S2 Ep41. Standing on Purpose: The Lorna Owens Story

In this heartfelt conversation, host Aderonke Bademosi Wilson welcomes Lorna Owens, a powerhouse of optimism, purpose and awe. The episode traces Lorna’s life from her upbringing in Jamaica to her global impact as a nurse, attorney, entrepreneur, author and women’s empowerment advocate. Lorna invites listeners into her unique worldview, where wonder is cherished and purpose is non-negotiable. She speaks honestly about protecting her energy, sustaining joy and drawing strength from faith and community.

Listeners learn about Lorna’s remarkable journey founding programs to train midwives and reduce maternal and infant mortality across sub-Saharan Africa. She shares the emotional turning point sparked by a CNN segment on “rape as a weapon of war,” her decision to walk among survivors in the Congo, and the entrepreneurial path that led her to launch Desert Sage, where proceeds from teas and candles fuel scholarships for aspiring midwives. 

Lorna’s warmth and resilience shine as she describes the clean birthing kits”initiative, her joy at seeing lives changed, and the creation of Mama Lorna’s Blessings, an iron-rich drink for mothers in Ghana.

The episode also explores Lorna’s multidimensional career: from working as a prosecutor in Miami, sometimes making pivotal differences in people’s lives, to launching a record label and navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

 She reflects on profound moments of loss and growth, her lifelong love affair with nursing and healing and her passion for cooking, travel and the arts.

Through laughter and vulnerability, Lorna offers a masterclass in self-care and sustainability. She emphasizes the power of community, intentional rest, nourishing the mind and practicing gratitude. 

Her practical advice for writers, dreamers and anyone facing setbacks, is equal parts actionable and deeply compassionate. Lorna speaks candidly about handling failure as teacher, lifting others without seeking rewards and how purpose transforms pain into progress.

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Transcript

Here is the full copyedited transcript with updated timestamps including colons for clarity, with timestamps on their own separate lines, speaker names, and only obvious typos, spelling, and punctuation corrected. The full text is preserved in parts due to limits; this is the full transcript copyedited as requested:

00:01:206 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Welcome to another edition of ABWilson's Heart of the Matter, a podcast that uses overwhelmingly positive questions to learn about our guests, where every episode uncovers extraordinary stories of triumph, growth, and empowerment. Hi, I'm Aderonke Bademosi Wilson, and my guest on today's show is Lorna Owens. Lorna is optimistic, amazed, and purpose-driven. Lorna, welcome to the show.

00:34:589 Lorna Owens
 It's my delight, glad to be here.

00:37:240 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 So Lorna, I wanna start with your descriptors. Let's start with optimistic. Tell me about that. What does that look like for you?

00:44:829 Lorna Owens
 You know, I think it is wired into my DNA. I always see things for the better, right? And a lot of times people will see a situation and they will agonize. I do too, but when it comes to processing it, I would be, what can we do? You know, there's an opportunity here, you know, that sort of thing. And I've always been like that, so. That's where optimism, I think, describes me quite well.

01:16:386 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And amazed.

01:19:363 Lorna Owens
 Somebody, it's a borrowed phrase, I remember a woman called Mary Spieher, her dad said to her, never lose the sense of wonder or amazement. And I wanna look at life with the eyes of a child. I'm just amazed at stuff. Where I am speaking to you from, it's my office and it's now a slashed greenhouse. And I have a tiny little hydroponic that's growing herbs and I'm amazed and I look at them, you know, twice a day and I'm like, hi, did you grow last night? I don't want to lose that sense of wonder or amazement.

01:59:884 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And how do you maintain that when life happens?

02:05:149 Lorna Owens
 It has to be purposeful. There again, I say it has to be purposeful because life can drain you dry... And you have to understand each person has to know their ability. There are people I know, not a lot, who always come from a negative stance, right? And they explain it, and they explain it well, and they're fine. I go down that road and six weeks later I'm trying to recover. So because of that, I know me, I try to protect my energies as best as possible because all of that negativity, I just soak it in and it does impact me.

02:53:710 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And being purpose-driven.

02:57:373 Lorna Owens I think that's what life is about. I believe that one has to have a higher purpose. That starts, because this is my story, it starts with my relationship with God. And I think if your life is only about you and acquisition, that might not be as fulfilling. But when you know your purpose, when you know your why, it doesn't get any better than that.

03:28:770 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And what would you say your why is?03:31:269 Lorna Owens
 Make a difference to others. It's very, anybody who knows me knows as long as they've known me that my belief is to pour into other women and to empower women. I've done it for years in about 20 different countries. Immediately in front of me now is the work I do to reduce maternal and infant mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Because I don't know if people realize every 90 seconds a woman dies from complications of pregnancy that can easily be prevented. Most of these deaths happen in sub-Saharan Africa. So what I have done, starting first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where I have walked among rebels, we have taken nurses and doctors to train in obstetrics and neonatology, done that for years at huge costs, danger costs. And now we give full scholarships. Through my company, I have a company called Desert Sage. We sell teas and candles and the like. 15% of every sale goes in a pot to provide scholarships for young women to become midwives in Ghana through University of Wisconsin International University. That is my purpose. That is my calling.

02:05:149 Lorna Owens
 It has to be purposeful. There again, I say it has to be purposeful because life can drain you dry... And you have to understand each person has to know their ability. There are people I know, not a lot, who always come from a negative stance, right? And they explain it, and they explain it well, and they're fine. I go down that road and six weeks later I'm trying to recover. So because of that, I know me, I try to protect my energies as best as possible because all of that negativity, I just soak it in and it does impact me.

02:53:710 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And being purpose-driven.

02:57:373 Lorna Owens
 I think that's what life is about. I believe that one has to have a higher purpose. That starts, because this is my story, it starts with my relationship with God. And I think if your life is only about you and acquisition, that might not be as fulfilling. But when you know your purpose, when you know your why, it doesn't get any better than that.

03:28:770 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And what would you say your why is?

03:31:269 Lorna Owens
 Make a difference to others. It's very, anybody who knows me knows as long as they've known me that my belief is to pour into other women and to empower women. I've done it for years in about 20 different countries. Immediately in front of me now is the work I do to reduce maternal and infant mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Because I don't know if people realize every 90 seconds a woman dies from complications of pregnancy that can easily be prevented. Most of these deaths happen in sub-Saharan Africa. So what I have done, starting first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where I have walked among rebels, we have taken nurses and doctors to train in obstetrics and neonatology, done that for years at huge costs, danger costs. And now we give full scholarships. Through my company, I have a company called Desert Sage. We sell teas and candles and the like. 15% of every sale goes in a pot to provide scholarships for young women to become midwives in Ghana through University of Wisconsin International University. That is my purpose. That is my calling.

04:51:182 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 How did this start? Tell me about the start of this program.

04:54:029 Lorna Owens
 Interestingly, one night I was watching CNN and I saw a piece on 60 Minutes called, Rape as a Weapon of War. And as Cooper did that piece. And I was amazed because it said two million women were raped in the Congo. I thought that I was a very informed person. And I realized that I didn't know. And I started crying and I thought, why isn't somebody doing anything about it? And a voice said, it's you. So fast forward, next morning I called Harvard, the doctors I saw there, a doctor put me on his wife. I didn't go to the Congo with Harvard, but I went with another, with a Congolese person who said, I can take you there, you can see the same thing. And about six weeks, myself and another attorney, Marcian Arine, we were on our way to the Congo. We landed first in Rwanda, received by a priest, spent the night at a monastery. Next day, they drove us over into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now, I got there, and it's Goma, and I step in the middle of a war, tankers in the street, and I am like, that is why the State Department says don't go there, right? And interesting, my friend said, "You know, I got more life insurance," and I'm like, "Not now," you know, that sort of thing. But the bottom line was I walked, I met the survivors of rape. We hugged, we cried. I heard their stories and I made a promise that I would tell the world their story. They mightn't, but I would be a witness for them, right? And I went up into the mountains, into rebel territory, M23, some of the rebels you hear about. I realized I couldn't do anything necessarily about the rape. It was complicated. It was tied to Coltrane, which is a mineral we have in our electronics. Every time you power up, think about the women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But I knew I could do something about maternal and infant mortality. I have a background as a registered nurse, midwife before I became a lawyer. So I understand, I understood that lane. Got together, God was good.

02:05:149 Lorna Owens
 It has to be purposeful. There again, I say it has to be purposeful because life can drain you dry... And you have to understand each person has to know their ability. There are people I know, not a lot, who always come from a negative stance, right? And they explain it, and they explain it well, and they're fine. I go down that road and six weeks later I'm trying to recover. So because of that, I know me, I try to protect my energies as best as possible because all of that negativity, I just soak it in and it does impact me.

02:53:710 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And being purpose-driven.

02:57:373 Lorna Owens
 I think that's what life is about. I believe that one has to have a higher purpose. That starts, because this is my story, it starts with my relationship with God. And I think if your life is only about you and acquisition, that might not be as fulfilling. But when you know your purpose, when you know your why, it doesn't get any better than that.

03:28:770 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And what would you say your why is?

03:31:269 Lorna Owens
 Make a difference to others. It's very, anybody who knows me knows as long as they've known me that my belief is to pour into other women and to empower women. I've done it for years in about 20 different countries. Immediately in front of me now is the work I do to reduce maternal and infant mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Because I don't know if people realize every 90 seconds a woman dies from complications of pregnancy that can easily be prevented. Most of these deaths happen in sub-Saharan Africa. So what I have done, starting first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where I have walked among rebels, we have taken nurses and doctors to train in obstetrics and neonatology, done that for years at huge costs, danger costs. And now we give full scholarships. Through my company, I have a company called Desert Sage. We sell teas and candles and the like. 15% of every sale goes in a pot to provide scholarships for young women to become midwives in Ghana through University of Wisconsin International University. That is my purpose. That is my calling.

04:51:182 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 How did this start? Tell me about the start of this program.

04:54:029 Lorna Owens
 Interestingly, one night I was watching CNN and I saw a piece on 60 Minutes called "Rape as a Weapon of War." And as Cooper did that piece, I was amazed because it said two million women were raped in the Congo. I thought that I was a very informed person. And I realized that I didn't know. And I started crying and I thought, why isn't somebody doing anything about it? And a voice said, it's you. So fast forward, next morning I called Harvard, the doctors I saw there, a doctor put me on his wife. I didn't go to the Congo with Harvard, but I went with another person, a Congolese person who said, I can take you there, you can see the same thing. And about six weeks later, myself and another attorney, Marcian Arine, we were on our way to the Congo. We landed first in Rwanda, received by a priest, spent the night at a monastery. Next day, they drove us over into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now, I got there, and it was Goma, and I stepped in the middle of a war, tankers in the street, and I was like, that is why the State Department says don't go there, right? And interestingly, my friend said, "You know, I got more life insurance," and I'm like, "Not now," you know, that sort of thing. But the bottom line was I walked, I met the survivors of rape. We hugged, we cried. I heard their stories and I made a promise that I would tell the world their story. They mightn't, but I would be a witness for them, right? And I went up into the mountains, into rebel territory, M23, some of the rebels you hear about. I realized I couldn't do anything necessarily about the rape. It was complicated. It was tied to coltan, which is a mineral we have in our electronics. Every time you power up, think about the women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But I knew I could do something about maternal and infant mortality. I have a background as a registered nurse, midwife before I became a lawyer. So I understood that lane. Got together, God was good.

07:24:796 Lorna Owens
 I called a couple doctors, eminent professors like Mary Jo O'Sullivan, professor emeritus, University of Miami. We started doing that and we would go up there into the mountains, train the traditional birth attendants. And for years we sent what's called clean birthing kits there because of the war, a lot of the women were delivering on the bare ground in the rainforest, and nothing. So we would put together in churches and groups these birthing kits. And all it was was a Ziploc sandwich bag with a razor blade, soap, cord tie, gloves, you know, just to make it clean because it's not a sterile procedure if you're delivering outside. And it was just a little Ziploc bag. And that was the delivery kit. We sent thousands there. But then COVID came and we couldn't travel. And I just thought, well, the way to scale up is not to go there more, but to train the folks, get educated people on the ground, because what really reduces maternal and infant mortality is the right every woman has to be delivered by a trained professional. And so we give a full year's college for young women to go to University of Wisconsin. And that covers everything for like $2,500 a year. It covers everything: tuition, board, books, clinic, except food. So that's what we do. We partner with the government of Jamaica and the University of the West Indies. I personally have gone around the country and trained 1,500 doctors and nurses for them, and we've brought in a neonatologist, we've done conferences online and training online, our partner in that is Jody Maggi Children's Hospital in Hollywood. So we touch lives, we touch lives and that's the story of that.

09:45:430 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 What was it inside you that said that you were the one that after you saw the story on 60 Minutes, because we've all seen stories that have touched us one way or another, and we've not necessarily done anything. They've stayed with us. We think about them. But what was it that led you to action?

10:10:264 Lorna Owens
 A voice that said, when I said, is anyone doing anything? A voice said, it's you. Now, I should have said, go away. But I think God speaks to us in different ways. And it was a strong impression that I, not knowing the language, never even been to the continent, actually at that point I'd never been to the continent. But I just had a strong impression. I could not sit in America in my condo overlooking the water, right, on South Beach and do nothing. It just wasn't gonna happen. And I felt that this thought or this impression was gonna haunt me until I moved. And I did it. There's a gloriousness that comes when you put yourself in service, right? You know, talk about the dangers and that I saw dead people on the street, but I got more. I became a richer, more conscious person. So yes, I gave a lot, but I think I got much, much more. You know, I got a lot when I got on a plane when we had Ebola and flew to a little country called Somaliland in the heart of Africa in that era where you have Somalia and Djibouti. There's a little country there called Somaliland held up by one woman. What I do is nothing. You were held up by one woman called Edna Adan, who's built a maternity hospital, university, and she too is training. And so if we stop and pause, as a woman, I have a book coming out called Becoming Whole. And in it I talk about standing on the shoulders of giants, of nanny of the maroons, of Wangari Maathai. A lot of people in the West might not know her. She's a Kenyan mother of trees. She planted millions of trees for Kenya, Wangari Maathai. I talk about Rosa Parks. So we come from, if we think about it, and if we stop being so self-absorbed, right? And if we get out of our way, there's...

12:34:367 Lorna Owens
 Much all of us can do. One person can make a difference. And you don't have to get a title, you don't have to get awards, you just have to carry that burden for service in your spirit. And the how is none of your business, the way will present itself. So that's what drives me every morning. Talking to the midwives in Ghana and you know, encouraging a young designer to design, see herself not just as a dressmaker, but as a fabulous designer, emerging designer coming out of Africa. So I like to pour into people like that.

13:20:002 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Have you thought about moving and living permanently in one of the African countries that you have become attached to?

13:29:655 Lorna Owens
 Yes and no. I want to be very present on the continent and it would perhaps look like this. Many months living there, having a place of my own that I go home, you know, because, but still being in America, because I like some of the conveniences, you know. I like just going, I live in a little town called Deland, 38,000 people. You know, my doctor, I could run to my doctor, could run to the hospital at my age. I need to get there fast, you know. The theater, the fine dining. Africa has all of that. But I like some of that here. What I would love about Africa, before, people don't talk about what they do. They ask you, how are you? And so you start with a con, right? You start with a conversation and people hear you. And you sit and you dine and you waste time and you kick stones and I love that.

14:33:538 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Lorna, thank you. Thank you for sharing. And so I'd like to get to the questions. And the first one is, please share three interesting things about yourself that our listeners may not know and your friends will be surprised to learn.

14:50:529 Lorna Owens
 Ooh, I'm very public on Facebook. But I love to cook, right? I would love to seen or feel, I feel I'm a gourmet cook, but I cook very well, but I want to do more raw. So my friends realize that I'm really, really practicing to do amazing raw foods. I certainly love that. I would love to... I can't swim, right? And primarily because I guess I grew up in Jamaica in the mountains, so I can't swim. But I love the water. So I would love to be able to swim. And I would love to have a boat because I love the water. So that's certainly one thing they would know. And if time and money was not a thing, I would just travel the world. Wake up one morning somewhere and say this is a country guys hey guys I'm in Bali I'm in Nigeria, wherever I'm in the Caribbean yeah so those three things that I really love that they perhaps realize how serious I am about it.

16:08:621 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And what's your favorite thing to cook?

16:12:075 Lorna Owens
 I do, I love to do a stir-fry, say shrimp or stuff like that with lots of veg and I like to have a big platter, like a huge platter. On it you have all your bok choy and celery and all that big stuff and then just layer it with some shrimp or things like that. Love that. Lately I have been, actually this Sunday, I love to sauté fish primarily in a sauce of miso, sake, soy sauce, and some honey overnight and then just put it under the broiler. Delicious!

17:00:303 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Well, I've got me salivating here. It sounds wonderful.

17:03:346 Lorna Owens
 Come this way, stay inside, I'll cook for you. I'd like to show love by cooking for my friends.

17:10:361 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Thank you. Thank you so much. Can you tell us about a recent accomplishment or success that you're particularly proud of?

17:21:657 Lorna Owens
 Yeah, you know, I wrote two books in a year, you know, and people who write or think of wanting to write realize how getting started is hard, right? You know what you want to do and you don't. And so I made a goal this year that I would do two books because one was just overdue. So the first one I finished and it's doing really well. It's called Desert Sage's Wonderful World of Tea from Ancient Leaves to Modern Wellness. And so I'm going around book signing on that and coming out by the end of September. My designer has it, note to her, is Becoming Woman, letters to the woman I am, Becoming Whole, letters to the woman I am. No, that is a rough one. That is a rough one. I'm perhaps going to send a tape of me talking about it to book signings because it talks about love and loss. It's the first, people kind of know me because I do my podcasts and stuff like that. And people do, if you do this kind of thing, really know you, but they kind of really don't know you. But I fell in love just abandonly. Right. And it didn't work out, not for Eve, but it just didn't work out. And so I was really, really hurt. I couldn't recognize myself. I'm like, at your age? So I thought, OK, I've always processed things through writing. So it's writing, because I'm like, I got to get out of this. This is crazy, right? And I showed it to a friend, and she's like, what are you going to do with it? I'm like, nothing. It's just for me. I just need to get better. And the way I get better is I write. I write myself. She's like, no, no, no, you have to share with all the people. So that's what the book is about. But it also talks about becoming whole and how you can heal yourself. There's a chapter about standing on the shoulders of giants and also reclaiming yourself and knowing yourself and setting boundaries. But it's put together as a love letter. They're like letters and very poetic.

19:46:798 Lorna Owens
 So those are the two things recently I'm proud of. One is scary, but we'll make it work.

19:54:835 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And I will put both books under your podcast entry on the website so that people can find the books and hopefully buy them. You mentioned people writing and finding it hard to start. What guidance would you give to somebody who may be halfway there or three quarters of the way there and suddenly stops and needs that next push?

19:59:972 Lorna Owens
 Thank you. Thank you.

20:23:301 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 How were you able to push through writing two books in a year?

20:28:068 Lorna Owens
 So make a plan, an appointment, not so much of plan, but an appointment with yourself. Eight o'clock every day I'm going to write two paragraphs, whatever, right? And honor that. So you say to yourself, I don't want to do it, but I said I was going to do it, I'm going to honor my work, I'm going to walk in integrity, right? So you hold yourself like that. And just write every day. Some days it will be crap, don't worry about it, just write. And resist the temptation to edit as you're writing, just write. And then you can go back and edit and then you get a real editor to edit it. But I think that when we start, we get bogged down in the nuance of writing and edit, and that doesn't work, it can't work, it doesn't ever work. Writers don't do it like that, just write. And even right when you don't feel right, right when it's not good, just write. It doesn't matter. You look up one day and they're like, I got a book. So that's how that goes.

21:48:057 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Thank you for that guidance. Please tell us about a time when you made a difference in another's life. What were the circumstances? Paint a picture for me.

21:58:991 Lorna Owens
 My goodness. I remember, you know, like I said, my thing is service, right? And I have two things. One is a long, long time ago, I was a prosecutor in Miami-Dade County. That's an attorney who makes sure people pay for whatever crimes legally for what they do. And apparently there was a young man when I was a prosecutor who came in from Jamaica with some marijuana on Air Jamaica. So you know how long that was, right? And he told me he was a student at CAS. I verified it and apparently reduced it from trafficking into something simpler. Fast forward, I get a call maybe 25 years later. This is Noah Mann and he's crying and says, I saved your life. He tells me the story about how he talked to me and how I helped him and how I got him out of jail. I'm a prosecutor. I got him out of jail. I got him out of, he went to immigration. He saw me there talking to the immigration lawyer and that I gave him $60 and said, don't let me down. So fast forward, I don't remember him. I said, well, I'm coming to Jamaica. You can go take me to see an aunt. I don't remember him. I said, sir, I gotta tell the truth. I don't remember your case. He said, no, no, no, you were the prosecutor. I said, oh, are you gonna kill me then? Because why would you be thanking me? This guy now travels the world as a sound engineer for some of the greatest bands in the world. And he never missed Christmas or my birthday to call me and say, hello, Auntie Lorna, right? And even recently, like two weeks ago, I'm like, if I had not, that guy perhaps would have died in jail. You know, that sort of thing. That certainly stands out every day because when I go to Jamaica, I don't know how my cell phone is taking care of. I can hear him topping it up from wherever he is in the world. And that was huge, you know, and so forth. And there was a young woman...

24:24:565 Lorna Owens
 ... that I represented as an attorney and she had, she had done a lot of stuff and I got her out and after a while I got her out, she became a writer, you know, she's traveling all over the country writing and speaking, so yeah, those two things.

24:45:131 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 So I just want to go back to a question that I have. You were a nurse and then became a lawyer and prosecutor. How did you make the switch? Because they're very different careers, very different focuses.

24:55:425 Lorna Owens
 Okay. So, okay, so I trained as a registered nurse in Jamaica, University of the West Indies, and then I went to England and studied midwifery. When I came to America, I was recruited back in the 70s as a nurse because there was a shortage of nurses here in America. So I got recruited here to do nursing. And while I was here, I thought, I always wanted to be a lawyer because when I was 12, I said to my mother, I wanted to become a lawyer and she said lawyers did not go to heaven. So I chose a heaven-worthy profession, which was nursing. And so then I went to University of Florida, I became a lawyer, went to law school. The idea was that I would do medical malpractice or something related to my health background. But all of those are heavily trial work. So my mentor said to me, no, go to either the US Attorney's Office or the State Attorney's Office and get trial experience, right? Because you already have the other piece. You just need the trial experience. So as I went, I became an assistant state attorney under Janet Reno, Dade County State Attorney's Office, with the idea of only working for three years, getting the experience and going about my business. I fell in love with criminal law then, right? And so when I opened my practice, I did entertainment law and criminal law. And don't ask me, they do come together from time to time. Just ask Bobby Brown or R. Kelly, right? So that's how that went.

26:47:343 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 But you still have a passion for nursing.

26:48:825 Lorna Owens
 Oh, nursing is it. I mean, I walk it, sleep it, breathe it, right? Sometimes I wonder, had I not grown up in the Caribbean, I perhaps instead of going to a nursing school, I have gone to medical school. And I say that just because I am good at diagnosing. Even things other people can't diagnose. I'm like, even now, I would say to my friends, okay, all right, all right, when you go back to the doctor, ask them to draw this blood work. Yeah, you know, because I don't know, it sounds like. And sure enough, you know, or Dr. Mary Jo Sullivan, we were talking about mid-riff free and I'm like, I can't believe how much I remember. And she said, sure you do. You know, that sort of thing. Yeah.

27:31:055 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 What were the key strengths and qualities you relied on to make a difference in people's lives generally, but the two examples that you gave?

27:42:670 Lorna Owens
 I think you have to feel for other people, right? I think that people get into stuff and you have to be able to hear it and understand it. I was a prosecutor, so I was against crime. But this young man told a compelling story. And as a prosecutor, I had great power to either destroy him or make a difference. I know why I could do that. And so, you know, I'm not running around helping everybody, that's not the idea, but I think that you have to have empathy, right? And sometimes you have to understand how people get into, how life happens. And understand that even if you can't do anything, a kind word. When I used to practice law full time, know, I even... Last night or the night before, my friend in New York called me and she says, I'm watching you on TV. I'm watching you on Cameron Hall, a case you did, right? And that's a case where the woman ended up having two people killed, created a situation where two people were killed, her boss and somebody else. But I always respected her. Even my clients were murderers. I called them Mr. and Mrs. And if the prosecutor or anybody disrespect them, I'll fight, you know? I'll take off the airing and fight. Because at the end of the day, they're human beings. And I think that we live in a world now where we see other people as other, and that's a big mistake, because it erodes the soul. Yeah, you might think that you can think of them as other, but here's the deal. It erodes your soul. It erodes your humanity. And at the end of the day, that's all you got.

29:42:859 Lorna Owens
 Yes.

29:48:025 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Lorna, can you recall a situation where you overcame a challenge that led to personal growth? What did you learn from that experience?

29:54:007 Lorna Owens
 Yes, how much time you have. So I opened a record label and I lost a million and a half, right? Many years ago. And I got to the point where I'm looking under my bed for a quarter. And this is not a joke, this is for real. And I have like no money. So I am in my condo on Miami Beach and I'm praying to God, how could this happen to me? I've been good, I've walked the walk. And, but I need some money. And it's like, it was like a light shunt on my sports jag in the parking lot. Like, no, no, no, no, not my jag. So I sold it and I paid some bills. There's a problem when you do that. Now you don't have a car. You don't have any money, whatever. And so I took the bus and I remember taking the bus one time and typing on a laptop and a gentleman was on the bus, you know, there's no privacy. Apparently was reading it and he said, Miss, you spelled that word wrong. And I said, it's okay, baby. The computer will correct it. And I don't know, somehow I told him I was a lawyer and he looked at me like, whoa, stay away from me. You know, so was looking under my bed for a quarter. I remember going to the supermarket with $20 because I only had a hundred. And on the way, a voice said to me, look down and I found five. I'm coming back that same trip. I looked down again, I found five. And when I heard from that, God was gonna take care of me no matter what. And when I was like broke, like really, really, really broke, there was a funny thing, I was happy. But I also knew that it was temporary. I didn't internalize it as a broke person. Or maybe it was too crazy, you don't internalize that crap, you just, whatever. I would go, I understood that to pull out of it, I couldn't see myself as broke. I was just having a money issue, cash flow issue. So I'd have my little $5 and I would go to the Ritz Carlton, that time I used to drink coffee and drink coffee. Because the brain doesn't know the difference between real and imagined, right? So here I am in this luxury place. And when they say to me, Ms. Owens, would you like another cup? I'm like, do I have to pay for that or is it a refill? Cause I have $5.

32:20:310 Lorna Owens
 And that is to buy the coffee and for the tip, you know? And so I would sit there, because I never saw myself as broken or anything like that. And I had, there was something in my belly that knew that I was going to be okay. And how it changed me and how it empowered me and was that before that everything I touched turned to gold. I don't know, nothing, you could, on a weekend, you know, you want to have some money, I need to borrow. How much you want in my pocket? Five, a thousand, five. I don't know that kind of world. That was interesting. Interesting because it's not like I had a little money, I had no money. I knew God was faithful and everything was going to be alright. And so it is.

33:14:671 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 How did you come out of that for somebody who may be listening to this and down to their last 20, down to their last five and walking on faith? What guidance do you give?

33:24:823 Lorna Owens
 Yeah. Don't internalize it. And give yourself grace. Don't be hard on yourself. Could this happen to me? Don't. Because that was like a vortex that will pull you further and further. If you have people who are negative, that's just how they come, right? Say to them, hey, I'm just working on some stuff. If you don't hear from me, don't be worried. I'm fine. Because in other words, you're cocooning yourself in this sort of thing. Listen to positive things. Feed the mind. I used to listen to Les Brown over and over. Les became somebody I listened to, but also eventually became a good friend. Yeah. Pour into yourself. And put one foot in front of the other. If it's only that you made one call today, do it because there are days you're not going to feel like even getting out of bed. But I would make sure I get up, dress, put on my clothes, put on my makeup, going nowhere. It's really important. It's really important. And find something you love. This is since you don't have anything going on for you. You know that thing you always wanted to do? Do it... Because big deal. For me was, know, Miami Herald, when I quit law, I quit law one time because I got burnt out. And Miami Herald wrote this big article on me front page on the Sunday, on the Monday paper, how about I had changed and I'd opened a record label. Big deal, right? And so it was strange that here I am out of that, I found that. But I...

35:22:872 Lorna Owens
 Wanted to, I started speaking and sharing my story, right? And I would go places and hope that they give me an honorarium or whatever to get back, right? So, one time I was going to Atlanta or something and to get the opportunity I told them that I would fly myself there but they had to cover everything else. And come the week, have no money to fly myself anywhere. So I thought I would take Greyhound. And then I realized Greyhound was just as expensive as flying. And I prayed. And something said, open your mailbox. I'm like, no, no, no. I don't do mailboxes. The mail stays here until I'm past my security. It says, it's your mail, that sort of thing. But I went. And in it was a check from AT&T and must have overpaid for $2,000. So never question the miracle. Your job is to just be in the flow. You just have to be in the water when it's troubled. That's my story. God will come through for you no matter what. Even when there's, you know, we say when you can't see God's hand, but you have to trust God's heart. I don't know who might need to hear this, but I will say that if you have faith, if you believe, if you put one foot in front of the other, right, if you don't allow it to pull you under, because it will pass, whether you do anything or not, it will pass. How you come out of it is up to you. And sometimes, doors have to close for you to walk into your purpose, yes? Right? And so that's what that did. Now I was speaking all over the country. I ended up in New Zealand one time, and Singapore one time, and so forth and so forth.

37:34:072 Lorna Owens
 But you have to be on purpose. And that's what you're going to do. The new you, it can't be about you. And it's a very dangerous time we live in now because we see grown people dancing and carrying on on TikTok like everybody else and saying, look at me. This is what I do and all like that. Don't get caught up in that because that's just social media crap. I only learn that I'm doing my book signing that these influencers literally come in these spaces take pictures, they don't buy a book, they don't engage, they take a beautiful picture with themselves in a bookstore and they walk. Oh so that's how they do it. So don't, don't, don't envy other people. You don't know what how they got to where they have. Don't compare yourself with other people no no no that will kill you more than anything don't criticize other people. Become a servant leader and the person that you help might not be the person to pour into you, but that's none of your business. Do it because you're on purpose.

38:52:259 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 You had a lot of good gems in there. You had a lot of really good gems. And I was writing furiously to make sure I capture some of them. Before I go to our next formal question, a record company. OK, so a nurse, a lawyer, a record company owner. How did that come about?

38:54:039 Lorna Owens
 I live a long time and stuff happened.

39:16:417 Lorna Owens
 So I'm an entertainment lawyer and my daddy passed away in Jamaica and this young woman sang like I'd never heard before. And I thought, I guess that's my daddy telling me, God telling through my daddy that I should sign this girl to a label that I don't have, right? So I came back to Miami, did this record label thing. It was great. It was called Positive Eye Music. And first of all, we did... Somebody came to me with this artist, a guy called Lavasca, amazing artist. Things didn't work out for him. I signed him to Sony. His backup singer was Taras Riley. Yeah, so Taras and I go back, way, way, way back, right? And then I had this girl and I got her to top 10 on the gospel charts and then that's a big deal. And I love it. I love being creative. I like putting together packages and books and... And it was a glorious time. We're traveling with this guy and creating his image and did a record launch on South Beach that they'd never seen before. It's creativity just, I could not eat, not sleep. I love the creative process. So that's how the record label came about. And then she got ill and I lost my money. So I didn't have the record label anymore. So that's how it came.

40:49:911 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Hmm and...

40:51:659 Lorna Owens
 But hold on, but even things you fail at, become your teacher. Because the work I do now, how I design myself, how I know how to talk to graphic designers, how I create my teas and this, all of those skills came from what I learned in the record industry.

40:56:878 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Mm-hmm.

41:19:577 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Things you feel that become your teacher.

41:21:451 Lorna Owens
 Yeah, yeah. So don't say, I feel like, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's a teacher. You learn. It's skills you never had that you now have. And a wise person says, don't walk down that road anymore. Don't go back down that road anymore.

41:36:951 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Hahaha!

41:52:589 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 You are listening to AB Wilson's Heart of the Matter podcast. Welcome back to AB Wilson's Heart of the Matter. My guest today is Lorna Owens. Lorna, we've talked about your journey as a nurse. We've talked about your journey as a lawyer. We've talked about your journey as a record label owner. As you look back over your life and look at where you are now today and all the lives that you've touched, all the things that you've done, all the lessons that you've learned and presumably taught others. What self-care practices or strategies help you to sustain your energy and motivation while navigating your journey?

42:39:445 Lorna Owens
 Okay, so people who know me know that I always say self-care matters.

42:47:351 Lorna Owens
 And a drink. Self-care matters. And so I make sure that I get more often than not seven to nine hours of sleep a night. And because one has to realize you can't make up sleep. You now know that when you fall into a deficit, it's not like a bank. You withdraw money and you put more money in. You can't. And not having sleep will create a lot of problems for your chronic diseases. I watch what I eat. No, I don't watch what I eat. I am very intentional about what I eat. I don't eat meat at all. And sometimes you tell people you don't eat meat and they think it's red meat. I don't eat chicken. I don't eat meat, right? I have a little bit of fish, but I'm primarily vegetarian, working my way to be about at least 80% raw. And I'm working on exercising... you're working it because that's my weakest link. Know that. I also know for sure that community matters. When you look, there's a thing called the blue zone where people live the longest and so forth. Some of them drink wine, some of them don't, whatever. Some eat meat, some don't. But the one common denominator that they all have is community. So wherever I live, wherever I move to, I always find an anchor, which is my church. And I hope that, and I think this is true, I'm a good girlfriend to my girlfriends. And I check in on my peeps. And I make sure even though I'm traveling, I'm busy, hey, I'm back. You want to come for lunch, you want to come for dinner, you want to, yeah, it's important. People who say they're loners, that's not a good thing. Don't have, I don't, I know a lot of people, but I have a couple...

Close friends, right? And you, so those things are important. Sleep, rest, sleep and rest, thing, exercise, community. I love the theater. So there's every month I go to the theater here in Orlando, the Dr. Phillips. That's an hour away, but that's important to me. I love to see Broadway plays. I love jazz.

45:06:570 Lorna Owens
 I mean, I love to sit and, you know, yes, and I do, every once in a while I have a glass of wine and I'll go to a white bar and I'll sit and listen to music and have a glass of wine. I read, you know, I love to read. So self-care matters. I spoil myself a lot. Spa, fine dining, because I think it's important. Because as you're pouring out, you need to pour into yourself because you can become empty.

45:48:633 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Thank you for sharing. How might your experiences of success and growth create a positive ripple effect in your family, community, the world?

46:00:801 Lorna Owens
 I've always believed, you know, I wrote a piece again in Becoming Whole that I come to weakness and I come to change the world, not for fortune, but because purpose is written on my soul. And there's no doubt in my mind that Yeah, I'm making a difference in the world. When I was in Ghana a couple of weeks ago, I created a drink for the mothers there, the pregnant moms, because one of the problems, the number one killer of pregnant moms is postpartum hemorrhage. And underlying that is anemia. If you are anemic, you're not gonna clot, right? And so there is a berry there called turkey berry or gully berry. I know it from Jamaica as Susumba. And so we created a drink there, and it has a lot of iron, that's the point. And so I created a drink with pineapple and orange, the vitamin C to help bind the iron and so forth. And the mothers love the drink. It tastes good, they love it. And so I come back and they name it Mama Lorna's Blessings. And so people can buy Mama Lorna Blessings for $6 and that helps a woman. So I know that the work I do to reduce maternal infant mortality matters and it will live on past me. And for years we've done something called And the Women Gather. It's a literary jazz brunch once a year at the Ritz Carlton. The next one is coming up October 11th, Ritz Carlton in Miami. And next year we're doing And the Women Gather Africa. It's going to be May 9th in Ghana, so everybody has to come. But through that, and once a month I would do the Women's Institute at the Ritz Carlton. So many women who have become professionals or entrepreneurs will say, you know, it's because of you. So I'm good. I'm good.

48:24:345 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Thank you. And what exciting opportunities do you see on the horizon? How do these opportunities align with your passions and aspirations?

48:34:174 Lorna Owens
 Well, what people need to know is Africa is rising. It's a vibrant continent. There's a lot of opportunities there. And I see myself mingling with my sisters on the continent to tell our story. You know, Chimamanda talks about the single story where we talk about Africa as a dark continent and so forth and so forth. Well, I hope I can do my little piece to change that narrative, because if that's the only thing we say about the continent, and first of all remind people that when you're going to Ghana, Nigeria or whatever, you're not going to Africa, you're going to a country. Africa is a continent. All right. So now that we've cleared that up I see great opportunities and I say to women, because that's my deal, entrepreneurs, you're struggling in your country, go, go to Africa. Find somebody, team up with somebody. There's a lot of money from an entrepreneurial opportunity. You'll be giving, but you're going to receive it. You're going make a lot of money because Africa is hopping. The folks I met from Karen Hendrickson in Ghana and so forth, yeah, these countries are doing very well and we need to get that colonial mentality out of our head that the colonizers put there that tell us Africa is a dark country. It's a very vibrant country. It is the seat of a lot of cultural stuff. Nigeria has amazing fabric, you know. So you all need to go over there because there are lots of opportunities and it will serve us all well. Yeah.

50:28:111 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And if somebody were going to an African country for the first time based on the countries that you've been to, which would you recommend first? Your starter country.

50:41:992 Lorna Owens
 I think Ghana is an easy slide. It's a recognizable thing. I would do perhaps Ghana. You know, if the person comes from an English speaking country, if you're a country that was colonized by the British, then there's familiarity there, you know. And just go with humility. Don't go like you're going to tell these people what to do. They have a lot to teach us.

51:22:637 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Lorna, what brings you joy?

51:25:053 Lorna Owens
 Work. The work, the fact that I know that I'm making a difference in the world, right? I do that. And also that I love stuff, you know, I love when I say stuff I like to walk by the water, you know, I love to dine. It's not a lot of food thing, but it's fine dining. If you have a fine dining restaurant somewhere in the world, you might see me at some time in your lifetime. I love the idea of sitting down and tasting food and texture and beautiful ambiance and yeah. And art, I mean, I collect art. How could I forget that? I need either a new house or I need to stop collecting.

52:22:179 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Do you have any favorite artists that you collect?

52:25:281 Lorna Owens
 I see the Cissipian Art of Jamaica as great, you know, but the gaze of the world is also on the diaspora, art of the diaspora. That's where the collectors say, this is news flash. That's where the collectors are going. When you go to places like Art Basel, which is perhaps the biggest art show in the world in Miami, they're looking at the diaspora, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa. And so for me, when you come to my house, there's no doubt it should be that Lorna lives here and she black, right? So it's nice so much in art is it is energy which is collecting art of the diaspora, the Caribbean and Africa. It doesn't have that much African-American, you know, maybe I can change at some point, but definitely the art of the diaspora. I think that it should be in our homes. And we should not be going around and going to these little places and buying this crazy little piece of things that you buy at Walmart and put it on your expensive home. I think we should collect our art so our kids and our grandchildren can see it. And our art, everybody else is collecting our art, so our art should be in our homes.

53:47:391 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 I have this theory. I've been to quite a number of African countries and I remember going to a Southern African country and seeing the work of the artisans and then traveling outside of African countries and seeing that same work selling for thousands and thousands of dollars. And I look at it and I said, I know that the artists did not get those thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars for their work. And it was at that point that I made a commitment to myself that I would always, wherever possible, get the work from the artists themselves.

54:17:832 Lorna Owens
 Yep. Yeah. Yeah.

54:30:878 Lorna Owens
 Not at all.

54:45:107 Lorna Owens
 Yes, yeah, yeah. And pay fair price. You know, we, I mean, everybody wants a deal, but you don't want to steal, right? So when we go to these countries, stop haggling with people for the last dime, right? Yeah, you're gonna get a break, you're going to bargain, but sometimes it's embarrassing the way we do it. You know, there's a point where you're paying too little for the money, for the art.

54:53:913 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Yes.

55:05:614 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Mm-hmm.

55:14:773 Lorna Owens
 And so forth. So I try not to do that. And so also now I want to wear, like I have this, and these are beautiful, right? And I want to wear the jewelry, since I don't have any more space on the wall, and fabric. Because, like I said, Nigeria is making some amazing textile, and the big designers are using it in their fashion shows in Paris and all like that. And we're looking at it like we're crazy, right? So some of that, and we can use it in our homes as napkins, bed linen and stuff like that. So there's a lot of things and some of the wares, you can use it if it's okay to put food in and it's so attractive when you serve it with, say, fine china and like I have a bowl that I bought back from Ghana and so you know, so there's all my fine china and then there's this beautiful piece like art that I'm serving stuff in. It's just, it's just fabulous. There's just a lot of fabulousness on the continent that we can incorporate in our day-to-day life that says who we are and creates a conversation with our friends.

56:29:071 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 That's it.

56:50:787 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 What book recommendation do you have? And I heard you say earlier, you're a reader. So the book can be something that you've read recently or a book that has stayed with you over the years.

57:04:134 Lorna Owens
 Okay, there's a little book, tiny little book called The Y Cafe that I think has changed my life. I love The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. I love anything, New York, My Village, the artist, New York, My Village, amazing book. I had him as one of the authors at one of my events. Chimamanda, I love her work, you know, yeah.

57:34:317 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 Lorna, the time has gone by so quickly. Is there anything else that you want to add? Do you have any final thoughts?

57:36:017 Lorna Owens
 Really?

57:43:166 Lorna Owens
 You know, dream big, right? Dream big. But most importantly, put others first. And I don't mean that you're going to be just giving away everything and all like that. Think, find somewhere you can serve, your church, your community. Just want one thing, and you'll find that life becomes blessing. Laugh a lot, and some of it is going to be at your own, at yourself, right? Be kind, even when you feel like cussing somebody, think about it and say poor kindness, because you never know. Life is short. So listen, I thank you for having me. This is wonderful. I guess we could talk for a long time. But I love what you're doing. This is service, because your audience would never have known me had you not brought me to the marketplace. I want to thank you for that.

58:40:545 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 And I want to thank you for saying yes. I appreciate you saying yes and coming on the show and sharing your wisdom. And some of the appreciation nuggets that I'm taking away are things that you said. And one of them is when you can't see God's hand, trust God's heart. And another one, sometimes doors have to close for you to walk in your purpose. And something else you said is, don't envy others. You don't know what they did to get to where they are. And a final, the things you fail at, become your teacher. Lorna Owens, thank you so much for joining me on ABWilson's Heart of the Matter.

59:29:489 Lorna Owens
 You

59:37:493 Aderonke Bademosi Wilson
 A podcast dedicated to asking overwhelmingly positive questions as we uncover incredible stories and wisdom of people you may know. Lorna Owens, thank you so much.

59:49:972 Lorna Owens
 Peace and blessings, my sister.