Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
There's a myth that if you're passionate about your work, you're less likely to be stressed. But on the contrary, those of us who love what we do are sometimes even more prone to burnout. One particularly vulnerable group is entrepreneurs. On this episode, Deloitte chief well-being officer Jen Fisher discusses the vital role self-care plays in pursuing your passions with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon an educator, speaker, writer, community builder, and the founder and CEO of the Village Market.
The WorkWell Podcast™ is back and I am so excited about the inspiring guests we have lined up. Wellbeing at work is the issue of our time. This podcast is your lens into what the experts are seeing, thinking, and doing.
Hi, I am Jen Fisher, host, bestselling author and influential speaker in the corporate wellbeing movement and the first-ever Chief Wellbeing Officer in the professional services industry. On this show, I sit down with inspiring individuals for wide-ranging conversations on all things wellbeing at work. Wellbeing is the future of work. This podcast will help you as an individual, but also support you in being part of the movement for change in your own organizations and communities. Wellbeing can be the outcome of work well designed. And we all have a role to play in this critical transformation!
This podcast provides general information and discussions about health and wellness. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. The podcast owner, producer and any sponsors are not liable for any health-related claims or decisions made based on the information presented or discussed.
Cultivating purpose with self-care
Jen Fisher (Jen): There's a myth that if you're passionate about your work, you're less likely to be stressed. But on the contrary, those of us who love what we do and feel personally invested in our work, are sometimes even more prone to burnout. One particularly vulnerable group is entrepreneurs. These trailblazers are doing great things to change the world, but at the same time, sacrificing their own well-being to do so. This is why self-care is vital, now more than ever.
This is the WorkWell podcast series. Hi, I'm Jen Fisher, chief wellbeing officer for Deloitte. And I'm so pleased to be here with you today to talk about all things well-being.
Lakeysha Hallmon (Lakeysha): As we think about how we show up in the work that we do in the world, if I'm in a good place internally, and you're in a good place internally, we have a better chance of hearing and seeing each other. And in that hearing and seeing, that’s where change takes place. And so, I'm pushing us to be in the space where we can hear and see each other. Love is all in that space. So being healthy and being well. That's what that is for me.
Jen: I'm here with doctor Lakeysha Hallmon, a speaker, writer, and community builder. She is also the founder and CEO of the village market, an Atlanta-based organization that empowers black entrepreneurs through business development, training, seasonal marketplaces, and community engagement.
Lakeysha Hallmon (Lakeysha): I moved to Atlanta in 2011. It was one of the most exciting and also difficult decisions. That same year, my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that was also year nine, that she was fighting lupus. And so for those who are not familiar with lupus, it is quite a debilitating, aggressive autoimmune disorder. And my mother, I've seen up close, the effects of lupus. So my heart goes out to all the lupus warriors there. But in 2011, it was my mother who actually shared that she needed me to move from Mississippi. And my words to her was “I can't leave you, I have to be here to help you fight.” And she said, “the best fight for me is for you to grow and be all that I see that you are capable of being, but Mississippi does not have space and capacity for who you are fully.”
And I fought her on this decision, as I probably did my whole life, I'm very stubborn. And as true mother nature, a true mother to nature, she completely ignored me and did exactly what she wanted to do. And joined together with my older sister Yolanda, to get me to Atlanta. And I was so afraid and so excited at the same time, I was afraid to leave her. If she needed to go to the hospital at 1:30 or 2 o'clock in the morning, I was the ambulance, so to speak and I was her safe space. And she was my safe space. But I, begrudgingly moved and of course went home every three weeks, but I begrudgingly moved. But my mother, my mother was right. I moved to Atlanta, it was her first experience, second experience traveling beyond Mississippi. The first was to travel to Chicago when she was young. And then her second place was here in the city of Atlanta. And then when she visited to continue to push me to move. She said, now this, this is you, this is you, and this is how you keep me alive. And so it has been quite a journey being in the city of Atlanta. Going after my grandmother's pathway in fully embracing entrepreneurship, continuing my plant- based superhero journey that my mother and I started. It's just amazing how life and all the things that you experience can land you to the present moment. If I didn't see my grandmother as an entrepreneur, I wonder if I would have had aspirations to be an entrepreneur. Would I know how to meet people eye to eye and be deeply grateful for their gifts. If I didn't see my mother fight for her life and I mean, fight, fight for her life, she gave it everything she had until she did not, literally, until her body could not give anymore. I wonder how hard I would be, and willing and relentless, in my own pursuits.
Jen: So, what was in Atlanta to begin with? What drew you to it?
Lakeysha: Multiple things. Atlanta allowed me to see an expanded version of community in an upfront image of what opportunity looks like. In Mississippi, I got to see community in a way that is necessary because that's the way I cradle community in my spirit now. I've seen people my whole life work together towards shared outcomes. Atlanta helped me see that I could be more than a teacher in the Mississippi Delta. Though being a teacher in the Mississippi Delta is one of the greatest things I've ever done. Atlanta showed me that you can do that. And then life itself can be your, your, your classroom. I saw black entrepreneurship here, black artists here, and it just expanded all of my dreams.
Atlanta made it just that much more colorful, that much more real. And so I was drawn to it from the first time I got to visit when I visited Clark, Atlanta. And when I visited him at Emory university, and the opportunity to visit the national black arts festival. I knew that I would live here, and of course live in other places, but my very first thought on the adult journey would be here.
Jen: So, are you sure you're not getting paid by the city of Atlanta for this amazing commercial?
Lakeysha: What I was thinking I need to get paid for this.
Jen: Make sure they're listening. So that's awesome. So, the work that you do now, and I'd love for you to talk about that and talk about the village market. But it is so purpose driven, and we talk a lot about the importance of knowing your purpose, of defining your purpose, of living into your purpose, when it comes to your well-being. I mean, you're out there every day, helping your community. It's what you wake up to do. How were you able to discover that purpose and build it into your work? Because you talk about being a school
teacher, but you also really had an interest in a passion for arts and creativity, and all of those things that you have now been able to bring to life with the village market.
Lakeysha: I wish I had a perfect answer to give you. I don't, but as I became more conscious of how I feel, it led me to understand what purpose feels like, rather than what it looks like. So, purpose to me and what moves me and how I know that I'm deeply aligned with my purpose: It feels like love. It feels like so much passion and even frustration when I can't get all the things out that I'm trying to create. And I can't have octopus arms and do all the things that are in my mind. Passion makes you want to grow another arm and sleep deeper so you can wake up and be just that empowered. So I don't know the day that I realized that teaching would be a part of my passion. I had an idea. I love people. I love spaces that, you know, when we can knowledge share. And this part of my being has always been in me. But I don't know the day that I said entrepreneurship or community building or a community resiliency or relationships is a part of my guiding purpose. I just know that it filled me up to the rim and where I am in my life and where I've been for the last 10 years or so is that I just want to be filled to my rim. I want to feel as close as I can to happiness and joy. And purpose feels like that, even when it's extremely annoying.
Jen: I agree. I know exactly what you're saying. So, tell me about the village market, because I find it so unique and empowering and inspiring.
Lakeysha: So, the village is the coolest thing ever. The village market is community, it is economics, it is racial equity, all built into an organization of very dedicated people who are striving every day to uplift black businesses. Who are striving to push the community at large, to take the holistic approach to all aspects of life. And our deep mission is for us to understand that we're simply strong together, not as individual people working on their own islands to do their own thing, but literally working together towards shared outcomes. And so that in a business model looks like I have a thriving ecosystem. I incubate hundreds of businesses across the United States and sprinkled in some other countries. Every year I help those businesses grow into a quarterly marketplace. Hundreds of people are coming to shop from these businesses and what that direct touch point means, there are people proving these small businesses, proof of concept, and getting ready for a larger market.
Businesses are coming to us from big ideas and we help them turn that into a thing.
We create the safest space for businesses to ask those questions that they would probably be embarrassed of. The things that they don't know as founders. We created a whole village of people who say, come as you are, have good intentions for the community, and we will help you build. Because my goal at the end of all of this, is that we can all exist, co-exist, not just black people, all people can co-exist in fair and equitable opportunities. And for me, the crux in my community is economics and having a fair chance, an equal playing field to advance of our economic positioning. And that's what I'm working towards.
Jen: That's purpose right there. So, do you have, to-date, and this is going to be a hard question. I know. Do you have a proudest moment with the village?
Lakeysha: That's a hard question. Jen: Do you have a top five list?
Lakeysha: Let's see, let's see what’s in my top five list… I can say today, I'm most proud of that in the face of a global pandemic, unrest in this country, people forming allyships, some people breaking apart. I am most proud of that the village continues to be a flagship. That means that it's extremely purposeful. We have a campaign that's happening right now in honor of national black business month. And I'm deeply proud of all the partners that we were able to bring aboard who said yes. All the allies who asked, what all do you need in the village?
And the businesses trust the village market and the community trusts the village market. So presently today, when I'm sitting in, is that in spite of all these things that's happening in the world, I've been able to co-create with the community, something that feels very safe and progressive. And some other super proud, super proud moments, I've been able to work with businesses when they had those ideas that intimidated them and to see their ideas grow and then generating revenue, hiring a team, figuring out their brand identity.
And then have the audacity to go in the world and open their first brick and mortar. I’m seeing people in my mind, like my good friend Dimitria, I'm seeing her, and I'm just, my heart feels so proud to be a part of that. And other super proud moments, from all the allies that I have in my life saying to me, “I see the importance of supporting black businesses, now. I see it. I understand it more. I may have to come back to you to ask more questions because this hasn't been my life and hasn't been my everyday experience, but I see what you're fighting for. And I'm going to help you every way that I can.” I've been overwhelmed in the last couple months by those moments and those experiences. And so, when the light bulb goes off on super proud moments, that's a super proud moment for me because the village has to be all encompassing of everyone, because we all benefit.
Jen: You’re finding ways to thrive. And that in itself, I think is, is the definition of resilience. So a lot for, for those of us listening to you to learn. And, and I would say along those lines, I know that you are a pretty outspoken advocate for self-care, especially among the entrepreneur community. We know it's a community that in a lot of cases has a higher instance of burnout. And you said it earlier, when you were talking about passion and, you know, being the octopus that could grow the extra arm, but you also said something about making sure that you got a good night's sleep, so you could show up at your best. So, let's talk about the convergence of that passion and that purpose when you're an entrepreneur, and, and you're the only thing you've got because you're an entrepreneur. And so, the importance of self-care and what it's meant to you in your own journey.
Jen: Very good question. I've seen, I witnessed people aspire for things, be it wealth or other tangible things that appear to be, or to give the impression of wealth. But I've also seen, Jen, people who obtain those things and they died young. And when we learned about them, we learned that they were depressed and lonely, riddled with anxiety. And those are the things that I love to understand more. How did you achieve this thing, yet you were deeply depressed? And so, when I started to really anchor in on my why, as much as I want the economic upward mobility for my community, I can't imagine leading with that first and not leading with help. Because if we aspire for all of these things and we're not well, and we're not healthy. And well in how we treat each other, this community that I deeply desire to be built will be fractured.
And in my own journey, I just don't, I don't believe in being a hypocrite. I can't push the community for a holistic entrepreneurship, if that's not how I live my life. I saw my mother
died at 50 years old with a lot of dreams left here, with children still left here, with a mother of her own still left here. And so being so close to death, knowing that we have no control over it in a sense, pushed me to want to live so completely at my highest. So there are no dreams left on the table.
And so, as we think about how we show up in the work that we do in the world, I also know this Jen, if I'm in a good place internally, and you're in a good place internally, we have a better chance of hearing and seeing each other. And in that hearing and seeing, that's where change takes place. And so, I'm pushing us to be in the space where we can hear and see each other. Love is all in that space. So being healthy and being well, that's what that is for me.
Jen: I love that. I mean, I have a, a thousand definitions of well-being and now I have 1,001. Being in a place where we can hear and see each other. That's beautiful and really, really powerful. So tell me, what does self-care look like for Lakeysha?
Lakeysha: It fluctuates. Jen: I understand
Lakeysha: On a really good day of care, I wake up early. I write, well, first when I wake up, I pray and I write and kind of sit in my day a bit. Then I get up. I either go for a walk or ride my bike. I drink my water and I'm super quiet until about 10:30 in the morning, every day, because my self-care time in the morning is so sacred for me. And so, I try not to be pulled by any external factors of the world, so I can be in tune with, with my soul. Self-care also looks like me setting strong boundaries with the type of people I have in my life, with the type of business partners I bring into my life as well. And so, really good relationships, those that are nourishing and push me to be my best self is a part of my self-care routine.
And also, a thing that I do every week. It drives me bananas, but I, I sit and I think about my decisions. And I'm looking at those decisions and say, “did you make this decision from a place of ego? Or did you make this decision from a space of change?” And I do this every week, so I can make sure I'm anchored in my why and purpose. But the space of self- correction every week is a part of that, of something that I won't compromise. So I may miss riding my bike some days, and those are on the not so good wellness days. And I may forget to drink the water that I need to drink, or I may work too late and not unplug at five o'clock like I try to do every day. But self-correction is something that I will not put on a table for another week.
Jen: When you work with the entrepreneurs, do you talk with them about this? Is this part of the program and part of the process for the village market?
Lakeysha: Absolutely. And some of them love it. Some of them are like, “can we just get to the point where you help me grow my business?” And I love the honesty of that. And I say, no, because I have to know, I to make sure that you and I are connected. And then secondly, I want to make sure that you're connected with yourself and you can be very certain about what you're building, why you're building, and who you're building it for. So yeah, this part, this is the fun part where we get to dig deep and really understand why we're building, what we're striving to build. And also the blocks, the emotional blocks around building businesses. I want to pull those things up as well. So if there is any
imposter syndrome, we talk about it. We also have a coalition of mental health practitioners in the village.
So, a part of that incubation is after we do all the cool things with me, if there is something that's deeper that comes up, I have a coalition of psychologists and peers and social workers who are also looking to give pro bono services to small business owners in the village.
Jen: Wow. That's amazing that that is so important. And I think, you know, how passionate I am about the topic of mental health. What's your top three to five pieces of advice that you give to these entrepreneurs, but really that you would give to anybody on making self- care a priority when you're building something that is going to impact the world?
Lakeysha: Yes. I tell entrepreneurs to not put self-care in a box and that self-care is not a formula that you can plug into a system and it turns out and compute into a thing. That self-care is personal. The only nudging and the only pushing that I give is that they don't ever become complacent in their journey. So start incrementally, but always push to grow. And it's the same philosophy with starting a business, grow incrementally, but always be pushing to grow. Another space that I tell entrepreneurs and just people, and my friends is that it's so important to have good people - mentors who understand that the greatest gift
to being a mentor is being a teacher and a bridge. That's what mentorship should be. I want to teach you things. And when I know you learned it, I'm going to open up my network to you, and I need you to walk across to it. Another set of advice that I give is that imposter syndrome, we just talked about it, is going to creep up. Doesn't matter who you are, unless you've had a very privileged, privileged life it's going to, it's going to come up. Even on your best days, you're going to question, did I really deserve this? Or with someone come up and find something about me and decide that I'm not worthy of it.
I challenge entrepreneurs and people to just go ahead and be prepared for that feeling now. And I asked them to just have an answer for when that day comes. Yes, I am very deserving of this. Best part of being human is that we're flawed. And in those flaws, it forces us to always stay humble. You have to be willing for people to really love what you're doing, or wonder what are you doing? And you sometimes get both in the same day. Yeah. And that's okay.
Jen: Have any of them come back? I'm sure that they have. And given you feedback on the value of what you taught them, I mean the value of what you just taught all of us. What do they come back and say to you?
Lakeysha: Most presently, I received an email last night from a young lady who has a video production company, and she did our Unstuck program recently. Very, very brief - Unstuck allows entrepreneurs who are true to the name pitch their pain points to about 14 different advisors from corporate America to extremely successful entrepreneurs who created small businesses. They tell them all the areas that they're stuck and we spend about an hour and a half to help those businesses become unstuck. And so this young lady did the program within the last two weeks and she sent an email this morning and she shared her thanks and gratitude that there was a space created that she felt so safe and so seen. And we just talked about the purpose is to feel safe and to feel seen. She shared in that same email was that she knows for sure that she would be able to grow from where she currently is.
And I'm very fortunate. We get so much just what I call, just fill, fill your cup up good news. Jen: Yeah.
Lakeysha: Others have shared with me that before being a part of the village, they long for community. They long to have a space where like-minds and like-spirits could create and build together. Others have shared that thank you for having a process in being rigorous. That they didn't, they absolutely did not like it at first. And because of their rigor, because of the bar for excellence that we push for and the businesses must have processes and structure, they told us thank you because it has given them that same model to run their business and to help another person. And that level of feedback, all of it is extremely special to me. But when people were originally annoyed with structure and process, coming in after they've completed it and said, thank you. It just affirms that having a standard is important, that advice or that feedback, I write those down and I put it in my, in my gratitude book.
Because sometimes you question, am I being too hard? Am I pushing them? Am I pushing too hard? And then when you get feedback like that, the answer is no. Keep having the bar.
Jen: I'm so grateful Lakeysha could be with us today. Thank you to our producers and our listeners. You can find the work well podcast series on deloitte.com or you can visit various podcatchers using the keyword WorkWell, all one word, to hear more. And if you like the show, don't forget to subscribe, so you get all of our future episodes. If you have a topic you'd like to hear on the WorkWell podcast series, or maybe a story you would like to share, please reach out to me on LinkedIn. My profile is under the name Jen Fisher, or on Twitter at JenFish23. We're always open to your recommendations and feedback. And of course, if you like what you hear, please share, post, and like this podcast. Thank you and be well.