She Quit Then Won: Black Women Leaving Corporate America

Kellie James worked her way up the corporate latter then she quit and opened her own business called Drenched Cycle Studio. Her journey was one of grit and determination with a deep desire to WIN. 

Get inspired and listen to the latest podcast episode of The Truth Ain't In Us with Host, Tonya Wilder. Don't forget to like and subscribe for all of the real and raw conversations we love to have.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome everyone, I'm Tanya Wilder, the host of The Truth Ain't In S. And here we tell the truth. We're unapologetic, and we keep it 100. Today, I have a special guest joining us today. And she decided to leave corporate America to step out on our own. And I believe step out on faith. 100%. You know? Yeah. So let's welcome Kelly to the show. Yeah. Kelly, let's introduce please introduce yourself to everyone.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Hi everyone. My name is Kelly James, and I am the founder and CEO of Drench Cycle Studio and located right here in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. And yes, so I did. I stepped out on faith about three years ago. I was working in corporate America. I have a background in IT project management. I've been doing that for 15 plus years now. Wow. And um it's it's it's a long story, but I decided that I wanted to open a spin studio, which seems so random because it is. Um have you ever tried spin? Do you know what that is? I have tried spin, and for me, I didn't like it.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

It was too much. It was too yeah, and and don't get me wrong.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

No, no, I hear this all the time, so it's fine. But what did what didn't you like?

SPEAKER_02 1:28

I didn't like the fast, you know, going the fast speed, the pickup and all of that, and it was too much up and down, up and down. Yeah, and it was too long. But um, I know several people that do it and they love it.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Yeah, yeah. It it spin is one of those things for me, and the reason I fell in love with it was because it was right after COVID. I had packed on about 15 pounds. And I I needed to get the weight off of me really quickly. And um a co-worker uh invited me to try spin, and I tried it, and within two weeks I had lost, I think it was like 11 pounds. And and I mean, it was like this the fat just rolled off of me, and I became obsessed with it, like really obsessed, and I just wanted to share it with the world. I was like, Y'all don't know, y'all don't know about this. All these people trying to lose weight, y'all never heard of spin, and I just got on this tangent and I just wanted to open a studio and like tell everybody about spin.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

So before we get into all of that, tell us. So you grew up here in Atlanta. Yep. Okay, and what was your upbringing like?

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Uh I would say lower middle class. Um, you know, my parents weren't wealthy by any any means. Um, I wasn't poverty stricken or anything like that, but definitely lower middle class. I've had to struggle. I know what it's like to, you know, be without lights. I know what it's like to, you know, be in a house and the water got turned off and you have to go and get jugs of water to flush the toilet. You know, so I I've definitely gone through those things as a child. So I know how to adapt. And I think um I think those parts of my childhood made me very resilient. Um, and this has also helped me be able to adapt through difficult times. So I wouldn't change it for the world. Let's move fast forward. So college at all? A little bit, but not traditional. I didn't go to a tradition traditional college, mainly because I was a team mom. Um, not that that stops people, but I just didn't have the opportunity to do it. So I did like Strayer, which is like a local, you know, college. Strayer too. Okay, but I didn't finish. I don't finish either.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Well, you don't finish it either, but I started making a lot of money, and I'm like, who needs college?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Yeah, I I didn't finish, but I did. I do have, I think maybe two years under my belt.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Oh my god, we are so much similar. We have a lot in common. I I did two years, well, I think I did a total of three years. Okay. Maybe I think it was like three years, but once I started making money, uh yeah, I was like, I don't need college. Okay. But I did force education in my house. Education was very big for me when it came to my children.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

I I same.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Yeah, same.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

So I definitely tried to push that narrative. One listened, one didn't. So, you know, kids. What do you do?

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Yes. You said you had kids at a young age, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

Um, starting at what age?

SPEAKER_01 4:42

I had my son when I had just turned 17. So I was pregnant when I was 16. I had my daughter when I was 19.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

Same um father.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Same, yeah. We were uh high school sweethearts.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

And so how was that for you being a teen mom? Was it kind of tough or it was hard.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

It was really hard. You know, I I felt like I couldn't do the things that my other, you know, my friends were doing. There were a lot of times I couldn't, I wanted to go to parties and you know, just all of that. I didn't get to do that stuff. Not for real, for real. So I I felt like I missed a lot. Um, and I had kids. Like that, you know, none of my other friends had kids. I was like the only one with the kids. For the most yeah. Everyone else waited later to have kids. So it was it was really tough. Um, I struggled, you know, like I was working, but I had to pay two daycares where most people have to pay one.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

So yeah, it was it was very, very tough.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

So you had your children. Yep. You went to Strayer. Yep. Right? And you didn't finish. Did not finish. Why not?

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Because I I needed money. So I started um working. So I my one of my first, I guess, big girl jobs was I was a manager for a company called Charlotte Rouge, which was the clothing. Remember Charlotte Rouge back in the day? Yeah, so I was um an assistant manager for their Mauler, Georgia location. Um, from there, I ended up working for a company called Title Wave, which is now Title Max, which is you okay. Um, and I ended up working my way up, and I became a branch manager for Title Max, and that was kind of like how I was able to quickly start moving up the corporate ladder. Because from a young age, I've always been some kind of a manager, then I was a branch manager, and I mean my career path just never stopped from there.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

So, were you ever on section eight or anything like that to help you? No. Okay. Because a lot of people, not to say and not to say anything against it, because my par my mom was on section eight.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

Food stamps and all that stuff when we were growing up.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

I mean, now don't get it twisted. Like I kind of wish maybe I would have did it back then, because a lot of people were like, oh, you can get, you know, a voucher. I I guess that's what it's called for like a house or something, because you got kids, and like people were doing it. I just didn't do it. I'm like, well, I'm working, like I'm a you know, so I just didn't do it. But and it's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Um, but that's just not my story.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Got you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

And so you've always had some hustle in you from what I learned very quickly how to um navigate corporate America from a very young age, and I was very, very good at it. And I'm still very, very good at it now. So I was I was able to kind of figure out how corporate worked and how it worked for me and what my strengths were and how to like use my strengths to be able to move up the corporate ladder, and I'm very good at it.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

You talk about moving up corporate the corporate ladder. Yeah. Wha how did you get into what is it, tech? Um, exactly. What did you do before you started your business?

SPEAKER_01 8:05

So before I started Drenched, I was an IT project manager.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Yeah, you get into IT. With and I'm gonna ask this because most of the time you have to have a degree in that field.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Right? Before before they hire you. Because it's a very it's a very lucrative field at the end of the day. So how were you able to work my way up?

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Yes. So I um ended up applying for a job as an administrative assistant for um a company called, I think it was called Technical Indovation. This was in 2015. The gentleman that I worked for, he was um the director of operations for like a branch within this company, right? Um, a white guy. Um, and he had his PMP, was very successful, um, had had a military background, all of this stuff. So I've I worked for him. And he pretty much put set me down and was like, I'm gonna tell you what you need to do to get to six figures. Wow. He was like, all you gotta do is just do what I tell you to do. And so he was, I never heard knew what a project manager was before then. I never even heard of it, didn't know it was a career path, nothing. And he sat me down and he was like, all right, so the first thing you got to do is you gotta get your capum. And a capum is basically like the step under a um PMP. So a PMP is a project manager's like certification or whatever. It's a really big deal in that industry. But the capum is one that you can get um as someone who doesn't have any experience, it's basically like an entry-level uh certification. It's not easy though. You mean you have to study for it. Um, and he helped me study for it and he put me on a career path, and I did everything he told me to do down to the last thing. And I literally everything he told me worked.

SPEAKER_02 10:07

So was he your mentor?

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Yeah, he was. His name's Stan Pageant, and we're still friends to this day. I was about to ask you that. Yeah, and I mean he changed my life, to be perfectly honest. Like, he opened my eyes up to see, because prior to that, I really never had any real, real interactions with Caucasians in regards to like on a personal level, uh-huh. Like the way that they raised their kids and the way that you know it's like generational wealth. I I've heard of it, but I didn't have any real interaction. And he brought me in and I was just able to see like a different side of how people that have real wealth, how they get to that point.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

So, what do you think it was about you that was special that he took a liking took a liking to you and wanted to see you win and be successful?

SPEAKER_01 10:58

I think it was a couple things. One, I think it was the way I carried myself from the gate. Um, I also believed that I showed a willingness to learn, but more importantly, I was willing to listen. A lot of people come into situations and they think they know everything.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

I knew I didn't know everything and I shut up and I did what he told me to do, and it worked out for me. You know, some people aren't humble. I was very humble and I wanted to get better, and he saw that I wanted to get better, and he was like, as long as you put in the effort, I'm gonna help you. And that's exactly what he did. And that that job changed my life. If it was not for that job, I would not be in the position that I am today. And I know that without a shadow of a doubt.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

I worked in corporate America, and there is such a thing as you gotta play the game.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

Right?

SPEAKER_01 11:52

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 11:53

Um I like playing games.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Yeah. So I mean, you know, it so for me, what I will say, um, starting off because Stan was so highly respected at that company, everybody knew that I was like untouchable.

unknown 12:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

So I didn't have any real issues. Even when, you know, um after I moved from being an administrative assistant, my first PM role wasn't under his umbrella. I actually had to apply for a project management job with a different department. Of course, he signed off on it and was like, I highly recommend Kelly. I know she can do the job, blah, blah, blah. And obviously that's the reason why they gave it to me. But I didn't have um a lot of the, I guess, difficulties that you hear about with black women specifically in corporate America. So I do want to be very transparent and say that is not my story. Um, but what I will say is I learned that you still do have to play a role. Like I carry myself a certain way. Um, I don't uh in that environment, I wasn't going in, you know, wearing big lashes, crazy hairstyles, you know, I was very, very plain in that environment. I stayed very under the radar, but when I spoke, it was very intentional. I had a goal, I knew what the goal was, and I came to work, I showed up, and once I hit the goal, I moved on to something else.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

So two things. First thing is, do you did you see the good old boys' club at all when you were?

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Oh, this was this was a very predominantly white company. You know, and I will well, now that I think about it, when I first, first, first, first started, there was one situation where um a VP of another department, his wife, had kind of had my role. And because they were married, it was a conflict of interest, so they kind of told her she couldn't work there no more. So essentially I came in supporting her husband, and she did not like that. Um, there was one particular um, I think an email that had gone out where she made made a comment about she wasn't sure if I could type because my nails were too long. You know, and so I and I remember thinking, wow, you know, my nails too long. But I cut them. Most people would not have done that. I cut them, I did, because it was just like, I'm not, you're not gonna have any reason. I'm you're not gonna have any reason. And so I cut them, and that was that, and I kept it moving, and I and I mentally I was like, I just need to get what I need to get from this company, and once I get it, I'm moving on, and that's the end of it. So I'm not gonna get into like this back and forth with her or anybody else. A lot of people would not have done that, but I did it. And I didn't feel no kind of way about it. All of the women came to work. I mean, this is like majority a white company. These women had really nice Chanel suits. You know, I didn't have all that stuff. Um, but what I would do is I would go to um Goodwill and I would thrift and put myself in the cleaners and you know, come to work and still look presentable. So it it worked, you know, and back then I just wanted the opportunity and I knew that that's what I needed to do to get there.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

So when you see the younger generation today and them not wanting to work, it's all about social media, yeah, um, being rich, or I think a lot of them are playing, you know, they're faking it until they make it. And some of them will never make it at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

So what's your thoughts on, you know, the the younger generations not wanting to work anymore?

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Yeah, um, I have a lot of thoughts. I and and this is not all of the generation, but and I'm just gonna speak from what I've seen, and I'll even with my kids, right? I don't know about nobody else's kids, but I I will say I feel that this generation is entitled. They they seem they come off as being entitled as if you owe them something and they deserve it without putting in any work. And I I just can't really process like how did you get here? Like, why do you feel this way? Like, I just don't get it.

SPEAKER_02 16:39

I think we got them there because growing up, you know, we had to work our butts off to get to where we want to be successful in life, right? And we didn't want our kids to struggle like we struggle. And I think um we gotta we gotta own that. We gotta own that. And I think hopefully the next generation will get back to get back to that. And and what I mean by that, because I think with me, um, I was a little tough on my kids, but then I still was a I I was lenient as well. Yeah, because I would take them to the parties and make sure there was uh chaperone, there wasn't no alcohol and stuff being served like that. But at the end of the day, um I believe I still instilled in them good work ethics, manners. And I think a lot of the kids today they don't have manners. They don't. They don't have customer service skills.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Don't even get, we can have a now that can be a whole nother podcast. Maybe we need to pin that one, because I got a lot that I want to say about um customer service and lack thereof. Yes. And I I'm almost inclined to believe that they don't know. And some so sometimes it's like blind is leading the blind. Yeah, it's like, what is going on? Like I take customer service very serious, like very serious. That is one of the things that if you have the opportunity to read Drench's reviews, that's at the forefront of everything that I do is to provide exceptional customer service. And so when I go places and I don't get that in return, I'm like, I'm not spending my money here.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

I'm just I'm not doing it. Like if you can't feel the same way. Yeah, like I'm not, because money is, you know, I work hard, and if you can't provide me with at least decent customer service, I'm not spending my money with you.

SPEAKER_02 18:43

I will walk away. I'll be like, and I can have the order right there in front of me.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Oh, I have done it several times.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

Give me my money back here. Have take it back. Several times, you know, and just give me my money. Because to me, customer service is everything. Yes. At the end of the day. Thank you. It is. It is. Now getting back to your story.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Look, we done went out on a table. Yes, we did. I told you I can talk.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

So getting back to your story.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

I eventually ended up getting my PMP, though. Okay. Yes, I do have that. And of course, that's that to answer your previous question. How did I end up in like the IT project management? Well, that's how.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Yeah, I mean, you have a PMP. I mean, in that world, that is your degree. Gotcha. Yeah. But that came, of course, you know, later, because you have to have so many hours of managing projects and you gotta have somebody sign off on it in this and this and that. So that's how I was able to end up eventually getting my PMP. And that's opened a lot of doors. I have a a very um di ex dis extensive uh portfolio as it pertains to project management. I've worked for companies like Equifax, I've worked for um Parities, I was managing their network consolidation project across 105 of the airports. And so, yeah, I have a lot of experience in that in that field.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

So let's talk about you stepping out on faith and opening up your own business.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

I saw at the time that I wasn't doing a good job being a business owner and trying to juggle that particular job because it was a very, very demanding job. I was in charge of I had 105 airports that I had to consolidate get their network consolidated. And that's not an easy task to do. So trying to at the time having drenched and drenched is open. I have instructors that are working for me and getting back to customer service, right? You can't provide exceptional customer service for a new business. If you over if I'm over there in Vinin's consolidating the network, I I wasn't present at that time. Like physically, I was not there. And um after a couple months, you know, I think one of the instructors made the comment, like, Kelly, you really need to be here. And I was like, damn, I really do need to be. I mean, this is a baby. Like if you when you open up a business, that is a baby. And the person, and it's nobody's responsibility but mine. And so I made the decision. I was like, well, I can't do both. Not at this stage of the business. I couldn't do both. And so I had some savings, and so I made the decision to let the career go because I knew one or two things were gonna happen. Either I was gonna fail with drenched, or I was gonna get fired. My professional um resume means a lot to me, and I worked very hard to get to that point. So the thought of getting fired, I just couldn't stomach it. So I decided to leave so I could just focus on getting drenched up.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

What made you want to start a business?

SPEAKER_01 21:50

I've always had an entrepreneur spirit. So even before, even before drenched, I had a um a cooking company where I did cooking classes. For kids. It was called feeling kind of snackish. I had a vending machine company where I had vending machines in a lot of the gyms that are here now, like one being the Lof, which is probably like the largest gym. Yeah, so like the Lof's original location, the first vending machine that they ever had, that was my vending machine. Wow. And so I've always had like that hustler spirit in me, and I get that from my dad. My dad ain't never worked the job ever.

SPEAKER_02 22:29

Has any of your businesses ever failed?

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Yeah. The smoke shop failed. Okay. Yeah, it failed horribly. Yeah, it did. And it was because I didn't know what I was doing. At that time, I didn't have a mentor. I didn't have anyone that I could ask questions to. Like, how do you something as simple as how do you determine a price? Like there's a skill set that goes into that. You have to know your price margin. And how do you figure that out? Like it's a mathematical number. You know, you don't just pull this stuff from thin air, right? Um, and so I didn't have anyone to ask questions to. What I had was a lot of heart. And um, and so I was like, oh, I'm gonna open up a smoke shop. What I did know at that time is that eventually Georgia was going to pass the law to make uh marijuana legal. And I had overheard someone saying that anyone that has a smoke shop will get grandfathered in, meaning that you would be one of the first to be able to sell. Yes, yes, I remember that. Yeah, you know, like that was kind of like the talk, and I was like, oh, I want to, I'm this is gonna be a lot of money. And so I jumped out there, I opened that smoke shop, but didn't know nothing about business, nothing, nothing about marketing, nothing about sales, all of that stuff matters. Like you can't just think you're gonna open a brick and mortar and the people gonna run in that dumb.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

Now you started the drenched cycle studio. And when did you start that? And what made you want to do cycling? Like, do you work out?

SPEAKER_01 24:05

I do, I do, I do work out. Um, I so a gentleman had hired me to be a project manager. This is an interesting story. So this guy hired me to manage a project. He was in the process of opening up a 10,000 square foot gym that is currently open right now. I'm not gonna say the the name of the gym on camera, but I was brought on to help him manage the project. So the initial responsibility was managing the construction part of the project, overseeing the contractors coming in and out, the snap, and the third, because he knew I had a background in it. Very quickly, within the first couple of days of me being there, I saw very quickly that this guy didn't really know what he was doing. Um, he didn't really, he wasn't organized. Um, there were things that just for me having businesses that structurally were not in place, like paperwork, insurance, just basic business things that when you're starting a business, like these are the first things that you do. You know what I mean? And he didn't he didn't have it.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

You didn't have that mentor that you mentioned.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Listen, and so me being me, I started doing because I'm a doer. Like, I'm not the type of person, like if something needs to be done, I'm just gonna get, I'm just gonna do it. And he was the person that gave me the idea that I should start a studio. He was like, you know, you be on the bike all the time, you should just open your own studio. So I'm like, hmm, that's a good idea. So what he also promised me was that in this 10,000 square foot space, that one, this this room that's there was gonna be my spin studio. Come to find out this person was not who he had presented himself to be. And I'm sure I don't have to get too much more into depth. You've been you've been around enough people to know where this conversation is going. All right, so the S H I T hit the fan. None of the stuff that was promised to me was delivered on, and it was nothing I could do about it because I did not have a contract in place. So I wasted two and a half years while building this building this person's company that still eventually ended up opening. I was so traumatized by everything that happened. When I went home, I passed out. Literally, from walking, everybody asked me the story. How'd you break your ankle? I'm like, I don't know. Like, do you trip? No, I didn't. I passed out from I think anger, disbelief, just all anything you could think of. And I fell, and it just so happens when I fell, I fell wrong. I broke my ankle. It was for a two seconds. I blacked out. Wow. And from my bed because I had to have emergency surgery on my ankle, and I still have a metal plate and three screws in my ankle to this day. And um, one thing that I will say from that experience is anger will drive you to do some things that you don't even know you can do.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

And betrayal. Absolutely. And from my bed, I made a commitment to myself that I would never allow myself to work for someone. One, without having any paperwork in place, and I would never give anybody all of my um creative ideas, and I would never put that much energy into somebody else's dreams. And so I was like, you know what? I'm not gonna let this person stop me from doing something that I want to do. And I said, I'm going to move forward and I'm gonna figure it out. And I couldn't even walk. Once I got my boot on, I knew I needed to hire a commercial realtor. And this woman took me around, I was in a boot, hobbling around, looking at, looking at spaces, and when I found the the location I'm in now, I couldn't even walk. So that's some faith because you open I'm opening up a spin studio that requires you to be on a bike, and at the time I could not ride a bike. Wow. And the rest was history. Once I got that boot off, I have not stopped.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

Do you believe in karma?

SPEAKER_01 28:33

I do. But sometimes karma takes a long time.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

It does, but you never know if that person is suffering and you just don't see it. I know. There's a lot. This is this is hot atlanta. Sprinkle. Con. Yeah. Con Atlanta. Yeah. Okay. And I mean it's sad at the end of the day because I don't know how some of these people can even look themselves in the mirror. You know what I'm saying? Knowing that they've lied, manipulated someone.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Ruined lives is more like it. Because not only were was I affected, but um my best friend to this day, he was affected. And we we're still feeling the repercussions of that situation. Like my credit still has not recovered from that. Um I I'll go on record to say my relationship, that that's probably one of the major components as to why, you know, me and my fiancee aren't together is probably because of that. Not the whole reason, but I I feel like it played a part for sure. Um, so here we are, what, that was 2023, three years later, and I'm still feeling the repercussions of that. And this person, you see them, they just oh, just like.

SPEAKER_02 29:54

Have I gone to counseling at all?

SPEAKER_01 29:57

But I need to.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

I think so.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:59

But you have this business now.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

I do. And how's the business doing? It's doing really well. Yeah. Drench has been featured on Real Hives Wives of Atlanta, episode four. Okay. So that was really cool. Um, we've been featured on Fox Five several times. We were featured on there in January, and that segment completely like elevated. Like the phone started ringing off the heart off the charts. That segment with Paul Milligan did us wonders. We've been featured um on the Porsche show. Um, I'm getting ready to be featured in the magazine later this year. So, yeah, from I could not have dreamt up this. Now it's been really hard, and I worked really, really hard, but this year I'm starting to see all of the seeds that were planted in 24 and 25, they're finally starting to blossom. So the business is going good. I mean, I'm moving into a new location, so that's telling, you know, I'm expanding the business and we're going to be offering more. So yeah, it's a lot of work, but I mean it's very satisfying.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

I was gonna ask you then how is dating in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_01 31:08

But if you're especially Yeah, we can talk about it. Um dating in Atlanta is I I personally don't date guys that live here. Okay. I just don't. Like, I I just it's there's a reason. Well, you just never know, you know, what people like to do um at night. And it seems like they like to do more than just one species. So, you know, and I ain't try, I don't, I'm not trying to figure it out. Like, I ain't got time to be playing them games. So I and Atlanta's really small. So let so outside of that, and I'm making a joke out of it, but outside of that, my ex is um, he knows a lot of people. We we know a lot of people in the same circles, if you will. So it would kind of be a little hard for me anyway to like meet someone to the caliber of man that I am attracted to, and um the standard that I have set for myself without them knowing him. So I don't really date guys that live here, I date guys that live in other states. So, what's your standard?

SPEAKER_02 32:17

And the reason I asked that, I was going to ask too, would you date some like what's the criteria? I would say at the end of the day, because do they have to have money? Do they have to be successful? Um, are you gonna would you date someone that have less than you?

SPEAKER_01 32:40

First, um, first and foremost, I only talk to and date guys who have um a relationship with God. That's just that's like the first thing. Like if you like if you a praying man, that turns me on. All right. Um but and then I'm a vibe person. So it's really hard to just say like a criteria because I go by vibes. Like if I can vibe with you, like I like someone who has a sense of humor because I got a sense of humor. I can't date nobody that's boring and dry and don't laugh because I think I'm hilarious. So if you're not laughing at my jokes, we're not gonna work out. Um, but and the outside of that, as far as like a bank account amount, it doesn't matter. But what I will say is I found it a little difficult to date guys who've never had an entrepreneur type of experience because they don't typically understand my lifestyle. Um and it can become a little bit difficult when you're trying to like get to know somebody because I'll I'll say, like today, um, I gotta go do a podcast or on a Saturday. Yeah, I do. You know, like so it's like they don't understand that things come up, your schedule changes. Like you have to be very fluent. And I find that when you are dating someone who has been a business owner, they at least can relate to me a lot more versus someone who just works um a corporate job. They they don't, it's like they it's it's some kind of a disconnect that's there. But yes, I want someone who at least has the same, can bring the same to the table as myself. Um, and I'm not like the type of girl that's asking nobody to you gotta pay this and you gotta pay that, and you gotta do. I mean, I I make my own money and I can take care of myself, but I do like nice things.

SPEAKER_02 34:30

So, what do you think about the women today who say, Hey, I gotta have a man who's my sponsor, who's taking care of me, you know, they want these allowances. And I have my take on that because I feel like you put yourself in this in this position, it truly is not even gonna last. No. Right? It never does. It's not gonna last. So how are you going to be able to take care of yourself after this relationship ends at the end of the day?

SPEAKER_01 35:01

So it's it's to me, it's a little sad, you know, like that stuff doesn't last, you know, and I've had guys to want to give me gifts and and you know, take you on trips, and but you're doing something for those things, you know, it's it's it's some kind of an exchange that that is going going on. Yeah, they're expecting something in exchange. Nobody's giving anybody stuff just out of the kindness of their heart. Like, let's just be real. I I've always just been the type of person that at the end of the day, like, it's nobody's responsibility to take care of me but me. And if that person falls on hard times, then what? Y'all both gonna be sitting there looking crazy. You know, I I think a lot of what's floating around on social media is brainwashing a lot of these young girls. And it's really gonna um make life very difficult for them, especially as they get older, because looks fade. Looks fade, and you know we can talk about that. That's a whole yeah, like yeah, you might be the hot thing right now, and these people see you and want to spend money, but what happens when you get older? Everybody gets older.

SPEAKER_00 36:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

And then now what are you gonna do when you hitting, you know, pre-menopausal and you, you know, things starting to shift.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

You know, and and I I don't think that people um think about how 20 years from now, but I can assure you that these last 20 years have flown by for me. I I remember just having my son.

SPEAKER_02 36:36

I'm 56 now.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

Oh, you look freaking amazing. Time has I mean, like a blink of an eye. Yes. Because I'm sitting here, I'm like, well, how did I get to be 44? Like I just was you look great. Thank you, but it I mean, it just it goes by like that, and it's like, what are you doing? Yeah, but that's a whole nother conversation. Yeah, and I think I would like to love to have that one.

SPEAKER_02 36:58

What's about substance at the end of the day and being equally yoked? Because I what that I think these young ladies are missing is that uh you can have a man with money, right? But are you equally yoked at the end of the day? And are you happy?

SPEAKER_01 37:14

Yeah, and are and does he make you let me tell you something. It's a lot of men out here with money I can't be around them for longer than 10 minutes. I'm like, I don't like it's nothing about you that is intriguing to me. Like, I don't care how much money you have, can I just have a conversation with you? Hello. Without it being a TV on, like, can we sit down and talk with no with with no alcohol, with no entertainment? Can can we converse? And do I like you? Like, because that's important. Like, I don't want to be with somebody that I don't like.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

Exactly. You gotta like that person.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

You see what I'm saying? Like, you're gonna be attracted to somebody and not like them.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Because as time goes on, like, I need to be able to like you.

SPEAKER_02 38:06

And I don't think I can love someone I don't like.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

I you can have love for a person, right? You know, like you can, because that's a different type of love. You can have love for a person and absolutely not like them.

SPEAKER_02 38:21

So before we end this, what advice can you give to women um who want to start their own business, young girls? Um when it comes to finding a career, what what what can you offer them or say to them?

SPEAKER_01 38:44

I would say you absolutely can do both. I think that there is value still in having a corporate job. I'm not saying that you have to have one, but there is still value in having one. Um, but I I think that young girls, you you always do need to have something to fall back on. You know, because if if if I lose drenched, I always can go get me a six-figure. I can get that like clockwork, you know, I can always get me a six-figure job. So it's important to have something to fall back on. It's important to have um a skill. And soft skills are important. I think a lot of people don't realize how important soft skills, and when I say soft skills, listening, active listening, you know, it's important to have a mentor. Um, and it's important to not lose yourself in one thing I want to go on record to say that I that I see on social media, you don't have to show all of your assets to advance. You don't have to do that.

SPEAKER_02 39:52

I don't think they're trying to advance. I think they're trying to get a rich man.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Well, well, real, real rich men don't want their woman naked on social media. Amen. Now, you know, it's there, there's a time and a place for everything, right? Like, you know, if you're shaped, because I'm a shapely, I can't hide how I'm when I stand up, you're gonna see, you know, but there's a time and a place for everything. And um, when you are moving through corporate and when you're moving through business, because even though, you know, I own a business, I'm around a lot of successful people. I can't go in these business meetings talking business, and I got all everything just hanging and dangling out. Like you need to look presentable. When I knew I was coming to meet you, I text Bridget, I said, What should I wear? And the reason I asked her that is not that I don't know how to dress for a podcast, but to traditionally on a day-to-day, I'm in athleisure wear. Very expensive athleisure wear, but I'm in athleisure wear and I always look nice, but I didn't know if it should be more business casual, should I come wearing what I normally wear? And before she even answered, I was like, you know what, I'm gonna go business casual because it's a podcast. And so, and then and that's what I did. But it's like, if you don't know something, ask a question. Yes, it's okay asking questions because everybody doesn't know everything. But yeah, I would definitely um I'm sorry, tell young girls these days, get you a skill, find you a mentor, put some clothes on. Um, and you know, and another reason why you don't just want to have all that stuff out is because when you put things out on social media, it doesn't go away. Absolutely. And so you can do something today, but you don't know how that might affect you tomorrow. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 41:37

And I and let the people know where they can find you on social media.

SPEAKER_01 41:41

Okay, so yes, so you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and LinkedIn, Drink Cycle Studio, or Fun Size Kales if you're looking for me on a personal level. Yeah, I'm on all of them. And on LinkedIn is more of my bit is more my professional. Um, so it would be under Kelly James.

SPEAKER_02 42:01

Well, I have truly, truly enjoyed our conversation today. Um, I think you're a fabulous, fabulous woman. Um, I like your spirit. Thank you. Um, that says a lot. And um I just pray that your business is successful. Thank you. And it goes to a whole nother level, and that you have and that you open up other locations, locations.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

Yeah, because that's where that's where the money at. Yeah. Expanding, expanding and selling is how you get to that level that I'm aspiring to get to.

SPEAKER_02 42:38

And you will get there.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 42:41

So yeah, this was nice. Thank you guys. The truth, the truth ain't in us. I love it. Yes, please like and subscribe and hit the notification button. We'll be back next week, same time, different topic.