
Speaker 2 (57:28):
You can join for freedom.
Speaker 3 (57:30):
Then I'm a bit of a philanthropist, so you know,
I also had to assess. That was another hard decision
for me. I did have to assess, you know, my
monthly giving. So I did go. I did take that
down a bit.
Speaker 1 (57:43):
Yeah, what about retirement savings? Were you setting aside any
nest egg who was teaching you how to start that?
When you were an entrepreneur it were solopreneur.
Speaker 2 (57:51):
Nobody, zero body, you know.
Speaker 3 (57:54):
I started listening to you all and getting nuggets here
and there. I remember when I did pay for a
Budgeanista course and things like that, you know, for credit
repair all of that. Yeah, because it was a mess.
It was just an absolute mess. Because you that industry,
you just live by the seat of your pay Attie.
(58:14):
And I never forget.
Speaker 2 (58:17):
I used to. I used to joke with my partner.
We would always I would be like, my.
Speaker 3 (58:21):
Credit score just got raised by this, and and then
next week and you know, next month it was by this,
And She's like, girl, catch up because mine's mine's like
seven eighty already, So.
Speaker 1 (58:30):
We're we're okay, all right, don't need to be annoying
about it exactly.
Speaker 3 (58:36):
Yeah, but it was definitely motivation. And that gets back
to what I said much earlier in the conversation, right,
it's about having those people around you that bring out
the what the best?
Speaker 1 (58:47):
So is that how I got invited to the CBC
by y'all? Did y'all did you listen to Brown Ambition before?
Speaker 2 (58:52):
Of course? Oh? Well thanks? I so.
Speaker 1 (58:59):
Now okay, so you weren't really setting aside for retirement.
Speaker 2 (59:02):
How have you been catching up? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (59:04):
I mean I've been touching up best I could. And
I literally that's so interesting. Just signed up for some
like real financial planning.
Speaker 2 (59:14):
Just now. Oh okay, keep you post it, keep you
posted on that. Yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (59:21):
Yeah, it was Listen, we have to give grace to ourselves.
And there's so many seasons of life, and like I
made the best financial choices when I was twenty four
with no kids. Let me tell you, the last five
years adn't broke every rule I talked about. Life is laving.
What do you want me to do? We just got
to give grace, got to give grace and I'm very
(59:44):
happy for you to hear that you're going to get
some professional help.
Speaker 2 (59:47):
We deserve, we deserve, we deserve.
Speaker 3 (59:51):
Health is our birthright, but it encompasses all the different
areas of health right, mind, body, spirit, finances go right,
all of that hand in hand.
Speaker 2 (01:00:03):
So health is our birthright. We have to stop.
Speaker 3 (01:00:05):
I love I never forget watching a Lisa Nichol's YouTube
on money and it was just it just is so
powerful because she just talks about our relationship with money
and we just have to have a better relationship in
order to get to that healthy side of it.
Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
Yeah, definitely, having financial freedom, it brings out the best
in everybody. It does, especially when you're able to achieve
that by doing such a great work like you have. Lisa.
I so appreciate you joining me a Brown ambition and
getting to know more about you. It's been such a treat.
It's been such an honor to get.
Speaker 3 (01:00:45):
Now I want to do the reverse. Now I want
to have you on my podcast. So I literally am
about to launch. I did it as a pop up
podcast a few times, and so now I'm going to
do both pop up podcast mixed with a traditional format
and see what we got. The brand is called take
(01:01:07):
what you Need, so we'll see.
Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
Take what you Need? Okay. I love that?
Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
All right, Lisa, I wish we had more time.
Speaker 2 (01:01:13):
I want it.
Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
Will you come back sometime or can I see you
next time?
Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Moment, next moment at Lanta.
Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
I'm gonna hit you up, yes, because I'm just like
that Kiki Palmer Sierra, like I need to see more
of you. I have not stopped thinking about this conversation.
It's so good. Thank you for your vulnerability, your transparency
or candor and sharing your light with Brown Ambition. Now
tell us we're gonna go watch this documentary. We're gonna
get a link I can put in the show notes.
Speaker 2 (01:01:37):
Yes, yay, I'm so excited. We can post, we can
tag it. What do you need from us?
Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
Put us to absolutely spread the word about this documentary.
It's called me Period and just share it, share it
in the group chat. You can go to meperiod dot
info and that'll get you there.
Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
But we'll put it.
Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
In the in the link and we'll get the first
guide you mentioned that comes with that as well, and
then we can find you at Lisa Cunningham on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
I am Lisa Cunningham on Instagram and.
Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Then we're going to check you out on your podcast.
It's called fake what you Need, Take what you Need.
I love that's another good book title. We'll have you
back when you're promoting your book because that's just the duh.
Of course is happening.
Speaker 2 (01:02:20):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (01:02:21):
Thank you so much, Lisa. Take care all RIGHTBA Fan,
I will see you next time. Bye, okay va fan,
Thank you so much for listening to this week's show.
I want to shout out to our production team, Courtney,
our editor, Carla, our fearless leader for idea to launch productions.
I want to shout out my assistant Lauda Escalante and
(01:02:44):
Cameron McNair for helping me put the show together. It
is not a one person project, as much as I
have tried to make it so these past ten years.
I need help, y'all, and thank goodness I've been able
to put this team around me to support me on
this journey. And to y'all, BA fam, I love you
so so so so much. Please rate, review, subscribe, make
(01:03:06):
sure you're signed up to the newsletter to get all
the latest updates on upcoming episodes, our ten year anniversary
celebrations to come, and until next time, talk to you
soon via bye
Ay Va fam, it's your girl, Mandy Money.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to the wash Day. Wou saw.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
I have a very special guest for y'all today. Her
name is Lisa Cunningham. Lisa is a visionary storyteller who's
brought her creativity from directing thousands, hundreds thousands of chart
topping music videos to producing campaigns that drive health equity.
As the head of marketing at the Black Women's Health
Imperative and the director of a documentary called Me Period,
(00:33):
Lisa is changing the way we tell stories about Black
women's health. And I'm just really honored to have you
at Brown Ambition.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Thank you for having me. I am honored. You are
a veteran in the podcast game, so thank you for
having me on Geriatric Podcaster.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Although we talked about just owning our age, y'all may
not know this, Lisa and I met, I don't know,
three years ago.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, somehow, somehow.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Somewhere, in some divine chain of events, I ended up
getting tapped to moderate a panel for Black Women's Health
imperiod imperative?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Is it imperative?
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, it's imperative because Black women's health is in fact imperative.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Now, this is an iconic nonprofit. It is the oldest
nonprofit in the US.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, that's focusing on health equity for black women and girls.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Absolutely, And when I got tapped to moderate this panel,
I was nervous but ended up being such an incredible experience.
And through that process I got to meet you, Lisa,
and you just had this energy, this aura about you
that you were one of the people I remembered from
that you know, that short but meaningful experience for me.
And then you know, you follow people and you follow
(01:42):
their journeys and I was just like, oh, Lisa, Like,
her style is amazing. You can tell she has a
toe with entertainment, but she's also such a huge health advocate.
And I saw that you had directed this documentary me
period and You've got Tabitha Brown in it and Sir
Lee Ralph, and I was like, this does it. I'm
tired of not knowing more about Lisa. I'm gonna have
her on the show. And you are so gracious to
say yes, So thank you, first and foremost, thank you.
(02:06):
So tell Brown ambition. We're going to get into your
career trajectory, but tell us what we need to know
about Lisa today, Like what what's actually when you got
cooking over there? What are all the projects you're working on?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
What?
Speaker 3 (02:18):
What it's I'm working on myself every every day of
my life, Like seriously, that's what I'm working on over here,
and you know, making such a big pivot as time
goes on. I'm actually thinking about three point zero right now.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Right So it's just.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Like, how do you keep retranslating your life into you know,
the next best version of you for that particular time.
In all honesty, that's what I'm working on right now.
I'm working on me.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Okay, so we might have a pivot. Well, pivot sounds
so like, but it's almost like so binary, like changing
from this to that. But I think that you, I mean,
let's talk about your career, because I do think that
you have done a wonderful job, just from an outsider's perspective,
kind of harnessing all your talents.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
And it's not like you.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Do one and only one thing and then that's the
period when I'm only doing that thing and then I'm
going to switch to something new.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Can you talk about how.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You've layered your career, you know, leveraging all of your
different talents.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
You know, because I was in the entertainment industry for
most of my career.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And I'm dating myself right now.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Because I'm thinking back to the first paycheck I ever
got was handed to me from Pebbles with La Face
Records because I was on the site set of TLC's
What About Your Friends?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
WHA.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So you're not directing just any like this, you're directing
like music videos in the nineties.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
That was a pa I was the lowest on the total.
We're just can rite, okay, but this is, you know.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Nineteen twenty, you know, year old Lisa at that point twenty,
I forget.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
How old, but I was very young.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
And I got that check and I used to kind
of like scramble. I was still in college and I
got that check and I was like, I'm dropping out
of school. I just made one hundred dollars for one
day work and that's it, Like it was over, and
and that began this career that I am so grateful for.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I truly am.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I mean, when I look back at all of the
people that I've gotten a chance to work with, from
your Missy Elliott's to your Sierra's to your gladys Knights
and all these different folks at different stages of that journey.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
But I call my.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Pivot because I do agree with you. I think the
word pivot is so binary. I call it the remix
because I was in the entertainment industry and one of
my favorite stories is that I used to be marketing
director at our radio station Hot one O seven nine
here in Atlanta, and we were doing some sort of
(05:18):
promotion with with with Ryan Cameron, who was at the
station at the time, and all of these acts, you
know those those radio station events where all of the
acts come to perform, And there was this newer act,
a girl group, and they I actually I wasn't marketing director.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
This is way before that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
I was working at a record company at the time,
Itchabond Records, and I had brought a group that had
one of the biggest songs out and so I was
all excited, like, you know, this is like one of
those things where you have that proud moment of like,
my group's hotter than your group, right, So nodding, but.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
I have no idea how that feels. But yes, yeah,
I had.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I had the hottest group out and so we're just
waiting for our time. So this girl group has to
get up and they start doing their song and this
crunk crowd in Atlanta is listening to them, and they're like,
when I say no, no, and dead, crowd is dead.
And so somebody from their camp says, put on the remix,
(06:28):
and here comes that beat, here comes white Flat, here
comes the energy, and all of a sudden they had
the crowd eating out of their hands. They got off
that stage. I remember being introduced to Beyonce at that time,
the young Beyonce, and I'll never forget that because it
(06:49):
was the remix. Had it not been for that song,
we don't even know if we would have had Destiny's
Child and Beyonce and in the version that they grew to.
And so I think about that so much with regards
to my own life, because when I was twenty seven
(07:09):
years into a career that I wanted to pivot from,
I had to take some inventory in another way. And
so that concept of the remix, because sometimes in the
remix you speed things up. Sometimes a remix gets slowed down.
Sometimes you have to collaborate with a new individual. So
(07:32):
I was scared to get out of my little entertainment
bubble because I felt so validated within that world. But
knew that I just wanted to use my gifts for
some sort of social impact, and so how was I
ever going to do that though, you know, if I
didn't get it right in here? And so my you know,
(07:54):
shamelessly tracking back to brown ambition, you know, my ambition.
I had to get rooted in something though, So I
had to take that ambition and say, okay, now what's
my intention? My intention is to give people aha moments
from the content that I produce and have that content
(08:17):
be something that is, you know, redeeming for our people.
And boy, it has been a damn journey.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
So when was it, so you said, a twenty seven
year career, So when did this pivot start to happen?
When did you start to think I'm ready for something different?
Speaker 3 (08:35):
You know, it's so funny. I was on the set
of a music video. And I really like to tell
people this because we think of these things as like
this epiphany and then my life changes, and no, no, no, no, this.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Was a slow process.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
My dad died and the same week that my dad died,
I will never forget I had directed Gucci Man's first
few so icy don't go.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Back and look at that video y'all, it's got awful.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
But anyway, I had directed that video and I remember
then just being in a state, Mandy, and I'll just
keep it real right now, emotionally, physically, spiritually, garbage, garbage.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
You found out your father passed after you had completed
the video or during this Yes.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
After I had completed the video. I found out. I
was literally in my producer's office and got the call
to come to And I never at the time, I
was such a bad human. I never answered my mother's
calls because I was always so busy. Yeah, trash, right,
(09:48):
And I something told me answer mama's call.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
And my dad was in.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
His last stages, and she said, you need to come
now because they don't expect him to live through the day.
And I raced over there and was able to hold
my dad's hand and he would pass away two hours later.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
And there was.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Something about that moment of my dad's passing that began
the process. But it was a it was It still
took many years for me to really sink into this
better version of myself. But I was on the set
of of a of a Big Rappers video one day
and he happened to also have a TV show on
(10:33):
a broadcast network and we had it was all about
gangs and drugs and guns. And so he had all
of these guns out and his family came in and
the son was playing with the with the weapons and
I'm not you know, everybody could do what they see
(10:55):
best with training.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Raising their children, right, don't do that.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
People don't don't do that, And so I was just
it was that was my real AHA moment.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Like that was the day where I set it all
in motion.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
I was like, I've got to make a change, and
so I'm going to start going about what does that
look like. And as soon as I set that real intention, Mandy,
and this is what I need your audience to know
is that I started listening for the signs to get
out of my comfort zone so there would be an
(11:32):
opportunity here to collaborate with somebody. There would be an
opportunity here. And so that is what started me on
that path. But what I now know is that I
didn't trust myself enough. I didn't care about myself enough
to make the remix. Until I started doing those things,
(11:52):
everything opened up.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
You know, a little bit before we started to record,
you said something that I thought was honestly refreshing to hear.
But you said I'm a reformed ask and then just
now as you were talking about you know, your father
and not wanting to answer your mom's call, talk to
me about that. It's refreshing one to just let that
(12:16):
sit in the let that those words kind of sit
hang in the air for a bit, because I wish
more people could accept that, like have that moment where
they're like, oh, I am not this is not right.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
I am holding.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Myself accountable and then making some change. So can you
talk to me about yea, so think about that.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
I say that if I if, hopefully I will write
a few books, but the title of one of them
will be maybe It's you. And that's truly because I
feel like all of our books are written for the victim,
you know, they're not written for the air quotes narcissist.
I don't think I was a narcissist, right, because that's
(12:59):
such an extreme clinical term. But just I wasn't my
highest self and write I need somebody to write the
book for that person because I needed somebody to help
me through my own I don't know what to how
to pinpoint it in terms of you know, how I
(13:19):
got out of it. But I knew I know one
thing for sure. I decided to take baby steps, and
each day, each month, that's what I would do. I
would envision myself constantly. I would do this, envision myself
(13:40):
talking to a different group of people than the people
that I currently was talking to. So I would take
and then I would slowly start eliminating. If I talked
to ten people regularly that I knew were kind of toxic,
I would just slowly start eliminating them. I wouldn't answer
the call. If I had to answer the call, I
(14:01):
would keep the call to five minutes. I started assessing
who brings out the worst in me? Every time I
talk to this person, I would gossip. I am not
a gossiper, So why is it that every time I
talk to this person, I'm led down the path of gossiping.
So I started to just not, you know, quiet, quitting friendship. Yeah,
(14:26):
because what you don't want to do is that you
don't want to upend your life and be so abrasive.
I don't think that works for everyone. I don't think
it works for most of us. I think you have
to kind of layer this thing so that your nervous system.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Other people's reactions to you.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Half of the people I quiet quit, probably ninety percent
of them don't even know that I even did.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It, because of the.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Space and grace and the way that I did it,
don't even know.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
So are you.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I'm saying that you were realizing you were surrounding yourself
with people that was kind of normalizing or letting you
feel okay behaving the way you were behaving and acting
the way you were acting.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Yeah, So part of it was realizing this is not right,
and I need to stop associating or surrounding myself with
people that normalize this kind of behavior, and that aren't,
you know, giving off the energy or the vibe that
I want to give off.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
The entertainment industry can be.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I won't, I won't speak for everybody in it, but
I do think that it can be a place where
you can easily lose yourself, and so you have to do,
like the Goodie Mob said, you know, fight to keep
your spirit in mind throughout that industry.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Hey, ba fam, We're going to take a quick break,
pay some bills, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
And I applaud anybody who's able to stay in it
and keep themselves and be the best version of themselves.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
I remember I was.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Doing a video for what is now like one of
the biggest rap artists groups out there, and we were
shooting at the Fox Theater and nobody had ever shut
down Peachtree Street and changed the marquee of the Fox
Theater in Atlanta, like this had.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Never been done.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
And we were waiting on them to come downstairs from
the hotel that was right across the street. We were
waiting for hours, and I will never forget that feeling
of why am I waiting right now? Like what good
and purpose is this product going to serve once they
get down and once we film, and once we go
(16:45):
to the next location, which was the Strip club, Like
what value is any of this actually going to bring
into the world? So I am this upset right now,
But I knew that there was no real substance or
value that was going to come from that. And that's
when I start, you know, like I said, it was
just this quiet you know, nope, And I would say
(17:08):
my meditations, I would say my prayers, and I would
just continue to ask God for the strength to just
walk away, because I remember I used to do a
journal entry that would say, right now, eighty five percent
of my projects are entertainment industry. Like I had clocked it,
and I said, and I want it to be the reverse,
(17:31):
and I want this to happen within a year. But
I had to accept some things about myself first. And
that is the real secret, I believe to the remix.
Because I did a video for the Atlanta Voice, this
heritage newspaper in Atlanta, and they were turning fifty years old.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I believe I was tasked.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
With doing this beautiful tribute video for them, and they
were going to have a gala and the mayor at
the time was going.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
To speak at it.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
And I'm in the car Mandy outside of this venue
not wanting to go in. Why because it was the
first time I was presenting like a whole man in
suit and I had never gone into a formal situation
(18:24):
like that before. As this you know, version of myself
with old Atlanta in the building. I don't know if
your audience knows, right, there's New Atlanta and then there's
old Atlanta. That's a crowd of folks who may be
a lot more judgmental. I am in the LGBTQIA plus community.
(18:47):
I was born a woman, but I get called sir
every day of my life. I identify as a woman,
and I didn't want to walk into that space where
people would sit in judgment on and I got the
courage to get out of that car. And the editor
of the newspaper, her husband, mister Washington will never forget
(19:12):
this ever.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
He walks up to me. He's like, he's probably like
a sixty five.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Year old man, and he said, first of all, I
want to ask you, how do you identify I said,
identify she her? And then he goes, well, then, girlfriend,
we just played your video.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
And you did the damn thing. What year was this?
This was only seven years ago. He was fresh out
that training.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
I love that and think about the impact that had
on somebody who was so frail and broken and didn't
want to walk in the damn door. And that moment
was one of those pivotal moments in my life. When
I tell you every door I walked in I have
walked in since that day, I have walked in with
(20:02):
my head held high. That's the person you met at
CBC because of mister wash and or.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Make me get all emotional. So you said you had
to accept some things about yourself. So were you grappling
with your your sexual identity or how you presented yourself
while you were directing? And it sounds like you were
in these like really intensely males like sexist yah, like
the worst and worst of hip hop culture that you
(20:32):
think about, the massogre noir and the you know, the
over sexualization of black women, black female bodies and all the.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Most toxic parts of hip hop. We love hip hop.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Obviously, like we're from Atlanta, like we we appreciate that culture,
but it can be so so toxic for black women.
What were some of the challenges you would encounter.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Well, I think that you know, I'm glad you brought
that up because I had to forgive myself. I had
to forgive myself about what you just said. I was
a part of the culture that was telling people, you know,
do this and do that on camera, and so I
had to forgive myself for all of that. And I
used to say that I'm trying to outrun my past.
(21:14):
I'm not I honor my past. It's okay. That was
that version of me, and so that was a part
of that healing journey, right forgiving myself. And then in
terms of my identity, I've always identified as a woman.
(21:34):
I like to I like to present on what people
would call, you know, a more masculine presenting way. And
so that's y'all's problem, not mine. I like to dress
like this, you know. But at that time I.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Was still look damn good. Can we just say you
look good and you carry it so well?
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Thank you?
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So that's I mean, that's you know, but that's that
work we got to do on ourselves. Because the moment
I started accepting myself in.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
My full glory, I can. I can be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I do not have people when they're really able to
interact with me.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I don't have issues with folks. I really don't. So
I'm blessed with that now. Using the restroom in public,
that's a difference.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
You know, you're really you're I'm from Atlanta, I know.
We talked about that. We both went to UGA different
different classes. Will say overlap.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
I was there the year you were born.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I think, yes, you were there the year I was born.
University of Georgia BA FAM if y'all aren't familiar, it's
the largest public university, is it the oldest public university
in the country.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
It's real old.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
But the phrase pwy UGA invents that. It was definitely
like even when I went there, you know, some years
after you attended University of Georgia. It was I had
a great experience because of the small pocket of black
Uga that was able to lift me up. But shit,
you were going to campus. You said you were going
to class and they were marching on Robert E. Lee's
(23:08):
birthday instead of mlk's birthday.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Yes, yes, that's a real thing with cannons in full,
you know, Confederate guard.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Yeah, only about twenty years after it was integrated by
Charlene Hunter Gault too, that's right. Yeah, what was your
experience like at UGA.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Well, it was it's all a blur, right, because we
had a lot of fun. That's a party school, and
I have some great, great memories from there. And so
because the black population, I think when I was there,
it was like about fifteen hundred out of the thousands,
But if you think of your average black college, that's
(23:49):
you know, that's about how many people are at the
entire college. So it's almost like we had a university
within a university.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah, that's how it felt.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
I went to so many differ high scho and I'm
a mixed kid, like I grew up all over the place.
Never really felt really very very well rooted in my
black identity and self love. And yes, yes so by
any means, I did not go to historically black college. However,
I agree within Uga, it felt like I was in
(24:18):
a bubble, like I really cocooned myself in the bosom
of my black friends. Were you able to be out
during that time in college?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
No, No, I definitely I had boyfriends. And you know,
I did a ted X talk once where I talked
about that transition of being able to come back to
my home city during those years of Atlanta and Atlanta
(24:49):
being a place of inclusion. And I remember walking into
this night club and I saw this tall person in
thigh high go go boots on a platform dancing, and
(25:10):
I was so mesmerized by this entire culture. The first
time I had ever been in a gay club. And
I would later find out that that was RuPaul Wow.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
And what people don't kind of understand is that those
nightclubs were more like family reunions. There was no other
place where we gathered, right, So it seems it seems like,
you know, real trivial, but it's it's really not. And
(25:46):
so that's where I started to kind of find my
footing in the community and kind of transition, you know,
out of you know, being this woman that I was,
you know, culturally expected it to be. But Atlanta definitely
was a great city to be able to, you know,
(26:07):
finally materialize into my full rainbows.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
You know, I visit my brother, he's an East Atlanta
village and all the kamalassigns and all the rainbow flags
and all that, but it's still Atlanta, It's still Georgia.
Do you feel safe and do you feel supported? I
know you said you every day someone is questioning your
identity and how you present, But what's it like for you?
Do you do you see both sides of it on
(26:34):
a daily basis?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yes, that's interesting, you would you would say that because
there's this, right, there's that juxtafication right, And I think
that most areas in the country are kind of like this,
you know, where you've got this these different pockets. So
there's there is the pocket where I can be absolutely
affirmed where I sit on the LGBTQ Advisory Board at
(26:59):
the Mayor's and where you know, Atlanta is a city
where the Human Rights Campaign gives us an extremely high rating.
And that's that's with regards to our you know, local
government making sure that LGBTQ folks are protected from you know,
regards to employment and housing and all of those things
(27:21):
in public spaces. So we live in that city on
one end, but to your point, there's still a culture
of folks that are very different. And so yes, I
have moments that when I walk outside of my door
and I need to just simply do the most basic thing,
mandy use the public restroom, And as soon as I
(27:44):
get ready to walk towards that door at a movie
theater or something like that, I'm immediately on guard and
hesitant and dare I say, maybe even a bit of
a panic attack, because I know that somebody as I
emerge to that door might say you're not supposed to
(28:06):
go in there, or even when I tell them I'm
a woman, they say, no, you're not. Or this part
right here where I'm at the in the bathroom stall
at the sink, and some parent has their daughter and
they hold their daughter tight and they rush out.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
This is what I have to experience.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
I actually am executive producing a short film about that
right now, because it is something that this is women
doing this to women, hello, Right, because we always talk
about what the brothers are doing to us. No, no, no,
no, no no, this is this is what women are doing
to women because I am a woman. So there's there
(28:55):
is definitely you know, there's definitely two sides to the
city of Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Did you grow up in the church or in a
religious household?
Speaker 3 (29:05):
I grew up in a very religious Catholic household. So
when you say that you grew up in the church
as a black person, that is not the church they're talking.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
That was a.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Part of, you know, my shame, right because growing up
Catholic and obviously that religion denounces you know, gay folk,
and so yeah, I had to deal with that. I
had to deal with zero representation of not even one
person on the television screen that looked like me. So
(29:43):
I didn't even see an example of hope youwhere, And
so yeah, it was definitely a struggle to find the
footing to understand my identity throughout all of those spaces. Right,
Because you did talk about the entertainment industry and how
(30:04):
misogynistic it is. And I saw a lot of my sisters,
you know, have to play that game. It's painful to
see and to think back on. I'll be honest about that.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Yeah, hey, ba fam, We're going to take a quick break,
pay some bills, and we'll be right back. You posted
this on Instagram. You had recently gone to the Sarah
Jakes Roberts conference Women Evolve. When you were telling that
anecdote about the Atlanta Voice party and being afraid to
walk in, you had a similar hesitation about going to
(30:36):
Women Evolve. Which Women Evolve is my mean? Sarah Jake's
Roberts is you know, this huge brand and has this
huge community, and it's very rooted in like Christianity and
like really religious. That's that's my understanding of it. Yeah,
and you were invited as a speaker.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
No, I had an activation there with our organization, the
Black Women's Help Them Narrative and with Gilliad, And I
was super excited about the activation, but I knew that
I was gonna interact with a lot of folks who
you know, had come to this conference and you know,
(31:13):
some hyper religious people, and so yeah, that definitely gave
me pause. And I'm so excited that I pushed through
that fear because that was probably one of the few
moments I've had that, you know again, And I'm so
glad that I pushed through it because it was a
(31:34):
glorious experience and there were people who came up to
me and literally affirmed me. One woman said to me, I'm.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Glad you're here. Oh you know.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
So it's just like every time, And that's why I
just want to keep saying to your audience, It's like,
every time you make that leap through your fear, God,
the universe will show you right, Fere's a sign.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Okay, I would have held my breath on your behalf
if I knew you were walking into that space. That's
really comforting. And I mean, I don't think either of
us is saying that, like things are perfect and rosy
and we're in such a dangerous time for the LGBTQ,
you know, ia plus community and in a lot of ways.
But at the same time, two things can be true.
(32:21):
And I'm so happy to hear that you're getting the
embrace that you deserve in some rooms. And my sister
I've talked about she's married to a trans man and
I've seen him through his transition.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
I mean they've been together for shit more than half
my life.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
They're like the the most romantic, happiest love story in
our family. And we were not the most hospitable. We
were not hospital at all towards the time. Wow, there's
the general lack of knowing how you're going to be
perceived when you walk in or if you're going to
be safe, you're going to be embraced like that, that
(32:56):
level of anxiety I've heard them talk about and hearing
you talk about it, and just I'm glad to hear
that that's not always the case. That you are walking
into rooms where you're embraced. You're so embraceable this Lisa
that I have had the pleasure to know.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
But you know, but I think that that that level
of you know, getting getting to that point in my
life where I can be fully embraced and even if
I'm if I'm not like in the bathroom scenarios, you know,
I kind of don't hold it in my heart right
(33:36):
from this resentful perspective, I understand, I, you know, try
to give folks grace, and I think we need a
lot more grace in this world today. I just I
just do all of these you know, other ring, the
other ring of society is something that is very dangerous.
(33:59):
And hope that we can turn this thing around.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
So we got to get out of our internet silos
and get.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah and mixing. Yeah, you know, And that's why I
just love.
Speaker 3 (34:09):
I love the aspect of my life as a filmmaker
because I love getting people into a room and letting
them talk about potentially things that they've never spoken on before, right,
and then being able to uncover and give real information
(34:30):
to folks that's rooted in facts and make it digestible.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I mean, these this is what I like.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
Wake up in the day and I'm like, hey, get
so hype about because once again, accurate information, community, all
of these things, getting outside of our silos, all of.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
These things will help us to heal.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
And you said you're producing or working on a film
about the bathroom experience. Let's talk about I mean, what
a masterful and beautiful, you know story of your career
and how you took all those all those incredible creative
skills and marketing and film direction and production and you
are now using those forces for good, you know, And
(35:17):
talk to me about making that transition into the nonprofit space.
You ended up with Black Women's Health Imperative. You've been
there now for how many years?
Speaker 3 (35:27):
It's so funny, five years. I kind of just started
working with the organization as a contractor and then kind
of back and forth.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Okay years. You know.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
It's like it's like putting your baby tow in and
then coming back out.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
And it's an organization that, even when I'm not there anymore,
my heart.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Will always be rooted in it because of our founder
Billy Avery, who is eighty seven years young, still a
major factor in our organization, and she actually is the
impetus for me creating the film me period. She created
a documentary back in the eighties called on Becoming a Woman.
(36:07):
I saw it on the Black Women's Health Imperatives YouTube page.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
And I was like, what is this?
Speaker 3 (36:13):
And then I go on Beyonce's Internet to see if
anybody had ever done it. Maddy, nobody else had made
anything like this, and so I was like, you know what,
if we can get some funding for this, let me
try to make this film. And then, unbeknownst to me,
the president at the time, Linda Gohler Blount, had actually
(36:33):
made that promise to Billy that we would eventually make
this film one day. So you know, for those who
don't know me, Period is a film where we brought
together real world women. So I brought together a set
of those folks in Atlanta, and then we went out
in la and filmed Tabitha Brown and Cheryl Lee Ralph
(36:57):
who are also real world women there, but they just
happen to be celebrities. It is a love letter. It
is a love letter to young people, to mothers. I
believes it was done with so much intention and love
about dispelling myths. The amazing aka Period doctor on social media,
(37:21):
doctor Charis Chambers led us through a lot of that film.
But what I saw is that women are parenting with
a lot of trauma, a lot of misinformation. They were
looking for the information. It was just beautiful to see
(37:42):
how much they shared. You know, in this sexual assault
came up. I mean, we could have not predicted that,
and we had a therapist on hand to handle that
using my powers for good Mandy, Oh my gosh, So.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
You're making the documentary so me Period, it's what does
it actually cover? This is an independent documentary, so we
can't really see unless we go to a screening right.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Have made it available from a limited standpoint and I
can share the platform with you. But it is on
Kinema with a K like cinema and you can put
in the movie me period and you can view it.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
So you're making this film, so the documentary, are you
interviewing mothers and daughters about coming out, like getting their period,
coming into that? Okay, so we're talking young women, So
that makes perfect sense. I mean Tabitha Brown, you know,
and SHIRLEYE. Ralph are like America's moms in some ways
black black women's moms, I should say. So what can
(38:40):
we expect or what's like the synopsis of the documentary
or it is?
Speaker 3 (38:45):
It is really where and we have a discussion guy
that goes with this and a caregiver's toolkit because what
we really want is to arm our caregivers and parents,
arm our mothers with the resources to be able to
have a young person in your life and take them
(39:07):
through that process of their first menstruation and set them
up for success with their whole reproductive health journey and
health journey for the rest of their lives. Because what
we find is that you know, oftentimes if you're stigmatized
at that point, right, you're not my little girl anymore.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Even though girls are so damn young now that they're
getting even period at like eight nine years old, trying.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
To get rid of that stigma and then from there
arm them with the ability to embrace their health journey
and pay attention to their health so that as they
get older. We know that black and brown folks have
you know, a higher instance of a lot of different
(39:58):
things by broid, pcos, different things. So imagine if you're
tracking properly, you're paying attention to your body, you're empowered
when you go to see your physician, you know how
to talk to your physician. Doctor Chambers in the film says,
you know, my favorite thing is when I come into
(40:20):
a session knowing that I am the expert in medicine
and you are the expert in your body. And when
these two experts can come together, that's when we get
the best outcomes. So, I mean, that's the gist of
what that film is promoting. I'd love nothing better than
for everyone with a young person, you know, as young
(40:43):
as as young as five to watch, you know, and
younger to watch that film so that they can see
how to prepare themselves for that journey. And if you've
got a young person in your life, it might be
your sibling. You might be the older sister you can
watch it. You may be the father. We included fathers
(41:04):
in the film.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
They're a part of it too.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
So do you hear from fathers in the documentary as well?
And are they like having conversations with their little girls?
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Yeah? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
This one father said that he after she got it,
he had a conversation with her and the mother was like.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
You did, and he was like, yeah, I did.
Speaker 3 (41:24):
And so it's just that kind of revelation that this
everyone in the family kind of can be involved in
our own health journeys. I mean, we have to normalize
men taking their health serious as well. Right, So when
you destigmatize it, you need to destigmatize it for everyone.
(41:45):
And that can get us to a whole health journey
for families because we've got we've got to understand that
there is a system that's broken, all right, So we
know that, we know that we need to deal with
physicians who don't deliver the standard of care that our
folks need. We know that and we're working to change that.
But the reality is, until that's changed, there are some
(42:09):
things that we can do ourselves, and that's what I
advocate for, and that's what the Black Women's Health Imperative
advocates for.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
On a day to day basis.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
The work couldn't be more important than it is.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
Now.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Can you talk about what kind of impact this work
has had so far? And like, what are the big
themes or issues that y'all are focused on right now?
What should we as black women understand about the landscape
of health and reproductive health right now?
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Well, I think that, you know, I've been thinking about
this a lot with regards to you know, and like
I said, we're every day we are as an organization
out there, you know, doing research that includes us. We
just had a press release come out where we've partnered
with the Morahouse School of Medicine for breast cancer and
cervi cancer study. Right of once again our folks. We're constantly,
(43:06):
you know, trying to get policy passed for once again
our folks. So we're doing all of those things.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
On that on that end.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
But when you when you when you ask kind of
what we can do, you know, I like to think
of it like this. I like to call women we're
the chief health officers of our family. So we're we're
typically the one that schedules the doctor's appointments, right.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
We're we're the ones who cook the food a lot
of times.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
And not to put that whole pressure on us, but
as a chief health officer, we also get to delegate.
We also get to say, hey, partner, maybe you need
to do this for for our whole health of our family,
and maybe you need to do this. And then it's
also about extending that message out to our commune unity.
So for us, you know, we really are focused on
(44:04):
chronic disease prevention.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
I mean that is really is.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
We are at critical mass with regards to obesity in
this country. We need to understand that obesity is in
fact a disease and there are many.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Tools in the toolkit to help you deal with that.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
But we can't just act like a magic pill can
save the day, right we can't.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
You mean, Serena Williams says, all you do is inject
my bicep with whatever she's saying it.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
You can't just act like a magic pill can save
the day.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
We believe that.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
That there is a space for those therapeutics, you know,
we believe that I personally believe that right. I believe
that some people choose bariatric surgery, and that's another tool.
There's many tools in the toolbox, but when you start
(45:03):
from the premise of lifestyle change and dealing with how
can how we can deal with our system in terms
of the food we put into our bodies, of the
amount of sunlight we get, or the amount of sleep,
I mean just sleep alone, it's so huge to potentially
(45:25):
how it can impact our health. And so I understand
that people live in food deserts. I understand that people
don't have green spaces, and so we have to kind
of look at these things. We call those in the
health industry the social determinants of health, like these are
things outside of kind of your control that are in
your environment. So then we have to figure out how
(45:46):
can we help our folks through that, And that's a
lot of what our organization does. We have a wonderful
program sponsored by the CDC called the Change your Lifestyle,
Change Your Life Program, and it helps you to prevent
or manage your chronic diseases like diet type two diabetes.
In my in my late thirties now and I have
(46:07):
two children. All I always thought I was going to
be like different. This was my ego, This was my
my millennial snowflake energy.
Speaker 2 (46:15):
I was bringing.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
Kidney disease, diabetes, you know, heart issues. My grandma died
fifty six, and so many members deal with chronic you know,
conditions and obesity, and it just runs rampant. And I
was like again thinking I'm a snowflake and I'm going
to do mazumba and I'm going to eat healthy.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
And that I know better than you.
Speaker 1 (46:34):
And let me tell you, I didn't have these two kids,
got a little got a little bout with postpartum depression.
Speaker 2 (46:40):
And anxiety, yes, a pandemic.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
Later starting a business, trying to be a black woman
in this world, and why don't you know here I
am dealing with these My body is like showing me
that these it feels like they are these these like
I don't know, something sneaking behind me, like something like
in the closet that that's just trying to like get in,
come get me.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Like.
Speaker 3 (47:03):
So that's the thing called epigenetics. I want you to
look that word up.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Say it again, epigenetics.
Speaker 3 (47:11):
Right, yeah, you know I'm not a clinician, so I
don't want to get too deep into that terminology.
Speaker 2 (47:17):
But it's basically it's.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
In our DNA, right, So you're fighting you're fighting all
of the trauma, the health trauma. You're fighting that health
trauma in your DNA. But I got news for you.
You can get you can push through that. One of
my favorite phrases is it ran in my family until
(47:39):
it ran into me.
Speaker 2 (47:40):
I'm gonna send you that shirt.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Doesn't it suck being a millennial. I know you're a
gen xer, but god damn, it just feels like millennials.
We have to fix everything that's wrong. We have to
heal a generational trauma. Nope, my elders can't really help me.
And like, I'm doing it for the youths, but we
I just want a moment for the millennials because I
think we have a lot on our show. There's to
be better.
Speaker 2 (48:01):
Than you all do.
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Anybody who knows me knows that I love the generations.
I love the generations.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
You know you're not watching on YouTube.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
You need to be watching on YouTube if you need
to see Lisa as she's telling you this, because I'm
telling you. If they did a black version of the
Age of Adelaide with Blake Lively.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
We don't say her name.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
They need to cast Liez to Cunningham because you're giving
I'm twenty two years old, maybe twenty five, maybe twenty five,
maybe you.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Just got out of grad school. Well I am.
Speaker 3 (48:31):
I am fifty five years old and proud to say it.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
But you've gotten to if you're so wise, because you've
lived all these different decades.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
But the reason why I go back to.
Speaker 3 (48:44):
Saying that I embrace this kind of generational aspect of
things is that I've learned to kind of take the
good of the different worlds right. And so I've got
baby boomer sisters. And my sister on the road to
sixty five, she had always been, as we say in
our community, heavy set her whole life, and I me
(49:04):
thicker than a snicker, right, found whole life. And she said,
on the road to sixty five, that's just not That's
not how I'm gonna end up. My sister lost sixty
plus pounds two years on the road to sixty five.
Speaker 2 (49:20):
She made it.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
So what'd that do for me? I said, Okay, game on.
So we talked through some strategies together as a family,
and she helped me to get to what is now
seventy pounds down.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
So I feel you.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
When I saw you, Yeah, when I met you three
years ago, I was in the grips of what you're
talking about right now, and I put something in motion
through baby steps, and this was my journey. So, like
I said, not to vilify anybody who needs a GLP
one or anybody who chooses surgery. I did it naturally.
(50:00):
Continue to do it naturally every day because I realize
that I did not. I did not sign up for
this addiction that America gave me. And it's real. It
is a real thing. It is built into the DNA
of our food, unfortunately, and so I've had to, you know,
(50:21):
figure out how to get through that.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
And it's a daily struggle.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
Though Mandy, it's a little easier for me because I
didn't have those things. So it's a it's a it's
a little you know, I was partnered, but I didn't
have you know, the young child and cooking of this
different food, and the partner who wants you know, the
unhealthy you know, right there in my physical space.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
This is brown ambition, right, And we don't shy away
from conversations around career strategy and money. And I'm wondering
for you, did you have any like sticker shock moving
from the entertainment industry to you know, you said you
started contracting a nonprofit. Now you've been in this world
for a while, Well, how have you managed your fight?
Has anything changed with the way you've managed your money?
(51:04):
Absolutely not transition.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
Yeah, So, you know, when you're in the entertainment industry,
and I was successful in that industry, I took I
took a bit of a break, and a lot of
people don't realize this because I wasn't very public about it.
I was caregiving for my mother. My mother had cancer,
(51:27):
she was having you know, dementia. All of the things
started surfacing, and you know, I was the single, no
children child, and I was honored to caregive for her.
And through that process, I was already shedding those layers
of you know, kind of different financial, you know, comforts.
(51:50):
And I think, you know how the entertainment industry you
have extreme highs and lows. You'll be balling out of
control week and then like wait a minute. So it
was always this kind of roller coaster ride. But I
think that when I set the intention and motion and
(52:11):
the thought of turning down jobs, it started because I
was caregiving for mother. So it wasn't even you know,
this new work. It was just I couldn't leave the house.
So that was the was the financial strain physically being
having to be attached to the house. And how long
(52:32):
was that period? For oh my gosh, years years. So
people would see me out because I would do these
cameo appearances and even when I met my partner at
the time, she thought I was this jet setting person, right,
So I would be out for fifteen thirty minutes at
a time and race back to Mama because somebody would
be with her and I would be dressed at the affair,
(52:58):
keep it moving, and no nobody even knew that, you know,
that month, I might have made, you know.
Speaker 2 (53:05):
A thousand dollars because I just couldn't work.
Speaker 3 (53:10):
And so that actually started where I was able to
transition into the nonprofit space a lot, you know, a
lot easier because I had already gone down to next
to nothing, and it's it's been a glorious ride to
get back to this point where I feel so you know,
(53:34):
secure financially, but fulfilled personal.
Speaker 2 (53:40):
And I know that's the space a lot.
Speaker 3 (53:41):
Of us are trying to get to and so I
just want to tell everybody to keep swimming because ten
years ago I couldn't see myself today.
Speaker 2 (53:52):
But I just you know, the baby steps.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
Yeah, ten years ago. You're in your mid forties. I
know we have listeners. I mean our listeners age range
from like twenty five to fifty five, but we have
a very healthy listenership. Shout out to my forty plus
my fifty plus BA fam. I know they need to
hear what you're saying because a lot of and I'll
get coaching clients too, are in mid forties and you
feel at that stage like maybe you have been doing
(54:16):
their version of the music video industry and like you know,
and not feeling fulfilled and is it too late? Can
I make a change you? I mean, just to break
down your career path. I mean you go from like
the entertainment space obviously the ups and downs of that.
Then you start to like contract and freelance. It sounds
like and just doing like, you know, similar to what
(54:36):
you're doing in the entertainment industry, doing folle off projects.
But then you transition to what's now a full time role.
What was that like for you? Was it scary? And
like how did you even negotiate a salary because at
this point you've been doing one off projects. What was
that like for you if you don't mind sharing, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:54):
I think that.
Speaker 3 (54:55):
You know, Fortunately for me, I will say, the Black
Women's Help Imperative we're a national organization, right, so we're
not talking about a grassroots nonprofit. So fortunately for me,
they had a budget, not with the reserves of the
American Cancer Society or anything like that, or even the NAACP.
(55:17):
But when you do talk about a national nonprofit, you're
really talking about, you know, a different pay scale at
that point.
Speaker 2 (55:23):
So I was.
Speaker 3 (55:25):
Blessed to not have to, you know, worry about my
lifestyle from that perspective.
Speaker 2 (55:32):
But I did give up some things.
Speaker 3 (55:34):
And you know, the if you look at what's going
on right now November of last year to today, the
world has turned upside down once again. Right we went
through COVID, it was unprecedented times. Now we're in unprecedented
times again, which which are creating so many financial tail
(55:54):
spends for people, especially black.
Speaker 2 (55:57):
And brown women.
Speaker 3 (55:58):
And so we've heard the statistic about three hundred thousand
black women losing their jobs and what have you. So
I think for me, I'm I'm grateful to be able
to have that sort of stability, and a stability that
didn't have me, you know, kind of compromising my lifestyle.
But I mean, I live pretty simple though.
Speaker 1 (56:20):
That's that's the thing. That's another thing. I just I
just live pretty simple lifestyle. Inflation will kill you.
Speaker 2 (56:28):
Today.
Speaker 3 (56:28):
I was like, okay, Lisa, you could cut out subscriptions,
and so I did take a lot of inventory on
subscriptions and didn't realize I get did like twenty five subscriptions.
I mean things that range from six ninety nine to
things that range from to one hundred and forty nine
ninety nine.
Speaker 2 (56:48):
So that was definitely helpful to take.
Speaker 3 (56:51):
Inventory of because you just don't pay attention what's coming
in and out. You know, of your bank account on
a monthly basis, like that with regards to subscriptions. Yeah,
that's one of my success stories, getting my subscriptions in check.
Speaker 2 (57:08):
I could do it.
Speaker 1 (57:09):
I could do an audit every month because it's insane.
I subscribe for hairdel because that's the only way to
buy it. I'm like, do I really need to subscribe?
I don't know if I'm gonna need this in six
more months, but it's good hairtel Oh the subscription economy,
my god, by the way, join our Patreon.
Speaker 2 (57:24):
Oh yeah, I will.
Speaker 1 (57:26):
I'm part of the problem.
Speaker 2 (57:28):
You can join for freedom.
Speaker 3 (57:30):
Then I'm a bit of a philanthropist, so you know,
I also had to assess. That was another hard decision
for me. I did have to assess, you know, my
monthly giving. So I did go. I did take that
down a bit.
Speaker 1 (57:43):
Yeah, what about retirement savings? Were you setting aside any
nest egg who was teaching you how to start that?
When you were an entrepreneur it were solopreneur.
Speaker 2 (57:51):
Nobody, zero body, you know.
Speaker 3 (57:54):
I started listening to you all and getting nuggets here
and there. I remember when I did pay for a
Budgeanista course and things like that, you know, for credit
repair all of that. Yeah, because it was a mess.
It was just an absolute mess. Because you that industry,
you just live by the seat of your pay Attie.
(58:14):
And I never forget.
Speaker 2 (58:17):
I used to. I used to joke with my partner.
We would always I would be like, my.
Speaker 3 (58:21):
Credit score just got raised by this, and and then
next week and you know, next month it was by this,
And She's like, girl, catch up because mine's mine's like
seven eighty already, So.
Speaker 1 (58:30):
We're we're okay, all right, don't need to be annoying
about it exactly.
Speaker 3 (58:36):
Yeah, but it was definitely motivation. And that gets back
to what I said much earlier in the conversation, right,
it's about having those people around you that bring out
the what the best?
Speaker 1 (58:47):
So is that how I got invited to the CBC
by y'all? Did y'all did you listen to Brown Ambition before?
Speaker 2 (58:52):
Of course? Oh? Well thanks? I so.
Speaker 1 (58:59):
Now okay, so you weren't really setting aside for retirement.
Speaker 2 (59:02):
How have you been catching up? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (59:04):
I mean I've been touching up best I could. And
I literally that's so interesting. Just signed up for some
like real financial planning.
Speaker 2 (59:14):
Just now. Oh okay, keep you post it, keep you
posted on that. Yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (59:21):
Yeah, it was Listen, we have to give grace to ourselves.
And there's so many seasons of life, and like I
made the best financial choices when I was twenty four
with no kids. Let me tell you, the last five
years adn't broke every rule I talked about. Life is laving.
What do you want me to do? We just got
to give grace, got to give grace and I'm very
(59:44):
happy for you to hear that you're going to get
some professional help.
Speaker 2 (59:47):
We deserve, we deserve, we deserve.
Speaker 3 (59:51):
Health is our birthright, but it encompasses all the different
areas of health right, mind, body, spirit, finances go right,
all of that hand in hand.
Speaker 2 (01:00:03):
So health is our birthright. We have to stop.
Speaker 3 (01:00:05):
I love I never forget watching a Lisa Nichol's YouTube
on money and it was just it just is so
powerful because she just talks about our relationship with money
and we just have to have a better relationship in
order to get to that healthy side of it.
Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
Yeah, definitely, having financial freedom, it brings out the best
in everybody. It does, especially when you're able to achieve
that by doing such a great work like you have. Lisa.
I so appreciate you joining me a Brown ambition and
getting to know more about you. It's been such a treat.
It's been such an honor to get.
Speaker 3 (01:00:45):
Now I want to do the reverse. Now I want
to have you on my podcast. So I literally am
about to launch. I did it as a pop up
podcast a few times, and so now I'm going to
do both pop up podcast mixed with a traditional format
and see what we got. The brand is called take
(01:01:07):
what you Need, so we'll see.
Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
Take what you Need? Okay. I love that?
Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
All right, Lisa, I wish we had more time.
Speaker 2 (01:01:13):
I want it.
Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
Will you come back sometime or can I see you
next time?
Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Moment, next moment at Lanta.
Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
I'm gonna hit you up, yes, because I'm just like
that Kiki Palmer Sierra, like I need to see more
of you. I have not stopped thinking about this conversation.
It's so good. Thank you for your vulnerability, your transparency
or candor and sharing your light with Brown Ambition. Now
tell us we're gonna go watch this documentary. We're gonna
get a link I can put in the show notes.
Speaker 2 (01:01:37):
Yes, yay, I'm so excited. We can post, we can
tag it. What do you need from us?
Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
Put us to absolutely spread the word about this documentary.
It's called me Period and just share it, share it
in the group chat. You can go to meperiod dot
info and that'll get you there.
Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
But we'll put it.
Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
In the in the link and we'll get the first
guide you mentioned that comes with that as well, and
then we can find you at Lisa Cunningham on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
I am Lisa Cunningham on Instagram and.
Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Then we're going to check you out on your podcast.
It's called fake what you Need, Take what you Need.
I love that's another good book title. We'll have you
back when you're promoting your book because that's just the duh.
Of course is happening.
Speaker 2 (01:02:20):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (01:02:21):
Thank you so much, Lisa. Take care all RIGHTBA Fan,
I will see you next time. Bye, okay va fan,
Thank you so much for listening to this week's show.
I want to shout out to our production team, Courtney,
our editor, Carla, our fearless leader for idea to launch productions.
I want to shout out my assistant Lauda Escalante and
(01:02:44):
Cameron McNair for helping me put the show together. It
is not a one person project, as much as I
have tried to make it so these past ten years.
I need help, y'all, and thank goodness I've been able
to put this team around me to support me on
this journey. And to y'all, BA fam, I love you
so so so so much. Please rate, review, subscribe, make
(01:03:06):
sure you're signed up to the newsletter to get all
the latest updates on upcoming episodes, our ten year anniversary
celebrations to come, and until next time, talk to you
soon via bye
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