The Breakfast Club Sits Down With Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon To Discuss 'No One Is Self-Made,' Divine Alignment, State Of The People Power Tour. Listen For More!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FM
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Yeah, it's the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Charlamagne to God. Just Hilarius and Envy are out.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
But Laura Lero says, here and we got a special
guest in the building. Her name is doctor Lakeisha Hallman.
She has a new book out now called No One
Is Self Made. Build Your Billage, Build your Village to
flourish in business and life.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Good morning, How are you, doctor?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I am wonderful. I'm happy to be here for a
second time. Yes, so thank you all for having me back.
I've been excited to have this conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm happy that you're here, and I love the title
of your book because this is what I'll be trying
to tell people. Man, we live in this era right now.
Thank you were living this.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
You got one right.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
We live in this era right now where everybody's always
talking about you know, I'm self made.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I did it myself. Nobody put me on, nobody help me.
That's a lie. There's no such thing.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
That's why I.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Wrote the book because it is profoundly untrue. All of
us who's sitting here today entrepreneurs across the country, anyone
that we've lived up, even the people that we don't know,
there have been a village of people that's supporting them.
And so it was critical for me to write this book.
But for me, it's a love letter to our community
that we must return to community and also have the
(01:13):
true stories of what success is and how we got there.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
When you say return to community and have those stories,
what do you mean by that?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, I mean one of the things that I write
about in the book, particular in chapter one, I write
about individualism. I think individualism have been propped up in
this country where we talk about the self made woman,
the self made man, and the more that we lift
up the individual, it takes us back from that collective,
the group, the village that I write about and talk
(01:41):
about and my companies are built around. It is time
sensitive that we return and get back to our togetherness
and figure out how to work together, how to be
tethered and took the place where we say that no
one is going to separate us from our bigger purpose
in doing good work together.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
I know exactly what you mean.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I think it's one of those things that you kind
of got to be spiritually in tune, because it's like
the ancestors are talking to us and telling us that,
like I've meant, you know, I got the Black Effect
podcast festival that we did this past weekend, and that's
what I said. I said, I feel like nowadays we
have to have more community than we've ever had, and
we got to create safe spaces for each other. So
(02:23):
I totally understand you.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Mean you said something that I felt the ancestors talking
to me, singing to me as I was writing this book,
and not just in the book, but also in my businesses.
They understood the collective. And I think what the Whisper
is to our generation is to not lose sight that
(02:45):
we are meant to be together, but not just meant
we must be together. I think we're in a very
critical time and that togetherness is what's going to help us,
help us survive, but also get us to a place
of thriving.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Yeah, when you you moved to Atlanta in twenty eleven, Yes.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I think it was twenty ten or twenty eleven.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
And I was going to ask you what brought you
to Atlanta? But everything you're talking about Atlanta just feels
like that the minute Juland.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yes, Atlanta is so special. You were there this fast weekend.
I was, Yes, Atlanta is incredibly special. I remember when
I first visited. I believe I was undergrad when when
I visited Atlanta, and I hadn't experienced anything like it.
It was a sea of black excellence. You all have
had killer mic on your and my brother loved them
(03:33):
up and he often talks about the history of Atlanta.
Coming there from Mississippi, I was blown away. I knew
that it was upon my destiny to be in Atlanta,
to grow in Atlanta, and it was that deep history,
but also that deep communal sense.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
But it's I think it's the South period.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, Atlanta definitely, you know they leave the charge
when it comes to black excellence. But when you talk
about the heart and soul of Black America, it is
the South. It's the Georgia's Mississippi South. Carolina is like
where I'm from here, Carolina, like those sixty what is
it sixty percent all black people in America living.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
In the South.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yes, yeah, it is the South is the heartbeat. My
my friend Charles Blow writes about this a lot about
the power that we can have if more people move
to the South, but also in the South if we lose,
if we use our collective power. But you you're from
South Carolina, so you understand there's something. There's nothing like
(04:27):
the small towns that we come from. It's nothing like
the resiliency of the people from my hometown to Baseville, Mississippi,
or where my mother is from, crowd of Mississippi, or
my father Marks, Mississippi. There's nothing like the resiliency of
those people.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Can we talk about the myth of being self made?
To me?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I really just want to expound on it. That's the
first chapter in your book. What is the myth of
being self made?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah, it's when number one is untrue. I write about
that for me to be able to sit here today,
I am the product of my grandmother's prayers, their hard work,
my grandfathers, my parents, the team that I have we're running,
my companies, my friend group, and my extended family. I'm
(05:11):
a product of all these people. So if I sit
here and you all ask me about how my companies
have been successful, and if I'm only talking about myself,
I'm lying to you. The true story is that we're
village made. And if we accept this title, we began
to erase people that have been critical to us on
our journeys. Even our first jobs are first opportunities. They
(05:34):
were building us to be who we are today. I
look at these first opportunities as divine assignments that were
planning in these experiences. But to take on the title
of self made, we are erasing people and then they
become hidden figures. When we sit for these interviews, we
are telling a profound untruth, but we're also telling people,
(05:57):
in order to make it, you need to do it
by yourself.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I wonder why you have that.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Well, it's not we, but there's a lot of people
who have that issue, you know what I mean, who
just have that issue of not wanting to give people
credit like they want to just beat them. Now, I
did it myself. Nobody helped me do it, Like, huh,
I love assistance, Please help me.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
I do too.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
And I write about you know in the book that
I believe how we got here. It's because it's been
propped up that anytime we've seen people reach a level
of success, the first thing that the media calls them
is self made. And then we've also shunned people who've
had support when that you didn't work as hard because
you didn't Yeah, you didn't work as hard as somebody
(06:36):
gave you something. But the reality is we are We
should be proud that we have been able to attract
people in our lives that want to assist us, that
want to help us. And so it's just really training
our mindsets to really look at success differently. But I
think it has been sensationalized. It's self made notion and
what it is deemed to be successful. This has been
(06:59):
largely over played in the media because if a person
I write about all the Titans in the book the
Tyler Periods of the World, but we often look at
these people as self made. They made it out of
no way. But what I think is missing in the
story is that what I believe the truth is that
we are all self determined people. Self determination and self
(07:22):
made are different. Self determination means all the work that
you've done, Lauren to be where you are today, because
I've been following your journey, you are divinely self determined. You,
Charlotte Maye, all the work that you done to be
who you are, You are self determined. No one gave
you that but God and the stick to itness. Is
(07:43):
the thing that I think lifts us up. But what
really prepels us for is all the people that saw
something in you, saw something in me, saw something in you,
and that said, oh, it's something about them. I'm gonna
do all that I can to make sure that they
reach the pinnacle of their success.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
I was saying about that this morning.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
All the people who are like that, that just see
something in you, how blessed you are to have that.
But I think for us too, because when you talk
about being self made, I was going to say, maybe
it's like a scarcity of resources and people feel like
they have to do it on their own because a
lot of times you're like the first through a door
or first generation. But when you talked about just your
grandmother's prayers and how much that helped you, I'm like,
we don't even look at little stuff like that as
those that got me to the next point.
Speaker 6 (08:22):
Or it's like you do, but it takes you.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I do, It takes you.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
I feel like it takes a lot of maturity. When
you young, you don't think about that. You like, this
person didn't give me a job. This person it's like, no,
something as simple as your mom teaching you how to
wake up every day and make your bed before nine am.
Got you You know what I mean that that discipline.
We don't think about stuff like that, and I don't
know why that is.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I wrote about it in the book because I want
us to understand that we must think about it that way.
And then if we shift and looking at these things
as the people that pray for you when you have
what you feel like one of your worst days, way
that you can talk to your friends or people who
really know you beyond all the titles, and they lift
you up when all things are falling apart. That is
(09:02):
just more powerful as just as powerful as someone financially
investing in your business, they're financially investing in your spirit.
And that is the true work of us and why
it was important for me to write about supporting that way,
because I think we always and we can get to
a place where we say I don't have this, I
don't have that, this person that lookout for me, but
(09:24):
you also have all these other things. So you do
have a village. You may not have the village where
you can have everything that you need, but you do
have a village of people pouring into you. And that
is what we need.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
We're talking to doctor Lakeisha Hallman. She have a new
book out now, Knowing It's Self Made. I love what
you said about, you know, people assisting you. And in
chapter two of the book you talk about discovering your
purpose and getting into alignment.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
I feel like that's when the help comes.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
The help comes when you've discovered your purpose and you're
starting to get into alignment. So now God starts to
bring people in your life that help you, you know,
as you're getting into alignment.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yeah, And what I love about alignment it's not forced.
Relationships are not forced, opportunities are not forced. You get
to the point where you're calling the people you love
him like, can you believe that this just happened to me?
Can you believe I just met that person?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Yeah, that and I'm sorry to call you.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
I just feel so like, like, yes, that has That's
literally what I've been experiencing like these Even at the festival,
I was just like I cannot believe that all like.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
That.
Speaker 6 (10:26):
I mean that happens all the time.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
No, but just the people and how people receive certain
things and how impackful things are. And then I had
a moment where I was like backstage and I jokingly
said it to him, but I'm like, I was like, oh,
you got money, but I was just looking around. I'm like,
all of this because Charlottae decided to sit down and
talk on the microphone, and then so many people saw
something through all of the the you know, all the
crazy stuff he'd be doing, right, and he gets to
(10:49):
that point and I'm like, man, like, I can't believe
that this is happening. But everybody has shared that, Oh
my god, I can't believe this is happening.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yes, and that is divine alignment. And the only how
we operate in that space is saying yes to the
things that we're meant to be us, accepting the path
that we're on, and deciding to work extremely hard in
the space that we're in. And it becomes a domino effect.
You began to meet the people people who can really
(11:18):
really look out for you in these situations. I think
how you know that you are in alignment is that
it's truly not forced. You're not contorting yourself to be
anyone else. You don't have to go and put on
your persona. To be someone who you are is enough,
and people want to do all that they can.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
To see you be successful.
Speaker 6 (11:40):
No, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
No.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
I remember when I was teaching in Jackson, Mississippi, and
my colleague there, I wanted to move to Atlanta. Didn't
know a lot of people in Atlanta, but I wanted
to move to Atlanta, and we formed. My colleague, Ms.
Ethroge and I formed a relationship where she would tell
me to come over and tutor her students some days,
(12:04):
and so miss E was like, she would call me Hallman.
He was hallming, I need you to come over and tutor.
Miss E taught special education. I taught honors in ap English,
and so miss E would I would. I would go
over anytime she did. I'm from the South, so we
respect people that's older than us, so when they tell
us to do something, we do it. But needless to say,
(12:26):
that was one evening after we played tennis together, She's like,
you need to take your certification exam. And I didn't
see that for myself, but it stayed with me because
she said I needed to do it. But when I say,
I did not see that for my own life. But
I went ahead took the exam. I was in my
(12:47):
early twenties, so I almost overslept that morning, but I
took the exam, didn't study. Finally got a call for
a job in Cob County at South Cobb High School
with my now friend, doctor Ashley Hosey, and I nailed
the interview. I remember calling my mom and saying, I
know that I got this job.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
By the time I made it back to Mississippi.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
The next day, doctor Hosey called and he was like, you,
you did so well in your interview. However, a teacher
with more seniority wants to come to my school and
I cannot offer you a job. And I was completely
deflated because I knew I had it now, he said,
And of course he said he would refer me out.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
He was like, you know what, if you have.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Your special Education Certification exam, I can offer you a job.
And a week before I got my test results and
I passed the exam.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
That is look at God, but look at divine assignment.
Look at the people that's placed in your life. Like
Miss Etherich who saw something in me that I didn't see.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Those are the people, like the people that see things
that you didn't see in Those are the ones that
keep you on the path that you're supposed to be
on Yes, yes, get you on the path.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
You're supposed to get you.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
On the path.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
And I believe that God sends them and put them
in a body that you would respect, because I was
raised to respect my elders, and so God knew in
order to get to me, it had to be someone
I deeply respected, someone that I listened to, and so
through Miss Ethriche then I did that and I got
the job in Cobb County.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
And that's how you started building your village, which is
chapter three in your book.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yes, yes, that's how I started to build my village.
But really my village started to build before then. But
when I started thinking about, you know, my companies, I
didn't see myself being an entrepreneur. I didn't know that
I was going to be on that path. I thought
I would be in education forever ever. You know, I
had ambitions of opening schools, but I really got the
(14:53):
vision of creating a village for entrepreneurs because what I
kept hearing from my friends who are more entrepreneuri at
that time, it's that they didn't have support and where
I didn't have the financial capital to invest in them.
I knew that if I got people. If I got
them people, they can scale. And so got the vision
of launching the Village market And now I have my nonprofit,
(15:14):
our village you name it. And what started as I
was an educator, but I've been able to support thousands
of entrepreneurs and currently our program is reaching thirty three
different states and we've been able to deploy about eight
hundred thousand dollars in grants.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Wow, yeah, that's fire.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Well how do you because so I know you said
you respect your elders and this is the woman that
you knew, so you went along and did it. But
you talked in this essence article that I read about
not saying yes to every invitation that you get as
your building community. What's your spirit is it? I mean
for a lot of people, spirit of discernment, But what's
your breakdown of how you decide to say no to
certain invitations?
Speaker 4 (15:53):
Yeah, it is spiritual discernment. It's maturity.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
It's also me operating in the abundance rather than scarcity.
I think when we're in when when we're in a
scarcity mindset, we believe that we have to be in
every single room, that we have to accept every invitation
that we must say yes to everything. Where I am
in my life now and what I'm hoping to empower
empower other people is that we don't want all the yeses.
(16:19):
We want the right yeses. And how I discern when
the yes is right? Is it aligned with my values?
It is this opportunity aligned with the mission that I'm on.
Will it take me off course? Will I have to
divorce things that I believe in? Will I have to
contort and change myself? If I'm saying yes to all
those things, It's not the yes that I should take.
(16:39):
And now I haven't always been at this place. I've
had to grow to get here. My deep relationship with
God has helped me be here. But I remember, and
I write about managing the hard stuff in a book.
I remember saying yes because I was afraid that if
I didn't say yes to this opportunity that I won't
get it again. But the timing of the opportunity was
(17:01):
so wrong, and so I needed to say no. And
so what I've learned about life is that sometimes the
test in the assignment is will we say no to
things when it's out of alignment? Will we have the discipline,
the spiritual discipline to know that while this may sound good,
but this is not what I should be doing. Will
(17:23):
we be strong in our faith, in our belief that
our right yes is coming? And when I have done that,
and again I wasn't. It's very important for me to share,
because it's different when you've done the work and we
can talk about these things. But I do remember what
has awakened in me is more so a spirit of
abundance that I only want to be where I'm meant
(17:45):
to grow. And I don't want to be in every room.
I only want to be in room where I'm meant
to be transformational, not just to sit at a table
just to sit there.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I hate that we don't trust our instincts anymore. I
hate that we don't trust God anymore, because you know,
you can just.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Feel it, Like everything you're talking about, you can feel it.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
You can feel the people you're supposed to be around,
you can feel where you're supposed to be, you can
feel the things you're supposed to say yes to. I'm
supposed to say no to. But we let so much
that's going on in the world cloud us and disconnect
us from just that discernment and that instinct.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Why do you think that is.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I think it's distractions. I think we're at a time
in our society where everything takes us away from us
in what I call profound stillness, the quiet, because in
our quiet times, in our still time, I believe that's
when we can actually hear and feel the presence of God.
But the more that we stay on apps, and I'm
(18:39):
probably aging myself. More we stay on apps, the more
we in the videos are funny, But the more that
we stay to these things, it takes us more and
more and more away from our internal consciousness. And I
think the reason while we hear and it's because of
these distractions. And I look at the distractions as a
ploy to keep her, to keep us from our divine selves.
(19:02):
And so we need to spend more time enjoy the apps.
But I think everything's everything that we have need to
be done in moderation. We must dedicate time to our stillness.
We must dedicate times where we're nurturing our mind, bodies
and spirits in that when that what you you I
wrote about gut in the book as well. How you
(19:23):
know that you're in the room where the where the
vibrations are off and the vibes are off. You have
to be in tune with yourself to feel it. But
if you're not in tune with yourself, you're going to
be in a room and you don't feel the difference.
But doing that, doing our self work, committing to the
stillness and quiet, and I'm a faith driven person, committing
to committing to deepen our relationship with God will help
(19:45):
us know. When you walk in a room and an
atmosphere is off, you need to get out that room.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
It's not the room for you.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Or or if you meet a person and you're getting
ready to do a deal with if something feels off,
it is off, and to trust it.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Can you tell people, though, because you talk about the
scarcity mindset and how you sorry for you to make
those decisions, what do you tell people who are in
that scarcity place that just need to eat real quick.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
They can't walk away from that deal, they can't afford
to That.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Is a very very very good question.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Scarcity is a place of survival, So what I do
have is a profound respect for people who are simply
striving to survive. But the question would be, do you
want to eat something that's poisonous to you? You know,
do you want to accept things that it's going to
actually change the makeup of who you are, that may
(20:36):
compromise you from your greatest self. Where where we know
in our greatest selves and we operate in our higher selves,
more is there. And so this is a question that
is less tangible, but it's truly operating in faith that
if I just be consistent, I continue to work hard,
(20:57):
I continue.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
To show up for myself.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
I need to operate with the spirit of discernment, then
my opportunities are come, will come.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Will you have moments?
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Will you have moments where you may take a smaller
contract because you need to eat. I don't have kids
to take care of, and so I will never be
in a place of saying that I fully, fully understand.
But I'm in a place where I have a level
of empathy. But I do know that we while in
a space of striving to survive, we can still be
(21:29):
very selective with the things that we say yes to.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I want to talk about Chapter eight support.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Support is a verb, and in that chapter you got
a bunch of village verbs.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Explain with a village verb.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Is yeah, this whole book is, and why I'm so
excited about it? While I tell a bunch of entrepreneur stories,
things that I've experienced, and I write about many luminaries
from the past and people presently who's doing the work.
The anchor piece of this book is all about the village,
(22:01):
all about.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Community and the Village Verbs.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
When people close this book, I want people to do something.
So Village Verbs is making sure that we participate in
the voting process. Village Verbs is making sure that we're
buying local, that we're buying from black businesses. Village Verbs
is making sure that we're showing up from one another.
If we do not have action behind the things that
(22:27):
we believe, then I always ask people, do you really
love it? Because if you love it, your action should follow.
You have on a black brand today.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
I've been wearing her for years and years and years.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yeah, but what you are doing today is love and action.
So you support her in a real way. You're on
a syndicated radio show rocking her brand. That is what
it's about.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Charlotte Mane.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
I think about the number of things that aware you
probably do even more, but black effect, pot cass, your inprint,
all these things. You are putting people in rooms and
putting people in position and it's because you want your
actions to look like things that you care about. You
want people's lives to change, and not just for this generation,
(23:15):
but next generation and next generation. But you're not just
saying these things, you are doing these things. That final
chapter of Village Verbs is all about us doing the
things that we say and getting put our action in
love behind it and our challenge. I always challenge our
community that you may not be able to participate in
(23:37):
ten different things, but you need to find something that
you're passionate about and put your love and your action there,
and our communities will change.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
I love it that the Village Verbs lock in, show
up and connect, keep learning and higher, teach it, govern
your words and listen intently, pivot, invest in your people,
and spend locally.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Wow. Yeah, Wow, that's a plan.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
All this is a plan that it's a call to
action and plan of action.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Yes, and and and a lot of the things. Even
in the sense of governing our words, I don't think
we spend enough time thinking about the power of our words.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Words are prophetic.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
We have to be in a different relationship with each other,
even in a place of disagreement, even in the in
the place when things don't always feel good and look
good within our community. But we have to govern the
way that we speak to each other. We have to
govern the way that we react and interact with each other.
And all of everything that I'm sharing is requires discipline.
(24:40):
You often talk about discipline, having the the having the
discipline that the change begins with you.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
Now what about you talk a bit about Uh, Well,
I saw a statistic in the Essence article the seventy
two percent of entrepreneurs struggle with mental health issues, including burnout.
Speaker 6 (24:59):
And you talk about how like the being the individual
who did.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
All about himselves leads to that even if you know
you didn't do it by yourself, burnout still be real.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Burnout is real. Yeah, burnout is real even when you
have a village. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, it's a
real thing. You know what I've done. Number One, we
do need to delegate more. And it's hard to delegate
when you're running things and trusting people with your baby,
especially in the entrepreneur world.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
Letting go is hard.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
But the more that we hold on, the more that
we try to do all the things, be all the people,
for everybody.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
It's not just business, this is life.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
You're gonna find yourself feeling depleted and so always trying
to literally be there for everyone when you haven't quite
been there for yourself. When you're there for yourself, you
get to replenish yourself and you have something more to give.
But this sense of burnout, imposter syndrome, decision fatigue, all
of these things. We in my nonprofit a our Village,
(25:57):
you name it, We did a pole for the for
the entrepreneurs in the village and what they shared was
that they were burnt out, decision fatigue, and completely overwhelmed,
and many of them experienced anxiety. And what I did
was to make sure that all our programming that we
offer for entrepreneurs are holistic, and so we have therapists
(26:18):
on board, we have coaches on board to not just
help these entrepreneurs with their with their businesses, but the
help entrepreneurs with their psyche, with their mental health, because
that is the only way we're really going to be
our who we're meant to be. Yeah, and I think
that has to be we I talked about this when
(26:39):
I was just last time. So much a business and
scaling and want to be successful is all about money,
and we're spending less time of talking about the soul,
less time of talking about why we're really here in
this time, and it's really for us to illuminate light.
We will get to do a lot of things well,
but even when the positions that you all are in
(27:00):
right now, it's to illuminate light. And in that light
we can find each other when it's dark.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I totally agree.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
I love that we're talking about villaging, we're talking about community.
I know that you're on the State of the People
power tool with my good sister Angela RAI.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Can we talk about that a little bit?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I was That's why I couldn't attend Black Effect podcasts
in Atlanta.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
But I got to be there last year and it
was amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
But State of the People is so it's powerful.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I looked at what happened in Atlanta this weekend, and
what's powerful about what Angela and team has done Because
she's she is adamant that this is just not about her.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
It's the village.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
And that's the way that you know she she was
raised in coalition building, but in a few short weeks,
intentional people decided that they were going to do something
We're at a time where people feel hope, bliss, scared,
and a small but mighty group of people said, not
(28:06):
on my watch, that I am going to gather the
people that I'm going to make sure that a room
is comprised of people that can give resources, people that
can give hope, people that can give the direction. And
when you look left right, you see people that look
like you.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
That is what.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Happened this weekend in Atlanta. Day one, there was a
service project done where so many snack boxes were given
to elders in the community. Why that is so profound,
it is because elders often feel forgotten and so for
them to have a snack box with people convening from
(28:48):
all over that say I see you, I love you,
I want to support you, that kicked everything off. And
then to go into the workshops, action oriented workshops that
helped people build in their community. And then Sunday is
what I got an opportunity to participate in was the rally.
It was absolutely powerful. You had my brother from another
(29:12):
Gary Chambers, my three dear friends, but Gary shut the
house down. You had doctor Bryant, pastor doctor Jamal Bryant
there and a number of others, Keisha Lance Bottles, myself,
many others. It was just such a beautiful response to
this moment. And why I think State of the People
is so important as they go to other cities because
(29:35):
history is determined by what you do, and when the
history books are written, the history books are right that
a group of people.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Decided to do something and will do.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
I think people left State of the People feeling in power. Absolutely.
I remember walking to my car, Gary was walking me
to my car and we could barely make it to
the are people saying thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
It was so I When State of the People come
to other cities, I'm really encouraging people to make sure
they attend because it is absolutely special.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Absolutely, And I know you found it a village market,
but you also have our Village United. What are those
two entities and how are they different from each other?
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
So I have a retail store at Punt City Market
and we have a pop up at Google Visitor Center
as well in California. But when you all come back
to Atlanta, make sure you come by the Village Retail
at Pont City Market where we have about thirty seven
different black brands and it's beautiful retail store. We're going
into our fifty year being open. It has been highly successful.
(30:46):
But what I the former teacher in me, is that
in order to make something real, you have to make
an experience of it, and so I had to build
a retail store so entrepreneurs can see themselves on shelves,
and so our community community can also have a place
where they can patronize. But the other part of educator
inside of me is that I also wanted to make
(31:07):
sure that entrepreneurs had the resources, technical assistance that they
needed to grow. And so daily we work with entrepreneurs
from our Elevated Cities program, our Get Procured program, our
her pro Bono program. We're working with entrepreneurs across the
country to make sure that they have a village. So
(31:28):
we have some of the top entrepreneurs coming to teach classes.
We have some of the top corporations coming and talking
about supplier diversity and how to get these government contracts
and things like that.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Is I am when I say I'm so proud of
this work. I really feel.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Very fortunate that God trusted me to do this, and
I take it very seriously. It's much more than me
building a business or growing a nonprofit or me writing
a book. I am being obedient to the call that's
on my life. And so I've been able to work
with so many entrepreneurs now and to see them go
from early stage concept to growing, to opening their own
(32:06):
locations to being in big box retail and to know
that they are getting an education that is about the collective,
because we have a collective wealth building model. So it's
less about building more individual multi millionaires. It's more about
when you make your money, what is your social impact focus?
Speaker 4 (32:25):
What is the collective of that?
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Wow, well, keep doing the work, doctor Lakeisha Harman. We
appreciate you, and your new book is out right now.
We'll get tell them more to find you.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
First of all, yes, you can find me at doctor
key Hallman. On social platforms you can get the book
and no one as self made dot com. But from
all major retailers entrepreneurs, you will most definitely love this book.
Leaders in the communities, you will love this book. It
is very practical and prescriptive. What I didn't say this,
(32:59):
but what special about the way the chapters end. I
have reflection questions, and those reflection questions by the time
you finish the book, you have a whole plan on
how to map out and build community.
Speaker 6 (33:11):
In true teacher format, in truth teacher format.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
You're right, Lauren.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
The funny thing is I think that you'll also realize
you already have that community.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Yes, you just haven't acknowledged them as such. That's what.
That's what.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
But doctor Lakeisha Hall and her new book Knowing Itself
Made build your village to flourish in business and life.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Go get that right now.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Thank you for joining us, Thank you, and thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
It's the Breakfast Club. Wake that answer up in the morning.
The Breakfast Club.
Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Yeah, it's the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Charlamagne to God. Just Hilarius and Envy are out.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
But Laura Lero says, here and we got a special
guest in the building. Her name is doctor Lakeisha Hallman.
She has a new book out now called No One
Is Self Made. Build Your Billage, Build your Village to
flourish in business and life.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Good morning, How are you, doctor?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I am wonderful. I'm happy to be here for a
second time. Yes, so thank you all for having me back.
I've been excited to have this conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm happy that you're here, and I love the title
of your book because this is what I'll be trying
to tell people. Man, we live in this era right now.
Thank you were living this.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
You got one right.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
We live in this era right now where everybody's always
talking about you know, I'm self made.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I did it myself. Nobody put me on, nobody help me.
That's a lie. There's no such thing.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
That's why I.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Wrote the book because it is profoundly untrue. All of
us who's sitting here today entrepreneurs across the country, anyone
that we've lived up, even the people that we don't know,
there have been a village of people that's supporting them.
And so it was critical for me to write this book.
But for me, it's a love letter to our community
that we must return to community and also have the
(01:13):
true stories of what success is and how we got there.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
When you say return to community and have those stories,
what do you mean by that?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, I mean one of the things that I write
about in the book, particular in chapter one, I write
about individualism. I think individualism have been propped up in
this country where we talk about the self made woman,
the self made man, and the more that we lift
up the individual, it takes us back from that collective,
the group, the village that I write about and talk
(01:41):
about and my companies are built around. It is time
sensitive that we return and get back to our togetherness
and figure out how to work together, how to be
tethered and took the place where we say that no
one is going to separate us from our bigger purpose
in doing good work together.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
I know exactly what you mean.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I think it's one of those things that you kind
of got to be spiritually in tune, because it's like
the ancestors are talking to us and telling us that,
like I've meant, you know, I got the Black Effect
podcast festival that we did this past weekend, and that's
what I said. I said, I feel like nowadays we
have to have more community than we've ever had, and
we got to create safe spaces for each other. So
(02:23):
I totally understand you.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Mean you said something that I felt the ancestors talking
to me, singing to me as I was writing this book,
and not just in the book, but also in my businesses.
They understood the collective. And I think what the Whisper
is to our generation is to not lose sight that
(02:45):
we are meant to be together, but not just meant
we must be together. I think we're in a very
critical time and that togetherness is what's going to help us,
help us survive, but also get us to a place
of thriving.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Yeah, when you you moved to Atlanta in twenty eleven, Yes.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I think it was twenty ten or twenty eleven.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
And I was going to ask you what brought you
to Atlanta? But everything you're talking about Atlanta just feels
like that the minute Juland.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yes, Atlanta is so special. You were there this fast weekend.
I was, Yes, Atlanta is incredibly special. I remember when
I first visited. I believe I was undergrad when when
I visited Atlanta, and I hadn't experienced anything like it.
It was a sea of black excellence. You all have
had killer mic on your and my brother loved them
(03:33):
up and he often talks about the history of Atlanta.
Coming there from Mississippi, I was blown away. I knew
that it was upon my destiny to be in Atlanta,
to grow in Atlanta, and it was that deep history,
but also that deep communal sense.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
But it's I think it's the South period.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, Atlanta definitely, you know they leave the charge
when it comes to black excellence. But when you talk
about the heart and soul of Black America, it is
the South. It's the Georgia's Mississippi South. Carolina is like
where I'm from here, Carolina, like those sixty what is
it sixty percent all black people in America living.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
In the South.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yes, yeah, it is the South is the heartbeat. My
my friend Charles Blow writes about this a lot about
the power that we can have if more people move
to the South, but also in the South if we lose,
if we use our collective power. But you you're from
South Carolina, so you understand there's something. There's nothing like
(04:27):
the small towns that we come from. It's nothing like
the resiliency of the people from my hometown to Baseville, Mississippi,
or where my mother is from, crowd of Mississippi, or
my father Marks, Mississippi. There's nothing like the resiliency of
those people.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Can we talk about the myth of being self made?
To me?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I really just want to expound on it. That's the
first chapter in your book. What is the myth of
being self made?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah, it's when number one is untrue. I write about
that for me to be able to sit here today,
I am the product of my grandmother's prayers, their hard work,
my grandfathers, my parents, the team that I have we're running,
my companies, my friend group, and my extended family. I'm
(05:11):
a product of all these people. So if I sit
here and you all ask me about how my companies
have been successful, and if I'm only talking about myself,
I'm lying to you. The true story is that we're
village made. And if we accept this title, we began
to erase people that have been critical to us on
our journeys. Even our first jobs are first opportunities. They
(05:34):
were building us to be who we are today. I
look at these first opportunities as divine assignments that were
planning in these experiences. But to take on the title
of self made, we are erasing people and then they
become hidden figures. When we sit for these interviews, we
are telling a profound untruth, but we're also telling people,
(05:57):
in order to make it, you need to do it
by yourself.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I wonder why you have that.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Well, it's not we, but there's a lot of people
who have that issue, you know what I mean, who
just have that issue of not wanting to give people
credit like they want to just beat them. Now, I
did it myself. Nobody helped me do it, Like, huh,
I love assistance, Please help me.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
I do too.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
And I write about you know in the book that
I believe how we got here. It's because it's been
propped up that anytime we've seen people reach a level
of success, the first thing that the media calls them
is self made. And then we've also shunned people who've
had support when that you didn't work as hard because
you didn't Yeah, you didn't work as hard as somebody
(06:36):
gave you something. But the reality is we are We
should be proud that we have been able to attract
people in our lives that want to assist us, that
want to help us. And so it's just really training
our mindsets to really look at success differently. But I
think it has been sensationalized. It's self made notion and
what it is deemed to be successful. This has been
(06:59):
largely over played in the media because if a person
I write about all the Titans in the book the
Tyler Periods of the World, but we often look at
these people as self made. They made it out of
no way. But what I think is missing in the
story is that what I believe the truth is that
we are all self determined people. Self determination and self
(07:22):
made are different. Self determination means all the work that
you've done, Lauren to be where you are today, because
I've been following your journey, you are divinely self determined. You,
Charlotte Maye, all the work that you done to be
who you are, You are self determined. No one gave
you that but God and the stick to itness. Is
(07:43):
the thing that I think lifts us up. But what
really prepels us for is all the people that saw
something in you, saw something in me, saw something in you,
and that said, oh, it's something about them. I'm gonna
do all that I can to make sure that they
reach the pinnacle of their success.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
I was saying about that this morning.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
All the people who are like that, that just see
something in you, how blessed you are to have that.
But I think for us too, because when you talk
about being self made, I was going to say, maybe
it's like a scarcity of resources and people feel like
they have to do it on their own because a
lot of times you're like the first through a door
or first generation. But when you talked about just your
grandmother's prayers and how much that helped you, I'm like,
we don't even look at little stuff like that as
those that got me to the next point.
Speaker 6 (08:22):
Or it's like you do, but it takes you.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I do, It takes you.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
I feel like it takes a lot of maturity. When
you young, you don't think about that. You like, this
person didn't give me a job. This person it's like, no,
something as simple as your mom teaching you how to
wake up every day and make your bed before nine am.
Got you You know what I mean that that discipline.
We don't think about stuff like that, and I don't
know why that is.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I wrote about it in the book because I want
us to understand that we must think about it that way.
And then if we shift and looking at these things
as the people that pray for you when you have
what you feel like one of your worst days, way
that you can talk to your friends or people who
really know you beyond all the titles, and they lift
you up when all things are falling apart. That is
(09:02):
just more powerful as just as powerful as someone financially
investing in your business, they're financially investing in your spirit.
And that is the true work of us and why
it was important for me to write about supporting that way,
because I think we always and we can get to
a place where we say I don't have this, I
don't have that, this person that lookout for me, but
(09:24):
you also have all these other things. So you do
have a village. You may not have the village where
you can have everything that you need, but you do
have a village of people pouring into you. And that
is what we need.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
We're talking to doctor Lakeisha Hallman. She have a new
book out now, Knowing It's Self Made. I love what
you said about, you know, people assisting you. And in
chapter two of the book you talk about discovering your
purpose and getting into alignment.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
I feel like that's when the help comes.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
The help comes when you've discovered your purpose and you're
starting to get into alignment. So now God starts to
bring people in your life that help you, you know,
as you're getting into alignment.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yeah, And what I love about alignment it's not forced.
Relationships are not forced, opportunities are not forced. You get
to the point where you're calling the people you love
him like, can you believe that this just happened to me?
Can you believe I just met that person?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Yeah, that and I'm sorry to call you.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
I just feel so like, like, yes, that has That's
literally what I've been experiencing like these Even at the festival,
I was just like I cannot believe that all like.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
That.
Speaker 6 (10:26):
I mean that happens all the time.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
No, but just the people and how people receive certain
things and how impackful things are. And then I had
a moment where I was like backstage and I jokingly
said it to him, but I'm like, I was like, oh,
you got money, but I was just looking around. I'm like,
all of this because Charlottae decided to sit down and
talk on the microphone, and then so many people saw
something through all of the the you know, all the
crazy stuff he'd be doing, right, and he gets to
(10:49):
that point and I'm like, man, like, I can't believe
that this is happening. But everybody has shared that, Oh
my god, I can't believe this is happening.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yes, and that is divine alignment. And the only how
we operate in that space is saying yes to the
things that we're meant to be us, accepting the path
that we're on, and deciding to work extremely hard in
the space that we're in. And it becomes a domino effect.
You began to meet the people people who can really
(11:18):
really look out for you in these situations. I think
how you know that you are in alignment is that
it's truly not forced. You're not contorting yourself to be
anyone else. You don't have to go and put on
your persona. To be someone who you are is enough,
and people want to do all that they can.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
To see you be successful.
Speaker 6 (11:40):
No, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
No.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
I remember when I was teaching in Jackson, Mississippi, and
my colleague there, I wanted to move to Atlanta. Didn't
know a lot of people in Atlanta, but I wanted
to move to Atlanta, and we formed. My colleague, Ms.
Ethroge and I formed a relationship where she would tell
me to come over and tutor her students some days,
(12:04):
and so miss E was like, she would call me Hallman.
He was hallming, I need you to come over and tutor.
Miss E taught special education. I taught honors in ap English,
and so miss E would I would. I would go
over anytime she did. I'm from the South, so we
respect people that's older than us, so when they tell
us to do something, we do it. But needless to say,
(12:26):
that was one evening after we played tennis together, She's like,
you need to take your certification exam. And I didn't
see that for myself, but it stayed with me because
she said I needed to do it. But when I say,
I did not see that for my own life. But
I went ahead took the exam. I was in my
(12:47):
early twenties, so I almost overslept that morning, but I
took the exam, didn't study. Finally got a call for
a job in Cob County at South Cobb High School
with my now friend, doctor Ashley Hosey, and I nailed
the interview. I remember calling my mom and saying, I
know that I got this job.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
By the time I made it back to Mississippi.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
The next day, doctor Hosey called and he was like, you,
you did so well in your interview. However, a teacher
with more seniority wants to come to my school and
I cannot offer you a job. And I was completely
deflated because I knew I had it now, he said,
And of course he said he would refer me out.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
He was like, you know what, if you have.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Your special Education Certification exam, I can offer you a job.
And a week before I got my test results and
I passed the exam.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
That is look at God, but look at divine assignment.
Look at the people that's placed in your life. Like
Miss Etherich who saw something in me that I didn't see.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Those are the people, like the people that see things
that you didn't see in Those are the ones that
keep you on the path that you're supposed to be
on Yes, yes, get you on the path.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
You're supposed to get you.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
On the path.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
And I believe that God sends them and put them
in a body that you would respect, because I was
raised to respect my elders, and so God knew in
order to get to me, it had to be someone
I deeply respected, someone that I listened to, and so
through Miss Ethriche then I did that and I got
the job in Cobb County.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
And that's how you started building your village, which is
chapter three in your book.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yes, yes, that's how I started to build my village.
But really my village started to build before then. But
when I started thinking about, you know, my companies, I
didn't see myself being an entrepreneur. I didn't know that
I was going to be on that path. I thought
I would be in education forever ever. You know, I
had ambitions of opening schools, but I really got the
(14:53):
vision of creating a village for entrepreneurs because what I
kept hearing from my friends who are more entrepreneuri at
that time, it's that they didn't have support and where
I didn't have the financial capital to invest in them.
I knew that if I got people. If I got
them people, they can scale. And so got the vision
of launching the Village market And now I have my nonprofit,
(15:14):
our village you name it. And what started as I
was an educator, but I've been able to support thousands
of entrepreneurs and currently our program is reaching thirty three
different states and we've been able to deploy about eight
hundred thousand dollars in grants.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Wow, yeah, that's fire.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Well how do you because so I know you said
you respect your elders and this is the woman that
you knew, so you went along and did it. But
you talked in this essence article that I read about
not saying yes to every invitation that you get as
your building community. What's your spirit is it? I mean
for a lot of people, spirit of discernment, But what's
your breakdown of how you decide to say no to
certain invitations?
Speaker 4 (15:53):
Yeah, it is spiritual discernment. It's maturity.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
It's also me operating in the abundance rather than scarcity.
I think when we're in when when we're in a
scarcity mindset, we believe that we have to be in
every single room, that we have to accept every invitation
that we must say yes to everything. Where I am
in my life now and what I'm hoping to empower
empower other people is that we don't want all the yeses.
(16:19):
We want the right yeses. And how I discern when
the yes is right? Is it aligned with my values?
It is this opportunity aligned with the mission that I'm on.
Will it take me off course? Will I have to
divorce things that I believe in? Will I have to
contort and change myself? If I'm saying yes to all
those things, It's not the yes that I should take.
(16:39):
And now I haven't always been at this place. I've
had to grow to get here. My deep relationship with
God has helped me be here. But I remember, and
I write about managing the hard stuff in a book.
I remember saying yes because I was afraid that if
I didn't say yes to this opportunity that I won't
get it again. But the timing of the opportunity was
(17:01):
so wrong, and so I needed to say no. And
so what I've learned about life is that sometimes the
test in the assignment is will we say no to
things when it's out of alignment? Will we have the discipline,
the spiritual discipline to know that while this may sound good,
but this is not what I should be doing. Will
(17:23):
we be strong in our faith, in our belief that
our right yes is coming? And when I have done that,
and again I wasn't. It's very important for me to share,
because it's different when you've done the work and we
can talk about these things. But I do remember what
has awakened in me is more so a spirit of
abundance that I only want to be where I'm meant
(17:45):
to grow. And I don't want to be in every room.
I only want to be in room where I'm meant
to be transformational, not just to sit at a table
just to sit there.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I hate that we don't trust our instincts anymore. I
hate that we don't trust God anymore, because you know,
you can just.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Feel it, Like everything you're talking about, you can feel it.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
You can feel the people you're supposed to be around,
you can feel where you're supposed to be, you can
feel the things you're supposed to say yes to. I'm
supposed to say no to. But we let so much
that's going on in the world cloud us and disconnect
us from just that discernment and that instinct.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Why do you think that is.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I think it's distractions. I think we're at a time
in our society where everything takes us away from us
in what I call profound stillness, the quiet, because in
our quiet times, in our still time, I believe that's
when we can actually hear and feel the presence of God.
But the more that we stay on apps, and I'm
(18:39):
probably aging myself. More we stay on apps, the more
we in the videos are funny, But the more that
we stay to these things, it takes us more and
more and more away from our internal consciousness. And I
think the reason while we hear and it's because of
these distractions. And I look at the distractions as a
ploy to keep her, to keep us from our divine selves.
(19:02):
And so we need to spend more time enjoy the apps.
But I think everything's everything that we have need to
be done in moderation. We must dedicate time to our stillness.
We must dedicate times where we're nurturing our mind, bodies
and spirits in that when that what you you I
wrote about gut in the book as well. How you
(19:23):
know that you're in the room where the where the
vibrations are off and the vibes are off. You have
to be in tune with yourself to feel it. But
if you're not in tune with yourself, you're going to
be in a room and you don't feel the difference.
But doing that, doing our self work, committing to the
stillness and quiet, and I'm a faith driven person, committing
to committing to deepen our relationship with God will help
(19:45):
us know. When you walk in a room and an
atmosphere is off, you need to get out that room.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
It's not the room for you.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Or or if you meet a person and you're getting
ready to do a deal with if something feels off,
it is off, and to trust it.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Can you tell people, though, because you talk about the
scarcity mindset and how you sorry for you to make
those decisions, what do you tell people who are in
that scarcity place that just need to eat real quick.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
They can't walk away from that deal, they can't afford
to That.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Is a very very very good question.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Scarcity is a place of survival, So what I do
have is a profound respect for people who are simply
striving to survive. But the question would be, do you
want to eat something that's poisonous to you? You know,
do you want to accept things that it's going to
actually change the makeup of who you are, that may
(20:36):
compromise you from your greatest self. Where where we know
in our greatest selves and we operate in our higher selves,
more is there. And so this is a question that
is less tangible, but it's truly operating in faith that
if I just be consistent, I continue to work hard,
(20:57):
I continue.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
To show up for myself.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
I need to operate with the spirit of discernment, then
my opportunities are come, will come.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Will you have moments?
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Will you have moments where you may take a smaller
contract because you need to eat. I don't have kids
to take care of, and so I will never be
in a place of saying that I fully, fully understand.
But I'm in a place where I have a level
of empathy. But I do know that we while in
a space of striving to survive, we can still be
(21:29):
very selective with the things that we say yes to.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I want to talk about Chapter eight support.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Support is a verb, and in that chapter you got
a bunch of village verbs.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Explain with a village verb.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Is yeah, this whole book is, and why I'm so
excited about it? While I tell a bunch of entrepreneur stories,
things that I've experienced, and I write about many luminaries
from the past and people presently who's doing the work.
The anchor piece of this book is all about the village,
(22:01):
all about.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Community and the Village Verbs.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
When people close this book, I want people to do something.
So Village Verbs is making sure that we participate in
the voting process. Village Verbs is making sure that we're
buying local, that we're buying from black businesses. Village Verbs
is making sure that we're showing up from one another.
If we do not have action behind the things that
(22:27):
we believe, then I always ask people, do you really
love it? Because if you love it, your action should follow.
You have on a black brand today.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
I've been wearing her for years and years and years.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Yeah, but what you are doing today is love and action.
So you support her in a real way. You're on
a syndicated radio show rocking her brand. That is what
it's about.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Charlotte Mane.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
I think about the number of things that aware you
probably do even more, but black effect, pot cass, your inprint,
all these things. You are putting people in rooms and
putting people in position and it's because you want your
actions to look like things that you care about. You
want people's lives to change, and not just for this generation,
(23:15):
but next generation and next generation. But you're not just
saying these things, you are doing these things. That final
chapter of Village Verbs is all about us doing the
things that we say and getting put our action in
love behind it and our challenge. I always challenge our
community that you may not be able to participate in
(23:37):
ten different things, but you need to find something that
you're passionate about and put your love and your action there,
and our communities will change.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
I love it that the Village Verbs lock in, show
up and connect, keep learning and higher, teach it, govern
your words and listen intently, pivot, invest in your people,
and spend locally.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Wow. Yeah, Wow, that's a plan.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
All this is a plan that it's a call to
action and plan of action.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Yes, and and and a lot of the things. Even
in the sense of governing our words, I don't think
we spend enough time thinking about the power of our words.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Words are prophetic.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
We have to be in a different relationship with each other,
even in a place of disagreement, even in the in
the place when things don't always feel good and look
good within our community. But we have to govern the
way that we speak to each other. We have to
govern the way that we react and interact with each other.
And all of everything that I'm sharing is requires discipline.
(24:40):
You often talk about discipline, having the the having the
discipline that the change begins with you.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
Now what about you talk a bit about Uh, Well,
I saw a statistic in the Essence article the seventy
two percent of entrepreneurs struggle with mental health issues, including burnout.
Speaker 6 (24:59):
And you talk about how like the being the individual
who did.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
All about himselves leads to that even if you know
you didn't do it by yourself, burnout still be real.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Burnout is real. Yeah, burnout is real even when you
have a village. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, it's a
real thing. You know what I've done. Number One, we
do need to delegate more. And it's hard to delegate
when you're running things and trusting people with your baby,
especially in the entrepreneur world.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
Letting go is hard.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
But the more that we hold on, the more that
we try to do all the things, be all the people,
for everybody.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
It's not just business, this is life.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
You're gonna find yourself feeling depleted and so always trying
to literally be there for everyone when you haven't quite
been there for yourself. When you're there for yourself, you
get to replenish yourself and you have something more to give.
But this sense of burnout, imposter syndrome, decision fatigue, all
of these things. We in my nonprofit a our Village,
(25:57):
you name it, We did a pole for the for
the entrepreneurs in the village and what they shared was
that they were burnt out, decision fatigue, and completely overwhelmed,
and many of them experienced anxiety. And what I did
was to make sure that all our programming that we
offer for entrepreneurs are holistic, and so we have therapists
(26:18):
on board, we have coaches on board to not just
help these entrepreneurs with their with their businesses, but the
help entrepreneurs with their psyche, with their mental health, because
that is the only way we're really going to be
our who we're meant to be. Yeah, and I think
that has to be we I talked about this when
(26:39):
I was just last time. So much a business and
scaling and want to be successful is all about money,
and we're spending less time of talking about the soul,
less time of talking about why we're really here in
this time, and it's really for us to illuminate light.
We will get to do a lot of things well,
but even when the positions that you all are in
(27:00):
right now, it's to illuminate light. And in that light
we can find each other when it's dark.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I totally agree.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
I love that we're talking about villaging, we're talking about community.
I know that you're on the State of the People
power tool with my good sister Angela RAI.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Can we talk about that a little bit?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I was That's why I couldn't attend Black Effect podcasts
in Atlanta.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
But I got to be there last year and it
was amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
But State of the People is so it's powerful.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I looked at what happened in Atlanta this weekend, and
what's powerful about what Angela and team has done Because
she's she is adamant that this is just not about her.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
It's the village.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
And that's the way that you know she she was
raised in coalition building, but in a few short weeks,
intentional people decided that they were going to do something
We're at a time where people feel hope, bliss, scared,
and a small but mighty group of people said, not
(28:06):
on my watch, that I am going to gather the
people that I'm going to make sure that a room
is comprised of people that can give resources, people that
can give hope, people that can give the direction. And
when you look left right, you see people that look
like you.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
That is what.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Happened this weekend in Atlanta. Day one, there was a
service project done where so many snack boxes were given
to elders in the community. Why that is so profound,
it is because elders often feel forgotten and so for
them to have a snack box with people convening from
(28:48):
all over that say I see you, I love you,
I want to support you, that kicked everything off. And
then to go into the workshops, action oriented workshops that
helped people build in their community. And then Sunday is
what I got an opportunity to participate in was the rally.
It was absolutely powerful. You had my brother from another
(29:12):
Gary Chambers, my three dear friends, but Gary shut the
house down. You had doctor Bryant, pastor doctor Jamal Bryant
there and a number of others, Keisha Lance Bottles, myself,
many others. It was just such a beautiful response to
this moment. And why I think State of the People
is so important as they go to other cities because
(29:35):
history is determined by what you do, and when the
history books are written, the history books are right that
a group of people.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Decided to do something and will do.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
I think people left State of the People feeling in power. Absolutely.
I remember walking to my car, Gary was walking me
to my car and we could barely make it to
the are people saying thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
It was so I When State of the People come
to other cities, I'm really encouraging people to make sure
they attend because it is absolutely special.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Absolutely, And I know you found it a village market,
but you also have our Village United. What are those
two entities and how are they different from each other?
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
So I have a retail store at Punt City Market
and we have a pop up at Google Visitor Center
as well in California. But when you all come back
to Atlanta, make sure you come by the Village Retail
at Pont City Market where we have about thirty seven
different black brands and it's beautiful retail store. We're going
into our fifty year being open. It has been highly successful.
(30:46):
But what I the former teacher in me, is that
in order to make something real, you have to make
an experience of it, and so I had to build
a retail store so entrepreneurs can see themselves on shelves,
and so our community community can also have a place
where they can patronize. But the other part of educator
inside of me is that I also wanted to make
(31:07):
sure that entrepreneurs had the resources, technical assistance that they
needed to grow. And so daily we work with entrepreneurs
from our Elevated Cities program, our Get Procured program, our
her pro Bono program. We're working with entrepreneurs across the
country to make sure that they have a village. So
(31:28):
we have some of the top entrepreneurs coming to teach classes.
We have some of the top corporations coming and talking
about supplier diversity and how to get these government contracts
and things like that.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Is I am when I say I'm so proud of
this work. I really feel.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Very fortunate that God trusted me to do this, and
I take it very seriously. It's much more than me
building a business or growing a nonprofit or me writing
a book. I am being obedient to the call that's
on my life. And so I've been able to work
with so many entrepreneurs now and to see them go
from early stage concept to growing, to opening their own
(32:06):
locations to being in big box retail and to know
that they are getting an education that is about the collective,
because we have a collective wealth building model. So it's
less about building more individual multi millionaires. It's more about
when you make your money, what is your social impact focus?
Speaker 4 (32:25):
What is the collective of that?
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Wow, well, keep doing the work, doctor Lakeisha Harman. We
appreciate you, and your new book is out right now.
We'll get tell them more to find you.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
First of all, yes, you can find me at doctor
key Hallman. On social platforms you can get the book
and no one as self made dot com. But from
all major retailers entrepreneurs, you will most definitely love this book.
Leaders in the communities, you will love this book. It
is very practical and prescriptive. What I didn't say this,
(32:59):
but what special about the way the chapters end. I
have reflection questions, and those reflection questions by the time
you finish the book, you have a whole plan on
how to map out and build community.
Speaker 6 (33:11):
In true teacher format, in truth teacher format.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
You're right, Lauren.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
The funny thing is I think that you'll also realize
you already have that community.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Yes, you just haven't acknowledged them as such. That's what.
That's what.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
But doctor Lakeisha Hall and her new book Knowing Itself
Made build your village to flourish in business and life.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Go get that right now.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Thank you for joining us, Thank you, and thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
It's the Breakfast Club. Wake that answer up in the morning.
The Breakfast Club.
The Breakfast Club News
Hosts And Creators
Charlamagne Tha God
DJ Envy
Jess Hilarious
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com