082 | From Temp to Philanthropic Leader with Erika Williams - Career Cheat Code

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What do I want to do?
So try this for two months, trythis for three months.
Let your temp agency be yourambassador.
Like you know, I was at thisjob for three months and these
are the things I liked about it.
These are the things I didn'tlike about it.
Do you have anything on yourlist of opportunities that feel
like a better match for me?

(00:20):
Given the feedback that I'vegiven you, I think like we don't
do enough, and I wish we did.
But there was a moment, raddy,when I thought I was going to be
in advertising and marketing.
I thought I actually worked forthis magazine called Class
Magazine through Uniworld Group.
I thought I was going.

(00:40):
I had a mentor at J WalterThompson while I was at
LaGuardia High School, a bigadvertising company.
I knew I was going.
LaGuardia High School, like abig ad advertising company.
I knew I was going to be inadvertising.
But the way like my life, itdidn't work that way, and so you
know I am where I am.
I could not have traded any ofthese experiences for anything
in the world.
I wouldn't trade them foranything in the world.

(01:01):
So you always have plans andideas about what you want to do
and then again divine order likeputs you in other places and I
always tell people you areexactly where you need to be at
that time.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Welcome to Career Cheat Code.
In this podcast, you'll hearhow everyday people impact the
world through their careers.
Learn about their journey,career hacks and obstacles along
the way.
Whether you're already havingthe impact you want or are
searching for it, this is thepodcast for you.
All right, erica, welcome tothe show.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Thank you for having me Appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Appreciate you joining Career Cheat Code.
Let's dive right in.
Let's tell the world what it isyou do for a living.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
What do I do for a living?
So I am the owner of theAlberio Group.
It is a consulting practicefocused on supporting social
purpose driven organizations.
So we help to build theircapacity.
So everything from fundraisingto board development strategic
planning, I've been doing thaton and off for about 12 years

(01:59):
and then recently I would saymaybe top of this year January
came back to it full time.
So that's what I do.
I help nonprofit organizationsbe better.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
That's awesome, so tell me more about who is your
ideal client and what does yourweek look like.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
It ranges, and I don't know that I have an ideal
client.
I would say optimal is whenthere is trust and collaboration
.
I think for the most part Iwork with a lot of founders of
nonprofit organizations and forthem these organizations are
their babies.
They put a lot of energy andeffort into establishing them

(02:38):
and they also care a lot aboutfamilies, communities, children,
and so I always want to makesure that I am doing and showing
up for them in the best waypossible.
I have my ideas, my views basedoff experience, expertise, but
it doesn't work unless we bothfeel like we are contributing to

(02:58):
the ultimate outcome.
So that's sometimes toughconversations, that's a lot of
push and pull, while not like inthe moment.
Sometimes it gets reallycomplicated when I'm pushing for
something and kind of pushingthem out of their comfort zone
and they're pushing back alittle bit.
But I find that those are theclients that get the best

(03:18):
results, the ones who arewilling to stretch, the ones who
challenge me and my assumptionsand my thinking.
I think ultimately we get thebest outcome that way.
So they may not come off asideal clients in the beginning,
but certainly the end resultmakes me feel like, oh, that was
a win.
We were successful in that.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, that's great.
So you said you've been doingthis on and off for about 12
years.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
So you started this consulting company about 12
years ago.
Can you tell me a little bitmore about why you started it
around that time, kind of whatthe on and off portions look
like?

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Yeah, lots of on and off ramps when it comes to my
career especially.
So I started the practice whileI was maybe a little bit before
.
I was kind of in between jobs,between working with the Annie E
Casey Foundation, atlanta andgoing to Fulton County's Human

(04:13):
Services Department where Imanage research and evaluation
for the Health and HumanServices Division.
And so in between that time Iwas working with someone and we
had this brilliant idea ofstarting a consulting practice,
and so that's essentially whatwe did and it ranged.
You know, it was focused oncommunity development more
broadly.
So we've worked in economicdevelopment, workforce

(04:35):
development strategies, and thenwhen I started working
full-time with Fulton County, Ikind of put that to the side.
I would do maybe small projectshere and there, but nothing as
extensive as what I'm doing whenit's been full time.
And then I had the opportunityto win a fellowship.
I was working, or I applied fora fellowship with the Robert

(04:56):
Bosch Foundation, which wasreally for mid-career
professionals, an opportunity tokind of exchange between
Germany and America.
So 20 American fellows went toGermany for a little over a year
and worked on various topics.
My topic was really aboutwomen's entrepreneurship and its
impact on sustainability.

(05:17):
I had a lot of, obviously,experience as being a woman
entrepreneur, but also because alot of the work that I was
doing was focused again oncommunity development,
sustainability more broadly.
So I went to Berlin.
I speak a little German, I hadto study German before going and
even when I got there there wasmonths and months and months of

(05:38):
German training.
But I also got to work with theHeinrich Boll Foundation, which
was, or is, the think tank forthe Green Party for the European
Union.
I did that for a year.
It was a fabulous experience.
I got to travel all over theworld.
It's easy to do when you areliving in Europe.
And when I came back I had theopportunity to work with another

(06:00):
foundation in Michigan and Ifelt like, well, I just dragged
my family to Berlin, I don'tknow that I could take them to
Michigan, and so I kind of cameback to Atlanta, which is where
I was living at the time, andsaid, well, before taking a
full-time job, maybe I want totry my hand at going back into

(06:22):
consulting, where I'd have someflexibility and really create
some space and time for me tothink about what I wanted to do
next.
So that was kind of the on andoff ramp in terms of like kind
of on and then in between jobs.
But also, you know, given thework that I do, I have a lot of
opportunity to meet a lot ofpeople and engage with a lot of
folks, and they're always theyhave first view into your work

(06:45):
product.
They have first view into howyou show up for organizations,
for people, and so I never hadit.
There was never like any waittime or downtime Like folks as
soon as I would let people knowlike hey, you know, I'm kind of
in between, trying to figuresome things out, let me know if
I can be supportive of you andyour work in this moment.
And it was always kind of aresounding yes, I can totally

(07:06):
use you, your skill set, yourjust a lot of kind of like
things you can't necessarilyquantify.
It's just kind of how you areand it always helps when people
feel like they can work with youand you have context for the
work that they do already.
So that is, I think, what madeit really really easy for me to
kind of come in and out ofconsulting, and I've always

(07:29):
loved it.
It was usually a really goodopportunity that would present
itself, that would kind of bringme back into the workforce in
terms of a nine to five.
But I always felt like, at theend of the day, if it doesn't
fit anymore or if I'm feelinglike kind of I've done all I can
do in that space, having kindof my consulting practice to
kind of come back to has beenextremely helpful.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
Now I appreciate that right, because you're showing
how having something activateddoesn't necessarily mean that
you have to do it 100% of yourtime, right, like there are
times when that was the case andyou were dedicating 100% of it.
There are times when that wasthe case and you were dedicating
100% of it.
There are times when, as yousaid, opportunities came and you
were like you know what, maybeI should take this role.
I'll still keep my consulting,whether I keep some clients on

(08:13):
the side or not, but when I needthat I could just jump back
into it.
So I think that's a greatapproach to consulting, unless
you have this plan of becoming,you know, of hiring people and
growing that as an organization,which it just doesn't sound
like.
That was where you were at thetime.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
No, raddy, it's a really good point because I
think when you are doing anyentrepreneurial venture, whether
it's consulting or anythingelse, you kind of have to know
what your end game is.
Right Like, do I want to builda business with the intent to
sell it one day?

(08:50):
Right Like you have to kind ofgo in knowing.
Or do I want employees?
Right Like, do I want to hirefolks?
Do I want to be responsible forpayroll?
Like these are importantquestions.
The way I ran my consultingpractice is again, I have a huge
network of folks who are alsokind of maybe in between jobs,

(09:13):
maybe have the flexibilitywithin their current nine to
fives to do some stuff on theside, their moonlighting.
And because of that I had anetwork of maybe 20 plus what I
would say independentcontractors where if I got a
project that was kind of beyond,kind of what my current
capability, I can always reachinto that network, tap into that

(09:34):
network and bring people onto aproject, which was great
because I could like scale up,scale down as I need to.
So I didn't necessarily need tosay no to big projects just
because maybe I was a one womanshow.
I always said yes.
Back then I think I'm a littlebit more strategic and
intentional now, but back then Ialways said yes, because I felt

(09:55):
like I could always bringsomeone in with the expertise to
help me do this work, to helpme deliver, to help me execute.
And so you're 100% right, youdon't have to necessarily be all
in all the time.
You just have to know at theoutset what kind of business am
I growing?
You know what I mean.
Am I building this business tosell it one day?

(10:16):
Am I doing this because itgives me some personal and
professional satisfaction?
Right?
Like I love the flexibility ofconsulting.
I love the idea that I don'tnecessarily have to work with
one organization, one person,one entity in one place.
Like I love the diversity thatconsulting affords me, which is

(10:39):
another reason why I neverwanted to really let it go.

Speaker 2 (10:41):
That makes a lot of sense and you know, as someone
who just recently started hisown consulting practice, I
appreciate hearing all thatright, because it does give you
that flexibility and it is.
It was one of the things that Ihad to ask myself when I was
starting this um someone.
I had several conversationswith different consultants and
one of them asked me like well,you should think about what is
your end game, right?
Like do you want to grow a thingor do you just want to do your

(11:03):
own thing?
Because you get approachedseparately and then you know, of
course, through reading somebooks around starting your own
consulting company.
Some of that was also iterated,so you know.
It's just good, I think, advicefor entrepreneurs generally
Like what is your exit strategy,what is your vision?
But, also specifically forconsultants.
So we can think about what does10 years down the line look
like?
And then you act accordingly.

(11:24):
And you mentioned in some ofthose on and off ramps, as you
call them right.
So tell me about.
Most recently when I met you,you were working at a foundation
.
Would love to hear kind of yourstory of how that became one of
your on ramps right.
And then lead to where you arenow.
So how did you end up gettingthat role?

(11:44):
Are you like actively seeking,as you had consulting clients,
or what did that look like?

Speaker 1 (11:49):
Yeah, great question.
So I wasn't actively seekingany role.
In fact I had just left a parttime role with the Pierre and
Tana Matisse Foundation, whichis an arts education foundation
in New York City.
It was really, really greatbecause we got to give a lot of
grant making dollars to schoolsto do whatever it is that they

(12:12):
wanted to do as it related toarts and education.
And it was fabulous because mybackground I went to the FAME
school, school for thePerforming Arts, so arts has
always been near and dear to myheart.
So it was a little mix of thatplus some grant makings.
Like how could I say no?
And so it was great.
And then when that role ended, Iwas like okay, I'm just going

(12:33):
to go back into my consultingpractice and I'm not really
looking for a job.
In fact, I don't know that Iever want to have a nine to five
again.
That's what I told myself.
I'm like I'm so good on that,right.
I felt like I was making a lotmore money.
I mean, I was making a lot moremoney as a consultant.
I again, I love the flexibilityof it and I was like good.

(12:55):
And then a good friend of minereached out to me and asked if I
would be interested in joiningMike Bloomberg's campaign when
he was running for president.
Initially I said I'm not sureright, because I wasn't 100%
sure that Mike Bloomberg was mycandidate that I would vote for
him.
But after a lot ofinterrogation and investigation

(13:17):
around kind of what he stood foras a presidential candidate,
the thing that really helped medecide was his economic justice
for Black America policy and atthat time every presidential
candidate had like a plan forBlack America and his plan
resonated with me the most andit felt like all the things that

(13:40):
that plan included you know,housing community engagement,
really thinking about thecriminal justice system in a
different way made me think likewell, if this is what it looks
like to have someone like him inoffice, that would be a
proponent of this kind of work.

(14:02):
That's the candidate for me andso I joined that campaign.
I never worked on a politicalcampaign Some folks will tell
you that I still haven't,because when you've worked on a
presidential campaign with MikeBloomberg it's a little
different probably from otherkinds of political campaigns.
But it was a whirlwind.
I had a very young baby at thetime, not even one years old

(14:24):
when I joined that campaign andwe were all over the country
promoting this economic justicefor Black America policy, trying
to win the vote of Black people, and that experience was
amazing.
And then, shortly after hiscampaign ended, he wanted to
continue that work and so itbecame basically myself and the

(14:48):
director of African-Americanoutreach for that campaign and
another person who co-wrote thatpolicy, working together to
basically figure out how do weright-size a policy for a
philanthropic portfolio.
And we did that with really,really smart people economists,
great people over a year's timeand created the Greenwood

(15:11):
Initiative, which was focused onbuilding Black wealth.
Essentially, it was done.
It was started at a time wherewe were in the middle of a
global health pandemic withCOVID.
It was started at a time wherewe were in the middle of what
some would refer to as a racialreckoning the murder of Mr

(15:35):
George Floyd.
There was just a lot going onat the time and our first
investment out of that portfoliowas $100 million to
historically Black medicalschools to reduce student loan
debt, and it was right for thetime Again, I think, when you
everyone's lived through this,when you have a global pandemic

(15:55):
like COVID, there was so manypeople dying, but
disproportionately people ofcolor dying, but
disproportionately people ofcolor.
And then I think thedisparities that probably you
and I kind of live and know likethe back of our hand kind of
rose to the forefront in termsof what is happening in the
world in terms of healthcare anddisparities and what does it

(16:17):
mean for frontline workers whodon't have the kinds of support
but also just the lack of justmedical doctors, black medical
doctors.
It's like why don't we havemore Black doctors In Tulsa?
During Greenwood we probablyhad more Black doctors in

(16:40):
Greenwood than we have in someplaces in this country right now
today.
And so $100 million, our firstinvestment out the door and
we've done a lot of great worksince then.
But I kind of moved fromworking on a political campaign
and immediately the next daystill in campaign headquarters

(17:01):
trying to really whiteboard whata funding portfolio would look
like and kind of doing that kindof in consultant mode and then
eventually asked to join thefoundation full-time.
So I kind of fell into that.
That wasn't a role that I saw,that I applied for.

(17:21):
It was kind of like we're in it, we're doing it and now, oh,
I'm here full time.
But that certainly wasn'tplanned.

Speaker 2 (17:29):
Wow.
So you really went in there,one because you believed in him
as a presidential candidate,then two through your consulting
lens, really helping them shapewhat that initiative would look
like as a foundation, right.
And then from there things justkind of continue and you say
you know what, maybe I wouldagain go on an on-ramp or
off-ramp.

(17:49):
Right To really consider whatit would look like to join a
team that was deploying largeamounts of capital to support
black America throughout thecountry, right?
So, like you, just kind of fellinto that, which.
I think for me it's just greatto hear how nimble you are right

(18:10):
You're going to do yourconsulting and you have this
part-time gig.
You're going to go join thiscampaign.
You know what I'll do a stintin philanthropy.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
And that lasted you a couple of years, right, yeah, I
know A few years.
I was there altogether forabout four years.
That wasn't the first time thatthat happened, raddy.
I started my career actually ininvestment banking and the arm
ramp into that space was alsovery interesting.
So I worked for Morgan Stanley.
I went to Lincoln University.
That was my college the firsthistorically Black colleges

(18:34):
college in Oxford, pennsylvaniaand so I don't have to tell you
that there weren't like biginvestment banking firms
recruiting from LincolnUniversity.
So a lot of people don't knowthis.
But I got to Morgan Stanleythrough a temp agency.
I graduated college trying tofigure out what's next and

(18:59):
started working with a tempagency, and one of my first
placements was at Morgan Stanleyin their investment banking
division working in mergers andacquisitions, doing research,
admin work really just kind offell into it.
And I was in investment bankingworking in mergers and
acquisitions at a time wheremergers and acquisitions, m&a,

(19:20):
restructuring, was hot.
There were so many companiesmerging, big firms, merging
other firms, acquiringrestructuring.
It was so, so busy and I got tolearn so so, so much, but I
also was working very, very longhours.
I think some of that is whenyou come through a

(19:41):
non-traditional route, theimpetus to feel like I have to
show and prove that I belonghere, that I deserve to be here,
that I'm smart enough to behere.
There is a lot of like you knowI have to show them, and so I'm
working sunup, sundown kind ofthing.
So you're talking 70, 80 hoursa week just working, and while I

(20:05):
love the idea of what a bigbrand like Morgan Stanley does
for your career, for your resume, and I love what I was learning
, I'm a learner.
I'm a lifelong learner.
So whenever I have anopportunity to learn something
that's usually what attracts meto a role is the opportunity to
learn something, and so I'velearned a lot.
But I shortly also learned thatthis was not the path.

(20:28):
Like, I did not want to be aninvestment banker, and at Morgan
Stanley there arenon-traditional routes all the
time and people do climb theranks.
But I didn't want to do that.
But I didn't want tonecessarily give up that brand,
and so I would.
Literally, this is when we hadnow I'm aging myself.
This is when we had theintranet, so you would go onto
the company's website and Iwould just look up things like

(20:53):
community, things like economicpolicy, just to see if there
were departments, divisions,within a 50,000 employee global
firm that would have somethingproximate to what I believe that
I was interested in.
That was really the entry intophilanthropy for me.
I knew I wanted to go back toschool.

(21:14):
Morgan Stanley at the timeoffered a full-time ride to do
it.
They were going to pay for meto go to graduate school all
expense paid, but it had to berelated to your career.
And so going to pay for me togo to graduate school, all
expense paid, but it had to berelated to your career.
And so I knew I didn't want anMBA because I didn't want to
stay in investment banking.
So I was like, how can I figurethis out?
And the next thing, you know,I'm having an informational
interview with the director ofthe community affairs division

(21:35):
who also ran the foundation, theMorgan Stanley Foundation
Informational interview, just tolearn, like what is it that
they do?
Because I have no idea what afoundation does, like this is
not something that you knowabout.
Well, I will say I didn't knowabout this career track and I
talked to her.
She had a job opportunity andoffered it to me on the spot.

(21:58):
So that's like anon-traditional way of being
flexible, not throwing the babyout with the bathwater right,
because I could have just said Idon't want to do this and just
left Morgan Stanley altogether.
But I really got thoughtful andtried to be strategic about my
next step.
I'm always thinking aboutwhat's next in a way that's

(22:21):
going to support me and mylong-term goals and so that's
how I ended up in philanthropythe first time around.
So there's so many instances ofme just like falling into roles.
But when it's divine, it'sdivine.

Speaker 2 (22:36):
Wow, and first of all , I love that when it's divine,
it's divine.
Second, you know so you startedout as a temp.
How long did you actually staythere for?

Speaker 1 (22:45):
Well as a temp or at Morgan Stanley period.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
At Morgan Stanley.
Oh, I was there for about sixyears Wow, so you know, and I
appreciate that right, becauseI'm also someone who turned a
temp job into like a five and ahalf year thing.
Oh really, yeah, I was doingthat at Columbia university.
I went in on like a nine monthcontract and, you know, it also
turned out to be, you know, oneof the greatest experiences,

(23:08):
especially earlier on in mycareer.
You know, and I appreciate that, not only did you say you know
what I'm going to take this tempjob, you also then took the
initiative to say, well, whatwould I actually want to do here
If it's not just investmentbanking?
This is a 50,000 people firm.

Speaker 1 (23:25):
There must be something I like right, there
has to be.
There has to be somethingwithin this firm that I would
like to do.
I got to work at the foundation.
I got to manage this is wherearts comes in again I got to
manage their arts and culturalgrant making and their diversity
and education grant making, youknow, basically strengthening,
strengthening the pipeline fordiverse talent.

(23:46):
So that was like right up myalley but you know, I fell into
that role and then I got to getmy, my graduate degree from new
school, from the new school inurban policy and community
development.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Talk to me about if you got into investment banking
through this temp agency.
Talk to me about what you weredoing in college before that.
Were you actually studying?

Speaker 1 (24:08):
at Lincoln University .

Speaker 2 (24:10):
And what was your ideal role at that point?
What I would do next.

Speaker 1 (24:14):
So I studied business , so I got my bachelor's in
business administration and Idon't know that I had an ideal
role.
And I think this is the thingwhen you are I am a kind of
first generation college goer,right?
So when you don't have folks inyour family who are constantly

(24:35):
talking to you about like yourcareer and your career choices,
you don't have a whole lot ofguidance.
And it was interesting becauseI think while I was in well
before high school I was goingto I went to a gifted and
talented school in New York City, my hall.
I had an opportunity to do likeA Better Chance and you know, a

(24:59):
Better Chance is anorganization that pretty much
sets folks up for like boardingschool and a career like in
investment banking.
Maybe would have been moreobvious had I gone through a
program like that, but Iactually didn't choose to go to
A Better Chance.
I actually decided to pursue mylove for the arts.
So I got a scholarship toattend the Harlem School of the

(25:21):
Arts where I studied classicalmusic, and that was pretty much
my entree into getting intoLaGuardia High School, which
just opened up so manyopportunities and things for me
artistically.
But I could have been on anentirely different track had I
gone the A Better Chance route.
So there are moments in my lifewhere I'm kind of like, oh, I
could have done this.

(25:42):
But when I got to school I knewbusiness was an interest.
I also kind of had this thinglike I wanted to make money,
like, and I didn't think that Icould do that.
Like singing, you know, like Ihave a pretty nice voice, but
like, do I have a nice enoughvoice where I'm gonna to pursue
this full time and be able toeat on a regular basis?

(26:02):
I don't know.
So I wanted to just be inbusiness.
I knew that much.
That's all I knew.
I've always been like a hustlerin spirit, so I'm always
working, doing things, andbusiness just seemed right.
But I did not have a plan oflike, okay, when I graduate
college, what do I do next?
Which is how I ended up at atemp agency.

(26:23):
Right, because I didn't havelike any real sense of I want to
work in this firm, I want to dothis kind of business or this
kind of work.
But temp agencies are great forthat, right.
Like you know, people shouldnot, you know, shy away or shun
particularly young people whattemp agencies offer Because,
just as much as temp agencies,from their perspective, the

(26:46):
employer is trying to fill atemporary need.
It's an opportunity for thatyoung person to also try out a
lot of different things, right,like what do I want to do?
So try this for two months, trythis for three months.
Let your temp agency be yourambassador.
Like you know, I was at thisjob for three months and these

(27:08):
are the things I liked about it.
These are the things I didn'tlike about it.
Do you have anything on yourlist of opportunities that feel
like a better match for me?
Given the feedback that I'vegiven you, I think like we don't
do that enough and I wish wedid.
But there was a moment, raddy,when I thought I was going to be

(27:28):
in advertising and marketing.
I thought I actually worked forthis magazine called Class
Magazine through Uniworld Group.
I thought I was going.
LaGuardia High School, like abig ad advertising company.
I knew I was going to be inadvertising.
But the way, like my life, itdidn't work that way, and so you

(27:50):
know I am where I am.
I could not have traded any ofthese experiences for anything
in the world.
I wouldn't trade them foranything in the world.
So you always have plans andideas about what you want to do
and then again divine order putsyou in other places and I
always tell people you areexactly where you need to be at
that time.

(28:11):
There are no wrong moves youcan make.
There are no wrong decisionsyou can make.
You are exactly where you needto be and I think my career has
demonstrated that, has shownthat need to be, and I think my
career has demonstrated that,has shown that, yeah, no, I
completely.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
That completely resonates with me, right and I
this is now like the third timeyou've also mentioned art, so it
sounds like art has always beenat the core of you and
something that has helped shapethe way you navigate.
Do you still have ways andoutlets to express that art?
Right and I ask because I knowI think consulting lends itself
to that.
I think entrepreneurshipconsulting lends itself to that.
I think entrepreneurshipgenerally lends itself to that.
But just wondering if you'reable to like actually express

(28:46):
that somehow.

Speaker 1 (28:46):
Yeah, I agree with you, Entrepreneurship definitely
lends itself to, likecreativity, artistic expression.
I still sing occasionally.
You know people who know I cansing will ask me to sing at
their wedding or something likethat.
So I've done a lot of weddingsinging.
But also, I think music ingeneral, art in general,

(29:10):
creativity and expression shouldfeel healing.
I got to work with anorganization actually a long
walk home based in Chicago thathelped women and girls who have
experienced sexual violence,trauma in their life, like
through the arts, support andheal them Like I got to do that

(29:30):
as a consultant, you know,helping this organization grow
and deepen their capacity todeliver really good work and
supportive services to younggirls who needed it.
So art has always been likewoven in my life one way or the
other.
I am, you know, there's so muchresearch out there that shows,

(29:52):
like when children are exposedto the arts, like all the kinds
of things that like just howtheir minds open up.
So my children are engaged inthe arts.
Like it's kind of like theydon't really have a choice.
We're also art collectors, sowe invest in art.
We just believe that,especially for my babies, it's

(30:15):
important for them to see youknow people that look like you
and me make amazing art and tosee that on their walls and
their home, to develop a loveand appreciation for art, I
think has made me a betterperson, and I believe it just
makes people better.
Like to appreciate someone'stalent goes a long way, and I

(30:37):
think that's true in like anybusiness nine to five.
Like.
The idea of art also is aboutcollaboration, working together,
right, for the best outcome.
We all don't need to sing thesame note, right.
Like it's best when folks arehave their section singing their
line, doing their part.

(30:59):
It might sound cheesy, butthese are lifelong lessons that
you bring into all kinds ofsituations, right?
But most importantly, I thinkit's the love and appreciation.
Right, someone has donesomething that I can't do and
I'm appreciating what they'veput into it because literally,

(31:20):
they have poured their heart andsoul into something for the
benefit of other people'senjoyment, and so at the very
least, we should be respectfuland appreciative of that.
So I try to teach my childrenthat.
But yeah, arts it's in you,it's a soul thing, it's always
there.

Speaker 2 (31:38):
Absolutely.
I can definitely see thatthrough and I appreciate how you
connect the dots between notonly are you a layered
individual and therefore art canbe woven into whatever you do,
but also you can actuallychannel that through your
consulting to say you know what?
I'm going to help some youth,I'm going to work with some, I'm
going to take some take on somefoundations that actually focus
on arts and education.

(31:58):
right, like you're able to likestill do the things that you're
passionate about, just from adifferent lens, that maybe we
just didn't know was an optionwhen we were growing up.

Speaker 1 (32:06):
I had not thought about it that way, raddy, but
yeah, you 100%.
That is 100% the truth.
I think you can find a way toweave in your interests,
passions, love for all kinds ofthings, and I think where people
get tripped up is that theythink they have to choose right

(32:27):
and decide, you know.
And so the Latin word for likeside is to kill off, to cut off
right.
So decide, homicide, likeyou're cutting something off.
You don't necessarily have todecide to cut off interest or
passion or things that you love.
It's all part of you and, toyour earlier point, we're all

(32:50):
layered individuals.
So honor that, honor thejourney, honor the things that
you love, honor your passionsand always leave space for them,
because as soon as you cutsomething off, as soon as you
kill it right, you are literallylimiting yourself for what
might be possible, for the manyopportunities that might be

(33:13):
waiting for you.
So don't kill anything that'sinside you, right Like, keep all
of that alive and figure outnew ways to cultivate love on
and and make purposeful.
I think is really important.

Speaker 2 (33:26):
Wow, what a beautiful way to blend that together.
Right, I hadn't even thoughtabout what side man and kind of
where that came from, so thatwas.
That was awesome.
I didn't get to ask you thisearlier, but when you mentioned
you went after your master's,did you actually take advantage
of your company's reimbursementor financial help?

Speaker 1 (33:45):
I sure did Great.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
I got all my coins.

Speaker 1 (33:49):
I got all my coins.
I got all the things.
I literally took advantage ofeverything, so tuition
reimbursement, books,reimbursement, 100% of
everything and the only thingthat they asked is that you stay
a year after you finished,right?

(34:12):
So, after they made that lasttuition reimbursement payment,
that you stick with the firm fora year, which I did before
leaving New York and moving toAtlanta.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
That makes sense and, honestly, one that's a fair ask
.

Speaker 1 (34:27):
Yeah, I can stick around for 12 more months.
You have paid for my entiregraduate degree.
I think I could do you thesolid.

Speaker 2 (34:34):
Absolutely.
And I just like to name itbecause for me I have a master's
degree as well, but that wasalso paid by my organization,
right?
So people may look at me andsay, oh Raddy, you got a
master's, let me go get amaster's.
I'm like, hold on now, I ain'ttake on no $70,000 debt for no
degree.
So like think about why, youwant it and how you can
strategically position yourself100%.

(34:56):
I happen to work at an educationinstitution and literally the
moment I got my letter to workthere, I was like all right,
well, I'm going to turn thistemporary job into a full-time
job.
The moment I turned that into afull-time job, I'm like great.
I don't know what this lookslike in terms of what masters
I'm going to walk away from, butI'm not leaving this place

(35:18):
without something.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
Without it.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
Without it, that's right, I was like Denzel, like
I'm leaving this place.

Speaker 1 (35:26):
I love that.
Get it, get all that you canpossibly get, why not?
I mean, so many times we leavethings on the table.
Very seldom do people, you knowparticularly when it's your
first job like you're just sohappy to have a job, maybe that
you like go through thatbenefits package, y'all like get
deep into it, read the fineprint?

(35:48):
So many times we're leavingdollars, big dollars, on the
table because we haven't takenthe time to look into our
company's match.
But you'll never hear me say,like you know, go just be an
entrepreneur.
And like you know, nine tofives or for suckers Like you,
you will never, ever hear me saythat because but you have to go

(36:11):
in to your point, raddy, likeyou're, like I'm leaving with
something.
You have to go in with thatmindset, that mentality.
As much as you're getting fromme my good brain, my talent, my
network, my social capital, asmuch as you're getting all of
that from me.
These are the things I'mgetting from you, and it doesn't
just have to be a paycheck.

(36:32):
If you are a full-time employee,I'm going to assume that you
have benefits of some sort,benefits of some sort, and you
should be interrogating thatbenefits package and getting
everything you can possibly getNow.
Sometimes certain benefitsdon't kick in for like six
months or a year, or mark thatbad boy on your calendar.

(36:55):
Like I need y'all to beintentional, super deliberate
about getting all that you canso because when you leave it's
like they don't owe me anything.
You know what I mean and Idon't owe them anything.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Absolutely.
I have a wife who works in HR,so anytime we're going over
benefits package, one of thethings that she likes to tell me
is Raddy, if you're not takingadvantage of all your benefits,
you're underpaid, especially ifit's something like tuition or
reimbursement.
That means that's money thatshould have just put towards
your salary, but because itdidn't, you need to take
advantage of it.

Speaker 1 (37:27):
Oh, I love that.
I love that I had not thoughtabout that.
Because, to be honest and,radha, you and I have talked
about this before sometimes,particularly the bigger brand
institutions, they don't want topay you right.
They're like, nah, our brand isstrong enough and you should
just be happy to be here and youshould take what we're giving
you, but usually because it's abenefit to them, they have a

(37:52):
whole bunch of other things thatare like tax write-offs for
them.
They have a whole bunch ofother benefits that people
rarely tap into.
And so, to your point, ifyou're not going to see it in
your check, or to your wife'spoint, if you're not seeing it
in your check, you absolutelylike that.
Now you really need to go hardat getting all that you can in

(38:12):
terms of the other benefits,because you know, like you said,
let's not leave anything on thetable, let's, let's get all of
it.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
I actually want to talk a little bit about how you
and I met right, because I thinkour paths crossed while you
were at Bloomberg Philanthropiesand while I was at the
Rockefeller Foundation right,that's right.

Speaker 1 (38:32):
Big brands oh you name dropping now.
Now you name dropping alreadyLike these are the big brands.

Speaker 2 (38:39):
They name drop us when they say we work there.
But yeah, so, like these arethe big brands, they name drop
us when they say we work there.
But yeah, so you know, so youknow.
I think really our, our pathscrossed through a series of
things.
So one was attending similarevents because we were investing
in similar topics and, you know, one of the things I really
appreciated from you was thewoman you and I connected.
You were very welcoming to meas someone that has been in

(39:01):
philanthropy for so long.
Like yourself, I was new tophilanthropy.
I was like a couple months intophilanthropy I was like I don't
know what I'm doing but I'mhere making it work, doing great
yeah.
You know I'd like to think I dida decent job over there.
But you know, I think you and Ireally you know I gravitated
towards you because you were sowelcoming.
You were like all right, here'swhat I would be thinking about

(39:22):
at this point in my career, andlike we would talk about the
work and how do we support eachother through that, like if
we're doing some things that areadvancing initiatives for black
and brown communitiesthroughout the country we could
talk work.

Speaker 1 (39:34):
Let's talk work.

Speaker 2 (39:35):
Let's make that happen, and you would always
take it upon yourself to checkin on me as, like a professional
.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
Like all right.
Well, how are you doing in thisspace?

Speaker 2 (39:42):
How's the space, treating you and you were like
just great at connecting me withpeople or like just thinking
about spaces that I need to bein, so I just always have
appreciated that.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
So just wanted to take a moment to say thank you
for that.
Oh, I have many things to thankyou for.
I mean definitely that Radhiyou in the same way that you
talk about, like, how you'vebeen supportive, how I've been
supportive in terms of likethinking about you, like, how
are you doing?
You've also afforded me amazingopportunities.

(40:12):
One my time that I spent inItaly at the Bellagio like would
not have happened without yoursupport.
And getting to be in a roomfull of genius.
I'm talking about genius people, talking about the issues that
you and I care about deeply,which is economic support,

(40:32):
mobility for people of color.
Like I got to work with some ofthe most brilliant people over
a matter of days, coming up withall kinds of ideas that would
not have happened without you,and, in fact, it was one of
those in that moment.
Like, spending time in Italy, itwas kind of thinking.
I was thinking, probably whilewalking along Lake Como, I was

(40:57):
thinking I want more experienceslike this.
I was thinking I want moreexperiences like this, right,
like, how do I cultivate moreexperiences like this, where I
get to be in a room with otherreally really dope, smart people
who care about things that Icare about, who may not view
solutions in the way that I viewthem, which is even better

(41:18):
right, because that diversityand thought is helping me grow
as a person, and so it wasreally a pivotal moment for me.
I don't know that I've evershared that with you, but I can
be in a beautiful space withbeautiful people, brilliant
people, like really doing what Ilove, talking about the things
that I love.
I need more opportunities likethis, and so if I'm not in a

(41:40):
space within an organizationthat is consistently creating
opportunities like that for me,then I need to create my own.
You know, and it was a hugeimpetus for like making the
decision as soon as I did, so,thank, you.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
Wow, I appreciate that.
Thank you, I think it's it's areally symbiotic relationship
there, like I think.
I specifically remember therestaurant that I was in.
When you called me back andsaid, yeah, I'd be interested in
doing this, I was like Istepped out.
I was having dinner with mywife and I was like, wait, wait,
wait, I think she might be ableto do it For me.
It's like, as you said, it's aroom full of geniuses.
These are your peers, these arefolks that you're going to

(42:18):
contribute equally to thisconversation.
It was exciting to be able topotentially make that happen.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
I'm glad it worked out, you showed up.

Speaker 2 (42:27):
You did the things.
I'm just glad that that wasable to help, but I didn't
realize the other things there.
So I appreciate that that.
So one of the things that Ilike to talk about on this
platform is salaries.
So, as someone that has been inphilanthropy for so long and
someone that has been anentrepreneur for so long, can
you talk a little bit about howyou're able to financially

(42:49):
sustain both, as you're doingphilanthropy maybe part-time, I
mean, as you're doing consultingmaybe part-time?
versus when you're doing itfull-time and if you're going to
be in philanthropy at thisstage in your career, what would
that look like, to even have aconversation about salary?

Speaker 1 (43:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no.
First of all, I appreciate thaton this platform you're talking
about salaries, because I thinkthat too often we don't hear
people talking about how much dopeople make?
And the truth is, I think,particularly in the
philanthropic sector and I cansay this because I've worked for
many foundations, not just herein the country but around the

(43:24):
world so it ranges like itvastly ranges At Morgan Stanley.
Obviously it was the beginningof my career.
So you know, hopefully you aregrowing in salary as you, as you
progress in your career.
But I definitely was makingunder a hundred thousand dollars

(43:44):
when I first started at MorganStanley, and this was 25 years
ago, I think.
Over the six years that I wasthere, I probably have gone from
maybe 40K to maybe 100K, under100K like throughout those years
, kind of just jumping around.
And that's the other thing tokeep in mind is that I someone

(44:06):
once told me like that's thetime to get your best, and I'm
sure your wife knows this.
That's the time to get yourbiggest salary boost is when you
change jobs or change roles, sothat's the opportunity to
negotiate, leverage pastexperience and negotiate for a
different offer.
So you know, and you know notto say that that was bad money,

(44:28):
but I think I shared this withyou.
I was at an event, networkingevent, with other like young
entrants into the philanthropicspace and it was one of those
days where it was like six of us.
It was like let's put oursalary on a piece of paper and,
like, put it in a hat, and thenthe range was like from 35K to

(44:49):
150K.
Now these are all like newpeople coming into the space,
like that's a real activity thathappened, like that's no
nonsense.
Like I am telling you to paintthe picture of just how buried
the compensation can be.
And obviously it's based off ofa lot of factors just your

(45:11):
expertise, maybe your you know,obviously your experience where
you went to school, like.
But I think the number one thingthe numbers are based off of is
what you ask for, is what younegotiate.
So I told you before firstgeneration college goer, like I
don't, my mom was a homeattendant, right.

(45:32):
I don't have context for what agreat salary is, especially not
25 years ago, right?
So I don't know like you shouldbe asking for this.
Nor did I necessarily know whattools research is out there,
like now we have AI, we have allthe research.
We have Google.
We didn't have Google when Istarted y'all.

(45:54):
So we have Google, we canalways Google right, and there's
all kinds of salary,particularly now for
philanthropy.
That kind of gives you rangesand you kind of can be better
informed about a salary request.
But back then we didn't haveany of that.
So that would explain just therange.
Like, I think you get what younegotiate, you get what you ask

(46:15):
for, and I just wasn't askingfor enough is really how I is
what I believe.

Speaker 2 (46:20):
Well, that's such a great activity.
Right to be in a room withpeople and say all right, we may
not necessarily want to talkabout our salaries, but are we
willing to just put in a pieceof paper and then have a
dialogue around that?

Speaker 1 (46:30):
And that's what we did.
That's exactly what we did andit was very eye opening, right.
We did and it was veryeye-opening right, and it helped
me now being in a room with mypeers.
It helped me think like, okay,all right, going into this next
role, I'm going to be reallyclear about what I'm asking for.
And so my next role, I think,was with the Annie E Casey
Foundation here in Atlanta andthat salary was still probably

(46:56):
not over 100K, but I also wastaking into consideration I was
living in Atlanta during a timelike cost of living was much,
much lower than it was in NewYork.
So I felt like I had a good, Iwas making a good salary, just
kind of three years, four yearsinto philanthropy, like coming
into place-based philanthropyfor another large foundation at

(47:18):
the time Annie Casey Foundation,maybe $3 billion in assets,
like you know, small for today,but back then that was like game
changing in terms of whatphilanthropy was doing.
So you know it's it's rangedand then you know throughout the
years between I told someonewhat I was making at atisse

(47:40):
Foundation, kind of in a parttime role.
So this is like 15 hours a weekand by most standards I was
making a full time salary atthat.
Right, just a part time roleRight.
So I got smarter.
I got a little bit more savvierin terms of like my ass what
I'm asking.
I got smarter, I got a littlebit more savvier in terms of
like my ass what I'm asking.
But then I was really clearabout what I was bringing to the
table.
Right, like, you get moreconfidence the more experience

(48:05):
that you have and again, youstill stick with the.
You get what you ask for.
You get what you negotiate.
So I negotiated a really nicesalary for a part time role at
an arts education foundation.
For a part-time role at an artseducation foundation and then
consulting.
What I love about consulting isthat you have an opportunity for
projects.
Right, you have an opportunityfor retainers, and I've always

(48:28):
tried to, because there's arelationship with the client.
Clients feel like I'm anextension of their organization,
extension of their staff, andso I've always been able to
negotiate retainers, becausetypically, the kind of work that
they're asking me to do goesacross many different capacities

(48:50):
.
Right, it may be strategicplanning, it may be large group
facilitation, it may bestakeholder engagement, it may
be board development right, andI try to do that because, one,
it gives me more insight intothat particular client when I
can work on different things,right.
But it also reminds them that,hey, there's so much that Erica

(49:14):
and her team can do for us thatit makes sense that I have this
person, because I'm not going tobe able to hire them, that they
wouldn't be able to afford tohire me as a full-time person,
but they certainly can put me ona monthly retainer six months,
12 months, 18 months.
That makes it worthwhile for me, because I don't believe in

(49:34):
working for free and I alsodon't believe in working for
cheap.
And I also don't believe inworking for cheap.
That's a mindset thing, though,right, like this idea of
nonprofits, like they have to doso much more for less.
Like that's an important lessonthat I teach all of my clients.
Like, ask for what it costs,right.
So, like, if it costs you $1.2million to deliver this

(49:58):
particular program over a year'stime, don't ask for half of
that.
Right, because this is howorganizations and leaders become
burned out and literally, Ihave seen leaders especially
leaders of color, morespecifically, black women
literally kill themselves tryingto push forward a mission and
they're under-resourced.

(50:20):
Now, part of that is systematicright Like you just have.
Institutions, particularlyphilanthropic institutions, are
guilty of this right Of seeing aperson of color leading an
organization and maybe theythink that they can't
necessarily entrust them withall of this money.
Right Like we've seen it again,this is not new to me.

(50:41):
I've been working inphilanthropy for 25 years, so
I've seen it happen where we'vegiven less to other
organizations than maybe some oftheir white counterparts, and
it's usually because the whitecounterparts have negotiated
something different.
They've asked for what theywanted.
They have the support aroundthem in terms of board
development and other things, tokind of position them in a way

(51:04):
that some leaders of color don'tnecessarily have the same
supports around them.
And so, systemically,organizations led by people of
color are under-resourced, butwe don't need to help them by
people of color areunder-resourced, but we don't
need to help them.
Like we should be asking forwhat it costs.
We should be always focused ondelivering more of our mission

(51:29):
and not being afraid to ask forthe things that it costs and not
being afraid to diversify ourrevenue streams.
Right Like not solely dependingon philanthropy, not even solely
depending on government grants.
I mean, look at this politicallandscape that we're in right
now.
Right, you can't even solelylean on that, but there are
opportunities for earned revenuefor nonprofit organizations.

(51:51):
There are opportunities forownership for commercial real
estate for nonprofitorganizations.
There are ways to bring incomeinto your organization that
folks don't typically thinkabout.
I mean, look at Girl Scouts,probably one of the largest
nonprofit organizations thereare.
You know how much money GirlScouts makes from selling Girl
Scout cookies.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
A lot of money, right .

Speaker 1 (52:16):
We need to be thinking about all of our
nonprofits in that way.
Now, if I'm saying that to aclient and then I come in nickel
and diming right for myservices, right, what am I
saying to you?
That either I don't value whatI'm doing, I don't value my work
right, or it's not worth it.
I'm worth it.
The value that I add isabsolutely worth it, and so I

(52:41):
can't teach you one thing andthen not practice that.
Right, and I'm not foreverybody right, and that's fair
.
Someone could always get aproposal from me and say I can't
do that right now, and that'scompletely acceptable.
Do I stop loving you?
No, do I stop connecting you tomy network?
No, do I stop doing the thingsthat within my power to do on

(53:03):
your behalf and the behalf ofchildren and families?
Absolutely not.
It is my life's mission tosupport organizations and the
work that they do, but mybusiness is still my business,
and so I always have to ask forwhat I believe I'm bringing
value to.
That is a great business, andso I always have to ask for what
I believe I'm bringing value to.

Speaker 2 (53:19):
That is a great differentiation and I appreciate
all of the career cheat codesthat you shared there from
thinking about salary both froman employee standpoint and as an
entrepreneur, how to grow yourconsulting, and think about
clients retainers versus project.
I think that was justbeautifully stated.

Speaker 1 (53:36):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
Are there any forms of media or books or podcasts or
things that have impacted youpersonally or professionally
that you'd like to share withthe audience today?

Speaker 1 (53:47):
Yeah, I thought about this question so you know, I'm
still not into podcasts.
I don't know what it is.
I'm like I haven't reallygotten into.
Of course, I've seen the careercheat code and I'm like Raddy,
why haven't you invited me toyour show?
I've got things to say, inviteme.
But I'm not like in every youknow, like some people on their
commute, in commute home, likethey're always listening to

(54:09):
podcasts, I haven't been able todo it, not because I don't
think they're great, it's justlike I also feel like I'm older,
and so sometimes my phone isnot set up in a way that lets me
do things really smoothly andI'm like, oh, now, wait, what?
So what platform do I have togo to for this?
And like, can I get that onApple Music?
Like I'm so I'm all over theplace.

(54:30):
So I'm still old fashioned, Istill read books, and so I would
say, based off of like whatwe've been talking about, I
think our important reads onethe Wealthy Barber, I think, by
David Chilton or something likethat.
But the Wealthy Barber is agood one because it really does.

(54:52):
Like someone once told me, youneed to design your life in a
way that you don't need to takea vacation, and I was like, oh,
that's dope Right, like creatingspaciousness in your everyday
life where you don't feel likeyou need a reprieve, right.
So at least that should be likethe goal to design your life in

(55:13):
a way that feels supportive ofyou and your family, that you
don't feel like I need areprieve or, oh my God, I can't
wait till I take this vacationbecause this lifestyle, this
work, is killing me.
So Wealthy Barber helps you dothat.
The Wealthy Barber is goodbecause it helps you prioritize
a nine to five and going back tothe benefits and taking

(55:34):
advantage of employer matchesand all of that.
It's one of those, girl, getyour money straight, type books
right, get your money right sothat you can make decisions that
support you right.
And usually, when your money isstrained, it's hard to make
decisions that aren'tmoney-based right.

(55:55):
And sometimes you find yourselfin positions and in
predicaments that like if moneywas not an option, I wouldn't be
here.
So the Wealthy Barber is like areally good, like how to
step-by-step, like here are thethings you need to be doing to
get your money right.
And it's a journey, it's amarathon, not a sprint, but to
at least have that informationto me feels invaluable.

(56:17):
So Wealthy Barber.
The other one is the four-hourwork week, which I'm sure people
have said on this podcast many,many times.
How do you design a life?
That especially now?
Raddy, when I got into thisspace working, when you started
working, we didn't have all ofthis AI type stuff.

(56:38):
We didn't have any of this.
When I got to college, emailwas just coming on.
I remember someone asked me howlong does it take someone to
receive an email?

Speaker 2 (56:49):
And I had no idea.

Speaker 1 (56:50):
It was so new then, but now we have so many things,
so many ways right Now.
Obviously that means a lot morebuying for your time, but I
think you can think about how todesign your life in a way where
you're not spending more timeworking than you are doing the
things that you love, andwhether that's spending time

(57:12):
with family, pursuing yourpassions, doing other things.
So that definitely would be onmy list 4-Hour Workweek, tim
Ferriss.
And then I think, because wetalked about consulting and to
your point, like knowing the endgame, like that's really good
advice you receive.
That's good advice.
We've received the same goodadvice.
There's a book called Built toSell.
I think the last name wasWorrello or Worrello Built to

(57:34):
Sell.
It's an easy read butessentially it's someone
basically walking someonethrough how to build a business
to sell it one day.
And even if you don't intend tosell it, that's how you should
build it right, like having that.
Like you know, one day I maywant to sell it, or one day I

(57:58):
may want to add a little bitmore rigor to my consulting
practice or whatever businessthat you're in.
And if I'm adding rigor, if I'mthinking about growth and
expansion, thinking about oneday selling.
It is a nice framework to helpyou think about growth and
expansion.
So those would be, those wouldbe my recommendations.
I'm also reading something funright now Um, good dirt, um, by

(58:23):
the person I think it'sCharlemagne or Charmaine
Wilkerson.
She did black cake, which was aHulu special, but that's like
my, my nighttime reading.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
Awesome, thank you.
Yeah, I'm going to check outBuild to Sell actually.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
Yeah, you should.
It would be really really goodfor you.

Speaker 2 (58:40):
Is there anything else we haven't discussed today
that the world should know about?
Erica?

Speaker 1 (58:46):
I am a New Yorker, born and raised Washington
Heights.
I actually was born in ColumbiaPresbyterian Hospital, across
the street from the AudubonBallroom where Malcolm X was
assassinated.
I always say that when peopleask me where I'm from, because
it's an important context.
Washington Heights has beenlike the crown jewel of my

(59:11):
childhood.
Grew up on Riverside Drive, mymom is still there.
It's like everything that Ilove about New York the old lady
selling empanadas out herwindow, the corner bodega, some
referring to it as the cocainecapital of the world these are
all the things that make up me.
And my family is from Louisiana.
My mom and her older sistermigrated from Louisiana to New

(59:35):
York City, lived in the Bronxjust trying to make a way for
themselves, and out of that cameme, raised by a single mother
who did all that she could tokeep me out of trouble and to
keep me on the straight andnarrow.
She's the one who walked me tomy audition at Harlem School of
the Arts.
I used to take a bus fromWashington Heights to Lincoln

(59:58):
Center and I could see just howdifferent neighborhoods were
right, like how some trash canswere overflowing with garbage
and then, when we got to acertain point, it wasn't.
Or the bus driver announcingstops.
You know, way past the timewhen we were in my neighborhood
he didn't announce stops in myneighborhood, right, like that

(01:00:20):
got me interested in urbanpolicy and like the difference,
like planning, like what thatdoes for communities and what it
does for a child, you know,like when a child, like a child,
walking through vacant,abandoned, deteriorated
properties, like what messageare we telling our children?
About what we care about, howwe care about them, how we love

(01:00:41):
them, all that matters and itcertainly has influenced my life
and my career choices.
So, yeah, that's a little bitabout who I am.
It's like I have a lot of pridethere and so it has been great
talking to you, randy, like Ialways enjoy talking to you, and

(01:01:02):
so that's why I was likenudging you a little bit.
Like what, why are you not?
What's happening?

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
As I mentioned, you have absolutely been on my list
literally for over a year, soI'm glad that we were able to
make it happen.
But thank you for joiningCareer Cheat Code Really
appreciate it, of course.

Speaker 1 (01:01:23):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:01:24):
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did and believe on themission we're on, please like,
rate and subscribe to thispodcast on whatever platform
you're using, and share thispodcast with your friends and
your networks.
Make sure you follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn at Career
Cheat code and tell us peopleor careers you would like to see
highlighted.
See you next week with somemore cheat codes.
Peace.

All Episodes

082 | From Temp to Philanthropic Leader with Erika Williams

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

Betrayal: Weekly

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}082 | From Temp to Philanthropic Leader with Erika Williams