WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:04.839 There are people who moved through the world quietly, and 2 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:08.039 then there are those who moved through it as a 3 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:13.439 reflection of what is truly possible. Anya ayoung Chi is 4 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:21.239 the latter, designer, cultural advocate, entrepreneur, mother, and most importantly, 5 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:26.199 a woman whose life has been shaped by grace, vision, 6 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:30.920 and the deep inner work of returning to herself again 7 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:36.000 and again. Born and raised in Trinidad, Anya has always 8 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:40.520 found herself as the first or the only in many 9 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:44.399 of the spaces she's entered, from the layered complexity of 10 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:49.359 her racial identity to Catholic school classrooms where structure left 11 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:54.320 little room for creative exploration. Many of us first met 12 00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:58.840 Anya as the winner of Project Runway, a victory made 13 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:02.840 even more remarks by the fact that she didn't even 14 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:06.560 know how to sew when she applied. She actually learned 15 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:13.040 during the competition now that no sound safe. However, more 16 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:17.400 than skill, she shares that what truly carried her and 17 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:21.319 possibly led her to win the competition was the moment 18 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.680 she stopped trying to design or think like a New 19 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:29.799 Yorker and began designing like a Trinidadian, and in doing 20 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:34.519 so found her edge. Anya is now a mother, of 21 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:40.200 two and the co founder of Spool, a platform reimagining 22 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:45.680 fashion as an act of independence and creative access. This 23 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:51.480 conversation is not just about fashion style or the success 24 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:57.640 of her career. It's really about self improvement, self reflection, 25 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:02.920 and what did really means to lose and find yourself 26 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:07.799 over and over again and to trust that each time 27 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:13.800 what's most powerful is already within you. If you're listening 28 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:18.000 to the podcast on Apple Podcast, please remember to rate 29 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:22.240 and leave a comment below. Also, don't forget to follow 30 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:26.520 us on Instagram at Let's Talk the Tings. Now, grab 31 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:30.240 your tea, coffee, or a glass of wine and Let's 32 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:36.560 Talk the Tings. Hello everyone, Welcome back to Let's Talk 33 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:42.479 the Tings, where we discuss personal growth, travel, music, beauty 34 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:47.520 and wellness while encouraging you to live fearlessly and fabulously. 35 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:52.479 I'm your host, Ash and this week we are talking 36 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:59.159 to things with fashion designer, entrepreneur, television host, philanthropist. Miss 37 00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:02.719 Universe Trinidad and Tobago two thousand and eight, the winner 38 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:06.280 of the ninth season of Project Runway and one of 39 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:10.840 the most compelling voices shaping the Caribbean creative landscape today, 40 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.479 Anya I Young Chi, hi Anya, how are you. 41 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:18.439 Hi ash, I'm great. Thank you so much for having 42 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:18.759 me on. 43 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.879 Oh, no problem, I'm so happy to have you here. 44 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.080 So for the first segment, as a little bit of 45 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.759 an icebreaker for our first time guest and for persons 46 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:31.919 listening for the first time, we begin each episode with 47 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:39.479 our listener's favorite segment, and it's called DNA Sound Safe. 48 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:42.400 So and it's so funny. I've been saying this for 49 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:44.560 three seasons and I still laugh every time when I 50 00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:49.599 say that. So what I'm gonna do is I'm going 51 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.120 to read messages or social media posts that listeners sent in, 52 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:55.479 and if you think it sounds a little crazy or 53 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:58.800 a little concerning, you'd say that no, sounds safe and 54 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:01.719 explain why. And if you agree, you say you agree 55 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:04.800 and explain why. Nothing crazy, just a little bit of fun. 56 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:06.520 Perfect, all right. 57 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:12.120 So the the first person said Caribbean people have the 58 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.400 most manners and no manners all at the same time. 59 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:19.680 Well, I definitely have to agree with that one. We're 60 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:23.720 excellent being yeah, very polite, but having some kind of 61 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:27.560 indipendal in the back. Yes, there's always some aspect that 62 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.319 you know, is that really what you think? Right? 63 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:35.040 So exactly exactly. So I would say this one is 64 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.279 kind of odd because we agree, but maybe it's not 65 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:39.319 that safe because maybe we could be a little bit 66 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:43.519 more polite. 67 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:44.240 All the parents on this scenario. You know, if you're 68 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.240 around your grandparents and your aunts and uncles, all of 69 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:49.759 a sudden, all the manners come out exactly exactly. 70 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:52.720 And I think that's what's important, right, Like, that's what counts. 71 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:55.519 We're all well brought up good? 72 00:04:56.279 --> 00:04:59.079 Yes, good brought Upsya is important. That's my favorite word, 73 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:00.439 you know, and your people may in front of me 74 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:02.639 because it's like old people word, but I love that 75 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:04.279 word because. 76 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:06.480 Everything says everything in one word. 77 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.720 Yes, yes, it sure does, all right. The next person said, 78 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:15.560 my life dramatically improved when I started seeing people for 79 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.959 who they are plus what they've shown me, rather than 80 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:21.199 romanticizing what they could be. 81 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:27.240 Wow, that's deeply insightful. Yeah. Again, I feel like I 82 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:28.920 have to agree with that one. And then comes with 83 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:32.199 age and experience, you get to really understand who somebody 84 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:34.879 really is despite the faces and the performance that you 85 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:37.680 may see on the surface. You know, I think I 86 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.759 have to lean into that that opinion for sure. 87 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:44.800 Yeah, And you know, I think it's difficult sometimes because 88 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:49.160 people also can either one change or their mask can 89 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:51.920 fall off. So I think sometimes when you want to 90 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:53.959 see the best in people, maybe you try to like 91 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:56.959 convince yourself that, oh, you know, this might be just 92 00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:59.120 a one time thing, or maybe they didn't mean to 93 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.519 do it. But I think that's where discernment comes in, 94 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:05.000 right to see, like, Okay, is this a pattern or 95 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:08.240 is this just a mistake, Because people do make mistakes 96 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:10.879 in life, you know, and people do say or do 97 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:13.079 things they probably didn't mean to do. But if it's 98 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:16.639 something that someone's showing you over and over again, then yeah, 99 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.040 you have to heed to those warnings for sure, for sure. 100 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:22.079 And I would just say, it's really the opposite of 101 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:24.720 what this person said. That is the that does sound safe, 102 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:27.000 because if you go through life, as you know, I 103 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.680 cannot admit to always wanting to be the internal optimists 104 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.639 and give people the benefit of doubt. You can sort 105 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:38.480 of allow, you know, repeated levels of mistreatment, hoping and 106 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:40.759 praying that this person is actually who you want them 107 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:42.279 to be, but not who they actually are. 108 00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:47.879 Yes, Oh my gosh, that's so true, so so true. Okay, 109 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:53.040 the next one, the person said, discern the difference between 110 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:55.759 those who come to add to your fire and those 111 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:58.879 who come to put your light out. Some who are 112 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:02.160 drawn to your radiance will resent you when they realize 113 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:03.800 that they can't dim your light. 114 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:12.000 M hm, well these are killers. Like I'm just gonna 115 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:19.040 sound like the internal person in agreement because yeah, once again, like, 116 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:22.360 oh my gosh, my life experience has been one version 117 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.360 of this after the next of like it's kind of 118 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:27.439 related the last one, right. If people are there for 119 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:31.120 you half the time, they're there for themselves, and that's 120 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:35.800 really challenging thing to accept because you then have to 121 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:40.600 be so discerning about who's in your close circle. Yes, intimately, 122 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:42.959 and that gets to me a bit lonely at times. 123 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:48.639 So yes, yeah, And I think, you know, these are 124 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.839 so funny because I've had guests on here that are 125 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:53.199 like ash, all of these soun's safe. I thought I 126 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:56.160 was going to get something crazy, But I think that's 127 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.160 a good thing because you could be on here saying, 128 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.399 oh no, that's terrible, you know what I mean. Everyone 129 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:03.040 has a difference of opinion, but it always makes me 130 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:04.839 feel good because I'm like, see, I know I chose 131 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.439 the R I guess because you don't you know that 132 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:08.759 this sounds safe, you know. 133 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:13.639 Yeah, yeah, absolutely, no, totally. I think that you know, 134 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:17.199 it's hard to know and project what you don't know 135 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:22.560 in yourself. So if you are eternally optimist and genuinely 136 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:25.720 want to see people thrive, you kind of, you know, 137 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:29.319 erroneously expect that to be projected back to you. And 138 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:32.279 half the time it's just a jarring slap in the 139 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:34.720 face that like many people do not operate that way, 140 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:37.600 and it's it's hurtful. But I think the sooner and 141 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:39.919 I can speak for myself like I have been able 142 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.240 to discern that is, the more I can sort of, 143 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:45.000 you know, just not spend too much time trying to 144 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.039 expect something from someone that they just don't have innately 145 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:48.440 in them. 146 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:52.320 Yeah. Yeah, but it's still tough though, especially if it's 147 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:55.360 someone that you do want in your life and you realize, okay, 148 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:58.000 I can't have them in my life because it's going 149 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:01.200 to turn out badly for me. It's tough, you know. 150 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:05.519 Well, it's heart breaking, it's gut wrenching because again it's like, 151 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:09.840 we don't operate that way generally, you know, who to 152 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:14.559 your point, have this genuine desire to see people succeed 153 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:18.440 and commit our lives to in various different ways, to 154 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:22.120 couraging ways for other people to benefit. Like, it really 155 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:24.120 is gut wrenching when you have to sort of cut 156 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:26.519 somebody out of your life when they especially when they 157 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:27.320 mean something. 158 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:30.240 To you exactly exactly. The persons that are just kind 159 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:32.679 of fly by night, I think that's the easier thing, 160 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:35.320 Like someone maybe you just met or you know, you 161 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:37.759 just feel a way about them and you're just like, Okay, no, 162 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:39.960 I think that's easy. But like you said, the ones 163 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:42.559 that have been in your life for a long time 164 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:45.639 and they just are not the same, or you just 165 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.679 notice things. I just find that those are so much harder. 166 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:52.679 Totally agree, totally. But that's our own growth too, you know. 167 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:57.440 Yes, true, that's true. So yeah, that's fair. Okay, okay, 168 00:09:57.440 --> 00:09:59.679 so we both agree on that one. All right, two more. 169 00:10:00.600 --> 00:10:03.320 The next person said, this is funny. I am so 170 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:06.879 nosy that I will literally stop breathing just to hear 171 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:07.679 a conversation. 172 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:11.679 Oh oh no, well, that is definitely and that will 173 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:17.360 sound safe category absolutely, but oh. 174 00:10:16.840 --> 00:10:19.399 My gosh, that is actually insane. 175 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:23.960 Wow. I mean, who does to the person's admitting it 176 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:27.080 so openly true, I think that demonstrates the level of 177 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:30.279 self awareness that is true, you know, comfortable. But that 178 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:33.480 being said, it's like, you know, I think clearly not 179 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:36.279 the best use of anyone's time, talent, skills, or ability 180 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:40.679 to be in other people's business to that extent exactly. 181 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:42.960 And you might want to not stop breathing. I don't know, I. 182 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:45.080 Just want to well I didn't even get to that, 183 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:48.679 but clearly that is unsafe on the highest level. 184 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:52.879 Right, Like, it can't be that great of information to 185 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:54.440 possibly cause you to pass out. 186 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:58.840 No way, No, absolutely not. I mean that makes functionally 187 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:03.919 absolutely no sense. Yes, even carry on with you, curiosity 188 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.320 if you want to call it that, exactly. 189 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:08.759 So once you get the information, no, once you pass out, 190 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:10.320 you can't even tell anybody, So. 191 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:15.480 It's useless, count intuitive exactly. 192 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:19.080 Yes, so that that's sound safe. Our first one, Yes, 193 00:11:19.159 --> 00:11:19.679 I agree with. 194 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:23.480 The first one. That was not. We were not on 195 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:24.399 defense about that one. 196 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:29.080 No, not at all all right, the next person said, 197 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.919 I'll never forget one time I was crying over a 198 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.720 guy and my dad just looked at me and said, listen, 199 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:38.720 you have to be tough if you're going to be 200 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:49.120 this stupid. And I've never heard more truer words, This 201 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:52.039 dad must be a Caribbean because. 202 00:11:55.279 --> 00:12:00.120 Brutal, brute, but I mean pretty sound advice, guess. I 203 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:03.720 mean I think after that she made different choices. 204 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:11.159 Yeah, yeah, yep, yep exactly. So maybe the delivery is 205 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:12.120 not safe. 206 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:16.679 Perhaps is borderline abusive, but you. 207 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:23.519 Know, exactly exactly. But yeah, I can't tell, but I'm 208 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:28.200 almost positive this dad has to be Caribbean because that's if. 209 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.000 They're not Caribian, they're a Caribbean want to be because 210 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:38.639 that is classic kind of yes the point. 211 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:44.639 Yeah, Okay, so that was fun, just something a little 212 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.080 fun to loosen it up a little bit. So now 213 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.399 we're going to talk the real things. So I would 214 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.799 love it if you could tell me a little bit 215 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:58.919 about what it was like growing up in Trinidad. So 216 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:01.600 when you think about your childhood, just in general, but 217 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:07.159 particularly in Trinidad, not the achievements, but just the atmosphere, 218 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:11.159 the energy, what do you remember most vividly about who 219 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:14.799 you were before the world asked you to become anything 220 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:16.559 else or told you who you should be. 221 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:20.279 Wow, that's a great question because I will say it 222 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:26.399 from the backwards forwards, meaning I discovered I was of 223 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:31.159 a particular ethnic mix when I left Trinidad and moved 224 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:34.159 to New York, and that I would say, working backwards, 225 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.679 I spent most of my life just you know, quite 226 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:41.919 oblivious to that, to anything other than being Trinny, right, 227 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:45.279 such a huge gift, particularly where we sit in the 228 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:49.679 world now, And so I really value that that my 229 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:56.159 identity was solely rooted in being culturally Trinidadian. And I mean, 230 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:58.240 I'm not saying that race and necessity did not play 231 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:01.440 a part, but I didn't defy myself that. 232 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:04.240 Way, right exactly because we're not raised like that, you're 233 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:06.960 just Trinny or Jamaica, and like you need grace to 234 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:09.759 think about your race all the time, exactly. 235 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.759 And so I think that had a big influence in retrospect, 236 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:15.600 and it I was. I felt very privileged to have 237 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:20.799 grown up where who I was culturally was the sort 238 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.840 of a massive definition of who I was allowed to 239 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.120 be across the board. And like Trenados, as most of 240 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.799 the crement is so deeply creative in so many parts 241 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:33.720 of life that I think my ability to like express 242 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:35.960 myself and of course that evolved into how I expressed 243 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:39.759 myself now professionally, Like I you know, growing up, for instance, 244 00:14:39.799 --> 00:14:42.559 around Carnival and my mother is an avid mass player, 245 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:47.120 like creativity, but in this very you know, very it's 246 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:48.799 particularly in the eighties, and you know, I was born 247 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:51.559 in eighty one. Like there was in a sense to 248 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:56.960 how we express ourselves as Trinidadians through music, through you know, 249 00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:02.559 through sound and dance, and Carnival being the ultimate pinnacle 250 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:05.759 of that, at least in my life, and how that 251 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:08.159 pervaded life, you know, the ability to sort of take 252 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.240 chaotic moments and turn it into joyful moments. You know, 253 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:13.600 I lived through the coup in nineteen ninety and you know, 254 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.720 it's there's an essence of darkness to this, but on 255 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.600 the other side, way we were able to find joy 256 00:15:19.639 --> 00:15:25.120 in community and survive through celebration. And there's something about 257 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:27.679 that that I think informs who I am as an adult, 258 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:31.679 and I've never lost And I love the way frame 259 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:35.120 the question because you could be that fully until at 260 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.759 some point in life the world demands that you show 261 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:41.960 up some other way, you know, or in some defined, 262 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:44.639 predefined way that it has nothing to do with who 263 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:49.559 you actually are. So I do feel really privileged to 264 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:52.639 have spent the majority of my childhood you know, all 265 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:54.000 the WAP until I left to go to New York 266 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:57.600 when I was seventeen, in this sort of innocence of 267 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:03.399 society that was very embraced of our unique culture and 268 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:07.080 expressed in very you know, kind of communal ways, and 269 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:09.960 you know, the ways in which we share food and community, 270 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:12.080 the way we you know, sort of have our faith 271 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.679 in community like that. There's just so much about being 272 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:19.320 West Indian in general that is rooted in that, you know, 273 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:23.759 And so yeah, I have a lot of gratitude for that. 274 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:27.320 I always like to ask people questions about their childhood 275 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:31.240 because I personally believe who you truly are is who 276 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:33.960 you were as a child before everyone told you like, 277 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.440 no you can't do that, Yes you can do that, 278 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:38.399 No you can't be like this, Yes you can be 279 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:41.720 like that. And I think as we get older, the 280 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:43.759 more that we get back to the things that we 281 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:47.440 liked or enjoyed as children that brought us joy, I 282 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.399 think that puts us in a happier space because it 283 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:53.320 just brings us back to a time where we didn't 284 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:55.799 have to perform for anybody, you know, we could kind 285 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:57.399 of just be free in that sense. 286 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:01.720 A thousand, I think Picasso has this great quote that 287 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.519 says something like, you know, you spend your whole life 288 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:08.839 relearning or wanting to become the painter that you were 289 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:11.200 as a child. You know, it's like it's this entire 290 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.680 ar I mean, it's a lot better said than I 291 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:15.480 just did. But you know the essence of it is 292 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:20.160 that our inner child is who you spend most of 293 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:24.079 your life like reconnecting with and and giving yourself that 294 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:28.160 permission to be with of course all the learnings and 295 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:31.079 experience of your of your your life. But I mean, 296 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:35.440 I think I have one thousand percent agree with you 297 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.720 from the standpoint that your joy resides in your inner child. 298 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:43.240 Your joy resides in that untouched on you know, on 299 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.880 un adulterated. You know, there's a weird word. There's a 300 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:49.200 reason why the word is unadulterated. Right. 301 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.519 I love that. I never thought about that. It's so 302 00:17:53.680 --> 00:18:00.279 true though, Oh man, Well, in that same vein, you've 303 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:04.720 described your work or your life's work as a process 304 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:07.759 of returning to your essence of who you are. So 305 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:11.960 what has that journey taught you about how identity is 306 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:15.000 formed and sometimes reformed? Because, like you said, you weren't 307 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.480 even aware of your mix until you came to the States. 308 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:26.200 Yeah, well, I could say it's been a constant recycling 309 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:31.279 journey of remembering because I go to phases of really 310 00:18:31.480 --> 00:18:34.279 kind of like touching the essence of who I am. 311 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:37.079 Whether that was the moment that I want Project Runway 312 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.559 was really an expression of my caribbeanness in that final collection, 313 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:44.319 which took me a real deep dive into myself, you know, 314 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:47.640 of letting go of well, I'm not going to succeed 315 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:50.680 unless I show up like a New York designer. But 316 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.200 that actually was the complete opposite of what got me 317 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:56.279 to where I was going. And it was in that 318 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.960 final final moment that I remembered and I was reminded 319 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.759 as well by the judges, like you are a Caribbean girl, 320 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:06.480 you have to show up as you. And that's I'm convinced. 321 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:09.160 That's a huge reason that I want because the authenticity 322 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:12.359 shone through. And so I would say, you know that 323 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.920 I have particular milestones in my life where I could 324 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:17.279 one thousand percent say that was the journey I was on, 325 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:21.200 and then I go continuously searching for all the various 326 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.839 aspects of what make up who I am, because when 327 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.160 I decided at some point after winning project round me 328 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:30.359 that I was relatively dissatisfied with being a fashion designer. 329 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:34.200 Only I was searching for work that had more purpose, 330 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.599 that had more impacts that I could measure, that I 331 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:39.720 could be a part of the transformation of other people's 332 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.559 lives in tangible ways. And that's how I developed that 333 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:45.680 I have now my business school, which is, you know, 334 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:47.799 we do training for women who come from at risk 335 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:51.480 backgrounds how to produce for both the fashion and carnival industry. 336 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:55.680 And this is sort of approach yes to circular fashion 337 00:19:55.720 --> 00:20:00.000 and sustainability on very different fronts is very deeply meaning 338 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:04.160 feel to me. And so finding ways to continuously refine 339 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:06.759 who I am, because I think the essence of who 340 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:09.119 I am, or essence of who anyone is, is a 341 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:12.079 continued journey, you know that. I don't think that's there's 342 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:17.119 no there's no end point to that discovery process. But 343 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:19.200 I do think that there is a through line. I mean, 344 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:23.400 there's a consistent thread as I map myself my life backwards, 345 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.599 you know, and I see a bit consistently searching for 346 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:30.839 this definition of how I express my identity and the many, 347 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:34.599 many different channels that I have explored to really kind 348 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:37.680 of hone what that is you know, right right, So 349 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:41.359 I would say it's cyclical, it's ongoing, it's it's the 350 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:42.559 deep work, you know. 351 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:46.920 Yes, for sure, And in what you're doing now, I'm 352 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:49.880 sure you mentor as you said, a lot of different persons, 353 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:54.359 particularly women. So what patterns have you seen maybe across 354 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:58.960 the Caribbean aspora, maybe just among Trindadians when it comes 355 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:02.880 to just kind of like personal liberation and self expression, 356 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:06.640 especially for women through the fashion or design industry. 357 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:11.319 Gosh, that is a complex question. I think that we 358 00:21:11.400 --> 00:21:13.839 as women around the world, we as women in this 359 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:18.000 particular part of the world, really have to work hard 360 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:22.960 to be authentically who we are and succeed in business 361 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:26.720 and succeed in professional spaces. It feels, and it's felt 362 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:30.640 like for me for a very long time, that these 363 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:35.200 two things are in conflict. That particularly when you come 364 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:40.240 from creative industry's perspective and you are a woman, you're female, 365 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:42.160 and you are you know, all the list of of 366 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:48.799 of minorities, minority categories all in one right, and then 367 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:50.519 you lift yourself out and you end up in in 368 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:52.559 parts of the world like the US, you just start 369 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:56.440 to add even more boxes and minorities you do. The 370 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:01.759 ability to show up as yourself consistently, both in spaces 371 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:04.759 that you don't see much of yourself in. It takes 372 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:10.640 tremendous confidence and courage and perpetual self talk. And at 373 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:12.839 least I cannot speak for myself, you know, I think 374 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:16.599 there are I've probably gone through, like many of us, 375 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.880 you know, going to Catholic high school and being essentially 376 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:26.000 taught to conform is in complete conflict with what skills 377 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:29.319 you need to show up authentically. Conformity and authenticity do 378 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:33.680 not go together, you know, right, right, So I've had 379 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:37.000 to unlearn so much of this, you know, celebration of 380 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:43.039 conformity and emerge out of that from the space of 381 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:45.519 that back again to the sort of essence of who 382 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:48.599 you are and in a child, and but doing that 383 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:51.440 in the space in spaces where you know you either 384 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:56.200 you're too bold, you're too different, you're too hard to understand. 385 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:58.720 Like there's so many things like when I came out 386 00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:01.039 of Runway again, like I was signed to a very 387 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:02.880 big agency in l A and like they just couldn't 388 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.119 figure out what to place me. You know, I wasn't 389 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:09.480 my accent didn't match my ethnicity, my, my, my. This 390 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:12.640 mix that I was didn't mix, didn't match the you know, 391 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:15.480 what the platforms and opportunities were at the time, and 392 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:18.839 it just was it just took too much imagination to 393 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:20.480 figure out, like where do I fit? You know? 394 00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:23.359 Wow? 395 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:26.440 But you know, you know that's perfect course of when 396 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:30.440 you uh, there's not much precedent for how you show 397 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:35.400 up and being setting it. It's a particular choice that 398 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:38.599 I think I've made. I've almost always been the first 399 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:41.519 or one of the first in every area of business 400 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:44.319 and life that I've entered into. And either you do 401 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:47.480