Confident You NETWORK with Marion Swingler
Welcome to Confident You Network, Confident You! The ultimate destination for cultivating unwavering confidence in every facet of life! Join us on a transformative journey through insightful interviews, enlightening group conversations, and thought-provoking revelations that empower you with the tools, tactics, and mindset needed to clarify, cultivate, and reaffirm confidence.
Tune in to the Confident You Podcast, where we bring you in-depth conversations with experts and thought leaders, exploring diverse perspectives on confidence and personal growth. Discover practical tips and real-life experiences that will inspire and guide you on your path to becoming the most confident version of yourself.
But wait, the confident networking does not end there! Join us for Confident You BONUS episodes, the conversation after the podcast, on THE AFTER PARTY where we delve deeper sharing intimate vulnerabilities and insight for personal, relational, emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual growth.
Confident You is not just a podcast; it's a community dedicated to boosting your self-assurance and helping you thrive in all aspects of life. So do what you do, grab a seat, take a walk, take a drive, and hit play, to embark on this empowering journey together. Get ready to ignite the confidence in you that always grows with positive building input.
Confident You NETWORK with Marion Swingler
BONUS #2 THE AFTER PARTY: WEAVING RESILIENCE: The Journey of a Teen Mom Turned Entrepreneur with Kissi Judd from CYP eps 28
Hey Yo, welcome to The After Party! Every tapestry has its unique threads, and Krissi Judd is woven from the most resilient of fibers. Today, we unravel her story, from the chapters of upbringing by a single father to the trials of teenage motherhood, as she embodies the essence of perseverance and strength. Krissi enlightens us with her courage to pursue higher education with a child in tow, upheld by the unwavering support of her community—a vivid portrait of determination that's bound to inspire every listener.
Embarking on an entrepreneurial journey can be a solitary climb, but it's the shared struggles and triumphs that bind us. Krissi opens up about the obstacles she faced when starting her business, including the sting of rejection from a potential mentor. In turn, this spurred her to create a haven for other entrepreneurs—a platform for guidance and mutual growth. She generously shares her toolkit for overcoming fear and self-doubt, with strategies steeped in prayer and positive self-affirmation, offering valuable insight to those standing at the cusp of their ventures.
Our exchange takes a heartfelt turn, traversing the path of motherhood juxtaposed with academic rigor, and the profound joy found in service to others. Krissi's story unfolds further, highlighting her deep Caribbean roots and the spiritual guidance that has steered her journey. It's a celebration of every role she's embraced—from mother and student to businesswoman and community servant—culminating in a legacy of love and family dynamics that she graciously shares with us. Join us for a testament to the unwavering human spirit and the echoes of laughter, tears, and growth that resound through each episode.
_________________________________________________________________
FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP
Call for more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself/someone you love.
Bethany House
1-888-80HELPS
1-888-804-3577
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799- SAFE
1-800-799-7233
__________________________________________________________________
Follow Confident You Podcast:
INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK
@marionswingler
INSTAGRAM
@confidentyou_podcast
Like, Share, Subscribe
Confident You Podcast
Brought to by Inheritance of Praise Global Production LLC
IOPraise
Yo, we are officially in the after party, the after party of episode 28, with the amazing, the ma'am lost the words. I meant a loss for words to explain how long Black business coach yes, the great business comes. The amazing, very, very detail oriented, very. She's really concerned about the customer and your bottom line. But to get a bottom line you need the customers. So, thank you, chrissy. Judd, I'm just you're getting that slow clap now. It's like girl, you did that, you did that, you showed up. Perfectly. We're pleased. Perfectly, you showed up, you showed up. I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you. Listen, we're going to pick up exactly where I said we would.
Speaker 1:You said the last statement you made was yes, you can do anything in this world you want to do? Mm, hmm, work hard, it's not easy. No, just those, those three things. You can do anything. Yeah, it takes hard work, right, and it and it's not going to be easy. What is the? Anything that you felt I can do? And you found that pattern to be the pattern to work being hard and it not being easy, right, so it's just for me the pattern.
Speaker 1:I mean, I, I already had a difficult start, right, even with having one parent. You know that's already difficult, and then that parent being a father, that's even more difficult. And then one second I'm sorry, hold on, you don't mind me interrupting, not at all. And that parent being a father. Why was that difficult for you? Because I'm a, I'm a girl. I just want you and fathers to be like is she saying we tried? No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1:But my dad, he always told me this I can't teach you how to be a woman, and he had girlfriends and stuff, but it's not my mom. You know what I mean. And so that was difficult for me, because I remember crying for my mom to my dad, like where is she? I want her, I want to meet her, I want to know her, y'all. I met my mom when I was 25. I was crying for 25 years. Yeah, literally, I didn't have that woman like that motherly. It's that motherly figure, that motherly role model, teaching me even simple things about my menstrual cycle. My dad couldn't, you know, he could tell me what he knew, but he didn't have one. So that's what I mean. So no offense to the fathers. I love them fathers, they're my favorite people, right, and the veterans.
Speaker 1:But I'm just like that part was difficult and it created a challenge in my life, but it was so necessary and when I tell you God does not make any mistakes that was so necessary for me to get to the place where I am now and for me to even have a love, because the first person I found love with was a black man not, you know, intimately in love with, but I had a love for was a black man. It was because that was your father. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I do try to pervert stuff and I like straighten this out there was no problems with me and my dad, right, he caught nothing, right, but just that intimate love and father relationship. That was my first love. In doing that, it's sad that I'm saying wow, kudos, because he's not the only one, no, no, and I guess you know I give my, I take my hat off, I bow down to single fathers, because I watched my dad struggle, especially with a daughter. He used to dress me in Jordans and you know, jeez, I think we man, he was dressed alike, like he would dress me like I was his little twin, because that's, he was a dad, you know. But that, right there, mary, it really shaped the way I think and the way I act, the way I hustle, it's just in me. It's just in me. I don't even know I go for the tangent. Mary, my gosh, for your dad.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I stopped you on your list, you said because there are things that have happened, and you were starting the list and you said, you know, my mom stopped there, I have my dad, and then just keep going through the list. That would have you where you were trying to get to. Oh, yes, yes, and it's not all bad, you know. So, um, yeah, my mom, you know my dad. And then, being a teenage mom, right, I got pregnant with my daughter at 16, had her at 17,. You know, having difficulties finishing high school because I had this baby to take care of, right, thank God, her dad and his parents were so hands on they were so they were so hands on, mary. I was able to live on campus at college and they took care of my baby. That's how blessed I was, right, so I had, I had a chance to get that full college experience, even though I was a teenage mom. Hallelujah, thank God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because that right there also shaped my life. I got that was my first time being exposed to any other culture because, remember, I grew up in the projects bunch of black men, it's his fanatics, so that's all I saw. But going to college, I just, you know it opened my mind and my world to so many other things that we just don't see in the hood. So let's get into that. Let's get into that for people who don't see that in the hood. Yeah, I'm not going to go to college because I hear a lot of downplay on college and down talk on college and I understand how. I'm not taking away from how the country has been set up. Right, you better make the best of whatever that is you have, right? So tell me the best you made of what you had.
Speaker 1:So, listen, being a teenage mama said I got two ways out of this thing. Number one I'm going into the military. Number two I'm going to college. I applied to both and I told God. I said whatever you want me to do is what's gonna come through. Well, see, I got accepted in the college. He was like no, you ain't cut off in no military life. So I wasn't built for that. I didn't think I was, but I knew I had to do something if somebody cared me and my baby, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I went to college and when I got there my roommate was Irish. I had never even met nobody Irish before, right. So her family, you know we would go to her house on the weekends and stuff like that. And the house, I mean they lived in a single family home. You know, I had seen single family homes but I had never spent the night in one. I had never, you know, really had no friends that had single family homes. Right, we was in the project. So it was like, wow, this was a change. And then her friend had a what's it called a vacation home. So now I'm at her friend's vacation home in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. Never even knew nothing about vacation homes, right. So just the experience. And then, like I said, in college, I did everything I wanted to do. So, black Student Union I'm signing up Theater. I was in a play Dance group. We started a dance group on campus. You know everything.
Speaker 1:Gospel choir I love to sing Gospel choir. I was in it, right, you know you're not gonna get by that, right, you know you're not gonna get by that, right, I know. But I'm starting to confident. You, choir, and you are now in a oh, I'm a soprano. No, I'm a soprano. That's good, that's good, that's good, that's hilarious, but yeah, so I just I had never had those experiences before, you know, in life. And so that's what I mean by college.
Speaker 1:Really just gave me a new perspective on opening my mind to new possibilities and things I could afford, things I could have. If you know, you worked hard for it, you work hard. So what was the thing? What's the first thing that you put your energy into the work hard? The first thing was my daughter. So you know it's.
Speaker 1:I had some pretty hard times, right, because when my dad, he had to go out and do things, he couldn't always take me right, so he had to find people to watch me and do things. So some of the things that I experienced as a child, I said I'm never going to leave my daughter with anyone other than her dad in there you know her grandparents because I don't ever want to have her come and tell me something happened to her, right, and you know it's some sickles out here. So the first thing I said I gotta protect my child. You know God brought gave me. The Bible says a child is a gift from God. So God gave me this gift and I'm gonna protect this gift with my life. So that was my first and foremost priority, at just 17 years old, you know.
Speaker 1:And so from there, that really shaped my mind, like okay, everything from now on is no longer just about me, it's not about me anymore. I have a daughter, you know, I gotta take care, I gotta show her how to be the mom I never had. And so, and then my husband say I spoiled, because I wanted them to have everything. You know, I didn't have new sneakers, I couldn't go on class trips because my dad, you know, he didn't have the money or whatever. I wanted them to have everything. So we traveled. You said them how many kids do you have? I have three. Yeah, now I have three. Yeah, let me tell you something After.
Speaker 1:So when I got pregnant at 17, girl, I was shell shocked. You hear me? I ain't have another baby for 10 years. So I was 27. This ain't no joke. That joke will correct. It will. Either either you'll just keep flowing down the river or it will be a correction pill for you. Yes, yes. So I was very careful not to, you know, fall into that. Yes, but yes, I was 27. I had my son and he's now 13. And then my youngest son is 10. Yes, so got the little bit Bambino's coming up? Yes, but they, you know that.
Speaker 1:You know, just being that was like the start of me, saying that it has to work or it has to work. It's no other option. I'm sorry, what was the no option? It has to work or it has to work, right, whatever God has me to do, it's gonna work or I'm gonna, you know, figure something out that's going to work and that's what I did. That's why I did modeling. That's why I had a restaurant that didn't work. It failed miserably, but it was such an amazing experience I don't think that was a fail. You're saying that it failed, but you all said it. You did it. No, I can be honest about it, because I had. No, I had no business opening up no restaurant. Let me just tell you. But you survived for three years. I did.
Speaker 1:Do you know all of the things that you learned in those three years that you're now applying to the business you needed to go through? That was eight In living color, up close and personal lesson. Yes, I'm telling you. It taught me about trust. It taught me about managing my books. It taught me about how to properly pick, select the vendors of food, and I mean I could help you open up a restaurant. You hear me Like I just learned so much, so you can't call that a failure. No, I just want to say that wasn't a business for me. That's yeah, that's what I did. That right there, that there, right there. Yeah, that's not for me, but you learned, even when you talked about the modeling and going and not being accepted. Yeah, you talked about the things you learned.
Speaker 1:Right, I really do think that we have to give ourselves grace, yeah, and know that it's the success in. It is not always what we think it was, what the plan is, because we know not the things, the plans God has for us, and all Praline's a prize for us. Yeah, we don't know what they are, we don't know exactly, we know what we won't. Yeah, he just was. You know the amount of olives and he was like, listen, if you could take this cup and I don't have to go through this crucifixion, can you please? But, god, if it is your will, father, let it be, let it be. That is what it is. Yeah, so I, just I, whenever that moment comes up for someone saying, oh, that was an epic fail. What did you learn? Yeah, oh yeah, there's definitely lessons in the failure. I'm not gonna laugh. You're not going to change my mind about you what. I wasn't there, I didn't see it. I wasn't there. You had to be there. Let me find out. I promise you I wouldn't change it. I would not, because, like you said them, lessons is life lessons. I took, took those lessons with me to every business that I have now, to every business that you have now.
Speaker 1:Now, the one thing that we did not discuss in the episode that I really do want to delve into is how did you? You say that your business is a business that addresses customer service issues, branding issues, marketing issues, just all the issues that may be there that you may not even realize are hindering you or breaking your business down? Right, how did that apply to you? Did you ever need you? Did you ever need find you? Yes, I created. I couldn't find. How did you need it? What happened? So, even with the restaurant, I did not have a mentor. And you know what, when I, when I I reached out to a black woman here in Philly, who does have a restaurant because she had a restaurant and I had a restaurant. I guess she looked at me as competition and she would not help me. She would.
Speaker 1:It was, you know, push, push me off. We would have a meeting set up and it was you know. All it was excuses or it was rushed off the phone. You know like what. Hurry up, tell me what you need. I'm too busy for this type of vibe and what I get you know, I'm willing to pay. I was willing to pay. I don't ask for anybody's time for free.
Speaker 1:At the same time, that's the type of mentality that keeps those crabs in the barrel stuck, because it's like if you already made it to a certain level and you see me, I'm just starting out. I'm calling you for help because I see you on the side of the public transportation. Your business is on the side of public transportation. Everybody, see, teach me how I can do that. How did you do that? Who did you use? Who do I call? Can you connect me with somebody? But they don't. A lot of times they don't want to.
Speaker 1:So that's why we another reason why we created BOB because there's other mentors right on the platform that wants to help. You don't have to be rejected. They're here because they want to help you, and so I didn't have a mentor, I didn't have someone that you know can say, hey, wait a minute, let me be your consultant, this is how you should do this, this is what. This is a contract you need to have with this person. I didn't have any of that, and that's why I said it felt miserably, because it was just me going in blind. It's something I wanted to do.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you ever took this, this assessment, but I'm a high S, which is a servant. I like to serve. That's my passion, that's my business. My business is serving. All of my businesses are all about serving, and so I just didn't have that person to serve me, or to serve me or to help me grow and, you know, avoid costly mistakes. And so, yeah, we created what we needed. We created what we needed. We are with fine BOB Okay, fine black owned businesses not and you're doing this with not the absence of fear, but the presence of courage. So what do you do when your butterflies, or you're, you're just not sure. How do you, what do you personally do to conjure up that courage? I first I pray, and then I. And then I talk to myself.
Speaker 1:I remember one time I was at a conference I had paid 30 grand to be in the room, right. So I'm sitting there and she's saying who got questions? Come up, come hold the mic. And you got to come hold the mic and talk to your question. You know everybody's scared of public speaking Most people, I should say. So I'm like, oh man, I don't feel like I had to literally say, okay, god, you gave me the resources to pay for this. You got me in this room. I have a question, I need to speak up. And then I said to myself just get up and do it. Just get up right now and do it. So I got up and, before you know, I put one foot in front of and I was at that mic, I don't forget. And then I asked my question and let me tell you the lady who is over this whole mastermind. She said here's my email. She said email me, I want to hear more. And that's all I was like. Look at God. You know it's not the essence of fear, because when I tell you I was scared, I was nervous, I'm like I'm speaking in front of all these people Ask this question what if I say I'm dumb? What if the question is like silver, medium and like it's like she don't know that? Right, but I said, bump it, I paid to be here, I'm going to go up there and ask my question. But I had to literally like put myself up, like get up, get up and go do it.
Speaker 1:And I know you say you know, sometimes you got to talk to yourself, auntie, you day I need to hear people say you crazy if you took Mm-mm. That's a fallacy Because everyone talks to them. So actually you talk to yourself more than anybody else talks to you. And I can prove it Because who's around you 100% of the time Other than you do 100. If you're not a kid or you don't have special needs to have from there with you constantly. So I'm talking about the average person, not the extra, extra special yeah, just extraordinary circumstances. Talk about the average person. You talk to you.
Speaker 1:You're thinking. If you're thinking in your mind, you're talking to yourself. Yeah, you're thinking about it. If you close your mouth and read a sign, you are talking through your face. Yeah, yeah, you're reading that sign, but it's your audible kind of inside voice and thinking. That's doing the thinking. Right, that's doing the talking, yeah.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I didn't understand you. You just make sure you don't answer yourself. Listen, I prefer my answers because, guess what, I know me best. Yeah, and that's just you reasoning things out. It's nothing wrong with it. It's nothing wrong with it. Come on here. I love it. I love the presence of courage. I love that you really do. It seems like you're a very methodical thinker. You have a lot of care. I honor in you that you literally go against all the odds, the deck that was stacked against you. You literally take those cards and play them the way you want to.
Speaker 1:Your mom wasn't there and you purposed in your heart to be an amazing mom. There was he. That's why God gave me a daughter first, so you can make me a mom. God is very intentional. Yeah, how did that feel? I wanted a daughter.
Speaker 1:Once I found out I was pregnant, I begged God to give me a daughter. I said God, I want a daughter because I want to be the mom I never had. And he gave me a daughter and that felt amazing. You know why? Because I got to do her little ballies and barrettes. My dad just kept my hair braided, if you look at all my little kid pictures. I had braids. He would find somebody to braid my hair because him brushing and doing ponytail, he wasn't doing all that. So I got to do that and dress her up. My dad dressed me like him. I had no skirts and dresses really, so I got to put her on skirts and dresses and she was so dainty and girly and that's what I wanted. I wanted for her to be the little daughter that I wanted to be to my mom. So that was an amazing feeling.
Speaker 1:And again, another lesson even though I was a teenage mother, I was able to just wreck my natural maternal instincts around my daughter, even though I never saw it growing up. And that's just, it's innate. Right, it's in us, it's just there, even if you're not a mom. You see a little kid fall, you're going to be. Oh, you know, it's just in us. I can say it's in most.
Speaker 1:But I know some people that should not be parents. I'm sorry, but is it because they don't want to be parents? Because not everybody wants to be a parent? Yes, but it happens. Selfish, or actually I can't say selfish. Some people really don't have that feeling. They do not. They're like you know, that does nothing for me. Yeah, get that a lesson from me. That's your problem. I can't relate. I'm so like, I can understand, but I can't relate. You know, understand. I don't know what.
Speaker 1:You said that, yeah, because I just feel like I yearned for that so much growing up. And I don't know, maybe you know they had a good mom. I don't know, everybody's situation is different, but for me I yearned for that mother. I told you I used to cry with my dad and be like let's go find her. We got to go look for her, and so I really wanted that growing up. And so when I got the chance, you know, god blessed me with a daughter, and that was my only one. He only gave me one. I'm doing it. I was able to be that mother that I never had.
Speaker 1:For her, I commend you because you did not take the route of some that would say, well, it was fine for me, so it would be fine for you, whatever you get. Yeah, my mom wasn't there for me, so I don't. You said that her dad was there. You said, but not only was her dad there, he had his parents ready, willing and able to assist and assist them. So you very well, could have been like y'all got it. Yeah, like for real, right, y'all good. And you would have took her too. Yeah, you would have took her, y'all good, y'all don't need me and she'll be all right because I was all right.
Speaker 1:I know people that have taken that view, so I just wanted to stop and commend you. It's a sad thing that it's something to be commended for, but it's a true thing, because I have seen those that have literally said, well, I got crap, so you'll be all right. If you get crap because I'm fine, so you'll find your way, which I think is just so wrong. I would always opt to do it the way that you're doing it. Let's make this a better situation. Right, I have you what I did not have, or I see something that I would like to do differently or better in my mind, better in my mind. But I think, as a parent, you should want your kids to do better. I think it should always be getting better and better and better with each generation, with each child, even.
Speaker 1:It's crazy, but that's even like that first one, you don't know what to do. The next one's like OK, at least I know this stuff. And then I'm like OK, I know some more. And then that's like, ok, I know some more, you know. Some people literally say, now, this part is really funny. Some people say, by the time they get to the last one, they tie it and they just let that baby do whatever. That's how they say the youngest be the spoiled one. Baby like here take this, shut up, go on your way back, go ahead, go on your way back, go ahead and do it. I'm not even down for the fight, I'm just going ahead and do it. You figure it out. So yeah, that was just funny, thank you. Thank you, marion. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:You know I worked very hard to be a good mom, yes, and so college was the next thing that you discussed, and being a college student, were you the first? Did your dad go to school? My dad? He was in school when he found out that my mom was pregnant, so he dropped out. He dropped out because he had to take care of me, but he impressed upon you to go and get it. Absolutely so, even though you got pregnant as a teen, as he and your mom did, you held on to what he said Listen, don't let go of that. And God made a way and set up an environment that you could still go. I want to commend you for that, because you could have said, no, that's the way my dad did it, I'm going to go ahead and do that.
Speaker 1:Not that anything was wrong with the way that your dad did it, but the fact that he planted that seed and kept nurturing it and watering it, saying get your education, get your education, get your education. Listen, just in case, I didn't tell you today I love you and get your education. I'm just saying just in case, just because he kept imparting that and kept growing and nurturing that and watering that and feeding that within you. Kudos to you for making sure that this, this, this happened. The teenage thing did happen. But the next thing is the next level that it got changed. That was changed.
Speaker 1:And then I want to commend you on not giving up. You said you went for modeling. Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna try and rest them on. Then you went yeah, listen, I wasn't passionate about that at all. Wow, so how much. So I wanted to commend you for still not giving up and still finding where you need to be, because now I can hear the passion.
Speaker 1:How did you, in finding your passion, did you feel lost in those other things? Yeah, with the rest of my, I felt like so I love to serve. So I was. I love serving the food. And we had Caribbean food. So we was ox tails, mac and cheese, curry chicken. Oh, of course, yes, we don't play about no food, didn't we just talk about that? Had a girl listen in my heart. They ain't no chick bigger than me. I'm trying to tell you I will eat everything up under the sun, you and me, you and me, you and me. So you know, we, after this, we're gonna put on a calendar when I'm coming to get my plate. Okay, go ahead. I'm sorry, I apologize. It just it's your fault.
Speaker 1:I started. You know you were salivating with the layhouse. I think I'm with you. Let me open my eyes and stop, don't wake me. Okay, I'm with you.
Speaker 1:No, so, yeah, the restaurant it was, um, I love San Miguel food. So my dad's dad, my grandfather's Jamaican. So I'm like I have Jamaican in me. So I was like, oh, let's do a Jamaican restaurant. So you know, we did that. But honey them ox tails being seven, eight dollars a pound, so I was just like, all right, this is a lot, this is expensive and I'm not really that into it, like, like, my dad always cooked, so I really didn't have to cook. Now I got cooked, I'll make the plates, um, but yeah, it just, it just wasn't my passion. It was something that I wanted to try, so I did, and that's good, that's good, that's good.
Speaker 1:I don't consider trying a cuss word film. I know I don't, I don't. I think I wanted to do so I did Okay, but you did try it, you did try it and you kept doing it. I don't allow my kids to say try, oh, okay, then we don't come on here. Stop using that word. You're buying, I know, or I'll stop playing.
Speaker 1:I'm with the kids, I'm always with the kids and I'm going to tell you right now I'm going to switch up all this. I'll be against you and for you in the same sentence. Jeremy, I have the word I like that. I like that. It's the switch up. Queen, did you see me just now? Then don't say that, ma, you know you wrong. Don't be saying that. I got you. I got the three amigos. They ain't even know they had somebody on their side. They got somebody on their side, that's good. So I just I am okay. So I told you. You know, I'm not going to say it, I'm not going to say it, I'm not going to say it. I'm not going to say it, I'm not going to say it. I told you. You know how? You know this.
Speaker 1:You making up For what you went through without a mom by being present and strong and confident and showing the example of being a student, and showing the example because you said then there was 10 years showing the example of then going, wait, going to wait. I wasn't responsible. Let me be responsible in the things that I'm doing, like I heard all of that, in everything that you said and how you just kept overcoming. And really that's why I say you're a methodical thinker, because you sat and you went wait, we won't keep doing this. I know this is hard. I mean, I don't keep doing. Even with the modeling, you was like, yeah, nah, that's a no, I did it. It don't work for me. Right, the restaurant you gave it a really good go. Yeah, I did it and it didn't work for me.
Speaker 1:How did you end up in your path? When did it show itself to you, bob? So I have two consecutive, congruent, simultaneous passions, right, wow, one, first and foremost is for black people. I love our people so much because I don't think that it's fair that we were judged just because we're darker shade than others, right? So I pay homage and I really dedicate my life to the advancement of our people. That's number one. Number two veterans. You see this flag right here. Listen, listen.
Speaker 1:I worked at the VA for 15 years and while I was there, I noticed these veterans not being treated fairly. And see, I'm not a talker, I'm a doer, I'm an executioner. My husband will tell you he be saying I'm nagging sometimes because I'm like did you do this, did you do that? But I asked you to do this. You ain't do it yet. When you gonna do it? You know I'm gonna go to the next thing. You know You're always a list, so, but I just I don't like to be stagnant, because I know that when you keep moving, you know you closer and closer to bridging that gap, you know, and so I just knew I had to do something, and so I started my non-profit organization in 2014 with just an idea that God gave me. Listen, this isn't the way the VA was doing it. It wasn't working.
Speaker 1:So, for example, they won't if you was dishonorably discharged from the military, for whatever reason. You can't get nothing from the VA. You kick rocks, beat it, scram Jones. You're not worthy. I don't care if you served six years. You could serve eight, 10 years. You're not getting anything if you were dishonorably discharged. I didn't think that was fair. No, another thing is if you're homeless, how are you gonna come up with first month, last month security? How you gonna have a perfect criminal background, how you gonna have good credit, how y'all helping homeless people and y'all requiring all this stuff? Ah, no, they not gonna have it. So I came in and I said I'm changing the game In my program. You only need one month rent, you need security, but you can make payments on the security deposit. It's not gonna be a barrier, right? We don't care if you was dishonorably discharged, you served your country.
Speaker 1:We on this podcast right now because of veterans like these guys and ladies that fought for us, for our freedoms. Cause we could be speaking German right now if we would have lost that war, okay, but we ain't even gonna go there. Oh, come on here. No, come on here. So I said I'm gonna start my program and I'm gonna do things differently, because I went to the VA first and I was like listen, how about we do it like this? They was like no, we're not gonna do it like that. We've been doing it for all these years and this is how and you know it's the government, you ain't changing nothing like that.
Speaker 1:I tried, though you know it's nothing beats a failure, but a try right, listen, oh, you kid you person of cursing. You're three amigos, I'm trying to tell you. I told her don't be on my show cussing, we strictly PG. Your mama is over here dropping T bombs, t bombs, t dropping T bombs. And I told her don't do it, don't. Hey, my bad, my bad, you see, I put that, switch up. You see that switch up. Yes, yes, I see you, I see you, but I did it. And so now it worked. It worked.
Speaker 1:We've successfully housed 30 homeless veterans right into their own homes. On top of that, we have two transitional housing programs in Philadelphia, where they come in, we wrap services around them, we get their birth certificate IDs, social security cards and then we put them in housing. We set them up with permanent housing right Partner with the city of Philadelphia. So we're getting these veterans off the street. And guess what? Most of my veterans are black. Aha, surprise, surprise, ma'am, most of them. I'm still helping out our black people because that's my love and me and my husband.
Speaker 1:We got this you know this thing going on because he loves black people too. But he's so disappointed and he's tired of being disappointed, and I am too. But I'm willing to help change it, whereas he's not right, he's tired and he's like it's just not gonna work. But if he keeps seeing the changes that you make daily, I don't care how some people say they're small, but they're huge. If it's something, something to me is always better than nothing. So I'll take.
Speaker 1:If you were supposed to do 50 pushups, if you did five today, I'm like, okay, we at least wanna do more than five tomorrow. Let's keep building that up so we can get to where it's something that's easier for you. It's not. It's still gonna be hard, it's gonna be some work and it's not gonna be easy. It's mad, but you can't get there Because you can't do anything you want to do in this world. I'm just quoting Christy Jackson. Yeah, I'm just quoting y'all and knowing that, I'm willing to quote one verse. But I won't be dropping no T bombs, kids. I got y'all. I'm just saying I ain't gonna do a number. I ain't gonna do a number. I ain't gonna do a number. But that's my baby, that's my heart. My nonprofit is like that's my baby. It encompasses everything that I believe all into one organization.
Speaker 1:What is the name of your nonprofit? It's called Love Prey Peace Project. Love Prey Peace, and not again, very intentional about how we wanna show up to our veterans. They just need like they're in a class all by themselves. Working at the VA for 15 years, I'm telling you I learned some stuff about veteran culture. They have their own culture and then with them, it don't matter if you black, white, asian, you're a veteran, you're in that culture. It's just that black veterans, you know, have a little bit more of a disparity, right, but veterans in general they just, you know they're not there. It is there, it is. I love it. So how can they reach out? How can they reach out to somebody's support?
Speaker 1:Listen, lp3.org is our website. Our annual sunraiser is every September. It's coming up September 22nd. If you can't attend, you know we're gonna have a veteran band playing live music. We're gonna have dinner and some drinks and we're gonna fellowship and we're gonna talk about where the organization is going and what we've done so far. You know, and this is right here in Philly, right here in the city. You know we're starting here in our own backyard and again, that's LP3.org. We got it.
Speaker 1:Love Freight, peace Project, mm-hmm, oh, wow, yep, and this is what we do, this is what we do. And God plays that on my mind. And let me tell you something I got my fair share of not listening to God right when God said move. Let me tell you a quick story. God told me to move from the VA in 2019. When I tell you, fear paralyzed me, god, you want me to quit my government job. What quit me? God? Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, girl, it'll make you clutch some imaginary pearls when you comfortable. It's like hold on hold, on hold, on hold on wait, hold on hold on hold, on hold on hold on Wait. What what he said? Move. And then he proved it to me right, I got my first contract with another organization in 2018. So he said you got this contract, now move 2019, I said mm-mm, mm-mm, hold on. Like it was two. No, no, daddy, no, no daddy. But you know, when God telling you to move, he got something better for you. Yeah, let go. So I didn't let go 2020,. God said move. I said, mm-mm, I ain't let go 2021, he said. Now, I told you to move and you still ain't moved.
Speaker 1:So guess what the VA did? They fired me. They fired me Well, they was going to fire me, but I resigned before they left. Let me tell you, okay, god, okay, okay, okay. He's like wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, stop playing, stop playing. I said stop playing, stop playing. I was just playing, I was just playing, stop that, stop. Okay. Okay, I figured out. I got girl. You know why? You saw security coming with the box and you was like uh-uh, let me sit my email. Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going. God said don't play with me. I told you to move two years ago. Now I gotta put you out, yep. So, yeah.
Speaker 1:So they didn't like the fact that I started my own nonprofit organization and they said it was a conflict of interest, and so they fired me. And so God showed me when I say, move, you move just like that. Come on, oh, wait a minute. What? When I say move, you move just like that. God, I'm not playing. All right, god, I'm sorry, but that's just one of a few examples that I could give where I did not take God serious. I didn't trust him, I was fearful, and God tells us that's not a spirit of his. He said I do not give you a spirit of fear. So that was a trick of the enemy. He had me paralyzed and I'm not afraid to admit it because you know we all fall short. Right, come on here. So when they fired me in 2021, I said okay, in mind you, I was a field examiner at the VA.
Speaker 1:I was responsible for protecting vulnerable veterans assets, right? So I love my job. That's one of the reasons why I didn't want to leave, because I loved it so much, girl. I had a government car. I'm driving around, going to veterans houses, seeing them and, you know, making sure they light to dawn, they good, and so I didn't want to leave.
Speaker 1:But look at what God blessed me with. Not only do I have my own organization serving veterans, but I can do things on my terms. I can serve them the way I want to serve. I can serve them on my time, right, and it's just been a blessing. We have three government contracts right now. Won't he do it? Won't he do it, ma'am, won't he do it? Marion Right. So the same government that didn't want you said come here real quick, we need you. Yeah, not one time, not two times, but three times, three times. Come here, come here, come here. Yes, three contracts. That's awesome, god, he's like. Listen, just trust me, trust me, I got you, you know.
Speaker 1:So I had to take that little L on the chin. On the chin, yeah, it was all, it was so worth it. Yeah, it was so worth it, it was so worth it. Well, that is the statement that I have for you joining me in episode 28. And in this after party, it's the after party. Listen, I'm so excited that you because, guess what, you could have been anywhere else in the world with you, here and confident, I appreciate you, thank you. I appreciate you being the gift as a child, being an honorable daughter that still stayed under your father's authority and stayed on the back of that bike as he delivered packages and saw the work, ethic, the hustle. So I honored that little girl that picked up that hustle and took it running as a teenage mom and still went to college and still loved on her daughter in the way that she did not receive from a mom. So I honor that in you and I honor that hustle, that cap going in the beautiful woman that I am looking across this screen right now.
Speaker 1:Mama, three wife, wait a minute you take care of veterans, hold on, and most of them is black. What so amazing? And the fact that you are building yes, I am coining this phrase, ma'am you are building a virtual black wall street. I love it. I had to say it with you. I love it Because I need you to understand what that is. Yes, I want to keep saying it so you understand the magnitude of what you're doing. Yeah, the magnitude of what you're doing to bring us together in a community that requires us to be together. Yeah, as we should be, right as we should be. But we were separated from the beginning, we were stripped from the beginning. So it's just bringing each other back together, little by little, bringing us back together, and you can say that it's little, but I would say that it's big because it's more than yesterday. Yeah, for each day adding on, with me being one that will be joining. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for being on Confident Youth Podcast. Confident Youth Listen. Thank you, mary, and I want to thank you for being that gift, for remaining to being the gift from God. Yes, this is for remaining. You know that's something that you say. That's what a child is to their parent, but I would say that's what you are to the world. Thank you for being that gift from God. All right, everybody, we're out of here.
Speaker 1:I left thatorg up there. Listen, lp3.org. You can skip lunch one day. Call and get on there and donate a little something, something Good. Every dollar counts. Every dollar counts If you have a veteran in your family. You had a veteran in your family, ma'am. I will be calling and donating. Thank you, mary.
Speaker 1:What you did not know is that a veteran in my family passed away yesterday my brother, my brother. It was an honor for you to end this episode this way. Thank you, I love him, thank him for his sacrifice, thank you, thank you, mary. The spirit lives on in you. So I knew he would want me to continue. It's just, I had no idea that's where you would end. I know and I'm honored and I'm honored, and these are tears of joy because I know he's good, he knows God, he got up Every day.
Speaker 1:The Lord's prayer was his prayer. I know there are some people like that's not a prayer, that's a map and that's not this. That's that. It's in the Bible, and if I want to say it, I can say it, I don't care what you think about it, what I think about it and what I receive from it, and that the Lord's prayer was his, that in the Bible. That's him, and for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Amen, whatever was his favorite part.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I love you. I'm confident in you. Yes, thank you, pussy Judd. I appreciate you, you, marian. God bless your brother. Thank you so much for all the veterans out there who made it possible for us to even be here today. I'm so grateful and I will continue to serve you to my last breath.
Speaker 1:Thank you, marian. I love you, queen you are. This has been the best time spent in a long time. Ok, I just had such an amazing time. Thank you so much, then. You're welcome. You're welcome. Thank you. All right, confident you. I'll see you in episode 29. If you have not seen episode one with my son and my daughter and their dad, and you have not seen all the way up to 27, I would say, take a look. You'd be surprised at how amazing we are as a people and as others before you have joined us. You're going to see some other faces and I'm excited about the things that are to come. So thank you for taking this time with us. Chrissy, you will be back Because we're going to talk about those single dads, because, yeah, they need to be loved on. All right, oh yeah, and I will be back in the next episode. See you, bye-bye.