Episode 5: MoHawk Pt. 2!

You asked for it and here it is! Part two to my sit down with the amazing Mohawk!

Transcript

Junior Mintt: 0:00

Hello, and welcome back to the moment of truth podcast. I'm your host, Junior Mintt. And this is the show where I invite you to take a moment and reflect and be proud of how far that we have come as individuals and as a community, but also honest about where we still have to go in our growth as supporters and protectors of black trans power. through personal testimony and honest conversation with community leaders, we will recognize the power we all have lurking within ourselves to not only impact our own lives in a positive way, but also keep pushing black trans power forward. This week's episode is actually going to be part two to the last episode that I released where I interviewed the one and only Mohawk. So I got a lot of amazing feedback from a lot of people about how impactful the episode in the conversation with Mohawk was. And I really did have a lot of extra conversation that we had, because we really just kind of just talked and the episode just kind of came out so naturally, so we had like, over an hour of recording. And so yeah, there's so much more to learn so much more love so many more stories, to hear from them that I'm excited for you to hear. I am so happy that you all were so impacted by the episode, and you received it so well that you all reached out to me and told me that you wanted the part two. And so I am so happy to provide it because honestly, the conversation that me and Mohawk had was something that I'm so I'm so thankful that I got to have it because it also actually gave me a lot of wisdom that really only a conversation with a black trans person who's older than you can you really have because just simply seeing them exist and seeing them succeed. And seeing them thrive is something that gives me hope for my own existence. And for my own future. While at the same time, I always think about the fact that usually when I have these deep conversations or conversations that truly give me pieces of wisdom, I usually receive them at a time when I really really need them. And the conversation truly helped to ground me and gave me some beautiful pieces of advice and calming words as I went into going back home to DC for my grandmother's funeral. And if that's not community, I don't know what is community. So with that, let's jump into this episode. But before we can get to the interview, we know we got to do first we need to get this thing started with some positive affirmation. Okay. So as per usual, I'm going to save them and you just repeat after me. But as you repeat them, I need you to mean these words, okay, I need you to be speaking from the depths of your soul to yourself, because these words are powerful and have the ability to not only shift how your day is going, but as well completely turn it around. Okay, so repeat after me. I feel healthy and strong today. I have all I need to make today a great day. I have it within me to solve any challenges that occur today. I am able to make smart decisions for myself today. And I am happy and content with my life. I am patient and calm and looking forward to whatever today has for me. I am grateful for another day to make a positive contribution to my own life and future. And if you at any point need to repeat any of that, please do. That is our morning affirmation for this episode. And a friend of mine sent that to me, because this past week, I just finished going to my grandmother's funeral, which was a very difficult, but when I tell you morning affirmation to really help to get the day started in the right mindset and as well get me through it. So that is a blessing. And I hope that that morning information helps to get you through your day will get you through whatever the hell you're going through. Because as we all know, all the foolishness that goes on in life is not constricted to one day. It is constricted to a lifetime. And so that's why it's so important for us to be protectors of our own energy protectors of our own space and protectors of our own thoughts and words because the thoughts and the words that we have in that search In our minds and in our space, truly impact not only how we feel, but as well how our day is going. So make sure you're checking in with yourself, and stay in tune with how you are feeling. Okay? Now, as we all know, we also need to start this episode off with checking in with a rose and a thorn, okay? Because you do not need to just be staying in a hotel in order to check in, okay, you need to check in with yourself consistently be asking yourself how I'm doing, how is life affecting me, because you are always changing, you are always fluid, you are always in the progress of change. Okay. And I usually like to start with the positive first, you know, the rose. But this week, I've already said it a thorn this week is I had to go to my grandmother's funeral. And it was very difficult. There's really no amount of mental preparation that can prepare you for it. And I'm just honestly thankful that I've taken all the time that I've needed in order to actually really mentally process it all. Because I think that I wouldn't be able to honestly articulate how I'm feeling or really even delved as deep into how I'm feeling. If it wasn't for me taking the time to really process the raw motion. And I think that I'm going to be far better off because I gave myself that time in that space, I really do think that I'm going to be far better off because I gave myself all of the rest that I needed all of the food that I needed, all of the things that you need to just get through grieving and get through processing, I allowed myself to have it without feeling guilt, and without feeling shame for it. And it feels just really beautiful to be able to honestly get to experience that process and treat yourself the way that you would want to be treated and the way that you will want to know that other people are being treated while they're mourning. And so it was nice to be nice to myself. And I guess that's the rows of it. The rows of this is just, I think I've really learned how to take care of myself through a difficult time and to really protect my energy and protect my mental health through extenuating circumstances and traumatic circumstances. And just growing more and more and trying to find my footing in who I am, and find my footing in who is Jr. as a proud, proud black trans woman. What does that look like for me in terms of protecting my own energy and mental health when it comes to life, family, friends, all of these different avenues of really trying to give myself the space to discover myself and discover and uncover and process so many pieces of myself that I didn't know, were there that I didn't know I was suppressing things that I didn't know that I was shoving into a deep corner of my mind and not looking at all of these things are things that I am just so happy to be coming into and to be processing and to. Yeah, think that I'm growing into the person that I've always wanted to be. And even beyond that, the thing that makes me the most proud is to say that I can see what it feels like to know that I'm growing in a direction that I know I want to be growing it not feeling confused, not feeling pushed into this direction, not feeling as if there's something just yearning at me that's saying this isn't right. For the first time, I can really say like, yeah, I can definitely say I am, who I am born to be. And that is the greatest blessing that any person can truly ask for. And I really think that that's part of the thesis of what this podcast is, is that being true to who you are is the bravest thing that anybody can do. But beyond being true to who you are, you have to first discover who you are to be true to. And I think that I have definitely conquered that. But of course, the way that life goes, there is no real thing of like conquering any emotional thing because it's still just lurking there. And so you always are working on the same things forever. It's just that along with your evolution and in your growth, so do the same anxieties, the same fears. They all evolve and take new forms. But in my opinion, that's what life is. That's what the human condition is. It's just everyone is dealing with their own shit. And the most that we can hope for is to stop our shit from spilling over into other people's shit, or causing our shit to ruin someone else's day. And so it's really just about caring, empathy, compassion, and that compassion always starts itself. It always starts with self. If you are not being kind to yourself, if you're not taking care of yourself. You're not going to be kind or taking care of anybody. else you're not gonna care about how anyone else is doing. And so, yeah, just, I'm really happy with where I'm at, in my process and in my healing and with everything. And yeah, I'm just very, very, very thankful. And what I want to tell any person who is listening is just give yourself time, give yourself love, give yourself space, and give yourself the treatment that you would be giving to anyone else, if they came to you with a problem, if they said that they needed your help, because you deserve it. And it is not easy when everything in this world is causing more anxiety, more fear on top of all the things going on in your personal life, because trust me, I know what it is like to have to deal with so many different things going on in your personal life. And then you still have to try to walk out the door and deal with somebody catcalling, you being nervous about the police being nervous about somebody, honestly just murdering you because you're a black trans woman. And so trust me understand, I relate. And I connect to the fact that we cannot control the anxieties that are going on in the world. But at least we can try to take care of one another, and to help manage the anxieties in our personal life in the fears that we are carrying around every single day in our own personal lives. Because we are going to need a full revolution to change this government in this world. But we don't need a whole revolution in order to change our own lives. We can do that every single day, one step at a time, changing your life into something that you want to see change in your life into something that reflects what you want to see in your life. And that it all begins with you. It all begins with one moment of taking consideration for yourself and putting yourself first and that has been my rose and my thought for this week, I hope that you have gotten some positivity, some upliftment, because you have the power, you truly do you have the power, you have the power, it's just about recognizing it and acknowledging it because you cannot use your strength. You cannot use your power, you cannot use all of your beauty until you first acknowledge it. Okay? Because when I tell you, you can't go and book a modeling gig if you're not telling you about a you a model because you don't think you cute? Not a single person would have ever booked before drag gig if I was like, Oh yeah, I'm a fine drag queen. I'm alright. Like, yeah, I'm just like every other drag. No, in order to use that power of your beauty, your strength, you have to first acknowledge it. And so even if you lie into yourself stand up in that beer and be like this pitches sickening. This pitch is stunning. And I'm not joking me 60 pounds overweight, stretch marks, hating my body, me not seeing my body as fitting who I actually was. And all of these things, I literally would stand in the mirror and just repeat them to myself trying to make myself feel better. And when I first started doing it, I would always end up just like end up laughing because I just be staring in the mirror thing. I'm beautiful at all of these things. And in that moment, it may not have drastically shifted how I viewed my body. But even me being able to be comfortable laughing with my shirt off, make it by myself is still a step forward. It's a moment of me being comfortable with a piece of myself. Because even just looking in the mirror and hating myself and saying all these horrible things in my head, I just I'm not even living with my body. I'm literally living with an enemy. I'm not living with my body. And so even just being able to laugh and being able to be comfortable just being present with my body, not even having any thoughts about it positive or negative was an achievement for me. And so I'm just letting you know, progress is not going to look like what you expected. Progress will never come in a package that you expect it because progress is different for every single person. And you can't compare progress either because you are different than every single other person. So as you were walking around every day, putting in the work to try and to be a better person, that just because you cannot feel a change does not mean that there is not change being done. Just because there's not a punch in car for you to clock how you are working on yourself does not mean that you are not working on yourself. So always take pride in the work you are putting in on yourself. Always take pride in the fact that you are growing into the person that you want to be just because you aren't at that person yet does not mean that you are not putting in the work to get there. Okay, so no, I'm proud of you. You were fucking killing it. You should be so proud of yourself. And speaking of progress, talent and being the best version of yourself, I think it is time that we get into our interview part do that's French for two. Yes, I am somewhat bilingual did I take French for three years In high school, yes. Did any of it stick? Absolutely not. The only thing that I need to do before we jump into this interview is preface it by letting you all know that where we left off in this conversation is we were speaking about computer science. And the fact that Mohawk was completely surrounded by people who did not look like them represent where they came from, or represent any piece of their identity. And so we left off talking about JavaScript, and how to build websites and what you do with a degree in computer science and what that looks like as you're working in the field. And so we're going to jump in right as I'm trying to figure out what JavaScript is get ready for the amazing in the incomparable Mohawk. From the games, I would play online, it'd be JavaScript failure. I always wonder. I was like, I don't know what a JavaScript is, or who wrote this. Thank you. I remember cuz cartoon network.com use JavaScript exclusively.

MoHawk: 16:00

Oh, yeah. That's how that's how I got into it. Because I was like, Oh, I love Macromedia Flash. Now. It's No, it wasn't. I mean, it then I went to Adobe. And that is no flash, like, Flash is dead. Imagine me building my whole career around flash. And then like, I graduate, and we're in a recession and flashes obsolete. I was like, Damn, y'all sent me. Like, I gotta start from scratch. I was like, luckily, I know how to do other programming languages. But I was like, I was like, I want to do flash, I want to do like animations and video and all this stuff that because it like flashes all over the internet. And like 2000. And then like, the iPhone came out and ruined it because it wasn't compatible with mobile, but it wasn't very compatible on mobile, so they just killed it.

Junior Mintt: 16:50

Okay, so like, what do you do with computers, like, I know what you can do with it. But like, when you're like, Okay, I'm about to go out and make money with this skill.

MoHawk: 17:03

You know, I started with mostly like, website stuff, I still do websites. But then like software started becoming like the big thing like around 2013 2012 like to do software before then you you had to know something like C sharp, c++, Java. And it was like really lower level programming languages, which are really kind of hard to be honest. But then stuff like Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and node came around, and node is based off of JavaScript. And they were kind of like, hey, people already know JavaScript, we can just like make JavaScript more usable across different types of like, you know, for building different types of platforms, because for a long time, like you said, the Cartoon Network, say was all JavaScript, JavaScript needs to just be a web browser script. Now you can build whole mobile apps or desktop apps and stuff with it. Spotify is I'm pretty sure Spotify is built with JavaScript. Basically, I basically did like $2,000 worth of work for free to try to prove? Well, yeah, like, they have to think about all the time that I spent, like working, you know, working on someone's

Junior Mintt: 18:13

project, I would send the invoice.

MoHawk: 18:17

Right? Like, some of some of them literally have you come in and work on tickets that are in their backlog of the app that they're building, and you go and work on stuff for them for free to see if you're fit enough to work for them for pay. So like, you could do all that you could have built everybody in their grandmas projects, and they still might be like, now we felt you weren't the best fit, or they're stronger candidates. You always get those vague, you know, excuses. I'm just like, I've been doing this shit for years and years and years now. I don't have to prove to nobody. No, I'm tired of that.

Junior Mintt: 18:58

So after you finished in college, did you go to straight to New York and start doing

MoHawk: 19:04

like programming that was that that basically like the beginning of my senior year of college. I knew that I was moving to New York, like I like I had seen graduates before me go out to New York and get jobs and we're doing well. We had this program. Well, it was the title of the program was like a school club or whatever. But we had put up like a lot of people who were in my field of study, which was technically called interactive multimedia in the in the School of Visual Communications. So a lot of people in the School of Visual Communications. We had created this little like, club like, you know, extracurricular or whatever they can recall back then. But we had put together a club, a school club, where everybody who was in that, like in that college and that with that field of study, basically, we would have like speakers come in and talk about, you know, career stuff, you know, like, what it's like to be working in those fields or like, you know, one of our big things and they did it for us. They did it for several years after it was like, the thing was to go to New York every year and see what alumni were doing in the field. And so the first year we did that was like, we like, it was like, my graduating class was a classical nine, who like put together that group, our senior year. And that was the first thing we did it, like, all the years after it, they continued to do that. So I got to be the person on the other end of it eventually, like a few times where students come like, you know, see what I'm doing with my skill after having graduated. And so I knew I was moving to New York once I was like, everybody has a job here. Like, why would I stay in Ohio? Like, I'm not gonna, like, everybody's getting worked out here. So I already knew I was moving to New York. By the beginning of my senior year, I started like, talking to people I knew out here like I didn't really know anyone out here I had like friends on like, live journal Who? And my space there in New York. Let me hit them up and see what's up. You know, so I know we did the like, date myself, like as so much in this conversation because my first roommate was a friend and I randomly met on live journal. She's still one of my best friends to this day to like, I made a work listen like technology. And you know how we met like, it was so so Goofy, because it was like, No, there was like no real standard for like meeting having an online friend back then. I look it was if you remember, live journal for anyone pet news live journal, there used to be like these little these like public forum topics where you could just go like, leave your own little comments in it. Like anyone who had a live journal for don't leave a comment. Like, it could be like, you know, what did you What did you eat for breakfast today could be like, the public topic, and everyone can just go say whatever they want to say. But yeah, it was on it was on live journal. I was just scrolling through everybody's answers. And she had she had this avatar, you know, lay, or whatever called avatars, and that like profile pictures, because they weren't pictures of us. Now, but yeah, now we talk shit about people who don't put real profile pictures. They'd be like, Oh, you got an enemy profile picture you are, you know, you're a fucking loser. Like, that was everybody's. My friend had a DDR, a Dance Dance Revolution, avatar. And I was like, I love DDR. And that's how we bonded in like, when we live together in New York, we had all the little consoles, we were playing DDR stuff, too. So like, turns out we actually like happens. Like she's, you know, she's also a queer black person, it just so happened to like, it became that way it didn't matter back then. All I knew is that she liked DDR, because it was in her avatar. And that's how we bonded and then like over the years of like, it transferred like ended up like going over to like him and my space. And then my space, went to Facebook. And then like by that point, I was on Facebook, I'd been on Facebook since it was like, almost brand new, like oh five and like I had all these connections that had there was like this option on Facebook back in the day and maybe still I don't know, but back in the day, it could be like do you want to import your email contact list into your Facebook? You know, like yeah, so find people that you already have connections with and I was like, Sure, so my Hotmail account is

Junior Mintt: 23:50

like story I've ever we've got the live journal. We have gotten chat rooms involved we've got Dance Dance Revolution, because

MoHawk: 24:00

the DDR master when I was like 17 now I'm just like huffing and puffing and like my bones ache and shit

Junior Mintt: 24:09

photo of you that you show me of you at a rave gives me nothing but the impression that that would be you that you would lay Dance Dance Revolution because I feel like

MoHawk: 24:20

I still have a pad back there. I have a metal revolution pad behind my desk over there. I couldn't I can't do it like I used to. I don't

Junior Mintt: 24:30

have the eye feet coordination. amount of information I just learned right now because I'm imagining you It's like the mid to late 2000s good on live journal seeing somebody

MoHawk: 24:46

Oh, my live journal Yeah. To figure out with my little shitty what was it Compaq webcam. Remember when Compaq was a computer brand? with like, two megabytes pixels

Junior Mintt: 25:02

here right now with a VCR. I'm like, how is that gonna pay? You

MoHawk: 25:06

know VCR? Cuz like, I mean, I had a VCR but I still have a beta. We have a beta cassette player. It's, there's no reason for that. Yeah, we have we have that in my household. My parents don't get rid of shit. works but obviously not

Junior Mintt: 25:27

so many collectibles. Like if you go to that house, you could have eBay somebody on eBay.

MoHawk: 25:33

Oh, I got I've got Oh, that's sure that's totally Could someone I have like I have like classic Tim's like, I have like so much old old shit that I'm barely you know, barely wore or she's in good condition because like, we typically took care of some stuff. You know, but anyway, any of it today? I thought about it. I thought about it, but they're like they're like these like really bright colors. I don't know. Maybe I could I could possibly I could see myself possibly wearing them because I love some Tim's back then. Like, I look so sloppy but my Tim's are on point.

Junior Mintt: 26:14

All you need is a great mouse and a good shoe and you can't go wrong. Everything else is just icing.

MoHawk: 26:19

There's this iconic photo of me that is me in Biloxi, Mississippi, standing on top of this water fountain with the most ridiculous outfit but like my like sky blue tip. I can reference my sky blue Tim's or had like these other like, like turquoisey like color, but like what I thought I was a shithead with these high water fucking pants, and this like red shirt. But I had those goggles. And I'm standing in front of this like big water fountain in front of a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. I thought it looked. I thought it looked like shit. I've looked for it. Like I've looked for it. I know I have it somewhere. But it's it's buried in some archives. You have some notebook.

Junior Mintt: 27:05

You describe it to you? Well, and now like you say that you're outside of a casino in Biloxi. Like, tell me that doesn't sound like the beginning of a movie.

MoHawk: 27:15

I was probably I was probably eating all that you can eat like at the you know, the shrimp and the lobster buffet. Like

Junior Mintt: 27:23

literally just talking to my mom about a memory at an old country buffet. How I was just so happy as an eight year old kid eating the eating of shrimp at Atlantic City, eating all the seafood like hmm,

MoHawk: 27:36

that was a highlight for everything for me was finding the seafood buffet. It still is a highlight. I love I love that stuff. I mean, like I don't I don't eat much meat these days. But I was still you know, when in Rome. I go in and I can't Yeah. No one else is paying for a fucking seafood buffet. I'm eating that seafood buffet.

Junior Mintt: 27:59

All you got to say is crab legs and I'm there you tell

MoHawk: 28:02

ya crab legs.

Junior Mintt: 28:04

I love the muscle and my favorite extra special tree but like, if I can find it, I will go wild is crawfish,

MoHawk: 28:14

crawfish, crawfish and

Junior Mintt: 28:16

clam. I saw it in that Scooby Doo movie growing up when they went to they were in New Orleans and that's where they met the hex girls. And I will never forget them eating all the crawfish out that barrel and I was like they look so good that I had

MoHawk: 28:30

wanted I was like, it really is good. Especially if we go to the right place and the crawfish is they got the right spices on it. I remember the first time I was like Houston, Texas and went to some crawfish place and they had it in the barrel and it had it all spicy like Cajun. And I just remember just like just going in on all of that stuff. That was I was like either 14 or something or 15 but that was my favorite.

Junior Mintt: 28:58

I so want to just go on like a road trip throughout the south eating just eating. Yeah, okay. Oh, honestly, this sounds like a post COVID type of trip and I would be writing down. People who are down for some good.

MoHawk: 29:16

Oh, yeah, we can find it.

Junior Mintt: 29:19

So I will just be an amazing shotgun passenger.

MoHawk: 29:23

And this is food motivating me so it's no problem.

Junior Mintt: 29:28

I am the best passenger I'm the best passenger to ever have because I got the map. I got the directions. I got the music, and I got water.

MoHawk: 29:37

See as long as the passenger seat. You already have the water on board right there. Yeah, as long as someone's got I don't have to fidget with stuff. You know, someone's got the directions and someone's got the music. I'm having a mess on my phone and doing nothing like that. Then Yeah, and it's all good. Like you also have some good conversation like make it seem like time passes. Click

Junior Mintt: 29:59

roadtrip My favorite thing Yeah, like I would my dream trip, it's like going cross country, like, just go cross country see the country change in front of your eyes, go see the mountains go see the path, the pastoral purple plains of the Midwest, you know, those places that they talk about in that America song, whatever.

Unknown: 30:23

A bunch of them.

Junior Mintt: 30:25

They talk about it, but it's really just like, they just want to frack it. They just want to frack it.

MoHawk: 30:31

backs. Yeah, I wouldn't do a cross country drive by myself. But I would, I would totally do it with, you know, some good friends a good a good vehicle, like, we got to have a little, at least a camper. If not like a bus or RV. Like it's gotta be, it's gotta be something cozy, because if we're all crammed up, and you know, you try to like sleep in the backseat. And now we can't do that. I'm also getting way too old for that. I used to do that. When I was younger, like, just drive until I kind of need more sleep, take a nap. Eat some peanut butter and jelly said

Junior Mintt: 31:06

that I literally was just like, Wait, are they 40

Unknown: 31:12

getting close.

Junior Mintt: 31:15

Getting close. I just hit the point in my life where I realized I'm, I'm definitely I'm past my 20s bad like, you know what? I'm gonna be 26 I'm definitely like, Okay, can we get to financial stability?

MoHawk: 31:31

Can we go? Well, let me tell you that. Look, when you're black and you're trans like listen, every every year, it's just gonna be a new adventure. You have no idea what is in store. Like I thought I'm sitting here. Like, when I hit 25 I was like, yeah, I'm bawling. Like we're good. Like 30 is gonna be lit. I hit 30. I'm like, Oh shit. I'm having a midlife crisis. I didn't think that I was due for one of these but another 10 years What's going on? I didn't know that this is supposed to happen at this age. Like I had high blood pressure. I'm like, what's going on? I thought I had a little bit more time before my body started falling apart. like

Junior Mintt: 32:20

not even an exaggeration. I have this cord seat, I've started to have to put a cap on when I have to stop eating at night because I get indigestion in the middle of the night. And I'm like, bitch, like about

MoHawk: 32:38

this meme that I had posted on Instagram like probably a few weeks ago where you know that meme where it's like the the big buff, like the big buff, Shiba, Inu, you know, doing something and then like the next panel is like the wimpy crying Shiva, where there's like the big buff Shiva and it was like me and my 20s just like taking handfuls of ecstasy and going into work the next morning, you know, and then me now in my 30s is me eating spaghetti.

Unknown: 33:09

Spaghetti and getting into

MoHawk: 33:19

whatever like drugs, give it time, next day, we perform it, right. I used to be in class hung over whatever two hours I didn't even all I did was go brush my teeth and show up. Like now it's like, I need eight hours of sleep or else I'm gonna be screwed up for the next two days. I can't eat that is gonna tear up my stomach.

Junior Mintt: 33:44

I'm gonna take a second shot. I'm fine. The first one I can't do. I'm having to stop doing shots because the live after the shot is too much. I need this line, but I can't do the lot. I'm really at the point now where I'm just like, give me some Tom's for Christmas present.

MoHawk: 34:06

The picture just had like a whole like a whole like pile of Tom's next to spaghetti.

Junior Mintt: 34:15

Every single time I'm just like, this is I'm in for it. I know I'm in for it. And I'm doing it to myself. It's like it's hard. It's getting old. It's difficult.

MoHawk: 34:25

It's difficult, but you know, like, just become more adaptable. Hopefully, you know, we're resilient people. We can handle it. I just saw you know, I just feel a little bamboozled because they really made it seem like if you do good in school, you go to college. You're gonna be set like no, I'm sitting here like, I'm like, okay, y'all must have had a different like she was obviously different. back then. My dad my dad was a first generation college graduate. Like first generation college student period like nobody else in his family went to college. His his great mother's mother dropped out of school to age 13. And his grandfather had like had a third grade reading level like this when he dropped out of school. So like, my dad was the only person who went to college and everybody else wants to the military, or didn't do any other like thing after like, high school. So my dad could he paid his way through college and like three years of law school at Howard University. I'm like, how do you do that? What he was working at an airport at the end the baggage claim, I'm like, really on those wages do you pay through school, like you had a regular ass job and you pay to school like, I can't even while still eat him while still. I had I worked. Yeah, 35 I worked 35 hours minimum a week at multiple different jobs. And I could barely pay for just my room and board or like, whatever my like rent was. And it was like $600 a month in Ohio, which pay like, like, so like, if this was New York or anywhere else, I would be sleeping in Grand Central and then going to class and

Junior Mintt: 36:16

I've worked, I worked five jobs at one time while in college. And that was like for three and a half years. And that didn't include all the extra like studies, I studied scenic design. So it did include the shows I was designing the sets, I was building all these different things that I had to do just for the class. And all of that was literally just to have enough to like live like, one of the jobs I worked was a 24 seven job of being an RA. So I didn't have to pay for the roof or anything. But like in order to buy a new jacket in order to like if you wanted to go out and get it get yourself a meal. Like it was so expensive to live. Oh, yeah,

MoHawk: 36:53

I signed up my first credit card, so I could eat some quiznos. Like, I was like, ooh, free meal. If I just signed up for this credit card. I'm like, Oh, my God, I need some food. I'm hungry, and I have no money right now. And in that letter showed up to my parents house, my dad called me I was like, I gotta like, I got a septons thing for a credit card. I was like, Oh, you can disregard that. I was just trying to get some free food. And then that's what I was like, okay, we're actually going to, we're actually going to open up this credit card and use it because we gotta we gotta pay our tuition this month, like, I can't afford it anymore. And I Oh, Lord, here we go fuck up my credit.

Junior Mintt: 37:36

Literally, I'm like, nothing ruined my credit, like trying to have a better opportunity in life.

MoHawk: 37:42

All right. I thought that was why my parents are trying to help me pay through school. So I didn't have to, like, you know, be like operating at a deficit. The minute I get into the real world, like I thought I was supposed to be like that they were I thought they have planned this in advance. Like I thought they had a whole account for me.

Junior Mintt: 38:02

God's plan baby going up God. It was God's plan.

MoHawk: 38:06

I think what happened, what happened and what happened was the recession in 2001. Unfortunately, my parents didn't like to act like they didn't have no money. So it looked like we still had the same lifestyle, but actually had blown through all my college savings into college. College and just like you're on your own now.

Junior Mintt: 38:27

kids that are still going into college now are all experiencing the same thing. And like, even to the fact that I've paid down like putting any money into it. It's like that's a crapshoot. But somebody right. I saw this tweet that says somebody took out $30,000 in loans for college, paid back$20,000 and because of like, interest, and everything still owes, like $25,000 and you're like,

Unknown: 38:52

Yeah,

Junior Mintt: 38:53

what do you what do I even get in return for even this my credit score, just staying the same? Like,

MoHawk: 38:59

right, you might as well just hasn't been a whole other conversation. But like, I had to figure out all that credit stuff on my own. I realized I was fucking that shit up the whole time. Like I knew I wasn't supposed to like, I knew I wasn't supposed to like hit the maximum balance on the credit card. But there's so many weird like, you know, fine print, like hidden, like consequences or I was like, well paid off. But I finally got an adult job was working in the industry and did all the sudden finally paid off that credit card to open for some quiznos. I was like, I felt like I was an adult. I was like, bam, paid off, close a credit card. And then one day I had to like reopen my credit to like, because I was moving for the first time in several years. And my credit score was Oh shit, and I'm like, what's going on? I had no debt. They don't want you to have no debt. You have to have debt to build credit. And oh my god dammit. How could have kept it open. I wasn't supposed to close it. I'm not supposed to close you pay it off. And even if you pay it off, you could put like a $1 and pay that off every month like just keep doing that and actually will increase your credit score. You want the credit to stay open longer you don't close it just because you paid it off.

Unknown: 40:10

That is a financial tip.

MoHawk: 40:12

It is not the financial tips I'm broke as hell but I have a good credit score word like I look good on paper like some of the shit like people trust me enough to pay them back eventually. That's like it That's

Unknown: 40:31

exactly it.

Junior Mintt: 40:32

I always like to think that your credit score is literally just telling creditors and everything like how much can I trust this person to really believe in capitalism to give me my money? like yeah, how much do you believe in yourself paid off

MoHawk: 40:45

and just got it got it financed but I had a good have a good credit score so I don't worry about that this will be paid off sometime next year. That needed it now my shit was breaking.

Junior Mintt: 40:56

I'm trying to get to a point so I could just be like, okay, I could actually just go get go get this thing that I want and take care of like it sucks to have to play the game but like I still live in the system, you know? Yeah, you still live in the system. So I'm like we got to make the best out of it.

MoHawk: 41:11

That'd be the next the next talk the next talk but Junior Mintt

Junior Mintt: 41:15

we are in fact venturing towards the end of the episode but before we go Mohawk I have one more question what is your social media?

MoHawk: 41:23

my social media my Instagram currently that's that's really all I've been focusing on. So my Instagram is the as the Article V th e rebel, like in all the rebels from like Star Wars or whatever are Eb educationists. So that's like education, but with a twist at the end of it. I, I used to, I used to have it as educator, but then I google that education is technically better. Like education is a someone who's basically like, you're not just teaching, you're teaching how you teach. And you're always learning, you're a person who's like more invested in, you know, the whole, the whole, like, branch of education? Or is this the whole I don't even consider just like a solid career thing. But

Junior Mintt: 42:18

you know, because you're in the career of learning and adapting, right, and, and applying the learning that you're doing.

MoHawk: 42:24

It's like a lifestyle, you know, a lifestyle aspect.

Junior Mintt: 42:28

Thank you so much Mohawk. Literally, I'm so honored to have gotten to speak to you. And that is our episode, I would like to thank you all so freaking much for listening. I am so honored to have your ears. I'm so honored to have your downloads, and I'm so honored to have your comments and your shares. Because this whole thing is a labor of love. And I'm just so thankful that if I can touch one person, if there's one person out there who feels like there is a person who they can connect to who can be some form of a embodiment of perseverance, that continuing despite the fact that life doesn't always give you a reason to continue. And so if I can be that person for even just one person listening, I've done my job, and I can sleep happy at night because, yeah, I'm just so thankful to have you all because this is providing so much positivity and good and positive change in my life just doing this podcast. And I feel like I say it every week. But you know, it's not bad to be reminded of your importance to a person. And so I'll keep on reminding you how amazing you are, and how necessary you are. So thank you. Thank you so much. And yeah, you make my life a lot brighter. And I'll be talking to you next week. Have a very special episode for you all next week. And I'm going to leave it as a surprise, you'll just have to wait to see liberal Robo because you're going to experience probably one of the deepest conversations I've ever had with a person and so you get freakin excited. I'm so excited to share it all with you. But you do have to wait. So in the meantime, like share, subscribe, tell people about it, put it on a billboard if you got the money for it, you know, share this thing. I'm just want to brighten people's day and make someone's day a little bit lighter. So have a beautiful rest of your day. We will be talking again soon. And thank you just thank you so have a beautiful rest of your day. Bye