September 2, 2025 • 48 mins
What happens when you follow your dreams across the Atlantic? Tahia Hobson is a Jamaican-American professional currently based in Paris, France. With a 20-year career in healthcare behind her, she recently made a bold pivot to luxury marketing, fueled by her love of culture, service, and personal growth. We talk about cultural identity, starting over, and finding Caribbean community abroad.
Tsahia documents her life, studies, and insights at tsahiahobson.com
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody, welcome back to another episode
of Carry On Friends, theCaribbean American experience,
and maybe we are going to callthis the Caribbean international
experience because of my guesttoday.
Sahiya is my guest and I'mexcited.
She is my second guest who isfrom Paris, but we'll get more
(00:24):
into that.
Sahiya, welcome to the podcast.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Thank you.
I'm wonderful and I'm excitedto speak with you, so thank you
so much Awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
All right, so I already told the audience that
you are joining us from Paris,so tell the audience a little
bit more about who you are,caribbean country you represent,
the work you do and, mostimportantly, why you're in Paris
.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Sure, oh, my goodness .
So where can I start?
Well, I like to representJamaica because that's where my
parents are from and I'm firstgeneration.
My sister and I American.
My parents got married inJamaica but found themselves in
Iowa.
My dad studied agronomy and mymom studied education, and so I
(01:14):
grew up in Iowa.
But I had a lot of family,especially on my mom's side, in
Brooklyn, new York.
So after I left high school inDes Moines, iowa, I went over to
Brooklyn and I was going tostart school there at Pace
University but ended upfinishing oh yeah, ended up
(01:37):
finishing my degree at CityCollege of New York, which is
also where my dad went, cityCollege of New York, which is
also where my dad went.
And I also did a master'sdegree at Columbia University.
But I spent maybe, like I don'tknow like 15, 16 years in New
York and then after that I kindof after my master's, I took
(02:00):
kind of a plunge and I decidedto change coasts and so I went
over to California for a bit,stayed there for a couple of
years but decided it wasn'tquite my vibe, you know.
So I ended up going down toFlorida to stay with family for
a bit during the pandemic.
(02:20):
You know that was like crazytimes.
And then I launched aconsulting practice actually and
I ended up in Houston, texas,where I met a lot of great
people and then eventuallystarted kind of working in
corporate again but had a greatexperience in Houston and
(02:44):
throughout.
You know my travels in theUnited States and places that I
lived.
I can say now, like you knowwell, texas is not quite like
this.
I lived there, you know, like Igot to really experience a lot
of different places around theUS.
And why am I in Paris?
Well, because Jamaicans like tobe everywhere.
(03:07):
So I think it's like in our DNA.
You know, we cannot helpourselves, but the deeper reason
is really because it wassomething that I did.
For me it was always a dreamthat I wanted to be in Paris.
Now, the choice of study I wentback to school and I studied
luxury marketing.
(03:29):
Before this I was in thehealthcare industry in the US
for like 20 years.
So I did everything in likeacademic centers, insurance,
hospitals, consulting, you nameit, even got the first master's
in that.
But I just kind of decided, youknow, this was not really for
(03:51):
me anymore and France was alwaysjust a place, like I had fallen
in love with the culture, thefood, the fashion lifestyle,
maybe even you know the fantasyof it all.
So I decided, you know, I wasgoing to change my career, just
make a pivot, do somethingreally original just for me.
(04:12):
And yeah, and here I am, inParis.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
So so here you said so many things.
I mean no, no, no, sorry, thisis amazing, this is incredible.
I want to touch on a bunch ofstuff.
So big up to fellow Pace person.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I went to Pace in Pleasantville Barcliff campus
though.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Oh nice, nice yes yes , and then agronomy that's what
you say your father studied.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yes, and he's also an attorney, so he he's a pivoter
as well, because he leftagronomy and then went into law,
which he's still a practicinglawyer in Orlando, florida.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
So shout out to my dad and what's his agronomy.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So I take it kind of as it's almost like biology.
Yeah, you know, with farm andwhen I was little it was funny
because I always thought that Iwas like, wow, he can just plant
anything.
You know, like I don't know ifyou know the African violets,
but he would take a stem and hewould just put it in water, it
(05:22):
would grow.
We had peonies, marigolds,everything would grow.
But it wasn't until later on Ilearned that, oh, you know, he
has like a PhD in this kind ofstuff so he can grow anything.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, that's amazing.
That's amazing.
It's good to know that.
Now I want you to talk to meabout growing up in Iowa, Des
Moines, where you know I livedin the Midwest for one point of
my life.
It's in Wisconsin.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
So I want you to talk to meabout what it was like growing
(05:56):
up in Des Moines.
And you know, did you have likea Caribbean community?
What was that like for you andyour family?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Wow, whoa, it's taking me back.
I had, I think, a pretty greatchildhood growing up in Des
Moines.
Like we lived in a pretty sortof what you might say
middle-class neighborhood.
I walked to school, mowed thelawn, planted flowers, you know
like this kind of stuff Going toschool was, for the most part,
(06:29):
great.
I have sometimes, you know,where I remember really great
things because I had teacherswho really loved to like foster
debate, who were just verypassionate about teaching, about
education, and many of them,you know, I remember to this day
.
And I also had kind ofexperiences growing up there
(06:51):
where I didn't kind of knowwhere I fit in in some ways,
because I'm a Black woman.
You know my parents areJamaican and I felt like
sometimes people didn't knowSome people, I would say
sometimes mostly school childrendidn't really know what to do
with that.
You know they're like why doyou talk this way or why do you
(07:13):
dress that way?
And I'm like because my mom'snot letting me come to school
with my belly out.
You know what I mean.
She's just not having that.
And you know why are you such anerd?
Well, because, again, my mom'snot having that.
You know she said education isthe key to our future, and my
(07:34):
job was to go to school and tolearn and, you know, to be a
good student.
I did my best, um, but yeah, soit was kind of like not really
fitting in sometimes or havingthis place because people want
to kind of put you into this boxand they don't understand.
You know what is this likeJamaican culture, what is this
(08:01):
thing?
You know really good people toconnect with and you know to
hang out with, be friends with,some of whom you know I'm still
in contact with to this day,which is amazing.
(08:28):
And also, too, iowa wasinteresting because my mom was
an educator and she ran like adaycare in her home, in our home
, and so sometimes I come homefrom school and like the kids
are all at nap time, you know,and I'm like, oh my gosh, can I
have some peace?
You know, but she tookeducation really seriously and
so she had a great community ofpeople that you know the kids,
their parents that you know shewas teaching.
(08:48):
These were younger children andprimarily like in the black
community, so there was thisreal bond as well over her, you
know, taking care of the kids,them, you know, welcoming us,
you know to the, to the state ofIowa, if you will.
But also it was interesting.
She had a lot of church friendsand so at church they would have
(09:11):
things like wild game feastwhere some of the guys would go
hunting and they would bringpheasant and she would curry the
pheasant and they were like,what is this?
And she would make rice andpeas, different things like that
.
So there were a lot of waysthat I think also my parents
(09:35):
really found ways to bond withthe community.
That created a supportiveenvironment for me growing up.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Wow, that is amazing.
Also, growing up not here inthe U S but in Jamaica, my
grandmother brought the daycareinto the house, so I understand
completely.
When the daycare was in thebuilding before the hurricane
blew down the building, I had towork at the daycare and I was
pretty young like, but it was,you know my brother and I.
(10:06):
We were the mini playmakers,because we were young.
So you know, whatever we want toplay and do, the little kids
would follow us.
So, yeah, that was helpful.
But as we got older, thedaycare came to our house and
you know the work didn't feelmuch fun anymore.
But I do connect with you, knowwhat that's like and building
relationship with the parentsand the families of the kids who
(10:29):
came to the daycare.
That's at home, so that'sawesome.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Definitely.
And I would just add to some ofthe kids who are in the daycare
like I know them, One of themeven came to Paris just a while
back.
She's just a few years.
No, she said this one isseveral years younger because I
actually used to babysit her.
So to see her all grown up nowis like amazing.
So all good kids.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's wonderful, all right,
yeah, so you pivot from um.
Why make?
Or I?
I was being nice, but why make?
Why?
Why?
What was that?
I know pivoting is in yourbones because daddy did it, but,
like you know, you wanted to.
(11:16):
You know Paris was always adraw.
But what, specifically luxurymarketing?
Speaker 2 (11:21):
sure, yeah, um, because, uh, you, working in
healthcare, I loved it for manyyears and I really, I mean
really really loved it and I hadgreat experiences and I had,
you know, challenges working inthe industry.
But I think after some time Ihad some personal situation
(11:47):
myself and then also justprofessionally, it felt like,
you know, always a day even ifyou have a great team just kind
of combating the system itselfwhen you really want to deliver
something excellent, you know,for patients, for companies, et
cetera.
So I just found that, wow,there's so many barriers here,
(12:12):
or kind of always getting thequestion of who's going to pay
for it.
And for me it's like I justwant to be able to launch
something to take care of people.
Of course it's like I don'twant to not be within the
regulations and codes, but if aprogram is good, I want to be
able to stand up this programand do it soon.
(12:34):
But I think it just were thingsthat took a long time to get
done.
Know, no one's fault oranything, it's just a system
that we have and I also justthought I really wanted to be
around something.
(12:54):
I think that would really makeme feel happy and I remembered,
like happy places, always beingin Paris shopping.
You know you come, you go tosome of the stores, the
boutiques, you get the champagne.
You know you come, you go tothe some of the stores, the
boutiques, you get the champagne.
You have the experience likethis always stood out in my mind
and I started to take up Frenchagain.
(13:15):
And my tutor at the time sheused to teach a class at a
university in Georgia where shewas teaching students about,
like the history of LouisVuitton, christian Dior, you
know these great designers orcompanies, brands that we all
know today.
And I asked her I said, wow,you can study this.
(13:36):
Is this some kind of likescience?
You know, because I only knowthis as a consumer?
And she said yeah, because alot of these brands, of course,
have been around for hundreds ofyears.
So it's part of art, it's partof history.
And I just started to really dosome research and think like,
wow, what might my life looklike if I could pursue something
(14:01):
like this?
And also, you know I had beenasked this question what would
you do if money were no object?
And that was like a powerfulquestion, because I think for me
I'm like no, money's always anobject.
It's always.
It's always a consideration howare you going to pay your bills
(14:22):
, how are you going to do thisor that or the other
consideration how are you goingto pay your bills, how are you
going to do this or that or theother?
And it was really tough to sortof put that aside and challenge
myself to say you know, if youwere doing anything, what would
it be?
And I was like I would go toFrance.
I would go to Paris and then bearound or be in an industry you
(14:42):
know that I've come to love,you know, which is a luxury
industry.
So that's a lot of that isreally what you know.
What's brought me here to thiscountry?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
What would your advice be to someone who's
pivoting industries?
Because it's one thing to pivotand remain in the industry, but
you've pivoted industry, and Imean you also have your dad,
who's pivoted industries as well.
What have been some of thelessons that you've gotten from
(15:13):
him and now you've applied toyour life that you would offer
to someone else?
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Sure my goodness, what lessons has my dad taught
me?
No, you know, he's taught megreat lessons.
You know he was supersupportive and I would say all
my family was really supportivewhen I told them that I wanted
to make this move to Paris.
You know, my dad's advice wasreally to go for it.
(15:42):
He said, you know, when he wasyounger, even though he came
from Jamaica well, in New Yorkand also Iowa, he said, you know
, he kind of wished that he haddone some more traveling abroad.
You know maybe seen a few othercountries, et cetera.
So he's like very practical,kind of like well, can you do it
(16:03):
?
Do you want to do it?
Well, just do it.
And so I did it.
But also I saw how he reallyloves like the law and he loves
to practice law and I think thatit was great for him to make
the pivot that he did.
(16:25):
I'm sure he could have beenhappy in agronomy as well, but I
mean he has a love for the lawand I think that is great
because it also shows peoplethat I mean you can do something
for a long time and make achange and fall in love, you
know, with something else.
So I think those two lessonsare probably the biggest ones
(16:45):
that I can think of, but I'msure you have many lessons as
well.
Being an entrepreneur is maybeyou've made a lot of pivots, or
I've.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
I've had to pivot different roles, different
industries, and I think thelessons that I've learned is
just taking a step back, andit's I think I'm more like your
dad, I'm very practical is takea step back.
Can I do this?
Do I want to do this?
(17:18):
Right?
Because we don't want to leftone thing to end up in misery
doing something else, right?
No?
So that's the first practicalthing and then embrace the fear
of, or the butterflies of, theunknown.
I want to say fear becausethere's a lot of uncertainty and
then, just do it.
And then if you get the itchanother three years to pivot
(17:40):
again, just do it.
You know, like just lean intoit.
And I think sometimes you don'twant to lean into it because
you go back to this thing ofstarting over again.
Right, and sometimes maybe someof that advice or maybe I don't
know if you told anyone thatyou were going to Paris and you
know some of their they'reprojecting some of their
(18:03):
uncertainty on you because thisis a big, this is a big move to
pick up and move and do all ofthis.
And you know, sometimes wedon't pivot, even on a smaller
scale, because it's startingover and having to deal with
those initial uncertainties thatdon't feel comfortable.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
So the feelings of like difficulties or challenges
and being uncomfortable is so,so real.
There are so many, you know,there's, I think, sometimes
media that's projected that'slike, oh, you know, you can just
get up and do this and,especially Paris, you'll be in
(18:43):
cafes all day, you'll bestrolling the street all day and
, you know, like, drinking wineall day, and I'm like this is
not the reality.
You know, like there's a lot ofthings that can be very
uncomfortable, but and there's alot of stress that also, I
(19:03):
think, came with the move.
I still love that I'm here, butI mean, I have to acknowledge
like there were difficulties andthere's still difficulties.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
So you mean to tell me, you're not having picnics
under the Eiffel Tower everyweek, I mean absolutely not,
absolutely not.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I wish I do get to see it sparkle and I'm still
like it's still very magical forme to see, like the Eiffel
Tower sparkle.
But I wish, but right now too.
I mean, it's hot.
It's hot.
You know, the buildings don'thave AC.
I'm looking for an AC, I havemy fan on, I'm trying to rig
(19:49):
things up and, you know, keepthe heat out and, you know,
drink a lot of ice water.
There's definitely some thingsthat are more comfortable in the
fall, like, yeah, doing thatpicnic or doing it in the spring
every week, but like right nowin the summer, no, absolutely
(20:09):
not.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
All right, so you were taking French.
Where's your level of Frenchnow?
How hard that was to kind oflearn this new language and get
settled in and finding acommunity there.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Sure, oh well, first with the language, I will tell
you that I was telling a Frenchfriend of mine we were walking
and speaking together.
I'm at about an intermediatelevel, so there's a lot of
things that I can understand,there's a lot of vocabulary and
(20:43):
I can go and, you know, docommon things and navigate my
way generally through life here.
But it's always kind of thiswork in progress, especially
here, because Parisians speakquite fast, so sometimes you
know they're saying this wholething and I've heard it, but my
(21:03):
brain is like over here still,you know it's at the beginning
of the sentence.
French has been, I think, one ofthe biggest challenges of my
life.
Honestly, and I say that alsobecause when I did the master's
program it was in English.
I didn't want to do it inFrench because I just felt, you
(21:25):
know, that's going to be way toomuch pressure and stress for me
.
So it was in English and therewas just so much work and not a
lot of space and time to learnFrench.
And also for myself, I had alot of shyness and maybe felt a
little intimidated, even thoughI had friends who were like you
(21:45):
know, you should practice, wecan practice together.
But I think now I'm more sogetting over that and just going
along really trying to doFrench when I can listen to
French.
But you know, when things werestressful I'm like, look, I
don't want to hear anythingFrench, I don't want to, I don't
(22:06):
want to listen to any Frenchmusic, I don't want to listen to
any French news, I just want to, like you know, put on my
Spotify playlist or whatever,and listen, you know, to the
music that I like, the podcast Ilike you know, et cetera.
But now, now I'm at a betterplace.
Things have like settled downand I've sort of like recharged
(22:26):
my goals, if you will.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
But we're going to get to some of those goals.
But in your transition from theUS to France, what part of your
Jamaican, broadly Caribbeanidentity you or do you find
yourself holding on to the most?
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Oh wow.
Well, in my room I have twoflags that I got from the
Olympics.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
I was going to ask you about that, you know, but
I'm like wait, wait, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
No, no, no, yeah, yeah, I was.
I was at the Olympics, me andmy other friend from London
who's Jamaican born and grew upin London.
Now, so, yeah, we went to theOlympics, we had on our Jamaican
colors.
We went to the Jamaica house,we had our flags.
We got to see the women's100-meter race.
(23:18):
I wanted to see, wow, I wantedto see Shellyann and Sherika but
didn't get to see them.
But I understand, I did get tocheer for Tia I think she won
one of the heats.
I mean she's so impressive TiaClayton running, I think, yes,
tia and her sister running the100-meter race.
(23:41):
And yeah, I mean, and the foodlike there's a place called Big
Black Cook I want everybody toknow I said cook and they are a
restaurant very small here butthey do make some Caribbean
dishes, so they have a curry,chicken and rice and peas dish.
(24:02):
So when I'm like feeling in themood, you know I need some food
or I want to kind of connect, Igo there and I have like the
curry, chicken and rice and peasand I think like, maybe like a
ginger beer.
And there's a couple otherJamaican restaurants.
There's like, I think, a veganone and another one called
(24:24):
Jamrock that opened, I believe,this year or last year.
So I try to keep myselfconnected, really with food.
That's a huge thing for me.
What else?
And I think, just maybepersonality Music is huge for me
(24:44):
.
When I'm commuting in themornings and I need something to
make me feel grounded, I put onthe music you know I listen to,
like Barris, hammond, like oldschool music, you know, and then
also, when I need some morelike energy, I put on some Soca
music from Trinidad.
So but yeah, I keep, I keepthose things with me.
(25:06):
And I have not been back toJamaica since I've been here.
I would like to, but I did geta chance to go to Barbados last
month and it was amazing to,like you know, see friends, be
on the island.
You know the people, thehospitality, the waters like the
(25:29):
beach, the food, Incredible.
So yeah, I try to stay veryconnected.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Wonderful, all right.
So talk to me now.
You're doing luxury marketing.
How is that going?
What is this luxury marketing?
What are you doing?
All the things, sure.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
So actually we just finished, really, this sort of
class portion of the program.
So I did that for, I would say,about nine months and then now
I'm in the process of lookingfor an internship or full-time
position here in Paris.
I'd like to stay here.
But, yeah, luxury marketingreally focused on marketing for
(26:11):
the luxury industry andunderstanding the science behind
how luxury companies marketthemselves, how luxury companies
market themselves, andunderstanding also so much and
learning so much about Frenchand Italian luxury brands, but
especially French brands, andthen in all aspects of the
(26:34):
luxury industry as well, fromcars to watches, jewelry,
fashion, leather goods, etc.
Like all of these aspects ofthe industry that you can focus
on marketing, promotion,understanding how they do,
storytelling as well, how theydifferentiate themselves from
(26:56):
competitors in the market, andthen some of the techniques that
they use from history,especially in art, to even
further like elevate the luxurybrands, which was a great
experience.
So, for example, some brandswill, in their marketing
campaigns, will draw from youknow something back in history,
(27:20):
like in France, say, from youknow Louis XIV or Marie
Antoinette or an eagle, orthey'll tell stories around a
certain type of flower that thefounder loved, like the camellia
flower that Chanel loved, orstories about the trunk.
You know, with Louis Vuitton,how it all started and they kind
(27:44):
of draw from this, which isreally different from, let's say
, mass market marketing.
Like, if you're Zara, h&m, youwant to have quantity, quantity,
quantity, reach as many peopleas possible, you know, sell as
much as possible, reach as manypeople as possible, you know,
(28:04):
sell as much as possible.
But luxury, even though they'represent, you know you might say
that they whisper in some ways.
But also it's been superinteresting to understand how
luxury companies are now movinginto broader spaces.
So, for example, I don't knowif you saw in New York, like the
new Louis Vuitton cafe that'sopened.
(28:26):
Prada has a cafe as well.
So they're moving into thesedifferent areas in, like,
hospitality hotel.
There's a new Louis Vuittonhotel opening next year.
So I did a project around thatand that was really great to
also do some fieldwork and checkout different five-star hotels
(28:51):
here in Paris and Milan and see,kind of how they're truly
differentiating, you know,themselves from everyone else
and really what are those facetsthat make them luxury?
So like, for example, here inParis there is something called
(29:12):
a palace distinction andactually it's not just in Paris
but it's in all of France, andso this distinction is awarded
to certain hotels that meet acertain criteria.
That's even above and beyondfive-star, service amenities,
etc.
And that was great visitingthose and doing field research,
(29:35):
you know, and just seeing, like,how they operate, how they
welcome you, their offerings,their storytelling, etc.
So long story short yes, thesewere all of the things that I
got to study.
Yeah, the fashion brands,craftsmanship wines I love wine
(29:57):
and spirits, so I could go on.
But, yeah, all these differentniches, if you will, in the
luxury industry.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
I mean a lot of people study luxury marketing,
for lack of a better word.
How do you feel that you bringsomething different to the space
of luxury marketing?
I mean you might know more thanme, but luxury marketing is
luxury marketing.
When I when I mean you mightknow more than me, but luxury
marketing is luxury marketing.
And the people who can affordluxury marketing is even smaller
(30:26):
, right?
So how do you get into thatspace and how do you
differentiate in that space, ifthat makes sense?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Yeah, sure, I think, for my myself personally.
And you know, to your firstquestion, like what do I bring
to the table, I think you knowfirst it's a love.
And you know, to your firstquestion, like what do I bring
to the table, I think you knowfirst it's a love, for you know
this industry and really, whichstarted, I think, with fashion
you know, some of my favoritebrands are here but also it was
this experience or this ritualthat you could have when you
(30:59):
came here.
Let's say, if you went to LouisVuitton and you were buying
something and you have theopportunity to be presented with
different items, have the glassof champagne, have some
interaction and some of thisstuff seems simple, but it's
really kind of an art form ifthey do it well, because,
(31:23):
whatever your budget is, whenyou come into one of these
places, you should feel likeyou're welcomed, you should feel
like you're being, you know,treated with respect.
And I used to think about howcould I sort of apply this to
the healthcare industry, youknow, because I wondered, you
know, different times, like, forexample, with patients, if we,
(31:48):
you know, provided them withdifferent sets of sheets, you
know that were feeling moreluxurious, would they feel a bit
more comfortable.
Would they feel a bit morecomfortable If we take the
service approach?
How can we, you know, inhospitals or insurance companies
(32:08):
, have a more maybe serviceminded or client guest centered
approach?
So everybody feels like I mean,yes, you might be calling about
a bill or you know somethingunpleasant, but you still want
to feel like you're cared for,you're welcomed, you're special,
you're one of a kind,especially in the healthcare
industry, with people dealingwith you know, I bring this
(32:40):
perspective from healthcare thatdoes take from the luxury
industry and thinking about aservice model, but also more of
a delicacy, because I've been,you know, I've had to talk to
patients or design programs witha very specific focus, a very,
you know, niche focus, and onethat requires an enormous amount
(33:02):
of empathy, of course, andunderstanding.
So there's that.
But also, I think, as a consumer, I am somebody who welcomes a
positive experience.
I want to be treated well.
My parents raised me this wayand I am, I love, kind of the I
(33:26):
don't want to just call it theservice model of it, but like
this kind of ritual and I knowwhat people I think like and
expect and how they want to betreated and that's like super
important to me, you know,because when I go into any place
, I really I watch how peopleother people are treated, I
(33:48):
watch how I am treated, I watchhow other people are treated, I
watch how I am treated and I'mreally focused on that and
ensuring that people have greatexperiences and I love seeing
people happy.
Luxury is a joy.
It should make you happy.
It shouldn't make you feel bad.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
You're right, as I'm hearing you.
It's really the hospitality ofit.
It's how the person feels and,um, at the end of the day, it's
why people have um brand loyaltyto certain things.
Right, it's, that's part of themarketing.
Why will?
Will someone always buy this?
(34:29):
You know, it's because it's howit makes them feel, and
sometimes from a psychologicalstandpoint.
You know.
You know, I've heard that forevery negative experience, you
need like five positive.
You know three to five positiveexperiences.
So it's like I had such anamazing positive experience with
(34:51):
this brand, like I'm going tostay with them, like, yes, I'll
give you a perfect example.
There's a, there's a, there's atool, there's a software.
It's a brand.
They have a suite of thingsRight, and the first time I
started podcasting it was likethe most difficult thing to
learn.
Started podcasting, it was likethe most difficult thing to
(35:12):
learn.
I was just like it was likeputting a new flight student
into a 747 versus a littleseaplane.
And I know where I am 10 yearslater podcasting that I could
master that tool, but I can'ttouch that tool with a 10 foot
pole.
I'm like I can't, I don't, Iwant to but I just can't.
And I really think that's whatthese luxury marketing is is
(35:37):
wanting to make such a greatfirst impression that it stays
with you for almost for life,really.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah, and the other thing is too that I think the
market is changing so muchbecause I think the traditional
customer of luxury has changed.
You know, there are differentpockets of people all over the
world who are attaining, youknow, for better or for worse,
(36:07):
new money, new, money areattaining, you know, for better
or worse.
New money Through tech, you know, online, you know, opening
businesses, food, whatever it is.
There are a lot of people whoare, yeah, getting you know,
this new money.
So the landscape of the, youknow, traditional client, this
(36:28):
has changed and the market, ifthey want to be very successful,
should adapt to this.
You know, and and I think thatwhat I also bring you know to
the table is my own livedexperience, right, and, and I
think that's important because,you know, some industries are,
(36:51):
you know, quicker to change andsome are, you know, slower to
change.
I think luxury may be one of theindustries, at least from what
I understand, that has somewhatfocused on sometimes traditional
, maybe marketing or messaging,I mean, but definitely there are
some really creative campaigns.
(37:12):
But, you know, the thing is,too, how can you, let's say,
market to the Caribbean, youknow, or how do you market to
Africa or Latin America?
These are, you know, or Asia.
They're very diverse audiencesthat today companies need to
reach, and I think that you know, working in complicated
(37:35):
industries with a lot of peopleand even coming to an
international program has reallygiven me a sense of you know
what are other people thinking.
You know, what does the marketin Milan traditionally like?
Or what does the market in HongKong traditionally like?
I got to meet a lot ofdifferent people from all over
the world so I bring you know myown sort of American Jamaican.
(37:59):
You know life, lived experience.
But also I've been able toconnect with a lot of different
people, so I'm hoping to kind ofapply some of that sensibility
to you.
Know companies and help themmarket their products and
services.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
All right, so, as you wrap up, yes, and we reflect on
this conversation, right, Insome ways you took a traditional
path and then you've kind ofmoved around a little bit and
you know, for fun and for joke,we tell this one story that you
know, Caribbean and Jamaicanparents expect you to go to
(38:35):
school and do this and do towork.
We know it's not always true,but you know it's part of the
funny story.
You know, but you know that'snot true because you're living
that right.
And so how do you, how do youdefine success for yourself,
given this varied experience,and what do you want other
(38:57):
Caribbean Americans or anyone inthe Caribbean diaspora,
wherever they are in the world,to learn about?
We can laugh at that one storybecause it's funny, right, but
we can also be bold and braveand lean into.
You know what success lookslike that is different from what
(39:18):
our parents envisioned for us.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Yeah, definitely, I think you know success for me is
.
I still maybe wonder, because Ithink maybe I'll know when I
reach it.
I celebrate the milestones butI'm not sure that I have reached
sort of success yet, I feel,because I just feel like there's
(40:00):
so many things that I want todo and I need to do and maybe,
you know, success would reallylook like also being know doing
something in Jamaica as well.
And you know, maybe even youknow, in honor of you know my
mom who passed some years agoand you know she had always
wanted to go back and you knowthat's why I go back, a big part
(40:24):
of it, because I try to livethat experience, I don't know,
hoping that you know she'll seeme there and see me happy and
things like that.
And then the second part toyour question.
The first one's what doessuccess look like?
Speaker 1 (40:38):
And the second was Leaning into different types of
success, but it might lookdifferent from what our parents
might have envisioned forthemselves or for us.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Yes, okay, so leaning in, wow Again, I'm a risk taker
, but I'm also quite practical,so people have to determine
their own risk tolerance.
I always say this, but I feellike this experience has been so
great because you can findcommunity abroad or, if you make
(41:12):
a change and you really applyyourself, you'll meet the right
people who connect you, know toyou or with you and enhance your
life.
And I feel like you know, Ispent many years being super
practical and working as I wassupposed to work Right, but this
(41:33):
was really a decisionspecifically for me and I think
that if there's something thatyou want to do just for you,
then make your plan, take therisk and go for it.
You know and trust that you'llland on your feet.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
So you're in Paris?
Yeah, how do you?
How do you maintain connectionwith your family on the other
side of the world?
How do you connect?
Speaker 2 (42:02):
Yes, WhatsApp, but also a lot of WhatsApp, a lot of
technology, I would say.
But when I have time, like inthe evening right now, or
sometimes in my afternoon, istheir early morning.
I know they're just waking up,so I call them, and so we
(42:25):
definitely use a lot of socialmedia as well to stay connected.
We send photos, they read myblog sometimes, and those are
all good ways, but also throughplatforms, you know, like your
own.
I did want to connect with youtoo, because there's definitely
a few Jamaicans that are outhere.
(42:45):
There's an organization,jamaicans in France, and so
there are a few of us, you know,who are here.
They've had some events hereand there and I hope to connect
with the community as well.
But I think, overall just if Ithink about my immediate family,
social media calls, etc.
(43:07):
But my Jamaican family, myCaribbean family, definitely
through platforms, you know,like yours, where I can connect
with more people, they canconnect with me if they want,
because really I just want to beable to encourage people to
make that move or to make thatchange and to know that if they
want to come to this side, oneof us is here and you know they
(43:28):
can reach out, you know if theyhave questions or whatnot, this
side one of us is here and youknow they can reach out.
You know if they have questionsor whatnot?
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Thank you for sharing that.
I mean I love this idea ofJamaicans in Paris.
So I have this model that I justintroduced and it's really
based on my experience movinghere from Jamaica when I was
younger and I talked about how,even though I lived in Wisconsin
and it's clearly not Brooklynwith a whole bunch of Jamaica
there was younger and I talkedabout how, even though I lived
in Wisconsin and it's clearlynot Brooklyn with a whole bunch
(43:54):
of Jamaica there was you're ableto find small, a small
community, and it's even moreintentional and the connection
because your mom was curryingthe pheasant but no one know
where your mother get the curryfrom, right, so there's some
community, not big and broadlike Florida, you know New York
or Boston, but it's.
It does exist.
(44:14):
And even you, talking about theJamaicans in France, you know
we find community and because wehave to be intentional, like
you're being intentional,connecting with your family,
connecting with the podcast,your connection to culture is
then different, because it's sointentional for you to maintain
(44:34):
this versus.
You know you just go outsideand you step outside your house
in Brooklyn and you smell jerkchicken.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
You know like you know you might smell some like
beef, bourguignon or a baguette.
You're going to smell bread.
Or you might smell, you know,cheese from the fromagerie yeah,
that's what you're going tosmell, bread.
Or you might smell, you know,cheese from lingerie yeah,
that's what you're going tosmell here.
A lot of bread for sure.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Right.
So I mean this idea ofgeography and how that impacts
how much you're connected toculture.
So this was timely and perfect.
So, sahia, listen, let me knowoffline.
I know somebody else who's inParis Um she Guadalupe, um of.
Guadalupe heritage but she'sbeen on the podcast a couple of
(45:19):
times and I adore her.
She is really amazing.
So I would want to put you bothin touch and, um, I mean thank
you again for being on thepodcast.
This has been really greatgetting to know you and you know
your luxury marketing and youknow, when, when, when things
(45:40):
kick off, you know, I expect youto come back and tell me oh,
you are doing the most in luxurymarketing, especially in what
they're calling emerging markets.
But you don't know, we alreadyexist, we're not emerging.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
We already arrived Exactly.
We're major, yes, yes so.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
I'm excited for you and this adventure, and then
maybe we can do a live stream tothe Jamaicans in Paris, like
wagwan.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
Yeah, that would be amazing.
There's a few I have to reachout to some people, so cause I
want to make sure they get this.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
Yes, oh, my goodness, this has been amazing.
Well, is there anything elseyou want to share with our
audience before we close?
Speaker 2 (46:28):
Oh sure, thank you.
Before we close oh sure, thankyou, I would share that.
I'm trying to get better atthis, but I do write a blog at
sahiahobsoncom and on the blog Ishare tips about the luxury
industry, my life in Paris.
I share pictures and thingslike that.
So if people are kind ofcurious about oh, what am I up
(46:51):
to or what might you know lookgood to do in Paris, or they
want some insights about theindustry, then you know they can
go and check out my blog andyou know feel free to contact me
if there's anything that theywant to see.
I'm happy to explore that.
So people can, you know, live alittle vicariously through me,
so I want to share that.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Wonderful, and I'll put that in the show notes as
well.
Sahiya, thank you so much forcoming on giving us a little
insight as to what you're doingin Paris.
Your background Wow.
Agronomy, iowa, des Moinesdefinitely a first first, but
midwest we're always going torepresent, yeah, um.
(47:34):
So thank you again for being onthe podcast and, as I love to
say at the end of every episode,walk good, thank you.
Hello everybody, welcome back to another episode
of Carry On Friends, theCaribbean American experience,
and maybe we are going to callthis the Caribbean international
experience because of my guesttoday.
Sahiya is my guest and I'mexcited.
She is my second guest who isfrom Paris, but we'll get more
(00:24):
into that.
Sahiya, welcome to the podcast.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Thank you.
I'm wonderful and I'm excitedto speak with you, so thank you
so much Awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
All right, so I already told the audience that
you are joining us from Paris,so tell the audience a little
bit more about who you are,caribbean country you represent,
the work you do and, mostimportantly, why you're in Paris
.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Sure, oh, my goodness .
So where can I start?
Well, I like to representJamaica because that's where my
parents are from and I'm firstgeneration.
My sister and I American.
My parents got married inJamaica but found themselves in
Iowa.
My dad studied agronomy and mymom studied education, and so I
(01:14):
grew up in Iowa.
But I had a lot of family,especially on my mom's side, in
Brooklyn, new York.
So after I left high school inDes Moines, iowa, I went over to
Brooklyn and I was going tostart school there at Pace
University but ended upfinishing oh yeah, ended up
(01:37):
finishing my degree at CityCollege of New York, which is
also where my dad went, cityCollege of New York, which is
also where my dad went.
And I also did a master'sdegree at Columbia University.
But I spent maybe, like I don'tknow like 15, 16 years in New
York and then after that I kindof after my master's, I took
(02:00):
kind of a plunge and I decidedto change coasts and so I went
over to California for a bit,stayed there for a couple of
years but decided it wasn'tquite my vibe, you know.
So I ended up going down toFlorida to stay with family for
a bit during the pandemic.
(02:20):
You know that was like crazytimes.
And then I launched aconsulting practice actually and
I ended up in Houston, texas,where I met a lot of great
people and then eventuallystarted kind of working in
corporate again but had a greatexperience in Houston and
(02:44):
throughout.
You know my travels in theUnited States and places that I
lived.
I can say now, like you knowwell, texas is not quite like
this.
I lived there, you know, like Igot to really experience a lot
of different places around theUS.
And why am I in Paris?
Well, because Jamaicans like tobe everywhere.
(03:07):
So I think it's like in our DNA.
You know, we cannot helpourselves, but the deeper reason
is really because it wassomething that I did.
For me it was always a dreamthat I wanted to be in Paris.
Now, the choice of study I wentback to school and I studied
luxury marketing.
(03:29):
Before this I was in thehealthcare industry in the US
for like 20 years.
So I did everything in likeacademic centers, insurance,
hospitals, consulting, you nameit, even got the first master's
in that.
But I just kind of decided, youknow, this was not really for
(03:51):
me anymore and France was alwaysjust a place, like I had fallen
in love with the culture, thefood, the fashion lifestyle,
maybe even you know the fantasyof it all.
So I decided, you know, I wasgoing to change my career, just
make a pivot, do somethingreally original just for me.
(04:12):
And yeah, and here I am, inParis.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
So so here you said so many things.
I mean no, no, no, sorry, thisis amazing, this is incredible.
I want to touch on a bunch ofstuff.
So big up to fellow Pace person.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I went to Pace in Pleasantville Barcliff campus
though.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Oh nice, nice yes yes , and then agronomy that's what
you say your father studied.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yes, and he's also an attorney, so he he's a pivoter
as well, because he leftagronomy and then went into law,
which he's still a practicinglawyer in Orlando, florida.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
So shout out to my dad and what's his agronomy.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So I take it kind of as it's almost like biology.
Yeah, you know, with farm andwhen I was little it was funny
because I always thought that Iwas like, wow, he can just plant
anything.
You know, like I don't know ifyou know the African violets,
but he would take a stem and hewould just put it in water, it
(05:22):
would grow.
We had peonies, marigolds,everything would grow.
But it wasn't until later on Ilearned that, oh, you know, he
has like a PhD in this kind ofstuff so he can grow anything.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, that's amazing.
That's amazing.
It's good to know that.
Now I want you to talk to meabout growing up in Iowa, Des
Moines, where you know I livedin the Midwest for one point of
my life.
It's in Wisconsin.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
So I want you to talk to meabout what it was like growing
(05:56):
up in Des Moines.
And you know, did you have likea Caribbean community?
What was that like for you andyour family?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Wow, whoa, it's taking me back.
I had, I think, a pretty greatchildhood growing up in Des
Moines.
Like we lived in a pretty sortof what you might say
middle-class neighborhood.
I walked to school, mowed thelawn, planted flowers, you know
like this kind of stuff Going toschool was, for the most part,
(06:29):
great.
I have sometimes, you know,where I remember really great
things because I had teacherswho really loved to like foster
debate, who were just verypassionate about teaching, about
education, and many of them,you know, I remember to this day
.
And I also had kind ofexperiences growing up there
(06:51):
where I didn't kind of knowwhere I fit in in some ways,
because I'm a Black woman.
You know my parents areJamaican and I felt like
sometimes people didn't knowSome people, I would say
sometimes mostly school childrendidn't really know what to do
with that.
You know they're like why doyou talk this way or why do you
(07:13):
dress that way?
And I'm like because my mom'snot letting me come to school
with my belly out.
You know what I mean.
She's just not having that.
And you know why are you such anerd?
Well, because, again, my mom'snot having that.
You know she said education isthe key to our future, and my
(07:34):
job was to go to school and tolearn and, you know, to be a
good student.
I did my best, um, but yeah, soit was kind of like not really
fitting in sometimes or havingthis place because people want
to kind of put you into this boxand they don't understand.
You know what is this likeJamaican culture, what is this
(08:01):
thing?
You know really good people toconnect with and you know to
hang out with, be friends with,some of whom you know I'm still
in contact with to this day,which is amazing.
(08:28):
And also, too, iowa wasinteresting because my mom was
an educator and she ran like adaycare in her home, in our home
, and so sometimes I come homefrom school and like the kids
are all at nap time, you know,and I'm like, oh my gosh, can I
have some peace?
You know, but she tookeducation really seriously and
so she had a great community ofpeople that you know the kids,
their parents that you know shewas teaching.
(08:48):
These were younger children andprimarily like in the black
community, so there was thisreal bond as well over her, you
know, taking care of the kids,them, you know, welcoming us,
you know to the, to the state ofIowa, if you will.
But also it was interesting.
She had a lot of church friendsand so at church they would have
(09:11):
things like wild game feastwhere some of the guys would go
hunting and they would bringpheasant and she would curry the
pheasant and they were like,what is this?
And she would make rice andpeas, different things like that
.
So there were a lot of waysthat I think also my parents
(09:35):
really found ways to bond withthe community.
That created a supportiveenvironment for me growing up.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Wow, that is amazing.
Also, growing up not here inthe U S but in Jamaica, my
grandmother brought the daycareinto the house, so I understand
completely.
When the daycare was in thebuilding before the hurricane
blew down the building, I had towork at the daycare and I was
pretty young like, but it was,you know my brother and I.
(10:06):
We were the mini playmakers,because we were young.
So you know, whatever we want toplay and do, the little kids
would follow us.
So, yeah, that was helpful.
But as we got older, thedaycare came to our house and
you know the work didn't feelmuch fun anymore.
But I do connect with you, knowwhat that's like and building
relationship with the parentsand the families of the kids who
(10:29):
came to the daycare.
That's at home, so that'sawesome.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Definitely.
And I would just add to some ofthe kids who are in the daycare
like I know them, One of themeven came to Paris just a while
back.
She's just a few years.
No, she said this one isseveral years younger because I
actually used to babysit her.
So to see her all grown up nowis like amazing.
So all good kids.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's wonderful, all right,
yeah, so you pivot from um.
Why make?
Or I?
I was being nice, but why make?
Why?
Why?
What was that?
I know pivoting is in yourbones because daddy did it, but,
like you know, you wanted to.
(11:16):
You know Paris was always adraw.
But what, specifically luxurymarketing?
Speaker 2 (11:21):
sure, yeah, um, because, uh, you, working in
healthcare, I loved it for manyyears and I really, I mean
really really loved it and I hadgreat experiences and I had,
you know, challenges working inthe industry.
But I think after some time Ihad some personal situation
(11:47):
myself and then also justprofessionally, it felt like,
you know, always a day even ifyou have a great team just kind
of combating the system itselfwhen you really want to deliver
something excellent, you know,for patients, for companies, et
cetera.
So I just found that, wow,there's so many barriers here,
(12:12):
or kind of always getting thequestion of who's going to pay
for it.
And for me it's like I justwant to be able to launch
something to take care of people.
Of course it's like I don'twant to not be within the
regulations and codes, but if aprogram is good, I want to be
able to stand up this programand do it soon.
(12:34):
But I think it just were thingsthat took a long time to get
done.
Know, no one's fault oranything, it's just a system
that we have and I also justthought I really wanted to be
around something.
(12:54):
I think that would really makeme feel happy and I remembered,
like happy places, always beingin Paris shopping.
You know you come, you go tosome of the stores, the
boutiques, you get the champagne.
You know you come, you go tothe some of the stores, the
boutiques, you get the champagne.
You have the experience likethis always stood out in my mind
and I started to take up Frenchagain.
(13:15):
And my tutor at the time sheused to teach a class at a
university in Georgia where shewas teaching students about,
like the history of LouisVuitton, christian Dior, you
know these great designers orcompanies, brands that we all
know today.
And I asked her I said, wow,you can study this.
(13:36):
Is this some kind of likescience?
You know, because I only knowthis as a consumer?
And she said yeah, because alot of these brands, of course,
have been around for hundreds ofyears.
So it's part of art, it's partof history.
And I just started to really dosome research and think like,
wow, what might my life looklike if I could pursue something
(14:01):
like this?
And also, you know I had beenasked this question what would
you do if money were no object?
And that was like a powerfulquestion, because I think for me
I'm like no, money's always anobject.
It's always.
It's always a consideration howare you going to pay your bills
(14:22):
, how are you going to do thisor that or the other
consideration how are you goingto pay your bills, how are you
going to do this or that or theother?
And it was really tough to sortof put that aside and challenge
myself to say you know, if youwere doing anything, what would
it be?
And I was like I would go toFrance.
I would go to Paris and then bearound or be in an industry you
(14:42):
know that I've come to love,you know, which is a luxury
industry.
So that's a lot of that isreally what you know.
What's brought me here to thiscountry?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
What would your advice be to someone who's
pivoting industries?
Because it's one thing to pivotand remain in the industry, but
you've pivoted industry, and Imean you also have your dad,
who's pivoted industries as well.
What have been some of thelessons that you've gotten from
(15:13):
him and now you've applied toyour life that you would offer
to someone else?
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Sure my goodness, what lessons has my dad taught
me?
No, you know, he's taught megreat lessons.
You know he was supersupportive and I would say all
my family was really supportivewhen I told them that I wanted
to make this move to Paris.
You know, my dad's advice wasreally to go for it.
(15:42):
He said, you know, when he wasyounger, even though he came
from Jamaica well, in New Yorkand also Iowa, he said, you know
, he kind of wished that he haddone some more traveling abroad.
You know maybe seen a few othercountries, et cetera.
So he's like very practical,kind of like well, can you do it
(16:03):
?
Do you want to do it?
Well, just do it.
And so I did it.
But also I saw how he reallyloves like the law and he loves
to practice law and I think thatit was great for him to make
the pivot that he did.
(16:25):
I'm sure he could have beenhappy in agronomy as well, but I
mean he has a love for the lawand I think that is great
because it also shows peoplethat I mean you can do something
for a long time and make achange and fall in love, you
know, with something else.
So I think those two lessonsare probably the biggest ones
(16:45):
that I can think of, but I'msure you have many lessons as
well.
Being an entrepreneur is maybeyou've made a lot of pivots, or
I've.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
I've had to pivot different roles, different
industries, and I think thelessons that I've learned is
just taking a step back, andit's I think I'm more like your
dad, I'm very practical is takea step back.
Can I do this?
Do I want to do this?
(17:18):
Right?
Because we don't want to leftone thing to end up in misery
doing something else, right?
No?
So that's the first practicalthing and then embrace the fear
of, or the butterflies of, theunknown.
I want to say fear becausethere's a lot of uncertainty and
then, just do it.
And then if you get the itchanother three years to pivot
(17:40):
again, just do it.
You know, like just lean intoit.
And I think sometimes you don'twant to lean into it because
you go back to this thing ofstarting over again.
Right, and sometimes maybe someof that advice or maybe I don't
know if you told anyone thatyou were going to Paris and you
know some of their they'reprojecting some of their
(18:03):
uncertainty on you because thisis a big, this is a big move to
pick up and move and do all ofthis.
And you know, sometimes wedon't pivot, even on a smaller
scale, because it's startingover and having to deal with
those initial uncertainties thatdon't feel comfortable.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
So the feelings of like difficulties or challenges
and being uncomfortable is so,so real.
There are so many, you know,there's, I think, sometimes
media that's projected that'slike, oh, you know, you can just
get up and do this and,especially Paris, you'll be in
(18:43):
cafes all day, you'll bestrolling the street all day and
, you know, like, drinking wineall day, and I'm like this is
not the reality.
You know, like there's a lot ofthings that can be very
uncomfortable, but and there's alot of stress that also, I
(19:03):
think, came with the move.
I still love that I'm here, butI mean, I have to acknowledge
like there were difficulties andthere's still difficulties.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
So you mean to tell me, you're not having picnics
under the Eiffel Tower everyweek, I mean absolutely not,
absolutely not.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I wish I do get to see it sparkle and I'm still
like it's still very magical forme to see, like the Eiffel
Tower sparkle.
But I wish, but right now too.
I mean, it's hot.
It's hot.
You know, the buildings don'thave AC.
I'm looking for an AC, I havemy fan on, I'm trying to rig
(19:49):
things up and, you know, keepthe heat out and, you know,
drink a lot of ice water.
There's definitely some thingsthat are more comfortable in the
fall, like, yeah, doing thatpicnic or doing it in the spring
every week, but like right nowin the summer, no, absolutely
(20:09):
not.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
All right, so you were taking French.
Where's your level of Frenchnow?
How hard that was to kind oflearn this new language and get
settled in and finding acommunity there.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Sure, oh well, first with the language, I will tell
you that I was telling a Frenchfriend of mine we were walking
and speaking together.
I'm at about an intermediatelevel, so there's a lot of
things that I can understand,there's a lot of vocabulary and
(20:43):
I can go and, you know, docommon things and navigate my
way generally through life here.
But it's always kind of thiswork in progress, especially
here, because Parisians speakquite fast, so sometimes you
know they're saying this wholething and I've heard it, but my
(21:03):
brain is like over here still,you know it's at the beginning
of the sentence.
French has been, I think, one ofthe biggest challenges of my
life.
Honestly, and I say that alsobecause when I did the master's
program it was in English.
I didn't want to do it inFrench because I just felt, you
(21:25):
know, that's going to be way toomuch pressure and stress for me
.
So it was in English and therewas just so much work and not a
lot of space and time to learnFrench.
And also for myself, I had alot of shyness and maybe felt a
little intimidated, even thoughI had friends who were like you
(21:45):
know, you should practice, wecan practice together.
But I think now I'm more sogetting over that and just going
along really trying to doFrench when I can listen to
French.
But you know, when things werestressful I'm like, look, I
don't want to hear anythingFrench, I don't want to, I don't
(22:06):
want to listen to any Frenchmusic, I don't want to listen to
any French news, I just want to, like you know, put on my
Spotify playlist or whatever,and listen, you know, to the
music that I like, the podcast Ilike you know, et cetera.
But now, now I'm at a betterplace.
Things have like settled downand I've sort of like recharged
(22:26):
my goals, if you will.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
But we're going to get to some of those goals.
But in your transition from theUS to France, what part of your
Jamaican, broadly Caribbeanidentity you or do you find
yourself holding on to the most?
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Oh wow.
Well, in my room I have twoflags that I got from the
Olympics.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
I was going to ask you about that, you know, but
I'm like wait, wait, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
No, no, no, yeah, yeah, I was.
I was at the Olympics, me andmy other friend from London
who's Jamaican born and grew upin London.
Now, so, yeah, we went to theOlympics, we had on our Jamaican
colors.
We went to the Jamaica house,we had our flags.
We got to see the women's100-meter race.
(23:18):
I wanted to see, wow, I wantedto see Shellyann and Sherika but
didn't get to see them.
But I understand, I did get tocheer for Tia I think she won
one of the heats.
I mean she's so impressive TiaClayton running, I think, yes,
tia and her sister running the100-meter race.
(23:41):
And yeah, I mean, and the foodlike there's a place called Big
Black Cook I want everybody toknow I said cook and they are a
restaurant very small here butthey do make some Caribbean
dishes, so they have a curry,chicken and rice and peas dish.
(24:02):
So when I'm like feeling in themood, you know I need some food
or I want to kind of connect, Igo there and I have like the
curry, chicken and rice and peasand I think like, maybe like a
ginger beer.
And there's a couple otherJamaican restaurants.
There's like, I think, a veganone and another one called
(24:24):
Jamrock that opened, I believe,this year or last year.
So I try to keep myselfconnected, really with food.
That's a huge thing for me.
What else?
And I think, just maybepersonality Music is huge for me
(24:44):
.
When I'm commuting in themornings and I need something to
make me feel grounded, I put onthe music you know I listen to,
like Barris, hammond, like oldschool music, you know, and then
also, when I need some morelike energy, I put on some Soca
music from Trinidad.
So but yeah, I keep, I keepthose things with me.
(25:06):
And I have not been back toJamaica since I've been here.
I would like to, but I did geta chance to go to Barbados last
month and it was amazing to,like you know, see friends, be
on the island.
You know the people, thehospitality, the waters like the
(25:29):
beach, the food, Incredible.
So yeah, I try to stay veryconnected.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Wonderful, all right.
So talk to me now.
You're doing luxury marketing.
How is that going?
What is this luxury marketing?
What are you doing?
All the things, sure.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
So actually we just finished, really, this sort of
class portion of the program.
So I did that for, I would say,about nine months and then now
I'm in the process of lookingfor an internship or full-time
position here in Paris.
I'd like to stay here.
But, yeah, luxury marketingreally focused on marketing for
(26:11):
the luxury industry andunderstanding the science behind
how luxury companies marketthemselves, how luxury companies
market themselves, andunderstanding also so much and
learning so much about Frenchand Italian luxury brands, but
especially French brands, andthen in all aspects of the
(26:34):
luxury industry as well, fromcars to watches, jewelry,
fashion, leather goods, etc.
Like all of these aspects ofthe industry that you can focus
on marketing, promotion,understanding how they do,
storytelling as well, how theydifferentiate themselves from
(26:56):
competitors in the market, andthen some of the techniques that
they use from history,especially in art, to even
further like elevate the luxurybrands, which was a great
experience.
So, for example, some brandswill, in their marketing
campaigns, will draw from youknow something back in history,
(27:20):
like in France, say, from youknow Louis XIV or Marie
Antoinette or an eagle, orthey'll tell stories around a
certain type of flower that thefounder loved, like the camellia
flower that Chanel loved, orstories about the trunk.
You know, with Louis Vuitton,how it all started and they kind
(27:44):
of draw from this, which isreally different from, let's say
, mass market marketing.
Like, if you're Zara, h&m, youwant to have quantity, quantity,
quantity, reach as many peopleas possible, you know, sell as
much as possible, reach as manypeople as possible, you know,
(28:04):
sell as much as possible.
But luxury, even though they'represent, you know you might say
that they whisper in some ways.
But also it's been superinteresting to understand how
luxury companies are now movinginto broader spaces.
So, for example, I don't knowif you saw in New York, like the
new Louis Vuitton cafe that'sopened.
(28:26):
Prada has a cafe as well.
So they're moving into thesedifferent areas in, like,
hospitality hotel.
There's a new Louis Vuittonhotel opening next year.
So I did a project around thatand that was really great to
also do some fieldwork and checkout different five-star hotels
(28:51):
here in Paris and Milan and see,kind of how they're truly
differentiating, you know,themselves from everyone else
and really what are those facetsthat make them luxury?
So like, for example, here inParis there is something called
(29:12):
a palace distinction andactually it's not just in Paris
but it's in all of France, andso this distinction is awarded
to certain hotels that meet acertain criteria.
That's even above and beyondfive-star, service amenities,
etc.
And that was great visitingthose and doing field research,
(29:35):
you know, and just seeing, like,how they operate, how they
welcome you, their offerings,their storytelling, etc.
So long story short yes, thesewere all of the things that I
got to study.
Yeah, the fashion brands,craftsmanship wines I love wine
(29:57):
and spirits, so I could go on.
But, yeah, all these differentniches, if you will, in the
luxury industry.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
I mean a lot of people study luxury marketing,
for lack of a better word.
How do you feel that you bringsomething different to the space
of luxury marketing?
I mean you might know more thanme, but luxury marketing is
luxury marketing.
When I when I mean you mightknow more than me, but luxury
marketing is luxury marketing.
And the people who can affordluxury marketing is even smaller
(30:26):
, right?
So how do you get into thatspace and how do you
differentiate in that space, ifthat makes sense?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Yeah, sure, I think, for my myself personally.
And you know, to your firstquestion, like what do I bring
to the table, I think you knowfirst it's a love.
And you know, to your firstquestion, like what do I bring
to the table, I think you knowfirst it's a love, for you know
this industry and really, whichstarted, I think, with fashion
you know, some of my favoritebrands are here but also it was
this experience or this ritualthat you could have when you
(30:59):
came here.
Let's say, if you went to LouisVuitton and you were buying
something and you have theopportunity to be presented with
different items, have the glassof champagne, have some
interaction and some of thisstuff seems simple, but it's
really kind of an art form ifthey do it well, because,
(31:23):
whatever your budget is, whenyou come into one of these
places, you should feel likeyou're welcomed, you should feel
like you're being, you know,treated with respect.
And I used to think about howcould I sort of apply this to
the healthcare industry, youknow, because I wondered, you
know, different times, like, forexample, with patients, if we,
(31:48):
you know, provided them withdifferent sets of sheets, you
know that were feeling moreluxurious, would they feel a bit
more comfortable.
Would they feel a bit morecomfortable If we take the
service approach?
How can we, you know, inhospitals or insurance companies
(32:08):
, have a more maybe serviceminded or client guest centered
approach?
So everybody feels like I mean,yes, you might be calling about
a bill or you know somethingunpleasant, but you still want
to feel like you're cared for,you're welcomed, you're special,
you're one of a kind,especially in the healthcare
industry, with people dealingwith you know, I bring this
(32:40):
perspective from healthcare thatdoes take from the luxury
industry and thinking about aservice model, but also more of
a delicacy, because I've been,you know, I've had to talk to
patients or design programs witha very specific focus, a very,
you know, niche focus, and onethat requires an enormous amount
(33:02):
of empathy, of course, andunderstanding.
So there's that.
But also, I think, as a consumer, I am somebody who welcomes a
positive experience.
I want to be treated well.
My parents raised me this wayand I am, I love, kind of the I
(33:26):
don't want to just call it theservice model of it, but like
this kind of ritual and I knowwhat people I think like and
expect and how they want to betreated and that's like super
important to me, you know,because when I go into any place
, I really I watch how peopleother people are treated, I
(33:48):
watch how I am treated, I watchhow other people are treated, I
watch how I am treated and I'mreally focused on that and
ensuring that people have greatexperiences and I love seeing
people happy.
Luxury is a joy.
It should make you happy.
It shouldn't make you feel bad.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
You're right, as I'm hearing you.
It's really the hospitality ofit.
It's how the person feels and,um, at the end of the day, it's
why people have um brand loyaltyto certain things.
Right, it's, that's part of themarketing.
Why will?
Will someone always buy this?
(34:29):
You know, it's because it's howit makes them feel, and
sometimes from a psychologicalstandpoint.
You know.
You know, I've heard that forevery negative experience, you
need like five positive.
You know three to five positiveexperiences.
So it's like I had such anamazing positive experience with
(34:51):
this brand, like I'm going tostay with them, like, yes, I'll
give you a perfect example.
There's a, there's a, there's atool, there's a software.
It's a brand.
They have a suite of thingsRight, and the first time I
started podcasting it was likethe most difficult thing to
learn.
Started podcasting, it was likethe most difficult thing to
(35:12):
learn.
I was just like it was likeputting a new flight student
into a 747 versus a littleseaplane.
And I know where I am 10 yearslater podcasting that I could
master that tool, but I can'ttouch that tool with a 10 foot
pole.
I'm like I can't, I don't, Iwant to but I just can't.
And I really think that's whatthese luxury marketing is is
(35:37):
wanting to make such a greatfirst impression that it stays
with you for almost for life,really.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah, and the other thing is too that I think the
market is changing so muchbecause I think the traditional
customer of luxury has changed.
You know, there are differentpockets of people all over the
world who are attaining, youknow, for better or for worse,
(36:07):
new money, new, money areattaining, you know, for better
or worse.
New money Through tech, you know, online, you know, opening
businesses, food, whatever it is.
There are a lot of people whoare, yeah, getting you know,
this new money.
So the landscape of the, youknow, traditional client, this
(36:28):
has changed and the market, ifthey want to be very successful,
should adapt to this.
You know, and and I think thatwhat I also bring you know to
the table is my own livedexperience, right, and, and I
think that's important because,you know, some industries are,
(36:51):
you know, quicker to change andsome are, you know, slower to
change.
I think luxury may be one of theindustries, at least from what
I understand, that has somewhatfocused on sometimes traditional
, maybe marketing or messaging,I mean, but definitely there are
some really creative campaigns.
(37:12):
But, you know, the thing is,too, how can you, let's say,
market to the Caribbean, youknow, or how do you market to
Africa or Latin America?
These are, you know, or Asia.
They're very diverse audiencesthat today companies need to
reach, and I think that you know, working in complicated
(37:35):
industries with a lot of peopleand even coming to an
international program has reallygiven me a sense of you know
what are other people thinking.
You know, what does the marketin Milan traditionally like?
Or what does the market in HongKong traditionally like?
I got to meet a lot ofdifferent people from all over
the world so I bring you know myown sort of American Jamaican.
(37:59):
You know life, lived experience.
But also I've been able toconnect with a lot of different
people, so I'm hoping to kind ofapply some of that sensibility
to you.
Know companies and help themmarket their products and
services.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
All right, so, as you wrap up, yes, and we reflect on
this conversation, right, Insome ways you took a traditional
path and then you've kind ofmoved around a little bit and
you know, for fun and for joke,we tell this one story that you
know, Caribbean and Jamaicanparents expect you to go to
(38:35):
school and do this and do towork.
We know it's not always true,but you know it's part of the
funny story.
You know, but you know that'snot true because you're living
that right.
And so how do you, how do youdefine success for yourself,
given this varied experience,and what do you want other
(38:57):
Caribbean Americans or anyone inthe Caribbean diaspora,
wherever they are in the world,to learn about?
We can laugh at that one storybecause it's funny, right, but
we can also be bold and braveand lean into.
You know what success lookslike that is different from what
(39:18):
our parents envisioned for us.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Yeah, definitely, I think you know success for me is
.
I still maybe wonder, because Ithink maybe I'll know when I
reach it.
I celebrate the milestones butI'm not sure that I have reached
sort of success yet, I feel,because I just feel like there's
(40:00):
so many things that I want todo and I need to do and maybe,
you know, success would reallylook like also being know doing
something in Jamaica as well.
And you know, maybe even youknow, in honor of you know my
mom who passed some years agoand you know she had always
wanted to go back and you knowthat's why I go back, a big part
(40:24):
of it, because I try to livethat experience, I don't know,
hoping that you know she'll seeme there and see me happy and
things like that.
And then the second part toyour question.
The first one's what doessuccess look like?
Speaker 1 (40:38):
And the second was Leaning into different types of
success, but it might lookdifferent from what our parents
might have envisioned forthemselves or for us.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Yes, okay, so leaning in, wow Again, I'm a risk taker
, but I'm also quite practical,so people have to determine
their own risk tolerance.
I always say this, but I feellike this experience has been so
great because you can findcommunity abroad or, if you make
(41:12):
a change and you really applyyourself, you'll meet the right
people who connect you, know toyou or with you and enhance your
life.
And I feel like you know, Ispent many years being super
practical and working as I wassupposed to work Right, but this
(41:33):
was really a decisionspecifically for me and I think
that if there's something thatyou want to do just for you,
then make your plan, take therisk and go for it.
You know and trust that you'llland on your feet.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
So you're in Paris?
Yeah, how do you?
How do you maintain connectionwith your family on the other
side of the world?
How do you connect?
Speaker 2 (42:02):
Yes, WhatsApp, but also a lot of WhatsApp, a lot of
technology, I would say.
But when I have time, like inthe evening right now, or
sometimes in my afternoon, istheir early morning.
I know they're just waking up,so I call them, and so we
(42:25):
definitely use a lot of socialmedia as well to stay connected.
We send photos, they read myblog sometimes, and those are
all good ways, but also throughplatforms, you know, like your
own.
I did want to connect with youtoo, because there's definitely
a few Jamaicans that are outhere.
(42:45):
There's an organization,jamaicans in France, and so
there are a few of us, you know,who are here.
They've had some events hereand there and I hope to connect
with the community as well.
But I think, overall just if Ithink about my immediate family,
social media calls, etc.
(43:07):
But my Jamaican family, myCaribbean family, definitely
through platforms, you know,like yours, where I can connect
with more people, they canconnect with me if they want,
because really I just want to beable to encourage people to
make that move or to make thatchange and to know that if they
want to come to this side, oneof us is here and you know they
(43:28):
can reach out, you know if theyhave questions or whatnot, this
side one of us is here and youknow they can reach out.
You know if they have questionsor whatnot?
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Thank you for sharing that.
I mean I love this idea ofJamaicans in Paris.
So I have this model that I justintroduced and it's really
based on my experience movinghere from Jamaica when I was
younger and I talked about how,even though I lived in Wisconsin
and it's clearly not Brooklynwith a whole bunch of Jamaica
there was younger and I talkedabout how, even though I lived
in Wisconsin and it's clearlynot Brooklyn with a whole bunch
(43:54):
of Jamaica there was you're ableto find small, a small
community, and it's even moreintentional and the connection
because your mom was curryingthe pheasant but no one know
where your mother get the curryfrom, right, so there's some
community, not big and broadlike Florida, you know New York
or Boston, but it's.
It does exist.
(44:14):
And even you, talking about theJamaicans in France, you know
we find community and because wehave to be intentional, like
you're being intentional,connecting with your family,
connecting with the podcast,your connection to culture is
then different, because it's sointentional for you to maintain
(44:34):
this versus.
You know you just go outsideand you step outside your house
in Brooklyn and you smell jerkchicken.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
You know like you know you might smell some like
beef, bourguignon or a baguette.
You're going to smell bread.
Or you might smell, you know,cheese from the fromagerie yeah,
that's what you're going tosmell, bread.
Or you might smell, you know,cheese from lingerie yeah,
that's what you're going tosmell here.
A lot of bread for sure.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Right.
So I mean this idea ofgeography and how that impacts
how much you're connected toculture.
So this was timely and perfect.
So, sahia, listen, let me knowoffline.
I know somebody else who's inParis Um she Guadalupe, um of.
Guadalupe heritage but she'sbeen on the podcast a couple of
(45:19):
times and I adore her.
She is really amazing.
So I would want to put you bothin touch and, um, I mean thank
you again for being on thepodcast.
This has been really greatgetting to know you and you know
your luxury marketing and youknow, when, when, when things
(45:40):
kick off, you know, I expect youto come back and tell me oh,
you are doing the most in luxurymarketing, especially in what
they're calling emerging markets.
But you don't know, we alreadyexist, we're not emerging.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
We already arrived Exactly.
We're major, yes, yes so.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
I'm excited for you and this adventure, and then
maybe we can do a live stream tothe Jamaicans in Paris, like
wagwan.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
Yeah, that would be amazing.
There's a few I have to reachout to some people, so cause I
want to make sure they get this.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
Yes, oh, my goodness, this has been amazing.
Well, is there anything elseyou want to share with our
audience before we close?
Speaker 2 (46:28):
Oh sure, thank you.
Before we close oh sure, thankyou, I would share that.
I'm trying to get better atthis, but I do write a blog at
sahiahobsoncom and on the blog Ishare tips about the luxury
industry, my life in Paris.
I share pictures and thingslike that.
So if people are kind ofcurious about oh, what am I up
(46:51):
to or what might you know lookgood to do in Paris, or they
want some insights about theindustry, then you know they can
go and check out my blog andyou know feel free to contact me
if there's anything that theywant to see.
I'm happy to explore that.
So people can, you know, live alittle vicariously through me,
so I want to share that.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Wonderful, and I'll put that in the show notes as
well.
Sahiya, thank you so much forcoming on giving us a little
insight as to what you're doingin Paris.
Your background Wow.
Agronomy, iowa, des Moinesdefinitely a first first, but
midwest we're always going torepresent, yeah, um.
(47:34):
So thank you again for being onthe podcast and, as I love to
say at the end of every episode,walk good, thank you.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com