Unlearning to Remember | Ft. Anya Ayoung-Chee

This week, we are talking di tings with fashion designer, entrepreneur, television host, philanthropist, Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago 2008, co-founder of SPOOL, and winner of Project Runway (Season 9), Anya Ayoung-Chee! 

Born and raised in Trinidad, Anya has almost always been “the first” or “the only” in many of the spaces she’s entered; from the layered complexity of her racial identity to the world of fashion design.

While Anya is most popularly and internationally known as the winner of the popular reality television show Project Runway in 2011. She is truly a multihyphenate. Anya is a mother of two, co-founder of SPOOL (a platform reimagining fashion as an act of independence and creative access), and is currently designing a new capsule collection! 

This episode is about so much more than fashion design. It’s about the importance of being relentless in the pursuit of your dreams, believing that everything happens for your good, the importance of unlearning what no longer serves you, and most importantly remembering who you were before the world told you who you should be. 

So grab your tea, coffee, or a glass of wine, and let's talk di tings! 
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If you enjoyed the episode, leave us a 5 star rating, share this episode, and follow Let’s Talk Di Tings on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.   

Listen to LTDT on: SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6akOR9kAnsbANiszBDcVOL?si=aa70627937124c3e APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-di-tings/id1662696625 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
There are people who moved through the world quietly, and
then there are those who moved through it as a
reflection of what is truly possible. Anya ayoung Chi is
the latter, designer, cultural advocate, entrepreneur, mother, and most importantly,

(00:21):
a woman whose life has been shaped by grace, vision,
and the deep inner work of returning to herself again
and again. Born and raised in Trinidad, Anya has always
found herself as the first or the only in many
of the spaces she's entered, from the layered complexity of

(00:44):
her racial identity to Catholic school classrooms where structure left
little room for creative exploration. Many of us first met
Anya as the winner of Project Runway, a victory made
even more remarks by the fact that she didn't even
know how to sew when she applied. She actually learned

(01:06):
during the competition now that no sound safe. However, more
than skill, she shares that what truly carried her and
possibly led her to win the competition was the moment
she stopped trying to design or think like a New
Yorker and began designing like a Trinidadian, and in doing

(01:29):
so found her edge. Anya is now a mother, of
two and the co founder of Spool, a platform reimagining
fashion as an act of independence and creative access. This
conversation is not just about fashion style or the success

(01:51):
of her career. It's really about self improvement, self reflection,
and what did really means to lose and find yourself
over and over again and to trust that each time
what's most powerful is already within you. If you're listening

(02:13):
to the podcast on Apple Podcast, please remember to rate
and leave a comment below. Also, don't forget to follow
us on Instagram at Let's Talk the Tings. Now, grab
your tea, coffee, or a glass of wine and Let's
Talk the Tings. Hello everyone, Welcome back to Let's Talk

(02:36):
the Tings, where we discuss personal growth, travel, music, beauty
and wellness while encouraging you to live fearlessly and fabulously.
I'm your host, Ash and this week we are talking
to things with fashion designer, entrepreneur, television host, philanthropist. Miss

(02:59):
Universe Trinidad and Tobago two thousand and eight, the winner
of the ninth season of Project Runway and one of
the most compelling voices shaping the Caribbean creative landscape today,
Anya I Young Chi, hi Anya, how are you.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Hi ash, I'm great. Thank you so much for having
me on.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Oh, no problem, I'm so happy to have you here.
So for the first segment, as a little bit of
an icebreaker for our first time guest and for persons
listening for the first time, we begin each episode with
our listener's favorite segment, and it's called DNA Sound Safe.

(03:40):
So and it's so funny. I've been saying this for
three seasons and I still laugh every time when I
say that. So what I'm gonna do is I'm going
to read messages or social media posts that listeners sent in,
and if you think it sounds a little crazy or
a little concerning, you'd say that no, sounds safe and
explain why. And if you agree, you say you agree

(04:01):
and explain why. Nothing crazy, just a little bit of fun.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Perfect, all right.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
So the the first person said Caribbean people have the
most manners and no manners all at the same time.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, I definitely have to agree with that one. We're
excellent being yeah, very polite, but having some kind of
indipendal in the back. Yes, there's always some aspect that
you know, is that really what you think? Right?

Speaker 1 (04:31):
So exactly exactly. So I would say this one is
kind of odd because we agree, but maybe it's not
that safe because maybe we could be a little bit
more polite.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
All the parents on this scenario. You know, if you're
around your grandparents and your aunts and uncles, all of
a sudden, all the manners come out exactly exactly.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
And I think that's what's important, right, Like, that's what counts.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
We're all well brought up good?

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yes, good brought Upsya is important. That's my favorite word,
you know, and your people may in front of me
because it's like old people word, but I love that
word because.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Everything says everything in one word.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yes, yes, it sure does, all right. The next person said,
my life dramatically improved when I started seeing people for
who they are plus what they've shown me, rather than
romanticizing what they could be.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Wow, that's deeply insightful. Yeah. Again, I feel like I
have to agree with that one. And then comes with
age and experience, you get to really understand who somebody
really is despite the faces and the performance that you
may see on the surface. You know, I think I
have to lean into that that opinion for sure.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, And you know, I think it's difficult sometimes because
people also can either one change or their mask can
fall off. So I think sometimes when you want to
see the best in people, maybe you try to like
convince yourself that, oh, you know, this might be just
a one time thing, or maybe they didn't mean to
do it. But I think that's where discernment comes in,

(06:02):
right to see, like, Okay, is this a pattern or
is this just a mistake, Because people do make mistakes
in life, you know, and people do say or do
things they probably didn't mean to do. But if it's
something that someone's showing you over and over again, then yeah,
you have to heed to those warnings for sure, for sure.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
And I would just say, it's really the opposite of
what this person said. That is the that does sound safe,
because if you go through life, as you know, I
cannot admit to always wanting to be the internal optimists
and give people the benefit of doubt. You can sort
of allow, you know, repeated levels of mistreatment, hoping and
praying that this person is actually who you want them

(06:40):
to be, but not who they actually are.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
Yes, Oh my gosh, that's so true, so so true. Okay,
the next one, the person said, discern the difference between
those who come to add to your fire and those
who come to put your light out. Some who are
drawn to your radiance will resent you when they realize
that they can't dim your light.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
M hm, well these are killers. Like I'm just gonna
sound like the internal person in agreement because yeah, once again, like,
oh my gosh, my life experience has been one version
of this after the next of like it's kind of
related the last one, right. If people are there for

(07:27):
you half the time, they're there for themselves, and that's
really challenging thing to accept because you then have to
be so discerning about who's in your close circle. Yes, intimately,
and that gets to me a bit lonely at times.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
So yes, yeah, And I think, you know, these are
so funny because I've had guests on here that are
like ash, all of these soun's safe. I thought I
was going to get something crazy, But I think that's
a good thing because you could be on here saying,
oh no, that's terrible, you know what I mean. Everyone
has a difference of opinion, but it always makes me
feel good because I'm like, see, I know I chose

(08:04):
the R I guess because you don't you know that
this sounds safe, you know.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, no, totally. I think that you know,
it's hard to know and project what you don't know
in yourself. So if you are eternally optimist and genuinely
want to see people thrive, you kind of, you know,
erroneously expect that to be projected back to you. And

(08:29):
half the time it's just a jarring slap in the
face that like many people do not operate that way,
and it's it's hurtful. But I think the sooner and
I can speak for myself like I have been able
to discern that is, the more I can sort of,
you know, just not spend too much time trying to
expect something from someone that they just don't have innately
in them.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yeah. Yeah, but it's still tough though, especially if it's
someone that you do want in your life and you realize, okay,
I can't have them in my life because it's going
to turn out badly for me. It's tough, you know.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
Well, it's heart breaking, it's gut wrenching because again it's like,
we don't operate that way generally, you know, who to
your point, have this genuine desire to see people succeed
and commit our lives to in various different ways, to
couraging ways for other people to benefit. Like, it really

(09:22):
is gut wrenching when you have to sort of cut
somebody out of your life when they especially when they
mean something.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
To you exactly exactly. The persons that are just kind
of fly by night, I think that's the easier thing,
Like someone maybe you just met or you know, you
just feel a way about them and you're just like, Okay, no,
I think that's easy. But like you said, the ones
that have been in your life for a long time
and they just are not the same, or you just
notice things. I just find that those are so much harder.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
Totally agree, totally. But that's our own growth too, you know.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
Yes, true, that's true. So yeah, that's fair. Okay, okay,
so we both agree on that one. All right, two more.
The next person said, this is funny. I am so
nosy that I will literally stop breathing just to hear
a conversation.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
Oh oh no, well, that is definitely and that will
sound safe category absolutely, but oh.

Speaker 1 (10:16):
My gosh, that is actually insane.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
Wow. I mean, who does to the person's admitting it
so openly true, I think that demonstrates the level of
self awareness that is true, you know, comfortable. But that
being said, it's like, you know, I think clearly not
the best use of anyone's time, talent, skills, or ability
to be in other people's business to that extent exactly.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
And you might want to not stop breathing. I don't know, I.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Just want to well I didn't even get to that,
but clearly that is unsafe on the highest level.

Speaker 1 (10:49):
Right, Like, it can't be that great of information to
possibly cause you to pass out.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
No way, No, absolutely not. I mean that makes functionally
absolutely no sense. Yes, even carry on with you, curiosity
if you want to call it that, exactly.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
So once you get the information, no, once you pass out,
you can't even tell anybody, So.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
It's useless, count intuitive exactly.

Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yes, so that that's sound safe. Our first one, Yes,
I agree with.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
The first one. That was not. We were not on
defense about that one.

Speaker 1 (11:24):
No, not at all all right, the next person said,
I'll never forget one time I was crying over a
guy and my dad just looked at me and said, listen,
you have to be tough if you're going to be
this stupid. And I've never heard more truer words, This

(11:49):
dad must be a Caribbean because.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Brutal, brute, but I mean pretty sound advice, guess. I
mean I think after that she made different choices.

Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, yeah, yep, yep exactly. So maybe the delivery is
not safe.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Perhaps is borderline abusive, but you.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
Know, exactly exactly. But yeah, I can't tell, but I'm
almost positive this dad has to be Caribbean because that's if.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
They're not Caribian, they're a Caribbean want to be because
that is classic kind of yes the point.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
Yeah, Okay, so that was fun, just something a little
fun to loosen it up a little bit. So now
we're going to talk the real things. So I would
love it if you could tell me a little bit
about what it was like growing up in Trinidad. So
when you think about your childhood, just in general, but

(13:01):
particularly in Trinidad, not the achievements, but just the atmosphere,
the energy, what do you remember most vividly about who
you were before the world asked you to become anything
else or told you who you should be.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
Wow, that's a great question because I will say it
from the backwards forwards, meaning I discovered I was of
a particular ethnic mix when I left Trinidad and moved
to New York, and that I would say, working backwards,
I spent most of my life just you know, quite

(13:38):
oblivious to that, to anything other than being Trinny, right,
such a huge gift, particularly where we sit in the
world now, And so I really value that that my
identity was solely rooted in being culturally Trinidadian. And I mean,
I'm not saying that race and necessity did not play

(13:58):
a part, but I didn't defy myself that.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
Way, right exactly because we're not raised like that, you're
just Trinny or Jamaica, and like you need grace to
think about your race all the time, exactly.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
And so I think that had a big influence in retrospect,
and it I was. I felt very privileged to have
grown up where who I was culturally was the sort
of a massive definition of who I was allowed to
be across the board. And like Trenados, as most of
the crement is so deeply creative in so many parts
of life that I think my ability to like express

(14:33):
myself and of course that evolved into how I expressed
myself now professionally, Like I you know, growing up, for instance,
around Carnival and my mother is an avid mass player,
like creativity, but in this very you know, very it's
particularly in the eighties, and you know, I was born
in eighty one. Like there was in a sense to
how we express ourselves as Trinidadians through music, through you know,

(14:57):
through sound and dance, and Carnival being the ultimate pinnacle
of that, at least in my life, and how that
pervaded life, you know, the ability to sort of take
chaotic moments and turn it into joyful moments. You know,
I lived through the coup in nineteen ninety and you know,
it's there's an essence of darkness to this, but on
the other side, way we were able to find joy

(15:19):
in community and survive through celebration. And there's something about
that that I think informs who I am as an adult,
and I've never lost And I love the way frame
the question because you could be that fully until at
some point in life the world demands that you show
up some other way, you know, or in some defined,

(15:42):
predefined way that it has nothing to do with who
you actually are. So I do feel really privileged to
have spent the majority of my childhood you know, all
the WAP until I left to go to New York
when I was seventeen, in this sort of innocence of
society that was very embraced of our unique culture and

(16:03):
expressed in very you know, kind of communal ways, and
you know, the ways in which we share food and community,
the way we you know, sort of have our faith
in community like that. There's just so much about being
West Indian in general that is rooted in that, you know,
And so yeah, I have a lot of gratitude for that.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
I always like to ask people questions about their childhood
because I personally believe who you truly are is who
you were as a child before everyone told you like,
no you can't do that, Yes you can do that,
No you can't be like this, Yes you can be
like that. And I think as we get older, the
more that we get back to the things that we
liked or enjoyed as children that brought us joy, I

(16:47):
think that puts us in a happier space because it
just brings us back to a time where we didn't
have to perform for anybody, you know, we could kind
of just be free in that sense.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
A thousand, I think Picasso has this great quote that
says something like, you know, you spend your whole life
relearning or wanting to become the painter that you were
as a child. You know, it's like it's this entire
ar I mean, it's a lot better said than I
just did. But you know the essence of it is
that our inner child is who you spend most of

(17:20):
your life like reconnecting with and and giving yourself that
permission to be with of course all the learnings and
experience of your of your your life. But I mean,
I think I have one thousand percent agree with you
from the standpoint that your joy resides in your inner child.
Your joy resides in that untouched on you know, on

(17:44):
un adulterated. You know, there's a weird word. There's a
reason why the word is unadulterated. Right.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
I love that. I never thought about that. It's so
true though, Oh man, Well, in that same vein, you've
described your work or your life's work as a process
of returning to your essence of who you are. So
what has that journey taught you about how identity is

(18:12):
formed and sometimes reformed? Because, like you said, you weren't
even aware of your mix until you came to the States.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
Yeah, well, I could say it's been a constant recycling
journey of remembering because I go to phases of really
kind of like touching the essence of who I am.
Whether that was the moment that I want Project Runway
was really an expression of my caribbeanness in that final collection,

(18:40):
which took me a real deep dive into myself, you know,
of letting go of well, I'm not going to succeed
unless I show up like a New York designer. But
that actually was the complete opposite of what got me
to where I was going. And it was in that
final final moment that I remembered and I was reminded
as well by the judges, like you are a Caribbean girl,

(19:02):
you have to show up as you. And that's I'm convinced.
That's a huge reason that I want because the authenticity
shone through. And so I would say, you know that
I have particular milestones in my life where I could
one thousand percent say that was the journey I was on,
and then I go continuously searching for all the various
aspects of what make up who I am, because when

(19:23):
I decided at some point after winning project round me
that I was relatively dissatisfied with being a fashion designer.
Only I was searching for work that had more purpose,
that had more impacts that I could measure, that I
could be a part of the transformation of other people's
lives in tangible ways. And that's how I developed that
I have now my business school, which is, you know,

(19:45):
we do training for women who come from at risk
backgrounds how to produce for both the fashion and carnival industry.
And this is sort of approach yes to circular fashion
and sustainability on very different fronts is very deeply meaning
feel to me. And so finding ways to continuously refine
who I am, because I think the essence of who

(20:06):
I am, or essence of who anyone is, is a
continued journey, you know that. I don't think that's there's
no there's no end point to that discovery process. But
I do think that there is a through line. I mean,
there's a consistent thread as I map myself my life backwards,
you know, and I see a bit consistently searching for
this definition of how I express my identity and the many,

(20:30):
many different channels that I have explored to really kind
of hone what that is you know, right right, So
I would say it's cyclical, it's ongoing, it's it's the
deep work, you know.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
Yes, for sure, And in what you're doing now, I'm
sure you mentor as you said, a lot of different persons,
particularly women. So what patterns have you seen maybe across
the Caribbean aspora, maybe just among Trindadians when it comes
to just kind of like personal liberation and self expression,

(21:03):
especially for women through the fashion or design industry.

Speaker 2 (21:07):
Gosh, that is a complex question. I think that we
as women around the world, we as women in this
particular part of the world, really have to work hard
to be authentically who we are and succeed in business
and succeed in professional spaces. It feels, and it's felt
like for me for a very long time, that these

(21:30):
two things are in conflict. That particularly when you come
from creative industry's perspective and you are a woman, you're female,
and you are you know, all the list of of
of minorities, minority categories all in one right, and then
you lift yourself out and you end up in in
parts of the world like the US, you just start

(21:52):
to add even more boxes and minorities you do. The
ability to show up as yourself consistently, both in spaces
that you don't see much of yourself in. It takes
tremendous confidence and courage and perpetual self talk. And at
least I cannot speak for myself, you know, I think

(22:12):
there are I've probably gone through, like many of us,
you know, going to Catholic high school and being essentially
taught to conform is in complete conflict with what skills
you need to show up authentically. Conformity and authenticity do
not go together, you know, right, right, So I've had

(22:33):
to unlearn so much of this, you know, celebration of
conformity and emerge out of that from the space of
that back again to the sort of essence of who
you are and in a child, and but doing that
in the space in spaces where you know you either
you're too bold, you're too different, you're too hard to understand.

(22:56):
Like there's so many things like when I came out
of Runway again, like I was signed to a very
big agency in l A and like they just couldn't
figure out what to place me. You know, I wasn't
my accent didn't match my ethnicity, my, my, my. This
mix that I was didn't mix, didn't match the you know,
what the platforms and opportunities were at the time, and
it just was it just took too much imagination to

(23:18):
figure out, like where do I fit? You know?

Speaker 1 (23:23):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (23:23):
But you know, you know that's perfect course of when
you uh, there's not much precedent for how you show
up and being setting it. It's a particular choice that
I think I've made. I've almost always been the first
or one of the first in every area of business
and life that I've entered into. And either you do

(23:44):
that and you you accept, or you choose in to
be isolated and you're not. You're not looking back at
any path to follow, like your craft, your crafting the
path so that I think we as Cribbean women because
when many times the first in spaces and because we
break so many barriers intentionally, on on purpose, like the

(24:07):
ability to do that has strengthened our capacity to be
authentic and I think that is such a huge, you know,
asset to have.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely, And it's funny. Your story reminds me
a lot of Malings. She was a former guest as well.
And you know, I just find that women like you
and her and other Caribbean women that are, like you said,
the first in their field. It's really something that I
love to praise and I like to really talk about

(24:38):
for even the younger generation or persons thinking of going
into whatever field it is, because it can be scary,
you know, to be the only, particularly if you grow
up in an area where you're not the only, then
you're used to not having to kind of stand out,
you know what I mean. So I find that a
lot of times that I always talk about it with
social media. People just think it's so easy and it's

(25:02):
so glamorous, and you know, you were just on this show.
I'm sure people think it all the time and like,
you know, all these people and so easy because you
were on this show and they don't know all the
stuff that goes on behind the scenes, the amount of
knows you had, or like you said, you know, you're
not the right look or this doesn't match, and if
you're not strong or you don't have that wherewithal to

(25:23):
push forward and to know yourself and to be authentic,
it can be very difficult, you know, thou.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
And you know, I've always remembered this quote or analogy
that says, you know, if you're if you're in the
Colosseum in the fight, and you're only getting feedback from
the bleachers, then you can't like you have to be
in the in the colisseum, you know, to like in
the fight. If you're in the fight, and then we
could talk because you know we're through, you know, But

(25:52):
if you're in the bleaches sort of making comments and
throwing shade like, then you can't really FUNKI yes, and.

Speaker 1 (26:02):
It's so true, so true, And I'm glad. I'm really
glad you brought up authenticity because I think it's a
word that we hear so often, especially online, but you
live it and sometimes, like you said, at odds with
expectations of what people think you should be or how
people think you should maybe even act or present yourself.

(26:24):
So what do you think if you had to say,
authenticity has cost you? And what has it given you
in return?

Speaker 2 (26:33):
Not coming easy with these questions, boy, no, but it's good.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
I love for people to know.

Speaker 2 (26:41):
It's amazing. I much you heard having this level of
complex conversation. I appreciate it very much, of course, Yeah,
because yeah, I mean it's cost me. I would say,
a feeling of belonging, which is such a genuine human
need is to have a sense of belonging. I only

(27:04):
belonged really in spaces that I've crafted for myself, and
that takes intentionality, It takes deep outs of loneliness and isolation.
It takes constant reconnection with the why of what I'm doing,
because you sacrifice, you know, sort of everyday niceties of
like having more friends and more social life and more

(27:26):
just more what may feel I feel like a buoyancy
of your life. But you can't sacrifice you're like charting
your path if you're too much surrounded by the ease
of conforming and the ease of fitting in, you know,
like I have never fit in. From very very early on,

(27:46):
I was aware of the fact that even though let's
just say, for instance, in the caravan across the board,
I think academically, once you're good enough for things like
the science is biology, chemistry, physics, et cetera, there's sort
of an expectation that you're going to follow a medical path,
right right, Yes, you know, my father's a surgeon. I

(28:07):
was always an a student, like there was no reason
why I would not study medicine. Except for the fact
that I would have been a terrible doctor, you know,
and I wanted to be in the creative fields. And
like I, as soon as that those paths, we started
to diverge away from my main core group of friends.
And then they were all this destined to do that

(28:28):
type of profession and I wasn't. I started to feel
like this divergence of where I belonged, and that was tough.
I mean, I was in my teenage years, and you
start to make everyday choices of like, it's okay for
me to not fit in, It's okay for me to
feel awkward, it's okay for me to not always know
where do I belong. And I think I started building

(28:49):
that muscle from them, but it continues so today, you know,
like I, so I think you sacrifice that you sacrifice.
I suppose a peace of mind that like and not
that anybody's life goes in any kind of straight line,
but I certainly know that, like my professional life has

(29:10):
followed a very security's roots, and so I sacrifice a
lot of certainty, and I sacrifice a lot of clarity
of like how do I craft the next stage of
my professional life? How do I even craft the next
stage in my personal life. And there's not a lot
that I can look to to say, oh, well, I'm
I'm basically designing a life that looks like that, you know,

(29:32):
I have to kind of id is it out of
thin air? And so you can sacrifice the sense of
security even if that security is false, because I don't
think there's any such thing as like a guaranteed safe job,
or a guaranteed safe marriage, or a guarantee anything, right,
But I do think that I've chosen consistently to sit

(29:56):
in the see of uncertainty in every aspect of my life,
you know, which is a challenge. Yes, So off the
top of my mind, I would say those are the two
main things that I consciously give up to show up
as myself all the time or as much as I
possibly can.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
I love that, and I think it's Everyone always says
that they love my questions, but they're so deep. But
I think it's important, right because I think a lot
of times, especially when you get to the level that
you're at, a lot of times people don't ask you
questions about yourself, you know. So I think that a
lot of times that's what creates that perpetual idea that oh,

(30:37):
you know this, this creative life is so easy. I
can just sew a garment and you know, be on
this TV show and then I could have a business.
And I think it's important when we wear clothing or
support a business or even follow someone on social media
that you know what to the extent that you will
allow right because boundaries, but that they allow you to

(30:59):
know something about themselves, because you can't be what you
can't see. So somebody listening right now could think, oh,
I've really wanted to be a designer, but I come
from a family that everyone does medicine. There's no way
I can do that, like I don't. It's not possible.
And they could hear your story and develop that courage.
So that's always my hope that somebody hears stories like

(31:20):
this and they're encouraged to, you know, give it a try,
and to know that it's not going to be easy,
but that they can do it and be successful.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
No. Absolutely, I think that the truth telling of the
reality of what being whoever you decide to be is
what liberates other people to be themselves. And that's always
my hope. And sharing stories of my life and you know,
it's not not cissic exercise. It's actually an opportunity. It's

(31:49):
an opening for me to be vulnerable. And almost always
that vulnerability resonates with someone else. I may not manifest
the same way to them, but you know, the choice
to be raw and honest and truthful about the challenges
and the highs. I mean, don't get me wrong, like
the deep I go in my commitment to my truth

(32:13):
is higher my life has gone. But it takes that
depth of dark, hard work. You know, after I had
this you know, very public sex tape scandal in two
thousand and nine and twenty ten, and it was extremely
painful and very public and very exposing. And but it's

(32:35):
out of the depths of that, you know, in a
work that came from that, that I won Project Run
Me a year later, because there's a definite spiritual connection
between those two things. Because I just I shed so much,
so many of my own masks, so many of my
own perceptions of who I thought I was or needed

(32:55):
to be, or you know, I just let all that go,
and I think that is what took me to the
place that that moment in my life happened, but did
not come without tremendous pain, you know.

Speaker 1 (33:09):
Yeah, And sometimes that's just how life works, right, you know,
whatever higher power you believe in has to put you
through something so that you can see that you know,
that's not the path that you're supposed to be on,
you know what I mean. And that's how I think personally,
that's how I tend to look at things to try
to find the positive, even if you don't understand it

(33:30):
in the moment. I find that always, whether it's in
two months, two years, twenty years, you realize, oh, that's
why that had to happen, Like it made no sense
at the time, like why would that happen to me?
Why would that person do that? Or whatever happens, you know,
and then you realize if a didn't happen, I could
have never gotten to be you know. So I think

(33:50):
that's really a powerful way to reframe it. And I
think that's the only way that we can just live
a joyful life is by reframing what we see as
negative and looking at it as like a catalyst to
get to where it is that we need to be.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
A thousand percent. I mean, one of the main things
I learned out of that experience, I just mentioned is
that everything in life happens for you, not to you.
And when you embrace things happening for you, for your growth,
for your evolution, for your you know, gradual refinements, then
you know that major shift in perception. You know. I

(34:28):
think it's either Albert ein Sein or Marion Williams and
somebody says, you know, the definition of a miracle is
really just a shift in perception, you know, like it's
really the same thing. The same thing can happen to
you and you could either let it bury you or
you can take the macro perspective and shift. And I
think the age and experience has helped me do that

(34:49):
first and fast in life like that may have taken
me a year to experience and that growth coming out
of that scandal I just mentioned, but more recent events
in my life, like I might I feel bit nown
for like a day, a week, a few months, but
it doesn't take as long for me to step away recovery.
You know, I've had the experience enough times to really

(35:10):
embrace even to your point, I may not know now
why this is happening, but at least I can, I
can I can surrender to the gift that is eventually
going to manifest exactly exactly.

Speaker 1 (35:22):
And I think that, you know, that's not a hard thing,
that's not an easy thing, excuse me to deal with,
but you get through it. And I think that that
should be commended as well, because there's many persons that
unfortunately things like that happen to them, or things that
someone would consider worse and that happened, and they cannot
get past it, you know, and they end up with

(35:44):
all sorts of problems and maybe they end up, you know,
getting intoxicated or just harming themselves in some way. So
I just look at it from a perspective of you
took that and put it towards something to like help
you move forward, you know, rather than sitting in it
for a long period of time. So I think that
should be commended as well. For sure.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
Yeah, And don't get me wrong, I did the intoxicating
things too, so it's not like, I.

Speaker 1 (36:10):
Mean, you didn't stay there, is what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
Because you know, if you're human, you have to find
with to not Begod. But yes, I think it's yeah,
nets groups, it's the net positive of your exactly, So
that's really what comets.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
Yeah, definitely, definitely. And speaking of Project Runway, I know
you brought it up a few times persons that may
not have seen it or may not be familiar with it.
Can you tell us a little bit about the show
and you know how you even ended up on the show,
and also the fact that it gave you international visibility.
How did that change your life in any way?

Speaker 2 (36:50):
So Project run is a and still is probably one
of the longest standing fashion reality TV shows that is
about to enter its one hundredth season now. But I
you know, again, I was in a very particularly self

(37:12):
reflective moment in my life when I just out of
nowhere saw a tweet with the application to the show.
But at that time, the show was really at a peak,
and you know, it was completely pine the sky idea
that I would ever get called even to an audition
fathers to get cast, you know. So I just figured,
you know, what do I have to lose? I downloaded
the application, I filled it out, and you know, the story,

(37:36):
which is the truth, is that I did not know
how to sew and in the competition, like you know,
just like any of these competition reality shows, you have
to actually be able to do the thing on camera
in front of the judges. So I did not know
how to sew, and I you know, I didn't think
they would ever call me, so I just figured, well,
what's the harm. You know, it's a story to tell.

Speaker 1 (37:57):
Right right.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
They called me and I was like no. I was
like no, no, no no. By the time I got
finally cast, like, I told them, no, I can't, I can't,
Like you don't understand, I can't do the show. I'll
apply again, you know, And then they call me back
and they're like, listen, you're already cast, you have to come,
you know.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
No, it was just too funny.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
No, it was intense. I mean, the first episode ever,
I'll never forget. I bareieve knew how to thread a machine.
Like I sat with the camera staring down my you know,
staring at me for hours, trying to just figure out
how to I mean, I I had some experience in
leading up to the show itself, but very, very minimal,
and I just really approached it with a genuine sense

(38:44):
of adventure. I had no expectations for myself. I figured
I'd already one by just even getting on the first episode.
If I made a fool of myself, God kicked off
it's just a story to tell, you know. Yeah, Well
this went on, this went on, and I think I
just got more and more immersed into the experience itself.
Was so spectacular. You know, I really took it on

(39:07):
as a growth experience and nothing was going to change
whether I got kicked off or not. I was not
connected to the outcome, you know until the end, until
the end when I realized, Wow, I was really in
the running to win this thing that I shifted into
like competitive Anya, you know. Yeah, and that was a
different stage of the evolution. But anyway, all of that

(39:28):
being said, the international exposure has I think of my
life pre Project run May and post Project Runway in
that regard. You know, my all of a sudden, my
brand was catapult into a much more global audience, and
the show gets syndicated, yeah, Anya, all over the world.
So it just never seems to stop, Like people start
seeing it, like ten years later, people are now seing

(39:49):
it for the first time and time. Yeah. So like,
you know, that's benefited me tremendously from a brand awareness perspective,
which of course helps my business, helps my ability to
you know, reach customers wherever I would like to reach them.
And that's a huge leg.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
Up, you know, right for sure.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
And then in the period after winning, from twenty eleven
to now, so much is evolved the technology that I
can really leverage that platform, you know, directs a consumer
e commerce, being able to use digital marketing effectively. Like,
there's so many ways in which to continue to leverage
this you know, relatively well known brand, even if it's

(40:32):
not well into this younger audience, it still has it
carries a certain amount of cache. And because I want
in a particular period of the show that you know,
avid loyal audience of that show were very I mean,
we had to be shuttled from where we were staying
in New York to where the workspace was in a

(40:52):
way that dissuaded all the gossip columns, some guessing who
was still on the show and who was not on
the shoe and we would urge. It was the height
of competitive reality. You know, it was when that type
of TV was extremely popular. So you know, I benefited
from doing the show at the right time, doing it
at the right time in my career, doing it in

(41:14):
a way that told a whole story about who I am,
not just as a designer, but just like how I
take things on in life, like so much of it
craft did my brand, I think around just you know,
how I approach life in general. And my brother had
died only a few years later, and my whole journeys
are becoming a fashion designer emerged from that also, you know.

(41:37):
So doing the Project Runway had a lot less to
do with ever wanting to become globally known or popular.
It had so much more to do with my own
in a journey. And all it really proved to me
is that you know, manifestation is real when you have
a clear vision and you have committed action, and you

(42:00):
you know that life is capable of the impossible. You
know that life and to your point, which I have
a higher being you believe in, shows up for you
when you show up for it. You know what I mean.
And it was a really divine expression of life for me,
and it manifested in winning. But I didn't go in

(42:21):
to win, and I didn't go in to have a
global brand, and I didn't go in to achieve those
particular things. But they were byproducts of the inner work
journey that I was on and that has only perpetuated
in many different ways since then.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
You know, and it's so funny, like as I listened
to you tell your story even surprisingly how you just
happened to get on Project Runway and not even knowing
how to sew it just really I don't know. Something
in me is like, Wow, that happened on purpose, Like
I feel like that was something that you needed, you

(42:59):
know what I mean, because had you not maybe had
that when all the other stuff happened, who knows how
you would have been able to get through those things,
you know what I mean, because it was such a
big part of your life. So it's just interesting, like
how we were saying before or whole you don't know
why things are happening, and before we were speaking about
it more in like when bad things happened, but even

(43:20):
the good things that you don't know if they're good
or bad, you're just confused why they're happening, you know, Like,
look at what that was able to do for you
and it's still doing for you to this day. Like
you said, just by mere fact that you were on
the show, yeah no, or won the show, let me
not say that you want sorry, let's be clear.

Speaker 2 (43:41):
Yeah yeah no A thousand seven because you know now
that I'm at this stage of my life and career.
I do think back to the attributes of my what
how I was showing up in my life and it
sounds so hackneyed, right, but like I was genuinely in
a state of gratitude throughout that entire experience, And that

(44:03):
level of gratitude is transferable at any time in your
life and has the same impact. It has the same
ability to shift you know how you how you experience
every day and and that's a choice. So there's applicable
lessons from that time in my life that I carry through.
I'm not always great at but I have a very

(44:25):
tangible memory of the outcome of being in the spiritual
space I was in at the time, and I continue
to practice as best as I can the same ways
of being. And I will also admit that like that
kind of catapulting into recognition can have a level of well,

(44:49):
it took me quite a while after that to re
reel back in why my why? You know, my why
got a little a little this did in that because
it's just, you know, all of a sudden, you have
all this attention and you have all this like you know, people,
opportunities and directions you can go in and all of

(45:09):
a sudden, it's like an avalanche of things, and it
takes and I was quite young, and it took me
at least a couple of years to reconnect with why
was I even doing any of this in the first place?
You know, Yeah, And it kind of helps back to
the question, Yeah, like the question about what you sacrifice

(45:30):
for authenticity me really consistently trying to figure out, like
why am I here? What is my purpose? And how
do I show up in this life in a way
that speaks speaks specifically to the legacy that is I'm
meant to have here in this in this lifetime anyway, right,
I can't. I have sacrificed quite a bit of personal

(45:51):
benefits choosing to do work that is impact focused for
the last six to eight years. You know, you you
choose I chose a path that was a lot less
self focused it than it could have been, and that
that changes your financial status, it changes your professional status,

(46:12):
it changes your brand. But I have made that choice
repeatedly because I know that it's just a big part
of who I am and a big part of what
makes me feel fulfilled, and and and the journey out
of winning project on me taught me that there's fame
and then there's you know, fulfillment, and sometimes those two

(46:35):
things are necessarily. The ideal is that they can join,
but sometimes they don't.

Speaker 1 (46:43):
You know, right, No, definitely, And I think it's so
great that you said that last part. You know, fame
versus fulfillment, they don't always coincide, right. A lot of
times there are lots of people that are famous or
maybe not even famous, people that make lots of money
what they do, but they're not fulfilled. They're miserable, they're depressed,

(47:03):
they're just going day by day. So yeah, they might
be driving a nice car and living in a nice house,
but they're in that house maybe alone, yeah, you know.
Or they don't have anywhere to drive to because they
don't have friends, because they're always working. So there's always
I always say that everything comes at a cost, you know,
And it's just about aligning yourself with what's good for

(47:26):
you and what will bring you joy.

Speaker 2 (47:30):
Yes, yes, and and and there's there's no question that
that pursuit can find you in bouts of of isolation.
But I think genuine fulfillments allows you to be like
really at peace with who you are. And I mean,
admittedly that's a continuous journey for me, but but I

(47:53):
think you're much more likely to achieve that through that
route than the than the autective.

Speaker 1 (47:57):
Absolutely absolutely, And speaking of joy, I just want to
talk about that for a little while, not surface joy,
but the joy that comes with real alignment. What do
you source that joy or where do you source that
joy now? You know? And what practices keep you grounded
in it, because, like you said, you're doing something that's

(48:18):
more for others and for yourself. And you know, obviously
you still love fashion. I'm sure you still love all
those things you loved before, but you've evolved as not
only in your personal life but professionally as well. So
what would you say brings you joy now? What is
your source of joy now?

Speaker 2 (48:38):
Well? I definitely continue to enjoy designing, and I actually
just just designed a new capsule collection, and it's been
quite a long time since I've done that. No, truly,
it's been I think I needed the long break because
I forgot I didn't want to continue to push for

(48:59):
something it wasn't feeling in alignment at the time. But
I think now that I have school, which is my
training facility and manufacturing facility, and that part of my
business has been structured and it's very much connected to
the impact work. Like I mentioned, you know, it's a
livelihood training program, so the women who are producing have
come out of that program. So the circularity of you know,

(49:21):
how the line is being produced and by whom and
how it's impacting them while I build my brand back
to a place that I think it can get to,
ideally that entire ecosystem of sustainable and you know, the
practice of honoring every part of the process and having
the ability to like I own the vertical of how

(49:43):
that happens, with the exception of course, of how I
source the fabrics. Just yet that part I still have
to outsource. But either way, I've gotten closer to a
model that I'm now touching on all the points on
my creative side, my impact side, my entrepreneurial side. And
the days that I get to have a combination of
buying fabric and you know, designing the collection and then

(50:04):
working with the women that are part of my team
and seeing the joy that this brings them as well,
It's like those are the most magical moments, you know,
those are like all the light bulbs are going off,
all the touch points of what bring me joy are
happening in this very dynamic way. So I would say that,
And then of course it's like, you know, I have

(50:25):
two kids now, I have a son who's six and
adult who's three, and so you know, parenting has been
a challenge, especially COVID and coming out of COVID, And
but I think you know, their their joy is, without

(50:46):
a doubt, like the most immediate and tangible and undeniable
joy that I then get to feed off of an
enjoy and have myself, you know. But I yeah, that
has been its own journey in parallel to building these businesses.
But right, but I have started to really embrace what

(51:10):
the experience of being their mother and the experience of
their joy feeling mine, And that honestly took me quite
a few years to surrender to her embrace, right, But
now that I'm much closer to that and and do
have those moments with them on a daily basis, like
it is undeniably like there is no other joy like

(51:34):
than that.

Speaker 1 (51:35):
It's just so much beautiful. I love that. And is
your daughter, I know she's still young, but is she
kind of you know, into your design stuff or do
you think she'll get the bug or you're not sure
yet it's too early to tell.

Speaker 2 (51:49):
Right now, she's as tomboyish as they come, like I
can't she is not interested. I mean she I caught that.
Of course, that's what life would give me. You know,
I can't get us hearing I can't nothing nothing.

Speaker 1 (52:05):
Of course, But don't worry. There's still time. I used
to be a tumboy where nobody would believe that because
I love to dress up and I don't go anywhere
with what I hear, so trust me, there's no time
for a change.

Speaker 2 (52:18):
And I said, you know, the parents is such a
lesson in surrender, and it is such a lesson On
the flip side, she's extremely own way, which is how
I am. You know, like, okay, oh yeah, you can't
have nothing, and so I know that in essence she

(52:39):
inherited that for sure. So gosh, however that manifests orally,
we shall see, but I know that, you know, it's
it's also a stage of life, and I'm not gonna
have any I have no expectation or desire to control
how she expresses herself.

Speaker 1 (52:58):
Right in anyway?

Speaker 2 (53:00):
Yeah, but a lot of it is that, you know,
she loves her older brother. She's she just wants to
bess wear his clothes, be like him. Say what was
the same way?

Speaker 1 (53:08):
Yeah, because that's who she sees and thinks it's cool.
So she doesn't know the difference between what boy, what's
for boys, and what's And I do not.

Speaker 2 (53:19):
Want to have super imploy that on her, you know.
But yes, it is like we're always fighting because I
just I kind of get her to brush your hair, like.

Speaker 1 (53:29):
Oh my god. Okay, So before we transition to our
final segment, I have been allowing guests to ask me
one question this season because you guys don't get to
ask anything. So is there anything that you'd like to
ask me?

Speaker 2 (53:49):
Yeah, I'd love to know why you do this podcast
and what is your why within this this self expression
of yours.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
Oh I love that question. So to make a very
long story short, I attended Harvard University, and when I
was there, I did a particular project where I wanted
to look at the violence against women and girls. It
just seemed like girls and women in the Caribbean and

(54:17):
in the diaspora right were just being targeted. And I
really didn't understand, and I'm very aware of how media works,
and a lot of times these things are always going on,
but it's not that they weren't going on before. It's
just they're being reported more, right. But I really wanted
to look into the why, and when I did, I
phoned that through my research, a lot of the men

(54:38):
that developed these this type of anger towards women, it
stemmed from their childhood and so when they got older
and they developed relationships with women, it's kind of like
it was their turn. Now, No, they're in charge. So
it just always stemmed from like something to do with
that relationship. And then when you talk to those mothers,

(55:00):
to them were children themselves, you know, young mothers trying
to figure it out, or they were treated a certain
way because they were brought up in a certain subset
of society where it was just like, oh, you can't
be anything, You're going to be just like every other
girl around here. And they never really had it seemed
like from the stories I read, I should say, they

(55:21):
never really had an outlet. So I just wanted to
create a space where initially it started as Caribbean persons,
Caribbean women coming on here, having conversations, you know, persons
of different subsets of society, whether it's just my friends,
you know, millennials just talking about life or what it
is that we do, or different things that we go

(55:41):
through as Caribbean persons growing up in America, or I've
had lots of celebrities on here and it's just now
a space for anyone to come. But they know that
if you're not Caribbean, you're going to learn something about
our culture. And I would say the final thing is
it would always bother me when I came to this
country that persons would associate being Caribbean, particularly Jamaican, with

(56:07):
you know, dancing or maybe something vulgar or just something
that's very like stereotypical. And I find that we have
so much more to offer, just as the Caribbean in general,
not even just as Jamaican's, but as Caribbean persons. We're
very smart, we're very you know, we have a lots
of brought up see like we talked about earlier, you know,

(56:29):
like we're very big on religion, on school, on being respectful,
all of those things. And I just thought, how nice
would it be for someone that has that perception to
hear a podcast like this where we talk about nothing salacious,
no gossip. You know, everyone always says it's not a
let's talk the things episode if I'm not dying laughing,
because I love to laugh, so I'm gonna laugh, you know.

(56:51):
So you know, I just want people to at least
get an hour or so allt of their day where yes,
they can experience joy and they can laugh, but they
can also learn something and they can walk away saying, wow,
Caribbean people are really more than what I thought. Yeah,
so yeah, that's a long answer, but no, I.

Speaker 2 (57:09):
Mean, you candense a lot in a in an answer,
So thank you. And there's there had to be a
reason I asked you that I didn't know that was
going to be a response. But the reason I found
it school is because I was doing sort of activism
work through my foundation prior to this. And the one
campaign that really really, it really shook me was an

(57:30):
anti Jenabe's balance campaign that we designed her internet at
call Leave She Alone, inspired by Calypso Roses. Calypso called
leave Me Alone, and it was a very very kind
of pivotal moment I think in the rate of domestic
violence and and jenas violence that were I mean, it's
unfortunately does not seem to be dying down, but at

(57:52):
the very least at that time anyway, I was very
connected to the woman that I, you know, got a
chance to understand the circumstances within which they were exposed
to this level of abuse, and that school was really
an intervention to respond to that, because I wanted to
sort of from my own space be able to create

(58:14):
tangible ways for livelihood for women that you know, because
that could move the needle oftentimes is financial independence and the.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
Ability definitely truthfully, you know, having.

Speaker 2 (58:28):
Choice clearly connected on that level, yes.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
Very very And it's so funny. I feel like I
say this every time, so I'm just going to say
it again. Those of my avid listeners are probably laughing
already because they know what I'm going to say. I
also think that God is rooted in this podcast because
every single time that I speak to somebody something like

(58:52):
that happens, they say, oh my gosh, it's so weird
you ask me, even in the dat noos and say
if you ask me this, oh my gosh, I'm going
through that right now, or like you know, oh my gosh,
I was like you just said, I had this organization
I was working with. That's why I did it too.
And I keep reminding people these guests and you can
you can vouch for it, or you can back me up.

(59:13):
They don't know the questions I'm going to ask. We've
never spoken before, so it's like, what else could it be?

Speaker 2 (59:20):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (59:21):
It's definitely alignment. So I'm so happy when I hear that.

Speaker 2 (59:25):
Thank you, thank you for the opportunity to ask your question.
That's quite unusual in an interview.

Speaker 1 (59:30):
To me, it's not really an interview. I think of
it more as a conversation. So I'm like, I wish
they could ask me something. And sometimes people do, just
like randomly, they'll just ask a question and I get excited.
But I'm like, I'm like, okay, let me at least
put a section in there. So if they don't, you know,
they feel like they're involved as well. So yeah, I

(59:50):
appreciate that. All right. So for the final segment, I'm
going to ask ask you seven quick, rapid fire questions
and you have to give me the first answer that
comes to mind. Okay, all right, what is your favorite

(01:00:12):
Caribbean dish?

Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
Doubles? Ooh?

Speaker 1 (01:00:18):
Nice. I love doubles. Okay, name a textile or material
that you feel spiritually spiritually connected.

Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
To mm hmmm, silk, chiffon ooh, I like.

Speaker 1 (01:00:33):
That, any particular like color?

Speaker 2 (01:00:38):
No, I mean my whole vibe is prince so it
would have to be in some way Okay, yes, abstract
or you know, print oriented is my go to?

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
Love that? Love that beautiful? Okay. What is something you
had to unlearn in order to grow?

Speaker 2 (01:00:59):
Hm? Wow, how not to conform in an effort to
be truly who I am?

Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
I love that. Love that and you spoke a lot
about that on this episode, So I love that. Hmmm.
If you could have anyone living or deceased where one
of your designs, who would it be?

Speaker 2 (01:01:32):
Immediately? Who comes to mind as Lauren Hill? Yeah? I
love that. I know. I just have had always so
much respect and you know, love for her style. Yeah,
it's really more her than even like you know, whether
or not my designs suit her personality, but just acknowledgement

(01:01:53):
from her, you know, just because she's just so singular.
She's just yeah, she is.

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
She is two more. If you could travel anywhere in
the world, all expense paid, where would you go.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
Hmm, not a good one. Wow, all expense. I think Alaska.
Really why I think because, I mean, I'm very very
blessed in many, many many places in the world. But
I think, Okay, going somewhere that like is really kind

(01:02:28):
of outside of my prior experience would be, you know,
I think something that opens your eyes a whole other
way of living.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Yes, for sure, for sure, And I know it gets
like very dark there, and yeah, it's definitely different. So
I love that, okay. And for the final question, you know,
I have to get a little deep one in there.
So when the world kind of shuts off and there's
no expectations, you have to think about what part of

(01:03:01):
your younger self are you most grateful? Would you say
that you never abandoned.

Speaker 2 (01:03:09):
Oh, I mean a thousand percent my love for fashion.
It was very, very very early on that I was,
you know, figuring out how to stand myself in a
certain way, and I was always like deeply connected to
self expression through clothes, and obviously that has never gone anywhere.
It continued to be my way of living, and I

(01:03:32):
feel very grateful every time I realized that this is
what I get to do as opposed to something that
I have to wait to do.

Speaker 1 (01:03:39):
You know exactly exactly? Wow. I love that gratitude is
a most like coffee says Yes, I would just like
to do my little thank you. I tell everybody try
not to cry, but it's very important to me to
thank my guests. So, Danya, you are a multi hyphen

(01:04:02):
it in the most meaningful sense. In my opinion, you're
a designer, philanthropist, cultural worker, community builder, and a storyteller.
But to me, what's most striking isn't the number of
things that you do. It's the integrity with which you
do them. And I think that based on what you've

(01:04:24):
shared with us today, in every role, your purpose remains
clear to uplift, to question, to hold space, especially for
Caribbean people navigating identity, creativity, and transformation. So to me,
you remind us that success doesn't require a sacrificing softness,

(01:04:47):
and that evolution doesn't mean disconnection from your roots. And
your presence in this conversation and really in this world
is a gift to all of us. I think that
your commitment meant to living your truth has made space
for so many of us to even consider what ours
might be. So thank you for sharing your voice, clarity,

(01:05:10):
and your vision with us. I think that it's not
just inspiring, but it is liberating. So yeah, thank you
for coming to talk thinks with me.

Speaker 2 (01:05:20):
Oh my god, good thing. You gave me the disclaimer
not to cry.

Speaker 1 (01:05:27):
I had to start doing that because you guys are
not going to come on here and mash me up.
Because me love crying.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
That exceptional Wow. I am going to keep that recording
for every time I have a bad moment or a
bad day and just gosh, don't make me cry. Wow.
Thank you, Ash. That was a gift, And so is
this conversation and your you know, to the point of

(01:05:53):
early on, just adapt with which you engage in this
conversation is truly truly wonderful. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (01:06:01):
Oh, of course you're so welcome. It was a pleasure
having you