Aug. 24, 2026

Episode 189: Christian Blanton - Neenah School Board Member

This episode features an interview with Christian Blanton, Neenah School Board member.

Get to Know Christian Blanton,

This episode of The Kosh podcast features an interview with Christian Blanton, a community advocate who recently made history as the first African-American woman elected to the Neenah Joint School District School Board. The conversation explores her journey from a Chicago upbringing to local leadership, driven by a desire to address systemic inequities such as school gerrymandering and the lack of cultural representation in education. Kristen emphasizes the importance of authentic belonging, advocating for practical support like hair care services for students and the integration of Black arts and culture through the newly formed African-American Chamber of Commerce of Northeastern Wisconsin. Ultimately, the dialogue serves as a call to action for residents to investigate local systems, ask difficult questions, and move from being passive citizens to active leaders who shape their communities.

If you would like to send questions, shoutouts, or stories to be played in a future episode, please leave a voicemail at 920-385-5073 or email: askthekosh@gmail.com.

Link: https://aacnw.org/

0:05

Hello and welcome to the Kosh the People's Podcast.

I'm your host, Timber Smith and the Kosh is a podcast the spotlights the people who've had an association with the Kosh and their surrounding Fox Cities region.

0:22

Kosh listeners, how are you doing out there?

Hopefully you're doing as fantastic as I am.

Let me give you my normal report.

It is spring, it is gorgeous but it is crisp out here which I'm not mad about because y'all already know I love flannel weather.

0:39

So we are still in flannel weather now.

And so I'm I'm never disappointed at that point.

Not going to be mad if we happen to rush into a T-shirt weather because I'm about that life too.

So both make me happy.

Cash listeners, let me remind you that the cash is sponsored by Timber Ties.

0:59

That's right, y'all know y'all been on this journey with me.

Timber started a business and it is a wooden bow tie business.

So since we are in the middle of or getting ready to go into what I would say wedding season, if you are out there listening and you are thinking we need something distinct to give to those groomsmen or grooms people or something that would rock really well that that is distinguished but ain't like nobody else.

1:28

You need to go check out Timber Ties.

So you can find us online at Timber dashties.com.

Once again, timber-ties.com.

Thank you all for being on this journey with me.

We've been doing some cool things, but I'll, I will share about that later in the episode.

1:47

So all right, gosh, listeners, I am pretty excited about this conversation today.

Very excited about this conversation today for all sorts of reasons.

And I'm going to tell you one thing that I've I've not ever had happen two things.

2:03

Number one, I've never had a guest who came in with the question for me.

First just came in swinging.

Swinging got questions for me.

I was like, oh, OK, I, I, I was not ready.

Let me tell y'all all right, you already know Bosco the podcast dog being on some little different Bosco the podcast dog just jumped up start drinking our guest drink just he and he never did that Bosco is awesome different today.

2:34

So that's how I know this is about to be a super fun episode.

But all right, but or introduce this guest.

Let me just say this, I think y'all know what I'm about to say.

You know what's coming.

2:50

Don't know how we continue to get these amazing, amazing guests here on the Kosh and this week's not going to be any different.

So without any further ado, this week's guest is Kristen Blatton.

3:09

Hey, Kristen.

Hey hey kosh podcast people, how y'all doing if y'all could respond?

I like, I like how you said that Kosh podcast people that I like that.

How are we doing this morning?

It's sunny, it's breezy, I'm in my sweater.

3:26

I like sweater weather.

So like, we can keep it right here all summer long for me.

Oh, you know what?

I like sweaters too.

But I what I've come to realize is my sweater game then got old.

But you know, because you get your comfy sweaters right, and you've been rocking them and then all of a sudden, you know what messes me up?

3:47

Facebook.

And you know why Facebook messes you up?

Because then they'll show you pictures that you did 5 to 10 years ago.

It's just that I'm looking at the sweater from eight years ago and I'm still rocking that sweater.

4:02

That's a good sweater.

It makes me happy and I but I don't need Facebook to remind me that I'm still rocking that that sweater because, you know, it's a nice sweater.

I don't know, I'm just saying.

4:19

Well, Kristen, you ready to jump in?

Absolutely.

OK.

Can you please tell us about yourself and your association with cash in the surrounding Fox Cities region?

Really, not about me, but interesting things.

My mom is a singer, my dad is a DJ.

4:35

And then that you got me and I'm I'm a church girl.

I directed the choir, did praise dance, did poetry, and then I tried to do a rock band.

Those things didn't work out.

Tried to what?

4:50

What's my interesting thing?

I tried to audition for the Voice in American Idol when that first started.

Oh, you did?

Yeah.

Those like, they want people with like, ridiculous stories.

Even if you can sing, they wanted a back story that was going to bring somebody to tears.

So.

So anybody that has dreams of like going on a GTI think those are the up to date ones and things like that, like have a dramatic back story.

5:14

Are you saying your your back story didn't live up to par?

It didn't.

It wasn't what they wanted.

It was average.

And he said you didn't or you didn't want to tell the struggle, struggle.

No, there was no struggle.

I I'm literally.

You're like, Nope, it wouldn't.

5:29

It wouldn't even like that.

It's not necessarily a struggle, it's just like I'm from the South side of Chicago, NSA, like I was raised in the house.

It's real simple.

Not that complex.

5:45

No, not even.

All right, I'd love that.

OK, well tell us more what's going on with you?

What's what's what's happened recently?

I'm leaving you somewhere because you we going to talk about this.

No.

So April 7th, officially, I was voted to be on the school board and Nina.

6:05

So if you drive from Oshkosh, 20 minutes about to Nina, that's where I'm at.

That's where me and my family are.

I chose to run for the school board and I made it.

I made it by, you know, beating the one guy that didn't have to do.

I'm not going to say he didn't have to do anything, but he's been running for years just for fun.

6:23

So my goal was to beat that guy and I won by about 400 more votes over than what he got.

So 5822 people voted for me for Nina Joint Just school district school board.

Yeah, it's amazing.

How'd it feel?

6:39

It's nerve wracking.

Yeah, it's it's actually pretty cool because like, and I've been trying to so the, I don't know, the word for the new mayor is Brian Bortrick, right?

The old mayor is Mayor Jane Lang.

6:55

And she is officially not the mayor anymore based on the election results, but she's a great historian.

So I've asked her, I said, you know, is there anywhere that I can dig up information on the school board members?

Because I want to see who's been on the school board before.

And I only wanted that so I can say, say it with my whole chest that I am the first African American person voted to the school board in this city.

7:19

I can't call it a fact because I have to do research to make sure it is a fact.

But I made history for my family and for my kids and for myself.

And at least I can say I'm probably the first African American person in about 2020 or so years for the city of Nina to be on the school board.

7:36

So that is significant.

And I never thought I would be a first black person to do something.

I'm thinking you might be a first.

I don't know that for a fact either, but I'm going to guess and you can you can answer this or or correct me if I'm wrong, is I'm going to guess that the city and the in the school district are separate entities.

7:57

They're separate governing.

Body.

Yep.

Because I was going to say you asking them, they probably saying.

I don't.

It was like, I'm learning.

I don't want to say I'm learning the hard way, but the more questions I come up with, I find myself being in more rooms than I anticipated being in.

8:14

So when I have a question about like, you know, the zoning for the schools, I'm at the school board.

But then when that you only get so far and then you have to go to the city about the zoning and it is about like where I have to vote and I'm at the city.

And then I'm like back with the, you know, so everything is they we these two, you know, big people, they have to talk to each other.

8:34

The city has to talk to the school board, The school board it's it's an ongoing conversation and you never know where you land.

So it's like, yeah, I've had to beef up my, I can't just sit back and be a regular citizen.

Oh no I have to literally 2 years that I started learning about TIF funding and tip funding and and he locks and like what does it have to do with me?

8:56

Everything.

As a taxpayer and like, where am I, You know, this is really interesting.

I ran for the school board because I personally saw certain patterns that reminded me of, you know, some Chicago gerrymandering and they were closing a school that my children are at.

9:16

So, you know, I live in a bubble.

They popped my bubble.

Now I'm paying attention to the world around me.

And I'm like, why are you picking up my kids?

So why the school?

But the tactics that were used or the communication style was very like it felt like when Rahm Emanuel closed the schools only on the South Side of Chicago.

9:37

And now here I am, I moved away from all of that and I'm in a city that feels like you guys weren't already celebrating Black History Month.

You weren't already celebrating the Doctor King holiday for you know, and I've been here for 9 years.

9:52

So but those things were not holidays and recognized in this district.

And I like I'm a parent.

That was like, why is it like this?

And I was like, OK, I'm just chill on it because no big deal.

But like at the at the point where the school was causing the principal was like, we need you, We need your voice.

10:11

And it's, it's like a long conversation.

I don't want to be that long.

But a lot of people who move into the area don't know where they move to.

So a lot of us move from city metropolitan areas.

And this is a much quieter place to be.

It's really cool.

10:26

You put your head down, make your money, you go home, you send your kids to school.

But then there's that extra thing that's missing.

And that's the thing that I've been trying to touch on for years.

Like, why aren't my kids feeling welcome or feeling like they belong?

So my campaign slogan was every child, every family belonging in Nina.

10:46

And I truly mean that because every child that walks through the door should feel like they're part of this system and they shouldn't feel separate from it.

So.

Oh no, you ain't just getting off like that.

We, we need to you, you thought you was just going to cut that short.

No, you, you were on to something.

11:04

I mean, you are right.

What have you learned on this journey?

And, and I like the fact, OK, you've been here for 9 years.

So like you ain't new to this.

Like you haven't been around for a minute.

You've had time to understand the culture of the community.

You've made your observations.

11:20

You have found those patterns.

Yeah.

And it sounds like these patterns motivated you to run and actually do something.

So how it appeared and you know, there's there's context for everything, but how it appeared to me when I did my version of research is all of the low income housing, all the low income housing was red line.

11:44

If you know what red lining is, I, I hope people understand what I'm saying when I say that redlined out of a certain school zone is what it appeared like.

And all of the kids that had behavioral problems, non non-english speakers, they were puts at the same school that my children were at.

12:02

So there is a phrase that I like to call a catch all and my kids school was a catch all.

They caught everything that everybody else didn't want to deal with on the elementary level.

So this is where you find the highest demographic of African American children, of Hispanic children of demographics.

12:20

And then everybody else who was on a lower financial, what's the what's the word that triggered me at the time?

The word that triggered me at the time was lower social, lower socio economic people and I was like could you just say poor?

12:37

It was like me.

People, people don't like the word poor.

He could have just said, he said it so many times.

And like when people were questioning him when we had these town halls, the guy's name was Chad.

He doesn't work in the district anymore, but they sent him out and he got ate up.

12:52

Like we were like, could you just say poor stop saying lower Cecily economic people.

So, yeah, we we fought for our school.

The vote went anyway.

And then the option was like, we're going to for me, what I said out loud at those school board meetings was like, you guys are just going to send us over to the next school with the highest demographic of black children.

13:14

And you haven't put in a contingency plan for, you know, dismantling this one school to so-called save money And you're going to send this culture of kids who this principal shout out to Miss Monrozik for real.

She worked very hard to make sure that she was in tune with every single family that walked in the door, that she knew every family story.

13:37

And it wasn't on accident.

It was just like this is who she is.

So it became on purpose.

And she for the staff that was there that followed her, they followed suit.

And it's so good to have an example of a good leader, somebody that's going to be like that thing that you said to that child might have been a little bit off.

13:55

Please try not to say that again.

Or for the the teachers eventually started counting me and asking like, why does your son have on a do rag?

Why does your daughter have on a bonnet?

And it was okay.

Like we got to a point where the report was good enough for me to say my baby hair ain't done or my baby hair just got done.

14:11

This is why they have the bonnet or the do rag on.

Thank you for asking me.

Right.

At least they asked.

Yes, that's huge.

Actually, there's some trust that was built.

Very much like no other principal in the district had that I felt at that time was doing the work that this principal had done to make it comfortable for black parents to come and be present at the school.

14:34

They were mindful, literally mindful to not bring police presence when they wanted to have families be present there because they knew, you know, kind of how that affected us.

So a very informed principal was like my champion.

She was like, you should run for school aboard.

14:52

Oh, oh, oh, she she lobbed that at.

You so like, yeah, listen to people and then sometimes don't listen to people.

But yeah, like, she championed me and she was like, you're using your voice in a really awesome way.

People are listening.

You are turning tides.

15:07

Please, when you get a chance and run for school board.

And I skipped the first election.

And that one was like, I have to say this election, this cycle running, it was very peaceful.

It was only four of us running.

So no competition, no slandering, no, no race cards or anything like that.

15:24

That I, you know, I was expecting the worst.

It was a lot of camaraderie.

We all get along.

We all respected each other's views.

That compared to the election cycles that I've been watching before where they are tearing each other down the, the radio ads, the newspaper ads, this person and that person slandering on social media.

15:42

Oh, that was like wicked.

You're not going to get me to run during that season.

So I'm kind of glad that God brought me into a season where I didn't.

I'm not going to say I didn't have to try.

I didn't have to try, but where I could be myself authentically, where people could see and hear my message and where I could just show up and say this is what I want to do for the kids here.

16:01

So very cool.

But.

Let's talk more about that.

Why do you think this season was different?

What's out there, What don't?

Maybe we as a listeners out here or people in it quite understand because I do.

16:18

I did get that sense too, is how I follow elections and I follow a couple of them.

I follow the region's elections actually.

So I follow everything from Oshkosh through Appleton in between because just maybe some of the stuff that I got to do, I need to be, I need to be aware and present for who possibly I might need to work with or whatever it may look like, right.

16:39

What do you think contributed to this the the tone of this election?

Majorly, I have to say the Superintendent, I got a chance to meet him before he was Superintendent Steve Harrison, doctor Steve Harrison and he is a very genuine, authentic person and he is actually committed to the the the journey of I.

17:03

I want to say like each individual child and making sure that they succeed and that they have what they need.

And majority of the things when I came to talk to the district, you know, because they they change superintendents, everybody does like he was on board, but he clearly understood.

17:20

I didn't get any pushback.

And then the job for me after that, it kind of became simple was like, OK, I've talked to the new Superintendent.

I've talked to everybody on the board.

I don't have an issue with anybody on the board.

I've talked to the principals as many as I could.

And I mean, I talked to principals from the Catholic Lutheran schools all the way from Menasha back through to Nina because I was trying to find a place that was going to be like, receptive of my entire family and my kids.

17:49

But, you know, I landed where like, Nina is good.

Nina can work.

And based on my relationship with the principal, Miss Morozik, that kind of just made me feel like there's hope.

And what I found out, as I've been learning over these last couple years, sometimes it's really as simple as asking a question.

18:07

I, I asked the district, I said, who do I have to talk to to get, you know, black performers in the school?

Oh, just talk to your kids principal.

It was that simple this whole time.

I've been sitting at home for five years, complaining five years.

Nobody asked.

Because we didn't, we didn't know.

18:22

We thought, I thought it was like a tough, a tough wall to knock down.

And it's really as simple as like, no, you don't see representation.

Go and ask your kids principal and work alongside them to make the school atmosphere, the environment look like what your children look like.

So success for this February 2026 with the Afrofusion dancers from Lawrence University with them coming like graciously coming to perform at Coolidge Elementary and at Neenah Middle School.

18:51

And we hope to have them back sometime soon.

But we know like they're in college and living their lives, but like shout out to them and shout out to the principals of those two schools for just saying yes, making it easy.

We got them in a door and they did.

When I, when I say like black girl magic, it was magical like all the way around.

19:10

It was really cool to see how impactful they were, not just to the black demographic of children, right, but to the entire body of students as a whole and how many kids wanted to learn about Afrofusion dance and the workshops.

19:26

And the one kid was like, man, if she would just slow down, I could keep up.

I want to do this move so bad 'cause we did like a well, you know, like.

Yeah, like a like a little class walkthrough.

Yeah.

No, no, I'm a, I'm a lead add to the professionals.

19:42

They they got me out there.

I bust the sweat.

I was like, no, I never again, never again.

I danced at one school.

Not a thought.

Fair enough.

But how easy that was to just like go and ask, can somebody come and, you know, do a presentation that's and the teachers are just like, yeah, this is the days we have available.

20:01

This is the times at work.

And it worked out.

I think, I think what some people don't really realize is when they're looking at a system and they're thinking this is missing, this is missing.

Sometimes the reason it's missing is because A, they don't know there's actually a demand for it or an interest in it.

20:21

And then #2 those individuals don't necessarily know where to even go get the things right.

They don't have those relationships to bring in Afro dance dancers and, and things of such like they don't have the relationships in place.

So they need the assistance.

20:38

And even if some are gun shy a lot with it, they're the one thing they're going to be gun shy is they're going to be gun shy about coming to ask Someone Like You or I to connect them with that.

Because then they're like, they don't want to feel like they're offending somebody or something.

20:54

So they'd be like, it's complicated how we have made things that.

Is true.

You know, and when I say we, I, I mean all of us.

I'm not saying one side or the other.

I'm just saying all of us.

We all tiptoe around things and we don't know should we say this and I say that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

21:12

But so, so many things would be better served if we could just come from a place of good intent and authenticity.

And, and most of us, I think we can see it when somebody's maybe we don't know the right language, but we trying to do right.

21:27

So, so just go on and and help me get say the right thing.

But let's do this thing because it'll be good for the community.

Yeah, I say that all the time.

I say we all speak English, but sometimes we don't speak the same language.

I will remember that.

That's a good quote.

It's like that and I'm trying to think because I wrote a letter to Lawrence University's their Deans and their presidents and I said why is it so hard for me when I get on a landing page and I'm looking for events, you know, I'm looking for Afro fusion.

21:57

I'm looking for the 2 words that I know mean black.

I'm looking for Afro and I'm looking for culture or I'm looking for diversity.

I'm looking for those 3 words on the website because then I know that means that it's a black thing or it's black centered, black related.

You know, the only way I know something is going on is because one of the dancers is sending me a text or emailing me like hey, we have a culture, whatever event going on and I'm like, is it on the website?

22:22

I'm looking for it on the landing.

Page to be fair, it's gotten complicated, right?

And no, no, I'm just being real like, because, you know, not to mince any words because of, of federal things, right?

And the federal government is saying you put these words out there like this, we're going to defund you.

22:42

We're not going to give you this money.

We're not going to do this right?

There's actually reap it.

The what I'm really saying is it used to be there and a lot of different websites and homes used to use that language that made it easy to find.

23:00

And we can't do that anymore.

There is literally like banding on that stuff.

Jeez, so.

Just so you know.

It's OK.

And then to that point, if there are, you know, groups that are putting on events just like everybody else, yes.

23:17

Why is it not on the front page of the website when I go to events under your university, your school, whatever it is, why is it not listed amongst everything else?

And that's that's the whole.

It that could be a couple of things because it just might be like an organization and on a college campus, like they may be doing their thing, but they may not know how all the procedures work as far as like getting something on the website right as an organization.

23:47

It might be how old or new they are.

You know, if you're a more established one, you've had people before you, you know the people, you know the routine.

And if they're new, Bosco Bosco podcast.

Hey, lead, lead.

People won't stop Bosco's over here cutting up y'all.

24:05

I'm just letting y'all know.

But it could be that.

I don't want to make excuses for it, but I do think it's a great opportunity.

You know Lawrence has great leadership over there at at the top of Lawrence is 3 African American ladies.

And we need them to hit the Fox Valley area real hard.

24:21

And I'm, well, I'm just going to say, you know, I'm, I am more than confident they are open to this conversation.

So I would just reach out most definitely.

Yeah, I'm never going to, not that it's a no, I will take not right now, not this way.

24:36

I will never take no, just one of those things.

I'm just like, we need to increase it.

And then I'm actually actively trying to find more, more people.

So another thing that's in high demand, if people do not know for children, we need our kids hair dead.

24:54

And that was another reason I ran for school board.

And one of the things that I pointed out to, you know, like the school for president and so a few other principals and teachers, like, have you all seen your website?

And when you go on your website and this is like, I'm telling you, parents like go and like just browse the the pictures.

25:12

Not to be judgy, but from a black mom standpoint, our kids hair needs to be done and it needs to be done often.

I know that there are a few nonprofits that have just popped up that are dedicated to doing that, but we need to start integrating with the schools and the school districts to offer hair care services for free.

25:33

I will tell you that I have two daughters and it cost me $300 per child to get their hair done for a style that's going to last probably a month or a month and a half if I'm stretching it out.

Two months is too long.

25:49

My son with his Mohawk haircut, if he gets it braided and cut in style, that's $90.00.

So like I have 5 kids, so like it's costing me a good group of money to make sure our babies here are done.

If there's anybody committed to that, please e-mail me at chrisbfornina@gmail.com because I want to collaborate to make sure we are addressing the emotional belonging piece of a child being at school.

26:17

And that is a thing that it's not a outspoken stressor that somebody is going to realize.

Like this baby got the hood on this baby got the buying it they do rag on because they don't have the money, access time or a person to go and get their hair done detangled, braided up how it's supposed to be.

26:37

And on a few occasions I've seen on the school websites, different schools, they'll post like, oh, they did this great event and then I'm looking for the black kids because I'm a black mom.

I'm looking for the black kids period.

And then I'll see like, OK, that baby here wasn't done.

That's not cool that they posted this picture and then I'm going back to the principal and I'm saying like, hey, did you catch this photo of this child?

26:55

Do you, you know, I have money to offer to reach out.

I've done this personally, I don't recommend people do it, but it's like I see the baby hair is not done.

That is not up to the standard of, you know, it's not up to a black mom standard period.

How I feel.

And I'm just like, you know, I will pay for a hair appointment.

27:13

If you could send a message as long to this child's mom because y'all posted them looking raggedy and that's that's the need that needs to be addressed.

That's all I'm saying.

So that's complicated.

I know it is.

And it's super.

Complicated.

That's a personal bandwagon.

27:29

That's something that I do that don't nobody know that I do.

And it's been.

I get what you're saying though, it's there's a there's a dignity aspect there.

Yeah.

Right.

The reason I say it's complicated is because as a school district, you know, school districts aren't, aren't government, but they're ran by government.

27:51

It is paid for with taxpayer dollars.

And that's where it gets complicated because once you get into the taxpayer dollar realm, then it is our whatever services or things we're going to offer, something we can offer for all.

Yeah.

28:07

And that gets complicated.

To a point.

But also, I would appreciate collaboration because there are things that, you know, I've been a teacher's aide before and something that was foreign to me.

I had to put on sunscreen on the little babies.

28:24

And I was like, OK, am I supposed to rub it in till the the white wears off on their skin or like, I don't know how to apply sunscreen?

That's a cultural thing.

And I will honestly say that.

So that was one of the things I had to learn and somebody else had to teach me that that knew about it.

So it's the same thing.

Crossing over with the hair.

28:40

Yeah.

Yeah, no, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be an understanding about hair.

Yeah, right there.

I agree with you on the understanding of hair.

A school providing care services, that's going to be complicated.

I know This is why my whole thing partner with the community that's out here.

28:57

Let us pick a couple of days to come after school or you know, those half days that you all got.

Let us put shop, set up shop and.

But there are.

All here.

Yeah, but you right, there are good nonprofits out here who do good services, who will come in there.

There's barbers out here who donate time.

29:14

There's all sorts of people like the one thing I will say is we are, we may not be many, but we are mighty and they will show up and we will bless each other when we need to bless each other.

Like that?

29:30

Well, that's my observation.

You know, it's just an observation.

OK, well, we went down this path and we might come back to this a little bit later.

You ain't off the hook, Bosco.

He put you.

He really likes you.

29:47

He want to be on my lap so the only reason I'm not touching a dog more is because I'm allergic and if I I can pet him but if I touch my face, my face going to turn red.

Yeah, no, we not we going to be good and and we going to talk to Bosco about.

This I love dogs though I grew up with them.

30:02

I just, you know, I know I got to wash my hands often all.

Right.

If you weren't doing what you're doing right now, what would you like to be doing?

Probably.

So that's a good question.

Let's go with eventually I will have a few books, right?

30:20

What I would prefer to be doing is probably there's a cup I wanted to create.

So like I would be an inventor, which I kind of feel like I already AM and in different ways, but I would invent products to sell to people that I feel are useful.

I like giving people useful things.

30:38

I like making making sure what I'm doing makes sense and aligns with who I am.

So I would still be in the realm of like providing a necessary service or item.

I don't want to give people why I never wanted to sell people something that they don't need.

30:55

Like I don't want to sell you another five pair of shoes if you only need one pair of shoes to walk in that.

That's kind of where I'm at.

So yeah, I would probably open up that journal where I was scribbling really bad drawings and start working on the physical products that I wanted to invent to, you know, make a difference, a small difference in the world.

31:20

Yeah.

OK.

Before we move on to the next segment, I didn't want to gloss over something here that you said.

You said 5 kids, what are their ages?

This year, this year is going to be 12/10, 8:00 and 6:00 and then my one year old.

31:42

So yeah.

All right, and what's the, what's, what's the divide in genders?

It's literally boy girl boy girl boy.

Oh, so it was been just like that.

Yes, OK.

Yes.

That's what's up.

Yeah.

All right.

31:58

Well, you know what?

I am really glad that you are on the board of the school board.

Like seriously.

I'm excited, but it's a lot of all my late nights are now going to be spent at school.

Hey, you.

32:13

You do got a you.

You're going to be in the middle of it.

You're going to have to do school tours like you.

Yeah.

You got to become that that that ingrained, involved expert.

It's that I'm excited.

I'm mostly nervous, but I am excited.

32:29

It's just I walked into a lot of rooms recently.

It's a thing where and this happens.

I don't know if it happens a lot to a lot of black professionals in this area, but you know, you're always the only black person there or you're always the only black man or the only black woman or you know 1.

32:45

You can count 5 people and you to 5th.

You can count 100 people and you're 99.

That's all.

Yeah, that's that's.

Actually walking into a lot of spaces that are designed for the work that I want to do that may not have been designed for me is that's where the nervousness comes from.

33:03

But like walking in the room and then hearing people's stories, that's where I've been able to connect with other individuals.

So I don't feel so out of place once I started talking to folks.

But it's just like I've walked into a lot of new spaces and I've been nervous as I get out.

That's normal.

And that's for black professionals.

33:19

It is highly common.

We call it imposter syndrome.

As you question, am I really supposed to be in this space?

But let me give some helpful guidance.

You can take it or leave it.

Just remember that you're chosen to be in the space.

33:36

So you're supposed to be in the space and being chosen to be in the space.

If everybody there was chosen, y'all all supposed to be in the space.

So don't discount the fact that you are in the space and were chosen to be in the space and that's it.

33:53

And nobody at the end of the day, what I've always found is like, you'll just be surprised at the different levels of engagement and knowledge and all that.

Don't, don't.

You don't have to be more than who you are and just be truly authentic to you.

There is no wrong way to be you.

34:10

Baby, OK, I like that.

I'm going to write that down when we get done or when you play or when I play it back, I'm going to like scribble it and put it in my my notes.

That's that's good.

It well, it's something I had to learn because I'm, I've that person, you know, I've been in those spaces for over 30 plus years and the only in those spaces for that many years and I end up in a lot of different rooms, rooms that I never even knew existed, right.

34:39

And so for the sake of being effective, I can't be in my head, right?

OK.

Right.

Yeah, you've got to.

You've got to be, because if you're in your head, you're missing all of the things.

34:55

But what I've learned really quickly is most people are really happy that I'm in the room because they chose me to be there.

That is nice.

All right, So I I.

Hope that helps.

It does.

So all right, well, what we are about to do is this right here.

35:19

All.

Right.

Gosh, listeners, you already know when you hear that.

That means it is time for the topic of the week.

And the topic of the week is chosen by our guest 99.9% of the time.

35:35

And guess what, this week is going to be different because I am going to ask the guest if she will do topic of the week and go down a certain path for us.

OK, Kristen, are you open to that?

Sure.

OK.

So the one thing that we didn't talk about in the intro that you are very much an intrical and important part of is this new nonprofit in our region called the African American Chamber of Northeast Wisconsin.

36:08

Did I get?

I got all that.

African American Chamber of Commerce of northeastern Wisconsin.

That's right.

OK.

I didn't.

I knew you would get me right.

You was going to get me right?

Right.

Let's go.

Let's talk about it.

Oh dude, so I wish I could like grab a pause for us.

36:25

Oh, wait, wait.

I got you.

Wait.

There we go.

We finally got it off the ground.

And when I say we the whole time, you know how you got one of them friends that asked you to do a bunch of stuff that you don't want to do and then you end up being a part of the, the collection of people and, and, and all of these shenanigans, you were part of it.

36:43

So yeah, I very, it's really cool.

I've been friends with one of the founders.

Her name is Wilona.

She does Chicago hustle hoagies.

I've been friends with her for two years now.

I think about two and last year.

37:00

Both of y'all South side.

Yeah, yeah.

We are both from the South Side of Chicago.

That's probably what it is.

But you know, I got a like, I'm like, you got fries in mouse sauce.

She was like, yeah, I got some fries in mouse sauce.

I'm like, OK, you got the real thing too.

So that's probably where we where we hit it off.

37:16

She had authentic Chicago food.

But yeah, I got, I feel like she asked for help.

She was like, can you just e-mail these one or two people for this event?

And I was like, yeah, no problem.

And she was like, would you mind taking notes for us for meetings?

Yeah, no problem.

37:32

And then I'm like, I end up at all of the meetings and I'm like, I'm not officially a part of this.

So I'm just like, showing up because she asked me to help.

And the next thing I know, you know you on our board, right?

I said what when this happened, but it was just because I kept agreeing to show up.

37:53

I didn't have a problem like advertising for the pay it for it event.

I remember they tried to do it in.

I was 26, so two years ago, and it wasn't as big as it should have been.

Then last year we advertised heavily for it.

38:08

We got donations for it.

It was literally like me alone, a pound in the pavement and out here.

And we had a few extra people that were like helping, but it was just like, if I like just me and my sister, we out here going, not knocking on doors.

Can you give us hot dogs?

Can you give us buns?

Can you give us money?

38:24

Like that's what it was for the paid for event and then for us to get to that day last year for the Menasha community.

And it is stormed.

It just, it just poured down.

It was like think it's like it wasn't in the cards.

But we did have a good turn out.

38:41

We had 100 backpacks.

We gave that out.

But I'm, I'm very happy I was voted secretary this year of the African American Chamber of Commerce, which is very cool because I'm, I guess I'm good at taking notes, which that might be the only time you get me to shut up so.

All right, so here's what I want to do.

38:59

We we said the name.

What is it that the Chamber is trying to do?

So there are a couple things.

Often times we get a lot of you know, I'll say probably people more so know a lot of restaurants that open a business this first out here and you don't see really good restaurants or more black-owned, you know, eateries that stay open past a year or a year and a half.

39:24

Second.

Remember T TS nachos somewhere in Appleton?

I was going over there for nachos because like man, and all of a sudden it was closed and you know, now I'm hearing that, you know, the jerk joint.

I know they needed, they had a specific story where they just needed more time with their own family, but it's, it's unfortunate that they didn't have anybody to train and hand off the business too.

39:47

So they can keep the jerk joint going, right?

So just those kinds of things.

And then there are other lanes of business like cleaning businesses and all this other stuff.

There are a lot of startups that we are out here doing already without any guidance, without knowing who to go to.

40:02

And majority of the majority of that is without trust because it takes a lot to, I have to say it from experience to like.

Forget about the humility, put yourself in a room where you are uncomfortable so you can get the answer that's necessary for you.

40:20

And a lot of black people just don't trust, you know, going and talking to financial institutions or trusting talking to like some person who was recommended by word of mouth.

Sometimes that's the that's what, you know, kills the momentum moving forward.

40:37

So by creating the African American Chamber of Commerce, we are reaching out to the demographics of people that want to be business owners, Not only business owners, like with the dancers from Lawrence University, we reached out to them and they want to entertain.

So we're finding more places for them to go and be present in growing, you know, Black arts and black culture in the Fox Valley.

41:00

It's a whole gamut and diaspora of things where there's nothing against anybody else.

We plan to be collaborative with everybody else, with the other Chambers of Commerce that are out here.

But for the people that you know, like I said, when I'm going on the website, I'm looking for the words Afro, cultural diverse, because I know that means me.

41:20

For the people that are out here looking for black business, we are it.

And I'm happy that we've, you know, set, set ourselves in a position where we can get those others that might not have wanted to come out, you know, from their corner of the world.

41:37

So I'm going to help add on.

OK, Yeah, because I'm, I'm on the board of this.

So for full transparency, Kristen was not ready for that because I just threw her totally under the bus.

But I felt like it was an important thing for us to talk about what we are hoping.

I think of part of what we're hoping to do with the chamber also is like, I'm in a situation where I get contacted by a lot of up and coming entrepreneurs.

42:00

People are interested in starting their businesses.

They don't know where to necessarily where to go, how to do those.

And they do, they want, they just want good guidance they can trust.

And then they also want continual mentorship or, or classes to help them cultivate this business once they have this business, right?

42:23

And that is part of what the Chamber is going to be trying to help do.

And another aspect of it is you'd be surprised at how different organizations are really thoughtful and they're trying to be inclusive.

And they might say, you know, we're having this whatever event, whatever kind of event it is.

42:39

And they'll say, you know what, we would really love the support in African American business for this.

And they don't know where they are or how to work with them or who to contact.

Well, if we have a chamber who keeps this list of these businesses, we can say, oh, well, here's the list.

42:59

Choose one, figure out who you would like to work with and, and such, or we have a relationship with them.

We can contact them for you and we'll connect you to those kinds of things.

There's just really good opportunities available here as our demographics in this region continue to shift and our demographics continue to grow in in these diverse categories.

43:24

I think these are important things to have.

And if others didn't realize this, there's already a a Latin X chamber.

There is a veterans chamber, there is a Mung chamber, there's an LGPT chamber.

43:42

I think we need our chamber that is that simple.

That is very.

True.

And it is.

So there's good things happening.

There's really amazing people with great energy and experience on this board and we have great leadership.

43:57

So I want to give a special shout out to Orson, and a big shout out to our founders and Lona and OT.

That's right For even being being bold enough, creative enough, thoughtful enough, and determined enough to actually make it happen.

44:15

Very much.

Yes, All right.

So, so the, the, the preference, everything.

I just want to make sure that I, I say that we are very much in the building stages of this.

We are figuring this out.

44:32

So give us time.

Yeah, it feels it's very much crawl before you walk and it's very much, you know what, what's the thing people say?

I don't, I don't really like being one of God's strongest soldiers.

Like you wear all the hats, you do all the things.

44:48

But it's cool.

It's cool.

This is just like strengthening a muscle and, you know, adding some backbone.

And now I can, I'm actually just trying to help create positions of volunteer positions for a few of our how can I share one of our kids that So I, I worked as a star coordinator at Appleton East.

45:09

This really phenomenal kid.

His name is Ivor.

And at the time he had a business or like apparel and making like really quality hoodies with the satin lining in it for your hair.

I cannot remember the name of it.

I know he does that.

And like so full circle, Ivor is now interning for us, just doing like social media management and something else.

45:29

But it's like, that's so awesome.

Like, and I'm like, dude, I know you already.

And he was like, oh, hi, nice to meet you.

He's like ready to shake my hand.

He had a suit on and everything.

Like I already know you.

But full circle, being able to like, it's one of those things like being connected to the community that's already out here through, you know, jobs like being a star coordinator through the Boys and Girls Club.

45:52

It's it's just very cool to see that yay, I get to aid the kids that are coming behind me in their success and moving them forward into this next step.

So same for the kid that I was, you know, a coordinator for Appleton East is the same for my my kids that are in the school district.

46:08

And everybody else is like, I can't wait to put y'all kids on or put my kids on too and see them being successful and shining.

But yeah.

Oh yeah, look, I'm not just going to let you slide on that.

We got to give the big shout out to my man Ivor.

46:24

Ivor is a young man that I do mentor, but he is also the designer of Timber's Ties website.

There we go.

So you know, Ivor is a talent beyond his years, his his young 19 year old self be in the suit and he'd be carrying himself ultra professional.

46:42

He'd be doing his thing.

So special, special shout out to Ivor out there.

I was glad you dropped that name when you said Ivor.

I didn't know.

I didn't know whose name is going to drop.

But then I was like, Yep, Yep, Ivor is.

He's special.

Is that and then the other way that that's connected is our founder OT.

47:00

So OT is also the founder for Community Initiatives of Wisconsin and he does something called an ACE program.

He also does an MIT program where he goes back into the Appleton and Oshkosh area schools, gets the students, shows them kind of what the career avenues look like.

47:16

It might be construction, it might be computer technology, it might be baking at a bakery, and it might be law enforcement.

That was kind of what we covered over this last year, what I saw him cover with that organization.

But you know, what inspired I were to become a business owner is the fact that the ACE program landed at his high school, right?

47:36

And then he had somebody at Fox Valley Tech that inspired him.

Miss Amy Peach was one of his inspirations.

So I'm like, he should be here to tell his own story.

But.

Hallow Faith.

Yes, hallow faith, there we go.

That's that is Ivor's business.

Brandy as clothing.

His clothing brand Hallowed Faith.

47:52

Yes, so hallowed faith and like just hearing somebody tell you like this is possible.

This is what business does this is how to get it together.

This is how you make the plan and like following through and all of the steps in the process.

You don't have to know everything.

48:07

You just have to know the right people sometimes.

But again, I just say that as like, I'm really proud of the work that the people in the Fox Valley do as a whole.

It's a full circle connection, you know, working with the universities, the Fox Valley Tech going back to.

48:23

So like I'm hoping somebody here is hearing this and being inspired to want to go back to the schools and do the work and like show them something new and be an inspiration.

Because you don't know the two or three-year turn around that could make a difference in in a kids life to where they are now.

48:41

One of the business owners out here in the Fox Valley and they are a great asset to our community.

So I just want to like, tie all those things in together and say, like, good job Fox Valley people and everybody.

Yes, most definitely so.

And if you are a business listening right now, please think about looking into this organization and possibly partnering with us or when, when the time comes, after we get done creating this, becoming members of that chamber.

49:10

You do not have to be an African American business to be part of that chamber.

What it just does is it gives you access to different things in the community that and maybe things that you would like to expand your your clientele profile into and we can be of assistance and helping to bridge some of that gap or create those relationships.

49:32

Nice like that.

Yep.

That was great.

It was a good plug for us.

I'll be trying, I'll be trying to help too.

All right, OK.

Before we get off of the topic of the week, is there any additional things that you would like to share with the the Kosh listeners here that you'd want to add in here real quick?

49:56

Kosh listeners, I I'm pretty well versed.

I don't want to say well versed.

I'm pretty in tune with the history of the city of Neenah because that's where I landed at.

Oh no, no, it did.

I say Oshkosh expanded out all right.

No, no, no, you.

50:12

I don't mean Oshkosh, I meant Kosh, OK?

Cuz Kosh is the region, yes.

Right.

OK.

But no, actually, so, so that point I'm more interested in, you know, what's the story behind each city.

And the more I learn about Nina, the more I, you know, by consequence, learn about Menasha.

50:32

And I think, I think part of me is interested now to go and sit at Menasha's City Council meetings and learn is he what they're going to say about Nina in return?

And just like, you know, what was the connection there and what was the connection to, you know, all these other cities that are surrounding and not seeing how they got separated, but like, how did we land where we are today?

50:54

So I'm very interested in the history of where we are geographically and kind of like what that means to everybody else.

And, you know, how people plan to add to the story of, you know, the place where they are now.

51:10

Like it was something somebody said to me, you know, look at yourself as a sea.

You don't get to pick where you grow.

You just grow where you're planted.

And this is not a place I would have picked that I that I knew I was going to grow.

But I'm growing here.

51:25

So now I just want to learn more about the area and like the back story and the interesting things that are out here.

Yeah.

Love that.

OK.

All right, Kristen, you ready to jump to the next segment?

Sure.

51:41

OK.

The next segment is called the Soapbox, and the soapbox is an opportunity for you to talk about something that's on your soul, something that's on your mind.

What are you getting on the soapbox to talk about?

51:56

All.

Right.

My name is Christian.

I am a Christian.

Typically, most people call me Chris.

I have people call me Chris because what after they hear me say exactly what I just said, they're like Christina.

So on that note, it it happens, it's Christina Crystal or Christiana.

52:17

I don't know how you got that, but but I guess my soapbox would be spiritual representation for part of the African diaspora community, community out here.

And I'll say from coming from my point of view more so the just black church make a very simple black American church more representation of more places to go to out here.

52:46

I find myself, and I'm saying is very genuinely, but one of the only places that I know I've been able to get along with people regardless of color, regardless of political stance and background, regardless of like ideologies about race and gender is Bible study.

53:05

And that's, you know, no matter what church is offering it.

That's where I go and I find my church now, it's kind of hard to want to participate in a full Sunday service out here in the Fox Valley because how I grew up and how my body kind of ticks and and goes is where, where's the where are the symbols?

53:27

Where are where's the guitarist, where's the organ and the piano?

Where's the, the soul, the, the, the rhythm?

I'll say rhythm.

And if church ain't thumbing and bumping on Sunday, then I don't know how I'm going to bop to the rest of my week.

So I I remember my grandma will be coming from church on Sunday and the rest of that week while I was with my grandmother, she would be singing a song that we sing on Sunday all week long and I would take her through.

53:52

So find myself catching that.

I haven't caught on to this rhythm.

Who?

Where are you going?

So.

Which which church are you currently going to?

Going to visiting often, the one I'm most comfortable at, the acronym is CUCCNM Church of Something United.

54:12

Nina Menasha is right on Nicolae Road between Nina Menasha.

That's the one I'm most comfortable at.

And I say that because when you walk through the doors of that church, that was the first place I walked into that had four or more different races of people automatically comfortable automatically.

54:28

Not a judgmental environment.

People are not asking me the stereotypical questions.

When I walked through the door, I just came in and it was like, oh, you have children.

OK, This is where your kids are going to go.

I got you over here.

Did you eat?

OK, sit down and eat.

I got your baby.

And it was more like a home feeling than walking through the door of a larger church.

54:48

So like, I've been a Christ of rock.

I've been to Appleton Alliance and.

I'm not, I'm going to have to speak on a church.

I don't.

I'm not a churchgoer, so I'm not speaking from an expertise, but there is somebody that I have a really good relationship and that's a Bishop Raglan.

55:04

Have you ever gone to Appleton Pentecostal?

No.

I'm going to say to.

Try.

It I'm just going to say all the things that you said we're missing.

Yeah.

All of them.

OK.

That's all I'm going to say because I need to, you know, I I can't, I don't want to speak on it because I don't do it like that.

55:24

But I've been in it.

I've set foot in there.

I've seen how they do things and I think you'll be highly impressed.

So the Appleton Pentecostal let.

Me be my own devil's advocate.

I'm not APK right.

I am a church girl and.

55:42

See, and that's the thing I don't understand.

Oh.

But see, I don't understand.

I church is church to me.

Yeah, right.

I know there's differences.

Oh, my goodness.

But I don't understand necessarily because I haven't gone to enough church to understand.

55:58

OK, Does that make sense?

Yes.

So when I'm thinking about it, I'm just thinking like, what?

What's the energy in that space right now?

That being said, I have gone to Catholic school, so it's not like I've never gone to church.

I I have a youth full of going to Catholic Church like as a kid, but my parents weren't religious, which is all totally that's a weird experience.

56:22

Let me just explain that much right, but nonetheless, I'm familiar enough, right?

I understand things I've seen I've been I've gone to church actually from kindergarten through 6th grade right and so, but I don't I know there's differences, but I don't understand all the differences.

56:41

I just think about it from do people are people when I experienced them in there are people that talk about church, do they feel authentic and are they walking the walk of the talk?

If they're in Bible study, they probably are right that that's the only time everybody lets down their guard.

57:02

They bear all, they're intentional about wanting to understand the Bible in the Word, and they leave all the ideologies of who they are in the world outside of the room for Bible study.

That's why that's my church.

That's like, if you want to look for me, you can find me in somebody's Bible study.

57:20

I'll be there two or three of them.

And that's why, you know, I appreciate the background when I say PK.

If anybody doesn't know, PK means preacher's kid.

And preacher's kids are known to be in church because their parents are preachers.

Yep.

57:36

So it's that, but when I say church girl being brought up Presbyterian, being brought up Presbyterian, and eventually we took on some Baptist habits or cogic habits.

And that means, you know, we added a drum set to the altar.

57:51

We started doing praise dance.

I started directing the choir.

We wrote our own Easter plays and our Easter speeches.

So as far as the functioning of like doing all those things, we had a kids ministry and an adult and a team ministry the whole night.

58:08

If I get back in church, I feel like I'm going to be nitpicky.

I feel like I'm going to be judgy.

And it's personally this is this is a me thing.

I feel like This is why I'm taking my time getting back into a space where I know I'm needed, where I know I can do great work.

58:26

But I don't want to write because like, I know how to play a little bit on the piano.

I don't want to, oh, he hit the wrong note today.

I don't want to be like, we practice this in the choir.

We practice this for seven hours and the choir practice and they hit the wrong note still like because I've been there before, so.

58:47

It gets particular.

Very particular from my background, I don't have to say I like the way the Presbyterian Church is structured because the body of the people get to choose the leader.

And I feel like my understanding of Baptist Church is the other way around.

You know, the what the pastor says goes on a lot of things.

59:05

And why I appreciate the Presbyterian Church more is because people who have a skill set are in the right department.

So you have people who know finance that are taking care of the finances of the church, people that know business that are taking care of the business of the church, people that know people that are doing the outreach ministry and things like that.

59:22

Nobody is in the wrong position.

When you have a, a church that is focused from the body up, right and from the head down.

Sometimes that kind of fails, which is why I'm slow to kind of just go to what people say he should.

Am I making sense?

59:38

No, you totally are making sense.

No, no, no, no, no.

This is actually, I think this is a cool conversation and I'll tell you why I think it's a cool conversation too, right?

Here's what's funny, right?

During this episode, me and you have probably talked about the two things that they tell you you should never talk about, right?

59:55

We talked about some politics and now we talk about religion.

It still feels really safe, trusting and positive.

So I think we keep going.

That's just me.

1:00:11

OK, but it's just that part.

So the way that a church is structured is important to me.

I'll say that the amount of creative things that I really have the capacity to do that I want to do for children, I guess it's one of those barriers.

The same way I had approached the school system and knowing whether or not I could do this for my kids.

1:00:30

It's the same way I have to 1st, I got to sit back and go to the church for a little minute and see if it's if it's a thing.

And a lot of the times what turns me away from most churches is it's too big.

So I don't know if any because I have 5 kids before this.

I have 4:00.

So like imagine going with your four children to Christ the Rock and you get there for the morning service, but you have to check in all for your kids.

1:00:53

So you missed the first service, but they're in Sunday school and then you have to wait for the break.

So check them in again for the second service so you can finally go to the service after.

So they get to Sunday school, you know, check insurance, and then I finally get to go to the second service.

1:01:11

And now I'm like in the back of my head, I'm like, is my number going to show up on the screen?

Let's say your baby is sick.

Come get them.

It's it's a lot mentally.

It's a lot going on.

So to deal with wanting to make sure they get what they need and I get what I need.

So yeah, it's just like I watch it online.

1:01:28

And then when I'm talking about watching it online, I'm not going to watch it online.

I'm going to, you know, catch a highlight, look for the music in it because that's where I want to, that's where I want to be musically.

And then I'm going to be like, all right, that was enough.

So it's it's a bit of a hassle, like going with the full family every single week to to a church and smaller churches are better because they get to know you faster.

1:01:52

It's more tight knit.

And I like that people take my kids off my hands so.

OK, that's your soapbox.

That's it.

OK.

You ready for the next segment?

1:02:09

Yeah, next segment is called 21 questions and 21 questions isn't 21 questions, but they are great questions might cause 21 answers.

So first question, what motivates you?

I want to live till I'm 118 years old.

1:02:26

That's that's the expectation that I put on myself to make it to 118 years old.

And I've always, I saw it's the difference between being famous and being prominent, and I would rather be prominent than to be famous.

1:02:42

So I want to be well known for the good that I've done and how I affected people's lives versus being Beyoncé.

What does success look like to you?

So success will be like Peace of Mind at the end of the day.

1:02:58

First of all, walking it, walking into your home and it's clean. 12, there's food ready or food in the fridge and three, all the bills are paid and I don't have to worry about a couple bills for a while.

That feels good.

And then four would probably be like knowing I have a social event coming up where I'm socializing with people and getting back out there so that that full picture of like a relaxed end of the day and something to look forward to the next day is like peace and success and one.

1:03:30

What irritates you?

People who accept no, and people who accept the circumstances as they are very easily without trying harder to figure out the why.

1:03:49

Or, you know, I guess I don't understand this probably a woman thing.

I don't understand the word no.

So there's a why behind it.

There's a why you will and why you won't.

And if there's not a why, there is a a timeline on when it will become a yes or or this way or that way.

1:04:07

What worries or scares you?

The biggest thing demographically, I have three now, three African American boys specifically and how they have to navigate the world, how they are going to be under pressure to be a leader even though that might not be their strong, strongest skill set and how they consciously have to carry themselves.

1:04:33

Right now, I've been teaching my oldest.

My oldest is going to be 12 this year.

I've been teaching him since he was two that he doesn't have the privilege that everybody else has in this world to go places, to do things, to run up and down the block.

I said I have to tell them all the time.

Like Solomon.

The first thing if y'all friend, your friends are getting in trouble, I said you're the first thing people are going to see.

1:04:53

And I have to tell him that truth from the time that he's two or three years old and I've ingrained at him like there's a rule that I have to tell him and all my other all my kids, but my boys especially.

Like if you and another person of color do not agree or are not, if you are not going into a space with there is another black person, if there is not two or more than that is not the place for you.

1:05:20

If you are travelling and there is not another person of color, African American, Hispanic, whatever with you, then you cannot go.

And these are the rules for safety, for survival because you being by yourself with friends that you trust like it's, it's just a annoying.

1:05:37

So yeah, what worries me is my, my, my son's safety as they grow up to be black men.

What are you grateful for?

Good people.

Like honestly, people who wake up and just choose to smile regardless of what's going on or choose to show up even though something could have kept them in a bed.

1:05:57

People who are looking for the light in others that are trying to move something forward for the good of everybody else, not just themselves.

People who work selflessly.

So I'm grateful for people that show up and want to do great work.

1:06:15

What do you want to be remembered for?

So I want to be one of those people where when I'm like 79 years old, I can meet like a 23 year old and they'll be like something that this lady said to me is going to stick with me for the rest of my life.

1:06:31

And my legacy in those words and that moment that I might have had with a 23 year old while I'm 79, that that kind of straightens, that straightens the path that they walk, right?

To leave those kinds of jewels with people and live.

1:06:47

I guess that part of me living on in that kind of way, that's what I want to do, is affect people in a positive way where it's something they they can take with them and remember it's long lasting.

How do you define love?

Love takes work, love is a constant deposit and love needs to be studied.

1:07:10

Love it it needs to be it needs to be studied because like you have it in in so many different ways and then you have a capacity for love and how much love is going to be the the thing that takes all and does all and fills those gaps and crevices.

1:07:32

And then how much the other things that come into play, like logic, you know, like sound mind, like just so yeah, love is, is a thing that's integrated with everything else.

It it grows into the other parts of your life.

1:07:48

But you can't rely on love alone.

So yeah.

What is the most memorable life lesson you've learned from a parent, a guardian, or a mentor?

The words that I remember these last five years that have echoed really loud is you are worthy.

1:08:09

And when you are a person that keeps getting back up after getting knocked down, you don't realize how simple like certain phrases like that, how how much they mean and how powerful they are when you need to get back up on your horse.

1:08:26

So I had a mentor counselor, just like everybody will be like, oh, you so strong and I don't know how you did all that.

And you know, your story is crazy and this and that.

But for instead of somebody saying you're so strong, she stopped me and she was just like, you are worthy.

1:08:44

And I've never thought about myself in the in the terms of being worthy.

So that sticks with me.

So you've been asked to be the keynote at a conference, and this is a conference of your peers, people, people that are looking to hear what does Kristen got to say to us?

1:09:04

What's she going to bless us with, right?

And they're excited, they're geeked, right?

And we're getting ready to get that crowd hype for you before you walk out on the stage.

Get them ready to hear whatever wisdom you're about to bless them with, right?

What is that walk out song for you?

1:09:23

Pop off girls.

What?

OK, OK, you got me on that one.

Let's go.

Let's talk about that.

It's the powerproof girls.

1:09:39

Oh my gosh.

Because they are the they are the smallest, most odd looking, cutesy little balls of fire, and they each have like very distinct personalities.

1:09:55

You know who's who.

They are not trying to be each other.

They, they, they live, they live like sisters, right?

But yeah, they, nobody asked them to be different.

They just, you know, when you press a button, they all show up.

That's all we need.

1:10:10

And that's, that's teamwork.

And that's how the school board should be.

When you press a button, we all show up.

It's like, let's call the power from girls.

Maybe that's how y'all should start.

Draw mean.

Maybe that's the suggestion, I'm just going to throw that out there.

1:10:29

It's very awesome.

Like, yeah, we all come in with our bubbles.

Green blossom pink and bubbles.

No, sorry, Buttercup.

Blue I.

Love this.

That is such a good walk out song.

I did not see that cub.

It's the only one.

1:10:46

It's the only one.

OK, All right.

Well, you have made it through 21 questions.

OK, next segment is called Word Association.

So I'm going to say some words and you're going to tell us what comes to your mind.

1:11:04

Now we have a long standing tradition here on the caution that is this.

I have always used the same first word.

So out of all the episodes we've done, this first word has always kicked us off.

And that is because this is the word of family, community, belonging, positivity, and happiness.

1:11:24

That word is food.

So one word association.

You you explain it what?

What comes to your mind when I throw out food?

Enrichment and nourishment.

So yeah, food is nourishment.

1:11:40

And I'm, I hate I said this before we started the podcast.

Like if you were watching One Piece, it's an anime saga.

And the really cool thing about One Piece, if you watch it, the captain is Monkey D Luffy.

Luffy has a dream, and he's going to follow his dream to the end of the world no matter what.

1:11:59

Luffy's crew is made-up of people who also are dreamers, and they have that one thing on their list that they're going to conquer and do absolutely no matter what it takes, They're going to be the best in the world at that thing that they are setting out to do.

And so anybody that Luffy gets on his crew, everybody is uniquely the distinct.

1:12:20

They don't think the same way, they don't act the same way, they don't do the same things.

They have their own identity.

One of his crew members is a like a master chef who is really great at kicking butt.

So they call him black Leg Sanji.

And Sanji's goal is to be the best chef in the East blue and then the the red blue and the N blue and the all blue and get the most biggest magical fish he could ever think of and make the best dish in the whole entire world.

1:12:49

That's Sanji's, you know, dream.

So you said food.

And that's because I'm on a a kick right now.

I'm on episode 500 something.

Don't judge me 500 of of one piece Luffy, like catch on Netflix.

But yeah, it's Sanji is the chef.

1:13:06

He's trying to be the best in the world and the way that he feeds his crew on that ship is the same way he would feed anybody at a five star dining restaurant.

He keeps that same level whether he's at a five star dining restaurant or if he's on a pirate ship.

Everybody's getting the best of the best with him.

1:13:23

Cocktail or beer?

Honestly, beer, not like flavored beer like wine coolers like that kind of beer.

Not like go get me the can and pop it.

I've never been able to get on the bandwagon.

1:13:45

It was like, it's nice to see you in the cooler.

It's very unique.

Not you.

Nah, just put the little margaritas sunshine in there, Bahama Mama, and I'm cool with that.

You cool with that?

OK, that's fair.

I feel you.

Shop local.

1:14:02

Oh, so yeah, support community, right.

When you shop locally, you support your community.

These will be people that live directly in the same vicinity as you within 2030 mile radius.

You are not going, you know, let's say to Walmart and getting something that got shipped from China.

1:14:19

You're supporting people that have to pay the same taxes as you live in your backyard.

And the dollar is getting circulated here where you live at.

So I'm all for the American dollar before we give it to any type of corporate entity.

Yeah.

Do you got any favorite places that you shop local?

1:14:36

The one that gives me the most reciprocity is like a give and take.

Goodwill is 1 and also Saint Vincent de Paul is another with the initiatives that they do to support the community, like volunteering and giving back the food bank and things like that.

1:14:54

I'm trying to think of any other businesses.

Oh, there is another one really good friend, Andrea.

She does desire fashion by Andrea.

So I shop with her all the time.

That's where I get my little jewelry from and like and she has a lot of butterfly jewelry and I obsess over that.

So I haven't been able to find that anywhere else.

1:15:10

OK.

I'm going to back up.

I want to go back to food.

All right, just for a quick second.

And that is because we didn't pull out a favorite food for you.

So what?

What?

How did we get down?

How do what do?

What do we think about when we when we thinking?

1:15:27

So Tavern style pizza is Chicago style pizza in real in real life.

That just basically means it's not a deep dish, which people love deep dishes.

When you like, really want to eat and celebrate real big, instead of getting a birthday cake, you go get a pizza pie.

1:15:46

But like thin crust pizza with like the seasoned crust, like sausage, Italian sausage, pepperoni and that's it with some cheese.

That's Tavern style pizza cut in squares.

It has to be cut in squares.

Can't be triangles.

No, we don't do triangles must.

Be square you.

1:16:01

Have to be a square.

Yeah.

So Chicago style pizza is a big favorite of mine.

And then like, I guess regular street food for Chicago style food, like you'll get an Italian sausage combo that or like like a gyro cheeseburger or like it's just like a lot of a lot of stuff we probably shouldn't be eating.

1:16:20

But but like a gyro cheeseburger, those kinds of things in Italian beef is is obsessed out here.

I don't know what the the language is.

What when we say Italian beef, we really mean like the meat stewed in the seasonings with the Peppers.

1:16:38

You know, then you might want to put Nacho cheese on the bottom, put the meat in there, put the Peppers on top, add some juice on top, and then wrap it up in a plastic bag.

That's how we want it.

We don't want Azu.

Music.

Music music word association mirroring, right?

1:17:00

Music is a reflection of kind of what you're you're needing at the time.

Music is filling your cup or reflecting what your cup is what what you have at the level that you have right now.

So if I'm having a bummy, crummy day, it's going to be a lot of 90s, not even 90s, just like early 2000's rock and things like that.

1:17:20

So My Chemical Romance, it'll be Green Day, it'll be, Oh my God, what's the other one?

Three doors down, something like that.

If I'm having a day where feeling really high energy, I want to stay motivated and stay in that mindset.

It's gospel music.

I'm playing that at work a lot and in between then I do like the focus music if I want to stay focused to stop from falling asleep.

1:17:42

Sometimes it don't even help, like you put a little vibe, the low fee kind of music.

But yeah, music kind of reflects what you need to fill your cup energetically or where you already are.

Streaming.

Here is what I said on my Facebook post.

1:18:00

My son asked.

OK, I said I got 5822 votes and he said he got $5822.

I said no, I didn't get dollars, I got votes and he was like so they subscribe to you psycho.

1:18:16

No.

Well technically yes they did vote for me.

So that does me that if.

That's a different lens.

I mean, he's on to something, right?

So I got 5822 people to vote for me.

If I had an account and it it was necessary for them to like subscribe to my YouTube channel, then yes, they would be 5822 subscribers.

1:18:41

So that's, that's where my head went.

And I was like, you're technically right, but this is not how that works.

They show up in person.

So I have, I have subscribers in real life.

So the voters are my subscribers in real life.

That's that's where String me just took me.

1:18:58

That's cool actually.

I like how your son's thinking.

He ain't wrong.

No, no, he's not.

But he ain't wrong.

It got me.

I was like, Dang, is that how I have to explain how he has to vote in the future?

But.

I mean, it's actually a, it's legit.

1:19:14

It's a pretty good way in a sense to kind of help somebody correlate it and, and relate to it.

OK, Last Word community.

Family cited the there's a program at Fox Valley Tech.

It is called Starting Point.

1:19:31

They are partnered with Babes child abuse prevention program, which is part of the church on East Wisconsin somewhere.

So we did.

Shout out to the pastor.

1:19:46

Pastor Money like the biggest, most greatest mentor unintentionally that I've ever had.

I was probably her biggest headache too, because I kept coming back.

But yeah, we, they did so much good work educating and uplifting women that needed to just like, take a minute and have some guidance.

1:20:08

They educated us on how to use resources available to us, where to go, what we can get for free, who would help us out and where to find respite care for our children and things like that.

And.

To education, not just around like how to, you know, get a free YMCA or Building for Kids membership, but also when you're going through things in a relationship with your partner, educating us on what is domestic abuse, what is a healthy relationship, What is the cycle of abuse.

1:20:38

That was so important and that was so key because it gave me answers to questions that I didn't like.

I had questions and I didn't know that these things had a label or a name to it.

So with working with the family strengthening services, I was able to bring my spouse along and it helped him like understand what he was doing as far as parenting.

1:21:02

And then also we were still getting the same language.

Like this is, you know, considered bad or good for your kids and bad or good for your partner.

How are you 2 communicating to do XYZ?

So the programs, they work, they are out there for people to use for your entire family.

1:21:20

I would encourage people to find a family strengthening program because it really does help.

No guarantee that you're going to stay together, but but it really does help when you are trying to just grow and realize that you're in your 20s.

1:21:38

I'm 34 now.

So I did this like in my late 20s, early 30s.

I spent my time with, you know, babes and I spent my time with the Starting Point program.

But as you're growing, you guys are going to change.

And that's it's nobody's fault.

1:21:54

You're there going to be things that you want to achieve that are different than what you wanted at 23 and 24.

You're now 29 and 32 and you're going to want to see these things be different and better.

So just find tools and resources to continue to help you grow.

1:22:09

But I help to the T-shirt for one of the Taking it Outside events for babes.

We designed that T-shirt.

We coined the term Fam Unity because it really didn't feel like I was coming to my auntie's house and getting a lesson and it felt like family.

1:22:27

And it was also the fact that it was really the entire community backing up that program and backing up me and my kids so we could get that service.

So when you say community or like that Fam, Unity comes to mind.

OK, you have survived word association.

1:22:49

Next segment's called the Kosh Hidden Gems, and the Kosh and Gems is an opportunity for our guests to share a hidden gem with the Kosh listeners.

That hidden gem could be something that you don't think a lot of people know about, so you want to share with them about it.

Or maybe it's something everybody knows about, but they don't know the details of it, and maybe there's things in the details that would help them to better understand why it's such a hidden gem.

1:23:14

What do you have for us?

I'm trying to think of a place or or a thing that I keep to myself that I would never tell anybody about and I can't.

But you're going to.

I like, I like the fact that you're willing to share this with the cash listeners, but you won't tell nobody else about it.

1:23:35

I love that.

I'm thinking probably I'm going to say something really sick.

Sitting in parking lots is underrated.

Uh oh, Where we going?

Come on, let's talk about it.

1:23:51

Let's talk about.

It is this a couple times where I just like gotten off work and I'm like, I don't have to drive straight home.

I'm just going to chill and I've watched the sunset go down at random places.

I sit in the parking lot because I just needed to like de stress not go home.

I don't have a driveway.

So like when I pull into my apartment complex, I'm pulling all the way in.

1:24:10

You're in it.

Yeah, you're going to see me.

So I like no, take those moments like sneak and eat food.

One of my favorite places to go park.

I'll say places to go and park to like unwind is there's a lighthouse.

I can't remember the name of the park.

1:24:26

Oh my God.

So you go to Nina, you drive all the way down Wisconsin Ave.

You drive over to the waterfront and there's a little lighthouse right there and sitting in your car from your car just watching boats go by or just like watching people walk or not watching, they're just sleeping, don't care.

1:24:43

But that spot right there, so it's by Rocket Park.

I think people will know what I'm talking about.

You go around the rocket park, you keep going around, it's right down the waterfront, park your car and like go to sleep.

So those are my my things I do to like unwind before I have to go take care of in my house and go manage people.

1:25:04

Like go home, be a mom manager.

So yeah.

I like it.

You know what, That's got to be the most unique answer we've ever gotten on the cash and I think we should coin it.

1:25:19

I think we should call it parking lot peace.

Yeah, there we go.

Parking lot peace, I think.

I think you're on to something because you ain't the only one doing that.

Man, just put your jacket over to some visor and lay down.

1:25:35

Just take a moment.

Just take a moment to yourself.

That's it.

Oh, that is so good, man.

Gosh, listeners, if you are in the space right now, you would totally feel.

You would totally feel it.

1:25:51

And I get it.

I get it.

Get it.

OK, Next segment.

Next segment is called Story Time.

And story time is an opportunity for our guests to tell a story to the Kosh listeners.

That story can be about absolutely anything.

1:26:09

What's your story?

So I'll tie it back to in December, my son had a musical.

This is like the Christmas annual date.

Everybody does it.

So like he came home one day.

He was like, mom, a girl passed out on the risers.

1:26:24

I was like, oh, yeah, is she OK?

He goes, yeah, she had a concussion.

They took her out of there.

They had us exit.

And then they had us learn some skills to like, stay loose.

I'm like, OK, great.

I'm glad you learned the skills.

Get to the night of his show dressed in Christmas, my Christmas best so I can embarrass him.

1:26:45

That's the goal all the time.

So I go up to the balcony because I was tired of waiting for like the main level to open up.

I go up to the balcony because that opens up first and I can see top down everything.

And I see my son and I'm like, I'm like, Solomon doesn't have his glasses on.

1:27:03

OK, that's mom thing I'm peeping at.

And then I'm looking at him like he has a tan jacket on.

And I'm like, everybody else is dressed in all black.

That that was the attire.

And I told him prior to like walking in and I was like, Sol, give me your jacket.

And he goes, no, he was like, all right, are you going to put it up?

Yeah, I'm put it up.

1:27:20

But another thing is my son uses his jacket as, like, he thinks he can turn invisible like Miles Morales.

So as a cloaking mechanism, he, you know, when he wants to disappear from people in plain sight, we'll put on a tan jacket and the audience full of all black dress kids.

1:27:37

So he did that.

But when he got on the rises, he had it tied around his waist.

He was in the middle.

You kind of didn't see him with the jacket on.

I'm like, OK, and like he's singing and then but he's like singing and he's like rocking side to side a little bit and he's like bending at the knees.

1:27:54

And I'm like, what is going on?

Like it's weird.

But we get to the end of that show and they bring all like 500 kids up on the stage.

I don't know how many it is.

I think it's 500.

But he they bring them all up on the stage and Solomon's the last one to get on the stage.

1:28:10

So he's the one right on the corner of the edge of the stage that you can clearly see.

And I'm like, and my son is like this.

He's like holding his nose, doing the, the dance, the gritty and he's bending his knees and he's like ba ba boom.

And like he's doing some weird moves.

And I'm like, what is that?

What's going on?

1:28:25

So I asked, I said, Solomon, what happened?

He was like, what you mean I was like, I showed him the recording and I was like, what was you doing?

He's like, I was just staying loose.

What you mean staying loose?

He's you know, the teacher has showed us the tricks to bend our knees, to move our arms and to do this song.

1:28:45

I thought you was dancing.

I said you wouldn't even dance.

You was dancing the Jingle Bells doing the gritty it don't make sense.

So I'm just like, why would but it made sense.

He was like doing the nerve, the techniques to calm his nerves right.

So bring that all the way to I'm doing the candidate forum and I have my bullet points written out of how I'm going to introduce myself that 2 minute window where we're who are you?

1:29:10

Why Are you ready for school?

And the guy that left me, Sam, Sam is nervous, but he reads through his whole paper and gets through it.

Woo Hoo, good job, Sam.

Here I go my bullet points.

All right.

And now Christian and I'm just like I got 5 kids.

1:29:26

I live in Nina.

I do consulting, I work in nonprofit and the words just was not coming out and I was like, why ain't my bullet points working in my head?

So I'm like, why aren't my bullet points working?

So I do that and then like the one minute, like 30 seconds time thing goes up and then like one minute left goes up and I say the best thing I possibly can in that one minute time frame.

1:29:48

And I was just like, geez, I can't believe I bombed.

I was like, I wish I was like my son right now in that moment where I had something to do to shake off the nerves.

I didn't have a gritty to do like and there was no riser for me to fall off of, you know, from being nervous.

1:30:06

So that's my story.

It's like I had to compare it to like and I had came home and I told him he was like, so how did it go?

I was like, well, when you watch the video, I bombed and he's like, what?

And I reminded him of, you know, that that Christmas, that Christmas show where he was doing that and know the story of the girl.

1:30:24

And it's like I said, I hope that girl is OK, but I just reminded him like, I didn't have any techniques to loosen my nerves.

I bombed.

I fumble my words and I only got a chance to say one minute worth of something.

And I don't even know what that mattered.

So like, yeah, doing campaigning and politics is nerve wracking all the way around.

1:30:46

And also singing on stage to Jingle Bells and your dance style does not match your song style is nerve.

You learned all sorts of lessons.

I really did.

Apparently you need to work out your own gritty thing to do, so if you get nervous you got to go to move.

1:31:09

Yeah, I need to go to move, I don't know, throw money in the ear.

That might work.

Hey, look at that point.

What do you got to lose?

Oh that was awesome.

Yeah, we have to do this one time so I can do this.

1:31:30

You might run again.

No, you might move up.

Man on man all.

Right, that was amazing.

OK, well Kristen, we are going to get ready to start wrapping up this episode.

1:31:46

So I want to just take a quick moment right now and say thank you for being on the cosh.

We are not done though, so don't think you off the hook.

All right, this is just get up and go.

No, and I could see it in your face.

That's why I had to let you know.

So let me just go on and get this wine down going.

1:32:03

All right, cash listeners, you already know when you start hearing that you know what's about to happen.

I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you, Thank you for spending time with us.

Thank you for giving us your minds and ears.

Thank you for caring about another amazing community member out here making a difference.

1:32:24

This was an awesome conversation.

It was just fun throughout, but there were lessons to be learned throughout.

But the one thing that I appreciate more than anything, particularly when people take their time to come and sit in the chair here at the cosh that they bring their authentic self.

1:32:42

And as you listen to this conversation, I think that is the one thing that we got out of this for show.

Absolutely.

So we thank you for that and thank you for sharing it with us cash listeners, you already know as you're listening to this episode and you were thinking, how can I help?

1:33:05

Well, first of all, let me remind you that you know, our goal is to become the number one podcast here in all of Wisconsin and we can't do that without your assistance.

So what can you do to help looks like this as you're listening to this episode and you're thinking, oh man, I wish you would have asked this.

1:33:20

So you need a segment about that.

You should let us know.

Or maybe you're thinking, I need to sit in the chair or I know somebody who would be really, really cool in the chair.

You should let us know, and you can let us know by emailing us at askthekosh@gmail.com. onceagainthatisaskthekosh@gmail.com.

1:33:39

Also, you know, we think that this is a pretty awesome podcast and people tend to, you know, learn a whole lot from it because the one thing we're doing with this podcast is we are breaking down silos.

You get to meet the people in our community, get to know them better and understand the amazing talents, the good hearts, the just the good people as a whole and who we are, but all sorts of different identities of these good people here.

1:34:07

We think that we have something pretty special here at the Kosh and we'd like to get in front of more eyes and ears.

So the way that's done is called analytics and word of mouth.

So I'm going to ask you to tell a friend.

If you're listening to this podcast, make sure you tell a friend about the Kosh, but even more so if you're listening to the Kosh and you see the opportunity to a if it says subscribe on a button, hit it.

1:34:32

If you see stars, give us 5.

And if you're really motivated, write us that review.

These are all things that increase increase our analytics.

And the better the analytics are, the more community members get to learn about this thing, this awesome podcast known as the cash.

1:34:49

All right, so now that we've got that out of the way, we got some other business to do and that is this, that is shout out time.

So Kristen, what is our shout outs who we shout out today?

1:35:05

Let's see, I do want to start 5822 voters and why don't why don't number is kind of special #1 as everybody know, I got 5 kids, so no more coming after this is just five.

But 822 was my birthday, so I thought that was a really lucky number to land on when I saw the number of votes that I got.

1:35:27

Thank you to my supporters and constituents, donors and everybody else that you know believed and supported behind the campaign because you all literally made black history.

And that is freaking phenomenal at a time where our government and country wants to remove the, the wording of DEI from different things.

1:35:52

The fact that you've allowed me to show up in a room and we, we don't even have to say that anymore.

It, it, it makes a world of difference.

It means a very big thing.

So shout out to those people.

Shout out to my mom, the singer, my dad, the DJ, my granddad, you know, the, the veteran and my grandmother.

1:36:13

She is like the glue that holds everybody together, captain of the ship, quite honestly.

And shout out to any of the parents out here, like trying to figure out how to grow up.

I don't know how we made it to adulthood.

I'm Scott, and we are trying to get our kids through their little preteen and teenage years.

1:36:33

I don't even know how that skipped over us somehow.

But like, shout out to the parents that's doing it and like doing your best to show up for your kids.

And I hope I have, under the sound of my voice, motivated another parent to like, go and be curious about the system that we are throwing our kids into.

And to, you know, it might not seem political, just putting them in a public school system, but sometimes it can be.

1:36:55

And that's what it is.

So good job everybody else.

Love that.

Love how you went down your shout outs.

OK, my shout outs I want to give.

I'm going to try to keep it quick and succinct.

1:37:11

I want to give a special shout out to Color Bold.

Timber Ties was lucky enough to win a grant through Color Bold and so we are making things happen right now.

So, but you got to do things though, they just don't give you money.

1:37:27

So that being said, I still want to thank a very special shout out there to color Bold, the organization and those other individuals who are the leaders of that.

Ramona and Kimyata, I appreciate you and I appreciate everything you're out here doing for the community as a whole.

1:37:45

All right?

Secondly, I want to give a shout out to SCORE because I've got to work with a SCORE mentor to help with the business.

And I met my SCORE mentor for the first time the other day and it was just smooth.

He's a really nice gentleman.

He didn't make me nervous.

1:38:00

It was just cool.

It was a cool conversation.

And he met me where I was at in this business journey.

And I appreciate that, right?

Because that's half the battle.

Don't talk.

Don't talk below me and don't talk above me talked to me, right?

And he did that, all right.

1:38:17

And believe it or not, I had this on my shout out list.

I wanted a shout out to my man Ivor because my man Ivor went to the score meeting with me and we learned together.

And I appreciate that the journey that me and him are going on, each with our own businesses and then also the fact that he, he is kind of my partner in crime in my business.

1:38:37

I appreciate you, Ivor.

Thank you for all the things that you do and thank you for continuing to show up and growing and learning with me.

I appreciate you.

And then the last shout out in cash.

Listeners, you already know how this goes.

The last shout out is always the same shout out.

1:38:54

And that shout out goes to the wife for continuing to let me make this podcast in the house.

Baby, I love you and I appreciate you.

All right, now, you ready?

We got to finish up.

You ain't done.

You thought you was done.

You ain't done.

1:39:10

We got one more thing left to do.

All right.

Cool.

And it's simple.

You got three choices as good multiple choice.

All right, option A, share some parting words of wisdom with the Kosh listeners.

All right, option B, tell the Kosh listeners what would yourself today tell your 13 year old self?

1:39:34

And then option C, all of it above.

You can do both because that's good multiple choice.

I'm just keeping that real.

Oh let's let's attempt see and see where where it goes.

OK, we with it.

So 13 year old me, there's no guarantee that if I would have gotten degrees, I would be anywhere faster financially or above the level that I am right now.

1:40:00

The greatest thing is to make true and genuine relationships and friendships and keep your integrity.

So don't fold, don't bend.

To other people's will because those people don't have a way for the way that their will is going.

What I want to impart to the cash listeners is if there is something, this is not like that.

1:40:22

If you see something, say something.

But if there is something that you feel like inherently in your gut and your soul and your heart every time that thing comes up or an event or let's say it's a holiday, whatever, and you feel like there's something that needs to be added there, not taken away from what's already going on, but there needs to be more there.

1:40:44

Go and investigate that feeling that you have.

Go and figure out like, what can we put here?

Who do I need to talk to to add this extra thing because it's missing.

And that's how I felt when I saw, you know, Black History Month being skipped over for my kids, when I didn't see Black History Month projects coming home for my children, when I didn't hear, you know, the music that we play in our homes not being reflected at school or the lessons that were coming home.

1:41:15

It didn't, it didn't jive well with me.

So it's it's not saying that other people's cultures and differences are not relevant.

It is very relevant.

But so is who you are when you wake up every day.

Nobody can discount the fact that you exist.

1:41:32

When you wake up and, you know, walk outside your door, they can see you just as clearly as you can see this guy.

If you feel like something is missing, get up and go investigate it and do something about it.

Find a leader that can, you know, knock down the doors or answer the questions for you or become that leader.

1:41:49

Be curious and walk into the room afraid, which I highly dislike doing.

Walk in afraid.

Walk in curious, but walk in knowing that you're going to get an answer to your question, or maybe the calling that is after you.

Fantastic.

1:42:08

Okay, what did you think?

Not as scary as I thought.

We'll take that the cash.