October 15, 2024 • 41 mins
Have you ever wondered how a spark of inspiration can ignite a revolution? Join me and Justice Faith, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and UN Women Leaders Network member, as we share stories of transformation, resilience, and the power of young voices. From her politically active upbringing with Jamaican and Vincentian roots to aspiring Prime Minister, Justice’s journey reflects a lifelong commitment to activism and community involvement. Having connected with organizations like the Clinton and Gates Foundation, she shares insights on turning inspiration into impactful action. We'll discuss failing forward and finding purpose in everyday routines.
The episode further explores how community, collaboration, and corporate partnerships can amplify efforts to create lasting impact. Justice's leap from a successful career to a values-driven path exemplifies the courage needed to pursue meaningful change. Through Revolutionnaire's initiatives, like disaster relief efforts in St. Vincent and partnerships with companies like Roots, we illustrate the power of collective action. We share insights on overcoming perfectionism, embracing boldness, and the significance of starting small to inspire others—encouraging you to take that first step toward making a difference in your community.
Be sure to follow Justice on Instagram and visit her website.
Visit Revolutionaire's website at www.revolutionnaire.co to learn more about their initiatives.
Follow Revolutionnaire on Instagram to keep up with the amazing work they do in the community.
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Visit my website at tanyakambrose.com for more resources. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @teawithtanyapodcast and @tanyakambrose, and sign up for my Tea Talk newsletter to stay updated with all things wellness and self-care!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Tea with Tanya.
I'm your host, tanya Ambrose,an average millennial navigating
life as a maternal healthprofessional, non-profit founder
and grad student.
Join me in the tea tasting roomwhere we spill the tea on
finding balance and promotingpositive living while doing it
all.
(00:20):
All right, hey friend, welcomeback to another episode of Tea
with Tanya, where health,wellness and empowerment
intersect.
I'm your host, tanya, and today, today, today, we have a very
exciting episode lined up foryou, one that is close to my
heart.
I have a beautiful womansitting in front of me.
(00:41):
Virtually Guys, you may not beable to see her.
She claims she has.
She's been talking all week, soher voice is a little bit raspy
, but she looks so beautiful andI'm just so happy that she is
here in the Tea Tasting Room.
Today we're going to be talkingabout turning inspiration into
impact and how you can bringpurpose into your daily life
while finding ways to getinvolved in your community.
(01:01):
Now, justice.
Here in the tea tasting room,we call ourselves very nosy.
We like all the tea.
Give us all the tea aboutyourself.
Don't leave anything out,because if you do, I'm going to
follow up, because I did myresearch.
So if you leave anything out,I'm going to make sure I pull it
up for you.
But nevertheless, guys, this isjustice.
And before we get into it, letme tell you how I met her,
(01:29):
because in my head, she's mybestie.
I, um, I have a sister by thename of Chloe and for a while
she keeps talking about thisperson.
Who's justice?
I'm like, who's justice,justice, this is justice,
justice.
I'm like, okay, we went toAntigua for our work, the floor
event and also to attend theSid's Smart Island Development
State um conference.
And she's like, oh yeah, I haveto meet justice.
She's here, really.
Because, again, I'm thinkingthis person is a fictional
person, because I know we can becrazy in our family, you know.
And I went to the conference andI was able to meet Justice, and
(01:52):
right before she was about togive a speech as well, a
beautiful speech presentation,and since then we followed each
other.
I've been gassing her up.
She gasses me up because, youknow, again, I like to see young
people doing great things,especially, you know, coming
from the Caribbean, and we justthe things that are happening in
today's society is going totake our voice to bring about
the change?
Because clearly it's not.
It wasn't happening with theolder people for some reason.
(02:14):
So it's our time now.
So I told her, I think thefirst time we met, I said I need
to have you on the podcast andshe's like, yeah, let's make it
happen.
I was like, girl, don't checkme with a good time now, because
somebody says, yes, I am goingto follow through.
But I also had to make sure itmade sense.
So this is our first guest forthis new season.
So, justice, I am happy to haveyou here in the Tea Tasting
Room.
Tanya.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
I am super, super, super honored.
I've never gotten anintroduction as special as that,
so thank you.
I am just really honestlybeyond thrilled to be here as
part of this community, so can'twait to dive in and spill the
tea.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Tell us about yourself, give us all a tea,
where you're from, who you are,what you do, and then we'll dive
into everything else.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Sure, okay.
So my name is Justice, born andraised here in Canada to
Caribbean parents.
My dad is from Jamaica, mom isfrom St Vincent and the
Grenadines, and I had the greatfortune of going back to those
respective islands many, manytimes growing up and now make a
commitment to spend at least 25%of every year in the Caribbean.
(03:14):
And as I was growing up, I wasvery much so exposed to many of
the issues of the world becausemy parents felt like that was
the best way to inspire theirtwo daughters to be caring and
empathetic young citizens.
So, for example, like growingup, we would never get Christmas
presents at the holidays.
(03:35):
Instead, it'd be a time for usto go grocery shopping and
prepare meal kits and deliverthem to families experiencing
homelessness.
My dad is a lawyer and wouldtake us to protest at a really
young age, marching alongsidewomen who have lost their sons
to gun violence and advocatingfor community safety in my city
of Toronto and for whateverreason, around the age of five
(03:56):
years old, I started saying whatI want to be prime minister of
Canada one day.
And my parents really.
I guess that struck a chordwith them.
So I got to go to theparliament and go watch the
budget be presented by thegovernment, and I dressed up in
a pink pantsuit at the age ofeight, with my you know little
pearl necklace, and I said thisis what I want to do, because I
(04:17):
fundamentally believed thatpolitics is a way to change
people's lives in the areas thataffect them most.
So what that looks like was me,literally eight years old,
knocking on doors duringdifferent political campaigns
and election seasons.
If you could imagine a littlegirl showing up to your doorstep
asking you to vote for thecandidate of her choice, and
(04:39):
then would spend my summersvolunteering nonstop and I would
always make sure to bring myfriends with me, believing that
again, especially when it comesto politics, you are never too
young to make your voice heardand there are issues that are
being decided on our behalf andit's our duty to make sure that,
even if we can't vote, we canstill influence outcomes that
(04:59):
affect our futures.
So that was really my childhoodvery nerdy, very politically
engaged, and then decided to gooff to France for two years as
part of a dual degree programwith Sciences Po Paris studying
law.
I'm in Columbia University inNew York for two years.
It was a dual degree programpolitical science and law over
the course of four years,graduated from Columbia,
(05:20):
valedictorian, and then began mycareer at McKinsey and Company
in management consulting, whichwas like wild, honestly, being
21 and advising all of thesecorporate leaders and
bureaucrats, as well as mypublic sector clients, around
how to drive change in theirorganizations.
But ultimately, with the murderof George Floyd, everything kind
(05:41):
of shifted for me, as it didfor so many people, and I asked
myself, as a young activist,what had happened and how I was
spending, you know, 16 hour days, so focused on the work at hand
but not really looking at thebigger picture.
And with that in mind, Idecided to quit my corporate job
in the middle of the pandemicand join forces with my sister,
(06:03):
nia, to start Revolutionaireinto this movement to empower
young people to take action intheir communities around the
world.
So that's what I've been veryproud to be doing since 2021.
And I'm sure we can talk moreabout it later, but really I
think where I am right now isvery predictable for anyone who
knew five-year-old justice.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
You know it's very rare that I get a guest that has
me speechless, you know,because hearing that, since you
were five years old, like, andto see that you're living in
your purpose so me, it takes meback to when I was like,
probably around seven as well.
My grandmother, she would likemake the clothes for a
particular parliamentarian inour constituency and she would
have the campaigns.
And I would go with her because, you know, I was really nosy to
(06:44):
the girl at the time Because inmy mind at that age I wanted to
be a lawyer.
You know.
I wanted to fix people'sproblem.
I wanted to just, you know,advocate as well, but at the
time I didn't know that I wasadvocating.
Or I wanted to be an advocateBecause you know you're young,
inspiring, because I thinksometimes in our society I've
(07:07):
heard individuals say, oh, I'mnot going to vote for this
person because this person isthis.
Or growing up in Antigua, youknow they have two parties.
I think we have three now.
It was always like, you know,the Antigua Labor Party and the
United Progressive Party.
So one was red and one was blue, and as we grew up, some
families they were just strictlyred, no matter what, even if
they were doing some kind ofcrime they could be murdering
(07:27):
someone they will still be red.
That's how it is with thepolitics in the Caribbean, and
if they're blue, you're totallyblue.
It was never about what isbetter for the citizens.
And when I decided I'm like youknow what, let me move.
When I move to the US I'm goingto become a nurse so I can help
sick people, that was my.
I should have been a lawyer toa nurse.
And I went to nursing schooljustice and I failed after year
(07:49):
one by 0.5 points, because Ialways put that 0.5 points in my
story because I'm like thesepeople could have rounded up and
give me that passing grade.
So I was devastated.
Imagine that by 0.5 points.
But I remember the school thatI was attending.
They said to me you know what?
You have to wait two years toget back into the program.
And I'm like I'm getting old.
I was like 24 at the time.
I said I have goals and dreamsthat I want to accomplish.
(08:10):
Two years is just too much andyou know I would.
I found an alternative, got intoanother nursing program.
Then they told me you know what?
We can't accept you againbecause you know what.
I got my heart crushed and Iremember just talking to my aunt
and she was telling me oh, youshould look into public health.
And I was like, what is publichealth?
This was in like 2017, maybeDid my research because I was a
(08:31):
public health girl, you know youdo research and fell in love
with the feel and I decided toyou know, pursue it, went to
Georgia State University, got mybachelor's degree in public
health, got to the top of myclass and then decided that I
was going to go get my master'sin public health, which I'm
currently doing.
I don't know how I'm doing it,because, with all the things
that I do, I don't know how I'mstill making these A's in these
(08:52):
classes.
I'm an overachiever, but I'msimilar to say, you know,
sometimes our journey to wherewe are in life or our journey to
our purpose is often verydifferent.
You know it's not linear For me.
You cannot tell me I was notgoing to be a family nurse
practitioner.
Even sometimes I still toy withthe idea of doing that.
But then I realized that whatI'm doing now, I feel like I
(09:14):
found my purpose.
I'm still helping people, I'mstill advocating, but not in a
clinical setting.
You know, oftentimes people hearabout public health.
The entire world, how we live,is public health.
The streets that we walk in,having the stop sign, how we
advocate all of that is publichealth.
So I think for me, when peopleask me, you know what is your
purpose?
It's just to advocate, to bringabout change, to be a change
(09:35):
maker, you know, to create animpact in my community.
So I'm still not allowed to sayyou know, I want to talk about.
You know how you and your sisterNia built Revolutionaire.
You know how.
Let's talk about that.
How did you decide?
Obviously you know, you told usyour backstory.
But how individuals listeningto you can find purpose in their
daily routines?
Because for me, my purpose cameabout from failing.
(09:56):
I call it failing forward.
You know, if I didn't have thatbig obstacle in nursing school,
I probably would have ended upin a career and then end up
being burnt out.
You know, because I wasn'tdoing what was passionate for me
at the time.
So what does purpose mean toyou and how do you live by it
day by day?
Speaker 2 (10:11):
It's a great question and thank you so much for
sharing your story.
I think it's so funny when youthink about this concept of a
spark and me and I talk about ita lot right, that spark of
inspiration that ultimatelybecomes your why, the why you
get up in the morning, the whyyou push through during
challenging times and the whyyou're ultimately able to
(10:32):
actually rise and overcome.
And that spark can come frompositive experiences, but it
could also come from negativeexperiences or, as you define,
failing forward.
And Revolutionaire's storyactually began even prior to
starting this movement forsocial change and empowering
young people to take action.
And ultimately it began when mylittle sister, nia, had the
(10:56):
spark of meeting Misty Copelandwhen she was younger.
And ultimately, nia grew up inthe ballet world as a black
ballerina, never having accessto apparel and accessories in
her color.
And what was really interestingis when Nia had the great
fortune of meeting Misty for thefirst time on Nia's birthday.
And for those who don't know,misty was the first ever Black
(11:18):
principal ballerina for theAmerican Ballet Theater, which
is a huge, huge, huge, huge deal.
If you don't know MistyCopeland, you must go look at
her story and follow her onsocial media because it's just
constant inspiration.
But ultimately Nia met Mistyand went up to her and gave her
her pointe shoes to sign.
And while Misty was meetingthis icon, this woman who she
(11:39):
looked up to for so long, thedye from Nia's pointe shoes was
coming off of Misty's fingersand Nia was so embarrassed and
started apologizing profusely.
And Misty said it's okay, thesame thing happens to me.
And in that moment Nia was likethinking to herself this is one
of the best ballet dancers ofall time.
And if even Misty Copelanddoesn't have access to what she
(12:02):
needs, what does that mean forall the little black boys and
girls ultimately in ballet?
And what are they supposed todo?
So fast forward a couple ofyears, nia was dancing in New
York full time and had a nearlycareer ending injury that put
her on bedrest for severalmonths and she could not dance.
But she wanted to stayconnected to the art form and
(12:26):
that really inspired her toreflect on that moment with
Misty and realize that the danceworld needed a revolution.
And as a young girl on bedrest,she decides to start sketching
and dream up this world wherepeople of all complexions could
walk into the dance world andfinally feel seen and reflected
in the dance store by way ofwhat was available.
So when she got onto campus atHoward University as a
(12:48):
17-year-old, she launched thenation's first ever dance for
line for dancers of color, andthat was really the spark in
terms of creating thisrevolution in the dance world.
Then, when we look at whathappened in 2020, when the world
was on fire, both as it relatesto a pandemic, but then also
the really reawakening of theBlack Lives Matter movement and
(13:10):
the resurgence of thisinternational call for social
justice and racial equity we sawall these young people wanting
to start their own revolutions,but not necessarily knowing
where to start or being soinundated with so much
information that it was reallyoverwhelming.
So I reflected on Nia's journeywith starting a revolution in
the dance world and we askedourselves what it would look
like if all young people couldstart their own revolutions, be
(13:32):
it for racial equity or climatejustice, housing and food
security, and what was themissing gap and how could we
actually step in, based on ourexperiences and the experiences
of the team that we built, tocreate a world where any young
person has a dream of makingtheir communities or the world a
better place, has access to thenetwork, tools and information
they need to actually make adifference.
So Revolutionaire began withNia's story and that spark of
(13:55):
inspiration of meeting MistyCopeland, revolutionizing the
dance world, and then thisvision of a world where all
young people could start theirown revolutions for positive
change.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
You know, I love that .
That's so inspiring Getting tomeet your idol, you know, and
then that career near endinginjury I just shivered, I don't
know why, but you know, it'simportant when you think about
turning inspiration into action,and I think that's what Nia did
and that's what you did.
You know, and oftentimes a lotof people feel inspired but they
(14:27):
struggle to actually dosomething about it, and I can
share my even my own story.
When I first migrated fromAntigua to the US, I told myself
you know what?
I want to go back to Antigua, Iwant to give back to Antigua in
some way, shape or form, but inmy mind I had to be a
millionaire.
But, but in my mind I had to bea millionaire.
But it wasn't until I went.
I did a study abroad stint inUganda, africa, back in 2019,
(14:48):
right before the pandemic, andmyself and my classes and my
professor, we were, like youknow, collecting clothing, shoes
and menstrual items to theseindividuals in Uganda, and we
got there one of the bestexperiences I've ever had Like I
call it my second home now, andI just remember us going to the
slums and giving these peoplethese items, and I got to tell a
friend of mine when we were onthat trip that she's like, oh,
(15:10):
but they live in the slums.
Why can't they be so happy?
And I say, you know, at the endof the day it might be the
slums to us looking out.
I mean it is technically, butagain, where they are they're
content with what they have.
And I say sometimes to me,coming from a small Island, you
know you get to see that otherside, in another part of the
world that you see back home tosome extent.
But um, it's when I went, whenI went in, I said, okay, when we
(15:31):
leave and we go to our place ofprivilege, what happens after
to them?
Because you know, we can justcome in here as a savior for
three weeks, four weeks,whatever, however long.
But then when we leave, whathappens?
And I remember, as we weredriving out I saw an individual,
like she was just free,bleeding on herself, and we were
like you know, you know that'sbefore free bleeding became a
thing, it's a thing now, don'tget me wrong.
(15:51):
But again she didn't have theaccess or the items to use
basically to prevent that.
And I just remember asking myprofessor what happens again
when we leave.
She said you know what, when Icome back next year, may, we'll
do it again.
And I said you know, that'skind of unacceptable to me
because again you're telling methat they got to do 12 more
periods without you know theseaccess to these items.
And I remember I came back tothe United States and said you
(16:14):
know what I need to startsomething like this in Antigua?
I need to do my research, seewhat I can do.
Started in Antigua, but my goalessentially to make my
nonprofit global right, becauseagain, I have that Uganda
perspective and I still keep incontact with these people.
Sometimes I even send stuffjust so I can do my part every
quarter to them, because myheart cannot stop me from doing
that, you know.
But I think about how thatparticular trip inspired me,
(16:37):
instead of me thinking, oh, youhave to get to a certain point
in your career or you have tomake a certain amount of dollars
to give back to people.
And it's like People who arestruggling.
They're inspired but thenthey're struggling to actually
do something about it.
How did you bridge the gap whenit comes to revolution and
starting revolution?
(16:57):
I know you know that timearound that year it happened,
with someone listening thatwants to start something or has
an idea but don't know how toimplement that.
How do they go about doing that?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
great question and something that Nia and I also
tackle monthly in our newsletterso individuals can subscribe at
justiceandniaco online and youknow when I think back on that
experience and not to answerevery question with a story, we
love it here, we need it, we gotto have context.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
We got to have context, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Look.
The first thing, of course, isbeing able to recognize your
spark and see that, recognizethe fact that it's literally lit
something up within you.
And when I felt my spark, itwas wild because I had and just
for context a perfect rating atMcKinsey.
Mckinsey already has a 1%acceptance rate for recruiting.
(17:53):
And then I was top 1% in thefirm.
Money was good, bonus was nice,but I was, like frankly, really
unhappy and overwhelmed by whatwas going on in the world and
thinking how can I just continueto sit here so comfortable by
way of this material things andthis external validation of this
corporation, when there's areal opportunity for me to use
(18:16):
even what I've learned here,what I've learned in life, to
start to make a difference?
And, as a result, the firstthing, literally, was being
courageous enough to recognizethat my spark was talking to me
and I needed to listen and leaninto that.
And then from there, you know,most people would say tactically
okay, get to researching,really understand what the
problem is, understandespecially if you're looking at
(18:38):
a startup, like what's themarket size, et cetera.
But for me, a critical point ofour growth story was being able
to actually build in community.
So ultimately, my sister and Ibuilt together like this deck,
outlining like this vision thatwe had.
But we knew that we didn't justwant to conceptualize this
movement for Gen Z from our pinksofa in our living room.
(19:01):
We immediately made a list ofpeople in our community our
friends, our allies and ouracquaintances and said if we
were to build this movement, whoelse do we want to have be a
part of it?
And that's why, on December23rd 2020, just two days before
Christmas we hopped on a Zoomand joined forces with dozens of
young people, asking them to bea part of this journey with us
(19:24):
and ask them specifically,reflecting on your unique,
change-making experiences, whatdo you wish you had had?
What do you wish your youngerself had had?
And, on top of that, what wouldbe the most energizing part of
this movement for you to helpbuild?
(19:44):
I say all that to say afteryou've defined your spark and
have an idea or concept of howyou want to turn that spark into
action.
Building with community issuper, super important.
I'm not building just for thesake of building or being some
sort of leader who justdelegates, but actually bringing
people in who, legitimately,are emotionally connected and
invested in the idea and thesuccess of the idea, and then
also empowered to work on a partof the idea that legitimately
(20:06):
energizes them.
So for us, it was really,really important to build in
community and that was anessential part, of course, of
this movement, to ensure thatit's not just for a certain type
of young person but really it'sfor any young person who wants
to make a difference.
So my biggest lesson in termsof getting your idea off the
ground and there are 10 fullsteps that we talk about
(20:28):
extensively in our newsletter ona month-to-month basis but
really the biggest lessons I'velearned are find your spark,
lean into your spark and thenbuild community around your
spark.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
And you know that's awesome because I'm sure there
were challenges, you know, alongthe way.
And for me, again, here we gowith the story people, but you
know what we got.
To have context, I startedScrub Life Cures back in
November of 2020, because beforeI just started getting people
rallying people, hey, we needthese products, we need these
items to get back to aparticular area in Antigua X, Y,
(20:58):
Z and just to see my fellowpublic health professionals, you
know, rally and come and donateit, I was like, okay, this is
something special.
Again, still didn't have theconcept at the time, you know.
And for me, now that we havegrown to where we are thus far,
one of my challenges that I canretransmit with you is finding
individuals that share the samevision or mission, or at least
somewhere close.
(21:18):
You have a team, but sometimes,to be honest, I can tell that
the spark is not there.
It's a situation where you'repart of a movement or an
organization that is doing bigthings or going places.
Let me hang around here and seewhat's going on, and I'm sure
you guys would have facedchallenge, as you say, when it
comes to even building yourcommunity.
(21:39):
So how do you, or how does onestay motivated when things get
tough, Even when it feels likeyou know your impact is slow to
come?
Cause I've experienced thatbefore and I used to beat myself
.
I'm like you know, what are wedoing?
Do I want to quit?
I'm not a quitter because Ihave the vision and the mission,
Because once something comes tome in a dream, it has to happen
(22:00):
.
It may not be two years, onemonth, but it is going to happen
.
Once I have a dream that's very, very, very, very clear, you
know.
So how does one, or how do youguys, even stay motivated when
things get tough and when itfeels like you know impact is
slow to come?
What kind of words ofencouragement do you have for
someone like myself or people ingeneral?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
It's a great question , and the first is that any
sustained impact takes time, andthat's the type of thing that
we should lean into.
I remember I was so young can'teven remember how young I was
but like I remember this veryspecific sermon in church where
there was a guest pastor thatcame in and talked about the
(22:33):
microwave effect.
And if you put some leftoversin a microwave for like 45
seconds, 60 seconds, it's goingto be a minute of your time.
It's going to come out super,super hot.
You walk away because youremember you have an email to
respond to.
You come back five, 10 minuteslater it's ice cold.
That's ultimately not the typeof impact that you want to make.
(22:54):
You're not looking for amicrowave effect.
You're looking for sustainedimpact and, dare I say, even a
legacy of certain extent, not anarrogant legacy about you, but
a legacy truly in terms of theindividuals, people's,
organizations, communities thatyou're able to make a difference
for and drastically support ina meaningful way that moves them
(23:16):
forward.
So this has been a verydifficult lesson for me to teach
myself and for me to learnthrough experiences.
But as much as instantvalidation and gratification
feels so great, we also mustrecognize that anything truly
transformative and of the scalethat we're looking for takes
(23:37):
time and cannot be rushed.
That being said, it's alsoimportant to note that when you
are doing something for thefirst time, it is going to be
hard.
When you're blazing a trail,like literally clearing the way,
it is going to be hard, andthat is a badge of honor
honestly worth caring and worthbeing very proud of, because, at
(23:58):
the end of the day, you knowthat for those who come after
you, it's going to be easier, soyou're willing to take on that
load.
The other thing that I thinkgets really, really challenging
about this work is the role ofego and the fear of failure.
Talk about it Right, and, asyou've mentioned a few times,
you're a perfectionist.
I am, I would love to say, arecovering perfectionist, but I
(24:21):
wouldn't be speaking the truthLike I'm working on it but I'm
not there.
But one thing that I learned isthat too often, it's this fear
of failing that gets in the wayof us actually making progress,
and I once heard someonedescribe it as look, if you have
a dream of making a positivedifference, you owe it to your
(24:42):
community or the world to try,because your attempt is far
better than the risk of thatdream just being tucked away in
a bedside nightstand.
That becomes dangerous right,like when you think about all
those ideas that are ultimatelyshelved because people are too
scared to fail, how on earth dowe actually allow society to
(25:03):
move forward?
So, if you look at it from theperspective of I'm moving away
from being scared ofembarrassing myself because
there's a risk of failure to I'mstepping into this time in my
life where I'm willing to bebold enough to take a risk,
recognizing that, if all goeswell, I've made a difference in
someone else's life, and whoknows what the potential of that
(25:26):
difference looks like.
So, ultimately, being braveenough to lean in, recognize
that this is bigger than you,this is bigger than any
potential fear or risk offailure, and you owe it to the
communities that you're hopingto serve to at least get started
and to push through.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
I love that, one of the things that I often tell
myself, or even my team if we'reable to serve one person, we're
doing our job, becausesometimes it's so easy to want
to serve you know an entirecommunity or thousands of people
, but especially when you'restarting out, it's most
important that you, if you serveone person, our job here is not
done, but it is something youknow what I mean.
And I think one thing thatRevolutionaire is known for,
(26:05):
from what I've seen, it'sincredible.
It's incredible communityinvolvement.
You guys, I'm going to behonest, I don't see anybody
doing it like how you do it.
I don't know.
I have not seen anybody and Ifollow many different people and
people who inspire me.
But I'm going to say one thingabout you guys you guys are
known for that incrediblecommunity involvement.
So how do you approach engagingwith communities and what
(26:25):
advice do you have for listenerswho want to start making a
difference in their owncommunities?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yes, well, first of all, thank you so much for
saying that we pride ourselveson making service fun, engaging
and addictive, and what thatlooks like is sometimes getting
like 150 young people together,bringing a DJ, getting supplies
and packing 2000 meal andhygiene kits and then
distributing them into thecommunity.
(26:51):
But for us, one thing that isreally, really, really important
is just recognizing how muchfun things can be when you do
them together, and you don'thave to be the most popular
person on campus to do somethingwith a group of people.
It literally can be you,starting with your local club,
for example, or a localorganization, or even reaching
(27:13):
out to people on Instagram andLinkedIn who are in a similar
niche as you, and bringingtogether 10 people, for example,
to come and serve.
One of the examples that we sawthis summer, actually, after
Hurricane Beryl wasRevolutionaire, joined forces
with Deborah Cox to be able tomobilize this movement and get
corporations to chip in andsupport as part of our work with
(27:35):
the Global Empowerment Missionand their disaster relief
response across Grenada, stVincent and the Grenadines and
Jamaica, as well as otheraffected islands, and so we were
doing this corporationmobilization on one hand.
We were also encouraging peopleto shop a link, a registry link
to have needed suppliesdelivered directly to a
(27:56):
warehouse then be packaged upand distributed to affected
communities.
And then we also had people goahead and make donations
monetary.
But then what was super cool waswe had this organization of
young women in Atlanta, georgia,called the Free To Be
Collective, who decided tobasically do like a community
cookout whereby everyone wouldbe encouraged to show up and
(28:19):
like bring something thatrepresented their home island,
rep their island in some way,and then also like bring
something that they couldactually donate to people in
those affected communities.
And ultimately it was a super,super fun day.
All of these young girls cametogether, they sold t-shirts,
even to raise additional funds,and then they filled two cars
(28:40):
with supplies and have themshipped down to Miami and then
shipped over to the Caribbean tobe distributed.
And like that was super, superfun and a beautiful way to
engage your community and kindof like an unexpected approach,
right, like they made a wholeevent around service, which is
what we like to do, and whetherthat's us getting 150 people in
the room or looking at thatexample of, like you know, 25,
(29:02):
50 young women, like it couldwho knows, it could even be 500
volunteers that you're gettingout, but honestly, the number
doesn't matter, it's choosing toget started, because for us,
what's been really cool is howthe people who have come to our
service events have also beensparked to start their own
initiatives locally.
And that's really where youstart to see the power of a
ripple effect and also the powerof inspiration.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
I love that and I think one of the biggest things
we should also be doing islooking at your local community,
because sometimes we tend tolook out or look past that.
Start by looking at your localcommunity, see what's happening
around you, reach out, as yousaid, to organizations who are
doing the work that you careabout, and even attending local
events, because, for me, I loveto network Just this one thing
about me and they will tell you.
Tanya, she doesn't care whereyou are, who you are, she's
(29:46):
going to network, she's going totell you about her passion and
what I'm doing, because I thinkpartnerships are just so
important.
You know, I think when wecollaborate, our efforts are
oftentimes amplified, if thatmakes sense.
So, speaking of partnerships,you know what has your
experience been with buildingthese amazing partnerships in
your community?
Because, like I said, you aredoing amazing, top tier work.
(30:07):
So what has that been like, youknow, experiencing building
these relationships, thesepartnerships that can sustain,
you know, next year, the yearafter, not just a one-time thing
.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Totally Well.
Again, thank you so much forsaying that.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
And I'm going to I'm going to gas you every time I
can.
Okay, I want to gas you everytime.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Okay.
So, as it relates topartnerships, revolutionaire
does a whole ton of partnerships.
We really lean into this ideaof one plus one equals three and
fundamentally, all of ourpartnerships must be values
aligned.
We are not teaming up with anycorporation as a box ticking
exercise or to make them feelgood.
It really has to be about howare you actually moving the
(30:44):
needle forward on the causesthat we're tackling, but taking
a step back, I think one thingthat's kind of interesting is
sometimes people are veryreticent to engaging with
corporations or even justprivate sector entities when it
comes to doing good.
The way that we look at it is ifyou're aligned from a value
standpoint, corporations andprivate sector more broadly
allows to really scale theimpact of our work.
(31:06):
So, for example, a couple ofsummers ago, we did an Instagram
live with these young men fromHouston who were talking about
how, during the pandemic, theywere using their family's food
stamps to feed peopleexperiencing homelessness, and
me and I, you know, obviouslyreflected on that live and
thought there has to be a betterway.
So what we decided to do wasknock on the doors of
(31:29):
corporations essentially and askwould you sponsor the service
initiative and allow us to scalethe impact of this incredible
youth-led organization to beable to reach more people in the
way that they needed to.
And what was really fascinatingis that, more often than not,
the answer was yes, absolutely,and as long as you're very clear
(31:52):
about the ask.
And then, absolutely, and aslong as you're very clear about
the ask.
And then I find in 2024,corporations are a little bit
less giving now, so sometimesyou need to make a business case
for their involvement, and forme, that often looks like.
Right now, gen Z has a spendingpower of at least $450 billion.
By 2030, that's expected toincrease to $2 trillion.
And what do we want?
We want to support brands thatactually commit to and invest in
(32:15):
sustainability and equity.
Therefore, it's in the bestinterest of your bottom line to
show up for not only Gen Z, butalso the causes that we care
about and we found from our workthat, again, brands have been
very receptive to that.
But also because we provide areal vehicle for them to have
lasting community impact andchange.
And for us, that's importantbecause we want to ensure that
(32:38):
we're able to catalyze youth-ledideas and actually get them to
be scaled at the level that wedream of.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
I love that.
I love that, as we get ready towrap up, can you share an
example which you've hadthroughout this episode of
Revolutionaire?
A project that you guys startedthat just took off without any
expectations.
You just know what.
This is what we want to do.
We're going to do the research,we're going to get it done.
You know, like one of your mostproud projects.
I mean, I know you're proud ofeverything, but what started
really, really small and hassince then exceeded your
(33:01):
expectations.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Oof.
There are a few, a few.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
And there doesn't have to be one, but you know,
let's talk about it so peoplecan know exactly what you guys
are doing, because I want tomake sure that people know the
impact that you're making.
You know.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
Definitely.
I mean, I'll share perhaps twodifferent perspectives one in
terms of community, the other interms of commerce.
I've spoken a lot about ourdifferent service initiatives
but frankly, like two weeksbefore we launched our digital
platform for young changemakers,there was a volcanic eruption
in St Vincent and the Grenadinesand that was really, really,
(33:37):
really devastating.
And, as I mentioned at the topof the episode, my mom is from
St Vincent and the Grenadinesand obviously spent a lot of
time there.
And let me tell you something Iappreciate, again, anyone
stepping up and doing somethinghelpful.
But one thing I did not likewas how many like used clothing
drives were being organizedacross the diaspora to send
(33:59):
those back home.
It just didn't sit right withme.
So ultimately, nia and I againmade a list of corporations.
We wanted to knock on thosedoors and figure out how we
could mobilize their supporthere in Canada to support
individuals in St Vincent andthe Grenadines.
16,000 people had been affectedby the volcanic eruption and we
were able to get, yes, thingslike power washers and hygiene
(34:23):
kits and all of these differentthings.
But what we also did wasactually look to one of our
first clothing collaborators,roots, and they supported us by
sending down tons of apparel andaccessories for people in need,
with the tags still on.
These were brand new t-shirts,sweatshirts, sweatpants, etc.
(34:45):
Socks essential items forpeople who had literally lost
everything.
Fast forward now to December2023, me and I were doing this
give back tour during theChristmas season with
Intercaribbean Airways and wentto Grenada, barbados and St
Vincent and specifically went tofood insecure communities and
surprised people at the grocerystore with free groceries.
(35:07):
We literally like hashed themout and then say, surprise, it's
on us and Intercaribbean.
And one day a man walked in inSt Vincent and the Grenadines
into one of the grocery storesand he was wearing one of those
Roots t-shirts and we just saidhey, I like your t-shirt.
He said thank you so much.
An organization from Canada hadit sent down after the volcanic
(35:30):
eruption and it meant so muchto me to be able to read it.
And literally a small thing,tanya, like super, super small,
but it felt incredibly fullcircle in that moment and again
a reminder of the work that wedo and how you know, several
years later, this was somethingthat had moved this man and he
had no idea, obviously, that meand I were behind it and we
(35:50):
weren't about to mention that inthat moment, but it was a
beautiful exchange that againreaffirms the value and the
human impact of the work thatwe're doing.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
You know, we wouldn't be where we are without these
people and these organizations,these corporations, you know,
sharing the vision andcollaborating with each other.
And I like the way in which you, how you approach these
corporations, because it'simportant.
You know, imagine if otherpeople were doing that, how many
people we could help, becausethey're making their millions,
trillions, billions, andsometimes they just need an ask.
You know what I mean.
You just need someone to askand I think justice, because you
(36:22):
got me teary-eyed and whatnot.
I can't.
You got me teary-eyed by thatstory because I'm telling you,
because people really be goingthrough stuff in life To see,
you know the work that you did.
That's one random day in agrocery store.
You know what I mean.
So that's just heartwarming tome.
But before we go here in thetea tasting room, we'd like to
have something that's called therapid fire question.
You're going to spill the tea,okay?
(36:43):
So you ready?
Yes, I'm ready.
Okay, I got a few questionshere for you.
What's one word that a podcastthat's inspired you recently.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
It's not even recently, but it's my annual
reread.
The Alchemist and Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius those two
together are my dynamic.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Okay, if you could have dinner with any activist,
past or present, who would it be?
Speaker 2 (37:18):
I would love to have dinner with the phenomenal
Shirley Chisholm.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Yes, love it.
What's your go-to self-careroutine?
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Go-to self-care routine is an early night in bed
.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
I love that for you.
Teach me your ways.
What's the best advice you'veever received?
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Best advice I've ever received is going to sound
super, super cliche, but my momwas always reminding us in our
childhood to really lean intoyour dreams and, by extension of
that, bet on yourself.
Everything else will follow.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
I love that.
I just told somebody today Iwas talking to you have to bet
on yourself always, no matterwhat.
So it's funny that you saidthat.
What is one cause you'repassionate about that we should
all know more about?
Speaker 2 (38:09):
It's a way of life, youth empowerment.
I say this every single day.
Young people are experts in ourexperiences and we bring the
ideas that are necessary to getthe world back on track.
You know, obviously I talk dayin, day out about the
Sustainable Development Goals,that blueprint to save the
planet and its people.
(38:30):
The only way in which we cantruly expect to come close to
realizing those SustainableDevelopment Goals is by
embedding young people andultimately the torchbearers for
the future, into the solution.
Coffee, tea or something else.
I've never had coffee in my life, so it's got to be tea, and
decaffeinated tea, you know bythe way, you're from the
(38:50):
Caribbean, so you better havechosen tea, because tea is just
life.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
The Caribbean, so you better have chosen tea, because
tea is just life.
One last question you recentlyannounced that you were working
with the United Nations Women.
What was that experience like,or what are you looking forward
to the most with that?
Speaker 2 (39:05):
Thank you.
Yes, I was recently invited tojoin the new UN Women Leaders
Network, chaired by theExecutive Director of UN Women,
seema Bahoos, and I was just soover the moon like honored and,
frankly, very surprised.
But essentially, the executivedirectors convened this network
of 100 women leaders from acrosssectors, like several prime
(39:27):
ministers and presidents andpeople who I look up to, like
Kimberly Crenshaw and RoxanneGay, all convening together to
talk about what's it going totake to advance women's
leadership in sectors around theworld.
So it's a very new developmentfor me, but I'm very excited to
get to work alongside thesephenomenal women who I've looked
up to for so many years.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
I love that for you and I think we've given the tea
tasters, as I call my listenersa lot to think about.
You know, from findinginspiration to taking action and
also creating, you know,purpose in their daily life.
So I want to thank you so muchfor even agreeing to be a guest
on this podcast and for sharingyour wisdom and your journey.
But before we go, tell everyonewhere they can find you, how
(40:10):
they can get in contact withyour organization.
You know, sign up for thenewsletter, everything.
Just tell us everything.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
Okay, sounds good.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
So you can how they can get involved as well,
because, you know, I think we'llhave some people who want to
get involved with what you'redoing.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Yes, of course.
Well, thank you, tanya, so muchagain for having me.
This has been such a delightand really, really honored to be
a part of your Thank you.
In regards to getting in touch,so you can learn more about
Revolutionaire atrevolutionaireco on Instagram,
tiktok, as well aswwwrevolutionaireco online, and
(40:43):
to learn more about Nia and meand to subscribe to our
newsletter, you can head tojusticeandniaco that's
wwwjusticeandniaco, and followus at the Justice Faith and at
Nia Faith on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Well, thank you so much.
Thank you, guys, for tuninginto another episode.
As always, remember to keepsipping and keep thriving and
bet on yourself always Love it.
Thank you for joining me foranother episode of Tea with
Tanya.
If you liked this episode, besure to share it with a friend.
Tanya, if you liked thisepisode, be sure to share it
(41:17):
with a friend.
Don't forget to follow onInstagram at Tea with Tanya
Podcast.
Be sure to subscribe to theweekly Tea Talk newsletter and,
of course, rate on Apple orSpotify and subscribe wherever
you listen.
See you next time.
I love you for listening.
Welcome to Tea with Tanya.
I'm your host, tanya Ambrose,an average millennial navigating
life as a maternal healthprofessional, non-profit founder
and grad student.
Join me in the tea tasting roomwhere we spill the tea on
finding balance and promotingpositive living while doing it
all.
(00:20):
All right, hey friend, welcomeback to another episode of Tea
with Tanya, where health,wellness and empowerment
intersect.
I'm your host, tanya, and today, today, today, we have a very
exciting episode lined up foryou, one that is close to my
heart.
I have a beautiful womansitting in front of me.
(00:41):
Virtually Guys, you may not beable to see her.
She claims she has.
She's been talking all week, soher voice is a little bit raspy
, but she looks so beautiful andI'm just so happy that she is
here in the Tea Tasting Room.
Today we're going to be talkingabout turning inspiration into
impact and how you can bringpurpose into your daily life
while finding ways to getinvolved in your community.
(01:01):
Now, justice.
Here in the tea tasting room,we call ourselves very nosy.
We like all the tea.
Give us all the tea aboutyourself.
Don't leave anything out,because if you do, I'm going to
follow up, because I did myresearch.
So if you leave anything out,I'm going to make sure I pull it
up for you.
But nevertheless, guys, this isjustice.
And before we get into it, letme tell you how I met her,
(01:29):
because in my head, she's mybestie.
I, um, I have a sister by thename of Chloe and for a while
she keeps talking about thisperson.
Who's justice?
I'm like, who's justice,justice, this is justice,
justice.
I'm like, okay, we went toAntigua for our work, the floor
event and also to attend theSid's Smart Island Development
State um conference.
And she's like, oh yeah, I haveto meet justice.
She's here, really.
Because, again, I'm thinkingthis person is a fictional
person, because I know we can becrazy in our family, you know.
And I went to the conference andI was able to meet Justice, and
(01:52):
right before she was about togive a speech as well, a
beautiful speech presentation,and since then we followed each
other.
I've been gassing her up.
She gasses me up because, youknow, again, I like to see young
people doing great things,especially, you know, coming
from the Caribbean, and we justthe things that are happening in
today's society is going totake our voice to bring about
the change?
Because clearly it's not.
It wasn't happening with theolder people for some reason.
(02:14):
So it's our time now.
So I told her, I think thefirst time we met, I said I need
to have you on the podcast andshe's like, yeah, let's make it
happen.
I was like, girl, don't checkme with a good time now, because
somebody says, yes, I am goingto follow through.
But I also had to make sure itmade sense.
So this is our first guest forthis new season.
So, justice, I am happy to haveyou here in the Tea Tasting
Room.
Tanya.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
I am super, super, super honored.
I've never gotten anintroduction as special as that,
so thank you.
I am just really honestlybeyond thrilled to be here as
part of this community, so can'twait to dive in and spill the
tea.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Tell us about yourself, give us all a tea,
where you're from, who you are,what you do, and then we'll dive
into everything else.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Sure, okay.
So my name is Justice, born andraised here in Canada to
Caribbean parents.
My dad is from Jamaica, mom isfrom St Vincent and the
Grenadines, and I had the greatfortune of going back to those
respective islands many, manytimes growing up and now make a
commitment to spend at least 25%of every year in the Caribbean.
(03:14):
And as I was growing up, I wasvery much so exposed to many of
the issues of the world becausemy parents felt like that was
the best way to inspire theirtwo daughters to be caring and
empathetic young citizens.
So, for example, like growingup, we would never get Christmas
presents at the holidays.
(03:35):
Instead, it'd be a time for usto go grocery shopping and
prepare meal kits and deliverthem to families experiencing
homelessness.
My dad is a lawyer and wouldtake us to protest at a really
young age, marching alongsidewomen who have lost their sons
to gun violence and advocatingfor community safety in my city
of Toronto and for whateverreason, around the age of five
(03:56):
years old, I started saying whatI want to be prime minister of
Canada one day.
And my parents really.
I guess that struck a chordwith them.
So I got to go to theparliament and go watch the
budget be presented by thegovernment, and I dressed up in
a pink pantsuit at the age ofeight, with my you know little
pearl necklace, and I said thisis what I want to do, because I
(04:17):
fundamentally believed thatpolitics is a way to change
people's lives in the areas thataffect them most.
So what that looks like was me,literally eight years old,
knocking on doors duringdifferent political campaigns
and election seasons.
If you could imagine a littlegirl showing up to your doorstep
asking you to vote for thecandidate of her choice, and
(04:39):
then would spend my summersvolunteering nonstop and I would
always make sure to bring myfriends with me, believing that
again, especially when it comesto politics, you are never too
young to make your voice heardand there are issues that are
being decided on our behalf andit's our duty to make sure that,
even if we can't vote, we canstill influence outcomes that
(04:59):
affect our futures.
So that was really my childhoodvery nerdy, very politically
engaged, and then decided to gooff to France for two years as
part of a dual degree programwith Sciences Po Paris studying
law.
I'm in Columbia University inNew York for two years.
It was a dual degree programpolitical science and law over
the course of four years,graduated from Columbia,
(05:20):
valedictorian, and then began mycareer at McKinsey and Company
in management consulting, whichwas like wild, honestly, being
21 and advising all of thesecorporate leaders and
bureaucrats, as well as mypublic sector clients, around
how to drive change in theirorganizations.
But ultimately, with the murderof George Floyd, everything kind
(05:41):
of shifted for me, as it didfor so many people, and I asked
myself, as a young activist,what had happened and how I was
spending, you know, 16 hour days, so focused on the work at hand
but not really looking at thebigger picture.
And with that in mind, Idecided to quit my corporate job
in the middle of the pandemicand join forces with my sister,
(06:03):
nia, to start Revolutionaireinto this movement to empower
young people to take action intheir communities around the
world.
So that's what I've been veryproud to be doing since 2021.
And I'm sure we can talk moreabout it later, but really I
think where I am right now isvery predictable for anyone who
knew five-year-old justice.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
You know it's very rare that I get a guest that has
me speechless, you know,because hearing that, since you
were five years old, like, andto see that you're living in
your purpose so me, it takes meback to when I was like,
probably around seven as well.
My grandmother, she would likemake the clothes for a
particular parliamentarian inour constituency and she would
have the campaigns.
And I would go with her because, you know, I was really nosy to
(06:44):
the girl at the time Because inmy mind at that age I wanted to
be a lawyer.
You know.
I wanted to fix people'sproblem.
I wanted to just, you know,advocate as well, but at the
time I didn't know that I wasadvocating.
Or I wanted to be an advocateBecause you know you're young,
inspiring, because I thinksometimes in our society I've
(07:07):
heard individuals say, oh, I'mnot going to vote for this
person because this person isthis.
Or growing up in Antigua, youknow they have two parties.
I think we have three now.
It was always like, you know,the Antigua Labor Party and the
United Progressive Party.
So one was red and one was blue, and as we grew up, some
families they were just strictlyred, no matter what, even if
they were doing some kind ofcrime they could be murdering
(07:27):
someone they will still be red.
That's how it is with thepolitics in the Caribbean, and
if they're blue, you're totallyblue.
It was never about what isbetter for the citizens.
And when I decided I'm like youknow what, let me move.
When I move to the US I'm goingto become a nurse so I can help
sick people, that was my.
I should have been a lawyer toa nurse.
And I went to nursing schooljustice and I failed after year
(07:49):
one by 0.5 points, because Ialways put that 0.5 points in my
story because I'm like thesepeople could have rounded up and
give me that passing grade.
So I was devastated.
Imagine that by 0.5 points.
But I remember the school thatI was attending.
They said to me you know what?
You have to wait two years toget back into the program.
And I'm like I'm getting old.
I was like 24 at the time.
I said I have goals and dreamsthat I want to accomplish.
(08:10):
Two years is just too much andyou know I would.
I found an alternative, got intoanother nursing program.
Then they told me you know what?
We can't accept you againbecause you know what.
I got my heart crushed and Iremember just talking to my aunt
and she was telling me oh, youshould look into public health.
And I was like, what is publichealth?
This was in like 2017, maybeDid my research because I was a
(08:31):
public health girl, you know youdo research and fell in love
with the feel and I decided toyou know, pursue it, went to
Georgia State University, got mybachelor's degree in public
health, got to the top of myclass and then decided that I
was going to go get my master'sin public health, which I'm
currently doing.
I don't know how I'm doing it,because, with all the things
that I do, I don't know how I'mstill making these A's in these
(08:52):
classes.
I'm an overachiever, but I'msimilar to say, you know,
sometimes our journey to wherewe are in life or our journey to
our purpose is often verydifferent.
You know it's not linear For me.
You cannot tell me I was notgoing to be a family nurse
practitioner.
Even sometimes I still toy withthe idea of doing that.
But then I realized that whatI'm doing now, I feel like I
(09:14):
found my purpose.
I'm still helping people, I'mstill advocating, but not in a
clinical setting.
You know, oftentimes people hearabout public health.
The entire world, how we live,is public health.
The streets that we walk in,having the stop sign, how we
advocate all of that is publichealth.
So I think for me, when peopleask me, you know what is your
purpose?
It's just to advocate, to bringabout change, to be a change
(09:35):
maker, you know, to create animpact in my community.
So I'm still not allowed to sayyou know, I want to talk about.
You know how you and your sisterNia built Revolutionaire.
You know how.
Let's talk about that.
How did you decide?
Obviously you know, you told usyour backstory.
But how individuals listeningto you can find purpose in their
daily routines?
Because for me, my purpose cameabout from failing.
(09:56):
I call it failing forward.
You know, if I didn't have thatbig obstacle in nursing school,
I probably would have ended upin a career and then end up
being burnt out.
You know, because I wasn'tdoing what was passionate for me
at the time.
So what does purpose mean toyou and how do you live by it
day by day?
Speaker 2 (10:11):
It's a great question and thank you so much for
sharing your story.
I think it's so funny when youthink about this concept of a
spark and me and I talk about ita lot right, that spark of
inspiration that ultimatelybecomes your why, the why you
get up in the morning, the whyyou push through during
challenging times and the whyyou're ultimately able to
(10:32):
actually rise and overcome.
And that spark can come frompositive experiences, but it
could also come from negativeexperiences or, as you define,
failing forward.
And Revolutionaire's storyactually began even prior to
starting this movement forsocial change and empowering
young people to take action.
And ultimately it began when mylittle sister, nia, had the
(10:56):
spark of meeting Misty Copelandwhen she was younger.
And ultimately, nia grew up inthe ballet world as a black
ballerina, never having accessto apparel and accessories in
her color.
And what was really interestingis when Nia had the great
fortune of meeting Misty for thefirst time on Nia's birthday.
And for those who don't know,misty was the first ever Black
(11:18):
principal ballerina for theAmerican Ballet Theater, which
is a huge, huge, huge, huge deal.
If you don't know MistyCopeland, you must go look at
her story and follow her onsocial media because it's just
constant inspiration.
But ultimately Nia met Mistyand went up to her and gave her
her pointe shoes to sign.
And while Misty was meetingthis icon, this woman who she
(11:39):
looked up to for so long, thedye from Nia's pointe shoes was
coming off of Misty's fingersand Nia was so embarrassed and
started apologizing profusely.
And Misty said it's okay, thesame thing happens to me.
And in that moment Nia was likethinking to herself this is one
of the best ballet dancers ofall time.
And if even Misty Copelanddoesn't have access to what she
(12:02):
needs, what does that mean forall the little black boys and
girls ultimately in ballet?
And what are they supposed todo?
So fast forward a couple ofyears, nia was dancing in New
York full time and had a nearlycareer ending injury that put
her on bedrest for severalmonths and she could not dance.
But she wanted to stayconnected to the art form and
(12:26):
that really inspired her toreflect on that moment with
Misty and realize that the danceworld needed a revolution.
And as a young girl on bedrest,she decides to start sketching
and dream up this world wherepeople of all complexions could
walk into the dance world andfinally feel seen and reflected
in the dance store by way ofwhat was available.
So when she got onto campus atHoward University as a
(12:48):
17-year-old, she launched thenation's first ever dance for
line for dancers of color, andthat was really the spark in
terms of creating thisrevolution in the dance world.
Then, when we look at whathappened in 2020, when the world
was on fire, both as it relatesto a pandemic, but then also
the really reawakening of theBlack Lives Matter movement and
(13:10):
the resurgence of thisinternational call for social
justice and racial equity we sawall these young people wanting
to start their own revolutions,but not necessarily knowing
where to start or being soinundated with so much
information that it was reallyoverwhelming.
So I reflected on Nia's journeywith starting a revolution in
the dance world and we askedourselves what it would look
like if all young people couldstart their own revolutions, be
(13:32):
it for racial equity or climatejustice, housing and food
security, and what was themissing gap and how could we
actually step in, based on ourexperiences and the experiences
of the team that we built, tocreate a world where any young
person has a dream of makingtheir communities or the world a
better place, has access to thenetwork, tools and information
they need to actually make adifference.
So Revolutionaire began withNia's story and that spark of
(13:55):
inspiration of meeting MistyCopeland, revolutionizing the
dance world, and then thisvision of a world where all
young people could start theirown revolutions for positive
change.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
You know, I love that .
That's so inspiring Getting tomeet your idol, you know, and
then that career near endinginjury I just shivered, I don't
know why, but you know, it'simportant when you think about
turning inspiration into action,and I think that's what Nia did
and that's what you did.
You know, and oftentimes a lotof people feel inspired but they
(14:27):
struggle to actually dosomething about it, and I can
share my even my own story.
When I first migrated fromAntigua to the US, I told myself
you know what?
I want to go back to Antigua, Iwant to give back to Antigua in
some way, shape or form, but inmy mind I had to be a
millionaire.
But, but in my mind I had to bea millionaire.
But it wasn't until I went.
I did a study abroad stint inUganda, africa, back in 2019,
(14:48):
right before the pandemic, andmyself and my classes and my
professor, we were, like youknow, collecting clothing, shoes
and menstrual items to theseindividuals in Uganda, and we
got there one of the bestexperiences I've ever had Like I
call it my second home now, andI just remember us going to the
slums and giving these peoplethese items, and I got to tell a
friend of mine when we were onthat trip that she's like, oh,
(15:10):
but they live in the slums.
Why can't they be so happy?
And I say, you know, at the endof the day it might be the
slums to us looking out.
I mean it is technically, butagain, where they are they're
content with what they have.
And I say sometimes to me,coming from a small Island, you
know you get to see that otherside, in another part of the
world that you see back home tosome extent.
But um, it's when I went, whenI went in, I said, okay, when we
(15:31):
leave and we go to our place ofprivilege, what happens after
to them?
Because you know, we can justcome in here as a savior for
three weeks, four weeks,whatever, however long.
But then when we leave, whathappens?
And I remember, as we weredriving out I saw an individual,
like she was just free,bleeding on herself, and we were
like you know, you know that'sbefore free bleeding became a
thing, it's a thing now, don'tget me wrong.
(15:51):
But again she didn't have theaccess or the items to use
basically to prevent that.
And I just remember asking myprofessor what happens again
when we leave.
She said you know what, when Icome back next year, may, we'll
do it again.
And I said you know, that'skind of unacceptable to me
because again you're telling methat they got to do 12 more
periods without you know theseaccess to these items.
And I remember I came back tothe United States and said you
(16:14):
know what I need to startsomething like this in Antigua?
I need to do my research, seewhat I can do.
Started in Antigua, but my goalessentially to make my
nonprofit global right, becauseagain, I have that Uganda
perspective and I still keep incontact with these people.
Sometimes I even send stuffjust so I can do my part every
quarter to them, because myheart cannot stop me from doing
that, you know.
But I think about how thatparticular trip inspired me,
(16:37):
instead of me thinking, oh, youhave to get to a certain point
in your career or you have tomake a certain amount of dollars
to give back to people.
And it's like People who arestruggling.
They're inspired but thenthey're struggling to actually
do something about it.
How did you bridge the gap whenit comes to revolution and
starting revolution?
(16:57):
I know you know that timearound that year it happened,
with someone listening thatwants to start something or has
an idea but don't know how toimplement that.
How do they go about doing that?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
great question and something that Nia and I also
tackle monthly in our newsletterso individuals can subscribe at
justiceandniaco online and youknow when I think back on that
experience and not to answerevery question with a story, we
love it here, we need it, we gotto have context.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
We got to have context, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Look.
The first thing, of course, isbeing able to recognize your
spark and see that, recognizethe fact that it's literally lit
something up within you.
And when I felt my spark, itwas wild because I had and just
for context a perfect rating atMcKinsey.
Mckinsey already has a 1%acceptance rate for recruiting.
(17:53):
And then I was top 1% in thefirm.
Money was good, bonus was nice,but I was, like frankly, really
unhappy and overwhelmed by whatwas going on in the world and
thinking how can I just continueto sit here so comfortable by
way of this material things andthis external validation of this
corporation, when there's areal opportunity for me to use
(18:16):
even what I've learned here,what I've learned in life, to
start to make a difference?
And, as a result, the firstthing, literally, was being
courageous enough to recognizethat my spark was talking to me
and I needed to listen and leaninto that.
And then from there, you know,most people would say tactically
okay, get to researching,really understand what the
problem is, understandespecially if you're looking at
(18:38):
a startup, like what's themarket size, et cetera.
But for me, a critical point ofour growth story was being able
to actually build in community.
So ultimately, my sister and Ibuilt together like this deck,
outlining like this vision thatwe had.
But we knew that we didn't justwant to conceptualize this
movement for Gen Z from our pinksofa in our living room.
(19:01):
We immediately made a list ofpeople in our community our
friends, our allies and ouracquaintances and said if we
were to build this movement, whoelse do we want to have be a
part of it?
And that's why, on December23rd 2020, just two days before
Christmas we hopped on a Zoomand joined forces with dozens of
young people, asking them to bea part of this journey with us
(19:24):
and ask them specifically,reflecting on your unique,
change-making experiences, whatdo you wish you had had?
What do you wish your youngerself had had?
And, on top of that, what wouldbe the most energizing part of
this movement for you to helpbuild?
(19:44):
I say all that to say afteryou've defined your spark and
have an idea or concept of howyou want to turn that spark into
action.
Building with community issuper, super important.
I'm not building just for thesake of building or being some
sort of leader who justdelegates, but actually bringing
people in who, legitimately,are emotionally connected and
invested in the idea and thesuccess of the idea, and then
also empowered to work on a partof the idea that legitimately
(20:06):
energizes them.
So for us, it was really,really important to build in
community and that was anessential part, of course, of
this movement, to ensure thatit's not just for a certain type
of young person but really it'sfor any young person who wants
to make a difference.
So my biggest lesson in termsof getting your idea off the
ground and there are 10 fullsteps that we talk about
(20:28):
extensively in our newsletter ona month-to-month basis but
really the biggest lessons I'velearned are find your spark,
lean into your spark and thenbuild community around your
spark.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
And you know that's awesome because I'm sure there
were challenges, you know, alongthe way.
And for me, again, here we gowith the story people, but you
know what we got.
To have context, I startedScrub Life Cures back in
November of 2020, because beforeI just started getting people
rallying people, hey, we needthese products, we need these
items to get back to aparticular area in Antigua X, Y,
(20:58):
Z and just to see my fellowpublic health professionals, you
know, rally and come and donateit, I was like, okay, this is
something special.
Again, still didn't have theconcept at the time, you know.
And for me, now that we havegrown to where we are thus far,
one of my challenges that I canretransmit with you is finding
individuals that share the samevision or mission, or at least
somewhere close.
(21:18):
You have a team, but sometimes,to be honest, I can tell that
the spark is not there.
It's a situation where you'repart of a movement or an
organization that is doing bigthings or going places.
Let me hang around here and seewhat's going on, and I'm sure
you guys would have facedchallenge, as you say, when it
comes to even building yourcommunity.
(21:39):
So how do you, or how does onestay motivated when things get
tough, Even when it feels likeyou know your impact is slow to
come?
Cause I've experienced thatbefore and I used to beat myself
.
I'm like you know, what are wedoing?
Do I want to quit?
I'm not a quitter because Ihave the vision and the mission,
Because once something comes tome in a dream, it has to happen
(22:00):
.
It may not be two years, onemonth, but it is going to happen
.
Once I have a dream that's very, very, very, very clear, you
know.
So how does one, or how do youguys, even stay motivated when
things get tough and when itfeels like you know impact is
slow to come?
What kind of words ofencouragement do you have for
someone like myself or people ingeneral?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
It's a great question , and the first is that any
sustained impact takes time, andthat's the type of thing that
we should lean into.
I remember I was so young can'teven remember how young I was
but like I remember this veryspecific sermon in church where
there was a guest pastor thatcame in and talked about the
(22:33):
microwave effect.
And if you put some leftoversin a microwave for like 45
seconds, 60 seconds, it's goingto be a minute of your time.
It's going to come out super,super hot.
You walk away because youremember you have an email to
respond to.
You come back five, 10 minuteslater it's ice cold.
That's ultimately not the typeof impact that you want to make.
(22:54):
You're not looking for amicrowave effect.
You're looking for sustainedimpact and, dare I say, even a
legacy of certain extent, not anarrogant legacy about you, but
a legacy truly in terms of theindividuals, people's,
organizations, communities thatyou're able to make a difference
for and drastically support ina meaningful way that moves them
(23:16):
forward.
So this has been a verydifficult lesson for me to teach
myself and for me to learnthrough experiences.
But as much as instantvalidation and gratification
feels so great, we also mustrecognize that anything truly
transformative and of the scalethat we're looking for takes
(23:37):
time and cannot be rushed.
That being said, it's alsoimportant to note that when you
are doing something for thefirst time, it is going to be
hard.
When you're blazing a trail,like literally clearing the way,
it is going to be hard, andthat is a badge of honor
honestly worth caring and worthbeing very proud of, because, at
(23:58):
the end of the day, you knowthat for those who come after
you, it's going to be easier, soyou're willing to take on that
load.
The other thing that I thinkgets really, really challenging
about this work is the role ofego and the fear of failure.
Talk about it Right, and, asyou've mentioned a few times,
you're a perfectionist.
I am, I would love to say, arecovering perfectionist, but I
(24:21):
wouldn't be speaking the truthLike I'm working on it but I'm
not there.
But one thing that I learned isthat too often, it's this fear
of failing that gets in the wayof us actually making progress,
and I once heard someonedescribe it as look, if you have
a dream of making a positivedifference, you owe it to your
(24:42):
community or the world to try,because your attempt is far
better than the risk of thatdream just being tucked away in
a bedside nightstand.
That becomes dangerous right,like when you think about all
those ideas that are ultimatelyshelved because people are too
scared to fail, how on earth dowe actually allow society to
(25:03):
move forward?
So, if you look at it from theperspective of I'm moving away
from being scared ofembarrassing myself because
there's a risk of failure to I'mstepping into this time in my
life where I'm willing to bebold enough to take a risk,
recognizing that, if all goeswell, I've made a difference in
someone else's life, and whoknows what the potential of that
(25:26):
difference looks like.
So, ultimately, being braveenough to lean in, recognize
that this is bigger than you,this is bigger than any
potential fear or risk offailure, and you owe it to the
communities that you're hopingto serve to at least get started
and to push through.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
I love that, one of the things that I often tell
myself, or even my team if we'reable to serve one person, we're
doing our job, becausesometimes it's so easy to want
to serve you know an entirecommunity or thousands of people
, but especially when you'restarting out, it's most
important that you, if you serveone person, our job here is not
done, but it is something youknow what I mean.
And I think one thing thatRevolutionaire is known for,
(26:05):
from what I've seen, it'sincredible.
It's incredible communityinvolvement.
You guys, I'm going to behonest, I don't see anybody
doing it like how you do it.
I don't know.
I have not seen anybody and Ifollow many different people and
people who inspire me.
But I'm going to say one thingabout you guys you guys are
known for that incrediblecommunity involvement.
So how do you approach engagingwith communities and what
(26:25):
advice do you have for listenerswho want to start making a
difference in their owncommunities?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Yes, well, first of all, thank you so much for
saying that we pride ourselveson making service fun, engaging
and addictive, and what thatlooks like is sometimes getting
like 150 young people together,bringing a DJ, getting supplies
and packing 2000 meal andhygiene kits and then
distributing them into thecommunity.
(26:51):
But for us, one thing that isreally, really, really important
is just recognizing how muchfun things can be when you do
them together, and you don'thave to be the most popular
person on campus to do somethingwith a group of people.
It literally can be you,starting with your local club,
for example, or a localorganization, or even reaching
(27:13):
out to people on Instagram andLinkedIn who are in a similar
niche as you, and bringingtogether 10 people, for example,
to come and serve.
One of the examples that we sawthis summer, actually, after
Hurricane Beryl wasRevolutionaire, joined forces
with Deborah Cox to be able tomobilize this movement and get
corporations to chip in andsupport as part of our work with
(27:35):
the Global Empowerment Missionand their disaster relief
response across Grenada, stVincent and the Grenadines and
Jamaica, as well as otheraffected islands, and so we were
doing this corporationmobilization on one hand.
We were also encouraging peopleto shop a link, a registry link
to have needed suppliesdelivered directly to a
(27:56):
warehouse then be packaged upand distributed to affected
communities.
And then we also had people goahead and make donations
monetary.
But then what was super cool waswe had this organization of
young women in Atlanta, georgia,called the Free To Be
Collective, who decided tobasically do like a community
cookout whereby everyone wouldbe encouraged to show up and
(28:19):
like bring something thatrepresented their home island,
rep their island in some way,and then also like bring
something that they couldactually donate to people in
those affected communities.
And ultimately it was a super,super fun day.
All of these young girls cametogether, they sold t-shirts,
even to raise additional funds,and then they filled two cars
(28:40):
with supplies and have themshipped down to Miami and then
shipped over to the Caribbean tobe distributed.
And like that was super, superfun and a beautiful way to
engage your community and kindof like an unexpected approach,
right, like they made a wholeevent around service, which is
what we like to do, and whetherthat's us getting 150 people in
the room or looking at thatexample of, like you know, 25,
(29:02):
50 young women, like it couldwho knows, it could even be 500
volunteers that you're gettingout, but honestly, the number
doesn't matter, it's choosing toget started, because for us,
what's been really cool is howthe people who have come to our
service events have also beensparked to start their own
initiatives locally.
And that's really where youstart to see the power of a
ripple effect and also the powerof inspiration.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
I love that and I think one of the biggest things
we should also be doing islooking at your local community,
because sometimes we tend tolook out or look past that.
Start by looking at your localcommunity, see what's happening
around you, reach out, as yousaid, to organizations who are
doing the work that you careabout, and even attending local
events, because, for me, I loveto network Just this one thing
about me and they will tell you.
Tanya, she doesn't care whereyou are, who you are, she's
(29:46):
going to network, she's going totell you about her passion and
what I'm doing, because I thinkpartnerships are just so
important.
You know, I think when wecollaborate, our efforts are
oftentimes amplified, if thatmakes sense.
So, speaking of partnerships,you know what has your
experience been with buildingthese amazing partnerships in
your community?
Because, like I said, you aredoing amazing, top tier work.
(30:07):
So what has that been like, youknow, experiencing building
these relationships, thesepartnerships that can sustain,
you know, next year, the yearafter, not just a one-time thing
.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Totally Well.
Again, thank you so much forsaying that.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
And I'm going to I'm going to gas you every time I
can.
Okay, I want to gas you everytime.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Okay.
So, as it relates topartnerships, revolutionaire
does a whole ton of partnerships.
We really lean into this ideaof one plus one equals three and
fundamentally, all of ourpartnerships must be values
aligned.
We are not teaming up with anycorporation as a box ticking
exercise or to make them feelgood.
It really has to be about howare you actually moving the
(30:44):
needle forward on the causesthat we're tackling, but taking
a step back, I think one thingthat's kind of interesting is
sometimes people are veryreticent to engaging with
corporations or even justprivate sector entities when it
comes to doing good.
The way that we look at it is ifyou're aligned from a value
standpoint, corporations andprivate sector more broadly
allows to really scale theimpact of our work.
(31:06):
So, for example, a couple ofsummers ago, we did an Instagram
live with these young men fromHouston who were talking about
how, during the pandemic, theywere using their family's food
stamps to feed peopleexperiencing homelessness, and
me and I, you know, obviouslyreflected on that live and
thought there has to be a betterway.
So what we decided to do wasknock on the doors of
(31:29):
corporations essentially and askwould you sponsor the service
initiative and allow us to scalethe impact of this incredible
youth-led organization to beable to reach more people in the
way that they needed to.
And what was really fascinatingis that, more often than not,
the answer was yes, absolutely,and as long as you're very clear
(31:52):
about the ask.
And then, absolutely, and aslong as you're very clear about
the ask.
And then I find in 2024,corporations are a little bit
less giving now, so sometimesyou need to make a business case
for their involvement, and forme, that often looks like.
Right now, gen Z has a spendingpower of at least $450 billion.
By 2030, that's expected toincrease to $2 trillion.
And what do we want?
We want to support brands thatactually commit to and invest in
(32:15):
sustainability and equity.
Therefore, it's in the bestinterest of your bottom line to
show up for not only Gen Z, butalso the causes that we care
about and we found from our workthat, again, brands have been
very receptive to that.
But also because we provide areal vehicle for them to have
lasting community impact andchange.
And for us, that's importantbecause we want to ensure that
(32:38):
we're able to catalyze youth-ledideas and actually get them to
be scaled at the level that wedream of.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
I love that.
I love that, as we get ready towrap up, can you share an
example which you've hadthroughout this episode of
Revolutionaire?
A project that you guys startedthat just took off without any
expectations.
You just know what.
This is what we want to do.
We're going to do the research,we're going to get it done.
You know, like one of your mostproud projects.
I mean, I know you're proud ofeverything, but what started
really, really small and hassince then exceeded your
(33:01):
expectations.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Oof.
There are a few, a few.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
And there doesn't have to be one, but you know,
let's talk about it so peoplecan know exactly what you guys
are doing, because I want tomake sure that people know the
impact that you're making.
You know.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
Definitely.
I mean, I'll share perhaps twodifferent perspectives one in
terms of community, the other interms of commerce.
I've spoken a lot about ourdifferent service initiatives
but frankly, like two weeksbefore we launched our digital
platform for young changemakers,there was a volcanic eruption
in St Vincent and the Grenadinesand that was really, really,
(33:37):
really devastating.
And, as I mentioned at the topof the episode, my mom is from
St Vincent and the Grenadinesand obviously spent a lot of
time there.
And let me tell you something Iappreciate, again, anyone
stepping up and doing somethinghelpful.
But one thing I did not likewas how many like used clothing
drives were being organizedacross the diaspora to send
(33:59):
those back home.
It just didn't sit right withme.
So ultimately, nia and I againmade a list of corporations.
We wanted to knock on thosedoors and figure out how we
could mobilize their supporthere in Canada to support
individuals in St Vincent andthe Grenadines.
16,000 people had been affectedby the volcanic eruption and we
were able to get, yes, thingslike power washers and hygiene
(34:23):
kits and all of these differentthings.
But what we also did wasactually look to one of our
first clothing collaborators,roots, and they supported us by
sending down tons of apparel andaccessories for people in need,
with the tags still on.
These were brand new t-shirts,sweatshirts, sweatpants, etc.
(34:45):
Socks essential items forpeople who had literally lost
everything.
Fast forward now to December2023, me and I were doing this
give back tour during theChristmas season with
Intercaribbean Airways and wentto Grenada, barbados and St
Vincent and specifically went tofood insecure communities and
surprised people at the grocerystore with free groceries.
(35:07):
We literally like hashed themout and then say, surprise, it's
on us and Intercaribbean.
And one day a man walked in inSt Vincent and the Grenadines
into one of the grocery storesand he was wearing one of those
Roots t-shirts and we just saidhey, I like your t-shirt.
He said thank you so much.
An organization from Canada hadit sent down after the volcanic
(35:30):
eruption and it meant so muchto me to be able to read it.
And literally a small thing,tanya, like super, super small,
but it felt incredibly fullcircle in that moment and again
a reminder of the work that wedo and how you know, several
years later, this was somethingthat had moved this man and he
had no idea, obviously, that meand I were behind it and we
(35:50):
weren't about to mention that inthat moment, but it was a
beautiful exchange that againreaffirms the value and the
human impact of the work thatwe're doing.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
You know, we wouldn't be where we are without these
people and these organizations,these corporations, you know,
sharing the vision andcollaborating with each other.
And I like the way in which you, how you approach these
corporations, because it'simportant.
You know, imagine if otherpeople were doing that, how many
people we could help, becausethey're making their millions,
trillions, billions, andsometimes they just need an ask.
You know what I mean.
You just need someone to askand I think justice, because you
(36:22):
got me teary-eyed and whatnot.
I can't.
You got me teary-eyed by thatstory because I'm telling you,
because people really be goingthrough stuff in life To see,
you know the work that you did.
That's one random day in agrocery store.
You know what I mean.
So that's just heartwarming tome.
But before we go here in thetea tasting room, we'd like to
have something that's called therapid fire question.
You're going to spill the tea,okay?
(36:43):
So you ready?
Yes, I'm ready.
Okay, I got a few questionshere for you.
What's one word that a podcastthat's inspired you recently.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
It's not even recently, but it's my annual
reread.
The Alchemist and Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius those two
together are my dynamic.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Okay, if you could have dinner with any activist,
past or present, who would it be?
Speaker 2 (37:18):
I would love to have dinner with the phenomenal
Shirley Chisholm.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Yes, love it.
What's your go-to self-careroutine?
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Go-to self-care routine is an early night in bed
.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
I love that for you.
Teach me your ways.
What's the best advice you'veever received?
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Best advice I've ever received is going to sound
super, super cliche, but my momwas always reminding us in our
childhood to really lean intoyour dreams and, by extension of
that, bet on yourself.
Everything else will follow.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
I love that.
I just told somebody today Iwas talking to you have to bet
on yourself always, no matterwhat.
So it's funny that you saidthat.
What is one cause you'repassionate about that we should
all know more about?
Speaker 2 (38:09):
It's a way of life, youth empowerment.
I say this every single day.
Young people are experts in ourexperiences and we bring the
ideas that are necessary to getthe world back on track.
You know, obviously I talk dayin, day out about the
Sustainable Development Goals,that blueprint to save the
planet and its people.
(38:30):
The only way in which we cantruly expect to come close to
realizing those SustainableDevelopment Goals is by
embedding young people andultimately the torchbearers for
the future, into the solution.
Coffee, tea or something else.
I've never had coffee in my life, so it's got to be tea, and
decaffeinated tea, you know bythe way, you're from the
(38:50):
Caribbean, so you better havechosen tea, because tea is just
life.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
The Caribbean, so you better have chosen tea, because
tea is just life.
One last question you recentlyannounced that you were working
with the United Nations Women.
What was that experience like,or what are you looking forward
to the most with that?
Speaker 2 (39:05):
Thank you.
Yes, I was recently invited tojoin the new UN Women Leaders
Network, chaired by theExecutive Director of UN Women,
seema Bahoos, and I was just soover the moon like honored and,
frankly, very surprised.
But essentially, the executivedirectors convened this network
of 100 women leaders from acrosssectors, like several prime
(39:27):
ministers and presidents andpeople who I look up to, like
Kimberly Crenshaw and RoxanneGay, all convening together to
talk about what's it going totake to advance women's
leadership in sectors around theworld.
So it's a very new developmentfor me, but I'm very excited to
get to work alongside thesephenomenal women who I've looked
up to for so many years.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
I love that for you and I think we've given the tea
tasters, as I call my listenersa lot to think about.
You know, from findinginspiration to taking action and
also creating, you know,purpose in their daily life.
So I want to thank you so muchfor even agreeing to be a guest
on this podcast and for sharingyour wisdom and your journey.
But before we go, tell everyonewhere they can find you, how
(40:10):
they can get in contact withyour organization.
You know, sign up for thenewsletter, everything.
Just tell us everything.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
Okay, sounds good.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
So you can how they can get involved as well,
because, you know, I think we'llhave some people who want to
get involved with what you'redoing.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Yes, of course.
Well, thank you, tanya, so muchagain for having me.
This has been such a delightand really, really honored to be
a part of your Thank you.
In regards to getting in touch,so you can learn more about
Revolutionaire atrevolutionaireco on Instagram,
tiktok, as well aswwwrevolutionaireco online, and
(40:43):
to learn more about Nia and meand to subscribe to our
newsletter, you can head tojusticeandniaco that's
wwwjusticeandniaco, and followus at the Justice Faith and at
Nia Faith on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Well, thank you so much.
Thank you, guys, for tuninginto another episode.
As always, remember to keepsipping and keep thriving and
bet on yourself always Love it.
Thank you for joining me foranother episode of Tea with
Tanya.
If you liked this episode, besure to share it with a friend.
Tanya, if you liked thisepisode, be sure to share it
(41:17):
with a friend.
Don't forget to follow onInstagram at Tea with Tanya
Podcast.
Be sure to subscribe to theweekly Tea Talk newsletter and,
of course, rate on Apple orSpotify and subscribe wherever
you listen.
See you next time.
I love you for listening.
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