it’s the read method, insider podcast! This is episode 71 of the show, and our special guest tonight is a risk management analyst at one of canada’s big banks and joined toronto’s fast-paced banking industry in 2018.
Following her graduation from the university of toronto, zimbabwe born and bred, she takes on her role with gratitude, following the many sacrifices of her parents leading her family to significantly better opportunities in canada, along with a corporate role, comes the pressure off responsibilities and the desire to Excel and to reach significant career milestones, in addition to her personal obligations to address this, she envisioned a space where she could unwind connecting with individuals from similar backgrounds in a laid-back environment, the concept of unwind, the event series was born as a result, however, due to Covet 19: this did not come to fruition immediately, so unwind teo was born on an insta on an instagram account to form community for the time being until we’re all better and we can gather in bigger crowds and tonight folks, i am absolutely pumped to be joined By the creator herself on online teal, lisa mukandi, thank you so much for having me enrolled.
I am truly truly honored.
Well, listen! I i totally um, i feel you and you know so.
Let’s start right off the bat, because you and i share a bit of history together, we go, we go way back.
The audience might be saying now really what kind of history well.
So so you tell them you share with them sure um.
So when i i actually went to u of t mississauga for my undergrad um a couple years ago, i was taking finance at the time, but you know to obviously support the costs of tuition and living costs and everything else that comes along with uh pursuing a Degree um i had to work part-time, so i actually got the opportunity to work at a lexus dealership in oakville as a receptionist.
So i was there for a couple of years, and this is where i met the incredible emerald: reed yeah, you um so yeah.
He was the lease manager at the time, so that’s how we actually got to know each other, so we actually go way back, yeah and and the thing about our our history together and i think it’s it’s such a big deal when i launched my book um.
Oh, my goodness, for the chosen one.
So why don’t you show the audience? What were you talking about so the incredible evereld reed um is actually a successful author.
In addition to his uh podcast hosting and the many hats he wears, the man does not sleep.
Pretty much so um yeah, so his first book launch was actually at the dealership, um and just to see him just introduce his book to the world.
Get it published.
Um was just so amazing.
I was there at the front desk holding up the book.
You know so you are my cashier last night because we remember you were you were a man in the table.
We were.
You were the cashier that night.
Oh, my i was trying to do it all trying.
You know yeah.
So it’s a long line that you know.
I thought.
Oh, my god, there’s hundreds of people responded in social media and they gave me the list.
I’m like i need help and the first person i turned to was was you.
You know i got you avroad no, but honestly it was just so amazing to see that because like if i can tell you a little bit about this man he’s so hard working like just i don’t know working the front desk at the dealership.
He constantly he’d be coming to me.
I sold a car.
I would have to write up the deals as receptionist and every five minutes i swear.
He came and told me he sold her new car so and all the while um, while working on his book at the same time, and just doing so many different other things he’s a father as well.
Can we discuss that um yeah everyone’s? You are a true inspiration, um and just just to be on your platform is so incredibly special to me, especially because we go so way back yeah and listen.
I i admire you as well, and i think you’ve known that um when i was writing the book about 14 months.
I think you were one of the handful of people that actually knew right yeah.
We would talk about little tidbits and and what i was doing and but we we didn’t share it with very many people and oh yeah, that’s right until it was launched.
So you were one of the very few people that knew, especially at the dealership called the books.
It was only appropriate that when the time came, the book that you were a part of that with me as well and believe me, that was a massive undertaking.
That night, because we we had hundreds of people, show up in the dealership and we had food and ran out of food which was okay.
I didn’t know it was a good experience, but i want to thank you and i want to acknowledge what you’ve done, and nothing surprises me about what you’ve done right now, because i’ve always realized that you were.
You know you had great talent and you had great big goals and you know from where you came in um your career.
You were very disciplined about your work in school and all that important stuff.
So so here we are so what was one of the first things when i, when i called you or text you, i’m like lisa you’re, just like wow.
What is this um, like from the very first post, you’ve been just so supportive about the whole concept, and that’s one of the things that just kept me going and i’m so so so so incredibly happy that you’re behind this 100? No, absolutely forget it.
I just i think it’s going to blow up in a good way, so so so listen, let’s share with our audience and there’s a lot of people that i know had signed up to watch this and to you know, um, to tune into to your story, and This is a great story and i love you know inspirational stories um.
So what inspired you uh to the idea of unwind? What was that trigger for you uh? Well, it’s a lot like, so i guess i can just start from the beginning um.
As i mentioned previously, i went to u of t minnesota for finance um.
So throughout this program i actually applied for several internship positions and actually experienced a lot of internships.
Probably three summers in a row um just so i could.
You know, supplement my education on my resume and you know look you know.
Um have success.
You know once i approach graduation in terms of looking for jobs, so um yeah, going through those internships, was very very key to me in terms of career development, um.
So yeah.
As i said, i’ve gone through many internships, a full-time employment opportunities as well and ever like.
I noticed there weren’t many people that looked like me in these spaces um i was just.
I was just hardly seeing you know black professionals around me, um, like just in the corporate space, and i think the next question um someone would ask is well.
Why is this even important like? Why is it relevant to you and just from my perspective, um? It’s just kind of discouraging to see the lack of space that we’re taking up like in these corporate spaces, um not only like in the executive level positions, but we’re seeing this at the entry level too.
I was, and i wasn’t seeing many people like me at the summer, internship level too so um, i think, that’s a gap that really needs to be addressed.
Um and you know we’re often underrepresented in many areas and don’t get me wrong, like as black people, we’re doing incredible, we’re in so many different spaces for entrepreneurs.
We’re doctors we’re doing so many different things, but just in the corporate space that just wasn’t um you weren’t feeling it i i wasn’t failing at all and um.
You know – and i think you know in general, as black professionals we face like um some, you know some significant barriers.
Low growth prospects, you know, were marginalized in certain ways, so i just um i envisioned a space where we could all just connect as black professionals and grow.
Our networks, um relationship building is very, very important to me i’ll get into it later, but um yeah space.
We could just grow our networks and you know reflect on the black experience um with those who could relate.
So this is where it unwinds the event series sort of uh came about, but, as you said previously, um covid19 copen19 didn’t want it, but you’re still uh persistent.
So what’s your transition of unwind, how did you envision yeah so um? I really just wanted to just start a space on instagram that could perhaps serve the same purpose so generally um, just to summarize really quickly.
The aim of unwind is just to bring black professionals together, entrepreneurs, black professionals in all fields and all spaces.
Just so we can expand our networks and see uplifting and relatable content um.
I think you know on a day-to-day basis.
We have so many obligations.
You know this more than anyone, so i think um, you know it’s.
We just have a lot in our personal professional um in the professional aspect as well.
So i think the aim here is to provide those who follow along with um unwind with you know, relatable stories, um general guidance and so on, um and i’m not sure everald.
If you saw a story i posted about um i go on, i i saw a little bit of it.
Yeah yeah, so essentially i want to just you know, bring light to stories like that, because i think it’s really important.
I think a lot of people can relate to um stuff, like that.
So, just very, very briefly, um i posted a quote that she um a quote of her saying um, it’s a lot of pressure being the only black person in the room, and i think it’s something a lot of people can relate to yes, um and just in Summary she’s a tv personality.
She was in big brother, canada and, through that she received opportunities to work as a tv correspondent for et canada um at an organization uh yeah at ut, canada, sorry so um.
Through that experience, she just she wasn’t treated very well low compensation when her peers would ask oh like: are you expensing your travels, no like like nothing? So it was all out of pocket and then, when these recent uprisings started um in relation to the black lives matter movement, the company would wouldn’t even address it.
They said.
Oh, it’s not it’s not trending or something alone along those lines.
So she stood up.
She stood up to the organization she was working with.
I thought that was very, very commendable and um.
I think it just was inspiring to the followers up online to just you know, to see that yeah, don’t don’t let your voice be silenced, yeah.
Well, there you go absolutely and you’re, not letting your voice be silent, right now, unwind t.
o, so from the conceptual stage um to going live until now.
What have you learned from the short journey already that that has created uh emerald? I learned that running a social media account is no joke, absolutely no joke whatsoever, and i commend anyone who has been doing so for years, because i, i truly don’t know how you’ve been doing it um just to expand on that.
I think it really takes time and research to post content that is meaningful to those who are following along, because i don’t want to just have a page where i’m you know, posting meaningless content that won’t serve anyone any purpose.
So i really take the time to research what i’m about to post, whether you know it’s a story or it’s a research based post.
I really take the time, and i think i was actually telling you this when you were first kind of wondering what this was all about – um so prior to me, starting the page um.
I think i prepped about two weeks worth of content geez.
I was up till like 5 a.
m, just trying to perfect – and you know i would pivot, as things would happen, you know in real life in real life events, and so it was a lot of just creating pivoting editing researching so that once i did actually launch Um, i was being very, very, very consistent and would show everyone who’s following along that i’m actually um.
You know my heart didn’t live and yeah.
You know what and i can tell because i’ve seen content that you, post and folks you got ta check out this page on instagram teal um, the content.
I even sent you in a couple of the the our messages back and forth.
I’m like lisa like this.
That’s in depth like this is a lot of work and you think that you have help, and i can’t do any of that myself.
No, but this is this is amazing and that’s what that means.
Thank you.
You know no problem, and you you have you know, you know this innate talent and creativity and um, but come to life is really really exciting and thank you so much you know.
Do you remember adam adam, that used to work with us? Yes, with the zombie enlighteners on the facebook – previously yes, yeah, hey adam so adam, says hi.
Oh my gosh he’s watching.
Yes, you know how he would stretch your name out to you: lisa yeah, i’m gon na miss you yeah.
So that’s adam anyways, so you’re adam.
You got your plug yeah, so what sort of feedback have you received and what is the most interesting or encouraging feedback that that you received um? Oh my gosh so april before i even like really exposed who i was like for because you know for the longest period of time that i wasn’t even saying who i am until this podcast.
So you kind of forced me to you know, put myself out there.
Um but yeah before i even revealed who i was um a total stranger just sent me a message through um the unwind account and just started venting about the experiences he was having in his workplace um and the fact that, like he didn’t even know who i Was but he was still like just willing to share and vent, and it was very touching and that’s honestly, one of the things that has really really kept me going, because if it’s touching one person i don’t know it might be touching, you know other lives as Well, so many more to come, i’m sure i hope so so.
Yeah i’ve been i’ve been able to connect with um.
So many new individuals um.
You probably know about some of the initiatives that kind of started like self-care saturdays, for example.
So i’ve seen all the nice things so yeah i’ll quickly, summarize that so self-care saturdays is when i take the opportunity to post um, different health, hair and beauty brands um and the tagline on.
That is because excellence requires the best version of ourselves and i truly believe when we’re prioritizing our physical and mental health um, we can pursue our goals, we’re unstoppable.
So i just want to highlight those entrepreneurs and brands who can help elevate us and at the same time, i really think it’s important to highlight the incredible work that they’re doing.
I recently just posted um, a selection of fitness entrepreneurs, people who indeed, nutrition and nutrition space um.
My very first one was barbers and hair stylist.
I think you know i saw that.
I think you know a lot of the time.
I’m asking my friends.
Okay, i need i want this style.
Who can do it? You know so to have just that.
Curated list of people who are doing fantastic work in those spaces is just so important to me and i think it’s important to our well-being.
So i just want to highlight those individuals and thank them um.
You know for all the for all the work that they’re doing and then spotlight sunday, i’m not sure if you’ve seen that.
But that’s when i highlight individuals who are doing incredible, incredible work in the greater toronto area.
So i’ve had a few individuals who have been highlighted in that space as well.
Well, there’s a lot of comments, uh lisa, being posted um right now.
Yes, i’m not on facebook.
That’s fine, but but this is this is all good.
This is.
This is really encouraging and people are reading what you’re doing uh so much.
Thank you oh this.
This is this is great.
Can i see the comments after the show? Oh absolutely because you’re that guy i’m not gon na talk to him anymore? No! No! It’s all great stuff, so i thank everybody for tuning in about great possibilities and initiative, and you know you were just talking about excellence requires the best version of us lisa.
That’s an amazing quote so don’t mind if you know, if you see that one day me reposting it i’m being honored right.
So thank you.
Thank you so who who has encouraged? I mean, there’s, always a walk.
There’s, always a story.
You know, there’s always an initiative.
There’s always a goal, but then there’s also the who so who has encouraged or influenced your bold moves? Uh and i don’t know right um.
No, no, that’s a very good question.
I think i just have a very, very strong support system, my core family and friends that are just always there encouraging me and that’s honestly, what keeps me going.
People like you in my circle, constantly just being the biggest cheerleader.
It’s just.
It means everything to me – and i wouldn’t have you know, gone as far in my career or anything else in life without um that strong unit.
So that’s really important to me, but i think honestly, my partner, joshua hall, you know very well um.
I have to highlight him: he is just probably the most driven person that i know um every day, just constantly pushing me to leave my comfort zone.
Do things that scare me, because you know i think i posted something about this.
No growth comes out of your comfort zone or something along those lines, and it’s very very true, because if you don’t do things that scare, you um there’s really just no growth.
That comes out of that, and i think it’s super super important to just push the envelope a little bit each day.
Just so you can progress not only in your career but in your in the personal areas of your life as well and um.
Just going back to josh, so we met um at general electric in 2015.
We were both interns there, so yeah ever since then.
He just has been blowing me away with his own accomplishments and not only just the career aspect.
I’m going to talk about he’s.
Just the most kind-hearted human being, it’s incredible like the way he treats people.
He motivates me to just be a better person every single day, just all-around good person, not only striving, for you know, um great things in your career, but just treating people well and he has been brought up in the most amazing family.
So i’m thankful to them as well, for you know, pulling me into their lives and um my family, i think we’ll get into this later.
My family is yeah.
Is everything to me they’re all, i’m truly thankful for my circle, i’ll just leave it at that.
So you know so with every great woman you know comes a great support system.
Yeah, you know, and to take from another famous woman, eleanor roosevelt she says do do something every day that scares you, so i’m echoing what you’re saying there you know i support.
I bought back josh on that one for sure out of the comfort zone i stepped out of the comfort zone with a podcast.
I had no idea what a podcast was when and look how well you’re doing it.
You need to webinars and you need to do videos and you need to do podcasts and like what the hell’s a podcast and look we’re episode.
71.
Yes and then i said well, if i’m gon na do this, then if you know, i only want some of the best people, because i believe in bringing you know the best to the audience and that’s why you’re sitting in the same chair as les brown tom Hopkins, i was just going to say a couple weeks ago: um because you know people like yourself, for you know whether you are a student.
Like you know, a recent graduate or you know a young adult or a visible minority, doesn’t matter and you’re, creating opportunities, you’re, creating ideas, you’re, creating change and you’re bold enough to step out of that comfort zone and say look this can affect if but one life, Never know what that one life could do for the rest of the world exactly i.
I really commend you um, i’m with you all the way, so i know that you’re remarkable, i think i touched on this already remarkable your family, especially your mom.
Oh my gosh editor of medium.
He did yeah so twice at work yeah, but she came to the dealership right.
That’s right, yeah! That’s so funny! I know you’re very close to her.
So what does this mean to both yeah? You do, ladies and maybe your sister uh okay, so i am so incredibly close to my family um.
I know they’re watching right now, um, no, but um.
I moved out when i um started working in downtown toronto.
My family is in oakville, but i am just back and forth constantly like my family is my everything they are my self-care um when they need a laugh, they’re there to provide it or we watch.
All of these silly shows together, and it’s just my it’s my way of unwinding when i go home to my family.
I love them so so so so much.
I live with my aunt rue and my sister cindy and my mom um yeah, so yeah they’re, everything to me and yeah, like you said, i’m like i’m super close to my mom um like.
Where do i even start with her? I made a post about her because i just think that her story is so inspiring um and i sort of centered the theme around uh pushing forward despite your circumstances, because she really exemplifies someone who does that who’s resilient who’s, persistent, no matter what she’s going through.
She, as you’ve mentioned previously, be immigrated from zimbabwe, and you know when we came here um, you know with her husband, her kids, my aunt like she was such a young mother.
She left everything behind she like sold all her belongings left her family and friends.
Behind everything she and it’s been literally an 18-year journey to citizenship.
Ever we just became citizens in november wow last year.
Yeah.
Thank you so yeah she yeah she’s constantly just working to.
She worked towards her cpa while raising us working odd jobs facing discrimination um in the post that i um made about her.
I said something about how she was applying for a job at a bank, and someone said: oh, your your face is not gon na sell here or something along those lines.
Just just so much she’s gone through um.
You know family events illness, but does that even does that ever stop her? No, she she’s now a published children’s book author.
Really, yes, she told us recently.
She she this woman, i’m sorry, that’s disrespectful! I love you mom, but i’m sorry like she just literally she just one day she popped out of nowhere and said i published a children’s book.
We had no idea that she was even working on anything like this.
We know she loves to draw but yeah.
She we had no idea.
This was even happening now: she’s on amazon, she’s in barnes and noble now, random, like random bookstores in like denmark awesome.
So i’m yeah.
That’s that’s my inspiration right there.
I love you mama.
Well, they see.
Look at that.
That’s amazing! We worked together for a few years and i can’t think of a time that i saw you and you were not smiling.
You would not greet in me or anyone with with a smile first and and with this genuine authenticity uh about you.
You know that you know it’s, you know that show genuine care and, like i said you were the one that was there helping me out when i launched the book and literally working with me for a few hours.
So where does where do you draw um? Where do you draw your drive from and and and the constant smile and positivity no uh? Thank you april.
That means everything that you even say that.
Thank you.
Well, it’s true.
I mean so it’s not like it’s made up right.
No, thank you but um.
No! I think, like i said before, just everyone in my support system, including you you guys keep me smiling.
You guys keep me going um, but you know i think the drive will always just stem from the fact that my parents gave up so so much to for us to be in canada um.
As i said previously, they left everything they knew behind and now we’re.
Finally, citizens we have free health care.
We have access to all these opportunities that not many people can say they have around the world.
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but you know so, oh 100 and just to say i’m a canadian citizen.
Now i wake up every day, just so incredibly grateful, and i just try to use every day to make the most of these opportunities that i’m getting.
I never thought you know i would be at you know one of canada’s big banks or anything ever um.
So it’s just so no yeah, it’s just! I just can’t take anything for granted and i think that’s what keeps me going.
You know within everything that you’ve said and you’re here you are on the show and it’s episode, 71 folks off the podcast, and we i’m here with lisa mccandy and we’ve been discussing social entrepreneurship and putting ideas into action, because this lady is not only you know, Talking the talk but she’s walking the walk and putting her her great ideas into action and starting the social entrepreneurship site, uh unwind on wine teal, that is, burning, heads, um, creating hearts and minds and uh encouraging people to to to step out to to to show Empathy to unwind as she’s you know to to to to get together more, and you know a couple things that i’ve i’m i’m literally writing on quotes from you and excellence requires your best version of yourself.
Okay, that’s true and pushing forward pushing forward.
Regardless of your circumstances, so, basically not bowing down to pressure not bowing down to hard work, not giving up.
You know not not crying over spill making saying you know poor me for me, i’m in this situation uh but pushing forward.
So there’s a lot of significant things: no yeah! No, i completely agree it’s all very important stuff and we all we’re all dealing with a lot, but i think you just have to.
I think gratitude is a big thing.
Yes and um.
Another huge thing is to just acknowledge your progress.
Whenever you can, i think we’re all constantly striving for the next thing.
I want to do this.
I want this job or you know i want to work for this company now, but weren’t you just wanting to work for your current company like a couple months ago so and i’m very very guilty of that so yeah.
I think honestly, just acknowledging your progress.
Gratitude persistence, resilience; no, i’m not taking no for an answer, amen, i’m having a good mom.
So what are your long-term goals and bigger plans for unwind teal um yeah? What are you? What do you think that looks like two? Three? That’s a very that’s, a very, very good question, because it’s so early on, i think we’re a month old now or two months, almost wow, then you’re on shows okay you’re on my i just better be the first show that you’re on oh yeah, i had to Come here first, oh my gosh, no, but um yeah, it’s very very, very early on i just i made my first post on june 14th.
So what is that two months or more a month and a half so yeah, it’s very, very, very fresh and keep in mind like this was an event series i was thinking about.
It wasn’t an instagram page, so um i’m so you you’ve, obviously pivoted you.
You thought of an events page and now you got the type of engagement and feedback yeah you pivoted a bit exactly.
You start providing the inspirational themes every day and viewing folks is one of the main things about entrepreneurship.
That is evidence today in this episode with lisa on uh on entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship is, and whatever your startup idea is.
Is you don’t have to worry about what color the website is today or your logo looks like today or tomorrow? What you need to do is start because, where you’ll actually end up six weeks from now like lisa, is it’s not where you started, so you don’t have to get it all perfect in the first day.
Just when you start no, no, you don’t.
You literally just need to start somewhere.
Yes, you will make some mistakes, but the mistakes are not really.
Mistakes, they’re, learning experiences for sure right.
Their ideas, they’re showing you where you need to pivot scale and lisa is scaling right now in six weeks.
The idea, the idea you know to all these things and and the engagement is – is a proof.
The engagement is proof that you’re captivating an audience.
Oh, thank you.
It’s not! It’s not just fluff um you’re reacting to the audience, and you can you can see from the comments and from the posts um that these are not just random posts that somebody, you know is sitting up late at night or on their lunch break, throwing up a Property you, you know that this work involved in this and there’s research, and that’s the thing that i’m you know yes like i i admire that because i know what it’s like to write books.
I know what it’s like to create, what you do.
I know what it’s like to call people before i go on a show and at least have an idea what i’m talking about.
I guess and um you’re doing that and – and i think that’s why the sky is the limit.
So thank you so much yeah.
So you were yeah you’re asking about the vision for it yeah um.
So i think obviously i want to grow the platform.
I want to continue to carry content that is relevant to us, as black professionals um.
I think um a really big part of that.
In terms of curating content, is i just literally post what i’m feeling that day, like maybe someone else is going through it? I don’t know what an example could be make it so real lisa, it’s not like you’re, forcing yourself to make content.
It’s coming.
You know what i’ve learned the more genuine you are, i think is you know it really shows through the through the content when you’re being genuine um, because when you try to make posts just to generate engagement or you, you can just it’s just a message or If it’s, you know highly resourced versus authentic, i mean yes, you can do research yeah, but if the idea comes from the heart and you research to back it up – or you know, that’s different, but exactly you’re sharing or talking about a subject that you are feeling Within that you want to resonate with some with other people, come out the way that you are because exactly oh, my god, i i’m thinking the same thing or not the same idea or maybe i should have thought about that, or maybe just like that gentleman reached Out to you about his experience exactly so yeah, i really really think that um being genuine is very, very important, especially when you want to create content um.
That will be helpful to people um and i’m really glad that it’s resonating with lisa with at least someone you know um and you know in terms of you know.
Well i keep dodging this question.
What are my wildest dreams for unwind? I just.
I just really hope you know that the event series comes to fruition once um.
This pandemic has passed, because that was really the initial goal um.
I would really love if we can have you know monthly events for black professionals to unwind just to just from all.
You know the day-to-day obligations just to have fun in an informal setting, because networking sessions have that you know associated pressure.
You know to perform um in the way um, but i really think that if there’s like an event space where we could just gather from all different industries, because i think the city of toronto has done an incredible job of providing associations for black professionals, you have Some in the tech space and the finance space, but i think if we can all just gather um, you know and grow our networks because i think network building is very, very important to me.
Um.
Excuse me if i’m rambling overall i’ll be uh.
The very first event and i’ll bring yes i’ll, bring some peeps.
I will fill the house up.
Yes, of course, but yeah um, yeah, you’ve seen me fill up one house already.
I think we can i’ve seen it firsthand exactly supporting each other is so so key and i think network building is very key as well.
I think you know in black communities we don’t have like as much of like the generational wealth as other races.
We don’t have as many connections and higher places within these corporations, so i think it’s so important, for you know relationship building, um connecting um networking.
I think that all of that is so so so important and it really could lead to meaningful relationships like you and i yeah and meeting meaningful connections and yeah and great opportunities.
So that’s really the aim for not only this page but for the future event series that are to follow nice, nice, i’m so looking forward to the events uh.
Yes, the main message you’d like to deliver to the audience tonight about online um.
You know like if someone, if you had that couple of minutes you know in the elevator.
What’s the one, what’s the main message: where are the opportunities you know? What’s the encouragement and, and maybe talk about you know the whole idea the whole entrepreneurship idea, because this is what it means yeah exactly now i completely um.
I completely agree with you and i think, that’s very important um.
You know to send the viewers away with the message and i think, like i think, the message i’d like to deliver is, first of all, um.
Don’t wait for approval from anyone.
Don’t wait for the approval of your colleagues of your friends family, your neighbors, when you have an idea, just just go for it, because i’m very very guilty of that i’ll be like.
Is this a good idea when i, when i’m thinking about something like this page, for example, before i made the very first post, i was very, very hesitant.
I was a little bit anxious as well like how was how is this gon na go, and i remember saying i just want 30 followers [ Laughter ].
I don’t know why that was my target randomly, but i was like if i get 30 followers i’ll be so i think i think it’s safe to say past that now first day, probably no, but it’s really just about just sending out a good message.
Um touching lives, i think that’s it’s not it’s not about followers.
It’s not it’s! Not about these numbers.
It’s just! It’s just touching lives.
It’s.
The purpose of this page, as i mentioned previously, is to build connections, because you know of everything else that i mentioned previously about not seeing us in all of these spaces and the ability to connect – and you know, have this common experience in the workplace.
I think that is so so important, and i hope this can be the platform that people can come to when you know they’re feeling, underrepresented or maybe not as motivated, maybe something that maybe something they see on the page will motivate them as well um and, as I mentioned previously: no growth comes out of your comfort zone.
Take risks, push the envelope, because that will just take you to that next step, and i can’t believe this is lisa.
Talking.
Listen to you like this you’re gon na have to get up on stages soon enough and talk this time.
Absolutely.
No! I’m kidding i’m kidding comfort zone right.
That’s right! No, but um! Yeah just know growth comes out of your comfort zone.
Take risks! That’s how you’ll learn if you make mistakes pivots like we mentioned previously, it’s all about pivoting nowadays, and if the risk pays off hey you won, you won either way so either way, you’re reaping benefits, and i think that’s super super important and and um.
If you have an idea, just go for it, you don’t know who it could help.
You don’t know who you don’t know who might need it.
So i think that’s those i know i kind of said a lot there.
So that’s what i’m kind of questioning we’ve been going through kovit, which is what inspired you to to start working on this uh or you.
I actually you were inspired before, but code would force you to pivot um to a different type of series as a young entrepreneur which you are now, what do you say to other young folks out there you know college graduates or still in college, have these ideas.
You know that that are there, you know they go to bed thinking about it.
They get up thinking about it, they can’t sleep, you know they talk to one or two people.
What do you say to them? You know tomorrow like tonight the next hour, if you, if you have an idea and you’re passionate about it, just start just start right now, because let me let me very, let me be very candid with you overall, like um, i think you know i have a Nine to five i work full time.
I i don’t think i’ve ever spent so much outside of my nine to five on something until now, so that was kind of a sign for me that, like okay, like pursue this, just just keep doing what you’re doing you.
Don’t seek approval just just go for it because you’ve, never i’ve tried taking so many different courses outside of work to get all these different designations to you know, learn a new skill.
I my heart just wasn’t in it, but the fact that i was up till 5am making posts for two weeks worth of content.
For this page.
I was like okay, we’re getting some right here so so my advice is just if you’re passionate about something start, because you don’t know what that could turn into.
I think it’s very important to pursue what you’re passionate about um and it’s important to just start and don’t seek approval, as i said previously, just go for it and yeah.
So it’s just start to the person that let’s say wants to start tonight.
Yes, how do they start? I mean what what’s the first thing they should do to start like.
What did you do to start uh with in terms of you had an idea? Did you write things down? Did you make a list? What what did you? What did it start? Look like starting from me.
I just kind of wrote down ideas about, let’s say i’m a black professional, i’m on instagram.
I’m on this account.
What do i want to see so at the very very first stage of the account excuse me um.
I really think that was when all the protests and everything was just happening.
Everything was just escalating at that point, so i made a point to make a post about um how to navigate the corporate world um just based on the current climate as a black professional.
What to do so? I had certain i had different tips, just you know, seek out mental re health resources or if you have an employee resource group lean on them or it’s okay, to take a mental health day.
It’s not your responsibility to educate others about.
What’s going on use your paid time off, use your vacation days, there’s a lot going on right now we’re seeing a lot of traumatic images as a black people, so we you know showing up on these zoom calls um during our nine to five is we’re performing With everything that’s going on in the world, so um that kind of inspired the very first close unwind and then, as things developed, i just kind of had ideas what i was going through.
What was going on in the world um yeah – and you know i don’t know if you know this, but i have like a little ghost um instagram account that i use to um kind of build up my grid and see what designs work and see what designs.
Don’t work so if i add this picture, what would this look like so this little thing? I’m learning, i don’t know much about this whole social media thing, i’m learning as i go so well.
That means two of us and uh.
This is why it’s important what you’re doing, because this is where we can help each other to grow right.
So we all don’t know everything that we need to and since i reached out to you, i’ve actually talked to you about other things about other ideas.
Yes, you have yeah, i’m like okay lisa.
She just know good look at what she’s just done so um.
This is what happens folks and once you start trust me, if you put something good out there, people will find you and you don’t it might take a week.
It might take a year it might take a month, but trust me if you believe in what you’re doing and it’s authentic and it can help other people’s lives to improve other people’s lives.
Who will get recognized and you’ll be surprised? I get.
You know calls from all the united states now asking me to come on different shows and to speak on different subjects, but you know i’ve been at it a while right.
So so it’s just part of the process.
It’s part of the evolution and we started and you’re already making some waves, and i appreciate that and – and i don’t if you want to help each other in the black community or in any community, you simply reach out and you connect and you say hey.
I think this is a great idea.
What you’re doing is pretty cool.
How can i help yeah? That’s all you need to do and that can go a long way and, exactly and and like you said, you never know where it will go and it will pivot.
So i i commend you and i, and i really want to thank you you know from from eating a few years ago and working with you directly.
Yes, i really want to thank you for um for for for comment on the show and oh my gosh, you were hesitant initially, i’m like.
Oh, my god, i tell you i roll, oh, my goodness.
You should have seen me trying to like hype myself up before this calling.
I had a sense of something because you kept texting me and i’m like, but don’t worry don’t worry right, i’m so sorry! Oh! It’s great and that’s no, but you really really pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and i’ve never been interviewed, let alone live, [, Laughter, ] and it’s going to be seen by thousands of people and unwind t.
o is going to be a phenomenon.
Oh my gosh, so folks we really uh enjoy.
I want to thank lisa for being on the read method, insider podcast tonight and lisa.
Just before we go, would you please share with the audience how they can get a hold of online and how they can? Yes? So unwind is only currently on the instagram platform, but you know we’re we’re developing we’re growing, so um.
I do have plans to create an official website at some point, but for now you can find unwind at unwind to all no characters or anything just unwind.
T-O-T-O being short for toronto, obviously um uh i’ve world.
We previously spoke about expanding unwind to other cities.
You know that would do.
That was your.
That was your idea, so hopefully, one day, hopefully one day, that’ll be the case, but for now unwind teo on instagram and just a final word, um emerald.
I cannot thank you enough for having me on your show.
You are doing the most amazing things you work.
You wake up at 5am, just yes content day in day out, you have really created an incredible platform.
You’ve had les brown and tom hopkins on your show, and now i’m now i’m here like.
I don’t even have words for you.
So recently, mr um evan carmichael a youtube census in toronto as well and yesterday.
I’ve never had a video get 10 000 views in 24 hours.
Yet and yesterday we had that with never what you’re doing emerald okay, well you’re gon na have to top that now.
I don’t know about 10 000.
we’ll make it work, let’s figure it out, but thank you again.
Everyone.
This really means the world to me and i’m so so so excited for you.
You are going places.
Just don’t forget us.
I can tell you right now: the comments uh and the compliments lisa are plenty replying to them.
So currently i’m liking a lot of them that um i’ll go on after this yeah i’m not on my phone and we’ll definitely be replying to you.
Folks.
We appreciate you tuning into the show, it’s been an incredible show and i want to thank lisa for definitely uh stepping out and uh sharing her incredible thoughts and ideas with us, and i and again i i got ta tell you, you know she said excellent requires The best version of us you know putting your best foot forward, um, she talked about you know doing something uh outside of your comfort zone, and you know the great another.
Lady eleanor roosevelt said: hey do something every day that scares you.
If you’re not, then you’re not pushing yourself, and then you also talked about pushing forward regardless of the circumstances and overcoming those obstacles – and you know this is so massive right now, because i’ve been reading the book uh.
Actually, i just finished reading the book um a couple of books here and the one book that i read lately that has just captivated my attention is called.
The obstacle is the way.
Oh i’ve never heard of that, and and that book is an amazing book.
It’s by ryan holiday and the obstacle is the way, because it’s saying that, if, if you start something and you’re working on a plan – and you encounter obstacles, overcoming those obstacles, whether you pair it or come up with a different idea or start over, is showing you.
The way so don’t be afraid of obstacles don’t be afraid of the naysayers.
Yeah one, stop you exactly.
The obstacle is awake and everyone.
If i can just add one more thing, sometimes you are your own biggest obstacle, i’m very, very guilty of that i’ll, be like.
Oh, i can’t i can’t do this about every single thing, like interviews, anything and new pursuits, just believe in yourself.
Um.
No, absolutely i mean you are and it’s good that you have a support team, but even if the support team says well, maybe it’s not a good idea, but you still feel within your heart that it is uh.
They will support you, no matter what and – and i really uh you know, uh, you know again, i admire what you’re doing.
I i think it’s just great i’m excited about it so uh and i’m excited about because i know you and i’ve seen your growth.
You know from your from school days and working production years and uh, so i i admire what you’ve done and i always really appreciate good talent and people.
You know what i appreciate more is hard work, people who actually lay on the line and put in the effort and are disciplined yes, okay.
I remember you always showed up to work.
Just when you were asked, you came and worked a shift for me.
You know right so and you’re always willing to help out so folks.
This has been episode.
71 of the read method, insider podcast.
We’ve always welcome your feedback and your insights to the show at insider, the read method, dot, com and anyone who would like to appear on the show you can email us insider, the readmethod.
com.
The website is readmethod.
com, obviously, and the podcast go on right now and follow the podcast uh.
It’s the read method, insider uh, it’s on soundcloud itunes, but go to go there right now and follow it because we’ll be pumping out editing and pumping out this audio version with lisa mulcandy in a couple of weeks in the audio stay tuned uh on youtube as Well, when we edit, the video and it’ll, be up on youtube, so you can re-watch it and uh and learn about all of lisa’s, great ideas and her inspiration on entrepreneurship and uh and yeah.
So we always invite your freedom so and – and please um.
We have had many great guests, uh stay tuned and you can go to your podcast.
Listen to you through your favorite app we’ve had uh les brown numerous times.
If you don’t, i mean les brown’s doing a ton of lives right now.
We’ve done five episodes with les brown.
We’ve done.
No three with les brown five with mr hopkins uh.
Recently we had evan carmichael he’s got 2.
4 million youtube followers.
He was just on two weeks ago and thornley brown, steve benson out of silicon valley.
These are gentlemen, who these are people, ladies and gentlemen, who are you know making things happen in the world, so i encourage you um to to check out the podcast where you will get your next great idea, because this is all the great thought leaders in the World that are showing up on this show, so i appreciate you uh all watching and listening from all these countries, i can i’m seeing countries like unbelievable.
Today we had a lot of people from spain watched uh listening.
Thank you all for watching on facebook live tonight.
We’ll definitely get back to a lot of you with the comments uh and then thank you for your support of the show.
Thank you for supporting lisa.
Thank you lisa.
Thank you.
Thank you, everal.
Thank you to whoever’s, watching your support is everything.
Thank you.
