Taste of BLK: Celebrating Culture through Community Events with Jessica Douglas

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:38:20
Speaker 1
Oh. Look floating around. Gravity. Trying not to. But then, like I'm floating. All right. Okay, here we go. Hello, family and friends. Welcome to a new episode of the reimagined New Lab podcast. It is me, Im. And I just want to welcome you. And as always, you will know that you are in for a treat. I've got a delightful young lady in the lab tonight.

00:00:38:22 - 00:00:59:14
Speaker 1
I cannot do this by myself. So we got. Let me just set it up real quick, just so that we can get all of our dirty details out of the way so that we can jump in. So I want to make sure you know how we do. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our beautiful subscribers, all of the all of you that tune in.

00:00:59:14 - 00:01:23:15
Speaker 1
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00:01:23:15 - 00:01:46:19
Speaker 1
So don't forget to hit that bell. And I want you to know. Share this episode. This is going to be a good one. They always are. There's always some notes and tips and tricks and something that some substance that you are going to get bigger when you come into the lab. We talked about reimagining you change being a choice.

00:01:46:22 - 00:02:10:01
Speaker 1
There's going to be something good, I'm promise you, I promise you. So that's all my dirty details. Yeah. That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to leave the ladies standing here. All right. Do you want us to get going? So I got to tell you, I have the one, the only, the lovely Jessica, the lovely that is in the lab today.

00:02:10:01 - 00:02:12:02
Speaker 1
Hello, Jessica.

00:02:12:04 - 00:02:14:20
Speaker 2
Michelle, what an intro. Thank you so.

00:02:14:20 - 00:02:44:24
Speaker 1
Much longer with you. I'm so glad that you are here. Thank you for saying yes. We just recently met and I am. I'm excited to tell people how that happened. But before I do that, I told you that we were going beyond the bio. So let me let me get out of the way so that you have your opportunity to tell everybody who you are, where you're at, what you do, how you do it, and that way.

00:02:44:27 - 00:03:14:07
Speaker 2
I appreciate that. Hello everyone. My name is Jessica Douglas. I am currently based in North Carolina and I would call myself, I'm an entrepreneur, a business owner, a fellow creative, and a lifestyle and foodie content creator. I have two businesses currently, one of them being Carolina Cosmic Collective, which consists of myself and my amazing partner Jessica Bratton. We have an all women's media creative media videographer and photography business.

00:03:14:07 - 00:03:36:07
Speaker 2
Women run, minority owned and additionally Taste of Black, which I'll be sharing a lot about this evening with you all. and is my most recent business that was launched in February of this year. And for Taste of Black, we create experiences that highlight black culture, food, fellowship. Our team consists of myself and my two close friends, Jennifer and Diana, who are based in Florida.

00:03:36:09 - 00:04:01:17
Speaker 2
And, we've been able to curate a series of events thus far and really kind of create a space for inspired, which is very important for me as a business owner and just as a fellow creative in the community. So I'm super excited to share some of my entrepreneurial journey with you all, and kind of how I got started and what I've been up to lately, and kind of what we're looking forward to for the future as well, with all the projects and fun things that we have coming up.

00:04:01:17 - 00:04:16:00
Speaker 2
So yes, local to the Carolinas. I did used to live in Florida, in Tampa, which has a special place in my heart, and it's where I've been able to coordinate a lot of different activities and events and hope to continue to do that in the future as well.

00:04:16:03 - 00:04:39:15
Speaker 1
Yeah, I love my Jessica, I love that, I love that you created. You are curating experiences. You talk and things that I absolutely love because I consider myself a reimagined strategist, which is all about, you know what, hey, weekend, reimagine what life looks like, what business looks like, how we do with the people that we do it with.

00:04:39:18 - 00:05:00:20
Speaker 1
So as we when you talked about being a photographer, part of this creative, this collective that you're part of, it's you, it's it's partners, it's your business, it's your friends. Tell me, how did you get started on this journey in the first place? Like where did where did the idea of the inspirations and such come from? How did you get here?

00:05:00:22 - 00:05:24:10
Speaker 2
Yes. So to start with the photography and videography tip, for years I've always been involved in modeling, so it's typically in front of the camera for about over ten years. I always loved creative directing. I would say in coming up with different passion projects and visions, I was able to coordinate with close friends on different photoshoots. I didn't realize at the time that was creative direction and I would bring in.

00:05:24:10 - 00:05:57:17
Speaker 2
I love bringing people together. I like to consider myself like a super connector and finding talent in the community and just being able to provide a platform for folks to kind of flex their skillset, specifically female creatives, because in the fashion industry it can be very male dominated in the photography realm. So we wanted to as someone who's modeled for years and as someone who now has a creative business, my partner and I found it important to really create a space where young women, aspiring female models, can be comfortable and in a safe space where they could feel comfortable.

00:05:57:19 - 00:06:20:20
Speaker 2
and us being like the fellow hype women, making people feel confident in front of the camera. It's just something I really enjoy. So it started when I was probably in college. I was doing a lot of different photoshoots and just was building a portfolio, was always working as a freelancer, loved being in front of the camera and just had a passion for that specific fashion, the art world and styling and was able to meet with Jessica.

00:06:20:21 - 00:06:41:07
Speaker 2
She photographed me, we did quite a few projects together and as time progressed and our team kept expanding with just amazing women in the community, I was like, you have a pretty good thing going. You might want to consider this. This could be a business. spread this vision, this idea to more than just our little inner circle and expand upon that.

00:06:41:07 - 00:07:01:16
Speaker 2
So that's how Carolina Cosmic was birthed. It was myself, Jess, and two other women at the time who would kind of have a little bit of a sit down. It always starts in a coffee shop or a restaurant and writing ideas on a napkin and just kind of like spitballing, brainstorm. Yeah. With Carolina Cosmic, the name was birthed because I had been in North Carolina, and our tagline is we shoot for the stars.

00:07:01:18 - 00:07:02:22
Speaker 2
We love.

00:07:02:24 - 00:07:04:15
Speaker 1
I love that, yeah.

00:07:04:15 - 00:07:23:10
Speaker 2
So we really wanted to be creative with it. We're both big visionaries and very eclectic in terms of our the visuals that we put together. We like to stand out and do things that are fun and engaging. So that's how that business with birth, the Taste of black for me. And I feel like for even both my businesses, I'm really big on storytelling.

00:07:23:12 - 00:07:57:17
Speaker 2
I love being able to amplify a vision that anybody has, whether it's a client or somebody that I work under or if I'm creating an event. The biggest thing for me is what's the takeaway? What do we want to leave people with? And I feel like everyone has an amazing story to tell. So I like creating platforms where people can people in the community who are really changemakers and are doing some awesome things can just have a platform to express themselves, share their business, their art, their vision with others, and just create a space where people can just build, collaborate, love creating spaces where collaboration thrives.

00:07:57:19 - 00:08:16:09
Speaker 2
And I as a creative director, storytelling is a big thing. So I kind of built that in terms of black, but also highlighting more amplifying black and brown voices. As someone who's afro-latina really wanted to kind of elevate people in that community, especially in areas where it may not be as prominent and just kind of creating a space.

00:08:16:14 - 00:08:35:02
Speaker 2
Tampa, for example, we've done events in Kerry, in North Carolina, and I really a big thing for me is always been the face behind the brand. That's kind of a taste of black. And I had a business prior called Gems and Roots that I had done with my fiancee. This was actually during the Black Lives Matter movement, is what kind of sparked that.

00:08:35:06 - 00:08:50:28
Speaker 2
There was a big push for highlight your favorite black owned business. There was a bunch of things that wave on social media where people were just tag and tag in different black owned businesses, so we get to provide funding, which is amazing. But I wanted to kind of take it up a notch and see. I want to learn more about the face behind that brand.

00:08:50:28 - 00:09:15:23
Speaker 2
Who started that business? What what was their entrepreneurial journey? What made them want to create that product or that service? So I was really interested in interviewing and connecting with some of those business owners so they can inspire other young entrepreneurs and professionals, myself included, who was still kind of starting at the basics. I hadn't even thought about creating a business at the time, but I was just inspired by the excellence I was seeing from these different entrepreneurs.

00:09:15:26 - 00:09:35:23
Speaker 2
So I was really eager to highlight their stories so others could continue to support them and just kind of know the highs and lows of running a business and just how to get started. How do you take what's that first step look like, which is different for everyone? But like that was kind of what inspired me to take that leap and create a platform to highlight some of those stories and testimonies.

00:09:35:25 - 00:09:55:06
Speaker 1
No, I love that. I love that one thing that's so key, right? Like it? It first of all, everybody's story is different. And but there is a first step that everybody has to take. That's something we all have in common. You know what? When you were thinking about what were some of those pivotal moments that led to those significant changes?

00:09:55:06 - 00:10:19:13
Speaker 1
So I heard you talk about you guys getting together and really wanting to. It wasn't just, hey, I think I could do this, but there were really some some things that were really behind it, like really being able to hey, I wanted to call attention to. So I wanted to know who were the faces behind these black owned business, who were the people that got them started.

00:10:19:17 - 00:10:44:15
Speaker 1
So having those significant things that for your career in kind of like your, hey, you are a person, you're the person behind your brand. So talk to me a little bit about who is Jessica Douglas like. Jessica, who are you behind this as? Me. Like, yeah. Oh well, that's a that's a great question.

00:10:44:18 - 00:11:02:02
Speaker 2
I'm so used to talking about everybody else on the team and highlighting all the other businesses. I never even think to include myself in the mix. Sometimes I see myself as kind of like like a silent observer. I'm like, I'm just kind of getting keeping things moving along, especially with the Taste of Black event. But great question, who is Jessica Douglas?

00:11:02:04 - 00:11:43:24
Speaker 2
Oh my goodness, Jessica is a proud, creative, female black creative mastermind. Yeah, just really takes pleasure in fellowship team building. I'm definitely a people person. Definitely consider myself to be one who enjoys being on the ground in the community, building relationships, and thrives in spaces that where people are flourishing, where excellence is celebrated in my community, and definitely I consider myself to be like I have a creative my a business creative mindset, project management, and just around just loves to see people be themselves.

00:11:43:29 - 00:11:59:15
Speaker 2
create spaces where people can come as their most authentic selves. Because I like to show up as my most authentic self when I create and think of things, events, projects, whatever it is. I also put myself in their shoes and think about what what I really want. Can I see myself flourishing or what? What would I want to see or attend?

00:11:59:15 - 00:12:18:21
Speaker 2
And I could really get some gems and insight from and could flourish in these type of spaces. So I'm yeah, I guess some folks would say, I guess my friends, they say you're like a Renaissance woman and you just love, like bringing people together. And back to that term super Connector. I definitely resonate with that. I love meeting new people.

00:12:18:21 - 00:12:43:12
Speaker 2
Any networking event, I am there. I definitely love making connections. Just meeting people and just hearing about their stories, learning about them and just having like intentional interactions, building genuine connections with people and West Coast Girl in the Carolinas who just loves to kind of share all the good vibes, the positive energy, and very much have a glass half full type of energy which I love.

00:12:43:15 - 00:12:44:29
Speaker 2
Everything that I do.

00:12:45:01 - 00:13:08:23
Speaker 1
Know, I know, I absolutely love that. And you know what? I connect with that because I totally see that. All of that. And Jessica, from the time that I from the whole, I've been like, I really love Taste of Black, I thought that was such a well put together event. I thought that you guys did an amazing job of putting it together, and all of the all of those who participated and everything.

00:13:08:28 - 00:13:28:19
Speaker 1
So tell it, talk a little bit about Taste of Black and kind of what you did when you were talking about it as a business and when you were putting it together and kind of what you had in mind and how it successfully played out here in Tampa. I know you did one in North Carolina first, and then you did a did one.

00:13:28:22 - 00:13:35:19
Speaker 1
Yeah. North Carolina was the inaugural. And then you came in, you did one in Tampa. So talk a little bit about that. So people know what it is.

00:13:35:21 - 00:13:57:02
Speaker 2
Absolutely. So it's definitely a key to black as a business where it's focus on curated events for black and brown creatives in different areas. So we launched in North Carolina, was really strategic about trying to do a soft launch during Black History Month, and it started with just a conversation with a friend. I literally just kind of spitballing different ideas.

00:13:57:02 - 00:14:21:29
Speaker 2
I've always been inspired by Essence Fest in Orleans and seeing that amazing, like three day, four day festival bringing in black creatives, artists, talent from all over the world to just kind of come and engage with each other and share their experiences, their art, their vision with attendees. And I don't know, I just always leave feeling like just inspired and just very, just excited for the next whatever the next year is going to be.

00:14:21:29 - 00:14:42:23
Speaker 2
I'm always excited for the year upcoming. So that played a big role in Taste of Black, and as somebody who has a culinary background, very big on being a foodie love. I appreciate the food scene, especially in the black and brown community. And I'm always seeing some amazing, like chefs and creatives in North Carolina specifically as being in the South.

00:14:42:26 - 00:14:58:28
Speaker 2
was always impressed by that. And I was like, oh my gosh, how if if I can balance all the things that I enjoy, I love to eat, I love to cook, I love highlighting that black and brown experience. They were kind of drawn from that essence first idea. And then of course, just I always would curate events.

00:14:58:28 - 00:15:04:21
Speaker 2
So even when I was I'm big on hosting, I'm I guess I should have added that as well. Host. The masses love.

00:15:04:21 - 00:15:05:29
Speaker 1
Bringing people together.

00:15:06:01 - 00:15:27:15
Speaker 2
Whether it's a Friendsgiving or I'm having some type of the photoshoots that I would do the creative projects and building teams and bringing different vendors together, and I was really doing that on the side just for fun because I just enjoyed it. I loved bringing all my friends together, having themed parties, doing some, bringing maybe a musical act and different vendors to kind of come and highlight their brand.

00:15:27:15 - 00:15:44:29
Speaker 2
And for people to continue to support them. So I really started doing that. So let's talk about all these three things together. And I come into a conversation with a close friend of mine, Billy, and we were just at a just jotting down ideas and she's like, well, why don't we do something called like she kind of help me think of the name, like Taste of Black.

00:15:44:29 - 00:16:03:18
Speaker 2
And I was like, you know what? This could be a thing. It just kind of hit that light bulb with, like, I'm really doing this in separate spaces. But what if I unite all my passions into one and create events that have purpose? I wanted to, so that's how the Taste of Black was birthed. And I recall when I lived in Tampa at the time, I was there for about a year.

00:16:03:20 - 00:16:26:20
Speaker 2
I felt like when I first kind of entered the community, I was trying to find and engage in different spaces where there were a lot of black and brown creatives, and it's a hidden gem. I didn't feel like I found that right away, and being able to connect with my people, specifically in the community that I was in, with my same step sense, I was like, I just remember talking with other bloggers and creatives and, you know, other women who was like, you know what?

00:16:26:22 - 00:16:45:23
Speaker 2
Wouldn't it be cool if we could put something together that celebrates our community and highlights the diverse voices in this area? So it's always been something we were talking about, but there was no execution. The vision was there, but life got busy. Things happened. Yeah, we never got to get it off the ground. So fast forward Taste of black.

00:16:45:23 - 00:17:02:20
Speaker 2
I've now moved back from Tampa to North Carolina. I reached out to my two good friends who are now part of the Taste of Black team, and I was like, hey ladies, I just want to throw something out here. Let me know if you want to jump on this train. I feel like this could really be beneficial. And we talked about it, and now there's an opportunity where we can really do that.

00:17:02:20 - 00:17:21:28
Speaker 2
And I know what was helpful is because of all the previous projects I had done in North Carolina years ago, especially more in the modeling creative arts, I had a roster of talent I could reach out to, whether it was chefs, other entrepreneurs, creatives, business owners. I feel proud of the relationships that I was able to build over time for various projects.

00:17:22:04 - 00:17:22:27
Speaker 1
Right?

00:17:22:29 - 00:17:37:15
Speaker 2
I knew I could. There were people I could really count on, who I considered family, who I just wanted to share the idea. So my two friends are on board and like, yes, let's do it. And like when we launch and like, okay, I think we have talked about it in like late January, I'm like, well, let's do a dinner party.

00:17:37:15 - 00:17:57:14
Speaker 2
It can be very small and intimate, nothing crazy. And we basically had maybe a less than a month time to pull that off, which was beautifully. I feel like we work very well under pressure as a team. but I highly encourage for any business owner, please take your time. I'm trying to. I'm really thinking about the next big event for Black History Month, and I'm starting to plan now.

00:17:57:17 - 00:18:20:26
Speaker 2
Just do it in excellence and everything doesn't feel super rest. But we did the dinner party. I was scouting locations, reaching out to close friends. I. I called people at first kind of one thing that I highly recommend as a business owner. If you have an idea and there's a group of people that you trust, definitely do like, market research, highlight your idea to others who can kind of be a trusted source of like, advice.

00:18:20:26 - 00:18:41:01
Speaker 2
And it was nice to kind of get some sound boards prior to launch and be like, hey, I have this idea. This is what I want to call it. What are your thoughts? And I got mazing feedback from some close friends and basically saying, would you be willing if you saw this event posted on Eventbrite or was advertised, but you feel called to attend, would you feel like there was like one I would show up to that.

00:18:41:05 - 00:18:42:06
Speaker 1
I would, yeah.

00:18:42:09 - 00:18:59:06
Speaker 2
The amount of money and the common answer was yes. Everyone loves a dinner party. I wanted to highlight some amazing black chefs in the community. I already was close friends with a lot of them from previous projects, so it just felt like a no brainer at that point. And I was like, you know what? Something's calling about this.

00:18:59:11 - 00:19:16:11
Speaker 2
Let's do it. So I'm very big on like shooting my shot and just kind of going for it. Yeah. Like that was backed up by so much support. And folks are like, yeah, like this is a great concept. And I think the biggest thing I was hearing, especially from folks in Tampa, was I haven't heard of anything like that that exist yet.

00:19:16:14 - 00:19:28:27
Speaker 2
And I think it's very like, must be under the table, like there's not much broadcasting. So it seemed like there was a need in the community. It felt like there was this call to action to kind of take initiative and developing this, and.

00:19:29:00 - 00:19:29:29
Speaker 1
This was something that folks.

00:19:29:29 - 00:19:47:15
Speaker 2
Were really excited about. So I was like, you know what? It's been my goal to always do something special for Black History Month. And I was like, this is our time. So we did this off launch. I was able to pull everything together. The chefs, the venue sent out, the Asians. My team is phenomenal. I think I love that one is more in the native director space.

00:19:47:15 - 00:19:53:18
Speaker 2
The other one's on the business side and the numbers and they're definitely my they keep it real, my keep it real team.

00:19:53:18 - 00:19:54:21
Speaker 1
And yeah.

00:19:54:24 - 00:19:55:12
Speaker 2
This island.

00:19:55:15 - 00:19:56:25
Speaker 1
So yeah.

00:19:56:26 - 00:20:06:23
Speaker 2
Absolutely. So that's how we kind of built our first event. So we were very happy with the feedback. We're really big on having like lessons learned conversations, seeing what went wrong with it.

00:20:06:26 - 00:20:08:06
Speaker 1
Yeah that's important.

00:20:08:09 - 00:20:24:28
Speaker 2
So I think after the dinner, which are great, I know that anything we do taste of black related, there's always going to be some type of food element, but we wanted to take it up a notch. We had an opportunity to partner with a local. Well, I mean, it's I guess nationwide, but a business social status in Tampa.

00:20:24:29 - 00:20:42:19
Speaker 2
We're just not. I used to work and we were just spitballing ideas. We're like, okay, the dinner party was great. We got amazing feedback. Now let's do a self. I thought it was only right to do a soft launch in Tampa as well. So yeah, we had done something in North Carolina that was special. So we thought, okay, let's throw in different ideas on the one.

00:20:42:19 - 00:21:03:23
Speaker 2
It's like, let's go with a panel discussion. We were kind of thinking about the value that that has, especially back to the storytelling, right? Share their entrepreneur journey and highlighting different business owners, specifically black business owners in the Tampa Saint Pete community. Yes, that's how food for thought was built, was just kind of having different discussions with my team.

00:21:03:26 - 00:21:17:21
Speaker 2
We're really big on having like our brainstorming sessions and as both ladies have lived in Tampa all their lives, I was really pivoting to them to kind of say, well, what do you feel would be helpful in the community that you live in? What could you see? People really, you know.

00:21:17:24 - 00:21:18:23
Speaker 1
Being drawn to?

00:21:18:27 - 00:21:44:20
Speaker 2
Yeah, being drawn to. And the panel discussion was a big highlight. And even just finding the panelists, it was serendipity, I would say divine timing. A lot of the people on the panel were divinely chosen, to be quite honest. The vendors, everything fell into place beautifully once we I landed in from North Carolina, we just kind of hit the ground running and I just knew was my mission for that event to create not just stereotypical networking events.

00:21:44:20 - 00:22:07:04
Speaker 2
I really wanted to create something unique and different and I get folks out of their comfort zone and make people feel right at home. I feel like with every event we have, we want people to feel comfortable and you know that they can be themselves and just like a family. One big family cookout, the energy we were trying to bring with the food, the discourse, even the vendors were strategically handpicked.

00:22:07:04 - 00:22:28:07
Speaker 2
I want there to be some type of hands on activities. So, yes, so different from our dinner parties. That's always going to still be a constant. And people love food. People love a theme. Dress up, come with your friends, your hubby, your significant other and just kind of enjoy a night, be taken care of, put your feet up and just enjoy like an elegant dinner.

00:22:28:09 - 00:22:48:28
Speaker 2
and then now with the panel discussion, we were really big on again. Like, let's take this up a notch, let's think about workshops. How can we share some enriching gems knowledge, especially for young entrepreneurs or people that are just trying to get off the ground. So food for thought would definitely continue to be a series, and we're already starting to think of the next topic.

00:22:48:28 - 00:23:07:21
Speaker 2
It'll always be a new group of guests, and it just felt right. I think it was just one of those things where I'm grateful for my team, that we can kind of talk through different ideas and think about what's helpful in our communities and what we want to highlight and where the value is. So that's kind of like our main mission, again, highlighting the face behind the brand.

00:23:07:24 - 00:23:13:03
Speaker 2
And then always again, having that food element where there's some type of culinary art piece.

00:23:13:05 - 00:23:44:23
Speaker 1
Being it's a part of it. No, I like that. I thought that, well, I thought it was really good. I thought the the guests were good. I thought the panel, I thought the food, I thought the whole I thought the whole thing, the whole setup was really cool. So you have to tell me this because I think that it's important, like when you're talking to, whenever I'm talking to people and thinking about different events and activities and people being participating in things, new business ideas, making changes, making choices around things.

00:23:44:25 - 00:24:13:21
Speaker 1
Talk. Talk to me a little bit about what strategies I tell people you're going to listen. Listening to the show and reimagining. But it's all about getting getting those nuggets from those who do things and do things well. What strategies do you use, Jessica? Because you're your your multi-phase varsity multi-talented doing all of these things. What strategies do you use to balance the demands of being an entrepreneur?

00:24:13:24 - 00:24:36:14
Speaker 1
Being this creative, bringing this super connector and kind of bringing all these things together? How do you do how do you balance kind of the demands of being this, this superlative young woman and all of the things that you do? How do you how do you how do you keep up with yourself? And those like, oh my goodness, what all have I got to do?

00:24:36:17 - 00:25:02:06
Speaker 2
Absolutely know for sure. I think I'm and that used to be a challenge for me. Work life balance was very hard initially and something that I still am aspiring to get to a point. It's like, okay, but I have had some really great. My support system is everything, and being able to find, find moments of peace and rest and just kind of have the understanding where it's like, I don't have to tackle everything all at once.

00:25:02:08 - 00:25:23:27
Speaker 2
It's time for me because again, like, I mean, I wear a lot of different hats, like you mentioned that I have a family as well, and I just get a point. I feel like I can't be the best version of myself for others and the people that I love and care about. If I'm not taking care of me and prioritizing my self care and self-care can look different for a lot of people.

00:25:24:00 - 00:25:38:18
Speaker 2
but for me, it's just pointing to the things that give me peace. Give me joy. Whether that's going on a walk, unplugging, spending time in my faith very, very big on prayer and meditation and just,

00:25:38:21 - 00:25:39:22
Speaker 1
You know that.

00:25:39:27 - 00:26:05:22
Speaker 2
Yeah, get involved in things that don't create more stress than necessary because, like you said, with balancing such a long list of action items to talk, to get through, that can be very overwhelming. And it's just like the list just continues to grow. I will say, I there obviously have been moments as an entrepreneur where things can get a little tight, especially on the event planning side where things may not go according to plan and that's just typical or any event or project that I work on.

00:26:05:22 - 00:26:09:26
Speaker 2
I already have the expectation that it's okay, get perfect, don't perfection out the.

00:26:09:26 - 00:26:16:27
Speaker 1
Door because that's just not in this realm. You've got to be like, can you really do really well?

00:26:16:29 - 00:26:42:12
Speaker 2
and then I kind of compared I have yet I haven't had my wedding yet, but I've been to quite a few. I have seen things go awry and folks just kind of have to adapt and be able to kind of roll with the punches. And I feel like I've gotten a good knack of working under pressure and just kind of making things, deep breaths, centering myself and being like, okay, what is what do I have the ability to handle now and what can be saved for later?

00:26:42:18 - 00:26:45:03
Speaker 2
I think it's really important to ask for help.

00:26:45:05 - 00:26:46:14
Speaker 1
I'm been critical.

00:26:46:21 - 00:27:07:06
Speaker 2
Critical. You can you're one person like it's just yes, I'm the founder and business owner. But like I have an amazing team who could be possible without that. But I'm grateful for it. And I know, I'm very vocal when it comes to needing support or needing help or if there's something that I don't have the skill set or the bandwidth to take on.

00:27:07:08 - 00:27:34:11
Speaker 2
So be very clear with my expectations and be like, hey XYZ person, can you help take this honor? Do you have? And I understand that also people have their own lives. A lot of my team have nine or fives and other commitments as well that have just Taste of Black or Carolina Cosmic. So we do a little bit of I'm really big on checking in, doing pulse checks with my team and just kind of dividing and conquering certain tasks so people don't feel overwhelmed or burnt out.

00:27:34:14 - 00:27:52:25
Speaker 2
because I know what that feels like and it's just not a fun feeling. And I feel like we'll continue to create and, events and have the standard maintain a standard of excellence. The more we take note of that and be able to kind of ask for support, make sure we're taking time to kind of decompress and especially post event.

00:27:52:25 - 00:28:10:21
Speaker 2
So we have the recent black event just this past month. So I have to be mindful. I have to kind of check in on myself where I want to make sure that when I'm in these spaces that I'm really being present in the moment, enjoying it because I'm so quick in like, all right, I'm just very like, okay, next, next, next, very methodical.

00:28:10:24 - 00:28:16:00
Speaker 2
Let's like just take a breath and enjoy the hard work. I enjoy that.

00:28:16:03 - 00:28:18:12
Speaker 1
They do that.

00:28:18:15 - 00:28:35:12
Speaker 2
It's so important and it's just a beautiful thing. So I wanted to make sure I took a little bit of a rest bit before thinking about the next big project. I was like, we just worked very hard on this past event and there was a lot of energy resources and funding that went into it to make it what it is.

00:28:35:14 - 00:28:51:12
Speaker 2
Let me just take a quick little mini vacation before plotting, because it it just it takes the joy out of it to it's just like, okay and X and that's and then it's just like, what am I, what are we doing? I'm just checking boxes. At this point, it doesn't feel right. What if it didn't have that initial like fire and excitement?

00:28:51:12 - 00:29:11:12
Speaker 2
So. And I feel like the more time that I take away, I'm able to even come back with more, more creative ideas and bigger and brighter vision. When I kind of take that moment of self-reflection, can kind of journal think about, do kind of a deep dive into anything going forward thinking, what is the future going to look like for these events?

00:29:11:12 - 00:29:21:05
Speaker 2
What are what are our goals and objectives for both businesses? What are we hoping to achieve? So I'm really big on I do feel like there's power in words when you speak out.

00:29:21:11 - 00:29:23:24
Speaker 1
Yes, I'm very.

00:29:23:24 - 00:29:25:29
Speaker 2
Big on that and I feel like I've.

00:29:25:29 - 00:29:27:10
Speaker 1
Been looking at it.

00:29:27:10 - 00:29:47:29
Speaker 2
Yes, big on affirmations and just. Yeah, being more like, yes, we will reach this level of will meet this goal and meet this target and this dream collab will happen. I don't know when. I mean, that's all God's timing, right? But yeah, I'm hopeful that if it's meant to be, it's meant for us then. And, there's nothing that can stop that from coming to life.

00:29:48:02 - 00:30:19:27
Speaker 1
And absolutely you. But you put it out there and it'll find you there. It will come. It will find you. I totally believe that. I totally believe that. Yeah. No. I'm glad. I'm glad to hear. Especially being a young. You're you're successful already? and then even more success is going to continue to come to you. It will, it will you it will it will pursue you because you are the type that you're a woman of faith.

00:30:20:00 - 00:30:42:16
Speaker 1
It is going to find you. And I remember, oh, what's the young man's name? He said he dropped it, he dropped. And I was like, okay, oh, maybe Tyler. Yes, yes, yes. All of them said, great thing they all did. But I remember he said, what did he say? He was like, you will not miss it. You won't miss it.

00:30:42:17 - 00:30:47:29
Speaker 1
It will be for you. It is meant for you and it will find you.

00:30:48:01 - 00:31:00:17
Speaker 2
It will really and a unique thing about that too. But the panelists, which why I say it was divine, none of them had at that was the first panel. They had never been in a panel discussion prior.

00:31:00:19 - 00:31:02:00
Speaker 1
They. Me.

00:31:03:24 - 00:31:05:27
Speaker 1
Well they all did a very good job.

00:31:06:00 - 00:31:27:24
Speaker 2
Yes. I was so proud. So it's just I'm so grateful. And they, I mean just hearing their feedback as well on how, how the opportunity kind of was a very monumental moment for each of them and just the excitement and creation for being able to be a part of that experience. And, I mean, it was super. I was just like, wow, this is such a great group of panelists.

00:31:27:24 - 00:31:33:26
Speaker 2
And they just they never a lot of have never met for the first time. And it was just yeah.

00:31:33:28 - 00:31:39:19
Speaker 1
I think they had all knew each other and had with each other and yeah.

00:31:39:21 - 00:31:40:15
Speaker 2
But the chemistry.

00:31:40:15 - 00:31:41:05
Speaker 1
Was on.

00:31:41:05 - 00:31:49:04
Speaker 2
Point. So I love trying to create opportunities where people can be pushed out of their comfort zone and kind of see what's possible when they just kind of dive in.

00:31:49:06 - 00:31:50:09
Speaker 1
And.

00:31:50:12 - 00:31:59:13
Speaker 2
It was it was a beautiful thing. I think that made it even more special for them to be like, oh, wow. Like I felt honored to have them on the panel for our first event for sure in Tampa.

00:31:59:15 - 00:32:24:22
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. You know, you guys did. Y'all did the thank you, thank you. Oh yeah. The what else was I going to ask you? I was going to ask you okay. So yeah, I look I just asked you about making sure that you take the rest and that you take care of yourself and all of those things. And so I'm glad to hear that you are doing that, that that's a part of your practice because that is so that's going to keep you going.

00:32:24:22 - 00:32:32:09
Speaker 1
That gives you the longevity that will ask you, okay, well what do you got coming up next? Jessica.

00:32:32:11 - 00:32:47:18
Speaker 2
Other things. Yes. After the success of our event in Tampa, I definitely want to continue doing some things in Florida. we were able obviously we have the event, but I was also able to build some relationships with other business owners while I was in town and.

00:32:47:25 - 00:32:49:09
Speaker 1
Talk to.

00:32:49:11 - 00:33:08:15
Speaker 2
People who owned specific venues who are in different missions. So already starting to brainstorm. I don't want to share too much, but I, I would like to do another dinner party in North Carolina, so I'm already starting to connect with some chefs locally and do something special here. And then Black History Month. I do want to do something big maybe.

00:33:08:15 - 00:33:12:18
Speaker 2
I mean, ideally it could be like a three day series where I'm.

00:33:12:20 - 00:33:13:08
Speaker 1
The.

00:33:13:10 - 00:33:34:04
Speaker 2
Center, basically like a little mini essence fest, so to speak, center on the food, the culture, the workshops, the panels and, just kind of like a nice little homecoming experience for people to really, like, engage in fellowship. And I would like to do something that extends beyond just one day event. So that's a bit that's why I'm like, yeah, we're already talking to the.

00:33:34:07 - 00:33:37:10
Speaker 1
Narrative that is percolating historically.

00:33:37:13 - 00:33:56:27
Speaker 2
So that's the goal. And then hopefully in time I would love to expand beyond North Carolina and Florida. And I've already gotten requests to look into Atlanta, Charlotte, D.C. there's just so much talent nationwide and even globally. So I just going to continue to so I see where we are and continue to water that plan, and then.

00:33:56:27 - 00:33:57:11
Speaker 1
We.

00:33:57:13 - 00:34:03:02
Speaker 2
Can kind of spread our roots elsewhere. I'm very eager for building relationships outside of those two states.

00:34:03:04 - 00:34:26:03
Speaker 1
Beautiful. Well, beautiful. Well, hey, you let me know where you gonna be. Yes. Let me know. Well, Jessica, I before I let our time just. I swear to know where it goes. But before you leave the lab, I want you to tell. Give, give those who are. Well, first of all, I want people to know where that they can connect with you.

00:34:26:03 - 00:34:47:17
Speaker 1
And of course, all of your details are in are going to be in our show notes. And, Jessica, that the lovely and at taste of Black. You can follow her on Instagram. Go and check her out, get in contact with there, move that event and things that you are wanting to put together and curate. You have got the curator of curators.

00:34:47:20 - 00:34:53:21
Speaker 1
She can that so you can have this is this is what she does. Yeah her this is what she does.

00:34:53:21 - 00:34:57:13
Speaker 2
This tap in with me, please. It'd be an honor and a privilege.

00:34:57:16 - 00:34:58:08
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:34:58:10 - 00:35:00:10
Speaker 2
With any and everyone.

00:35:00:12 - 00:35:01:15
Speaker 1
But yeah.

00:35:01:17 - 00:35:02:24
Speaker 2
Please go ahead.

00:35:02:26 - 00:35:23:19
Speaker 1
How are you going to ask you? So if three things that you would give to those changemakers, those who are those creatives, those who are entrepreneurs, those ones who are thinking of doing things they are reimagining, they are right there, there. What would what advice would you give to them?

00:35:23:21 - 00:35:54:16
Speaker 2
Absolutely. Yeah. So my first one, and this resonates very much with my whole this whole season. And I learned this in an early age as well from a mentor when I was an undergrad. A set back is a set up for a comeback, and I truly believe that because there was a instance where I my 9 to 5, unfortunately, I was let go in June of this year, which allowed me to pour more into what I initially would consider to be my side hustles.

00:35:54:16 - 00:36:26:11
Speaker 2
And my passion projects ended up being the main hustle. And what was interesting about that was that on my last day of work was when my LLC for Taste of Black was approved by the Secretary of State in North Carolina. So as much as it was initially hard to close that chapter, and I didn't know what the future was going to have in store, and I had to make kind of a quick decisions to decide, okay, how do I proceed after all of this, especially when you're losing a main source of income and having to now think on your feet and come up with other ways to stay afloat?

00:36:26:13 - 00:36:45:22
Speaker 2
It really allowed me to pour back into my creative space. still maintained there were some dry and tough seasons, but still maintained, optimistic, prayerful, and just kind of kept my eye. I knew the light would be at the end of the tunnel, and I had an amazing support system again, goes back to. And I guess that would be my second piece of advice.

00:36:45:22 - 00:37:07:27
Speaker 2
The power of partnerships having amazing, amazing. My tribe is everything. My community, my people, my support group really showed me, pushed me beyond my out of my comfort zone and made me see like yes, you are worthy, yes, like you are. Continue to go forward and rise. And just this is an obstacle. It's a setback, but you'll be able to kind of overcome.

00:37:07:29 - 00:37:25:23
Speaker 2
And I was just so grateful for having that, those affirmations and those amazing people in my corner to continue to help me thrive and prosper and just not kind of stay in a funk or in that's that can be a big and heavy change for a lot of people. And it's not a not an I do an experience for folks.

00:37:25:23 - 00:37:46:23
Speaker 2
So I was able to kind of push through that and really pour into my businesses and, giving my all 100%. And then now looking back, I don't think any of those events, food for thought would not have been birthed had it not been for my the season that I was in and having to make a transition. So looking back, I didn't see it then, but I see it now.

00:37:46:23 - 00:38:08:29
Speaker 2
It's like I have an attitude of gratitude for all the things that's either a blessing, a lesson, or a blessing I have learned, and there's always something to be learned from both. So I would say your setbacks can definitely navigate you in a different direction. Don't. Don't lose faith. Continue to remain hopeful and just continue to. It may not happen at the timing.

00:38:09:00 - 00:38:32:02
Speaker 2
Again, it goes back to that timing situation. Patience is truly a virtue. I think in this day and age, people are. A lot of folks can be like, okay, now, like I want it now. Everything's very fast and given to social media quick, quick, quick. But I've learned to kind of kind of goes back to the unplugging and having a moment of peace, restoration, just kind of being in a calm space where it's not like I have everything.

00:38:32:06 - 00:38:51:04
Speaker 2
Everything needs to be rushed and quick. So I'm grateful for those moments, too, because I've noticed when I kind of take time to pause and I'm not rushing to something more. Blessings come that way. so just being able to find moments of peace, things that bring you calm, and then of course, I would say any to any creative business owner.

00:38:51:07 - 00:39:15:17
Speaker 2
Challenge yourself. Baby steps, whether you're going to a networking event or you want to engage that, you want to take that first step. Maybe you want to meet different sponsors or possible vendors, or just make connections with other people in the niche that you're interested in. It could be anything, you name it. you have to be able to build relationships with others that has truly served me well and has helped my business flourish.

00:39:15:19 - 00:39:45:19
Speaker 2
So being able to build connections, get out of your own way, your own head space and just create create those genuine interactions with others and highlight the things that you're passionate about. People will see that, and they'll want to invest in you and support you and just be there by your side. So I would say, let's be proactive about that, even if it's something that you do once or twice a month with, like, I'm going to go to this networking event and talk to somebody, try to talk to maybe two people and just see what comes out of that, you know, encounter.

00:39:45:21 - 00:40:03:09
Speaker 2
And I've definitely been grateful for a lot of those experiences that I've had to be able to to meet some amazing people. These businesses wouldn't have thrived if I hadn't so highly encourage folks who may be a little bit more on the wallflower side, or like to be stay at home a little bit more than going out. Challenge yourself and take that first step, I assure you.

00:40:03:14 - 00:40:29:01
Speaker 2
And most importantly, be your authentic self. In all of those scenarios, no one else is you. You have that secret sauce, that special seasoning, and that's what makes you the beautiful version of yourself and just pour into that, you know, flex that. And I think there'll be a lot of amazing things that will come your way. So I do everything in authenticity, and I think there'll be a lot of blessings and positive outcomes from that.

00:40:29:03 - 00:41:00:06
Speaker 1
Yeah, that's my thing. Good stuff. Jessica Jessica Douglas, the cosmic Karolina Cosmic Collective in the Taste of Black Jessica, it has been a pleasure. Thank you, thank you. Michelle. Have, you guys, thank you for tuning in with us this evening. It has been a pleasure. It is always a good time to reimagine you. Thank you for tuning in.

00:41:00:07 - 00:41:24:14
Speaker 1
Don't forget, every Friday there is a new episode you can tap in. Join us on Instagram, Spotify, Apple. Anywhere that you tune into podcast, you will find this is love you guys! I will see you next week. Dot. Bless you and we'll see you next. Just.