Mind Over Matter: Mindset Development
Venting about life while trying to navigate through it and sharing what I’ve learned with the world through enlightening conversation. This podcast was made and carefully curated in the essence of myself Deja Wallace. I will take you on my journey of self-discovery through a video journal-type podcast that guides you to self-discovery as I evolve with every episode. Mind Over Matter is the power to govern how you feel internally through mindset development. This podcast is essentially for dreamers, deep thinkers, optimists, and anyone who’s on the journey of self-discovery. RATE COMMENT SUBSCRIBE
Mind Over Matter: Mindset Development
Black Renaissance in a Digital Age ft. Jajuan Malachi
JaJuan Malachi, founder of Black Journalist Collective, joins us to discuss the digital renaissance of Black enterprise and creating supportive communities for Black storytellers in predominantly white media spaces. We explore the power of authenticity, overcoming imposter syndrome, and building legacy through intentional community creation.
• Cultural journalist with eight years of experience at major networks including NBC, ABC News, and Fox
• Created the Black Journalist Collective as a response to isolation felt in predominantly white media spaces
• Believes we're living in a "Black renaissance" with young Black entrepreneurs breaking ground in various industries
• Emphasizes the democratization of media through platforms like YouTube and Patreon
• Overcame fear of judgment to build BJC as an inclusive, accessible space for Black creatives
• Advocates for networking laterally with peers rather than just focusing on connections with those in positions of power
• Maintained authenticity throughout his career, refusing to compromise his identity to advance professionally
• Prioritizes cultivating genuine community connections over transactional relationships in networking events
• Returned to school while working at ABC News to strengthen his credentials and skillset
• Working to create a legacy of pride in Black identity and paying it forward to the next generation
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DEJA @deja.waja
I look around and all I'm seeing is just like this renaissance of black enterprise taking place. You look at EYL, you look at topicals, you know, you look at all of these like major black owned entities and these a lot of young people doing this, like this is not like a 50 to 60 age type of thing. Like these are people that our age is really breaking ground in the black entrepreneurial space. So, you know, I was like you know, we're living, we're literally living in a black renaissance right now. Um, and we're, you know, our creativity is, you know, at the top. I mean, it's always been at the top, but it's given roaring 20s, roaring 20s. Yeah, we're back in that lane, but this is, this is just the digital iteration of it. Yeah, it was good.
Speaker 3:I need more passion, I need to feel the year. Okay, all right, I'll take it. I'll take it welcome to mind over matter. Baby, I'm your host, deja wallace, and if this is your first time joining, welcome. If this is not, welcome back. I appreciate you really came back to listen to another episode, like shout out to you. I appreciate you. We got a big guest in the building, the biggest. Okay, we got a lovely guest. As you can hear from the year from our audio listeners, if you're watching on the youtube you could see I have a lovely guest.
Speaker 1:We have mr joan malachi, y'all yes, yes, I'm very happy to be here, deja I'm happy.
Speaker 3:I'm happy to have you. I'm gonna drop a bunch of bombs, bomb the peep. We have journalist creative ceo and founder of black journalist collective, which is like a safe space for different journalists and different creatives. Storytellers, storytellers I think no word. Black storytellers, black storytellers of their respected industries, where they come together in unity community and it's just a beautiful thing you're building thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you and also harmony too oh yeah, oh yeah can't forget that. No beef, just love heavy on that.
Speaker 3:Heavy on that, it's like I'm a product of it. I'm a product of it. It's just like something that I feel like this space has been, have been yearning, and something I've been yearning as a creative is just like that community so I'm just like happy that you even stepped out on faith and really pushed this yeah forward. Yeah, but you can like let people know who you are like, what you do, like get them familiar with you.
Speaker 1:I know this is a familiar face yes, yes, this is not my first appearance. Yeah, it's an og mind over matter. Um, yeah, so you know, definitely honored to be here. Uh, I'm a cultural journalist. I've been in the industry for about eight years now. It's been a long journey.
Speaker 1:Over the years I've been fortunate enough to work in a lot of notable news spaces. So I worked at NBC University, I worked at Fox, I worked at ABC News. Over the years, in varying capacities, I freelanced at a ton of different places. So I freelance at the nocturnal freelance that galore magazine. Uh, where else have I been? 1202 magazine as well. So you know just a lot of different places and it's been a very long journey. Deja, um, you know, almost a decade in, to be frank, that's, um, he's seasoned.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, so you know I've been fortunate enough to find success on this journey and about three years ago I decided to create the BJC, also known as the Black Journalist Collective. The impetus behind that was kind of stems from a bit of a dark place, to be honest. Dark place, to be honest. I kind of felt like this lingering sense of isolation and seclusion in my journey, you know, just being the only black guy in a lot of these predominantly white spaces, not being able to take space how I want to, how I feel like I deserve to, relative to my counterparts. And so you know, I one day reached the epiphany. I'm like yo. If I feel like this, I'm sure there are other young black storytellers, young black journalists, content creators, etc.
Speaker 3:Who might feel a similar way is about just so much gatekeeping happening when it comes to, like, getting your foot in the industry or getting your foot into media. Yeah, um, it's such an industry that has just, I think, skyrocketed when it comes to just the appeal over the years, you know, with social media and everything. So when it comes to just being looking like us in that industry, it still has that negative stigma. That is only room for just a few, not too many, you know. So I really want to dive into that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a few notable faces. You know select faces Exactly. You know um. You know I feel like news is becoming a lot more, uh, community driven, um and interactive driven with, uh, the advent of ai, assisted content curation. You know hyper personalized news feeds, kind of shaping the way we consume media. For example, you know your podcast. You know something, definitely I'm subscribed to. Thank you, no doubt, no doubt, yeah, subscribe if you're not my honor. And you know, I think that the landscape is shifting and it's becoming a lot more democratized, uh, to the point where, you know, everybody can eat at the end of the day, um, you know, youtube is like open up the floodgates, um, what, what else do we have? Patreon?
Speaker 3:patreon is like, oh yeah, patreon is like the og of really incentivizing creators for what they're really worth, yeah, yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:And so you know, we have to take advantage of that, we have to optimize it, um, and we have to. There has to be a very deliberate shifting, kind of like shifting of the guards, so to speak. You know, back in the day, a lot of these corporations held all of the power, but now you see content creators going above and beyond. We look at like a Kai Sanat or a DDG or you know all of these people, streamers, yep, yeah, all these streamers like you know really doubling down and you know taking space and you know being called upon by these corporations to help them maintain and sustain, and stuff like that. So, right, yeah, I mean, I feel like the BJC is kind of, you know, focused on the future, and you know it's about building community.
Speaker 1:We just spoke to art. You know about the concept of community and how important it is, uh, and I think that you know, networking laterally is something that is super underrated, um, you know the BJC is a breeding ground for that. Um, you know, networking up, uh, networking upward and vertically is cool, but laterally is important as well, because you don't know where your peers are going to be two to three to four years from now, and so the group of people that we have attached to the BJC I know are going to be phenomenal, you know, moving forward.
Speaker 3:My first event. I got shivers down my spine being in that room. It's like I could be talking to the next Issa Rae. I could be talking to the next Regina King, you know, and I felt that essence in the room. And I felt that essence in the room and I'm not going to lie Seeing the development has really just been so inspirational, you know, because it's happening so rapidly, but it's like, at the same time, you've been doing it for 10 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I've been in the industry so this is just like a manifestation of the work you put in. It's not like you're just starting from ground level. You know a bunch of things and it's like Not at all. Those 10 years you've been hustling, grinding, going from industry to industry Prominent industries that are well known and accredited what made you step out and really say I'm starting my own thing?
Speaker 1:I want to build my own brand like what was like the pivotal moment, like the aha. This is why I need to do this. Well, I've always been a proponent for black enterprise um, you know, owning our own my stepdad is something that he always instilled in me and you know, growing up, I kind of of was kind of focused on following that path of you know, the traditional path Go to college, you know, get your degree, stuff like that but then, after I did all of that, I got. I recently got my master's in 2023 at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. And, you know, after I did all of that, I was just like all right, what's next? You know, like it was cool to get the degrees and get the roles and, you know, acquire the status and the credentials.
Speaker 1:But you know, I look around and all I'm seeing is just like this renaissance of Black enterprise taking place. You look at EYL. You look at topicals, um, you know you look at EYL. You look at topicals, um. You know you look at all of these like major black owned entities and there's a lot of young people doing this. Like this is not like a 50 to 60 um age type of thing. Like these are people like our age is really breaking ground in the black entrepreneurial space.
Speaker 1:So, you know, I was like you know, we're living we're literally living in a black renaissance right now. Um, and we're you know, our creativity is, you know, at the top. I mean it's always been at the top, but you know it's given roaring 20s, roaring 20s yeah, we're back in that lane, but this is this is just the digital iteration of it. And so, you know, I'm like we're living in sort of like a gold mine when it comes to ideas too, and so I was like you know what? Let me just be the change I want to see in the world, you know.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that so much. Thank you, thank you, and and let me not allow my fear to inhibit my growth and my development. Um, you know I was a bit frightful, I mean even now. Yeah, I mean naturally, you know, naturally it's it's um intimidating at times. You know being in certain rooms. Now I'm um hosting events. I'm co-hosting events at Dumbo house and at Soho house now, and Google it you know being in these like rarefied rooms I'm working with pop viewers.
Speaker 1:Shout out to Chris Witherspoon. He's been big up, yeah, he's been looking out for me and you know he sees the vision. He wants to see the brand grow. He wants to see me grow as an individual and you know it's been an honor to be able to collaborate and synergize uh with him on that, but also the bjc. We've launched um four successful events independent of our um co-collaborative event. Yes, very successful conversation and libations, for sure deja can attest to. Yeah, I'm a product. I'm a product. Yes, yes, she's a product. She's, um, you know, a proud member Of the space and so you know it's definitely just an honor Uh, to be At the Forefront and Kind of leading the charge On something that's bigger than me, I would say I think that was another craving For me to Fulfill, going into this endeavor, you know, um, for a long time it was like an individual pursuit.
Speaker 1:It was just Jawan, just Jawan Malachi, just trying to figure things out, trying to, you know, um, get to the highest point in my career. And then I eventually reached the epiphany where I'm like, you know it's not just about me, you know, it's about community, um, it's about creating spaces that are larger than me and, you know, spaces that are advantageous for not only me but for everybody in the room. You know I'm somebody who is big on community. I grew up playing sports. You know I have younger siblings. You know I've been a part of various clubs, organizations over the years. So you know I understand the power, the infinite power of community and what proper strategy can do for somebody in life. You know.
Speaker 3:Right, I want to lean back into. You mentioned that you had to overcome fear. You had to overcome just doubt and it's like negative self-talk. Essentially, what was the biggest mental hurdle that you had to go over to actually get to this point?
Speaker 1:that's a great question. I had to eliminate the fear of being judged, um, and I had to kind of push that to the back burner and, and you know, not be frightful about what people are going to think or what they're going to say, but, you know, kind of just putting boots to the ground and actually doing the work and committing to it and, you know, putting my head down. I think that oftentimes we live in like this hyper vigilant, hyper surveillance type of space where we're just constantly thinking about what the next person might think about what we're doing and how they, how we're being perceived, and you know, in this journey, like, and nobody's gonna be caring for real, yeah, nobody be caring for real, for it's all in our head, you know. And so I think for me, that was something that I had to overcome just not being too fixated on the reception of everything, but just maintaining focus on the action of it all Reaching out to people, being a person in real life and real time, not getting so caught up in the digital sphere of everything. You know.
Speaker 1:So a lot of people kind of struggle with, you know, engaging with each other in sort of just like a natural way nowadays, you know, it's true, approaching people in the street, you know, establishing rapport in real time. You know, the pandemic really had a huge impact on that, especially for, like, the younger generation. You know, fortunately enough, I'm at um, the intersection of the millennial and Gen Z space. I was born in 97 and so, to my knowledge, uh, gen Z started in 97, um, but yeah, I think so. Yeah, yeah, I I've been fortunate enough to, you know, have developed a very strong social dexterity.
Speaker 3:You're the last generation that was brought up without technology.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I think that has played like a crucial role in you know just my ability to, to build and, you know, to have a connection to reality, exactly.
Speaker 3:I think that's going gonna definitely be the commodity in this generation is community and is just like your ability to connect with people. Like people didn't even look at that as an asset or a skill, but now that's an actual skill. Like I look at you work in these rooms and I'm like that's a skill. You have to learn that, like that's not natural to most people being brought up.
Speaker 3:Now you know what I mean people are like they're gonna say, like they're integrated, they're more on the integrated side, like that's the term, being like normalized now yeah oh, I'm with my home girl, or you know, I'm with I'm, I'm over here, my little space.
Speaker 1:Exactly you know what I mean. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know I'm with I'm, I'm over here in my little space. Yeah, exactly you know what I mean. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know I'm with my, my, my peoples. Yeah, um, yeah, it's like still, I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:It's funny that you even like recognize it. You know, I think it's very subtle. Um, you know, my friends, you know it just comes naturally to me. Uh, I think a lot of it comes from just like genes too. My dad is very much an extrovert and I think that a lot of that, a lot of his positive attributes, like kind of trickled down to me, uh, so I took all of the positive and kind of like bolstered it into my own iteration and so, yeah, I'm happy that you recognize, you know that because, like you said, it is a skill and I think that it's something that I've been able to hone in on and develop really strongly during my, you know, 20 something years having gone to NYU. You know, like a space like that is like you know, you have to find your own community there. It's a microcosm of reality.
Speaker 3:When you step out into the world, you know nobody's gonna hand you community that's funny, the last person I had on he was he went to nyu too oh, wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Shout out to nyu violet gang in the building.
Speaker 3:Okay, um, but yeah, you know what's like the number one advice you would give to somebody that isn't that good at networking. Like what's the number one thing you will say that will make a successful person at networking, because sometimes it feels unnatural, you know.
Speaker 1:You know what I would say. I would say don't take yourself too seriously. I think that is a tangible thought process that people that have trepidation about it can like truly grasp and, you know, implement that into their daily life. Um, you know, I have friends who are introverted and they tell me, oh, I don't, I don't really know how to do it, like you.
Speaker 1:Or you know I don't really know how to like work the space, or you know I don't find utility in it. But you know that's just you being in your head about it at the end of the day. You know, I think when we have this like paralysis by analysis type of thing I think that was a term that Quincy Jones like coined and you know like we think too much about certain things, sometimes we got to just act, you know, say hello and then ask questions later. Or you know, don't be so in your head about it, because we're all humans, you know we're all in these particular spaces for the same reason. You know, I would say I even have trepidation like approaching people, like on the street, like just random, no context, like that's something I still struggle with.
Speaker 3:But that's always going to be nerve wracking. I feel like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. It is, but you have to just push yourself out of your comfort zone. You know, I feel like a lot of people stifle themselves when they don't at least try to, you know, put themselves out there in those social settings. It gets easier too. It does get easier, you know. It's just like anything in life.
Speaker 3:It's like called exposure therapy. That's what they call it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I definitely believe that that is a thing I would say early on in my career, um, one exercise that I had to get through early on, I was a part of this program at NBC Universal called the page program, and so a main facet of the program is giving tours of NBC studios so studio 8h, which is going to SNL, studio 6, which is home to SNL, studio 6B, which is home to the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. You know, I'm somebody who considers themselves to be super introverted Well, not introverted, I'm extroverted but I'm somebody who's mild-mannered and kind of soft-spoken. Reserved, reserved, yeah, so I'll talk to you, but I'm, you know, know, I'm soft-spoken and mild-mannered about it, but you know, um, a part of the program was like giving these tours and kind of adapting and you know, irrespective of your characteristics, irrespective of where you come from, like everybody had to learn this particular skill and it's like it's a do or die type of situation. You know, life or death, like it's either you do it and flourish, um, or you know you don't do it, and I mean it was a and it was an essential part of the program, so you had to do it, you had to figure it out. You know, and I I like to think that, um, a part of what it, a part of like that process of it was taking a a test we had to take, like a tour test, so everybody had to be evaluated on how they were doing in the tour and stuff, uh, and so for me, I actually failed my test. So you know, I that that just made me even hungrier to like figure it out. So I like to think of, you know, that process of trying and failing, because you never really fail. You only fail when you don't try. You know, I mean, I guess, or try again if you don't try again, yeah, if you don't try again, you know, so you can't be afraid to fail.
Speaker 1:You know, like, for me, one thing that is new, I would say, in my journey has been kind of speaking in front of crowds, public speaking, right, you know, that's something that I did. I was able to like develop a bit of a penchant or an ability during my time in the page program, but first and foremost, I'm primarily a writer. First and foremost I'm primarily a writer. So, you know, kind of translating that into video and translating that into podcast discussions, like how we're having now and then kind of being called upon now to like speak in front of people like groups of like 50 to 100 people at a time, I'm like wow, like I don't. I didn't even like anticipating, I didn't even anticipate on this being a thing. You know, this is like a new part of the journey.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know, just figuring it out, figuring that part out and navigating, that has been a bit of a challenge for me. But you know, at the same time, every time I do it, you know I'm I'm walking into it with fear, but the more I do it I'm'm I'm walking into it with fear, um, but the more I do it I'm realizing I'm getting better at it, exactly. And so you know, that's emblematic of just the journey, of you know acquiring a new skill, learning how to do something new, um, entering new spaces, and you know developing comfortability with it. Like you just have to get through.
Speaker 3:You have to break through exactly that fear I truly believe that, like, entrepreneurship is an extension of your mental, it's like an extension of your spirituality, it's an extension of everything you know. Um, coming into this conversation, you said, oh, we're gonna talk about bjc. Yeah, but I know the vibe of bC because I know you. Yeah, you know, it's an extension of you. Yeah, you know, sometimes you hear like, oh, don't support these businesses Cause, like, these people are like bad people, and you can see that some, some attributes in, like even their employees. You know what I mean, yeah, it's palpable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no-transcript. You know a good person, um, you know they. They know me to be virtuous, diligent, um, you know all of the things and while I'm not perfect, you know, I strive to be a good person at the end of the day, and so I think that you know, moving forward, that's what the BJC is going to be about. It's going to be about cultivating genuine energy in the room, cultivating sincere community, not just transaction. You know, like, you go to a lot of these, these like industry events, so you go to a lot of these like mixers, um, and stuff like that, and you know it's just purely transactional. Yeah, and that's not what the bjc is about. It's about authenticity. You know it's about, um, you know, coming together with other brilliant minds, other movers and shakers who are in their own respective spaces, and you know us just coming together, building like this, this like Megatron of you know brilliant black minds in the media space, and it's also an inclusive space.
Speaker 1:I also want to highlight that inclusive, accessible. You know, at the moment, you know we haven't been charging. You know, for the event, a lot of it has just been. You know, at the moment, you know we haven't been charging, you know, for the event. A lot of it has just been, you know, free of charge, um, you know, and, and a lot of that is because I want to ensure that it's inclusive and that you know there are no, there are very little barriers to entry, you know, um yeah, you feel the intentionality when you walk into one of your events.
Speaker 3:It's like every person that I meet, it feels like they're supposed to be there. You know what I mean, and it just feels like they're in alignment almost. Yeah, like everything just feels super intentional, even with the people that I'm connecting with. It's like wow, like you're doing big things. You know what I mean and it's just like inspiration.
Speaker 1:Always leave inspired, just ready to like get focused. You know, and, yeah, I appreciate that so much, you know it's so. It warms my heart when, you know, people enter the space and they're like, wow, like you know, I've been looking for a community like this. Like you know, you're, you're, you're, you're like, essentially like supplementing the void that I've had, and so that was my vision from the jump. You know, the last, uh, conversational libations, uh, part four, you know, it was like literally what I was envisioning from the jump, kind of like manifested in reality.
Speaker 1:Um, you know all of these people from different quarters of the media space, um, you know, in adjacent industries, such as advertising and marketing, we even have some tech individuals in the building. But, you know, everyone in the room is a movement shaker and I think that's what's going to distinguish the BJC moving forward. We're very intentional, like you said, about the energy and sort of like the type of people we have in the space. Um, you know, everybody is pure-hearted, um, everybody is going in that room with positive intentions. Um, and you know, I mean, like I said, it's not nothing is perfect, but you know, I feel like the space that we're creating is definitely a safe space.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you spoke about manifestation. That's like the main thing. I always reel it back in when we talking about just anything on this podcast. Mind Over Matter, right yeah. So what is a specific moment in your life that you've spoken your reality into existence?
Speaker 1:that's a great question, um, so I would say making that transition from traditional news into more of the culture news space was something that I manifested. Um, I have a background, like I said, in traditional news. I like to think of my career as like a double-edged sword, in the sense that I have this traditional news space experience, but I also have a bunch of culture news experience. So in 2021, I made the pledge to transition out of traditional news into more of the culture news landscape and, upon kind of like establishing that thought and you know, figuring out a plan, a strategic plan for how I was going to implement it in reality, there was a lot of pushback. There was a lot of people telling me, like yo, like that's not possible, like people typically don't do that. You know it's going to be extremely difficult for you to be able to do that but also make money off of it and be able to sustain your life and live.
Speaker 1:And you know, I'm somebody who likes to combat the naysayers and I like to dispel misconceptions, especially when it comes to my ability. If you tell me I can't do something, I'm going to show you I can do it and I'm going to double down on that Period. So, yeah, you know, people were telling me I couldn't do it. And then, you know, I was kind of making that transition and so I decided to go back to school because I felt like it wasn't enough, as a black man, to have experience. I also needed the degree to double down so that you can have any excuse to tell me that I couldn't do whatever you know I. So I went back to school to acquire more skills. So I learned how to use a Canon C100. I learned how to use a Canon 6D Mark II. I learned the ins and outs of social media. I also bolstered my skill set as a writer, learning how to cultivate op-eds, reviews, um that's why you're winning.
Speaker 3:Like people skip that part a lot of the time. That's true that's true.
Speaker 1:I mean, I was already working at abc news when I decided to go back to school. You didn't get comfortable, I didn't get comfortable, I did, I didn't. Complacency kills, dreams um, and you know like, like that's a clip right there.
Speaker 1:I couldn't imagine like little way said what little way say, little way said, um, don't get too comfortable, he got that, that joint off um the carter three, like you know, that's a fact. Don't get too comfortable, um, because you'll get, you'll get knocked out of your seat real quick, you know you're a testament to that.
Speaker 3:You went from NBC to all of these different industries, abc and all of them, all these different companies, and it's like so easy to get comfortable, especially when you're like the token black person in these industries.
Speaker 1:You know, oh, yeah, yeah, we we all get into that too, yeah.
Speaker 3:How did you navigate that world?
Speaker 1:Just being a token black man, that's a great question, you know. I made the most of it. It was a novel space for me at times, you know, when I started working at NBC. So the program is a highly competitive program they only choose about. So they say that 14000 people apply each year and they only select about 250 across the east and the west coast.
Speaker 3:It's like getting to Harvard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So they actually say it's harder to get into this program than it is the page program, than it is to get into Harvard. And so, you know, I was a part of a cohort that consisted of about 22 people, um, you know, all young, um brilliant, from brilliant, young minds from like different areas across the nation, um, who all had the mind of pursuing a career in contemporary media and different capacities, whether it be in a consumer space, the business space, the creative space. And so, you know, in my cohort it was two black guys, so it was me and my boy, josh, and, um, yeah, just navigating, that was like really interesting. Navigating, that was like really interesting.
Speaker 1:Uh, you know, developing the acumen in sort of just like those corporate sensibilities that nobody tells you how to develop, um, you know, that was that was like my corporate 101, the page program. Um, you know, learning how to make mistakes but also how to recover quickly and how to sort of impact positive change, and, you know, just being an asset in those type of spaces is something that you, there's a little textbook to it, especially as a Black person.
Speaker 3:Did you feel like they ever like pinned you guys against each other, or did it feel like some type of competition going on, I mean at times, at times, but you know, at the end of the day, I was chosen for a reason.
Speaker 1:There was something that they saw in me that, you know, motivated them to select me as one of the 22 people in that particular cohort. And, you know, I've, I've, I've kind of stood on that I've, I've, I've kind of leaned into my authenticity as an individual and I think that in those spaces, as a black person, you know, the prospect of selling your soul is like a real thing, um, to be honest there, um, I mean, I mean, I'm gonna be honest with you, like we gonna keep it 100, it's a lot of black people in these spaces, you know, selling their soul, Like I'm going to keep it 1,000. But I was just like one of those people that was like, nah, I'm going to be Juwan Malachi, you know, young man, young black man from the ABC.
Speaker 3:When you say selling your soul. I know, I mean I dropped a lot, right when I think of selling your soul, I'm thinking Lil Nas X, the blood in the shoe with the sneakers that he had like some crazy stuff. It's not that extreme okay cool.
Speaker 1:So what I mean by selling your soul is, you know, just being assimilated to like an exponential degree, to the point where, like you say jump any jump kind of thing yeah, like tap dancing, all right, yeah, tap dancing, yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know I can't knock people for how they combat white supremacy, because that is a thing in America. Um, you know, that's something that we kind of all have to combat and, you know, deal with every day as black people here in this country. But, um, you know it was, it was just certain people, that was just I'm like yo, you, you are you really, you really doing this right now? But you know it is what it is is, you know, that's your way of doing things. Yeah, like you know, I'm not gonna neglect the fact that I am who I am and I am where I'm from. I'm not gonna ignore certain aspects of my identity to appease, um, and and I think that was a main pillar in my 20-something journey in this media space, you know, just maintaining my authenticity, maintaining, you know, that inner person, um, because oftentimes there's, like you know, this expectation that you, you must assimilate, you must, you know, you must turn over, um and, you know, alter your, your natural being in your natural fabric. And I was like, no, I'm not doing that, you know, like, who I am naturally is enough, is more than enough and I will not compromise on that and and I think that is also another reason why I felt inclined to cultivate the BJC, um, because that was something that was just a natural byproduct of me keeping my course and saying to myself I'm going to be Juwan Malachi, for example.
Speaker 1:I would say, you know, comedians are people that I admire so much. When I think about I know it's super random, but when I think about like a Mike Epps, or when I think about a Dave Chappelle or a Bernie Mac or you know any of these prominent comedians, godfrey, you know, all these people get to just be themselves, you know, and they get to exist in their blackness 110%, and you know, and they're revered for it and people love them for it. And I'm like, why can't I do that? You know, know, that's that was like my, my frame of thought, even with like artists you think about, like, uh, mos Def or D'Angelo, or the list goes on with, you know, black artists, but all of these people have never really compromised much in terms of like their personality, in terms terms of their identity. You know, and I, that's the side of the token of blackness in America that I want to be a part of and that's not to knock anybody who you know might've grew up in a predominantly white space, but you know that wasn't my reality.
Speaker 1:I come from a space I was just talking to one of my friends about this. I come from, you know, the inner city. I grew up in Bed-Stuy and then I moved to the Wakefield area of the Bronx where I was around a bunch of Caribbean folks, you know, and there was some Hispanic people. We had like a really small subsection of Albanian people in the Bronx and the area I lived in, small subsection of Albanian people in the Bronx and the area I lived in and you know I was predominantly around black and brown people, like until I went to undergrad.
Speaker 1:Going to undergrad was, like you know, a bit of a culture shock for me, going to NYU and you know, being exposed to, like essentially a sea of whiteness that I had never experienced, not even just whiteness but just multiculturalism in a very abundant and palpable way. You know, being the sole Black man to graduate from NYU with my degree in English, like, to my knowledge, I'm the only black man in my graduating class to graduate um with a degree still doing that yeah, with a degree, with a degree that I earned, which which was an English degree.
Speaker 3:Yeah, wow so 2019 yeah what legacy do you want to leave behind?
Speaker 1:it's a great question. I want to leave behind a legacy of pride in my identity as a Black man. I want to help others along the way, so paying it forward is something that means the world to me, you know, because it's not just about me at the end of the day, it's about everybody who is coming after me in this journey too. I want, you know, them, to feel a sense of comfort and I want them to feel a sense of belonging and community that supersedes, you know, just me as an individual. So I think that's one thing I want to give back, that's that's like a core pillar of what I want to do. And, you know, I just want to leave a positive, lasting legacy for people that aspire to occupy similar spaces to follow. That's what I want and to be proud about it and to pay homage to the people that have even come before me.
Speaker 1:You know, um, when I think about some of my influences, I think about a torre, I think about a terence jay. Um, you know, these are people in the media space that have kind of shaped my perspective and that have inspired me to get to that next level. Even a lot of my contemporaries my boy Jiggy, jiggy Jones. Shout out to Jiggy Jones. You know my boy, mark Mark Elliburt. You know big up, mark, you know CEO of the Black Journalist Collective. You know there are certain people that have, like, motivated me, you know, to get to that next level, um, and to not compromise but to embrace who I am wholeheartedly, definitely yeah what does the statement mind over matter mean to you?
Speaker 1:mind over matter. I think mind over matter is everything. To be frank, I think that there is nothing that you can't do when you hone your mind and you develop it and you challenge your mind to expand and to grow beyond its current parameters. And I think that that requires a certain degree of deliberate energy and I think that requires a certain degree of coverage. People are fearful of their mind and what it's capable of doing, and you know how we can grow and expand it and contort it to what we want it to be. But I don't. I think anything is possible when you're able to hone and develop the mind how you want.
Speaker 3:Wow, I think that was the best answer.
Speaker 3:Y'all Y'all gotta step your answers up. No, that was really good. Y'all Y'all gotta step your answers up. No, that was really good. Wow, yeah, just like, even growing like in this space and things of that nature.
Speaker 3:I dealt with I dealt it's in the past with imposter syndrome and I remember saying that to you. I don't remember where we were, but I said it to you and you had like laughs. You're like that's a real thing. And I was just like yo, yeah, I don't remember where we were, but I had mentioned it to you because it was like weighing heavy on me and you laughed and you was like like that's a real thing. I didn't know that was a real thing. And he went back about your day, like and I like that answer because it was like yo, you told yourself it's a real thing. That's why it's a real thing. You know what I mean? Yeah, and I literally like had to really like sit back and be like yo, it's a real thing, because you gave it power to be a real thing. You know what I mean. And you gotta keep telling yourself all these good things, even if the outside world is looking bad, you know.
Speaker 1:I agree, I agree, you, you have to feed yourself good things. Your diet has to consist of positive things, exactly. You have to be mindful and cognizant of, like, what you're feeding yourself, um, for me, like, imposter syndrome is a real thing, you know, but I feel like that's something I had to overcome, in particular during my undergrad experience and then also early on in my career, you know, just being the only black guy in a lot of those corporate spaces I was working in. Like you know, I couldn't really, I didn't really have the privilege to suffer from imposter syndrome too much. Like I had to be, um, a valiant representative of my culture and, you know, I had to stand up and be prideful and show that. You know I was, I was selected to be here for a reason.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Um, and you know it's not because of anything beyond me or any type of affirmative action or anything like that that has led me here. Like you know, I'm just as capable, if not more capable, than my counterparts and I had to believe that, irrespective of how people might treat me, you know, irrespective of those microaggressions that take place, People not really trying to embrace your shine and your light, you know people try and dim your light because they don't see it in themselves, or you ignite their demons or whatever.
Speaker 3:You know the light usually does that to people in the dark.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it does it does, but you know I pray for those people and I continue to shine my light brightly. It does it does, but you know I pray for those people and I continue to shine my light brightly. Exactly, and you know for those people that you know can't handle it for whatever reason, then you know it is what it is.
Speaker 3:It's more so like seeing imposter syndrome as it's a real thing I'm not negating that but it's more so like it doesn't have to be my reality.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't. It's all about your mind. Going back to what you were saying about the prospect of the mind, mm-hmm, you know, what you tell yourself is a large part of your reality. Exactly, if you're telling yourself that you deserve to be in these spaces and that you put in the work to be there, then that's what's going to manifest. But if you're telling yourself, oh, you know, I don't know, and you know, oh, I need these credentials.
Speaker 1:I was one of those people at one point. I was like, oh, you know, maybe I don't have enough credentials to be certain and stuff. Yeah, certain spaces like, for example, nabj the National Association of Black Journalists is another prominent entity in the black community, in particular in the black journalism space and you know, for a long time I felt like I didn't deserve to be in that space, because I kept telling myself, oh, you know, jolene, I mean, do you even have enough credentials? It was like early on in my career, like this is before I started working at all these places. But yeah, I was.
Speaker 1:I was telling myself, I was feeding myself those lies, like you know, like you don't deserve. And so, you know, throughout my 20 something years I've been kind of just estranged from NABJ. Um, not that I have any aversion to being in the space or you know trying it out now, but you know, I was feeding myself lies when I was younger and so fast forward. I'm just like wow, why was I telling myself that? But you know, we live and learn. You live and learn.
Speaker 3:And it's also what we were taught to a certain degree, A lot of us. You know you get just passed on fear from this. What people moving out of fear? You know, yeah, yeah, it's a hard thing to unlearn, that's a fact.
Speaker 1:And you also have to give yourself grace and you also have to forgive yourself. You have to forgive people around you too, sometimes, because, yeah, they operate even your parents, you know. You got to realize that they're operating from. You know wherever they are in their lives exactly. Um, you know, life is rough and life can be unforgiving, especially for people like us. So, you know, we have to give each other grace, we have to give each other mercy, just like God gives to us every day, you know amen, yeah, is there anything you want to highlight before we bounce out of here?
Speaker 1:anything I want to highlight. Um, so, conversation libations part five um, this justin is on the works. Um, we're considering, uh, a series of black owned spaces, because that's what we're trying to do we try to keep it authentically black. That is a main pillar of the brand and so, you know, um, we're keeping that in mind and we're going to enhance and increase the invite list, which is something I'm really happy about. Um, and yeah, we're going to just continue to grow and develop and anybody that is in the media space, whether it be a content creator, whether it be a publicist, whether it be adjacent industries, advertising, marketing.
Speaker 1:You know, I mean, I feel like the term black journalist collective is sometimes misleading, but I'm saying it on record that you know, the space is designed for more than just journalists. It's also designed for, you know, um, just young, black, brilliant movers and shakers um period. So, yeah, yeah, come through, come, come vibe out with us at conversational libations part five. And yeah, that's I mean I feel like that's what I have to say and also shout out to Deja for appreciating, um, you know, holding it down, of course, and you know, kind of leading the charge on her own empire, on her own enterprise that she's building and you know, her consistency is something to admire and I can't wait to see how it continues to grow and develop thank you.
Speaker 3:I appreciate that so much. Thank you for believing in the vision you've been following for a minute, like yeah, I've been.
Speaker 1:I've been loyal to the soil and I think a lot of it comes down to. You know, just our like genuine rapport fact. You know, ever since I've known you, it's soil and I think a lot of it Comes down to you know, just our like Genuine rapport Fact. You know, ever since I've known you, it's just been Positive vibes and good energy Fact. You know we haven't had any hiccups. You know Any, any quarrels, any beefs Fact. Knock on wood though. Yeah, it's not. I'm not gonna couch right quick, alright, yeah. So yeah, just love, just love love, love, love, love y'all.
Speaker 3:I appreciate y'all if y'all listen to the end. I appreciate you, Joanne, for joining me. Oh my God, I'm so excited for this episode to come out. Thank you for everybody. I listened to the end Like shout out to you, really came back to listen all the way to the end, like you love yourself, I could tell you do like. I could tell you do Like. I could tell you glowing right now, like for real, and make sure you tell a friend, friend, sister, auntie, dog that it's mind over matter baby. Yes, yes, yes sir.