Black Girl Visioning Part II

Today the ladies continue their conversation on reimagining their lives in 2023! Ava unpacks being an air fryer chef and approaching food more holistically. Tashuanda then shifts the conversation to food diversity and the importance of being open to new ideas and perspectives. The sisters also touch on being great at more than one thing and balancing out one another. 

00:23 Introductions
00:30 Brainstorming: reimagining our lives 
05:50 Avas concrete methods of reimagining 
11:46 Tashuandas concrete methods of reimagining 
17:51 Not being confined to one area
21:47 Seeing the value in short trips 
24:15 Takeaways on reimagining 
25:20 Outro

CONNECT WITH US
Website: www.blackgirlflyofficial.com
Email: hello@podcast2impact.com
Instagram:  @blackgirlflyofficial

BGF Products here

Join Robinhood with my link and we'll both pick our own free stock

I'm using Acorns and I love how easy it is to save and invest for my future. Join me and you'll get a free $5 investment!

Click here to receive Southwest Rapid Rewards

Click here to learn more about Gusto Payroll

Mortgage Connects, an MGIC Podcast

AVWeek
Weekly news on IT/AV, supply chain, UC, & more.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

The Unlocking Growth Show
The show where we unlock the secrets to scaling your...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

All Business. No Boundaries.
Welcome to All Business. No Boundaries, a collection of supply chain stories by DHL...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Transcript

Speaker 1  0:23  
Welcome back to another episode of Black Girl fly. I'm your girl, Eva Marie,

Unknown Speaker  0:27  
am Shannon Dixon.

Speaker 1  0:30  
And today we're going to dive into some more specifics about what reimagining our life could look like. I felt like after we did that episode, I really wanted to, like think through like concretely what we're going to do, mainly because I didn't want to carve it out and separate. So this is gonna be some real live brainstorming here. But I just want you to see our process and kind of how we work through, like, what this looks like, you know, to reimagine and to challenge ourselves to challenge each other. I think it's good to do this, you know, with someone else or with other people, so they can push you to go even a little bit further than what you normally would. And so, so I think we talked a lot about education. We could go deeper there, with to Shana SNOMED year coming out, like what that looks like. But an area that I was really thinking about was around food. Like, I, I know how to cook for survival. nourishment, like. So this has been an area. For me, that has always been a bit of a pain point. But I told to Shonda a few months ago, like the airfryer will have you out here thinking that you are Top Chef, okay,

Unknown Speaker  2:02  
meaning she thought she was top chef.

Speaker 1  2:06  
I would do it big day. Okay. Haven't used my oven and about three years, somebody exclusively using aircraft for the last three years. I'm currently without an air fryer, and you go out and burn so many

Unknown Speaker  2:25  
things. Okay, I hope we're getting to read about it in your life.

Speaker 1  2:31  
But to my voice, like I really, you know, recently I've been looking at, you know, a lot of the foods that we eat in the US are banned in different countries. And as I'm thinking about my own health journey, like, how can I? How can I be more approach food in a more holistic manner, like, not only cooking, but thinking about melt, meal prepping? And also thinking about, like, how can I get where can I source my food from? Can I get a garden? Like, can I be doing more farmers markets just being more in tune with, like food as a lifestyle? And not just like a survival? Yeah, well, yes. Yes. And even to things like, you know, making recipes to pass down to, you know, generations and creating an event and like, just the thing about around food itself, you know, being able to invite people in and share that with them. I just think there's so much more to food that I just don't even give it the time.

Speaker 2  3:39  
Yeah, yeah. Even thinking about that just randomly on that. I went to work yesterday with a vegetarian. And she was telling me, she's like, she cooks three meals a day, every day. And I was like, I would run out of meals after the first week. When we're thinking about Walker, that for me, that opened up the idea that there are so much more even, that I'm not even considering foods that I've never cooked with foods that I've never experienced. And just the diversity of that alone is huge.

Speaker 1  4:13  
And there's so many, like, we grew up poor, and like our exposure to food is so limited and so I'm like, just imagine all of the things that exist. That I'm like, we wouldn't even know if it was right before.

Speaker 2  4:32  
Something so small. My kids loved mangoes, and so I buy mangoes regularly. I don't remember ever having a mango in my entirety of my childhood.

Speaker 1  4:42  
I can verify this because when I was a teenager, I went to the Dominican Republic and they had a mango festival and I was okay, and there are 1000s of types of mangoes right? But I had never had a mango as a kid either. And so I didn't Know how to eat it, how to know if it's ripe. How you open it. And I'm like, and I love mangoes now and I'm like,

Unknown Speaker  5:08  
But and I didn't know what the fruit do when I was there.

Speaker 1  5:13  
Because the whole thing as the whole thing. So I'm just like, just imagine like the, the world of things that we know nothing about. And you know, things I think we've been exposed to over time just, you know, through different opportunities, but just imagine how much is still out there that we're missing out on my, it's just crazy. It's crazy

Speaker 2  5:36  
practice in the realm of food, but in the realm of everything else, like the magnitude like like food be such a small part of our life, the magnitude of the things that we could reimagine it's huge. Yeah.

Speaker 1  5:49  
So So can we stay here for a moment on food? I know we're talking a lot about it. But I want to get to like some concrete things we'll do to reimagine.

Speaker 2  6:00  
Oh, one thing that I've experienced, it's funny. So actually, my partner's brother, he's in culinary school. And so he actually had to do he had an assignment to make food across the world, for his school. And so I actually got to try some different things that I've never tried before. For me, that was like a huge first step, and really even identifying and I was actually talking to someone yesterday. And he was saying that he ordered meal prep from HelloFresh. So HelloFresh, actually, they give you basically the raw of what it really is, and then you have to cook it. But they've already done all the chopping, they put all the ingredients together, they've already measured it all out, they've done like 60% of the work, right? You'd have to put it together and make it happen. And he was saying that he learned new things. Specifically, he was like, Did you know there's a thing called Pink sauce imposters? I was like, Yeah, and he's like, it's combination of, you know, white sauce and a red sauce together. He's like, I didn't think I like sauce at all. But I love pink. You know, and so it just opened it up to new ideas and fresh perspectives that you didn't.

Speaker 1  7:11  
I like that. I'm like that. I know, I'm a school person. And you know, I can easily say like, let me sign up for culinary school.

Unknown Speaker  7:24  
I think you can go much faster not being in culinary school.

Speaker 1  7:28  
I would agree. I would agree. So, I mean, one thing I wanted to is meal prepping, I think, you know, meal prepping different recipes. I've been experimenting with some different recipes now. But I think that will create a bit of structure. And then allow me to be creative and thinking about like, what types of recipes to play with. And then I don't know, I'm leaning towards like farmers market or they have those coops, things like that. But I think it might be hard. I don't know how you would incorporate meal prep into that you have to really build the meal around whatever it is that you're getting. So maybe I'll look into one of those coops usually called like CSAs, or something like that.

Speaker 2  8:19  
Now, why would you need to do that? Are you saying that you don't know what will be available? Because you know, all produce is seasonal. So you should be able to call out what season it is?

Speaker 1  8:29  
Well, with the CSAs. Like, it really depends on what what is available with the farmers and things and like, you know how they want to spread that out. So you don't know that you can get this collapse, like on a weekly basis, or bi weekly basis. You just don't know what what you might get on a given week. So even if it's in season, you might not get it based on you know, the size of the, you know, deal that you have and things like that.

Speaker 2  9:00  
No, that makes sense. And so what are you so I guess I'd start off with what your goals are. So what are you trying to accomplish by reimagining your

Speaker 1  9:13  
situation action. So I think one is just to like, you know, use like food preparation as a bit of therapy. And it there'll be probably it's not the right word, but like I realize, you know, there's very little time during the day where I'm not like being stimulated by something, right? If I'm working, I'm on a computer. If I just want to veg out I'm watching TV, or I'm on Instagram, like you know, I do walk and things like that, but like most activities in my day require something coming in. And so I think just carving out like time just quiet can be music or something. But me doing something that is cooking, tactical. That's one of the goals. I think the other goal is just to be able to feed a family. I was not taught these skills that you shouldn't be eating. Right? Not things that let you know that help you live long lives. So I think breaking some of those bad habits that I have, because that's not you know what I want to pass on either. And so making sure that I don't, you know that I have the skills that I want to pass on. So those I think, are my two main goals around food.

Speaker 2  10:54  
Well, I like what you said about this being a time to kind of free yourself from like, the electronics and all that simulation. Like I would think more of like tradition, by creating that tradition to have been time making food, a lot of other cultures do that. And I think that it's not one that we have kept in, I guess, the United States. But I think even thinking about that, or reimagined that as part of who you are, or how your family operates, the thing that you pass down to your children, I think is a cool component to think about.

Speaker 1  11:38  
Yeah, so I think those two things are a good place to start. What about you? Do you have any food goals, reimagining that you want to do?

Speaker 2  11:49  
For me? All my stuff is mostly health related. I'd say also, I need my goal at the beginning. I think at the end of the year I was talking about this My goal was to have like, I think it was like at least seven dishes that I'm actually really good at or that they know that I could just because I think that started being sound really bad well not really bad but been like my partner is really into food and it's it's funny, he actually likes to see me cooking in the kitchen like that's a thing of his that that he enjoys it so I'd like to incorporate it not just from being more nutritious but also from a kind of a different relationship aspect as well.

Speaker 1  12:37  
Yeah, I think that's super interesting. And like your partner is a great so as far as mine to oh my god so much better than we bearable. What were we doing?

Speaker 2  12:59  
Yeah, we were that cooking. Well, I but I think that it does come down to like for having both of up. It was a family thing for Charles I can tell you it was his, his aunts and his mom, they felt like food was a way to bring the family together. And so I I'd say his practice is very much built around the idea that food is a time for family. It's a time for community and it's a way to show your love. And so I think that that's why he got good at making food is that he had that opportunity to really dig in there. I asked him about it actually and he was saying that he actually found that a lot of women couldn't cook when he was dating and so he actually started to cook them but it turned into really is more of a community

Speaker 1  13:57  
that makes a lot of sense. Emily and I think about your house like the kitchen is like so central.

Speaker 2  14:05  
Yeah, I guess like so. And we do that intentionally like it was divided we had walls we had a separate living room and a separate kitchen and we purposely decided to knock that out and open it all up so my living room area really open to my kitchen and like even being at the stove is central to being in that conversation within that space

Speaker 1  14:28  
okay, I can't remember a lot of times at your house for like but yeah, I like that I'm gonna add that add that piece into to my my goal areas. Any other goal areas that you have

Unknown Speaker  14:47  
around food?

Speaker 1  14:49  
No, no, no, I'm sorry. Any other reimagining your life areas you want to walk through?

Speaker 2  14:55  
Say there's so much for me I'd Dave, reevaluating my career. I was really struggling. It's so funny. Like, I was really struggling with the idea of really having one source of I don't want to say one source of income, but like working for one employer. Like that was just ingrained, double ingrained in my in my head. And now I've like, I'm finally well, well, that just not working for one employer, but I'm finding that I have interest across just even some of the opportunities that one place would provide me and being able to like structure that so one of the things that I'm doing now is figuring out how I can be great at more than one thing. Career wise, is super important. I talked about the Nomad here. One of the things that I'm talking to thinking about with Nomad is so I had actually I was talking to someone and they're like, Oh, where are you going to I was considering last year actually modified my home to make it larger to accommodate more space and whatnot, my family. But then as I started thinking about Nomad, I was like, Well, what do I want that Nomad situation. And I think what I've drilled down to, is that I want to make it normal for my family not to have that not to live in one place or to, for your home to look like one thing or, or all of those things. And so I was telling someone that This to me is going to give me the experience to decide what by living quarters looks like in the next phase. And so kind of reimagining or changing the standard in which I believe a home is that that makes sense.

Speaker 1  16:59  
Yeah, like, what what specifically are you going to be looking at

Speaker 2  17:03  
and those who like, location size, how long I mean, one space? Like if I even like I was even considering, like, living in a hotel room, but so I have a what's it called the timeshare? And I was like, why can I just go from, you know, resort timeshare to apartment timeshare in the middle of New York to, you know, to some island somewhere and something like that. So I'd say reimagining what the space needs to look like how long were there for what all that means is kind of what I'm thinking about.

Speaker 1  17:52  
Yeah, you got my wheels turning, because for y'all, I set out this year to like travel. And I traveled a few different places. At the top of the year, I went to about three or four different places. I landed in one spot for about a month, I didn't know how long I was going to be there. And then I landed in another place, which I'm currently in, and I've been here for like, two months. And so and neither of those places were places that I would have wanted to go. But the first place was Memphis, which actually I ended up really enjoying, it's not a place that I would have ever chosen. But it was just such a nice, pleasant surprise, so many ways. But the place I'm in now, I'm just like a little, I don't know, a little bit unsettled, because number one, it feels very permanent.

Speaker 2  18:58  
I was gonna say, I live in New York combined. And I think that's what I'm struggling with. Like, I don't think that now you need to be confined. And and I think if I can do this with four children, that anyone can do it, that you can kind of reimagine, and there's a level of especially if you're if you're thinking about working with your partner, there's a level of compromise, there's a level of getting your partner to actually go in that thought journey with you. And going back to that conversation we talked about about what are your actual values, you know, where's it that you want to go? What's your what's your goal versus the fuel that gets you there? And I think that that sets the tone for having these types of dialogue.

Speaker 1  19:50  
And I'm so I'm really glad you're pointing this out because the most recent conversation we had right was we're like Let's put together a calendar, there are so many trips that we want to take this year. And you know what my like, My reaction was like, This feels like too many trips.

Speaker 2  20:15  
And I'm gonna tell you about this later, because I'm going to invite you, but I just, I purchased a couple of trips that I need to plan three, to be exact. And then this morning, I got my partner sister reach out, it's like, Hey, I'm planning this trip for next year. And I'm saying thing, and I'm like, how about this?

Speaker 1  20:35  
Right? This is going counter to what we say we, yes, maybe this is the battlement that we want. Like, we just go on more trips, and we have our home base. Right. And so you just blew my mind, right? Like, what I

Speaker 2  20:52  
mean? So this goes back to the reimagining, right, like you have to, you can't reimagine without recognizing where you are. And you actually taught me that in consulting, like, you have to take a true assessment of where you are and what you're doing. And then have a strategic plan based on where you want to go where you currently are, right? And so you have to acknowledge the history the thought the even with with not just yourself, but your partner, what they've gone through, and why they believe it's possible to be able to reimagine what that will look like. But if you can tie in, what are your goals? And what your reason for those goals, you can persuade otherwise, with helping them acknowledge that some of these things are just mental constraints that you put up on yourself? Right. I think that's huge. I think that's amazing, right? To take that kind

Speaker 1  21:48  
of Yeah, no, that's good. And I think the biggest constraint that I have put on in this situation is that I have put very little value on, like short trips, like 123 day trips, to me, they have always been always been more of a new nuisance than like, you know, something to enjoy. And that's not true. Like, I was in Boston for three days last year. I mean, last week, and I was able to catch up with a friend, actually, who lives in the same area that I live in now. He just so happened to be in Boston at the same time. But like, you know, I was able to do that spend time with my team, like, in this short three days, don't get me wrong, I was exhausted afterwards. But it was very valuable. Like the time we got to spend with the client, like just we built so much trust in that, like, short period of time. And so I think that's the mental block like that short trips are too much of a hassle, right? In that, like, they're, they're really valuable. And you just need to plan your life around it, so that it makes sense.

Speaker 2  23:08  
That's so good. It's so funny, though, that I'm saying this, because I think that this is why we do this is why we do black girl fly, is I had all of this in front of me. I've been trying to figure out this Nomad thing. I told you, I just purchased three trips. I'm gonna put those together now. So I have a, I have a structure in which I did this. And then I have a ton more things that I could do. I'm gonna put that together and see how it goes.

Speaker 1  23:29  
Yes, yes. And I'm not going to hate the place that I live. I can go ahead and place anytime you want. And the weird thing about this location is that I love the proximity of the city, though, you know, we're near. And I feel so at home there and like, that's amazing. I think it's just really the space that I'm at the geography here. So if I can combine, I think, I mean, I think the short trips is going to really help me appreciate this place more. And maybe allow me to let go of what I traditionally was thinking like I wanted to land. So thank you. Thank you for that. So what

Unknown Speaker  24:13  
would you say? What's the takeaway about reimagining?

Unknown Speaker  24:17  
Do it, do it ASAP. That's why

Speaker 2  24:22  
it's important that we just didn't hear about that. Maybe you need to find a partner who can help you flesh out your thoughts. And I mean, because it's hard because reimagining when you are the thing that you need to reimagine is I think part of the deal.

Speaker 1  24:39  
Yeah, no, I think that's definitely vital. You know, you and I are very different but we are similar in a lot of ways but I think we have a good balance and know where to push each other. So if ever I always got the shot. Oh, I think there's stuff. So if you have that person like Go find them and have this conversation but if not, like, try to find that person because it will help you. They can only let you need to hear when you need to hear it even when it's not what you want to hear. Yeah, definitely. So until next time