LLSS: A conversation with Kendall Glaspie, A Leader Full of Quiet Consistency!

Welcome back to Long Life Short Stories, Today we honor Black History Month with a focused talk on purpose, community leadership, faith, and the power of quiet consistency. Kendall Glaspie shares how service in Harlem, creative work, and discipleship shape a life built on attention, discipline, and hope.

LLSS Points:
• framing Black History Month through service and gratitude
• Kendall’s path in Harlem public leadership and creative work
• why opposition fuels purpose rather than victimhood
• faith practice, discipleship, and building inner stability
• quiet consistency as a leadership advantage
• protecting the economy of attention to shape outcomes
• where to connect with Kendall on social

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Transcript

Welcome And Black History Month Frame

SPEAKER_00 0:07

All right, everybody, welcome back to Long Life Short Stories, my interview series, What's Your Story? I'm Darcell Diller Sweet, your host, and well, it's Black History Month again. And I wanted to honor this annual milestone with stories about people who are phenomenal humans doing great things and great work. So, therefore, with me today is Kendall Classy. Kendall, in his current community role, is the district manager of Manhattan Community Board 10, overseeing district operations, agency coordination, and community engagement in Harlem. He also brings over two decades of experience in public sector leadership. Wow. Kendall is a badass. I'm so glad you're here with me, Kendall. He's also an actor, the author of Loved Unloved, a Black Man's Puzzle, a member of the Harlem Writers Guild, which are all reflections of his deep commitment to leadership, community service, and creative expression. And again, I'm excited that you're here with me today, Kendall. So let's get started.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Wow, I need you in my life. What an intro. Thank you for that introduction. I appreciate that.

What Drives Daily Motivation

SPEAKER_00 1:40

I'm glad you appreciate it because I appreciate you, my brother. So, Kendall, let's talk. What gets you out of bed each day and motivated to do the awesome Kindle things you do?

SPEAKER_01 1:52

That's a great question. And in this season, um, I recognize that life itself is a is a gift, right? It's a privilege just to wake up, um, especially from where I where I come from, right? I am not a sadistic, and you know, all of the markers suggest that I shouldn't be here, right? But but more than that is really understanding um the fragility of life and the awareness of all of those that have paved the way for me, right? Um, it is, in my opinion, a responsibility to wake up, not just thinking about myself, but thinking about others, um the needs, right? How wide the gap is in this community and other communities that are similar to Harlem. But those are the things that get me out of the bed ready to go every single day.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

I love that. And what fuels that life passion? Because I know you have a zest for life. You're not the one who just sits back and let it happen to you. You make things happen. What's that passion filled with?

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Yeah, so what motivates what motivates me is the is the gap that we are standing in is a unique moment. There's so much opposition. I don't get it, but there's so much opposition for people that look like me, that think like me, that come from similar places that I come from. There's so much opposition, and it it seems unrelenting in some ways, right? And you know, you can look at it as a uh from a victim mentality, or you could look at it as there's work to be done, right? And I'm I'm just one individual, and I think um the passion, the motivation is is recognizing that if I don't do my part, we don't stand a chance, right? There's already such so much ground that we need to make up for, right? There's so much opportunity and things that need to be addressed. Um, so that that really lights a fire, understanding that there's so much work to be done. And you know, I'm I don't mind being the underdog, right? That that motivates me to know that someone is intentionally trying to uh be a detractor from me getting to where I want to go. That that just lights a fire, especially since I know I haven't done anything to deserve that position. Um, so I don't know if that's getting a little off, but to me, that's something internally that is always burning and that pushes me forward.

Faith, Discipleship, And Resilience

SPEAKER_00 4:54

No, that's right on point, my brother. And I know also that you, because I know a little bit more about you, is also one that comes from your faith. Tell me about that.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Yeah, um, so I am a Christian. I've been uh I'm a member of Bethel Gospel Assembly. It's a uh church in Harlem. Um my bishop is Carlton T. Brown. And yes, faith is a big part of um my life, right? Um I am actually a minister in training. Uh, I just completed a course which is really, really phenomenal. It's called Master Life. Um basically is a discipleship program. Um so faith um in terms of how I show up and how it motivates me, I think there's so much to learn from the life of Jesus Christ. And I'm consistently refining who I am to reflect the character of Christ. Um those virtues um I am daily reminding myself and pouring into myself to uh be a reflection of Christ and to um have the confidence, the confidence and uh the evidence of how he has shown up for me in the past, right? I I almost feel like I've lived nine lives, honestly. And I can say with complete honesty and confidence that um when I did not see a way, when I did not see a path, 99.9% of the times, um faith has really been the vehicle to light the path that um was most fruitful.

Quiet Consistency And Attention Economy

SPEAKER_00 6:48

I love that because we have to believe in something. And why not believe in God? And why not be one of those folks who actually benefits from his grace every day? So I really feel you, my brother. I really do. Lastly, what wisdom or pearls or moments that you think would be helpful to somebody else listening out there, what gift do you want to leave them today from catching?

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Yeah, there's there's a lot of noise, and really what gets the attention is the the loudest person in the room or the the biggest mess up, right? The biggest, latest mess up. And it's there's two things that that come to mind. One is we never hear about the plans that land safely. And uh by far, air travel is is the most um uh frequently used uh mode of transportation, right? And to me in translation, what that means is let your quiet consistency be your flex. Let your quiet consistency be your flex. And the other thing that kind of complements that is pay more attention to I guess the how do I say it, value the economy of your attention. There's so many things competing for your attention, and most of us are in danger of basically being fed garbage garbage. And I think most of us um have a desire to be a better version of ourselves tomorrow than today, right? So if that is the case, you you you need to do the necessary things to feed yourself and build yourself up so that that is true. Um, so value the economy of your attention. Garbage N equals garbage out.

How To Connect And Closing

SPEAKER_00 9:01

That is a great piece of wisdom to meet everybody, my brother. I'm I'm just so happy that we were able to vibe with this today. Um, and thank you for sharing these wisdom and moments and gifts and pearls and reflections with us. I really appreciate you. How can people find you? Where can they connect with you on your social?

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Uh yes, on my Instagram, unstuck with coach gay.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

I like that. Unstuck, and we need to be unstuck. So y'all hear that, right? If you want to get unstuck, you need to hook up with this brother, Kendall Glassby. So y'all go there, okay? All right, all right, everybody. That's a little bit about the amazing community activists and my friend and the life advocate that I call my friend, Kendall Glassby. So make sure you connect with him on social. Thank you all for listening and tune in again for the next episode of What's Your Story? And please visit my website for more wisdom and inspiration and subscribe to this podcast. Tell him, Kendall, subscribe.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Subscribe.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

All right, my brother. I'm Darcy Dilla Sweet signing off. Thank you all.