Courage in Adversity: Collette V. Smith's Story of Resilience

Collette V. Smith, a pioneering figure in professional sports, engages in a profound dialogue with Ramunda Lark Young, co-owner and founder of MahoganyBooks, about her children's book, "Collette’s Courage." This enlightening conversation highlights Smith's remarkable journey as the first Black woman to coach in the NFL, an achievement that resonates deeply with themes of resilience and empowerment.

Within the context of her literary work, Smith articulates her commitment to inspiring young readers, instilling in them the belief that they can overcome obstacles and embrace their true selves. The discussion not only delves into the motivations behind her book but also serves as a testament to the importance of representation and advocacy for marginalized voices in sports and literature. Ultimately, this episode serves as a clarion call for courage, urging listeners to recognize their inherent strength and potential to effect meaningful change.

Takeaways:

1. Colette V. Smith exemplifies resilience and courage, having overcome numerous obstacles to become the first Black woman to coach in the NFL.
2. Her children's book, 'Collette's Courage', serves as a platform to inspire young readers about the importance of self-belief and perseverance.
3. The podcast highlights the significance of having supportive individuals in one's life, as Colette shares the impact her Aunt Ronnie had on her self-identity.
4. Colette emphasizes the need to challenge societal expectations and to pursue one’s dreams fearlessly, regardless of the barriers present.
5. The discussion underscores the importance of representation in sports, as Colette's journey paves the way for future generations of women in coaching roles.
6. Colette's journey is not only about her achievements but also about using her platform to empower and uplift young people, particularly those from marginalized communities.

Hosts & Guests:

1. Collette V. Smith
2. Ramunda Young

Podcast Credits:

1. Production: Trap Factory Studios
2. Audio: Christian Jones (https://www.instagram.com/cjthegenesis)

Mentioned in this episode:

African Ancestry

We are the pioneers of genetic ancestry tracing for Black people globally, reconnecting you to your specific African roots–the country and the people. Our scientists compare your DNA markers to the largest African reference database in the world in order to find your African origin up to 2000 years ago.

African Ancestry

Episode Transcript

(00:10):
How y' all feeling?
Ryan, you have a very.
We were out in the hallway.
He has a very soothing NPR voice.
Welcome.
That's how I felt.
So.
But hi, I'm Ramonda Young.
I am not April Ryan.
Our dear April Ryan is notfeeling well today.
So you have me, but I amhonored to be here.
As Ryan said, I am RamondaLark Young, co owner and founder

(00:31):
of Mahogany Books, along withmy amazing husband Derek, of, of
23 years.
Yes, yes.
Clap that.
Yes.
We've been in business now forabout 18 years, and I'm not sure
if you're familiar with us,but we have a location at national
harbor and we had a locationin Anacostia for about eight years.
We just closed it about a year ago.
And that whole building isgoing under renovation for the next

(00:53):
maybe 16 months or so.
But we do have a new locationopening in Maryland in, wow, maybe
30, 45 days.
So I'm here and smiling, butI'm thinking about the other store
that we're trying to open, too.
I can't tell.
I knew somebody's going to ask me.
I'm trying to keep it a secret.
Some people know.
But I want to do a little postand get all people excited.
But it's in Maryland.

(01:14):
It's a lot of black folks over there.
Well, we're everywhere.
So I won't say that we'reeverywhere all through Maryland.
But I do have my notes todaybecause I'm excited about this conversation
and I want to do this amazing trailblazer.
Right.
But.
Oh, let me before I get intothat, also, I'm very proud to sit
on the board of the D.C.public Library Foundation.
I'm the vice chair of that foundation.

(01:35):
And I heard you talk about ita little bit, Ryan.
But this week coming, anamazing exhibit is opening.
It's the Freedom andResistance exhibit.
You guys heard about that already?
Yes.
It's based off of the 1619project book.
And the whole library will beactivated, especially on the opening
night.
So next Friday.
So I don't know what you'redoing next week, but if you can come

(01:56):
out next week to the opening,it is going to blow your mind.
So I encourage everybody tocome out and celebrate our history,
our culture, the library, allthe things, and of course, the 1619
Project Book.
So let's get into it.
Our guest this afternoon is awoman who has learned to stand when
the door wasn't built for herand to speak even when her voice

(02:17):
wasn't expected.
She is a trailblazer, amentor, an advocate, a woman Whose
life reminds us that courageis often quiet long before it becomes
visible.
Visible.
She made history as the firstblack woman to coach in the NFL.
Let's give it up for that.
First of all, what?
First black woman to coach inthe NFL.
And she was the first blackwoman, period, to coach for the New

(02:39):
York jets franchise.
Her name is Colette V. Smith.
Let's give it up for Colette.
Yes.
Yes, Colette.
And while she's coming.
Yes, Colette, Come on up.
She is the founder of the.
The Believe in you foundation,where she travels all across the
world sharing her story withwomen and children by teaching them
to believe in themselves andtheir dreams.

(03:01):
Come on, Colette.
Wait, wait.
But I got some more to sayabout her.
Hold on.
I want to give you all your flowers.
She is an ambassador for theNational Coalition Against Domestic
Violence and is a survivor herself.
And she also has receivednumerous awards, including the Humanitarian
Award at Super Bowl 56, theTrailblazer Award by the 100 Black
Men, and is a proud honorarymember of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

(03:24):
Incorporated.
We're gonna let y'.
All.
We're gonna let y' all do y'all thing, even though Azadeh's up
here.
Okay?
We love y', all, too.
Okay.
Okay.
So please help me againwelcome Colette V. Smith to the stage.
Yay.
Thank you very much.
Yay.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yes.
And thank you all for bravingthe rain today.
Braving it.

(03:44):
Thank you for coming out here.
I appreciate it.
This weather is cuckoo forCocoa Puffs.
It is, yeah.
Definitely.
So let's get into it.
So I'm really curious, very curious.
In your amazing story, youtalk about resilience, you talk about
family and faith, and youshare that in your new book, Colette's
Courage, that some of you havealready pre ordered, and we do have

(04:07):
copies that can be signedafter the event.
But who did you becomeprivately, Colette, in order to become,
in order to survive thosespaces where you weren't expected
to be?
How did you.
How did you handle that?
We're gonna get deep into it already.
You have an amazing story.
What's interesting is that my.
My mom is.

(04:27):
Was such a lady.
Like, she was such a classylady, like pearls, pencil skirts,
you know, and I was the oneout there climbing the trees.
And so she used to always tryto get me to, you know, put on these
little dresses she would buyme, and I didn't.
I didn't want to get in them.
So I was conflicted a lot oftimes of, you know, what was Expected

(04:48):
of me.
What was I supposed to do?
I just wanted to be me.
I didn't think about anythingelse except for just being me.
Whatever I liked, I did.
Unless, you know, I got a buttbeaten because my dad said I was
supposed to be doing something else.
But I think for me, it wasliterally just wanting to brave out
who I am, see who I am.
You know, as little kids, asadults, we try to figure out who

(05:12):
we are still to this very day.
And I fight with the idea of,am I saying I want to do this because
the world is suggesting it, oris it really in my heart to be this
particular way, whatever waythat may be.
So I think it's just, I don'tthink I still ever found out who
the heck I really am.
I'm still a work in progress, but

(05:34):
all of us are.
You know, even Michelle Obamahad the book becoming.
It didn't say I'm already here.
It's a great book too.
Yes, Becoming.
So we're still in that process.
So I received that I want to
become Barack Obama's wife,but that will never happen.
But I will try.
You know, that's not becoming so.
But yeah, that's an amazingbook though.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
But I'm curious too.

(05:54):
Who supported you when youdoubted yourself?
Your dreams?
Who supported, supported you?
Who was in that space for youas you grew up?
Because we see the amazing,polished Colette who's down to earth
and engaging.
But how did you get there?
Who supported those dreams?
You know what?
My Aunt Ronnie.
My Aunt Ronnie.
So you know how your parentsall have best friends, that your

(06:19):
mom's best friend may not beyour blood aunt, but as far as you're
concerned, this is your aunt.
I, I have one of those, right?
And it was my aunt Ronnie.
And Aunt Ronnie has so manydegrees and I was just proud of her
for that, right?
And Ronnie would come to myparents house and my mother would
always be in the kitchenplaying some, you know, Motown, cooking

(06:43):
food.
And Ronnie would come over andeat up all our food, just be in the
kitchen eating.
And my mom was like, ding,pick up table nine.
You know, like just.
And my mother loved to caterto people.
So Ronnie would be in thehouse all the time eating.
But I would come in thekitchen and grab something out the
fridge and corduroy jeans orshorts or a football jersey.

(07:05):
And my mom would turn aroundand look at me and go, oh, she's
always wearing these clothes.
I got her nice clothes, thesedresses and these things like that.
And Aunt Ronnie would say, oh,Missy, leave her alone, you.
She's her own person.
As a little kid, I don't thinkshe understood what that meant for
me.

(07:26):
It meant the world.
I felt seen, you know, And Iknew my mother loved me, but I felt
seen.
And that's what we want inthis world, right, Is to feel seen.
So Aunt Ronnie definitely hadmy back.
I love that.
And I don't think we realizethe value.
Sometimes we take some ofthose people in our life for granted.
Yeah.
So to hear you say that andthe emotion that's coming out, it's

(07:48):
just a reminder even to me andthe relatives, that I have to really
love on them while they're here.
So I love that you have thatexperience with her.
Okay, Aunt Ronnie.
So this book, we're gonna skiparound a little bit.
So this book that is here, Iam curious, because the book is good.
The illustrations.
Aren't the illustrations amazing?
I mean, I'm not just sayingbecause I own a bookstore, but they
are amazing.
Because I would say.

(08:08):
I'd say.
I'd be honest.
They are amazing, and thecontent is amazing.
Why now?
Why write this book right nowfor kids?
And why did you put your story.
It's kind of like a littlebio, but it's in kid form.
Why did you choose to do it inthat format?
Oh, my goodness.
So I'm gonna get really realwith you guys.
Come on.
Come on.
We ready for church?
Okay, so I don't like to write.

(08:30):
I hate it.
Right?
Like, I think I have somegreat things to write about.
I don't like the process of it.
So if I speak to you on thetelephone and we're talking about
when to meet up and what timeand the address, and then before
you hang up the phone, yousay, okay, send me an email about.
An email about what we justtalked about.
I'm going to be mad at youlike, I just told you.

(08:51):
And I got to write an emailbecause while I'm writing it out,
I'm like, okay, wait.
What I have to say, Ioverthink things.
So it takes away from what Ireally want to get to write about.
So I can't stand it, right?
So one of my sorority sistershad said to me, colette, I know you're
working on your life story,because right now, I'm working on
my life story.
I've been working on it since2017, okay?

(09:13):
But she said, colette, youhave to do a children's book.
She's a school principal.
So the school principal waslike, please get a book done right
now for the kids, at least,you know, because I said my book
is too time consuming.
And it's not that I'm afraidto write the things that I've experienced
in my life, because there aresome really, really ugly, ugly, ugly

(09:34):
moments.
I'm not embarrassed by it today.
I just keep going down rabbit holes.
Then I'm like, wait, what wasI talking about?
Okay, what am I trying to getback to?
And then I'm like, I'm busy.
It's three hours later.
I got to go do something else.
So this children's book cameabout because somebody said, you
can do this because you talkabout your childhood all the time

(09:55):
when it comes to football.
So I hunkered down and I wasjust like, you know what?
I turned off my phone, Iturned off the radio.
Alexa was playing.
I got to get her out of my house.
She was playing.
And I just said, I'm notgetting up from my desk until I finish
this book.
And the main message of thisbook was about to show children,

(10:18):
you know, there's peerpressure out here.
As adults, we get peer pressure.
As adults, we are betterequipped to handle it.
Do we want to?
We don't want to even dealwith it.
But it is what it is.
So, children, I'm alwayslooking to armor up the kids, okay?
And so this book came aboutbecause I wanted to show our kids
exactly, you know, that theworld could be a good place if you

(10:41):
pick the right people to be inyour world.
Come on, preach.
Come on.
Right?
You gotta pick your people.
Pick them wisely.
So Colette's courage I wantedto share, by the way, in this book.
There's two little charactersin the book that are real.
Natalie and Emily.
Those were my real girlfriends.
And we were all so very different.

(11:03):
And I liked the diversity of us.
Natalie was real dark skinned.
She had real coarse hair.
She wore these thick glasses.
Emily was a Puerto Rican girlwith nappy hair with freckles.
We loved each other.
I was a little.
I don't know what I was when Iwas growing up because I didn't know

(11:23):
what side of the fence I wassupposed to be on.
But it didn't matter to mebecause I had my crew, I had my tribe,
and we were very supportive ofone another.
So Colette's courage justwanted me to showcase what it looks
like to have the right peoplein your life to also be humane to
animals.
You don't have to, like dogsor cats or whatever, but you sure

(11:43):
don't have to be mean to them.
Okay?
Some pet Lovers in the building.
Yeah, I'm a huge proponent of that.
Right.
So there's so many things inthis book that are teachable moments.
You know, I had an older brother.
Well, I still have him.
You can have him if you want him.
He's gonna watch this.
Good.
Let him.

(12:03):
He was the guy that didn't dohis homework.
He was a guy that always wasmessing up.
And my parents were alwayschasing him around the town, you
know, get home, you know.
Why didn't you do your homework?
Why is your report card colorsin red and purple ink all the time?
And I was the one that alwayshad straight A's.
I was on a roll dean's listevery time I had the report card.
And for me, I loved cominghome, being responsible.

(12:27):
I just loved it.
I loved making my parentsproud to this very day.
So I didn't want to hear mymom and dad's voice about, did you
do your homework?
Well, how do we fix that?
Just do your homework so youdon't have to hear that.
And so I loved coming home,doing my homework and cooking in
the kitchen.

(12:48):
So.
And my dad.
That's my dude, right, Cookie?
My dad is my boy.
I call my father the lightskinned George Jefferson.
I loved how you had himillustrated in the book too, with
his trench coat on and everything.
That's what he does.
A hat.
He wears his fedora hat.
That was my dad.
When he walked up the block, he.
Everybody KNEW that was Mr.Smith and he was cool with everybody.

(13:09):
And at the exact same time,you didn't play with him though,
even though you could playwith him, but you didn't play with
him until he gave you the okay.
So it's just.
It's just so much treasure, somany treasures.
So there are lots of treasuresin the book.
What do you hope readers walkaway with?
Little readers and adults walkaway with something too, I feel.
But what do you want thelittle readers to walk away with?

(13:31):
When you were sitting downwriting this book and going through
this whole process, at the endof it, what did you want them to
walk away with?
Well, there's a page in thebook that pays homage to my university.
I'm a Tuskegee University girl.
T U.
You know.
Okay.
Uh, oh, not tu.
You know, Wait a minute.

(13:51):
I got you land.
Wait, no tu.
She got.
She's representing.
Okay, Representing Tuskegee.
Right there.
So I have a little TuskegeeUniversity Golden Tigers in my bedroom.
So I want the kids to thinkabout HBCUs and in particular Tuskegee
University.
Okay.
Outside of that, I would justsay just a matter of being decent

(14:14):
kids.
And you don't have to follow anybody.
You do what works for you.
To not follow anybody.
You need to be the leader thatyou would follow yourself.
You be the leader you would follow.
So I want kids to take away.
That's a takeaway for them.
But it's also for adults totake that away, you know, and to
use that and to, you know, torecognize that kids have their own

(14:38):
minds, you know, parents a lotof times, because I know my parents,
my dad, he didn't play much ofanything besides, what did I just
say?
And you just did it.
But to be able to understandwhat your kids really want, to see
them for who they are.
Yeah, I love that.
So how did you.
When you were doing this bookand you talked about your childhood

(15:00):
friends, your best friends inthe book, do you feel like going
through this book reallyhelped you heal or reclaim parts
of you as you were writing it?
When you revisited going downthat memory lane, did it really connect
with you as your own childhood?
Were there parts of you thathealed doing it?
Yes, it did.
Because when my father willask me things about my childhood

(15:22):
or he may bring something up,and I'm like, I don't remember that.
And my dad would be like, youdon't remember that?
What do you mean?
And I'm like, I don't remember it.
There's a lot of my childhoodthat I do not remember.
So to be able to rememberthings and write it down and have
it forever is special to me.

(15:44):
And then the rebirth ofchildhood, like, literally the rebirth
of being naturally who I am,innately me.
Because as a kid, you areexactly who you are supposed to be.
The world hasn't eaten you upyet and made you second guess yourself.

(16:07):
So, thinking about my littlegirl self, I was.
I was unstoppable.
Like, I felt like I could dowhatever I wanted to do, whenever
I could want to do it, becauseI could do that because I had a brain
and good parents.
Right.
And then somewhere along theline, you start forgetting that.
That's the thing.
But it really is a thing.
What made you keep rememberingit, though?

(16:29):
You say your parents, whatkept that close to your heart?
That you are amazing, that youare phenomenal.
Like, what kept that?
Or did you have those momentswhere you kind of doubted that, too?
I doubt that as an adult allthe time.
All the time.
I have imposter syndrome allthe time.
I feel like some days I'mlike, you ain't nobody, Colette.
Come on now, you know, whatare you doing?

(16:49):
You can't do that.
And then after a couple hours,I'm like, watch this.

(17:29):
You know, because, you know,we have to be careful and mindful
of what we allow in ourbrains, right?
What we feed ourselves verbally.
You wouldn't let just anybodyin your house, would you?
Off the street, just, oh, comeon in my house?
I don't know.
You.
You are not coming inside ofmy home.

(17:50):
Well, we have to be the sameway when it comes to what our thoughts
are and what we're telling ourselves.
And that's very important.
Like, God would want us to doa better job of teaching ourselves,
letting ourselves know thatwe're worthy of everything good and
pure and whole period.
So you talk about imposter syndrome.

(18:10):
You talk about doubting yourselves.
We have an amazing book on courage.
And you are a sister who isthe first black woman to coach an
NFL team.
How did you get there?
Like, what kind of self talk,what kind of doubt did you have to
overcome to get to that space?
That is.
That is trailblazing in itsfinest form.
How did you do that?
It's not just.
I just walked up and I'm goingto go apply for this job.

(18:31):
Break it down for us.
We here.
We in here now.
We at the rain.
I still think about that andI'm like, yup, I did that.
What's up?
Yes, you did.
Yes, you did.
I'm like, yup, we gonna clapfor it too.
I think about that and I'mlike, yes, that happened.
I think, you know what?
As a little girl, as a littleblack girl growing up in Queens,

(18:52):
New York, with the boys thatwere rough and tough in the street
playing football, that was afear I had to get through.
Like, conquer that as a kid,you know, when I got.
When I was working with theNew York jets, as I no longer coach
in the NFL, I now work with mycompany, Believe in you incorporated
100% of the time.
But when I think aboutcoaching in the NFL, I never ever

(19:17):
thought about being a coach inthe NFL.
Do you realize that was nevera dream for me?
Some kids will think about, Iwant to be a veterinarian, right?
I want to be an astronaut.
I want to be a math teacherwhen I grew up, I want to be a fireman
or firewoman.
I never had that dream ofbeing an NFL coach.
That was stolen from me, okay?

(19:40):
You never let me have thatdream, meaning the world.
Because if the.
I bring that up because myolder brother used to play for the
Long Island Tomahawks.
It was a Pop Warner football team.
Now, my little brother and I, we're.
My older brother.
We are the same age for a month.
One month.
So we're like twin.
They call them Irish twins, whatever.
Anyway, black twins.

(20:01):
We black twins.
He, as much as I lovefootball, he got to wear a football
uniform.
He got to have a helmet.
He got to have on shoulderpads and have cleats.
And when we played outside inthe street, I played better than
he did.
I could wax anybody's floorwith him.

(20:22):
And your floor would shine, too.
It would shine.
So when my parents talkingabout this football team, I'm thinking,
oh, my God, this is amazing.
When can we go out there and play?
Like, meaning me included.
And my mom and dad were in the kitchen.
They looked pretty sad.
They looked at me, and theywere like, well, no, it's not for

(20:43):
the girls.
And I'm thinking, now I am alittle girl that doesn't know the
world is a dark place yet.
That was horrible for me.
I mean, I remember thatmoment, and I couldn't believe my
parents let me down.
That was my first major letdown.

(21:04):
And I didn't understand it.
It didn't make sense to me.
And I'm like, he gets to playfootball on a team wearing all this
equipment like a real footballplayer, and I can't because I'm a
girl.
It did not make the math.
Wasn't mathing.
And so.
Oh, I used to wear him out inthe backseat of the station wagon

(21:27):
on the way back from practice.
Anyway, they made me a cheerleader.
I had to be a cheerleader.
So now I got in trouble.
This goes into the NFLfootball coaching part.
My dad drove my brother to theLong Island Tomahawks practice.
My dad was preoccupied with him.
So I ventured off to find thekids that were my height.

(21:50):
And I just got online.
They were, like, weighing themand doing things with them.
So I just ventured off, and Igot in line.
Like.
I'm like, I'm not.
I'm not listening to my parents.
I'm about to play with this team.
I don't care what they say.
So I was online, and then allof a sudden, somebody grabbed me
and snatched me off the line.
My dad grabbed me and said,get you over here.

(22:11):
And then I was pushed overwith the cheerleaders.
And I like to dance, too.
I was the worst dancer onpurpose that season.
Okay.
And so that just hurt me so bad.
So if you wouldn't even let meplay football as a child, what do

(22:32):
you think?
That did for me.
Dreaming to be an NFL coachone day.
You stole that from me.
So.
There are so many careers orpaths that our children could take.
We have to be very cognizantof what we say to them.
So.
So that they don't feel likesome things are unattainable for
them so to come back fullcircle and start coaching in the
NFL.

(22:53):
I've bumped into some guysthat used to play for the Tomahawks.
How y' all doing?
Right?
Come on.
Receipts.
Come on.
Right?
You know, so I mean, thingslike that bring you self encouragement,
right?
And like my brother, I used tocall him Splinterbutt.
Back in the day, we didn'thave metal benches, we had wooden
benches.
So he would ride.

(23:14):
He rode the bench okay, Morethan he got on the football field.
And every time, after everyfootball game, I would get in the
back seat with my brother andbe like, you didn't get to play.
You must not be good.
You know all this.
And my father would be drivinglike, stop.
He'd be back, stop.
And I would be like, wait tillwe get home.
I'm where you at?

(23:34):
When we get home.
When we get home.
But it was a thing where Iwas, like, trying to prove myself
that I'm worthy, that I'mworth it.
That's what all that turned into.
So when I was coaching mywomen's pro football team, I was
doing their marketing, theirpromotions, their pr.
I did all the things for myteam and by the way, at no money.

(23:56):
And I was doing real estate.
I was a real estate broker inNew York City for 18 years, and I
was great at it.
You know, as we said, we weretalking earlier about giving 100%
Ryan, or don't do anything at all.
If you're not going to give100% effort into something, don't
do it.
Don't start none, won't be none.
Because if you give me halfass, you're not going to go all the

(24:16):
way.
Then don't.
Don't waste my time or yours, right?
So in real estate, I wasfantastic, but the market had crashed
and I started doing football.
Okay, fine.
I did the pr, the marketing,the promote promotions, the events.
I was coaching my team.
That was a problem in itself.
That was a major strugglebecause these are my teammates and

(24:38):
I wasn't a great player physically.
I was 42 years old when Istarted playing pro football.
I was already grown.
Many of the NFL retire before 42.
I just started my footballcareer at age 42.
That's black girl magic I'mjust saying.
And so that made me feel acertain kind of way of like gave

(25:01):
me confidence.
So playing this sport gave meconfidence even though I wasn't the
best player because myopponent was myself.
But Colette, what made you at42, and I read that, what made you
say, I'm gonna step out thereand do that now with all the things
that are going on, looking atwhat football is, what made you say
at this time in my life I'mgoing to go for that thing at 42,

(25:23):
you could have did it at 22, 45.
At 42, what made Colette say,I'm going to do this now?
And this point in my life, that
was when God presented it to me.
So had I been, had I beenyounger, I would have jumped on it.
I believe I would have jumpedon it.
But God didn't give it to me then.

(25:44):
See, and you got.
My life was a complete wreck.
I, I mean, I don't know howmuch we can talk about things, but
I'm a several time rapesurvivor by a family member.
My family pretty much told methey didn't believe me.

(26:07):
That turned into being adomestic violence survivor because
I was picking all the wrongmen to date.
Because once you start losingself love, once you start thinking
you don't matter and when yourown family that you thought loved
you thinks you don't matter bywhat they say to you or and their
actions are, you startbelieving it.
And drinking the tea that wentfrom domestic violence survivor,

(26:30):
you know, I mean a boyfriendpicking you up by your neck, dragging
you around the house, allkinds of things, all the things.
And I would stay then thatwent to suicide attempts and then
back to just trying to find meagain, that little girl, trying to

(26:50):
connect with that little girlColette again.
And so when football came up,it was just by coincidence.
I didn't go searching itbecause it didn't exist as far as
I knew.
So when I was literally athome on a computer.

(27:11):
And then football came up,women's pro football tryouts, what
is it?
Right?
Like I was like this says this can't.
They don't let.
Right.
And I'm like, oh wait, this isa real thing.

(27:34):
Oh well, you know what?
I'm going to these tryouts.
That's how it kind of came to be.
God picked the right time forme to get into my head and back into
my heart.
And I went to these tryoutsand I was second guessing it for
a little while because I waspartying a lot.

(27:56):
Now mind you, I Made a lot ofmoney in real estate.
I was a great businesswoman.
But I was always out in thesestreets because, mind you, I said
I didn't value myself anymore, right?
I was doing things that Iwouldn't want nobody to do.
And I didn't see mornings, youknow, like, I walked home.
I mean, I got home in themorning from wherever I was the night

(28:18):
before or two nights earlier.
So when they said practice wason a Saturday morning at 9am I was
like, oh, this is not gonnawork for me.
Close the laptop.
This ain't gonna work.
And then God kept saying,psst, psst, psst.
Remember how much you lovedfootball when you were little?
Psst.
Remember when you couldn'tplay football, they didn't allow

(28:40):
you when you were a little girl?
Psst.
Remember that uniform yourbrother got to wear and you didn't
get to have one?
Psst, Psst, Psst.
Hey, remember this too?
So I got up that morning and I played.
I went to tryouts.
And I have to tell you, themoment that I drove up to the football
field and I saw 45 to 50 womenand football equipment, you have

(29:08):
no idea what that did for me.
That I felt like I was wearinga superhero cape and I had to give
it my all.
And there was no turning back.
There was no turning backafter that.
And after getting on the team,mind you, I was.
Man, I was locked in.

(29:28):
I was locked and loaded onthat team with tryouts.
And then when they finallycalled me and said that you made
the team, I was like, I know.
Come on.
Like you calling me late too.
So it was.
My whole life changed afterthat, right?
And I was like.
I called up every friend.

(29:49):
Use that word very loosely.
Because not everybody is your friend.
Say that one more time, please.
Please, one more time.
Not everybody is your friend.
When your friend tells you,oh, just say it a little later.
We good?
Oh, you'll be all right tomorrow.
Oh, don't worry about doingyour homework right now.

(30:09):
That's not your friend.
I made phone calls to justabout everybody on my phone to lose
my number, to never call me again.
And if you decide to call meagain, you're gonna be blocked anyway,
so good luck to you.
And that first phone call thatI made was to Mike Smith.

(30:31):
Not related.
I called up Mike, and he waslike, yo, what's up, girl?
Yo, how you doing?
You need me to come through?
I didn't even like this guy.
I didn't even like him.
But he brought the goodies over.
Sometimes I'm like, okay, this Real.
Just keeping it real.

(30:53):
I was so proud to tell him toget the hell off my phone and out
of my life.
Soon as I made that firstphone call, I hung up the phone and
I was like, oh my God, what amI going to do now?
I could never go back.
That was my only then.
I was like, girl, you got tokeep it pushing now.
And I put my hands on my hipand I said, yeah, let's go.

(31:14):
Who else can we call?
I called everybody.
Just the only people in myphone that didn't get deleted was
like my godmother, my mom anddad, Like, I was like, then you got
three people left in your phone.
Oh, well, I'll get some newpeople in here that are good now.
And I did, because I filled upthe phone with my teammates where
collectively we were workingtowards winning a Super Bowl.

(31:34):
Now what?
Collectively, we were eatinghealthy together, we were practicing
together, we were lifting eachother up.
That's what it was supposed tobe for me.
God gave me this right on time.
And I'm forever indebted tothat with him.
And I had made a pledge to myself.
My pledge to myself was that Iwas going to make sure and ensure

(31:56):
that our black and brownchildren understand how valuable
and worthy that they are.
Just like I did.
I did mine late though.
At 42 years old, I want mykids to have it now.
It wasn't late.
It wasn't late.
It was right on time.
Right on time.
It was right on time.
So coaching the NFL to me waslike more than what it was.

(32:19):
It was so much more than that.
It wasn't the newspaperarticle that came out.
I made the.
You know how they had thesports page on the back page of the
newspaper?
It's like the front cover forthe sports.
I made the back page.
It wasn't about the back pageto me.
It was about self love.
It was about realizing that Icould do anything I put my mind to.

(32:40):
It was about to find the odds.
So, you know, all of that justas a totality, it just means so much
to the world.
Like it goes beyond me.
It's beyond me.
You know, I'm just a littlepiece of it.
It's just mind blowing to me.
Thank you for sharing that asa little girl that you had this much

(33:03):
passion for football and hereyou are going through all got on
the team and to become thefirst black woman to do that, I mean,
I don't know if me standing onthe outside of your life, it's just
like standing up like, oh mygoodness, but to see how purposeful,
how intentional, how fullcircle that.
I don't know how you process that.
How do you process that youare sitting out here with the New

(33:24):
York Jets?
How do you.
I suck right now.
Well, not in 2020.
They need me back really bad.
And the Giants.
Good grief, Charlie Brown.
Y'.
All.
Y' all need to be calling me.
I didn't delete y' all orblock y'.
All.
Y' all need to be calling me back.
Jesus Christ.
Okay, I digress.

(33:45):
I'm sorry.
Woo.
How do you process that?
That you are sat in thoseshoes as a little girl who wanted
to play football just in your.
In your environment, in yourneighborhood, and to be sitting in
the space with the New York.
How did you even process that?
I don't know if I really even did.
Really.
I mean, you know, I. I would.

(34:05):
I think about that, where Iwould just like, I wish I could hug
my little girl self, right,and tell her, watch.
Watch what you do, girl.
Watch what you do.
You know?
But we need to do that withour kids right now.
Like, they need to be gettinghugs right now for what they're gonna
do tomorrow.
You know, my motto today ismaking tomorrow better today.

(34:29):
Make tomorrow better today.
What are you doing today thatmakes sure tomorrow's better?
I just think that it's sointeresting, like, even, like, with
the jets, like, the players,the players themselves, they were
just dope as hell.
They were just so cool.
And walking out there on thefield, you know, with all my jets

(34:50):
gear on, like, you know what?
Even beyond that, getting tothe locker room, my locker room,
seeing all the things they hadfor me, I was like, we could fill
this stage up, like, over andover again with the sneakers, the
jets, this, jets that, jetsteach, like, all the things.
And my name, C. Smith, on thelocker room, I was like, come on,

(35:14):
sis, you made it.
Come on, you made it.
That was, like, incredible.
And I was calling my mom anddad all the time.
I got, like, six pair of Nikesand sneakers in there, and I didn't
even go through all the bags,you know, hold up, somebody come.
I'll call you back.
You know, like, I mean, it wasjust the things.
Like, this is what it lookslike on the other side, but, you

(35:36):
know, I think meeting theplayers, that would come up to me.
And they were walking up to memy first day, and they were like,
yo, coach, man, this is a goodlook, man.
Congratulations, man.
Happy to have you, Coach.
All right, Coach.
And some of the guys werelike, you know, I have Daughters.
I never played football withmy little girl before, but I think

(35:57):
I'm going to start playingwith her now if she wants to.
And my question was, because,you know, I wasn't done with them.
Hold up.
Come back here.
Why?
Why weren't you playingfootball with your little girl?
They were like, I don't know.
I just never thought about it.
That's what we get as girlssometimes just overlooked.
So this was a spark for themto see.
See what happens when youstrike a little match and the flame

(36:20):
keeps getting bigger andbigger and bigger.
So that's what it.
That's all of this was to havethem wake up and recognize things
that they otherwise wouldn'thave thought about.
Were there ever moments onthis journey that, because you talk
about this, is a joyful spaceto have gotten to the NFL.
Was there ever any time onthat journey where the being the

(36:41):
first was heavier than the joyyou were the first?
Were there any moments on thattimeline where it feels like, wow,
to be the first?
This is heavy.
I'm excited, I'm honored, I'm thrilled.
But this thing is wearing mein a different space.
Look.
No, okay.
No.
No, it wasn't.
I mean, there's a moment whereone of my coaches was a complete

(37:06):
jerk, right?
But what job have we not goneto where you had one person that
was like, that was not a goodperson, right.
Mistreated you.
So look, this guy, if I sawhim walk across there right now,
I would drop this and I wouldgo running over there, you know,

(37:28):
tackle him.
But you're always going to getone person.
There was one person that justwasn't nice to me.
He didn't give me a chance at all.
You know, I got hired directlyby the head coach of the NFL.
I didn't come through aprogram for girls, a minority program.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
Trust me.
There's nothing wrong with it.

(37:48):
I encourage more of it.
But I came as a hire directlyfrom the.
Then head coach from the NewYork Jets, Coach Todd Bowles, Black
head coach.
I was, oh, so proud of that alone.
And to be hired by him, I'mgetting goosebumps.
It meant everything to me.
And if you knew this manpersonally, he was such and is such

(38:12):
a great human being, and I'mgrateful to him.
He loved his rap.
He came in the morning, he hadhis rap on.
He was the bomb.
But there was another.
There was a coach that justwasn't cool.
And I didn't know how to crack him.
I didn't.
So Every day I was cryingbecause I was angry.
Yeah.
And so that was a learningexample for me, you know, But I figured

(38:36):
out who I was, and I'm actually.
I'm not a fighter.
Like, I would have loved toworn him out, you know what I'm saying?
But, like, I didn't want tohave to.
Right.
I wanted us all to kumba, andhe just didn't want to.
And it was hard for me torealize that, you know?
Like, you know, I don't know.
I don't know if I would haveeven done things different with him.

(38:59):
But every time I.
Every chance I did, I had.
I had the opportunity to startthinking, I'm going to be better
than I was yesterday.
Watch this.
He's forcing me to be betterthan I think I already am.
So I've given plus to that.
Right.
I give him a thanks for that.

(39:19):
That was a clap moment.
Yeah.
You know, so, like, theresistance can actually help you
sometimes.
I don't want too muchresistance now, but.
But some of it is healthy.
And so, yeah, I still wouldreally wear him out anyway.
I digress.
No.
So you talk about courage, andyour book is about courage.

(39:39):
I'm just curious, how do youdefine courage for you right now?
We'll open it up for audience questions.
But at this time in your life,what does courage look for?
Looks like for Colette at thispoint, you have your own organization,
but what does courage looklike for you sitting on this side
of the stage, this side of the field?
What does it look like for you?
You know, every day I have tofind a different kind of courage

(40:03):
to battle through with.
I think, you know, I can sithere and tell you to believe in yourself.
Like, to believe in you.
It's hard to do.
Like, that word.
It sounds cute and everything,but it's.
But I mean it deep.
Like, literally believe in you.

(40:25):
And believing in you byyourself is hard enough sometimes.
But then when you have theworld telling you things, or whoever
they may be, your girlfriends,somebody in your sorority, just somebody,
you know, that's just somebody.
Somebody that you think issupposed to love you.
That is.
It's.

(40:45):
It's hard sometimes to havecourage, right?
But the only way to have real,serious courage is to sit down, take
a deep breath and think.
Block everything out around you.
Block it all out.
What is my goal for myself?
What do I really want to getdone or do?

(41:09):
And start going after it,start tackling it little by little.
Like, I'm a big believer in,you can't win the super bowl without
Winning regular season games.
First it's little victories, right?
Those little victories add upto the big wins.

(41:30):
So every day you're supposedto win at something.
I don't care how minute it is.
Every day you give yourself areason to say, I did that.
Then you keep going.
You keep going.
I'm old school.
I like to write things down.
So I like a checklist.
I want to see it, feel it,smell the paper.

(41:51):
Right in your phone.
It's one thing because now Igot to remember what to open up to
in the phone on paper.
It's right there in front ofyou, right?
I may put post it note.
Well, I start with a post itnote, but then I'm going to need,
like, a whole loose leaf, andI got to, like, because I.
There's not enough space onthe post it note for what I want
to write down.
And then I stick it somewherewhere I'm going to see it.

(42:11):
The refrigerator.
I'm trying to lose ten pounds,so I stick it on the refrigerator,
you know, But I write thingsdown and I get things done little
by little.
And if something takes melonger than I thought, as long as
I did something to make itmove, to move the needle, okay, then
we're fine.
Colette.
It didn't happen today, butI'm halfway there now.
So tomorrow when I get up, Iknow where my focus is.

(42:34):
Yeah, I understand that, too.
Just as you're talking,thinking about my own journey, starting
a bookstore.
We've been around for 18years, and a lot of people think,
oh, you just got here.
So I feel like the 18 yearovernight success.
So 18 years of having.
Thank you.

(43:23):
But like you were saying, it'sthese little bitty pieces of courage
all along the way.
So 18 years ago, we weresitting in our apartment in Alexandria
just having a dream of openingup a bookstore because we wanted
black books accessible nomatter where you lived.
And so it took courage to do that.
I'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma, andnever was taught about black Wall
street.
And black Wall street was twomiles from my home.

(43:43):
Wow.
It was never taught.
That was a sign, too, though.
Yes, it was synergy.
Yes, it took courage.
It took courage to sit at homeand to create something that people
were saying, oh, people arenot reading.
Black folks ain't reading.
There's ebooks, there's allthese things.
But when you say courage, I'mjust thinking all along the way,
you're up here preaching.
I'm thinking of my own journey.

(44:05):
But it did take courage tohear all the naysayers that People
are not reading that.
People are not going to buybooks, that your.
Your vision doesn't matter.
That's what I'm hearing as youtalk up here, that it doesn't matter.
And we hear it all along as.
As an adult, as you weresaying earlier, as an adult, to overcome
those voices.
And here we are now one of thelargest bookstores in the nation
as far as fall, influence, impact.

(44:26):
No, but I'm with you.
I'm sitting.
It's so dope with you.
My first bookstore event everis with Mahogany Books.
Like, what's up, Boo?
Come on, Boo.
You know what I'm saying?
Yes.
That's a big deal.
It's a big deal for us, right?
A big deal for.
Absolutely.
To have you.
Yeah, it's a big deal.

(44:47):
But I. I just want to.
If you were here, I wouldn'thave this with you.
I know you had to start.
Look, somebody's got to do something.
Somebody's got to do somethingso that.
To.
So that we can all come together.
It takes courage.
It takes.
For me, it takes muting thenaysayers, because everybody like
you, you are you.
I'm not trying to rehash whatyou did, because you already preached
to us today, but it takes allthose people, all the naysayers,

(45:07):
muting their voices andturning up our own voice, because
if it.
If it.
If you hadn't stepped out andovercame what other people say, you
can't do this, then wewouldn't be sitting here.
We wouldn't have couragesitting on the table with us.
Right?
That's right.
So I just think.
I'm just reflecting that somany of us have so many things buried
in us, and we're hearingeverybody else's voice but our own.
Everybody else's voice but our own.

(45:27):
So I just want to say thankyou for this book that now will exist
for young people.
Oh, I got something to sharewith you.
Come on.
Share, share.
I'm excited.
Come on.
I got a phone call, y'.
All.
The end of October.
Okay?
October 29, 2025, I got aphone call from somebody that wanted

(45:48):
me to submit my book for an award.
And so they left a voicemail.
And I was like, oh, here goessomebody that want a free book.
Anybody wants something forfree, here we go.
And then I called the people back.
I got a voice message.
I left my message, and I said,this is Coach Colette V. Smith.
I received a phone call from you.
Blah, blah, blah.
Hit me back, lady.

(46:09):
Hit me back.
And then she goes, hi, this is so.
And so from the NAACP Image Awards.
Wow, Colette.
So then I was like, this what?
All of a sudden, I became BooBoo the fool.
What?
And then she said it again.
She reiterated in the ACPimage voice.
And I was like, huh?

(46:29):
And she says, yes, we're interested.
We would.
And we would love for you tosubmit your book, Collette's Courage
for outstanding Literature inChildren's category.
And then I was like, this.
What?
I said, is this real?
Okay.
I said, you know what?

(46:50):
I said, I'll look out for youremail because I want to verify.
You know what I'm saying?
Gotta verify.
And so she sent me the emailthe next day.
And then I contacted two of myline sisters.
Okay?
I got some powerhouse line sisters.
Abby Phillip from CNN is myline sister.
She's number two.
She's the deuce of the line.
And Joanne Reed, she's thetrader line.

(47:12):
So I called up Joy first, andI was like, yo, Joy.
Somebody called me from.
They said they was from the.
And then they said it was likea submission fee.
This is a scam, right?
So Joy was like, send it to me.
So I forwarded the email to Joy.
Joy now goes.
She calls me back.
She goes, sora, this is real.

(47:34):
I said, oh, oh.
So then she said, they called you.
Like, you got a phone callfrom them?
And I was like, yeah, didn't you.
She was like, no.
She asked how much awards.
You know what I'm saying?
And I was like, I got a phone.
I said, you didn't get.

(47:54):
I just.
I don't know what the protocolis, right?
So I'm thinking, like,everybody got a phone call.
So then I called up Abby justto look.
Verify Joy stuff, you know,like this guy you don't get.
You know what I'm saying?
You need two heads better than one.
And so then.
So then I. Yeah, so Abby was,you know, same thing.

(48:15):
And then it was like, theycalled you, right?
So, yeah, we'll see.
Nominations.
I don't know if I'm nominatedyet, but they did call me and ask
me to submit my book, which Ithink is a big deal.
So, like.
Right.
So I might be changing thisbook up into, like, you know, update

(48:35):
it to say nominee.
Wait, if I'm gonna go nominee,I might as well just go winner all
the way.
Come on, Coach.
You know.
But anyway, yeah, I digressfor you.
That's a big.
That's worth the digress.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah.
So let's open it.
First of all, let's give it up.
For the Trailblazie coach,Colette Smith.

(48:57):
Colette V. Smith.
Yes.
So I would love to open up forquestions if you all have questions.
If not, we can move into ourbook signing portion.
Anybody have a question?
If you do, just raise your hand.
Yes, ma'.
Am.
Since we're recording, I thinkI'll run over the mic to you.
Thank you so much for sharingabout your life story, not only your

(49:20):
arrival to being the firstblack female coach in the NFL.
Appreciate that.
Thank you.
I have two questions, actually.
So one is regarding yourjourney in the NFL.
How is it that that jets coachhappened to pick you or select you?
Because you said you didn't even.
You weren't even looking forthe role per se, but was it a matter
of you had a conversation withhim, you had seen him previously,

(49:41):
and he's like, oh, this personhas a mind for strategy.
Were you so powerful andtalented on the field?
And then my second question isa little different.
You said you're working onyour Believe in you project, which
is.
I happened to see beforearriving, and it looked interesting
to me.
I have Mustard Seed of Faithby Michelle.
Every product has a mustardseed in it.
So I'm curious to know moreabout that.
I couldn't find anything moreabout it, if you don't mind sharing.

(50:03):
Yeah, of course.
Of course.
So Coach Bowles found mebecause I found him, right?
So closed mouths don't getfed, Right.
So when the owner of mywomen's pro football.
I got to stand up because I'mtoo excited when the owner of my
football team asked me to dothe marketing and the pr, I did.

(50:24):
So I took it real seriously.
So I started doing all the.
Like, I was sitting on CBSNews desk with the sports anchor,
like, two days later becauseshe told me what to do to marketing.
I said, let's go.
So I started learning what apress release was, et cetera, et
cetera.
So then I started calling upthe New York jets because the jets
are my favorite team.
Did I say where I was before?
Okay.

(50:44):
But were my favorite football team.
So I started calling them toget support from the New York jets
to support my team, the NewYork Sharks.
So I was calling the jets allthe time until I was going to wear
them out until somebody calledme back.
Because if somebody doesn't.
Anyway, don't get me started.
I can give you a whole lifelesson on how to get through a door.

(51:05):
Bam.
I'm here.
So I got asked to come to aJets practice.
They said, well, you can cometo a Jets practice.
And I said, I. I'm busy.
I was doing real estate.
I was coaching.
I was doing the pr, the marketing.
I had a dog to walk.
I had to have a shower sometimes.
I didn't have time to go to aJets practice, but I knew I needed
to be there.

(51:25):
So I go, and of course, I'mwearing all my New York Sharks women's
pro football stuff on and achampionship ring on and all that.
So now I get there and I seeCoach Todd Bowles, and I'm like,
You gotta position yourself right?
Stop leveraging.

(51:47):
I kept getting closer, youknow, And I know as a coach, you
better not play with me whenI'm on that football field, because
I'm thinking.
Coaches are usually thinkingabout things.
The next step and what to doand the assignment, the personnel,
the alignment, all the thingswe're thinking about.
So I know I didn't want tobother him, but I needed.

(52:08):
I need to just be close.
So eventually we startedtalking, and I told him who I was,
what I was all about, that Iplayed pro football for three years,
the New York Sharks.
I'm not coaching them.
He said, what position do you play?
Did you play and coach?
You always have to gosomewhere with your homework, do
your research before you get somewhere.

(52:30):
So I figured I might meet him.
So I figured, let me learn alittle bit about him, the stadium,
all the things.
So when he said, what positiondid you play?
And Coach, I said, the sameposition you played at Cheney, at
Temple.
He was like this.
Who knows that?
I do, right?
So now he's like, oh, who is.

(52:51):
You know, it changes the gameplan a little bit, right?
So then he said, well, look,you're coming to hang out today.
This is great.
Just hang around.
Enjoy.
If you have any questions, letme know.
So he goes to walk off, and Igo, I got a question, because you
gotta ask.

(53:11):
He told me I could use aquestion, so I use the question.
So anyway, he answered mylittle question about the DBs, and
then he called all the DBsover, and they came running over,
and they all took a knee infront of him, and he's like, this
is Coach Collette.
She'll be joining us today.
Make her feel at home, blah,blah, blah.
And I'm sitting there like, Igot all these TVs, and then I had,

(53:33):
Coach, I'm standing.
So I just started seeing theirpractices, and I just started picking
up on things that I think theycan improve on in that moment.
So I just couldn't contain myself.
I mean, if you're playing ifyou're in cover three and you're
the free safety, you'resupposed to be right there where.
What are you doing over here?

(53:54):
So I was on the sideline likemy man.
You need to go back about 15.
So I just found myself justkind of like, you.
Too close.
You gotta get your break in earlier.
You gotta come downhill quicker.
I just started, like, I wasjust doing it.

(54:17):
This felt natural to me.
And so then there was a parton if you've ever been to a professional
practice.
And maybe they do it.
We do it in high school andcollege football, too.
They'll hold up the play.
So they'll make a play.
So we'll have a scrimmage.
And so the offense, eventhough your position is defense,
will put up a play to run forthe defense.

(54:38):
So they'll show the offensiveplayers with their defensive players
the play, and they'll hold it up.
And then they get into formation.
I'm on the sideline, and I'mlike this.
Let me see.
Okay.
All right.
Keep on going.
Okay, I'm good, thanks.
And I watched the class, andwhen they lined up, I was like, my

(54:59):
man over there.
You come up a little bit, thenI'm on.
So I just kind of found that Iwas just involved, and that was it.
So after practice, CoachBowles had just said, you know, love
it if you can come back sometime.
You can come back whenever you want.
And he's like, you know, youshould work for this organization.
I said, I agree.

(55:21):
And that's literally just howit happened.
And I was like, huh?
And he's like, yeah, next timeyou come back, bring a resume.
Because that means.
I mean, he was watching me out there.
I mean, I was a part of the whole.
Everything he was observing,he could see everything, right?
So he was seeing me out there,but I didn't think about him.

(55:43):
I was just into the mix of the playing.
But, yeah, so I did a resume,and I came back.
And so Bachelor Believe inyou, Incorporated,
Believing you Incorporatedcame to be because of my dad.
So when I went to jetspractice for the first day, I had

(56:03):
gotten invited to go.
That's when I met Coach Bowles.
When I got there, my dad was aJets fan, too.
He knew where I was going.
So now I'm going to jetspractice, and I'm like, my dad knows
where I'm.
My dad knows where I am right now.
He knows I'm with my SorrowCookie at her house.
He knows where I am, and I'm so.
He knew I was going there.
So after practice, I called mydad and I got in my car and I didn't

(56:30):
want to leave it.
Practice was over, but I was okay.
I could still, like, kick around.
I could just still walk arounda little bit if I want.
But I also want to go home.
I mean, call my dad on the phone.
So it was so bittersweet.
So I get to the car and I callmy dad.
And my dad, I don't even get achance to say hello.
My dad was like, oh, my God,how was practice?
Oh, my God, that's so cool.

(56:51):
And I was like, dad, dad, shut up.
Guess what?
He's like, who are you talking to?
I said, coach Bowles said Ishould work for the organization.
Can you believe that?
Can you believe that?
And my dad said, wait, whatdid you just say?

(57:12):
He said.
He said I should work.
He goes, no, not that part.
You said, can you believe it?
He said, I believe it.
I'd be more proud of you ifyou believed it.
I chewed on that the whole way home.
And I thought about that.
Why didn't I believe it theway my dad believed it for me?

(57:33):
So I started believing youincorporated to give a taste of my
dad's love to every littleblack girl and boy out there in the
world.
Yeah.
Powerful.
We'll open up for one morequestion, then we'll do the signing.
Any more questions?
No more questions.
One more question right here.

(57:53):
With your being the firstwoman coaching in NFL, what are your
feelings or your thoughts onthe women who are now coaching in
the NBA?
Did you start the trend thatyou were starting?
I'm about that life.
I'm about that life for sure.
Any woman that's coaching inany sport, in any capacity, I'm all

(58:14):
about that life.
I love it.
I think that all across theboard, we are igniting more and more
people to be open minded, toopen doors.
And for us also to kick ourown doors open.
Because I don't believe inwaiting for opportunity.
I create opportunity, right?
So there's three things I live by.
Opportunity, purpose and passion.

(58:36):
And I'm not waiting for anybody.
So these women that arecoaching right now all.
Trust me when I tell you Iknow most of these women.
It's a small world when itcomes to women in sports.
We know each other.
I can go in just about anyroom and be like, yo, what's up?
And they're like, oh, my God,the Jets.
I'm like, oh, yeah, theCommanders, right?
So we see each other, we're looking.
You're being watched, right?

(58:58):
So now I think it's fantastic.
What I do think should behappening, though, is that the WNBA
players need to be making more money.
That's number one.
They need to be making more money.
And number two, the women profootball players need to be making
money, period.
We don't get paid to play.
It's time, man.
Yeah.

(59:19):
Is there any way a man couldbe a Delta?
Cause at this point, thisthing is
just way over my head.
This is awesome.
Thank you.
That's all I have.
Not a chance, brother.
Not a chance.
I would say keep hope aloud,but that ain't gonna work for you.
Well, let's give it up againfor Colette V. Smith.

(59:39):
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you to the D.C. publicLibrary for making this space possible.
That's a good for the D.C.public Library as well.
And thank you for beingcourageous and assuring our young
people will have courage to beable to take home and be inspired
as well.
So, yeah.
So thank you again.
And we'll have the booksigning happening right outside.
And books are available.

(01:00:00):
You can get yours autographedand take a picture with the first
black NFL coach, Ms. Colette Smith.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you.