Frank Waters: From Bronx to Kingston, Following Passion, Empowering Youth and Building Thriving Communities as a Quantumpreneur

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Startup of Human Potential.
We're your co-hosts, I'mClifton And I'm Victoria, And
together we're Faces of theFuture, which is a venture
studio focused on consciousness,identity expansion and personal
well-being.
And this podcast, The Startupof Human Potential, is all
around activating your humanpotential, And today we have the

(00:24):
pleasure of being joined byFrank Waters.
Frank Waters is an incrediblecommunity organizer, activist
and proud resident of Kingston,New York.
It's in Ulster County And a lotof the work that he's been
doing is to improve humanconnection for the populace of
Kingston, And he's co-foundedand is the executive director of

(00:48):
My Kingston Kids, a nonprofitthat puts on activities for kids
.
He's put on over 300 events andhave won seven awards from the
city.
He's got a radio show called MyKingston Kids that's been
around for around six years 500episodes And most recently he's
a mayoral candidate for theDemocratic Party.

(01:08):
Frank, it is so exciting tohave you on the show today.
Such an honor to speak with youWelcome.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thank you so much.
It's great to be here, victoriaand Clifton, and
congratulations on your new show.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yes, thank you, thank you.
So I clued our audience alittle bit into who you are now
right, and I wanted for them toget to know a little bit where
you came from, who you were, howwe met, how you and Clifton met
right, because that's aninteresting story.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
So yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah, yeah, well, hi everyone of Frank Waters.
Yeah, you know I was born andraised in the Bronx in New York
City and kind of lived therepretty much most of my life
until I moved to Kingston just10 years ago.
But growing up in the Bronx,you know, i was born and raised

(02:07):
in the South Bronx, theChallenge and Neighborhood there
in Kingston and the housingprojects called Playamont
Housing, with my father.
Yeah, in the 70s and 80s theBronx was known as the burnt
down Bronx because 80% of theBronx was being burned down by
landlords that were seeking toget insurance money because they

(02:32):
felt they were receiving enoughprofit from the attendance.
So people were burning thosehouses down.
40 to 50 buildings a day wasbeing burnt down.
At that time I was maybe three,four years old And you know
people were homeless and povertycommunity and a lot of crime

(02:54):
and drugs were happening in thatcommunity And my parents were
part of that unfortunatesituation of the drugs.
My mom, you know she was.
She was addicted, you know, andmy father was, but at that time
I almost wasn't even able to beborn because of the challenges

(03:16):
that she was going through witha body.
You know, my father alwayscalled me a miracle baby, you
know be able to, as you guysknow, you know you're like, yeah
, from a spiritual perspective.
Yeah, yeah, I had a olderbrother who passed away maybe
two years before I was bornBecause of the challenges of his

(03:41):
health from the addiction.
But I do have an older sisterwho was who's fine, you know,
who's nine years older than meAnd I was kind of raised with
her But, yeah, but you know,with those challenges, my mom
left my dad when I was three andto get herself clean and taken
care of, she moved from the cityto Albany And I stayed with my

(04:04):
dad and my dad did the best thathe could to take care of me.
Regardless of his addiction.
He was still able to get methrough it, you know, and give
me all the resources necessaryto be who I am today.
So I'm so grateful to him andeverything that he, that he did.
We live with my grandmother for,you know, a chunk of my

(04:25):
childhood and went to publicschool and, you know, did the
best that we could and till Iwas able to kind of get out on
my own, you know, as a teenagerand finish high school, go to
college, start a family andstart doing the things that I
wanted to do in life.
I always felt like as a kid Iwas always, as they say, the

(04:46):
ringleader.
But I wasn't the ringleadernecessarily all bad things.
I did go with graffiti on thewall here and there.
Uh oh, i was the ringleader inthat.
You know, that's where the artstarted in the Bronx.
You know the Bronx is where hiphop started.
Yeah, graffiti started.
So it was, um, i was rightthere, i was young, but I was

(05:09):
learning as it was evolving.
I was evolving with it And myson.
I kind of found my talents inart and then connecting with
people and bringing peopletogether.
Until I became older.
I was an art major in highschool and used to, you know,
just draw and do a lot oflettering.

(05:31):
From the graffiti turn tocommercial art And then I went
to college and became a graphicdesigner and web designer and
specialized in digital media,became an employee of the Bronx
Times newspaper And the New YorkPost for 10 years, became an
award winning graphic designerfrom the New York Press

(05:51):
Association and wind up justkind of designing flyers for
people in my community andstarted my own graphic company
And that's kind of how I starteddown that road of being an
entrepreneur.
You know, who was a hip hopartist for a chunk of my life,
from probably nine years old towriting songs, um, until about

(06:16):
24, tried to get the record deal, just didn't work out.
I was trying.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
I've tuned into my Kingston kids.
I got that vibe from you onthat show.
Yeah, that's another side ofFrank, that's cool.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
It's enemy, still is enemy.
Every time I get a microphone,my wife asks me.
She's like he always needs somecrowd participation.
You know, i ask people to sayoh and scream, but I do need
feedback, i need the energy, thehuman connection.
But, yeah, but you know.
So that journey, though, withthe music, has helped me be able

(06:54):
to connect to people and not beafraid to speak in public and
be afraid to hear responses willbe, you know, um, or be denied
or something will turn down andcontinue to be resilient and
keep moving forward.
I remember my first show at 15,me and my partner, my best
friend, carlos the name isCarlos Santana.

(07:16):
I was beating this is a realname, no, but we were doing, we
were scheduled to do this talentshow in junior high school
Actually, i was, i was searchingin junior high school and we
did the whole chain ready andthen he bells out on me and
leaves me by myself And I hadtwo choices I could just quit,

(07:37):
not do it, or I could just do itand make up his part.
And that's what I did, you know, and I didn't win, but just the
idea that I wanted it so badlybecause it was my first live
show that I still have theconfidence and the ambition and
excitement to do it.
And I did it, you know, andfrom there that kind of led me

(07:58):
to continue, you know, to dothings that were a little risky
but also exciting, and they werea part of who I am, you know.
So I just kind of continuedthat path, you know, and did a
lot of music, a lot of tours, alot of performances, met a lot
of people.
That was kind of the beginningof how I became an entrepreneur.

(08:21):
And then I kind of mixed thatwith art, you know, wind up
getting my degree and saw a fewother business ventures until I,
you know, became a parent.
When I became a parent, at 22.
That's when it's like, allright, what are we going to do
here?
You know, this music thing maynot feed your child, you know,

(08:42):
and that's what we want.
And that is like, son, i knowthis is what you want to do, but
you're going to have to get ajob and pay bills.
You know you need to have aplace, a home, you know, place
to live.
And I did that, you know, and Iwent to college And that's how
that kind of started And justreally met some really great

(09:05):
people and that led me tocontinuing to look at different
ways to to not just besuccessful, in my own words, but
to enjoy myself.
You know, i remember I had ajob at any television, which is
the network, any TV, and my sonwas about two And at that time I

(09:29):
never use a computer.
This was like 90.
Why I use a computer when I wasin grade school, like a
Commodore 64 or something likethe old computer.
But at this time the PCs justcame out, so this was like 98.
And I never use the PC.
And I use it at work, but onlyfor like, like admin, work for

(09:50):
the, for the company, and one ofthe my coworkers was using it
for like Photoshop and and andcorral drawback and really cool
things, and even Microsoft Word,which was like a big deal
because you get like letteringwith gradient.
Oh man, i want to.
You know, i had to do all mylettering by hand, you know,

(10:12):
because I'm a graffiti artist.
So my friend taught me how todo that.
He taught me how to useMicrosoft Word And I thought I
was in heaven And I rememberthat income tax.
You have bought a compact forstereo.
They have four gigabytes ofspace And I thought I was on top
of the world.
And you know what I did when I,when I, when I first got that

(10:34):
computer, i started a magazine.
If Microsoft Word, that's whatI did.
I started a magazine forunsigned artists called Stepping
Magazine And the idea was Isaid to myself, well, you know
what?
I have a son, that I want to bea rapper anymore.
What I'm going to do is I'mgoing to help other artists.

(10:55):
So this magazine was the waythat artists can put their bios
in it and their photos.
And then I created a CD oftheir music and put it in the
magazine for free And was ableto share that with record
companies and help them.
And one of the artists actuallybecame famous And he was on um.
He was picked up by Puff Daddyand he was on making a band.

(11:18):
He was on Dylon.
He's the reggae artist namedDylon.
They always Dave Chappelle dida whole skit on the Chappelle
show about him because he was sofunny.
But, yeah, but he was in mymagazine first.
Wow, who making a band?
Um, yeah, you know.
So I had a nice, a nice journeyof just trying different things

(11:41):
out.
We were doing talent showsbefore American Idol.
You know helping people getrecord deals and it was really
cool.
You know so that you know.
So that's kind of like theorigin of my path until I really
was able to learn more skills.
You know from the Brock Timesnewspaper and then you have
polls.
Being in that professionalenvironment, i kind of utilize

(12:04):
those skills to move to the nextlevel.
You know my business career.

Speaker 3 (12:10):
Wow, oh, that's awesome.
You know it's great to learnthis about you and you know I
can really feel the excitementand the journey and you know you
took that, that passion ofgraffiti artists and you turn it
into.
You know, your side hustle andthen your main hustle and then
you grew in your responsibility,but you continue to develop.

(12:32):
You know that core essence ofwhat lights you up and you know
it's, i have to say, microsoftprobably loves the fact that you
got lit up about Microsoft towork with you, but earliest, you
know, i, you know, moved overto the Apple world.
But to hear that Microsoft word, you know, lit up your heart.
I mean, it's a differentgenerational time.

(12:54):
You know, i think I actuallyhad a compact for Sario as well
As well, right, yeah, but wow,that's fascinating.
What was, what were some ofthose key moments where you're
like, okay, let me get to thenext level.
You know I'm, you know,graffiti artist.
Let me get to that next level.
Let me get to that next level.

(13:14):
What did those look like?
Were you in conversations withothers?
Was it more of an internaldialogue?
What?
what kind of compelled you tomake sort of that up level?

Speaker 2 (13:24):
I think, yeah, i mean , it happened for me a few times
, right, but music was mypassion, like that was my life.
I remember my dad sayingalright, so you're getting out
of school, what do you want todo?
You know, and like I want to bea rapper.
Like you know, it sounds kindof cliche, but I just had a real

(13:48):
skill Like I was writing songsat eight years old.
I was making up songs in myhead without even having to
write, since I was eight yearsold, like I was really, really,
really good And I wrote forother people when I had a
manager and a group and I did,wow, i remember my mom gave me
money for a car and I spent allthe $4,000 and went to the

(14:10):
studio.
You know, like I was really,really serious And he's like
alright, that's what you want todo.
You know you didn't do it.
So that support was very, veryimportant.
My father was always, alwayssupportive, regardless of what.
He always gave me theunderstanding that there's
nothing that I can't do in thisworld.
All I have to do is put my mindto it and put the action behind

(14:32):
it, And I literally do that.
I've had a magazine, i've donemovies, i've done talent
showcases, fashion, design, andI mean I've done multiple things
and I'm still doing it And asfar as I'm concerned, i'm
successful at all of thembecause I accomplished it.
You know so, when my son, whenmy son, was born, i moved.

(14:55):
I moved down south when I was19.
And to get away from the cityand try to go to Atlanta, i
moved to Alabama because mymother lived in Alabama And
that's only the next day overfrom Georgia.
Georgia was the next Atlanta,georgia was the next big hip hop
scene besides New York City.
So I felt, well, if I go toAlabama, get my license, get

(15:19):
myself together, then I can moveright over to Atlanta, georgia
And I'll be great because NewYork is a little faster, i can
move a little quicker.
But things just kind of didn'twork out with my mom.
We had a fallen out, my, myson's mom got pregnant And we
didn't want to stay stay there.

(15:41):
So we moved back to New YorkCity, just skipped a whole
Atlanta thing.
When I came back I was stilltrying to do the music, but I
know that I have to do something, you know.
So it's really my son.
And being in the city, the rentwas really high.
I was paying $235 in AlabamaWow, A one bedroom with a

(16:04):
parking space and centralheating and air was beautiful.
And I got back to the Bronx therent was like $1,000 for three
bedroom And this is 96.
Wow.
So I had to do something, youknow, and I worked security.
I always had a security license, so that was my side gig to

(16:25):
make sure I had money.
But I knew I needed to dosomething more and I needed to
do something that I enjoyed.
And when I, when I, when Istarted that job at A&E, my
brother-in-law got me that jobwas pulling me out of security.
What happened was I was workingthere as a library technician

(16:48):
for a year and a half as afreelancer And I know the job,
i'm doing the work, and theyhired so and they put my job up
for um as an opportunity forsomebody new.
They put a post up for my joband they gave it to somebody
else And I was doing the jobalready And I spoke to the

(17:09):
manager and I'm like, why wouldyou do that if I'm here?
And he said because he has adegree you know, and I said, wow
, i'm already doing a work andjust because I don't have that
piece of paper, i didn't get thejob.
And when you're a freelancer atcompanies like that, you're
hours run out.
You can't work past X amount ofhours.

(17:30):
So I was always somebody thatreally wasn't interested in
college.
I always felt like it was awaste of my time.
I'm not interested in doing allthese different topics that I
don't see benefit me, so I would.
I vowed to never go to collegeunless it was directly something
that I could see help me and Ican use immediately.

(17:51):
My son's mom saw a commercialfor for this school.
That was digital media.
It was graphic design and andweb design, and that was what I
enjoy doing.
So I had an opportunity to goto a school, get the paperwork,

(18:11):
the degree, do something I enjoy, start a business from it and
get a career and take care of myson.
Yeah, that was like a win, win,win, win, win, win, win, you
know, and I did it.
in two years I did it, got myassociates degree While I was in
school, though it was so funnybecause while I was in college,

(18:34):
in class, i'm actually doingreal clients work as assignments
in class, you know.
So I'm now, mind you, i'm 20.
I'm 27.
I'm 27,.
It took me a little while toget there, but I'm 27 and I'm in
college with 18 year olds at my25 years And they're like doing

(18:59):
their work and I'm doing realwork, clients work, you know,
and that was just really aturning point for me to see how
I could utilize this skill andbetter my life, better my
family's life.
And it took me to another level.

Speaker 1 (19:17):
Wow, Yeah, I love what you said about not wanting
to go to school unless you knowexactly what you're going to do
with that.
I feel like there's a certainconditioning or programming that
we have in society that schoolis always the next step And you
know, when you don't have thatclarity of what you want to do
next and you, being someonewho's very self-taught, very

(19:39):
self-driven, high-performingindividual, you're like okay, if
I need this for a specific goal, of course it makes sense And
that's such a refreshing mindset, Frank.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
Thank you.
Thank you, yeah, i was soserious about it because, like
you said, it's a conditioningwith societies like 18 go to
college, 18 go to college, youknow, and I just knew I didn't
want to.
I did try to go to vocationalschool for audio engineering and
I did that for a few months butI had got sick and I caught

(20:13):
like I caught pneumonia actually, and I was out for so long that
they they terminated my youknow, my, my admission.
So that was it, you know.
So that was it.
So I was 19 then.
So I wound up not going back,just working as delivery boys

(20:34):
and security personnel fromCanada, all these odd and then
jobs, until I eventually woundup going back to school.
When I got out, i filled outthis is another one I'm clipped
in.
I got out of school, i had thecompany, the company was going
really well, but a few years,maybe two or three years later,

(20:55):
you know, i was in anotherrelationship and I needed to
earn more money right, becauseyou're getting your own clients
and there's not always an easything.
So I filled out.
I remember this and this iswhen I really like connected to
my spirituality.
I said to myself I was pickingup my kids from from after

(21:16):
school and I said this is what Ineed to do.
I am going to find me a job andI'm trying to find little
graphic design jobs and they'rehard to find.
So I got a notebook and I saidI'm going to fill out 100
applications.
Wow, because you know, peopleusually say, oh, you're not

(21:38):
trying hard enough, you got tofill out more, you got to do
more, you got to do more.
Okay, i did 100.
I'm not messing around.
I call people.
It's about four pages becauseit's about 25 lines per sheet.
I have four sheets, no callsback.
I'm not getting any calls back.
I'm serious.

(21:59):
I got a nice resume.
I went to the job placementcenter.
I did the whole thing.
I wound up going to an afterschool center to pick the kids
up and there was a newspaperfrom the Bronx Times reported us
Always did.
Every Friday paper comes outand the paper said looking for
graphic design.
I was like, oh, i know I'mgoing to get this, i have to get

(22:22):
this And it's in the Bronx.
Most of the jobs are inManhattan and I live in the
Bronx, so what I did was okay.
So what I did was I filled itout, sent it in.
I'm telling you, my spirit saidthis is it.
And this was the last one.

(22:42):
This is 101.
Because I was still notdiscouraged, though I was a
little discouraged, but I waslike this is it.
And I did it and I got calledthe next day for an interview
And I went on the interview inthe Bronx and it was a part of
the Bronx that I never even beento, with the Morris Park

(23:04):
section.
It's a little more upscale andyou know in another area.
And I went and did the jobinterview and it was perfect.
The people were nice.
Laura Guerriero, she was themanager at the time and they
gave me a test on the computer.
That's how they did theinterview.

(23:25):
They're like I make an ad for meon the Mac Cliff, just for you
on the Mac, but in school I useMac's and PC.
So I was okay, did the ad.
The ad was so good that theysaid we're going to use this ad
in the paper next week.
So they got their feet and Igot the job right away And they

(23:46):
were just amazing.
It was the best job I ever had.
My kids, my stepkids and my sonwind up going to school down
the block from the job, you know, which was also a good
neighborhood.
I was able to bring, pick themup from school, bring them to
work with me from three o'clockto five o'clock And it was a

(24:06):
beautiful beautifulOrchestration of the universe.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
It sounds like it was .

Speaker 2 (24:11):
It was And um, and when that happened, and I tell
us you know, i used to tell it alot.
It was many years ago, but thestory was important because it
shows resilience and it showsdoesn't matter how many do is
what you really want.
And because I really wantedthat one and I know it was for

(24:33):
me, that's what I was going todo One application out of 100.
The last one, because by thattime I realized that it's not
how many you do.
which one do you really want?
Yes, and that was it,absolutely My life.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, my life, and that's a great segue and
opportunity to to bring up the,the work that that Clifton and I
do this, what we teach and toteach our clients about that.
It's not like how many timesyou do a specific action, it's
which time you're most lit up byit, because when your heart's
in it, that's the time thatit'll work out for you, you know

(25:17):
.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
And, um, it also includes other ways of making
decisions, or, yes, whetherthat's intuition, or you said
yeah, like this is the one Andit can tell you that for any
reason.
But ultimately, as you startedto to share, there is multiple
reasons.
It's not just have a good job,it's the fact that your kids are

(25:42):
going to go to school rightthere and it works beautifully,
far greater than what you couldhave, you know, imagined when
you first saw that ad.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
Right, right.
The emotional connection to itwas really strong, versus like
that hundred on the list whereyou're just checking the boxes
going through the motions.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yes, yes, that's right, so right.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
Wow, so.
So after that experience, didyou believe about, like, how did
that shift your decision-making?
I'm curious, or was yourdecision-making always like that
?
You know you're an entrepreneurfollowing your heart from a
very young age and, um, you know, very, very savvy with your

(26:25):
decision-making.
What?

Speaker 2 (26:27):
I think I was just going to say I think it, um, i
think it made.
I think that moment made itintentional for me.
You know, i believe I was.
I always knew there wassomething more to life than what
I was taught from a spiritualperspective.

(26:49):
My uncle was a minister.
My family went to church,baptist, you know.
So I used to.
So I grew up in that space,seeing that we would go on
Easter and Christmas and NewYear's and things like that.
But I just felt it was more toit, like somebody's not telling
me everything, like what elseare we going on?
I'm going to find out one day,you know.

(27:13):
And I wind up, my father alwaysbelieved in God.
You know he always taught methat.
So you know that was a keypiece for me.
So he always inspired me dowhat you enjoy, do what you
enjoy.
So it was like he's like.
Now I know what it really meansand I can break it down in more
detail.
But he was telling me he wasgiving me the blueprint back

(27:35):
then.
Yeah, i just didn't realize it,but I still listen and it
worked.
So I just did what I enjoyedthe whole time, without even
thinking twice about it, youknow, and since no one else was
really following that mindset, iwould bring everybody along
with me.
So I seem to kind of be aleader.

Speaker 1 (27:56):
The ringleader Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
And you know, and people came with me, you know, i
remember just saying to mycousin like I want to do a movie
.
He's like how are you going todo a movie?
Like it takes like a thousandpeople to do a movie.
He's like now what does it?
We got a computer, we knowsomebody that has a camera Me
and my sister, we can write ascript.

(28:19):
I'll find somebody to bedirector, photography, this and
that And we want to actuallyshoot in the movie.
Because I wanted to do it and Iwas excited to do it, you know,
and love and passion was thereand I just started to do that
over and over.
By the time I got to that job.
It was so intentional, becauseit was such a tedious task of

(28:44):
like calling a hundred placesand sending out a hundred
resumes and calls and all ofthat and having my ex in my ear,
and did you get a job?
yet I was like, come on.
But when I got that one that Ireally, really wanted, i was
really excited about, i said Ican control this, i can manage

(29:06):
this.
This is not a coincidence.
I'm going to do this again, youknow, and I did it again.
I'm going to do it again andagain, and again And I started
realizing, hey, i got our here,yeah, yeah, and.
And I started another businesswhile I was at that job.
And the job was amazing It was,it was so powerful.

(29:31):
I remember I remember being atthat job for a few years in and
I was frustrated because Iwasn't getting paid enough And I
was running my business.
But you know, you're on yourside business, you got to keep
your main career so you don'tlose everything.
And I was, and I was with mywife at this time.

(29:51):
We were getting, we weretogether And I said to her I
said you know what they werepaying me like $12 an hour, $13
an hour.
And I'm being like all nightbecause with newspapers you have
deadlines, you have to work totwo in the morning.
Just the business for weeks,for years.
And I'm like I'm done, i'm quitit, i don't want to be anymore,

(30:11):
it's time to do the business.
I'm here all these hours And Ijust knew I had that power And I
told and I wrote my letter ofresignation, i gave it in and
they couldn't believe it.
I thought they were going to belike all right, you know, nice,
nice working with you.
You know what they did.
They called me back and saidFrank, you can't leave, we need

(30:35):
you Like, we really need you.
I'm like, yeah, but I need torun my business.
I'm excited.
I want to do it Now.
Mind you, i'm going to getunemployment, but it's still not
enough to manage everything.
But I got faith is going towork out.
They want to get $20 an hour.
Wow, two days for two days aweek.

(30:57):
Two days a week and $20 an hour.
I wanted to make it almostdouble the money that I was
making for more than less thanhalf the time of work.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
Wow, and that's a strategy that we've actually
seen be very successful withclients who are wanting to
pursue their passion is, youknow, instead of just completely
leaving, like you said, thatmain job that's foremost
stability foundation.
You know, we've seen that kindof fact pattern of, well,
actually we need you.

(31:29):
You're so good at what you'redoing and let's have you work
less, give you a little more andkeep you, and that opens up the
time and the energy to createthe next thing And you're really
advocating for your dreams andyour passion and what you
believe in.
And by taking that step, you'reannouncing to the universe that

(31:51):
you're valuable, you're worthyand you're pursuing your dreams.
And it supports you.
And it supports you in uniqueways that you might not realize.

Speaker 2 (32:00):
Exactly, exactly, and that's exactly what happened.
I was supported in a way that Icouldn't even have imagined And
it helped me because thatcompany wind up being another
award-winning organization orbusiness.
That was a business, aworld-winning business, for 10

(32:23):
years.
I met my best friend with thatventure and met thousands and
thousands of people who helpthousands of people you know,
build relationships, help theirbusinesses.
It was an incredibleopportunity and it gave me, you
know, it continued to give memore of the knowledge and skill

(32:47):
set and expertise to be where Iam today.

Speaker 1 (32:51):
Yeah, exactly Yeah.
I mean the mindset and yourupbringing and all those
empowering beliefs you had fromyour father to pursue your
passion and everything workingout for you and the energetics
with which you do everything isexactly what we call being a
quantumpreneur.
It's a quantum entrepreneur.

(33:12):
It's, for you know, it's highperforming individuals who are
here to steward the evolution ofconsciousness from a place of
joy, with their being a spacebusiness.
So it's like the businessthat's a natural byproduct of
who they are when they're intheir lane and zone of genius,
just being themselves,attracting the right
opportunities, the rightcollaborators, the right

(33:34):
colleagues, coworkers, and it'sa divine orchestration how
things unfold and open up foryou.
When you're tapping into that,you know the quantum field,
right, the field of allpossibilities, all opportunities
, and things kind of sync up ina way that's even more magical
than we ever would have evenimagined.
Because if you would have like,tried to forecast how the

(33:56):
opportunity would go or thatthis thing would come out of
nowhere, rarely we could say Isaw this coming.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
Yeah, very rarely.
I'm telling you.
I have an example of that.
I won't take up too much time,but this is exactly what you're
talking about.
That business was called 12 ornine enterprise the partnership
with my partner, henry, and I'mdoing this business while I'm at

(34:25):
the job And now I have morefreedom.
So we're really doing an abysshelp connect entrepreneurs in
New York City, primarily inHarlem, to bring them education
and enlightenment on how theycan run their business.
That's what we were doing.
We're doing these eventsbringing out the Italian
speakers like Les Brown and allthese people.

(34:46):
But before we got to Les Brown,we had local folks.
Right, we had local folks thatwere really powerful and they
needed a place to speak.
We had the crowd.
I moved out of market and wedid it.
So I'm saying to my partner weneed to grow this business type.
We knew we need to grow thisbusiness.
So I'm like we need to model us.
I was listening to a lot of TonyRobbins at that time.

(35:08):
Being a character, be it anactor, model yourself after the
best.
So I asked my partner who's thebest networking organizer in
the country, who is the masterof networking events?
And there was a gentlemanAfrican American gentleman named
George C Frazier And my partnerknew who he was but I never

(35:31):
heard.
He does these major conferenceswith the elite speakers Les
Brown, these nickels, all thesepeople, tony Robbins, all these
people.
So he gives me, so he tells methe name.
I go, i find the book.
He bars and knows I get thebook.
I read the book.
The book is called Click.
The book is talking about howto network, literally, how you

(35:53):
network, how you buildrelationships with people, right
?
So I'm reading the book excited.
I get a call.
I'm like I gotta, i gotta meetthis guy.
Guy, he doesn't even live inNew York, he lives in Ohio.
I get a call from a friendnamed Deborah.
Deborah calls me.
Deborah is also in thenetworking business.
She does our events calledLight of Gold.

(36:15):
She says Frank, george CFrazier is coming to Kingston.
I mean, he's coming to New YorkCity and I need you to help me
get people there.
Now, mind you, this is howserious it is, because this
happened probably in like twoweeks time.
This wasn't a long time span,this was so quick.

(36:37):
So you know I'm losing it.
I'm like, oh my God, this isthe same person that I'm
studying.
I get to Wow.
So now I'm reading his book,because his book is telling you
how to network with people, howdo you connect to people.
And one of the things the booksaid is you bring value.

(36:58):
You bring value to people,right?
That's one of the key piecesnot asking to take, but to offer
.
So I'm saying to myself how canI bring value to this guy?
This guy's like a million.
Yeah, you know what am I goingto do?
What can I do?
So I came up with an idea forthis, this, this TV show.

(37:19):
I wanted to turn his book intoa reality show for a click.
I'm like this is it.
I get to the event, meet him.
He's really nice, reallyamazing.
I'm in like the VIP room.
I'm meeting him.
This other guy's there namedDallas Lee Bell.
I love he's from all of him.
He's there And I'm like how amI going to talk to him?

(37:43):
This is all spiritual.
How am I going to talk to him?
I'm going to talk to him aboutmy idea, you know.
So I go to him and I'm talkingto him about the idea and he's
not paying me any attention.
He's like not paying me anymind, but my friend Dallas, he's
, he's talking about me for me,you know, he's frank and he does

(38:09):
this, he's amazing and that,and he's getting so excited for
what he's saying He's not payingattention to what I'm saying.
And then it clicked to me thatwhat he was there for was to
promote his conference And allhe needed to do was get people
to the conference to teach themmore, to educate them.
And that's what I did in asense.

(38:31):
Oh, wow, it wasn't necessarilywhat I wanted, you know, it was
kind of what was needed from theuniverse And that's what I had
to.
Just stop forcing it with myown ideas and just kind of let
it be natural.
And when I did that, we builtthe best relationship.
He wound up becoming my mentor.
We set up theories across thecountry together for the next

(38:54):
eight years.
We had less grounds on the bombAt least the nickels, all of
these celebrities.
Wow, we became so popular inNew York City.
We had 10,000 business ownersin our network before I left the
city.
Because of that opportunity Andto be able to one, just let the

(39:16):
universe do what it does and notforce.
You know, i could have beenlike no, well, here I want to
hear my idea, i want to talkthere, you know, and left, but I
didn't, and it really, really,you know, it really worked out.
We had to go to his firstconference in Atlanta.

(39:37):
We drove there, we had like nomoney, we slept in the same room
, you know, and we just dideverything we could just to be
in the right space with theright people, but it worked out
perfectly.
You talk about having faith andallowing things to happen.

(39:59):
I mean, we got invited tospecial parties.
You're talking about, like youknow, people, like they think,
like we're like we're part ofthe crowd, and he's like no, i
don't even know how we got here,but we just going to keep
playing and go up, we just goingto enjoy it.
You know, and it really workedout until we, you know, until we
wanted to build in thatrelationship and get into where

(40:20):
we are.
So, wow, yeah, you know.

Speaker 3 (40:24):
Thank you for letting me share that, of course, yeah,
and this is the power of yourtribe, right, and as people go
through an elevation of theirconsciousness or just continue
to pursue joy, their tribe, thepeople they surround themselves,
just continue to up, level andimprove as well.
You know, considering where.

(40:45):
You know where you started, youknow as a child, to now you're.
You know you're, you'rehobnobbing with the greatest you
know people out there at leastthe Nichols, tony Robbins,
george Fraser is there, you know, and what you're doing is
you're allowing it to happen,right, yeah, and you're sharing
some very powerful stories thatrepresent you surrendering,

(41:09):
thinking you, you know,egoically, you have, this is
going to work.
But actually what worked wasyou just being you.
Yes, it was like, hey, i want,i want that.
You know, i don't need you tochange, i want you exactly as
you are.
Yeah, and another theme that hascome up consistently is this
perpetual personal development.
Angles, you know, buildingskills and and and abilities

(41:34):
from a place of of joy, ratherthan you kind of have to, right,
like not just going to schoolor getting your associates
degree because you have to.
But you're actually seeing whyit's exciting.
You went to Barnes Noble andread a book.
You know how many people thesedays go and read books.
You know.
But you did because there wasthat direct reason.
So you're motivated to do itand you can just see how it

(41:58):
unfolded.
Right, you took a little bit ofaction out of joy and it just
unfolded into this incrediblejourney.

Speaker 1 (42:06):
Yeah, Yeah, I would say that's an incredible, unique
gift or superhero ability.
You have, Frank, The trust, thesurrendering, allowing things
to to show up in the belief.
You know you walk around withthat hat that says imagination
And every time I see you you'relike a poster child for
possibility, An opportunity andand belief.

Speaker 2 (42:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (42:32):
What And so and so tell us a bit about you.
Know how you're taking all ofthis life lessons, all of these
philosophies and and upgradingit up, leveling, by stepping
into running for mayor.
You kind of share with us.
You know how you you went fromthe Bronx to to Kingston, to my
Kingston kids and now justcontinuing to up level and and

(42:55):
provide support and joy to, tothose you care about.

Speaker 2 (42:59):
Yeah, i mean, you know, after after I, after that
business venture, you know,while I was doing that, i met my
wife, Shiniqua, and she had herown company And together we
just started getting morespiritually educated, Started.
She was actually doing what youjust did, victoria she was

(43:24):
reading meditations For for alady named Barbara Dominic who's
amazing, and she's a Reiki, aReiki healer and Shiniqua rep
meditation.
So I used to go with her fromtime to time And just being a
part of that energy was like,wow, this is incredible.
You know, we just startedlearning more, we became vegan,

(43:45):
we just did a whole bunch ofdifferent things.
Yeah, yeah, the traveling Andwe wanted to get out the city
and she wanted to go somewhere.
We looked in Pennsylvania.
That didn't work out, so wedidn't want to go too far.
We wound up moving to Kingston.
She wanted trees, i wantedbuildings.
This was a two hours away fromthe city And we came here and we

(44:08):
enjoyed it.
You know, we really love thecommunity.
It was a lot slower pace thanthe city And we were here for
about three years until we justdecided we can't keep running
back and forth to the city.
We have to find a way to stayhere.
We got to get embedded in thecommunity And doing that with
just the way that we both are.

(44:31):
Me starting first was I justwanted to contribute And I
realized that there was thingsmissing for children here in the
city Active programming,engaging opportunities, more
diverse options for kids ofcolor, and wanting to be able to
bring something special.
And we created MyKinx and KidsAnd that organization became a

(44:55):
nonprofit Also another awardwinning organization and really
was taken on, you know, by someincredible people in the
community under their wing tohelp me, as I didn't know anyone
when I came here for mylandlord, literally, who were
amazing Because that was ourfamily.

(45:16):
I don't know how many peoplecan say that, but my landlord,
linda, karzy and Dave they werethe people that we knew.
We went to their house forcookouts and with their kids and
grandkids, And that was ourfamily.
You know, until we startedgoing out and meeting other
people And, as we can start itto contribute, we started

(45:38):
realizing, hey, we could reallylend a hand here.
You know, there's people thatare already doing great work,
but there's a few spaces thatcan use some assistance.
And doing that, we just startedgetting offered more
opportunities.
I got offered to be on otherboards.
I met a good friend of mine,tyrone Wilson, who is also from

(46:01):
the city, from Harlem.
He was here a few years beforeme, but I am what he was waiting
for, you know, and he was whatI was kind of looking for.
He replaced my partner, henryfrom the city, so I had my own
Henry here.
So together we created anotherorganization called Harambe.

(46:22):
We just started doing work.
You know, we became Batman andRobin, the Kingston, but he
still had his own identity andhad his strengths and I had mine
, and then we would complimenteach other And, as I did my work
over seven years.
Community has just been sosupportive.

(46:42):
It's been an incredibleblessing.
I remember I was able to get mymom to move here a few years
ago and she was in Alabama andshe hates New York.
It's cold, it's far, it's allof those things.
You guys probably feel the sameway.

Speaker 1 (47:01):
I mean I moved out to California from New York.

Speaker 2 (47:08):
Oh man, but I begged that she wanted to come and be
with her family and havegrandkids as she came and she
was here for about two years andshe wound up having a sudden
heart attack and she passed awayhere in Kingston.
But what was incredible about itis I received so much community
support you know from folksthat's not my blood relatives,

(47:32):
you know and it was like, wow, ireally have an impact, you know
, here on people and you knowpeople like, oh, you're a nice
person and you're cool, but whenyou see people really come out,
you know for something soserious and challenging as deaf,
so challenging such as deaf, itreally shows the connection

(47:54):
that you have with people.
And that's when I really saidyou know what I'm here And it
inspired me just to do more andI got on more boards and I did
initiatives with the city andthe county and I became like a
spokesperson for Sojourner Truthand her legacy to where they

(48:15):
even have a state park namedSojourner Truth.
We even have a day afterSojourner Truth because of a lot
of work that I did from thatinspiration.
So the next level you know fromwhat the community feels is
Well, hold on, hold on, beforeyou wind up on that.

Speaker 3 (48:34):
Before you wind up on that, yeah, how you know you're
, how do you have time for allthis?
I mean, you know you've got,you know a wife, children,
you've got companies, a radioshow.
You know you stack it up.
It sounds like 10 people's jobsyou're doing.
How do you do it?

Speaker 2 (48:55):
Let me tell you I'm on the right show because you're
listening, as understand.
This person has no idea.
People think I, you know whatpeople say to me more than
anything, more than they sayhello.
They say when do you sleep?
That's what people say to me,frank when do you sleep?

(49:15):
How are you at this event?
How are you at that event?
And I just said this yesterdayand then I'll tell you how.
What people used to say to me inthe city because the city is
the city that never sleeps Andthat's how you're raised.
In the city, the trains run allnight, the bus runs all night,
the business is open all nightAnd the city.

(49:37):
The myth is you're notsuccessful unless you're always
busy.
Like it's a myth, right, weknow spiritually that that's not
true.
Then I went to a business classand a management facilitator.
You know what she said.
She said the people, the mostsuccessful people, because I
also read a book, thinking GrowRich.

(49:59):
But also there was anotherThinking Grow Rich by another
gentleman, with all of theAfrican-American millionaires
and billionaires as well.
I can't think of his name rightnow, but what he said was
successful people know how tomanage their time properly And

(50:20):
they get the proper rest.
That's what you need to do tobe successful.
And, mind you, anybody in myfamily would tell you Frank goes
to sleep at eight, nine o'clock.
I don't like to be up late, Ican't.
My whole life my cousin used toleave me while he.
He can't laugh, he can't hang,he's going to be asleep.
That's who I've always been, soI've always had to get my work

(50:43):
done.
Now I do get up at five, sixo'clock, but I have to go to
sleep like eight, nine o'clock,maybe 10 o'clock if I'm really
happy and fun.
So that's just who I am.
That's spiritually.
That's who I am.
Even if I go to sleep at fourin the morning, i'm getting up
at seven.
I just can't help it.
So what I've been able to do isonly do what I enjoy the most.

(51:05):
I do what I enjoy the most, ido what I want to do, i do what
I'm excited about, i do whatgets me in that, in that, in
that really loving andpassionate feeling, and it's
enough.
Believe it or not, it balancesitself out.
I couldn't, i can't explain itany other way.

(51:27):
It balances itself out by eight, nine o'clock.
I'm in the house usually at sixo'clock, unless I have an event
to go to.
It just works itself out.
Sometimes I need to stay outlate up, sometimes I need to get
up earlier, but I'm not.
You would think I'm exhaustedand I'm always running, and it

(51:48):
just doesn't work like that.
Universe doesn't work like that.
I'm able to just do what I needto do and it's enough.
Wow.

Speaker 3 (52:01):
That's beautiful And, yeah, that's exactly what we
tell our clients.
Right is to ride your wave ofjoy, because it's the organizing
principle, combining a lot ofAbraham Hicks' intelligence with
Bashar's intelligence, offollowing your highest
excitement to the best of yourability, without a attachment to
the outcome.
It really is.

(52:22):
You're living proof and a lotof what you've created were
things that weren't there.
It's not like you're workingfive different jobs.

Speaker 1 (52:32):
You're creating things and you're seeing what's
happening, creatingopportunities, seeing the needs
and following your heart,leading with your heart.
Kingston has a big place inyour heart.
It showed up for you as acommunity and I see you doing
that service back for Kingston.

Speaker 3 (52:49):
Yes.
And so, as if that wasn'tenough, now you decided to take
it to the next level, the nextlevel of this journey.

Speaker 1 (53:00):
Expansion and identity shifting.
What excites you the most aboutrunning for mayor Frank?

Speaker 2 (53:06):
You know, what excites me the most.
What excites me the most reallyis genuinely feeling with
everything in my body that I canreally shift the consciousness
of a community.
I really feel that.
I feel that And, as I've beencampaigning and speaking to
people, i feel like I'm startingto see that happen.

(53:30):
I'm giving people I don't liketo say, oh, you know, but I'm
like I'm giving people anotherperspective.
I'm giving people, you know,some excitement.
I'm giving people ideas and afeeling of real change.
You know, i would be the firstAfrican-American mayor of

(53:53):
Kingston.
Kingston is New York State'sfirst capital.
Wow, wow, it's 2023 right now,you know.
So a lot of people, you know,are blown away just by me taking
the chance and running in thefirst place, because no one has

(54:16):
even ran before, you know.
So that gives us all the amountof hope, you know, and
excitement, and people are readyfor something different.
I think people are reallylooking at a different type of
leadership, especially in thisday and age, as our
consciousness shifts and ourvibrations are rising, with

(54:39):
everything happening in acommunity.
Mental wellness is starting tobe a normal thing, you know, to
look at spirituality outside ofchurch.
It's starting to be a normalthing to look at.
You know, i really feel like Iwas put here for this position.
You know like I am here forthis position, to be a partner

(55:05):
in the guidance of this shift.

Speaker 3 (55:07):
Wow, what does that look like when you say you're
here to help, you know, increasethe level of consciousness?
What does that look like on aday to day or like specific
basis?
Because I know when peoplethink about you know governments
or you know politics, there's alot of negativity or apathy, or

(55:28):
you know they don't care, youknow kind of mentality.
What does it look like to gointo that, put on your suit or
your jacket, or even just yourhat, that says imagine on it?
How do you do that?
You know, because it's a verymacro concept, like, oh, i'm
going to increase the level ofconsciousness of a community.
What does that look like?

Speaker 2 (55:51):
And it's the same thing when people say we need to
bring community together, weneed to represent the community
Like it's.
Like you said, it's a verymacro idea to mention it and
saying people say it all thetime.
Sometimes people have no ideawhat they've been saying.
They say it because of how it'sgoing to be, but it's much more

(56:11):
than that And it's not thatdifficult.
Most of it It is what it is Andgovernments don't, don't, don't
, don't exercise the real ideaof community because of agendas
and who would benefit And justthe way colonialism works.
It doesn't really allow it.

(56:32):
What I want to do, i havenothing to lose.
Not a politician.
I'm not from a political family.
I don't have a politicalbackground.
I'm from the community.
I'm a worker, job, i have afamily, i pay taxes just like
everybody else, and I'm talkingto people on the grassroot level
.
So, as I'm speaking to familiesand kids and grandparents and

(56:56):
seniors and vets regularly,before I bring them, i'm already
hearing the issues and thechallenges that I'm saying the
same thing with them.
So, doing all of that, what I'mhearing is people are not
included.
People are not a part of theconversation.
The government was created torepresent the people, but the

(57:18):
people are not part of theconversation with the people
that's representing them.
I've heard all the men who arethe common council members,
which is the legislative branchof the government, say to their
residents.
I heard them say to them I hearwhat you're saying, but I'm not

(57:43):
going to do that.
I need to do what's best forthe city.
I heard them say that.
So to say that to people thatvoted you in, what are you
saying to them?
You're not the city.
I know what you need more thanyou know what you need, and I'm
bringing the options, realoptions with things like a

(58:06):
citizen assembly where peopleare coming together in a more
structured manner to makedecisions to help the government
.
That's real.
That's a real structure wherepeople will be accountable and
will be able to participate.
Something like that they'redoing now in Europe, and other

(58:28):
countries are starting to pickup more.
You don't hear much about themin the US.
So this is something that I'mbringing to Kingston, because
once you start showing peoplethat, hey, i do want you to be a
part of this decision, what'syour ideas?
I'm listening.
Tell me.
You know, let's build, let'sco-create.

(58:48):
They're going to trust youbecause you're allowing them to
co-create with you, and thenthat's going to inspire them,
that's going to excite them.
That alone is shifting theirconsciousness, because normally
it's hey, i sent out an email,you didn't see it.
Yeah, we need.
We was asking people what theirideas was on this policy.

(59:11):
Oh, you didn't see it.
Well, they saw it.
Sorry, and that's how it goes.
It's a tremble thing, yeah, butyou had to meet, and at three
in the morning, yeah, well, youasleep Next time.
You know, it's typical I'm beingfunny, but you know, but it's
kind of how it happens a lot oftimes.
And people have been seeingthis for years, you know.

(59:34):
So now they're ready forsomething different, and there's
not a lot of people evenwilling to step up.
I hear people say to me, morethan anything as well, they say
thank you, even if I lose.
They're like, thank you justfor stepping up.
Wow, this thank you forstepping up, for taking a chance

(59:56):
, that's inspiring, not alonethe shifting the consciousness.
Yeah, because I came and, youguys know, because you helped me
make the decision to run in thefirst place.
But if I well, your listenersthat don't know.
You know I'm doing this as wesay, you know, with no
attachment to the expectation.

(01:00:17):
So I'm doing this in a fearlessway, and if I don't win, it's
all right, because if I inspireother people to feel as if they
can do it, then maybe somebodyelse is the best person for the
job And maybe four years theywill step up and then it will be
also great as well.
Or maybe somebody becomes anAlderman or gets appointed to

(01:00:39):
another committee or wants tojoin a board, because they're
starting to see different peoplestep up in different positions.
And that's what this is reallyabout.
If I win which I think I will,honestly it will be a major
shift and a major win, not justfor me, but just for the whole
community and for nextgenerations to come.

(01:01:02):
I think this is going to besomething big, something special
, which I know we're going to be.

Speaker 3 (01:01:09):
You know, yeah, that's awesome, and you know
kind of what you're sharing.
the framework behind that is,you know, it includes two
thought leaders, right?
So we've got transcending thelevels of consciousness by.

Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
David Richard Hawkins .
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:26):
Hawkins, And then also this idea called the low
drama triangle which we talkabout quite a lot with you,
Frank.
Yes, which is part ofpossibility management.
And so when you combine the two, that's really the intellectual
framework of what you're doing.
Right, and depending on whatlevel of consciousness you're in

(01:01:48):
, it determines what storyyou're telling yourself.
And we all have these storiesabout politics or government.
You know it doesn't listen tome, it doesn't work.
Things are wrong.
Well, as you know, as you knowsomeone who's a powerful creator
, if you believe something, thenyou're going to manifest that
as well.
Right, and so what you're doingis you're stepping into all of

(01:02:11):
that collective energy and toget a little you know quantum
for a second is you're steppinginto a, the field, the morphic
field, but an area where youjust have a collection of
negative thoughts or differentenergies saying, you know, it's
corrupt, it doesn't work, theydon't listen to me.
You know why should I care?
And you're, you're alchemizing,that you're actually being a

(01:02:35):
beacon of light into that fieldto to say, hey, no, this is
great, let's get everyone tocourage, let's move up.
Whether you're an apathy, likethis doesn't work, or you're in
anger, like politicians arecorrupt, or fear, like
government's going to control me, you're stepping into those
conversations and you're doingwhat we call joy affecting.

(01:02:55):
You're bringing the narrativeto a place of joy of no, this is
possible.
We can do this.
Let's step into it.
And it's a continuation of whatyou shared earlier of.
You are here to to, to addvalue to, to, to provide service
to a community And when, whenthat happens, you take away this

(01:03:17):
low drama triangle which is asVictoria is so eloquent at
sharing, maybe she'd like Youcreate the empowerment dynamics.

Speaker 1 (01:03:25):
So people who are in that victim consciousness, like
pointing fingers that the youknow, the government is doing
this or whatever, they canbecome more empowered creators
by stepping into their owndeliberate, conscious creation
Right.
So then, once the only way outof that triangle is through to
to step out of it altogether, toget out of the victim mode, the

(01:03:47):
persecutor or the rescuerstrying to rescue the, the victim
, from the persecutor, right The, the victim, becomes the
empowered creator.
The persecutor can become moreof a challenger, instead saying
I know that we can do better, iknow you can do better, I know
you have what it takes right.
Or being that coach versus thatrescuer which is holding that

(01:04:08):
space for the people to find andorganize their own, their own
momentum right.
To create their own internaldrive, because something you
have in you that's such abeautiful gift of yours is
you're so self-driven and soinspiring And you've been this
ringleader and beacon of lightyour whole life, and what you're
doing for the people ofKingston is really beautiful And

(01:04:30):
regardless of what the outcomeis, you know I firmly believe
that that you have what it takesand you be an excellent mayor
for Kingston.
But your mission isaccomplished, regardless of what
you do And you can, and that'show you'll sleep at night.
Yeah, that's how you sleep.
When do you sleep?
Yeah, just with peace.
That I know.
I did all that I could do, thatI showed up, i listened.

(01:04:53):
I've been doing this all along.
It's a natural byproduct of mybeing, as being in the community
every single day, from thegrass roots, boots on the ground
, day to day stuff and tricklingit up up that chain right?

Speaker 3 (01:05:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's similar to like youreducation.
You know, you weren't just like, oh, let me go go to an
education because that's whatI'm supposed to do.
You followed your path And then, when it made sense for you to
get educated, to get yourassociate's degree, you went and
did it.
You know, instead of saying youknow what I want power, or you
know I want prestige, i think Icould be a good, good mayor.

(01:05:31):
You built it from the ground up, brick by brick.
Yes, what do you need?
Let me go do it.
Okay, great, i'm doing well atthat.
Should I expand?
Yes, okay, let me do myKingston kids.
Oh, let me do these initiatives.
And then, oh well, i guess thenext, the next step for me to
expand into organically,following this joy, following
this excitement and thecapabilities and the track

(01:05:54):
record, is let me go run formayor and be mayor.

Speaker 1 (01:05:58):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:05:59):
So you use an internal driver of your joy and
a consistent expansion of yourimpact to decide to run for
mayor, rather than sort ofanalyze, you know, external
factors, And that is whatcreates the victory, regardless.
And often when people look atpoliticians, I look at some as

(01:06:23):
role models.
Right, And it's like what, whatis it about them that makes it
makes it a role model?
It's not the fact that they'reable to get X, Y or Z done.
For me, it's always why?
why did they do it?
And actually one of my funquestions in college was you
know who's your role model?

(01:06:44):
And I put Cincinnati's, and youknow, Cincinnati's is, you know
, Cincinnati's named after it.
But during the Roman times,Cincinnati's was one of the, the
leaders who, who tookleadership not because he wanted
to, but because he was asked to.
And then, when they went andaccomplish what they needed,

(01:07:06):
which there was some some warand strife, when, when it was
accomplished, he actually wentback to being just his, his land
landowner, you know, and theywere, they were confused.
And the same story, you know,replicates with George
Washington as well, after theRevolutionary War.
And so, you know, tying whatyou're doing in the 2023 has

(01:07:29):
that essence of that powerfulleader and all those leaders,
hold on to those core spiritualtruths of do what lights you up,
do what needs to be done youknow, rather than what you think
needs to be done or what soundsgood on paper, Right, Right.

Speaker 2 (01:07:48):
Yeah, and I resonate with that so much because that's
what I, you know, that's how Ifeel as well.
You know the community asked meto run.
It wasn't something that I wasplanning on doing, and, and even
as I think about it, you knowour current mayor has been for
eight years.
He's trying to run for anotherfour years.

(01:08:08):
A lot of people feel that's toolong.
In New York, in New York City,there was a two term limit, and
Bloomberg changed it to threeterms because he wanted to stay
another year, another, anotherterm, and he did, wound up
staying 12 years, but you knowthat's part of my vision is to

(01:08:29):
come in.
It should be eight.
Come in.
I do the job that needs to bedone, lay a strong foundation
for the next, next person tocome in.
You know you want a new vision,you want new ideas, you know,
and I can go back and continuedoing what I was doing.
You know I came in, did thework and now go back.
I feel the same way.

(01:08:50):
The way that I, that I feel now, though, is like just what our
current mayor is?
just like he just doesn't wantto leave.
You know it's like no, this ismine.
Like, oh, keep it in this.
You're not taking this from me.
You know it's kind of like it'snot yours.
You know you don't own it, it'snot.
You know it's.

(01:09:11):
It's a stewardship.
Yeah, the stewardship thatrepresents the community.
That has changed in eight years?

Speaker 1 (01:09:18):
Yeah, Yes.
So what's your vision forKingston?
I guess, eight years from now,if you were to be elected and to
be in there for two terms, whatwould you ideally want Kingston
to look like?

Speaker 2 (01:09:33):
Yeah, i mean, you know, I see Kingston.
I don't want to say a superdemocracy, but I guess anything
better than whether this couldbe super democracy.
You know I really want, youknow I really want people.
So there's a thing in Kingstonright That I didn't notice
because I wasn't born and raisedhere, but there's a few things
in Kingston One.
Everybody knows each other, sothat's really weird by itself.

(01:09:55):
And here I'm sitting and youcould like see somebody one day
and never see them again.
Here is never happening.
Oh, that's my cousin, that's mybrother-in-law.
It's like so weird.

Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
We're into.
We have that too right now Wehave that too in your town.

Speaker 2 (01:10:10):
I'm not used to that, but I really like it.
I really really enjoy that.
But what's interesting isthere's this thing here so
unfortunate situation where foryears, decades, people would
graduate high school and theywould move away because there
weren't many things for them todo here.
There wasn't much economicbenefit here, there wasn't many

(01:10:33):
options or resources here, andyou hear so many stories of
folks moved away for 10, 20years and came back.
So what I would like to do iscreate an atmosphere and an
environment where there arethings to do here And when
people leave high school, theycan stay right here at home and
they can afford to stay here,because you can't afford to stay

(01:10:54):
here either.
Right now.
It's one of the mostchallenging housing prices in
the country, so challenging inKingston, new York that they're
reporting it in Europe.
Wow, that's how challenging itis here.

Speaker 1 (01:11:10):
The property value skyrocketed during the pandemic.
Skyrocketed, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:11:14):
Kingston was noted in the New York Times as the most
sought after city for propertyin the whole country.

Speaker 1 (01:11:23):
And you guys got in there at the right time.

Speaker 2 (01:11:26):
We literally my wife and I, moved into our house
right after the beginning of thepandemic And we would have
waited a few months.
We wouldn't have been able toafford to get to move into our
house.
So, yeah, and I was living inaffordable housing.
So that just goes to show youthe growth and the challenge

(01:11:52):
also of the city.
So I want to make sure that inthat time, in eight years, you
have a city that has a vastamount of opportunities and
resources for the community thatis born and raised here, for
folks that are moving here, andthere's a culture here for new
people to come in that they canparticipate in and feel welcome

(01:12:15):
and not feel that they need tostrip or pull from or extract
from, and that's what's beenhappening over the last few
years.
So we want to have somepolicies in place that protect
the people that live here andcreate an atmosphere where

(01:12:35):
people are loving and connectedtogether, from your law
enforcement to your clergy, toyour nonprofits, to your
businesses, to your vets, toyour LGBTQ plus community, to
your kids, to your seniors.
We want a place where peoplecan truly feel connected.
There's only 24,000 people here.
Do you know that Madison SquareGarden holds more seats than

(01:12:58):
Kingston.
Wow, is that something?
I just got that the other day.
I'm blown away by that.
Blown away.
Yeah, you take the whole city.

Speaker 1 (01:13:08):
The whole city for a community event My Kingston kids
event.

Speaker 2 (01:13:12):
That's eight years.
That's what I'm going to do.
with eight years, i'm havingthe special event for Kingston
and Madison Square Garden.
You can come too, becausethere'll still be seats.

Speaker 1 (01:13:24):
That's right.
We could bring all of Topangathere too.

Speaker 3 (01:13:28):
Everything that you're sharing is not just an
issue of Kingston, but it's amajor issue around the country
as well.
Especially in smaller cities.
Is the brain drain to the coast, to the big cities?
It's even a national problem inplaces like the Philippines.
So that's a huge thing thatyou're working on at the local

(01:13:52):
level.
A lot of times you say thinkglobal but act local.
There is a national housingcrisis for the millennials and
the upcoming generation.
Victor and I have talked topeople who are actively working
on lobbying for certain housingsolutions.
I think that Kingston is such abeautiful opportunity for you

(01:14:16):
to bring that possibilitymindset and that imagine energy
to create those shifts and toengage the community.
That's ultimately what that isright.
You're stewarding the community.
You can only steward it as wellas the inputs, as well as your
citizens are participating.

(01:14:37):
I know that, with Mike and thekids and his radio show, you've
put in the work and you havemade those connections and you
know how to do it with clickthat you read back in the day.
But you also know how to holdthe note.
Hold that vibrational note ofbeing able to stay positive,

(01:14:59):
stay possibility mindset,regardless of what's going on.
I'd love maybe a story or twoof how you've been able to
impact the community alreadywith Mike Kingston kids, and
perhaps how the same things thatyou'll be doing as mayor you've
already accomplished with MikeKingston kids.

Speaker 1 (01:15:20):
Yeah, even with your own family, frank, it's.
Harmony starts at home, and youand Shaniqua have made the
decision to homeschool yourgirls.
The ripples out from you toyour partnership with Shaniqua,
to the family and their legacy,and then the community of

(01:15:40):
Kingston, mike, kingston kids,and then Kingston as a whole.
Yeah, i'd love to hear a storyor two.

Speaker 2 (01:15:47):
As Clifton said, Yeah , i mean, when we came here, my
son was 15 and he was going to apublic school in the city, but
it was still like a prettyfocused school.
It was a citizen assemblyschool.
I mean citizen, yeah, i thinkit is called citizen assembly,

(01:16:09):
which is funny A civicengagement.
But it was really good schoolreally focused on boys of color
believe it or not, all boys inthe Bronx and it was public as
well And I loved it.
I loved the school, but we leftand they were closing it down.

(01:16:31):
We came here and when we camehere we knew that Senile, who
was our youngest daughter shewas nine months.
She would eventually go toschool, so about the time she
was three.
We saw the research indifferent types of schools and
Montessori was the kind of modelthat we thought would be great.
We were able to find her.
They had one public Montessorischool here and she went there

(01:16:54):
for six years from pre-K tofourth grade, and we knew that
this was it.
And when we first put it in,we're like what are we going to
do?
What are we going to do whenshe gets out?
Once she hit fourth grade andat the time it was fifth grade
actually And they dropped thegrade and made it fourth over
the last two years.

(01:17:14):
So we were really nervous andnot sure what to do.
And we had the organization andwe were kind of working with
the junior high schools here andwe're seeing some of the
challenges and we were trying toget in My kinks and kids were
trying to get in the schools andtry to help develop some

(01:17:35):
curriculum and it was just veryhard.
It's still very hard, honestly,to do that.
So when she graduated fourthgrade, we decided to homeschool
her and keep her home And wefelt that we would do a much
better job than the schoolsystem, than any school system,

(01:17:56):
not a slight against kinks incity schools, just in general.
And we don't even like to stayhomeschool.
We like to stay direct learningbecause we're able to teach
them directly through skills andexperiences of our lives and
help them develop theirs On adaily basis and it's definitely
much more intentional andfocused And we're having a

(01:18:17):
fantastic time with that Andit's been and, as you all know,
with my busy schedule, it's likehow are you homeschooling?
Yeah, how are you doing directlearning?

Speaker 1 (01:18:32):
And those girls have a lot of energy too.
They do.

Speaker 2 (01:18:35):
They do.
I have a younger one too, who'sfive, and Sunil is 11.
So two girls, very active, verycreative, has inspired other
families to homeschool as well.
Wow, and look at alternativeseducation models.

(01:18:58):
It's open in the conversations.
That's what's really amazingabout it, and I mean the world
is led by vibration first right.
So a few years before westarted homeschooling Maybe one
year, third grade I was calledinto a meeting with other

(01:19:19):
individual educators andnonprofit directors with
children about a No educationmodel, which would be something
similar to a whole schoolconcept.
Hmm, and we were really lookingat it from the ground up and
it's still in development.
So long time I was hoping mykids would be the first route of

(01:19:43):
children in this program, butit's still in development.
And that program, though and webought in all these experts and
ex-principles and all thesefolks have shared ideas and The
challenges and pros and cons ofthe school system and education
and how it works.
But that inspired us.

(01:20:03):
It was more inspiration to justdo it, mm-hmm, and we did it,
and it's become the best part ofmy life, i have to say.
We go to the mall, we have awhole lesson my mouth math, of
business, of management, ofcustomer service, of I'm telling
you in the mall, life skills,right, life skills, real, you

(01:20:27):
know, um, real life skills, youknow, and I would trade it in,
and it's not easy all the time,you know.
Sometimes I have to bring me toa meeting with me And they have
the books, so they have theirABC mouse or the iPads or their
toys, you know, and keepthemselves occupied, but
Sometimes they participate inthe meetings as well.

(01:20:49):
Immersive learning, yeah,definitely, definitely so, yeah,
so that's one, you know.
One of the other things thatthat is really inspiring.
Inspiring is when we startedthe organization.
We've been doing this sevenyears.
So I remember giving an award toa young man, who's how old now

(01:21:11):
18, and he was probably 13, 13.
We gave him an award called theInspire Award, and we created
these awards at our my kinks andkids festival To do something
different in your normalacademic awards not to put that
down, but that's a common placeto receive acknowledgement.

(01:21:32):
We wanted to acknowledge thekids that were expressing
themselves in different ways, bea community sort of his social
engagement, art, whatever, andthis young man he Listen, that
wasn't an amazing artist, he's13.
He's drawing things and whatnot, and Somebody recommended them

(01:21:53):
to us and we were just so blownaway.
We gave him the work, so westarted watching him and Just
kind of watching him grow andoffering opportunities.
So where now he's 18, graduatedhigh school, on his way to
college, and We just gave him anaward.

(01:22:13):
My other organization gave himan award called the Ben Wigford
achievement award, which isnamed after a gentleman who
passed he a few years ago, buthe was like a community legend
that Created a art studio.
He was the firstAfrican-American professor and

(01:22:35):
New Sony new falls here in inthe Hudson Valley.
But he also was the director ofa place called Um communication
village, which was like a home,which was like a like a center
for At-risk youth in the areamany years ago in the 70s and
gave them an outlet to wheremany of them are Doing their

(01:22:58):
craft of art in variety waystoday.
So it's a very prestigiousaward for a very inspirational
person and this young manreceived that award this year
and 23 And his artwork is allover the country.
He's huge on on social media.

(01:23:20):
He even did a Mount Rushmorepicture that he hand you have to
send it to you of myself, mypartner Tyrone and two other
community leaders of color herein Kingston that People are just
in awe, you know, when they seeit like that was his vision.

(01:23:41):
So, yes, he's an incredibleartist, but the other part was
that he, he, he looked up to meand others as An inspiration
figure for him in his life, somuch that he created us on a
Mount Rushmore you know, type ofwalking well, with the heads

(01:24:03):
yes, wow, which was like youknow what I mean, like that was
just Like that honor of Somebodyeven thinking to even draw me.
Period is like wow, you'redrawing me, like why are you
drawing me?
But answer, draw me, which hedid.
Do a personal picture for meone time, make dude, but but to

(01:24:25):
also quit me, you know, and thattype of landscape was really
remarkable and so I'm so humbledby it.
So, to be able to watch theorganization be so inspiring to
young, like older people, yes,we appreciate it, but to see
young people who it was createdfor is breathtaking, and that's

(01:24:49):
what it's about.
He's definitely a person that Iappreciate so much And it's
always available to support inany way we can.

Speaker 3 (01:25:02):
Wow, that's so beautiful And I just love the
story arc of how we started, ofyou creating that first magazine
, uncovering young talents,musicians and now fast forward a
few years, a few decades, butyou're still uncovering talent,

(01:25:22):
you're bringing people into thelight, you're sharing and
showcasing their gifts Andthat's just something that
you'll just continue to dobecause it's part of your
beingness And you just hauldifferent hats and wear
different roles based on yourgrowth and your journey, and
we're so excited to be part ofyour journey.

(01:25:44):
We're so excited to see youstep into running for mayor,
being mayor, embodying the mayor, And really it's a natural
byproduct, as we've said, ofjust your evolution and growth.
It's just so wonderful to havespent this time with you and
really appreciate all thelisteners for staying with us,

(01:26:04):
and this has been engaging andincredible.
Is there anything else that youthink is important to share,
victoria, for our listeners, orto ask?

Speaker 1 (01:26:15):
Oh, i was gonna say is there anything else you would
like to share, frank?

Speaker 2 (01:26:20):
Yeah, the most important part of this is how we
even connected.

Speaker 1 (01:26:26):
Yeah, you want to tell that story.
I love that story.
You're a great storyteller.

Speaker 2 (01:26:33):
You know, my wife and I, you know we're here, We have
the organization, we have abusiness, we have the kids.
We're doing a variety of things.
We're blessed to purchase someproperty here, as we just
purchased a home And we're kindof looking in how to enhance our
financial portfolio and getsome strategies and how to move

(01:26:54):
forward and better our careerseconomically.
So I go on my favorite site Idon't know if you're still on
there anymore Upwork.

Speaker 3 (01:27:06):
I could wear them called to go.
Yeah, this was an upwork.

Speaker 2 (01:27:12):
But I go on the site and I'm looking for a financial
expert that can kind of like acoach slash financial person
that can kind of guide usthrough the process.
And I found Clifton, you know,and we did a call.
And when we did the call it wasjust incredible because he got

(01:27:33):
like right to the root of it.
Like I think he just asked likea few questions Like why do you
want to do this?
You know, how do you seeyourself doing this?
You know, what's your vision?
I don't know, i'm just tryingto make some money, like you
know, it's like, oh man, he'slike giving me all these

(01:27:54):
questions And I talked to mywife about it and I was just so
excited, like, like hon, like Iwould have never expected that.
You know, usually it's likesend me all your assets, let me
look at all your numbers, and hewas like, yeah, it's like
getting into a spirit tofoundation.

Speaker 1 (01:28:17):
Didn't you guys talk about?
Abraham Hicks and BasharClifton relayed the story to me.

Speaker 3 (01:28:22):
We just kept going deeper.
I was just, yeah, talking about, like your numbers, yeah, i'm a
CP, i could do this, let's go.
And then I'm like, wait, whatabout this?

Speaker 2 (01:28:31):
Yeah, just deeper layers of resonance and
connection, you know, yeah, ithink I was, and it's so weird
because it's unfortunate And Ihope to change that paradigm
here.
But it's like when you talk tonew people you got to hear this
too, but I'm not going todigress in that But when you

(01:28:52):
talk to new people, it's alwaysjust elephant in the room.
As people say, don't talk aboutpolitics and don't talk about
religion or spirituality, right?
So I'm like I think I don'tknow what I said, but I said
something and Clifton resonatedwith it and it had to do with
Abraham.
And then he said the channelerand I think Ryan, i was like,

(01:29:12):
yeah, i was like oh man, oh,let's do it.

Speaker 1 (01:29:17):
I was like you met this guy on Upwork, yeah, yes.

Speaker 2 (01:29:22):
And then we just started.
That was it Like.
Once we opened that door alittle bit, it was over, it was
well, it just began.
How about that?
Yeah, it was beautiful, it wasreally, really beautiful.
And I told my wife and she wasso excited, you know we were
like, let's do it.

Speaker 1 (01:29:41):
And we got on a call with all four of us.
Yeah, but I there.

Speaker 2 (01:29:45):
I knew it was like wow, this is great, it was
beautiful, it's a beautifulrelationship.

Speaker 1 (01:29:52):
Yes, we have.

Speaker 2 (01:29:54):
So I think both So much You really you've really
been a great blessing andsupport system to my family.
You know, just a few months agowe were doing Frank Waters 2.0.
Now we're doing 3.0.
That's what's so beautifulabout being in alignment.

(01:30:17):
There's no I love when we saythere's no time Like time
doesn't really exist, it's anillusion.
You know, something can happenimmediately, something can
happen in the month, somethingcan happen in the year.
It's all on you And that'swhat's so special, you know,
about it.

Speaker 1 (01:30:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, this has been such awonderful conversation with you,
frank.
It's such an honor to have youon our show to have a
conversation how we normallyhave, but just for everyone else
to hear.
You're such an inspiration andincredible leader in your own
family, you know, with yourgirls and with Shaniqua in your
community, with my Kingston kidsand your radio show and all the

(01:30:57):
opportunities you bring toentrepreneurs.
And now running for mayor, youknow, holding out the rope for
Kingston, seeing what happensand standing true, being that
beacon, holding that note.
So where can people find you orsupport you?
support your campaign, donatemoney, what, what?
where do we send people?

Speaker 2 (01:31:19):
Yeah, well, if you want to support the organization
, we're my Kingston kids and wedo programs, events and
activities with children in theKingston area.
Most of all of them are free orvery, very, very low cost.
If that, you can go tomykingsonkidscom to donate.
You could also.
If you want to donate tohistory in Kingston, you could

(01:31:43):
do that.
That's right, and learn moreabout the campaign at
frankwatersformayorcom.
Frankwatersformayorcom.
You could also find me onFacebook at Frank Waters for
Mayor, or just Frank Waters.

Speaker 1 (01:31:57):
And you don't have to be from New York or from
Kingston to donate to thecampaign as well.

Speaker 2 (01:32:03):
Right Open to everyone all across the world.

Speaker 1 (01:32:07):
So if this message resonates with you, you can
become a part of that platformand that movement.

Speaker 3 (01:32:15):
Yes, thank you.
Awesome.
Well, it's been such anincredible pleasure spending
this time, getting to know youdeeper, having these deep levels
of conversation, and sograteful that we've been able to
share this time and exploremore about you, your journey and
what's to come, what basis ofthe future you're creating.

Speaker 2 (01:32:39):
You're welcome, very, very welcome, and thank you so
much.
You both are incredible, loveyou And wish you the best.
I know your podcast is going totake off, which I'm sure is
already, but I'll be listeningand sharing it here in Kingston
as well.

Speaker 1 (01:32:58):
Thank you.
Thank you so much, frank.
We love you as well, you andthe whole family.
Well, thank you all for tuningin today And we'll talk to you
next time.

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