August 24, 2025 • 47 mins
It's the podcast crossover you probably never saw coming, BA Fam. For today's Washday Woosah show, I sit down with Victoria L. Johnson, founder of the Sailor Moon Fan Club podcast. In each episode of the Sailor Moon Fan Club, Victoria L. Johnson interviews incredible fans of the '90s anime including bestselling authors, comic book and manga creators, influencers, musicians --baddies like Saweetie, WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, and Fefe Dobson.
Since she founded the podcast in 2020, Victoria's expanded the brand into a thriving events business dedicated to providing spaces for anime fans from underrepresented communities to find community and let their inner kids fly free (See y'all at the Sailor Moon Day Party 2026, OK!).
Follow Victoria on Twitter @missoldskool
Follow the Sailor Moon Fan Club podcast at @mooniesclub on Twitter and @moonies_club on Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Actually just put out a sticker which says Mercurys and
micro braids and at Sailor Mercury with micro braids.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh my god, the way I need to be in
your world, girl, I need to see all this black
girl Sailor Moon contents, because that's.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
The other thing with my podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's mainly uh, black and brown women, and that makes
me so happy because it's like everyone on there is
the same way. They're like, I didn't know I had
Sweetie on the show. Actually she was like, I didn't
know there were other black women into Sailor Moon.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
And I'm like, we're here, We're out.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We're here. Hey, hey be a fan, and hey hey
listeners of the Sailor Moon Fan Club. This is a
this is the crossover episode. Probably no one expected. This
is the crossover that I could not have manifested for myself.
(00:53):
But this is gonna be a little bit different, y'all.
Today I am joined in the studio with the Victoria L. John.
She is by day working in the nonprofit sector being
a content battie, and by night she is saving the
world with the Sailor Moon Fan Club. When her podcast
called The Moone's Club, it's called.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
The podcast is Sailor Moon Fan Club, but the whole
brand is Mooney's Club.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I just flipped them. We flipped and scrap and we're
going to reverse it. And I had This couldn't have
been more serendipitous because I have been waiting to let
my Sailor Moon Freak fan club flag fly free for
a while and heal my inner child. But this is
a great example be a fan of like a time
when you go to an event and you just open
(01:40):
yourself up to just meeting someone different and having a
conversation and leaving your social anxiety at the door, which
y'all know I suffer from intense social anxiety. That's gotten better.
I had the great fortune to get invited to speak
at a conference in Miami this past July called Color Calm,
and it was a really fun event. There was this
(02:02):
very awkward moment where I got tapped on the shoulder
to be in a quote unquote fashion show and wanted to
slowly fade into the background, but force myself to do it.
And then I feel like it was like after that
fashion show, kind of like cocktail hour was over, this
divine angel walks up to me and said, Hi, I'm Victoria,
(02:23):
and I forget what else you said. I guess you
had come to my panel, which was about podcasting. I did,
I did, and from your side of the conversation, pick
it up there.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, I can fill in the rest.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I Since I saw you on the panel, I was like,
I want to be on this podcast. This sounds phenomenal.
And I was like, I need to talk to her.
So I came up to you and I said, Hi,
I'm Victoria. I love your podcast, would love to come
on it. I want to pitch myself to be on
your show and would love to get your contact information.
And you were like, well, pitch yourself right now. And
I was like, you know what, I forgot?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Did this?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Me?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Do it?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
And I was just like let's go. Oh.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And I was like, do you know Sailor Moon? And
you were like I do know Sailor Moon. And I
was like, we're gonna be this is gonna be great,
this is already work.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It's funny. Yeah, and you did, and you brought yesterday,
you brought your friend over. She was like, I did
she like your co girl? Like you know what she was?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
She was, yeah, And it's funny because we had just
met that weekend as well, or that week during at
the conference. We had a mutual person that we knew
in common who told us we should connect at the conference,
and we just like immediately clicked. And then I was
her wing woman. She wanted to go speak to Star Jones,
who was the host of that evening, so I was
her wing woman then, and then she was my wing
(03:40):
woman to speak to you.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, me and Star Jones. Yeah same. I'm so so
glad you did, because there's no way you could have
known I'm such a big Sailor Moon fan or that,
you know, but just serendipitous. And and then you started
to talk about your podcast. I was like, well, first
of all, selfishly, I want to talk to you about this,
(04:02):
Like I felt like it has been a hidden love
of mine for so long, because you know, growing up,
for sure, it was not I was not the people
were not checking for the girl who was into Sailor Moon.
Anime is having a moment now, not so much.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Back then, not so much back then.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
But I'm just really happy to have you on it.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I think what really made me excited to was like
you were saying, how I was surprised to see you
were a Sailor Moon fan and I couldn't have known.
But I think one thing that's I've seen over time
is there's so many of us everywhere that I'm like,
who isn't a Sailor Moon fan? Like I feel like
everyone I've done job interviews before in the past where
the interviewer was a Sailor Moon fan, I've done spoke
(04:42):
with just so many different people and like ended up
coming on the podcast and I was just like, I
would have never guessed this person as a Sailor Moon fan.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
But they are. Were you also an eighties baby, like
a late eighties baby or a nineties.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Baby, early nineties ninety one?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Okay, so I'm only a few years older. But I
also like we weren't finding each other back then. It
wasn't no like TikTok and like Facebook groups and communities.
Like I was just out there in those streets with
my little lunch bag, you know, seven years old, just
just in like begging my mom please. I had these
visceral memories of like trying to because it came on
(05:18):
in my area. I grew up in Atlanta in Georgia
and it came on at four pm. But for some
reason it was not a half hour show. It ended
at four twenty four, and I knew if I did
not get home to get to catch that I would not.
Sometimes I could catch like the last ten minutes. If
my mom took the shortcut after we you know, she
left work during my summer break, I would go to
(05:38):
her office and just you know, putter around read books
or whatever, and I'd be so stressed. I'm like, we
have to get home. I'm gonna miss Sailor Moon. And
there was no syndication or like, there was no streaming,
there was no YouTube.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Do you want to catch it again? No, you cannot
have it if you didn't catch it. It's like better
luck tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, And but that was enough. I don't know what
is it about this this ip that just has us,
you know, just falling in love. I don't know, But
talk to me about you first and foremost, what do
you do? And then how the for the podcast itself,
tell folks what to expect from it and why they
should tune in.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, So podcast is Salor Moon Fan Club. So I
interview Salor Moon fans about themselves. The idea again is
like that there are so many incredible people doing amazing
things and we all happen to be Sarah Moon fans.
So I've had rappers on the show. I've had book authors,
I have had other podcasters. I've had a sex worker,
(06:35):
Like have everyone from every walk of life who's just
doing something cool or dope or incredible and yeah, and
there all happened to be Salah Moon fan. So we
talk a little bit about Salah Moon and their introduction
to Salor Moon. Then we talk a little bit about
them and what they're doing. I also spook to a
woman getting her PhD and she wants to talk about
bell Hooks and how she connects it to Sala Moon,
(06:57):
and I was like, please come on my show.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I was like, yes, absolutely, let's have.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That conversation and yeah, then that's about it, and I
would just talk about sale Moon and themselves and it's
really fun.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
When did you start the show. How long has it
been on the air.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
I launched this podcast in March twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Okay, so five years that is a yes, five years
and you still going. So we're right at the Osset
bi weekly.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
It started weekly.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I've actually push pulled back because I do monthly now
because I started doing.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Events leak through the podcast. Yeah yeah, oh, we talked
a little bit about this. Wait what okay, so what
are these events that you do?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So I do the Salemon Day Party every year. So
Salemon's birthday is June thirtieth, So on the last Saturday
of the month or the last Sunday of the month,
I do a day party where you can get your
nails done for free.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
There's Terror card.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Readings because thinking like when she transformed, you know, her
nails change, and so that kind of connects. And then
Salem Marris kind of does, like she doesn't do TERR
card reading, but does like readings, so it kind of connected.
They're obviously like a DJ. We have signature drinks. There's
vendors selling stuff and I'm like, what else is there?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
We keep adding?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
So oh we just added a tattoo station and yes,
and we did that. We've been doing that for three years.
Absolutely come through. It's a vibe. It's such a good time.
Like is it that of cosplay?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Some people cosway. Some people just come, you know, in
regular clothes.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
I usually have regular clothes on.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I usually don't cosplay because I'm running around doing events stuff,
but it's so fun. And then last year I started
the Magical Girls Festival, And for people who don't know, so,
Sailor Moon is part of the genre magical Girls.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So it's like Powerpuff Girls.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Wings Club if you're familiar with that, like any thing
where you're thinking about women with magical powers. And so
this is like a mini convention, like a very very
small scaled version of like a New York Comic con
kind of thing, but like more a thousand people versus
like tens of thousands of people, and we have vendors.
(09:01):
We just added programming this year that's going to be
it's gonna be in September, and we actually are bringing
in Terry Hawks, who is the original voice actress or
one of the original voice actresses of Sailor Moon. Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Wait, yeah, I just went like very high pitched when
you said that. I could not even know my mind
knew that name. But when you said it, I was like, right,
didn't she voice Dailor Word? How did I know that? Wow?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
It's in our brains, mooney.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
This is such So it's become so much bigger than
a podcast for you. That's that's incredible. It's a business now.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
It's a whole business.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yeah, And it really just started as a podcast and
I mentioned Mark twenty twenty because I was the beginning
of the pandemic and so it was just like thrown
into all of that, but really helped me to kind
of focus on the podcast and then you know, built
it out into events and then now I'm producing other shows.
I'm started producing a comedy show at anime and nerd conventions,
So I have one at anime y CE this month
(10:00):
and then at New York Comic Con next month. And yeah,
just been growing and doing businesses and collaborating and I'm
also working on a book and so it's just a
million things.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
So it's become a whole. It's taken on its whole life.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
And I was like, Okay, I can't do weekly episodes anymore,
but I can do monthly and that's okay. I have
to be okay, well okay, And it's you know, because
you're making space for these other parts, right, you know.
That's such a good that's such a good point to
make too, because with brown ambition, I'm doing so much
with the show and I want to do more.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I would love to do more live events. I have
a ten year anniversary coming up in mid September. That's
only a month away.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I know.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I'm so excited. And months ago I was like, I'm
going to start planning this event because I need to
be months in advance. I don't have a single thing planned,
and I'm so mad, Victoria.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
You need help. I've planned events, let's do it?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Can we do what? Police?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Help me? Yes?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
So hard because I'm doing doing so much more with
the show that I'm like, when do I have time
to plan anything? I would love that. Okay, we're going
to talk.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yes, definitely emailing we can figure it out. That makes
so exciting.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
And starting an events based business, I mean that's not easy.
Did you have a background and that through your nine
to five before you started to do this or has
it been like a new skill set to learn a.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Little bit of both.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
So I work in calm, so i'm commune digital communicationstructors,
so I'm really adept in like social and marketing, but
I think the event planning side was a little bit harder,
and I think a lot of I tell people event
planning is a lot of like marketing and project management,
so I'm really good at those things, but I think
there was just a learning curve of figuring out like
what's a minimum spends for a bar where you have
(11:46):
to like reach this certain amount for the bar to
make before you know you have to pay that amount back,
and you know, what's a good minimum spend? What's you know,
maybe instead of a minimum spending split, you know, ticket
sales and just that negotiating those kind of things. So
that was my learning curve in events. But I think
the marketing and project management, I'm like, okay, I can
do this, Like I can I can email people and
(12:08):
let them know like what's happening and when, and try
to market things and make sure people are coming.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
And that's such a good point too. I think sometimes
people have the skill, like maybe you have the idea
for the event, or you have the talent or the
vendors for the event, but then you don't know or
understand the marketing piece of it or how to sell tickets.
What advice do you have for people in that situation?
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I mean, I do think if you have the the
money for it, Instagram ads tends to be very helpful.
Outside of that, I think making sure you have a
really good flyer if you can pay for a graphic
design or use canva. I think visuals like that tends
(12:54):
to draw people to all of my events. It's like
a really good and like engaging, inviting visual that also collaborating.
I've been able to grow like a good community of
other anime creators who will post my event on their page,
and then you know, of course I do the same
thing for them. So I think those three things really help.
And if you can try and get media, I've been
grateful to be covered in like time out and develop
(13:16):
a relationship there and so shooting your shot, I'm like
with you and everywhere else in my life. I am
a big proponent of cold emails, and I would say
most of the time it works out. I'm not always,
but it never hurts to ask.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Cold chats work so much better. But they're harder, harder
to make yourself do, harder to happen, and like you know,
it's one of the chances they're going to be somewhere
and have someone cross your path. But I love what
you said. I mean, I think community is a big
has got to be one that I think is maybe
under it's said a lot. I think we all talk.
There's a lot of lip service being paid to the
importance of community these days and including on my part,
(13:53):
but just to like actually explain what that can mean.
It's like finding your people, finding people who have similar interests,
who are in a similar space as you. They understand
the grind and are and I feel like in that
case so much more likely to help amplify because they're like, Oh,
I'm in these trenches too, girl, I'm going to share this.
(14:14):
I know you're going to pay it forward one day
and share my stuff. And it has it been community,
Like local to Brooklyn, is that important to like be
physically local to your other supporters?
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I think a little bit. Definitely.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Local to New York City has been helpful because we
have a lot of overlap in our audiences and or
they have similar audiences where like they have a lot
of New Yorkers following them. But I have a friend
who has a huge anime platform, and I have two
friends actually with huge like platforms who are not in
New York City, but they have a large anime community
(14:49):
who follows them.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
And so that helps as well.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
So I think as long as you either have location
or an audience that matches what you're doing, I think
that makes sense. And then I've also now I've started
to go onto digital events with my I just launched
a discord and we did a watch party last weekend
and it's still fascinating.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
So it sounds like for the events, your first events
were you personally bootstrapping them, like you were putting the
money up yourself. Yep, okay, how did that feel?
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Scary?
Speaker 1 (15:20):
So my first event, the bar minimum was four thy
five hundred dollars, which means if whatever that bar does
not make, I have to pay the difference.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
At the time, I was in the process.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Of looking for a new apartment, so I had the money,
but I also am like, if I you have to
use this, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Have to wait longer to like look for an apartment
in New York City.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
So you were putting up your security deposit basically, I
mean to double the rent, triple the rent right in
New York Damn.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Okay yeah, And so I'm just like, I need this
to work because I don't have But then it goes
back to the community. I have a really great friend
who he.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Was just like, just do it.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
It's going to be great, and he was like, if
you don't make it, I'll put two thousand towards it,
and like thankfully, yes, right, oh, but I think he
just knew it was going to be successful. I guess
he can't know, but but it ended up working out.
I made close to the bar minimum. I made forty
three hundreds. I only owed two hundred dollars, which great
for a first event. And ever since that, I've always
(16:21):
been able yeah even ish, Yeah, and ever since I've
always been able to make my bar minimum. And then
you know, I get ticket sales as well, So it's
kind of like that just covers it separate.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
From ticket That's right, because so you're selling tickets and
so once you factor in ticket sales, are you then
in the red or black? Sorry? In the black?
Speaker 3 (16:42):
In the black? Yes?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Nice? Okay, So does it become like an actual because
I've I've heard a lot of people who've done events
like live events, conferences, conventions, one day things, you know,
micro events, et cetera. Like for me, the reviews are
very mixed, but the the interwoven thread, everyone agrees like
(17:06):
you can easily lose money and it can be really
hard to like maintain. What is your take on that?
I mean, are you do you seeing it like Okay,
I've got like a system down pat like I can
kind of see this being a consistent income stream for
me now moving forward.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I think the day Party and the Magical Girls Fest,
for sure, those feel like at this point, I've had
three successful day parties and this will be our second
Magical Girl's Fest. But I already feel like I mean,
we got over one hundred vendor applications. We got forty
last year, and so that's already huge. And I was like,
I actually don't have the space for all of these vendors,
so I couldn't approve any everybody, sadly that.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
I wanted to.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
But now I know, I'm like, Okay, I can actually
grow this next year because the vendor fee is two
hundred each table, and so I'm like, if there are
this many people interested in vending at this event, that
means I can actually like go to a bigger space
I want to. And so like, that's scaling already faster
than I thought. Two events I feel like have been
(18:07):
doing well.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
I think it's well.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
So new events that I'm thinking about doing, I'm still
a little bit scared about. I tried a new concept
earlier this year that didn't work out as well as
I wanted to.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
So that was a loss.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
And so now one of my learnings though, was that Okay,
for new ideas, start smaller, Like, don't.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Go immediately to the like thing.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
I'm like, maybe we can probably like there's a bunch
of spaces in New York City that'll you hopes an
event for free, and so I'm like, okay for new ideas,
let's start there and then see if it can grow.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
You know, it's really great that you said that, because
I feel like when you're in business and you have
a setback, especially if it comes after initial success. Now
I can speak from experience here, it really can knock
the confidence and it feels like like you're taking all
the wind out of your sales, You're losing momentum. In
that moment, How do you stop yourself from getting stuck
in that wallowing place of I failed, like I'm never
(18:57):
going to be good at anything again.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
I should Well, I don't stop myself at first, because
I definitely spend some time following in those feelings for
the first maybe week where I'm like I'm not doing
this anymore. I'm like this isn't working out.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
I hate it.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
But I think, you know, I hate to keep going
back to the community, but I have a really good
group of friends who are like, what do you mean,
Like you had like all this other great things happen,
and you know, I also try to tell myself the
same thing, where I'm like, Okay, let's let's lean a
little bit on reality, like this was one setback, but
it's not everything. So I think trying to do that
(19:35):
and just having people who remind you that like you're
doing okay, or that you're doing a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
To talk about team because this is a lot to
be doing events like this, You must need a team
at some point, right, whether it's people like the day
of in advance, where do you even begin getting out?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
And great questions. So I'm actually mostly a team of one,
mainly because while I have seen success, I don't think
the funds have matched the ability for me to hire.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Someone, and I wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
I don't feel comfortable with having people work for free
unless we are like really really close friends. So I'm thankful,
Like on day of, I do have a select group
of friends where I'm like, hey, can you show up
like two hours early and help me like hang up
posters and so I've had that, but really it's just
about trying to plan as early as possible as a camp.
Like even right now, I'm already planning ahead for the
(20:26):
Salemon Day party next year. I actually just put out
a sticker. It says Mercuries and micro Braids, and it's
Sailor Mercury with micro braids.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Oh my god, the way I need to be in
your world, girl, I need to see all this black
girl Sailor Moon content because.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
That's the other thing with my podcast.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
It's mainly black and brown women and that makes me
so happy because it's like everyone on there is the
same way.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
They're like, I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
I had Sweetie on the show actually, and she was like,
I didn't know there were other black women at the
Sailor Moon, and I'm like, we're here here.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Well, you know Liza when she did her birthday was
it last year? I sent my brother that. By the way,
this little if you're watching on YouTube, I have my
little This is my only I have two pieces of
Sailor Moon like merch paraphernalia, and that's one. My brother
went to Japan and brought that back for me, and
then I have I have this little like makeup kit
(21:24):
that I got, Yes, color pop, Yeah, I got this
in this clear and style at Alta, I think, and
I was like, these are not even all my colors,
but because obviously she's a white girl with blue eyes.
But but yeah, I got it really just to heal
myself because something about I mean obviously as a kid,
I was always hiding my love and obsession with Sailor
(21:46):
Moon and like not really feeling I could fully embrace it. Honestly,
I wish I could go back and just tell my girl,
just like, girl, just enjoy it. Where that bring that
Sailor Moon wand to school and bring that Sailor Moon
lunchbox and girl, just just just be yourself. But I
was so self conscious about anything that made me different,
and everything made me different where I grew up, and
(22:08):
so and also money, like we never really had money
for a lot of stuff. So I would salivate over
the toys r rests, like you know, the insert that
would come in the paper, or if I ever got
a chance to go in a toys r rust, I'd
go to the aisle and look at all the toys
and just like want them, but never felt like I
could and it's just so funny. Now I'm you know,
(22:29):
I'm my big age now money. Mama's got the money,
and it's nice to kind of treat myself once in
a while. That just something just for me to acknowledge
this the little fangirl inside me.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Yeah, I buy way too much merch Now it's become
a pros that you do. It's it's but now, and
that's a problem. That the been the issue with the
podcast now because I'm like, it's for the business.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Oh right, that's true.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
She can content, I can write it off on taxes.
I need it.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
That's true. Well, I'm glad to hear that part of
the business you have, like you know, the setting up
the LLC and getting the accountant and all that piece
of it. Did that come naturally for you or was
that also a bit of a challenge.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Definitely a little bit of a learning curve, just because
it was like the legal leads and taxes and trying
to figure that out, make sure do anything's right. I
have another friend who has done it before, so I
was like, how did you set up your LLC? She
was like, here's the side I use, here's how I
did it. And I'm like, great, thank you, and it's
ink file for anyone who was listening. It was made
the process super easy ink file dot com. But yeah,
(23:42):
I think once I start, I decided I want to
start doing events. I was like, okay, I actually need
to make this an LLC. It's not just a podcast anymore.
Like if I'm collecting money in these like large scales,
has to has to be legit.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
She's got to grow, she's got to get her big
girl business pants on.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Also I want to fly too, because people get particular
about this. But like Sailor Rood, blonde hair, blue eyes,
but she's Japanese.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
This is true, This is no, It's very true. I
never thought of her as Japanese. You know what's weird.
When I was a kid, and this says again just
I was naive and I was a child, didn't know
because I'm seeing it a Canadian, right, I didn't even
know what anime was. I vividly remember my older brother.
This feels like when you were told Santa Claus isn't
(24:29):
real and you're just like broken hearted. For me, that
moment was my brother told me that Sailor Moon wasn't
even American and that she wasn't like a girl from
America that she was, that it was Japanese and that
this was like a voice of a Canadian. He's like
trying to explain it to me, but I felt I
was like, no, it's not true, you know. And obviously
(24:52):
since then I've like learned and stuff, but that was, yeah,
thanks for pointing that out. And then as the older
I got, you know, I actually moved away from sale
Moon because I felt like same reason I moved away
from like my other childhood idols like the Ulsen Twins
and Lizzie Maguire like girl any looking them, and it
made me feel so shitty. I mean, for myself, I'll
(25:14):
speak for myself. I grew up always feeling like I
was never gonna be as pretty as or look like,
or have hair like, or have a body type like
these these idols of mine. And the more I started
to like embrace my my body, my hair, my identity
as a biracial black woman, and you know, just just
start to fall in love with myself and with us,
(25:37):
I thought, in the process I got to push them away,
like let me just forget about like they're not for
us anyway. And that's something that I've I think I've
come around now, like I can embrace that that was
It was a time, honey, you know it still is
a time and a way without thinking I need to
(25:58):
look that way, I need to be this way to
considered pretty and to be powerful, that we do belong
and yeah in this space.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, I think that's a big thing in animate too,
where we because there's so few black people and anime,
because you know, Japan is homogenous country, so they're just
mainly making Japanese characters that we try to find ourselves
in other characters, where like a lot of people will say,
like Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z is black, sale Pluto
has a little bit of melanin, so they're like, oh,
she might be black, and it's like yeah, but no.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
But yeah, characters in Sailor Moon, I can't even think, no,
there's not any. And then there's like the version that
you see that's been like not just americanized, but like
you take away like some of the sexual identity, some
of like the you know, some of the political kind
of stuff that I did not even learn until again
I was older and could get on Google and get
(26:56):
on fan fiction websites and write I write Sale Moon
fan fiction. Perhaps perhaps, perhaps you'll never find it.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
Wait, what was the fan fiction about?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Really don't remember?
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Who's your favorite character? Actually that's the real I really
need to know.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Like I've been yapping your ear off, you can ask
you questions now. My favorite Sailor Moon character change is
obviously Serena Usagi, which I learned her name when I
got into the fanfic world. I learned a lot of
Japanese through my love. Yeah, so my favorite obviously was Serena.
(27:35):
And I would I would like go around ask, I
would ask my sister, and I want to say, like
one of my my only best friend. I'd be like,
please call me a ditch, like call me. I wanted
to be her, but I was never her. I was
like so nerdy, I was an Amy, and so Amy
became my favorite and probably still is. Although Ray has
a very special place in my heart, as does Jupiter.
(27:57):
It's hard so I would go on that order Amy, Ray, Jupiter,
especially Jupiter now because she's got the very like at
least this is the I'm basing this off of what
I saw as as a kid in America. I still
have not watched like I haven't watched the official you know,
maybe the more true to the original version stuff, But
(28:17):
the character that she was portrayed as in the US
was very like she liked to cook, and she was
like very nurturing and like, I like Jupiter. What's her name, Makato?
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Well, in the Japanese she's Makoto. In code English she's
Lda Lida.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Forgot her name, but I remember the Japanese. That's how
you know, I'm a look at you.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
It's funny. I was gonna.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I was thinking Jupiter this whole time because you mentioned
like cooking and plants, and I was like, oh, this
is giving Jupiter energy because she also likes gardening. So
and I also feel like she's the unofficial black girl fave,
like every black girl.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
I know is like a Jupiter fan. For the most part,
she was like.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
A bad not every but also softens Pez. Yeah, it's interesting.
I think the way that we love her, we love
the sailor sailor Moon in general. I think in anime
or in storytelling in general, characters have to have very
strong personalities, and part of that is so we can
see a bit of ourselves but or identify or say
(29:18):
I'm the Amy I'm the Serena whoever, but I really
find pieces of them and Granma Leo, so you know,
I got some Mina, some Sailor Venas in me.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Yes, luxdo mask is a Leo, which I always find
what Salor Moon's love interests are Leo's, which I find
is so funny since my favorite is Sailor Moon. Also
so Serena Zoggi whicheverone. I use all three interchangeably. But
as I've been doing the podcast and hearing people's reasonings
for their favorites, I'm like, oh wait, that's a good point. Like,
(29:49):
oh wait, that's a good point too. I'm like, maybe
they're my favorite, or maybe I like them second. And
now I'm just like I can make a case for
anybody because they're all like I said, they're also distinct
and different and can really find people you identify with
or characters you identify with, but also you can pull
pieces from everyone. Because as much as I love Sailor Moon, like,
I'm also very nerdy, so I'm like, I'm also Sailor
(30:10):
Mercury a little bit too.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
She was just so helpless until she became Sailor Moon.
You know, like that's but she's also like a child.
She was fourteen and on top of the age gap,
but the inappropriateness of that. But yeah, yeah, it was
a lot of problematic stuff for the show. I loved Ray.
She was fiery and sassy and like fosty and like
I definitely got I have a piece of myself, like
(30:33):
a piece of me and all of them, I feel like,
or vice versa.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Yeah, no, I feel like that's that's how it goes.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
And then like typically on my podcast, like I talk
about like I want you heard about me, and like
why I started my brand, but I want to know
a little bit about you and why I started Brown Ambition.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
So it was long ten ten long years ago. Just
seems like, how have I been doing anything for ten years?
I'm only twenty four right what time I started Brown
Ambition in twenty fifteen. At the time, I was at
Yahoo Finance personal finance correspondent and writer, So every day
I was writing articles very focused on millennial audience, how
(31:13):
you know, how to get their finances in order, covering
the news as related to personal finance. So if there
was a new piece of legislation paths that could impact
homeowners or you know, retirees, or whatever, I would write
a story about it. When I was at Yahoo Finance.
I at the time, I was so grateful to have
a job in general, because I studied journalism in school
(31:35):
and I was I consider myself a writer first and foremost,
but writing jobs full time are hard to come by.
I grew up in Georgia and I had managed to
get my way to New York. But I had had
some fit I had some like stops and starts with
my career in New York. I got hired at a magazine,
I got laid off, took a pay cut, and got
a job somewhere. I really did not enjoy myself. I
(31:57):
wasn't getting to write at all, and then and clawed
my way back into a writer position. And the way
that I did that is by finding personal finance and
by really claiming it as my niche and embracing it.
And as I was raised by a single mom, so
financial independence was always important to me, and so I
really looked at my job as having a cheat code
(32:19):
for financial independence. Like my job is to talk to
experts all the time who want to talk to me
for free. I don't got to pay nobody, and I
can then share that advice. Yeah, got free the top
experts from like all these big investment banks and CEOs
and their financial advisors and all that stuff. And I
really enjoyed it, and as I was learning so much more.
(32:43):
At that point, I was three four years into my
career in personal finance. Cereal had come out the podcast,
and a friend of mine was launching a personal finance
podcast of her own. And at the time I knew
as a writer, I was only going to make it
so far my career, at least, I felt that way.
I felt like the industry was continuing to evolve. You know,
(33:06):
print in general was still around, but a shadow of
its former self. And cut my company, Yahoo was investing
a ton into video, and I already was pushing myself
to do more videos. I launched a I pitched a
sixty second minute long video series that I did for them,
and I was really pushing myself to get in front
(33:29):
of a camera. It was so hard. It was very uncomfortable,
deeply introverted, extremely shy, low self esteem, like no, that
girl does not want to be on camera. But I
made myself and then so for me, creating a podcast
felt like a continuation of my career strategy, which was
to try to come up with new reasons to be
(33:50):
on the cutting edge or like be on the forefront
of what storytelling methods were hot at the time. So
I pitched my podcast the same way I pitched the
Money Minute video series, and Yahoo's executive producer was like, no, no, no,
we're not doing that. I think because they could see
(34:11):
a place. They already were doing video, so they could
easily see a way to fit in my video series.
No one had done a podcast yet, and there was
no infrastructure for it. They didn't understand how to monetize
a podcast, so it was a business decision like, we
don't know how to monetize this. You're not bringing us
a monetization plan. So it's a no, And thank goodness
they did because I did it anyway. Yeah, well, yeah,
(34:35):
I did it anyway. And the great thing about that
is I own it completely, So no one's ever been
able to no matter how many times I've switched jobs,
it's been my IP or my former co host and
I are IP together, and then when she left the
show at the end of last year, I got full
ownership and so it's my baby.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
That is the great thing where because I also went
to started as a journalist and like okay, ended up
switching careers because of the same reasons, Like it just
felt so inconsistent and like the industry was just like
always laying people off and it was just like this
is and it's hard to get full time work or
(35:17):
health insurance. So that's kind of what one of the
reasons why I switched into comms and nonprofit work. But
but yeah, I think one thing about like having the podcast,
it's like, no matter where I go, like it's with
me and I can take it with me and I
don't have to worry about anyone saying like we're shutting
down your show, or we don't want to do this anymore,
or you know, you're leaving, but we're keeping the name.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
So that is that is nice.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Have you worried or have you have you tried monetizing
it yet or do you see it as a way
to feed your other businesses, which is driving the revenue
that you want.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
I definitely with the podcast, I wanted to monetize it
at first but was struggling to And then even though
this wasn't the sole reason I started doing events, it
kind of helped fund the podcast will now like the
events cover all of my podcast bills, and then I
can also reinvest that money into new events and ideas.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
That's it all. Yeah, and then you're gonna add a
book to that circle. And it's like, yes, it's all
together same, So.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
It's really exciting. So I'm like, oh, this is actually
kind of working out.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
So I'm like, maybe I couldn't monetize, but I and
I have like I've had two ads and overall, but
not like consistent monetization and nothing like super huge, but
but I yeah, I love that the events now are
like funding everything. And then it's like adding the books
and then you know, I'm sure I'll have other ideas
in the future, and now I'm producing other things, and so.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
It's what is the book an event?
Speaker 1 (36:47):
And then I have a comic book. It's a hip
hop inspired magical girls series, and it's about a rapper
and her entourage or her DJ, her choreographer, her team
what is it called them, her tour manager, and her
makeup artists. They're all magical girls. They're going on the
(37:09):
rappers first tour together and they keep running across these monsters.
They don't know why, and they all have to fight
them as they you know, go through the store and
forgot why these monsters keep popping up.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Oh okay, I didn't even know the magical girl thing
was like a genre unto itself, but I love that. Yeah,
because you were listing off the names of magical Girl
series and like we need a current one, right, like we.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Like they're similar as that would mean. I mean there's
been like independent ones, especially comic books, but not nothing
animated yet.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
There was one that went viral earlier this year.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
It's called Please Please, I Don't Want to Be a
Magical Girl. Super cute. It's about this girl who doesn't
want to be a magical girl. So she like it's
like her nine to five and she's just like, fine,
I'll transform, let's do this. And then her friend is like,
oh my god, this is so cool. I wish I
was a magic a girl. She's like, girl, this is
just my I just clock in and clock out, like
I'm just here so I don't get fired. And so
(38:06):
it's really cute. She the creator, I think her name
is Keana. She posted a short video clip of the
first episode and it went viral, like it got like
a million views, on YouTube. I'm sure she is getting
I hope she's getting inundated with like a bunch of deals.
But she's working on episode two now, she said on Twitter.
And so that's really exciting.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
And so there's that with a brown girl.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
And then there's a bunch in a bunch of comics
for sure, and like independent comics, it might as well
be an independent comic.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Actually, I'm so excited for you.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
Yeah, so I have I have an artist, Asia full More.
We worked on the pitch package together and so either
planning to pitch it to a company or kickstart it.
And that's where the process is right now, trying to
decide between the two. And actually again on community, I
have a meeting with one of my friends who's a
comic book writer on Monday because I need her advice
to see what should I do because I'm split between
(39:01):
the two decisions.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
Ooh, okay, well, I'm I mean, I'm just as a fan,
I'm just like, ooh, I'm curious which where you're gonna go.
Either way, I'm sure you'll make the right choice. And
it doesn't have to be like the final one. You
can do it one way and the next time do
it the other and you know, right be how it
goes from there. Okay, now I want you said you
have some like rapid fire.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Yeah yeah yeah, fun question into it, yes, okay, fun
stuff absolutely. Okay. So as a financial expert, who do
you think which sale sent you do you think would
be the best financial planner or advisor?
Speaker 2 (39:33):
So you may expect me to say Mercury because she's
our girl with advisor and she's always doing her calculations.
But I think the person who's gonna stop you from
buying crypto and doing dumb shit with your money is Ray.
So I think albody works back of house. Ray is
front of house like she is, you know, calling the shots.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
So I go Ray, I love that.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Yeah, No, I think that is that makes so much
sense because you need both. You definitely need someone because
Ray may not have the uh temperament to like sit
down with computer to like crunch in the numbers. But
she's gonna be like, don't fall for that crypt.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
And he's gonna be talking too high level. You're gonna
tune out. You know. Ray's gonna tell you in a
way that you can understand. Girls, don't put the cryptove down.
You know what I mean, you don't need bitcoin. Have
you seen your credit card statement? That's what you need?
From Ray?
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Yes, I like this a lot. I like this a lot.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
Another thing too is take just Jen in general? What
else do you stand? So like, I'm sure a lot
of people know you for finance. We're talking about sailor
Moon now, but like what else? I also say, like,
I'm a Beyonce fan, and I also love Boyme's World.
It's not behind me, but I just love boy Mee's World.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I've seen them, I've seen the I can't find that album.
I don't know why. I didn't really know Vinyls. We're
covering a thing again, but I can't find the Renaissance
silver Horse album. Where is it? What else do I
would definitely Beyonce Stan. I'm a real dough chi Stan. Now.
I love getting to watch I mean, I know I'm
not I'm not a day one day. Oh she's saying
I don't know about her mixtapes or none of that stuff.
(41:03):
I've only knew her from Alligator Bites, never heal and
I am. I mean like, there's only a few concerts
that are performances that I will rewatch like it's like
a tick or something and her Grammy's performance from earlier
this year. Oh my god, I just got a fast
forward through Ben's and Boone and that sequin jumpsuit doing
backflips just to get to Tochi. I'm like, oh no,
(41:26):
if I got to the dude with the big with
the bald head and the tat face, tats, I went
too far. And if I you know, if I'm mo
on Benson, I gotta keep going. It's so good. And
I just I just got a ticket to her Atlanta
show for her tour, so I'll be in I'll be
in Atlanta in October for that because for some reason,
she's not in New York. Rude.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
Yeah, I was surprised at that.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
I was going to go to Boston, but I decided
against it because I did see her for a tour
last year.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
And so I was like, all right, I've seen her
and I need to see her. But I really want to.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
I just think it's gonna be an epic show. I'm
so excited. And other than that, yes, stand my children
and I stand gardening. Gardening is my oasis, my meditation,
my therapy. I just yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
But yes, I always like to ask that question on
my show, just because I feel like so many people
know us for one thing, but we love a lot
of things, and then we contain multitudes and also so
typically like I don't know if you remember, but on
the original English dub, at the end of every episode
there was like a PSA or sailor moviegase, Sailor Moon says,
(42:33):
and if you like do your homework or don't like
be means of people? So what with your sailor, Moon says,
piece so sailor Mandy says.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
Sailor Mandy says, your net worth is your network, and
just negotiate, Just do it. You got to negotiate.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
That good perfect and you can do the if you want.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
But says, bitch, don't play negotiate.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
That's perfect. That's the Ray Moon.
Speaker 2 (43:03):
Mandy Moon. I'm very basic. I love alliteration. Mandy Moon says,
literation's amazing. Negotiate and if you don't know how, listen
to brown ambition.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, Oh my god, that's so perfect.
And I need that too, because again, as an introverted
person who also like has social anxiety and all these
things like doing a business and being like, oh, I
need to negotiate and I'm like, oh, I don't want to,
Like I don't I'm a people pleaser. This goes against this,
but it's like, no, I need to because I need
to be a businesswoman. I need to put my business
(43:35):
woman hat on.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
So true.
Speaker 3 (43:36):
I needed to hear that.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
Oh anytime, Yeah, you teach me how to throw a
party for myself, I can teach you how to negotiate
with them, vendors, them, event spaces, whatever you need with
your contractors. Yes, yes, I'm so proud of change. I'm
so proud of us for being like introverted social you know,
anxiety queens, but still pushing ourselves out of our comfort
zone because we believe and when we have to say
(44:00):
and we believe, it's worth getting over that to do it.
And I'm just proud of us. Oh yay for our
inner child who would not believe, right, would not believe.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
Look at us.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Did we keep on my inner child's like, did we
keep the lunchbox?
Speaker 1 (44:18):
No?
Speaker 2 (44:18):
Boom, I'm sorry we got rid of it, but it's
right here.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
It's in our hearts. The lunchbox is in our hearts.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
Well, Victoria, thank you. I can't thank you enough for
coming on the show. I'm so glad that you came
up and said hello when you did. And if that's
you when you see me out in the wild, please
say hello and I will do the same. NBA fam,
I hope you go check out sale Moon Fan Club
and even more like, where can people find out about
your events? We need to get on that mailing list?
(44:49):
How are we staying in the now?
Speaker 1 (44:51):
So you can sign up for the mailing list on
sale munfanclub dot com.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
That's a podcast site.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
You can also follow me at or the Mooney's Club
at Mooney's Club on Twitter and Mooney's Underscore Club on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
You're gonna put all of that information in the show notes.
Y'all can go check out your work.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
Where can my fans find you?
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Brown and Bish, thank you? I forgot We're dual. We're
Taming Brown Ambition podcast. Please listen. We come out three
times a week. And if you enjoyed this conversation with
me and Victoria, that's exactly how I do every show.
It is not your it is not the Amy Sailor
Mercury version of a career and finance show. It is
Giving Ray, it is Giving Sailor Venus it's giving Serena.
(45:33):
We're having fun. Okay, Amy's invited, but we say her
over there, like Amy, the girls are not ready for calculus. Okay.
It's really meant to be a fun chat show. And
so we do the main show on Wednesdays, the Brown Table,
which is me with a couple of panelists. We're chatting
about the days, the week's news and headlines, if it
(45:57):
applies to women of color and our wallets are career
or our lives in general. We're talking about it, and
then we do question and answer on Friday, so you
can actually submit a question get an answer on the show.
And then Sunday, like this episode is wash Day Woo Saw,
So on Sunday, I usually pick a fabulous queen and
we chitchat about their careers and how they made it
(46:18):
to wherever there are and how they're getting to where
they want to go, and it's just a nice it's
a nice Woo Saw moments. Why I call it wash
Day Woo Saw. Like we're doing our deep condition, we're
cleaning the house, we're kind of getting set for the
week ahead, and you want something to listen to, and
it's kind of the perfect companion for that, so I
hope you'll check me out there. You can also follow
me personally at Mandy Money m A N d I
(46:40):
Money on Instagram and everywhere else but yeah, Brown Ambitions,
Where is that?
Speaker 3 (46:46):
Guys?
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Yes, yes, definitely check out Mandy y'all. And it was
still great recording with you as well.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
We did it, We cope produced, We did pick come
up to you all right, all right, moonies and okay
okaba fam. We'll see y'all next time. Bye,
Actually just put out a sticker which says Mercurys and
micro braids and at Sailor Mercury with micro braids.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh my god, the way I need to be in
your world, girl, I need to see all this black
girl Sailor Moon contents, because that's.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
The other thing with my podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's mainly uh, black and brown women, and that makes
me so happy because it's like everyone on there is
the same way. They're like, I didn't know I had
Sweetie on the show. Actually she was like, I didn't
know there were other black women into Sailor Moon.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
And I'm like, we're here, We're out.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We're here. Hey, hey be a fan, and hey hey
listeners of the Sailor Moon Fan Club. This is a
this is the crossover episode. Probably no one expected. This
is the crossover that I could not have manifested for myself.
(00:53):
But this is gonna be a little bit different, y'all.
Today I am joined in the studio with the Victoria L. John.
She is by day working in the nonprofit sector being
a content battie, and by night she is saving the
world with the Sailor Moon Fan Club. When her podcast
called The Moone's Club, it's called.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
The podcast is Sailor Moon Fan Club, but the whole
brand is Mooney's Club.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I just flipped them. We flipped and scrap and we're
going to reverse it. And I had This couldn't have
been more serendipitous because I have been waiting to let
my Sailor Moon Freak fan club flag fly free for
a while and heal my inner child. But this is
a great example be a fan of like a time
when you go to an event and you just open
(01:40):
yourself up to just meeting someone different and having a
conversation and leaving your social anxiety at the door, which
y'all know I suffer from intense social anxiety. That's gotten better.
I had the great fortune to get invited to speak
at a conference in Miami this past July called Color Calm,
and it was a really fun event. There was this
(02:02):
very awkward moment where I got tapped on the shoulder
to be in a quote unquote fashion show and wanted to
slowly fade into the background, but force myself to do it.
And then I feel like it was like after that
fashion show, kind of like cocktail hour was over, this
divine angel walks up to me and said, Hi, I'm Victoria,
(02:23):
and I forget what else you said. I guess you
had come to my panel, which was about podcasting. I did,
I did, and from your side of the conversation, pick
it up there.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, I can fill in the rest.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I Since I saw you on the panel, I was like,
I want to be on this podcast. This sounds phenomenal.
And I was like, I need to talk to her.
So I came up to you and I said, Hi,
I'm Victoria. I love your podcast, would love to come
on it. I want to pitch myself to be on
your show and would love to get your contact information.
And you were like, well, pitch yourself right now. And
I was like, you know what, I forgot?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Did this?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Me?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Do it?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
And I was just like let's go. Oh.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And I was like, do you know Sailor Moon? And
you were like I do know Sailor Moon. And I
was like, we're gonna be this is gonna be great,
this is already work.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It's funny. Yeah, and you did, and you brought yesterday,
you brought your friend over. She was like, I did
she like your co girl? Like you know what she was?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
She was, yeah, And it's funny because we had just
met that weekend as well, or that week during at
the conference. We had a mutual person that we knew
in common who told us we should connect at the conference,
and we just like immediately clicked. And then I was
her wing woman. She wanted to go speak to Star Jones,
who was the host of that evening, so I was
her wing woman then, and then she was my wing
(03:40):
woman to speak to you.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah, me and Star Jones. Yeah same. I'm so so
glad you did, because there's no way you could have
known I'm such a big Sailor Moon fan or that,
you know, but just serendipitous. And and then you started
to talk about your podcast. I was like, well, first
of all, selfishly, I want to talk to you about this,
(04:02):
Like I felt like it has been a hidden love
of mine for so long, because you know, growing up,
for sure, it was not I was not the people
were not checking for the girl who was into Sailor Moon.
Anime is having a moment now, not so much.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Back then, not so much back then.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
But I'm just really happy to have you on it.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I think what really made me excited to was like
you were saying, how I was surprised to see you
were a Sailor Moon fan and I couldn't have known.
But I think one thing that's I've seen over time
is there's so many of us everywhere that I'm like,
who isn't a Sailor Moon fan? Like I feel like
everyone I've done job interviews before in the past where
the interviewer was a Sailor Moon fan, I've done spoke
(04:42):
with just so many different people and like ended up
coming on the podcast and I was just like, I
would have never guessed this person as a Sailor Moon fan.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
But they are. Were you also an eighties baby, like
a late eighties baby or a nineties.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Baby, early nineties ninety one?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Okay, so I'm only a few years older. But I
also like we weren't finding each other back then. It
wasn't no like TikTok and like Facebook groups and communities.
Like I was just out there in those streets with
my little lunch bag, you know, seven years old, just
just in like begging my mom please. I had these
visceral memories of like trying to because it came on
(05:18):
in my area. I grew up in Atlanta in Georgia
and it came on at four pm. But for some
reason it was not a half hour show. It ended
at four twenty four, and I knew if I did
not get home to get to catch that I would not.
Sometimes I could catch like the last ten minutes. If
my mom took the shortcut after we you know, she
left work during my summer break, I would go to
(05:38):
her office and just you know, putter around read books
or whatever, and I'd be so stressed. I'm like, we
have to get home. I'm gonna miss Sailor Moon. And
there was no syndication or like, there was no streaming,
there was no YouTube.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Do you want to catch it again? No, you cannot
have it if you didn't catch it. It's like better
luck tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, And but that was enough. I don't know what
is it about this this ip that just has us,
you know, just falling in love. I don't know, But
talk to me about you first and foremost, what do
you do? And then how the for the podcast itself,
tell folks what to expect from it and why they
should tune in.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, So podcast is Salor Moon Fan Club. So I
interview Salor Moon fans about themselves. The idea again is
like that there are so many incredible people doing amazing
things and we all happen to be Sarah Moon fans.
So I've had rappers on the show. I've had book authors,
I have had other podcasters. I've had a sex worker,
(06:35):
Like have everyone from every walk of life who's just
doing something cool or dope or incredible and yeah, and
there all happened to be Salah Moon fan. So we
talk a little bit about Salah Moon and their introduction
to Salor Moon. Then we talk a little bit about
them and what they're doing. I also spook to a
woman getting her PhD and she wants to talk about
bell Hooks and how she connects it to Sala Moon,
(06:57):
and I was like, please come on my show.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I was like, yes, absolutely, let's have.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That conversation and yeah, then that's about it, and I
would just talk about sale Moon and themselves and it's
really fun.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
When did you start the show. How long has it
been on the air.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
I launched this podcast in March twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Okay, so five years that is a yes, five years
and you still going. So we're right at the Osset
bi weekly.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
It started weekly.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I've actually push pulled back because I do monthly now
because I started doing.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Events leak through the podcast. Yeah yeah, oh, we talked
a little bit about this. Wait what okay, so what
are these events that you do?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So I do the Salemon Day Party every year. So
Salemon's birthday is June thirtieth, So on the last Saturday
of the month or the last Sunday of the month,
I do a day party where you can get your
nails done for free.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
There's Terror card.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Readings because thinking like when she transformed, you know, her
nails change, and so that kind of connects. And then
Salem Marris kind of does, like she doesn't do TERR
card reading, but does like readings, so it kind of connected.
They're obviously like a DJ. We have signature drinks. There's
vendors selling stuff and I'm like, what else is there?
Speaker 3 (08:08):
We keep adding?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
So oh we just added a tattoo station and yes,
and we did that. We've been doing that for three years.
Absolutely come through. It's a vibe. It's such a good time.
Like is it that of cosplay?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Some people cosway. Some people just come, you know, in
regular clothes.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
I usually have regular clothes on.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I usually don't cosplay because I'm running around doing events stuff,
but it's so fun. And then last year I started
the Magical Girls Festival, And for people who don't know, so,
Sailor Moon is part of the genre magical Girls.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So it's like Powerpuff Girls.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Wings Club if you're familiar with that, like any thing
where you're thinking about women with magical powers. And so
this is like a mini convention, like a very very
small scaled version of like a New York Comic con
kind of thing, but like more a thousand people versus
like tens of thousands of people, and we have vendors.
(09:01):
We just added programming this year that's going to be
it's gonna be in September, and we actually are bringing
in Terry Hawks, who is the original voice actress or
one of the original voice actresses of Sailor Moon. Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Wait, yeah, I just went like very high pitched when
you said that. I could not even know my mind
knew that name. But when you said it, I was like, right,
didn't she voice Dailor Word? How did I know that? Wow?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
It's in our brains, mooney.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
This is such So it's become so much bigger than
a podcast for you. That's that's incredible. It's a business now.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
It's a whole business.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yeah, And it really just started as a podcast and
I mentioned Mark twenty twenty because I was the beginning
of the pandemic and so it was just like thrown
into all of that, but really helped me to kind
of focus on the podcast and then you know, built
it out into events and then now I'm producing other shows.
I'm started producing a comedy show at anime and nerd conventions,
So I have one at anime y CE this month
(10:00):
and then at New York Comic Con next month. And yeah,
just been growing and doing businesses and collaborating and I'm
also working on a book and so it's just a
million things.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
So it's become a whole. It's taken on its whole life.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
And I was like, Okay, I can't do weekly episodes anymore,
but I can do monthly and that's okay. I have
to be okay, well okay, And it's you know, because
you're making space for these other parts, right, you know.
That's such a good that's such a good point to
make too, because with brown ambition, I'm doing so much
with the show and I want to do more.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I would love to do more live events. I have
a ten year anniversary coming up in mid September. That's
only a month away.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I know.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I'm so excited. And months ago I was like, I'm
going to start planning this event because I need to
be months in advance. I don't have a single thing planned,
and I'm so mad, Victoria.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
You need help. I've planned events, let's do it?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Can we do what? Police?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Help me? Yes?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
So hard because I'm doing doing so much more with
the show that I'm like, when do I have time
to plan anything? I would love that. Okay, we're going
to talk.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yes, definitely emailing we can figure it out. That makes
so exciting.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
And starting an events based business, I mean that's not easy.
Did you have a background and that through your nine
to five before you started to do this or has
it been like a new skill set to learn a.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Little bit of both.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
So I work in calm, so i'm commune digital communicationstructors,
so I'm really adept in like social and marketing, but
I think the event planning side was a little bit harder,
and I think a lot of I tell people event
planning is a lot of like marketing and project management,
so I'm really good at those things, but I think
there was just a learning curve of figuring out like
what's a minimum spends for a bar where you have
(11:46):
to like reach this certain amount for the bar to
make before you know you have to pay that amount back,
and you know, what's a good minimum spend? What's you know,
maybe instead of a minimum spending split, you know, ticket
sales and just that negotiating those kind of things. So
that was my learning curve in events. But I think
the marketing and project management, I'm like, okay, I can
do this, Like I can I can email people and
(12:08):
let them know like what's happening and when, and try
to market things and make sure people are coming.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
And that's such a good point too. I think sometimes
people have the skill, like maybe you have the idea
for the event, or you have the talent or the
vendors for the event, but then you don't know or
understand the marketing piece of it or how to sell tickets.
What advice do you have for people in that situation?
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I mean, I do think if you have the the
money for it, Instagram ads tends to be very helpful.
Outside of that, I think making sure you have a
really good flyer if you can pay for a graphic
design or use canva. I think visuals like that tends
(12:54):
to draw people to all of my events. It's like
a really good and like engaging, inviting visual that also collaborating.
I've been able to grow like a good community of
other anime creators who will post my event on their page,
and then you know, of course I do the same
thing for them. So I think those three things really help.
And if you can try and get media, I've been
grateful to be covered in like time out and develop
(13:16):
a relationship there and so shooting your shot, I'm like
with you and everywhere else in my life. I am
a big proponent of cold emails, and I would say
most of the time it works out. I'm not always,
but it never hurts to ask.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Cold chats work so much better. But they're harder, harder
to make yourself do, harder to happen, and like you know,
it's one of the chances they're going to be somewhere
and have someone cross your path. But I love what
you said. I mean, I think community is a big
has got to be one that I think is maybe
under it's said a lot. I think we all talk.
There's a lot of lip service being paid to the
importance of community these days and including on my part,
(13:53):
but just to like actually explain what that can mean.
It's like finding your people, finding people who have similar interests,
who are in a similar space as you. They understand
the grind and are and I feel like in that
case so much more likely to help amplify because they're like, Oh,
I'm in these trenches too, girl, I'm going to share this.
(14:14):
I know you're going to pay it forward one day
and share my stuff. And it has it been community,
Like local to Brooklyn, is that important to like be
physically local to your other supporters?
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I think a little bit. Definitely.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Local to New York City has been helpful because we
have a lot of overlap in our audiences and or
they have similar audiences where like they have a lot
of New Yorkers following them. But I have a friend
who has a huge anime platform, and I have two
friends actually with huge like platforms who are not in
New York City, but they have a large anime community
(14:49):
who follows them.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
And so that helps as well.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
So I think as long as you either have location
or an audience that matches what you're doing, I think
that makes sense. And then I've also now I've started
to go onto digital events with my I just launched
a discord and we did a watch party last weekend
and it's still fascinating.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
So it sounds like for the events, your first events
were you personally bootstrapping them, like you were putting the
money up yourself. Yep, okay, how did that feel?
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Scary?
Speaker 1 (15:20):
So my first event, the bar minimum was four thy
five hundred dollars, which means if whatever that bar does
not make, I have to pay the difference.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
At the time, I was in the process.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Of looking for a new apartment, so I had the money,
but I also am like, if I you have to
use this, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Have to wait longer to like look for an apartment
in New York City.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
So you were putting up your security deposit basically, I
mean to double the rent, triple the rent right in
New York Damn.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Okay yeah, And so I'm just like, I need this
to work because I don't have But then it goes
back to the community. I have a really great friend
who he.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Was just like, just do it.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
It's going to be great, and he was like, if
you don't make it, I'll put two thousand towards it,
and like thankfully, yes, right, oh, but I think he
just knew it was going to be successful. I guess
he can't know, but but it ended up working out.
I made close to the bar minimum. I made forty
three hundreds. I only owed two hundred dollars, which great
for a first event. And ever since that, I've always
(16:21):
been able yeah even ish, Yeah, and ever since I've
always been able to make my bar minimum. And then
you know, I get ticket sales as well, So it's
kind of like that just covers it separate.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
From ticket That's right, because so you're selling tickets and
so once you factor in ticket sales, are you then
in the red or black? Sorry? In the black?
Speaker 3 (16:42):
In the black? Yes?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Nice? Okay, So does it become like an actual because
I've I've heard a lot of people who've done events
like live events, conferences, conventions, one day things, you know,
micro events, et cetera. Like for me, the reviews are
very mixed, but the the interwoven thread, everyone agrees like
(17:06):
you can easily lose money and it can be really
hard to like maintain. What is your take on that?
I mean, are you do you seeing it like Okay,
I've got like a system down pat like I can
kind of see this being a consistent income stream for
me now moving forward.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
I think the day Party and the Magical Girls Fest,
for sure, those feel like at this point, I've had
three successful day parties and this will be our second
Magical Girl's Fest. But I already feel like I mean,
we got over one hundred vendor applications. We got forty
last year, and so that's already huge. And I was like,
I actually don't have the space for all of these vendors,
so I couldn't approve any everybody, sadly that.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
I wanted to.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
But now I know, I'm like, Okay, I can actually
grow this next year because the vendor fee is two
hundred each table, and so I'm like, if there are
this many people interested in vending at this event, that
means I can actually like go to a bigger space
I want to. And so like, that's scaling already faster
than I thought. Two events I feel like have been
(18:07):
doing well.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
I think it's well.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
So new events that I'm thinking about doing, I'm still
a little bit scared about. I tried a new concept
earlier this year that didn't work out as well as
I wanted to.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
So that was a loss.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
And so now one of my learnings though, was that Okay,
for new ideas, start smaller, Like, don't.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Go immediately to the like thing.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
I'm like, maybe we can probably like there's a bunch
of spaces in New York City that'll you hopes an
event for free, and so I'm like, okay for new ideas,
let's start there and then see if it can grow.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
You know, it's really great that you said that, because
I feel like when you're in business and you have
a setback, especially if it comes after initial success. Now
I can speak from experience here, it really can knock
the confidence and it feels like like you're taking all
the wind out of your sales, You're losing momentum. In
that moment, How do you stop yourself from getting stuck
in that wallowing place of I failed, like I'm never
(18:57):
going to be good at anything again.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
I should Well, I don't stop myself at first, because
I definitely spend some time following in those feelings for
the first maybe week where I'm like I'm not doing
this anymore. I'm like this isn't working out.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
I hate it.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
But I think, you know, I hate to keep going
back to the community, but I have a really good
group of friends who are like, what do you mean,
Like you had like all this other great things happen,
and you know, I also try to tell myself the
same thing, where I'm like, Okay, let's let's lean a
little bit on reality, like this was one setback, but
it's not everything. So I think trying to do that
(19:35):
and just having people who remind you that like you're
doing okay, or that you're doing a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
To talk about team because this is a lot to
be doing events like this, You must need a team
at some point, right, whether it's people like the day
of in advance, where do you even begin getting out?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
And great questions. So I'm actually mostly a team of one,
mainly because while I have seen success, I don't think
the funds have matched the ability for me to hire.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Someone, and I wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
I don't feel comfortable with having people work for free
unless we are like really really close friends. So I'm thankful,
Like on day of, I do have a select group
of friends where I'm like, hey, can you show up
like two hours early and help me like hang up
posters and so I've had that, but really it's just
about trying to plan as early as possible as a camp.
Like even right now, I'm already planning ahead for the
(20:26):
Salemon Day party next year. I actually just put out
a sticker. It says Mercuries and micro Braids, and it's
Sailor Mercury with micro braids.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Oh my god, the way I need to be in
your world, girl, I need to see all this black
girl Sailor Moon content because.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
That's the other thing with my podcast.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
It's mainly black and brown women and that makes me
so happy because it's like everyone on there is the
same way.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
They're like, I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
I had Sweetie on the show actually, and she was like,
I didn't know there were other black women at the
Sailor Moon, and I'm like, we're here here.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Well, you know Liza when she did her birthday was
it last year? I sent my brother that. By the way,
this little if you're watching on YouTube, I have my
little This is my only I have two pieces of
Sailor Moon like merch paraphernalia, and that's one. My brother
went to Japan and brought that back for me, and
then I have I have this little like makeup kit
(21:24):
that I got, Yes, color pop, Yeah, I got this
in this clear and style at Alta, I think, and
I was like, these are not even all my colors,
but because obviously she's a white girl with blue eyes.
But but yeah, I got it really just to heal
myself because something about I mean obviously as a kid,
I was always hiding my love and obsession with Sailor
(21:46):
Moon and like not really feeling I could fully embrace it. Honestly,
I wish I could go back and just tell my girl,
just like, girl, just enjoy it. Where that bring that
Sailor Moon wand to school and bring that Sailor Moon
lunchbox and girl, just just just be yourself. But I
was so self conscious about anything that made me different,
and everything made me different where I grew up, and
(22:08):
so and also money, like we never really had money
for a lot of stuff. So I would salivate over
the toys r rests, like you know, the insert that
would come in the paper, or if I ever got
a chance to go in a toys r rust, I'd
go to the aisle and look at all the toys
and just like want them, but never felt like I
could and it's just so funny. Now I'm you know,
(22:29):
I'm my big age now money. Mama's got the money,
and it's nice to kind of treat myself once in
a while. That just something just for me to acknowledge
this the little fangirl inside me.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Yeah, I buy way too much merch Now it's become
a pros that you do. It's it's but now, and
that's a problem. That the been the issue with the
podcast now because I'm like, it's for the business.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Oh right, that's true.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
She can content, I can write it off on taxes.
I need it.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
That's true. Well, I'm glad to hear that part of
the business you have, like you know, the setting up
the LLC and getting the accountant and all that piece
of it. Did that come naturally for you or was
that also a bit of a challenge.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Definitely a little bit of a learning curve, just because
it was like the legal leads and taxes and trying
to figure that out, make sure do anything's right. I
have another friend who has done it before, so I
was like, how did you set up your LLC? She
was like, here's the side I use, here's how I
did it. And I'm like, great, thank you, and it's
ink file for anyone who was listening. It was made
the process super easy ink file dot com. But yeah,
(23:42):
I think once I start, I decided I want to
start doing events. I was like, okay, I actually need
to make this an LLC. It's not just a podcast anymore.
Like if I'm collecting money in these like large scales,
has to has to be legit.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
She's got to grow, she's got to get her big
girl business pants on.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Also I want to fly too, because people get particular
about this. But like Sailor Rood, blonde hair, blue eyes,
but she's Japanese.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
This is true, This is no, It's very true. I
never thought of her as Japanese. You know what's weird.
When I was a kid, and this says again just
I was naive and I was a child, didn't know
because I'm seeing it a Canadian, right, I didn't even
know what anime was. I vividly remember my older brother.
This feels like when you were told Santa Claus isn't
(24:29):
real and you're just like broken hearted. For me, that
moment was my brother told me that Sailor Moon wasn't
even American and that she wasn't like a girl from
America that she was, that it was Japanese and that
this was like a voice of a Canadian. He's like
trying to explain it to me, but I felt I
was like, no, it's not true, you know. And obviously
(24:52):
since then I've like learned and stuff, but that was, yeah,
thanks for pointing that out. And then as the older
I got, you know, I actually moved away from sale
Moon because I felt like same reason I moved away
from like my other childhood idols like the Ulsen Twins
and Lizzie Maguire like girl any looking them, and it
made me feel so shitty. I mean, for myself, I'll
(25:14):
speak for myself. I grew up always feeling like I
was never gonna be as pretty as or look like,
or have hair like, or have a body type like
these these idols of mine. And the more I started
to like embrace my my body, my hair, my identity
as a biracial black woman, and you know, just just
start to fall in love with myself and with us,
(25:37):
I thought, in the process I got to push them away,
like let me just forget about like they're not for
us anyway. And that's something that I've I think I've
come around now, like I can embrace that that was
It was a time, honey, you know it still is
a time and a way without thinking I need to
(25:58):
look that way, I need to be this way to
considered pretty and to be powerful, that we do belong
and yeah in this space.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, I think that's a big thing in animate too,
where we because there's so few black people and anime,
because you know, Japan is homogenous country, so they're just
mainly making Japanese characters that we try to find ourselves
in other characters, where like a lot of people will say,
like Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z is black, sale Pluto
has a little bit of melanin, so they're like, oh,
she might be black, and it's like yeah, but no.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
But yeah, characters in Sailor Moon, I can't even think, no,
there's not any. And then there's like the version that
you see that's been like not just americanized, but like
you take away like some of the sexual identity, some
of like the you know, some of the political kind
of stuff that I did not even learn until again
I was older and could get on Google and get
(26:56):
on fan fiction websites and write I write Sale Moon
fan fiction. Perhaps perhaps, perhaps you'll never find it.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
Wait, what was the fan fiction about?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Really don't remember?
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Who's your favorite character? Actually that's the real I really
need to know.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Like I've been yapping your ear off, you can ask
you questions now. My favorite Sailor Moon character change is
obviously Serena Usagi, which I learned her name when I
got into the fanfic world. I learned a lot of
Japanese through my love. Yeah, so my favorite obviously was Serena.
(27:35):
And I would I would like go around ask, I
would ask my sister, and I want to say, like
one of my my only best friend. I'd be like,
please call me a ditch, like call me. I wanted
to be her, but I was never her. I was
like so nerdy, I was an Amy, and so Amy
became my favorite and probably still is. Although Ray has
a very special place in my heart, as does Jupiter.
(27:57):
It's hard so I would go on that order Amy, Ray, Jupiter,
especially Jupiter now because she's got the very like at
least this is the I'm basing this off of what
I saw as as a kid in America. I still
have not watched like I haven't watched the official you know,
maybe the more true to the original version stuff, But
(28:17):
the character that she was portrayed as in the US
was very like she liked to cook, and she was
like very nurturing and like, I like Jupiter. What's her name, Makato?
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Well, in the Japanese she's Makoto. In code English she's
Lda Lida.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Forgot her name, but I remember the Japanese. That's how
you know, I'm a look at you.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
It's funny. I was gonna.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I was thinking Jupiter this whole time because you mentioned
like cooking and plants, and I was like, oh, this
is giving Jupiter energy because she also likes gardening. So
and I also feel like she's the unofficial black girl fave,
like every black girl.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
I know is like a Jupiter fan. For the most part,
she was like.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
A bad not every but also softens Pez. Yeah, it's interesting.
I think the way that we love her, we love
the sailor sailor Moon in general. I think in anime
or in storytelling in general, characters have to have very
strong personalities, and part of that is so we can
see a bit of ourselves but or identify or say
(29:18):
I'm the Amy I'm the Serena whoever, but I really
find pieces of them and Granma Leo, so you know,
I got some Mina, some Sailor Venas in me.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Yes, luxdo mask is a Leo, which I always find
what Salor Moon's love interests are Leo's, which I find
is so funny since my favorite is Sailor Moon. Also
so Serena Zoggi whicheverone. I use all three interchangeably. But
as I've been doing the podcast and hearing people's reasonings
for their favorites, I'm like, oh wait, that's a good point. Like,
(29:49):
oh wait, that's a good point too. I'm like, maybe
they're my favorite, or maybe I like them second. And
now I'm just like I can make a case for
anybody because they're all like I said, they're also distinct
and different and can really find people you identify with
or characters you identify with, but also you can pull
pieces from everyone. Because as much as I love Sailor Moon, like,
I'm also very nerdy, so I'm like, I'm also Sailor
(30:10):
Mercury a little bit too.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
She was just so helpless until she became Sailor Moon.
You know, like that's but she's also like a child.
She was fourteen and on top of the age gap,
but the inappropriateness of that. But yeah, yeah, it was
a lot of problematic stuff for the show. I loved Ray.
She was fiery and sassy and like fosty and like
I definitely got I have a piece of myself, like
(30:33):
a piece of me and all of them, I feel like,
or vice versa.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Yeah, no, I feel like that's that's how it goes.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
And then like typically on my podcast, like I talk
about like I want you heard about me, and like
why I started my brand, but I want to know
a little bit about you and why I started Brown Ambition.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
So it was long ten ten long years ago. Just
seems like, how have I been doing anything for ten years?
I'm only twenty four right what time I started Brown
Ambition in twenty fifteen. At the time, I was at
Yahoo Finance personal finance correspondent and writer, So every day
I was writing articles very focused on millennial audience, how
(31:13):
you know, how to get their finances in order, covering
the news as related to personal finance. So if there
was a new piece of legislation paths that could impact
homeowners or you know, retirees, or whatever, I would write
a story about it. When I was at Yahoo Finance.
I at the time, I was so grateful to have
a job in general, because I studied journalism in school
(31:35):
and I was I consider myself a writer first and foremost,
but writing jobs full time are hard to come by.
I grew up in Georgia and I had managed to
get my way to New York. But I had had
some fit I had some like stops and starts with
my career in New York. I got hired at a magazine,
I got laid off, took a pay cut, and got
a job somewhere. I really did not enjoy myself. I
(31:57):
wasn't getting to write at all, and then and clawed
my way back into a writer position. And the way
that I did that is by finding personal finance and
by really claiming it as my niche and embracing it.
And as I was raised by a single mom, so
financial independence was always important to me, and so I
really looked at my job as having a cheat code
(32:19):
for financial independence. Like my job is to talk to
experts all the time who want to talk to me
for free. I don't got to pay nobody, and I
can then share that advice. Yeah, got free the top
experts from like all these big investment banks and CEOs
and their financial advisors and all that stuff. And I
really enjoyed it, and as I was learning so much more.
(32:43):
At that point, I was three four years into my
career in personal finance. Cereal had come out the podcast,
and a friend of mine was launching a personal finance
podcast of her own. And at the time I knew
as a writer, I was only going to make it
so far my career, at least, I felt that way.
I felt like the industry was continuing to evolve. You know,
(33:06):
print in general was still around, but a shadow of
its former self. And cut my company, Yahoo was investing
a ton into video, and I already was pushing myself
to do more videos. I launched a I pitched a
sixty second minute long video series that I did for them,
and I was really pushing myself to get in front
(33:29):
of a camera. It was so hard. It was very uncomfortable,
deeply introverted, extremely shy, low self esteem, like no, that
girl does not want to be on camera. But I
made myself and then so for me, creating a podcast
felt like a continuation of my career strategy, which was
to try to come up with new reasons to be
(33:50):
on the cutting edge or like be on the forefront
of what storytelling methods were hot at the time. So
I pitched my podcast the same way I pitched the
Money Minute video series, and Yahoo's executive producer was like, no, no, no,
we're not doing that. I think because they could see
(34:11):
a place. They already were doing video, so they could
easily see a way to fit in my video series.
No one had done a podcast yet, and there was
no infrastructure for it. They didn't understand how to monetize
a podcast, so it was a business decision like, we
don't know how to monetize this. You're not bringing us
a monetization plan. So it's a no, And thank goodness
they did because I did it anyway. Yeah, well, yeah,
(34:35):
I did it anyway. And the great thing about that
is I own it completely, So no one's ever been
able to no matter how many times I've switched jobs,
it's been my IP or my former co host and
I are IP together, and then when she left the
show at the end of last year, I got full
ownership and so it's my baby.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
That is the great thing where because I also went
to started as a journalist and like okay, ended up
switching careers because of the same reasons, Like it just
felt so inconsistent and like the industry was just like
always laying people off and it was just like this
is and it's hard to get full time work or
(35:17):
health insurance. So that's kind of what one of the
reasons why I switched into comms and nonprofit work. But
but yeah, I think one thing about like having the podcast,
it's like, no matter where I go, like it's with
me and I can take it with me and I
don't have to worry about anyone saying like we're shutting
down your show, or we don't want to do this anymore,
or you know, you're leaving, but we're keeping the name.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
So that is that is nice.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Have you worried or have you have you tried monetizing
it yet or do you see it as a way
to feed your other businesses, which is driving the revenue
that you want.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
I definitely with the podcast, I wanted to monetize it
at first but was struggling to And then even though
this wasn't the sole reason I started doing events, it
kind of helped fund the podcast will now like the
events cover all of my podcast bills, and then I
can also reinvest that money into new events and ideas.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
That's it all. Yeah, and then you're gonna add a
book to that circle. And it's like, yes, it's all
together same, So.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
It's really exciting. So I'm like, oh, this is actually
kind of working out.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
So I'm like, maybe I couldn't monetize, but I and
I have like I've had two ads and overall, but
not like consistent monetization and nothing like super huge, but
but I yeah, I love that the events now are
like funding everything. And then it's like adding the books
and then you know, I'm sure I'll have other ideas
in the future, and now I'm producing other things, and so.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
It's what is the book an event?
Speaker 1 (36:47):
And then I have a comic book. It's a hip
hop inspired magical girls series, and it's about a rapper
and her entourage or her DJ, her choreographer, her team
what is it called them, her tour manager, and her
makeup artists. They're all magical girls. They're going on the
(37:09):
rappers first tour together and they keep running across these monsters.
They don't know why, and they all have to fight
them as they you know, go through the store and
forgot why these monsters keep popping up.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Oh okay, I didn't even know the magical girl thing
was like a genre unto itself, but I love that. Yeah,
because you were listing off the names of magical Girl
series and like we need a current one, right, like we.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Like they're similar as that would mean. I mean there's
been like independent ones, especially comic books, but not nothing
animated yet.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
There was one that went viral earlier this year.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
It's called Please Please, I Don't Want to Be a
Magical Girl. Super cute. It's about this girl who doesn't
want to be a magical girl. So she like it's
like her nine to five and she's just like, fine,
I'll transform, let's do this. And then her friend is like,
oh my god, this is so cool. I wish I
was a magic a girl. She's like, girl, this is
just my I just clock in and clock out, like
I'm just here so I don't get fired. And so
(38:06):
it's really cute. She the creator, I think her name
is Keana. She posted a short video clip of the
first episode and it went viral, like it got like
a million views, on YouTube. I'm sure she is getting
I hope she's getting inundated with like a bunch of deals.
But she's working on episode two now, she said on Twitter.
And so that's really exciting.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
And so there's that with a brown girl.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
And then there's a bunch in a bunch of comics
for sure, and like independent comics, it might as well
be an independent comic.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Actually, I'm so excited for you.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
Yeah, so I have I have an artist, Asia full More.
We worked on the pitch package together and so either
planning to pitch it to a company or kickstart it.
And that's where the process is right now, trying to
decide between the two. And actually again on community, I
have a meeting with one of my friends who's a
comic book writer on Monday because I need her advice
to see what should I do because I'm split between
(39:01):
the two decisions.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
Ooh, okay, well, I'm I mean, I'm just as a fan,
I'm just like, ooh, I'm curious which where you're gonna go.
Either way, I'm sure you'll make the right choice. And
it doesn't have to be like the final one. You
can do it one way and the next time do
it the other and you know, right be how it
goes from there. Okay, now I want you said you
have some like rapid fire.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Yeah yeah yeah, fun question into it, yes, okay, fun
stuff absolutely. Okay. So as a financial expert, who do
you think which sale sent you do you think would
be the best financial planner or advisor?
Speaker 2 (39:33):
So you may expect me to say Mercury because she's
our girl with advisor and she's always doing her calculations.
But I think the person who's gonna stop you from
buying crypto and doing dumb shit with your money is Ray.
So I think albody works back of house. Ray is
front of house like she is, you know, calling the shots.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
So I go Ray, I love that.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Yeah, No, I think that is that makes so much
sense because you need both. You definitely need someone because
Ray may not have the uh temperament to like sit
down with computer to like crunch in the numbers. But
she's gonna be like, don't fall for that crypt.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
And he's gonna be talking too high level. You're gonna
tune out. You know. Ray's gonna tell you in a
way that you can understand. Girls, don't put the cryptove down.
You know what I mean, you don't need bitcoin. Have
you seen your credit card statement? That's what you need?
From Ray?
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Yes, I like this a lot. I like this a lot.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
Another thing too is take just Jen in general? What
else do you stand? So like, I'm sure a lot
of people know you for finance. We're talking about sailor
Moon now, but like what else? I also say, like,
I'm a Beyonce fan, and I also love Boyme's World.
It's not behind me, but I just love boy Mee's World.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I've seen them, I've seen the I can't find that album.
I don't know why. I didn't really know Vinyls. We're
covering a thing again, but I can't find the Renaissance
silver Horse album. Where is it? What else do I
would definitely Beyonce Stan. I'm a real dough chi Stan. Now.
I love getting to watch I mean, I know I'm
not I'm not a day one day. Oh she's saying
I don't know about her mixtapes or none of that stuff.
(41:03):
I've only knew her from Alligator Bites, never heal and
I am. I mean like, there's only a few concerts
that are performances that I will rewatch like it's like
a tick or something and her Grammy's performance from earlier
this year. Oh my god, I just got a fast
forward through Ben's and Boone and that sequin jumpsuit doing
backflips just to get to Tochi. I'm like, oh no,
(41:26):
if I got to the dude with the big with
the bald head and the tat face, tats, I went
too far. And if I you know, if I'm mo
on Benson, I gotta keep going. It's so good. And
I just I just got a ticket to her Atlanta
show for her tour, so I'll be in I'll be
in Atlanta in October for that because for some reason,
she's not in New York. Rude.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
Yeah, I was surprised at that.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
I was going to go to Boston, but I decided
against it because I did see her for a tour
last year.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
And so I was like, all right, I've seen her
and I need to see her. But I really want to.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
I just think it's gonna be an epic show. I'm
so excited. And other than that, yes, stand my children
and I stand gardening. Gardening is my oasis, my meditation,
my therapy. I just yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
But yes, I always like to ask that question on
my show, just because I feel like so many people
know us for one thing, but we love a lot
of things, and then we contain multitudes and also so
typically like I don't know if you remember, but on
the original English dub, at the end of every episode
there was like a PSA or sailor moviegase, Sailor Moon says,
(42:33):
and if you like do your homework or don't like
be means of people? So what with your sailor, Moon says,
piece so sailor Mandy says.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
Sailor Mandy says, your net worth is your network, and
just negotiate, Just do it. You got to negotiate.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
That good perfect and you can do the if you want.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
But says, bitch, don't play negotiate.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
That's perfect. That's the Ray Moon.
Speaker 2 (43:03):
Mandy Moon. I'm very basic. I love alliteration. Mandy Moon says,
literation's amazing. Negotiate and if you don't know how, listen
to brown ambition.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, Oh my god, that's so perfect.
And I need that too, because again, as an introverted
person who also like has social anxiety and all these
things like doing a business and being like, oh, I
need to negotiate and I'm like, oh, I don't want to,
Like I don't I'm a people pleaser. This goes against this,
but it's like, no, I need to because I need
to be a businesswoman. I need to put my business
(43:35):
woman hat on.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
So true.
Speaker 3 (43:36):
I needed to hear that.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
Oh anytime, Yeah, you teach me how to throw a
party for myself, I can teach you how to negotiate
with them, vendors, them, event spaces, whatever you need with
your contractors. Yes, yes, I'm so proud of change. I'm
so proud of us for being like introverted social you know,
anxiety queens, but still pushing ourselves out of our comfort
zone because we believe and when we have to say
(44:00):
and we believe, it's worth getting over that to do it.
And I'm just proud of us. Oh yay for our
inner child who would not believe, right, would not believe.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
Look at us.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Did we keep on my inner child's like, did we
keep the lunchbox?
Speaker 1 (44:18):
No?
Speaker 2 (44:18):
Boom, I'm sorry we got rid of it, but it's
right here.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
It's in our hearts. The lunchbox is in our hearts.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
Well, Victoria, thank you. I can't thank you enough for
coming on the show. I'm so glad that you came
up and said hello when you did. And if that's
you when you see me out in the wild, please
say hello and I will do the same. NBA fam,
I hope you go check out sale Moon Fan Club
and even more like, where can people find out about
your events? We need to get on that mailing list?
(44:49):
How are we staying in the now?
Speaker 1 (44:51):
So you can sign up for the mailing list on
sale munfanclub dot com.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
That's a podcast site.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
You can also follow me at or the Mooney's Club
at Mooney's Club on Twitter and Mooney's Underscore Club on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
You're gonna put all of that information in the show notes.
Y'all can go check out your work.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
Where can my fans find you?
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Brown and Bish, thank you? I forgot We're dual. We're
Taming Brown Ambition podcast. Please listen. We come out three
times a week. And if you enjoyed this conversation with
me and Victoria, that's exactly how I do every show.
It is not your it is not the Amy Sailor
Mercury version of a career and finance show. It is
Giving Ray, it is Giving Sailor Venus it's giving Serena.
(45:33):
We're having fun. Okay, Amy's invited, but we say her
over there, like Amy, the girls are not ready for calculus. Okay.
It's really meant to be a fun chat show. And
so we do the main show on Wednesdays, the Brown Table,
which is me with a couple of panelists. We're chatting
about the days, the week's news and headlines, if it
(45:57):
applies to women of color and our wallets are career
or our lives in general. We're talking about it, and
then we do question and answer on Friday, so you
can actually submit a question get an answer on the show.
And then Sunday, like this episode is wash Day Woo Saw,
So on Sunday, I usually pick a fabulous queen and
we chitchat about their careers and how they made it
(46:18):
to wherever there are and how they're getting to where
they want to go, and it's just a nice it's
a nice Woo Saw moments. Why I call it wash
Day Woo Saw. Like we're doing our deep condition, we're
cleaning the house, we're kind of getting set for the
week ahead, and you want something to listen to, and
it's kind of the perfect companion for that, so I
hope you'll check me out there. You can also follow
me personally at Mandy Money m A N d I
(46:40):
Money on Instagram and everywhere else but yeah, Brown Ambitions,
Where is that?
Speaker 3 (46:46):
Guys?
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Yes, yes, definitely check out Mandy y'all. And it was
still great recording with you as well.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
We did it, We cope produced, We did pick come
up to you all right, all right, moonies and okay
okaba fam. We'll see y'all next time. Bye,
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