A Queer Understanding
Weekly conversations about all things queer. A space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to share our stories, struggles, and triumphs, and talk about how we're breaking glass ceilings and making an impact on society.
A Queer Understanding
Heather Gibbons Empowering Through Activism and Community Engagement
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Heather Gibbons shares her transformative journey from the corporate world to founding INMO Creative, a marketing agency driven by a passion for social impact. Influenced by Simon Sinek's "Find Your Why," she unpacks how experiences across various industries have fueled her commitment to making a positive impact. Her story underscores the power of meaningful work inspired by personal loss and health challenges, setting a compelling example for those seeking purpose-driven careers.
Heather shares candid reflections on navigating sexual orientation in the workplace, the challenges of queer parenthood and the significance of informed voting to protect these rights, the importance of allies, and the pivotal moments, like the George Floyd protests, that shaped her advocacy journey. Her experiences remind us of the potential we have to stand up and make a difference, one small gesture at a time.
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Heather Gibbons
Speaker 1Heather Gibbons is a dynamic and accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience spanning hospitality management, information technology and marketing. Known for her people-first approach, her journey has been marked by a commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. As the founder of Intentional Momentum Benefit Corp, Heather is passionate about doing work that makes an impact. Inmo Creative is the marketing agency that operates under Intentional Momentum. Inmo Creative serves businesses and organizations dedicated to making positive societal change. Heather's IT background, extensive experience creating marketing materials for large technology companies and community building mindset uniquely positioned her to merge technology and creativity to deliver impactful campaigns and drive positive change. Here's our conversation. Hi, Heather, Thank you so much for being on the show how are you?
Speaker 2I'm good, I'm good. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1So tell us, you're involved in a lot of different things, work-wise and community-wise. Let's dive in a little bit and tell us a little bit about your work campaigns, design.
Speaker 2So it's really our approach in terms of the work we do, is not? We don't really focus as much on the deliverable, but more on the person or company coming to us and saying, hey, I have this need. And then we kind of sit with whoever the business or the founder is and determine what is their. They have the need, what's their primary objective, and then we create a plan from that point and the deliverables are created based on what we recommend after doing the research on our end to determine what would get the best results for them.
Speaker 1Okay, and what's the name of the company?
Speaker 2Inmo Creative, so Intentional Momentum Benefit Corporation is the full name of the company, but we operate in the world as Inmo Creatives and Intentional Momentum and the Benefit Corporation part of it were all very intentional because my last great I worked for a great little company, worked with large tech companies primarily, but I wanted to do work that I felt like was making an impact specifically in my community, and that was how the name of the company was born and and that's what I've been doing and now, as I'm in it, I've only even just really kind of honed in even more to say to to know, based on my experience, that what I really love doing is working specifically. I love economic development, workforce development, non-profit and working with underrepresented founders.
Speaker 3That's awesome. So, adam, you spoke about leaving corporate to do something that you love. What was it like working in corporate that inspired you to say you know what? Let me go and give back to the community.
Speaker 2Well. So what's funny is I was working with large corporate companies, but I worked for a small creative marketing agency. So we were a small, atlanta-based creative marketing agency. I think there were 16 of us when I left in 2022. When I started, it was myself the owner and there were four of us basically, and when I left, there were 16. We grew tremendously during the time that I was there and we were working with clients PayPal was our biggest client and then 2020, we started working or 2019, really we worked with Facebook and we were working with local companies like Cabbage and Rhodey and a lot of really cool tech companies.
Speaker 2And then we also worked with another agency to do work. That was with large tech companies specifically doing IPO work, which is initial public offering, so companies going public and what we did was roadshow decks. So'm like powerpoint, but very important powerpoint decks. That are the decks that that go, go out there and and make it happen in terms of companies going public. So that was a lot of fun and we had a had the ability to do some work. That, I think, was great for my brain, because I'm a very I have that left brain and that right brain. I did IT for five years and I have the analytical side but I also have the creative side, so it really it really, you know, kept my brain going and it was fun and exciting In 2019, this is like the personal, the personal real story of of kind of what inspired the move is my dad had already been living with us because he had cancer and we knew his time was limited.
Speaker 2We didn't know like how long, but we knew it was limited. So he wound up living with us for like a year and a half and he wound up passing in November of 2019. And during that, and kind of right during the time that he was not, he was declining. I went in for a mammogram and had like abnormal results and then I wound up getting my official diagnosis the day after he died.
Speaker 1So next day.
Speaker 2Yeah, it was. It was a hard moment. So that's still November 2019. Then in January of 2020, I had a double mastectomy and then in February I had to have another surgery to clear the margins and then in March we all know what happened, yeah. So it was kind of like bam bam bam.
Speaker 2And my agency that I was working for were a little creative marketing agency that works with big tech clients, but we, like everyone else, were like what the heck Are people going to cut budgets? Which of course, they started to, but then quickly the IPOs and that kind of stuff slowed down. But the work with PayPal and then Facebook, they were all gearing up because they were focused on helping their businesses, their SMBs and all of their businesses go into the digital space. So I wound up hiring a ton of people during COVID. It wound up being very busy and so I went from like that series of personal stuff back into like super busy. And then I think, like we all I say this, I guess I speak for myself, but I've heard from a lot of other people say, like during COVID, there was a lot of time at home to think and like be reflective and say this well, this is working or this isn't working. And I was there and I basically was like what do I want to model for my son? You know what I mean. Do I want to make a lot of money but not really be super happy, or do I want to take a leap of faith and jump? And that's what I did.
Speaker 2Honestly, when I left, I didn't even plan on starting an agency. I just I left knowing that I was going to go do work that was meaningful work, that was making an impact in my community, and whether I worked for another company or started my own thing, I wasn't sure. I really wasn't sure. But I wound up starting an agency and I'm really glad I did.
Advocacy and Making a Difference
Speaker 2And I, in at Inmo, I've had the ability to work with clients in economic development, workforce development, nonprofits for profits that are just doing really great work. And then I work with a lot of really cool like local, underrepresented founders that I love working with and that might be, that could be BIPOC, that could be queer, that could be. There are many, I think, things that fall into that category, but for me it's just working with people who are passionate about doing work. That is that's also making an impact. So I gravitate toward companies that are doing the same kind of work that I'm doing, even though their business model might be totally, they might have a product, but they're doing something super similar in terms of mindset and the way that we operate.
Speaker 3Right. First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, right. First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, thank you, and I'm happy that you recovered and were able to do something that you love not only just doing something that you love, but doing something that's also making a difference in society, because that's what people are going to remember you from right the work that you do to help to mold the future of the community. So that's very commendable.
Speaker 2Well, thank you. Yeah, when I was like in my in-between I don't know time, I revisited or I bought a book. I read Simon Sinek's Start With why book years ago. Start With why is like company focus, but he has a book called Find your why which is more of like the individual focus, like what's my why, and really, because I've worked in hospitality, I've worked in the restaurant business, I've worked in IT and I've worked in marketing, the thread throughout all those things for me has been making a difference in people's lives.
Speaker 2Making a difference in people's lives. So like I think about life and I think about this from all areas of life business, personal is like if we make little impact and it could be as simple as smiling at someone walking down the street and them being like oh, that person smiled at me or hey, you're, those are beautiful earrings you have on. I'm not saying like I give compliments just to give compliments, but when I see someone that has pretty earrings, I generally am going to tell the person hey, those are beautiful earrings, and those kinds of little things can really make someone's day and I believe that the cumulative impact of all of us putting little bits of positivity out there, it adds up, and I think that's how we at least I've convinced myself. That's how I make a difference, that's how I try to.
Speaker 3You are absolutely correct. You never know what a person might be going through right and that one kind of thing you say to them may save them from something that they're about to do, or just give them hope that you know what, with all that we have going on in the world today, just that glimmer of hope sometimes is enough to get someone to keep going.
Speaker 1Yes, so true. So I'm always interested in people who've worked in a corporate environment and went out on their own. I heard what the tipping point was for you, which is really amazing, that you were able to turn something negative that happened and kind of change your thinking about your life purpose and come out on the other side doing something that you love. But have you had any experiences either in your former role, your current role, probably less so in your in your current role where your sexual orientation was an issue?
Speaker 2So it's, it's funny. Yes, of course I think there's been the I know it's an issue, but nobody else would say it's an issue. But they're like, for instance, having a child oh, we didn't know you were planning on having a child and we were sure to talk to us about that, do you? Do you ask heterosexual people that question, right? So things like that. I I think it's. There have been lots of little moments for sure, and and it's been. It's been lots of little moments for sure, and and it's been. It's been throughout my life and I guess what I. The thing is is I've worked for a lot of small companies, but I've worked with with other companies through through those small companies. So I'm I'm pretty good about letting things roll for the most part, I, but I think as I've gotten older and a little bit wiser, maybe I do, I, I I know when to pick the battle because it's not okay um especially when it comes to, I don't know.
Speaker 2It's kind of like I was. I was actually gonna ask if you were there uh, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. But Tim M was there it's like a couple of prides ago, and one of the things he said was, if you're not getting hit by stones, then you're not standing close enough. And that means, like I'm thinking about like allies. So I think as much like I have to, even though I identify as a lesbian, I'm queer, whether it's that or whether it is racism or whatever the case may be, I have to speak up, even if I'm that person. Now that's like oh man, you can't have any fun. I'm just joking. Well, this is not cool joking. You're belittling me, you're belittling a person I love. There's. There's so much to it.
Speaker 3I, I know you yeah, yeah, and it's funny that you spoke about being that person that stands in the middle, because when I was doing advocacy work up in Maryland and DC, when that whole Black Lives Matter thing was blowing up and all that and we would be out there doing protests there's always a group of Caucasian, mostly women, that will come and they are called care bears that they would be in the front when the police comes up because they know that as an African-American person, a black person, it's more dangerous and the police is going to more than likely be aggressive towards you. But when they see this white woman, they're like, hey, you're not right, and so it's really. And a lot of times they will get hit too, because some of these police officers just don't care. But these are people that actually I respect a lot, like yourself, that say you know what? This is not my struggle, but I'm not gonna sit back and watch someone being abused or get discriminated against, so that that's very nice.
Speaker 3So with that, heather, when you tell you spoke a bit about your, what you do for a living, but also I know that you're an advocate as well. So what got you into your advocacy? Can you, can you tell us about that? What got you into that? What was that point? Say you know what? I'm gonna get out there and I'm gonna be this person that's gonna be out there fighting for equality, fighting for rights of others, whether they look like me or not. What got you to that space?
Speaker 2I know for me and I think a lot of people, george Floyd was a big deal. Right, it's embarrassing to say that, to be honest with you, like I told you all I'm writing this letter and like that is. It's embarrassing to say that because it's like thinking about that and how I just thought like, oh well, I don't think like those people and we've we've come farther in my lifetime, we're doing better. No, we're not. And and now having really kind of really I guess, doing the work and like reading the reading books and really going there and sitting in the discomfort and just it's been eye-opening how just unaware I was and it's made me want to do all I can. I think I know too that as history, and I know there's kind of like ups and downs, because I feel like there have been times in my life where I'm like, no, we're doing good, like we're doing good, just Obama. Like it was so hopeful, it was so, so good. But the truth is like there's a lot I've learned that is cellular. It's like like I went to this film opening about missing black women and it was like a couple weeks ago and it's a local filmmaker.
Speaker 2I learned a new term in that film I'd never heard, which is post-traumatic slave disorder, and I'd never heard that. And he kind of after the film he talked through that. I learned another term, like maybe a month ago at a panel discussion around. It was actually LGBTQ plus. It was Lisa Cunningham and Cassandra that they did. They did a panel discussion with Tim M and it was part of this Emory health conference focused on LGBTQIA plus, and I learned the term weathering and that was a new term to me.
Speaker 2So that's where I feel like weathering in the post-traumatic slave disorder is like it's cellular.
Speaker 2You know what I mean. So I guess it's awareness has made me and then once I don't unknow, I'm not like, ok, well, I'm done, that's not who I am, and so the more I learn, the more I want to do. And what I love about economic development and workforce development is it is a really to me. I think of it as like a system level type of work that you have the ability level type of work that you have the ability, and I'm working with great, great people. I feel like we're doing the work that is working toward making at least Georgia and the place where I live more equitable. One of my clients has a position called a program manager for equitable economic development, like you don't hear of that very often, so I think it's just once your eyes are open. My eyes have continued to stay open and now I can't not do the work because I feel like, like I said in the very beginning of this, it's like I think how could I have thought everything was okay?
Speaker 3predominantly black right, and it took me some time as well to really understand what African Americans went through, because I was like I'm used to seeing black prime minister, I'm used to seeing black police officers, I'm used to seeing everybody being black right. Most everybody looks like me. So I had some growing up to do and some realization to do as well, coming from a black country to the United States. So sometimes even even sometimes she's like oh, you can't say that. Or I was like why, why is this like this? And she was like, yeah, because you don't understand. Because our ancestors went through slavery. However, my country was taken over by black people.
Speaker 3We owned the land, we owned the country. But in America it was different. Right when black people? In the 60s, jamaica, we had our independence from the British, but even before then it was predominantly black. The independence just gave us our national anthem or money or flag and all those things. But my parents were used to seeing black leaders say, while America was fighting for civil rights, we had that. I say it was different for me to really understand the tension and the level of racism and all that. And seeing it now sometimes like man, I probably would be in prison or dead if I was born here, being a rebellious person that I am.
Speaker 2Yeah, I understand. I understand that yeah.
Speaker 1And allyship is so important, and I really respect the fact that you do your own research and your own reading on it, because conversations with people is that are that's definitely important. But and people who aren't in the community asking questions and having conversation, kind of bridging the divide, is important. But also you have to realize that sometimes those conversations are taxing on the people who are in the group. There's so much information out there. You can do so much reading and watching YouTube and things like that so you can get a lot of information to at least have some kind of baseline knowledge, so you're not coming into the conversation completely ignorant of the topic.
Speaker 1So that's definitely an important thing that you're doing there and are you having those conversations with your son? You have a 13 year old. How? Are you imparting that information or wisdom on him?
Speaker 2Kind of organically in moments where it pops up. But, like, we were in Decatur and do you guys, are you familiar with Swim School S-W-E-M? No, they just they just opened a spot in downtown Decatur. So Trish Miller is the owner and I actually saw her speak at an event a couple years ago and she was working, I want to say, at CDC and she wound up leaving there and was really passionate about starting the swim school for all kids but really focused on Black kids, because there's so much that goes into that. She has special hair things that you wouldn't think about.
Speaker 2And here's yet another example of something that I'm not thinking about how it is for me and how it is for someone else is totally different. And so, anyway, I had that conversation with my son when we were walking, just walking through downtown Decatur, and I think talking about generationally, like I mean, it comes down to the availability of a pool, right, it's like the white kids in the wealthy neighborhoods have the pools and it's it's so it's just that that alone was was eye-opening. And so I just try to have those conversations with him organically when things pop up. But I do.
Speaker 2I definitely have lots of those conversations with him about queer also and having two moms and and just kind of the idea of othering like if somebody's different, neurodivergent or whatever the case may be older, younger, don't because someone's different, whether than you and maybe a group of people you're with, just they're not valuable part of the conversation, you know what I mean, and they should definitely not be othered because they're old or young or gay or straight or white or black or whatever the case may be. So just kind of trying to teach him to be a good, loving human Right.
Speaker 3That's awesome.
Importance of Voting for LGBTQ+ Rights
Speaker 1Yeah, I was was gonna ask you about the conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity and things like that. So we talked to a lot of people and there are a lot of different ways that families are formed. So it sounds like, from what you said earlier, for you you and your wife were together and then you got you two decided to have a child together so a lot of the people, actually most of people that we talked to, they were in a heterosexual relationship, had kids and then came out.
Speaker 1So how was that experience, and have you run into, or know that your son has run into, any type of difficulties with having two mothers?
Speaker 2Yeah, he's had it like a very few little things kind of come up. He went to Globe for a while, which was a language immersion charter school and a pretty great environment and diverse environment. And then he was at Smarties, which was a daycare that he went to, where it was like you have two moms, like you don't have a dad, where's your dad? And it's of course it's their little too, which just so they're like, but what do you mean? And I think, oh, you know what. There was a point at which one of our friends was with my son and his buddy and he cried because he wanted to have two moms. He was like, wait, you get two moms, I want two moms, right, yeah, that's the flip side. We had the really good story.
Speaker 2But, um, so we my wife and I, have been together since 1997. Yeah, we basically grown up together and we wound up having our son. Now almost 14 years ago. He's like 13 and a half, almost 14, and we wound up. So we found a donor and the donor was kind of based on.
Speaker 2We didn't see pictures fully, we had like some baby photos and like a side profile, but he kind of looked like me a little bit and then we loved his profile. He was artistic, he played multiple instruments, he was a good writer, a good speaker because we heard an audio interview. He traveled, like traveled I don't remember where Central America, or something. I was like I'd hang out with this guy. So we wound up picking him as our donor and my partner carried our son and so, yeah, that's that now we have a 13 year old.
Speaker 2We actually know the donor because it was we did open identity, because you can do that Like you can sign up for 18. He can know. So my, my wife joined the Yahoo group actually like years ago, and then it emerged into a Facebook group and it's all these parents that are like donor siblings Right, this is like the age of technology. So one of the parents of one of the donor siblings did 23andMe found the guy. She says she wasn't intending to find him, but so now we're like all whoever wanted to be connected with him is now connected with him, and so we're connected with him and it's pretty cool, like at first I was, I was a little bit like whoa, I'm not ready for this, we have a long time to go for this, you know. But now I'm like, okay, it's cool.
Speaker 3That's really cool. So I know because I've tried, but it didn't work out, luckily. But there's a sperm bank in california and they have a yearly conference where all the siblings can get together as well. Yeah, so crazy, yeah. So I know you're really involved in the community and really aware of what's going on. What do you think is at stake in this upcoming election for the queer community?
Speaker 2I haven't gone deep in the reading of the 2025 project because the surface level is horrifying enough. It gives me chills, and not in a good way, thinking about it, and so I feel like we are. It is scary, like scary where I'm scared for my safety and my family's safety and I think, kind of like the we were talking about earlier, with like race and and and the race work is like with politics too. It's kind of like, I think for a good part of my life, I'm like, okay, I go vote and I'm gonna, but I'm not, I wasn't doing the work, I wasn't researching the candidates to the level that I do now, because and and maybe that's part of getting older I'm not totally sure, but I think it uh, I think it's situational. I think it's also timing for us right now but I think it's an.
Speaker 2It's another one of those things where I'm like it's up to me, it's up to us to vote, and we can't just vote like this. We've got to vote during this election, have to, and we have to get as many people out to vote as humanly possible. I'm literally going to take time off and just drive people. I'm going to do whatever I can to get people out to vote. Check your voter registration, because I've heard that people that should be totally fine have been kicked out of the system, so make sure you're good on that.
Speaker 2I think it's not just that, though. We have to really be paying attention at the local level, really be paying attention at the local level, and so we really need to be start at home and then go to the federal level, because that's what how all those changes happen is. It's it's the little stuff that we're not paying attention to, and it adds up and it becomes oh, they have the house now, right. Yeah, it's important for us to stay involved, and, and the more we're paying attention, the more we're going to see these bills that are proposed and have the ability to try to stop them before they get the traction bit deeper into politics, like what are some of the bills, what are some of the things that can happen to the queer community if we don't vote for the right candidates?
Speaker 3Because it's really important, because a lot of people are not really paying attention to what's at stake.
Speaker 2Yeah, I mean I could not be recognized as my son's legal parent, Right, you know what I mean. Like I could not be allowed as my son's legal parent, right, you know what I mean. Like I could not be allowed to go into the hospital if my wife is, you know like, think about all the big stuff that we fought so hard to get to and it all goes, that all goes away. Think about Roe v Wade. They're going to go back and start like legal gay marriage.
Election, Queer Rights, and Community Engagement
Speaker 2I just, I fear going backward and not being recognized as my wife's partner and not being recognized as my son's parent from a legal standpoint and the implications of that.
Speaker 1So we I don't know if you watch it, but we watch Handmaid's Tale and I'm terrified yeah, I mean it, I mean it feels. It feels like that, like it and and they do a really good job of showing how small changes that people just don't pay attention to can lead to huge implications. And all of a sudden, you're not married anymore, you don't have any rights. You don't have a right to own property, you don't have a right to own a bank account because you're a woman. Or again, because you're lesbian, you're not your child's legal guardian, so you don't have the right to own a bank account because you're a woman. Or again, because you're lesbian, you're not your child's legal guardian, so you can't go to this place with your wife because she's not your wife anymore. Then they could just swipe up a pen, just say nope, that's not happening, yeah.
Speaker 3The more I think about it. I think, leading up to the election, we need to start having some serious conversation on the podcast about this upcoming election and queer rights and what's at stake, because we have to put it out there. I'm not well educated on a lot of stuff in Georgia I've only been here a year and a half so I don't want to talk about something I don't know about, but I really want to get some information out there to the public, especially the queer community, because we focus so much on survival, where we're focused on, oh, I need a meal, I need this but sometimes we don't even have the knowledge of knowing that. Hey, if this happened, this one can be taken away from me. You probably won't even get a meal.
Speaker 2So if that could be something that we can dedicate to, to say let's, let's have this conversation and not just only on the podcast, but get out there and say, hey, I'm willing to go knock doors and do whatever need to be done yeah, yeah, totally, I did a phone banking but I only got a hold of three people. And that's when I called claire and like I was trying to get in touch with my friend claire I mentioned earlier, just to to volunteer, and then someone reached out and they were like hey, this founders for Kamala thing and the next thing. You know I'm doing that. So, um, it's just been, I'm going to send you all more info and I know we're about to be out of time, but yeah, let's, let's continue the conversation.
Speaker 3Okay, Listeners, there you have it, Heather Gibbons a wife, a mother, a business owner and an advocate for change in the community. She's a founder of Intentional Momentum Benefit Corps. Heather is making waves in the community. She's a trailblazer and of a passion for change in our community. Thank you, Heather, for being on a Queer Understanding Podcast.