A housekeeping note beforehand: kidogo.tv friends, please welcome my friends and family from my other site: www.kidogoproductions.com!! I can't keep up two blogs, lol!
How did October fly by so quickly? I would dare say that it acted like it was a flyover month, departing from September and landing in November….
Be that as it may, I have a few updates:
1. EForall was amazing and now it’s over. Just like that. My final pitch (@7:32) on 9/13/21 went well and it garnered a prize! I was elated to be included in the winner's circle. I was also voted to be the Class Speaker (32:17). I started off with a traditional speech and then I began to paint a picture of a day in the life of “the Justice Family” as they interact with all of the businesses in our cohort. I ended with an encouragement to remember, especially during hard times, that we’re working hard for Justice, that we are doing all that we do for Justice.
One of my classmates said she was moved to tears. That warmed my heart! I interviewed candidates for EForall’s Winter cohort a couple of weeks ago. So weird being on the other side of the process now!
2. Interaction Institute for Social Change's Facilitative Leadership training began in early October. When I signed up for the course, I knew it would be good because of the caliber of the person who recommended me for it and of people I know who work/used to work at IISC. It.was.awesome. Our discussions dug into layers of -isms, power, process, relationship, and results as they collided with leadership and decision making in the workplace.
3. I managed to fit in a marathon on October 11th. I know it sounds nuts, but hear me out. I signed up to walk the virtual Boston Marathon quite a while back. I thought I had enough time to prepare. I kept thinking that until it became patently obvious that I was running out of time. During the summer, I consciously chose to work on my business rather than train. I verbally expressed lots of doubt about getting to the starting line, never mind getting to the finish line. A couple of times though, as I sat in front of my computer, I would envision myself walking over the finish line.
The visualizations helped. A few days before the appointed day, I re-committed to doing it, come what may. I joined up with Black Girls Run in Dorchester at 5:45am on October 11th. I started off fine, I jogged and walked and chatted with friends. By mile 14, they had pulled far ahead and doubts became my company: This is hard. You’re not prepared. You may not finish. You’ve challenged yourself enough already, so stop.
Y'all, by mile 17, I was balling. My right hip and my feet were aching. I called my husband and I could hardly talk. He treaded lightly. What do you need? I told him that my bag was too heavy. He offered to meet me to lighten my load and that’s just what he did. By mile 20, I knew that I could finish if I didn’t stop even stop to tie my shoes. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until the end. My Black Girls Run sisters waited for me at the end! I balled again (for a good reason this time ;). Needless to say, I do not recommend walking or running a marathon without training. I am so glad I did not injure myself!
4. Babson’s Black Women Entrepreneurial Leadership program began in mid-October. That sisterhood I experienced on marathon day is akin to what I feel in this group. I almost feel a little starstruck. There are some heavy hitters in there! My mentor (the author of the book pictured below) works at Goldman Sachs, for one! They gifted me a mug, book, journal and a box that I will give to Amara because she loves to hide things in boxes. I'll keep you guys updated about this program.
5. I can admit something to you guys now. I have never been all that good at organizing my computer files. When I am in the zone of work, creating a good file name and moving it to the proper folder is not my forte. For the past several months, I battled storage. It got so bad that I would have to delete a document in order to save a document. I finally got fed up and hired a virtual assistant-- Spelman Sister of mine Ms. Donshay. Why did I ever wait?? What a miracle! I can't recommend her highly enough. My computer no longer fusses at me. If you hire her, I will get a small % off of my fees.
So much good news, right? I try to remember these highlights when I am tired and feel like quitting before I get to the finish line. I need to remember that I am building Kidogo for Justice. I need to remember my friends and sisters. I will continue to put one foot in front of the other until I get to my next milestone.
What’s new on kidogo.tv: “My Friend T” is a new series. You’ll find it on the circle time and story time pages. Amara loves how the host encourages the kids to use their imaginations. I also put a bunch of dance and music videos from West Africa on the wellness/movement page. Finally, Amara and I added videos of a young violinist, Leah Flynn on the music/arts page. Let me know what you think!
For the Kids, for the Culture,
Keeana