BlackWomenWork

Hi, Nakea! Can you share more on life prior to The FearlessKea podcast?

Yes, prior to The FearlessKea podcast, I was just navigating the streets of New York City and climbing the ladder of my professional career in broadcast media and publishing. So that was life before my podcast. I had always seen myself in the television industry, which is where I started — first at Discovery Channel, then Oxygen, and finally Turner. I’ve always wondered how networks created these compelling stories that drew you in as a viewer. My career took a shift when I went over to USA TODAY. That’s when I got into brand marketing within the publishing industry. Whether television or publishing, storytelling and narratives are what have kept my passion within my career trajectory.

To be honest, it’s kind of crazy how I fell upon podcasting. What prompted me to launch The FearlessKea podcast was a major surgery in 2017, which I talk about a lot on my podcast. I suffer from uterine fibroids, which is common in women of color. The fear of potentially not being able to have kids — the idea of not having that option — prompted me into doing the podcast and talking about one’s deepest fears. I had never thought about not having children, but due to my circumstances, I suddenly realized that had become one of my fears. So my podcast, while it’s not necessarily in video format like television, it still has that nature of storytelling and narrative that drew me to my career path in the first place.

That segues well into my next question, which is who is FearlessKea and how did she evolve?

So, I called myself FearlessKea because I really wanted to embody that mindset. I don’t believe I was fearless when I transitioned into that becoming my brand. But I believe that there is power in language, and so there’s power in calling yourself something or saying things to yourself so that you can start to demonstrate that type of behavior or emulate that type of attitude. When I took on that persona and what that means, I saw it as being this bold, bright light -- not just in my own life but in others’ lives. I saw myself as using that influence to propel others toward their dreams and aspirations. And once I set that persona for myself, I started to see myself move in that direction, closer to my own dreams and aspirations.

Prior to building my brand, I had started to feel a little stagnant and stifled. I just kind of felt…I don’t want to say “basic” or “ordinary,” but I just kind of felt like, what is my purpose? When I took on FearlessKea as my brand name, it was with the intention of wanting to approach everything without fear or anxiety that something could happen at any minute to derail me. It really pushed me to lean into trusting my gut and knowing myself; and knowing that whatever happens, I’ll get through it. And once you get through something, you’ll overcome it, and move beyond it.

It’s interesting that you bring up purpose because that comes up quite a bit in these interviews. This is why I love black women, because so many of those I’ve spoken with reach a point in their careers where they’re like, “OK, this is cool, but what’s my purpose beyond myself?” Wanting to maximize their light, in your words. I was looking at your website, and you described your podcast as exploring “the complexities of fear and the pursuit of happiness.” So can you talk a little bit about what that means, and how might that connect with your purpose?

The thing about fear is that it never goes away. You can be fearless and still have fear. But there are levels to it. For example, some fears stem from childhood trauma, emotional trauma, or other kinds of formative experiences. For me, I’ve found that exploring those fears is deeply connected to my ability to claim my happiness. I have to look at these things deep down inside to figure out what’s keeping me from getting to where I want to be. I do want to note that happiness is an emotion, which means it’s circumstantial. And so with that, I think that unpacking the layers of pursuing that emotion draws me closer to my purpose. I also believe your pursuit of happiness can and should change over time. We develop a sense of what we think will make us happy and then we get it, and then we’re like, “Nah, that’s not what I wanted.”

As I fine tune my own understandings, and do the work on myself, I’ve realized that exploration is less about the emotion of happiness itself and the specific circumstances that cause it, and more about figuring out what brings me joy? What’s feeding my soul? It’s having that quick emotion of happiness, and then saying, OK, what was it in that moment that made me happy? How can I make this a more consistent and lasting state of being fulfilled? That’s joy. And to get there, you have to unpack some shit introspectively. I think there are a lot of people with fake joy...they seem happy but like I said, it’s circumstantial. They’re not doing the inner work, and so it doesn’t last. It’s not joy. So, doing the real work on yourself is what I believe brings us closer to our purpose.

In terms of starting your podcast, how is that helping you move closer to that purpose? Can you share more about the podcast?

The FearlessKea podcast has pushed me closer to my purpose and what brings me joy because in talking to other people, it allows you to feel that you’re not alone. Everyone has a story. Everybody has their own fears they battle, no matter what kind of presence or claim to fame they have in this digital world, professional careers, or whatever we find to be the measures of success. To sit down with people and ask these hard questions that are not typically asked, it allows me and my audience to know that we’re all human, and we’re all we’re all trying to be better than we were yesterday. I think that’s driving me closer to my purpose because now I understand the impact the podcast has on not only myself, but my listeners.

I also think the podcast has allowed people to feel that they are sharing their story in a safe space. I have gained each of my guests trust to share their narrative with integrity. It’s taught me that I can go deeper with people, and that’s a skillset I need to hone in on and appreciate because I’m creating an environment where people feel like I’m going to listen and help them get where they need to go in the conversation. And it’s interesting, because I’ve seen a lot of my guests actually do the things they said they were going to do. They’ve manifested the things we’ve talked about on my podcast. I’m not saying our conversation was the thing that made them do whatever we discussed, but like I said, there’s power in saying things out loud and releasing it to the universe.

Now, a year later, that person who said on my podcast that they wanted to be bicoastal has that living situation. That person who wanted a higher title, has that senior director role they mentioned on the podcast. Another guest is in a relationship when they thought they would never be in one. All of these beautiful things have been manifested. It’s the power of language. The more you share, you’re healing yourself, and allowing yourself to move forward and claim your joy. That is the impact that my podcast has shown me I can have in people’s lives.

That’s beautiful, Nakea. So what is your “day job” and how do you balance that with this tremendous side hustle/passion project that seems to give you so much fulfillment?

I live in Los Angeles now, but when I lived in New York, my schedule was like clock work. I knew what I needed to do each day in order to work on The FearlessKea podcast and brand. I would get home from work, and I knew — Wednesday nights, I have to edit. I would pre-record episodes so that I could edit them all on Wednesday nights, so that Thursday I could send out the copy to the guest, and let them know we are releasing the episode Friday.

When I received my current offer in LA, working for Complex in brand partnerships, that move tremendously shifted my routine. I started seeing inconsistencies in releasing my work and it wasn’t because I didn’t have a passion for it. I had uprooted my life, left the East Coast where my family is, left my comfort zone, and started a new job at a new company. And because of those sacrifices, I felt like I had to do well. I had to make it. So in the beginning of my time in LA, there was a brief period where I could maintain my consistency with The FearlessKea podcast because it’s what I knew how to do. Once I really started to know how my 9-to-5 job worked, and figured out how to excel, that’s when I started to see the inconsistencies in my podcast. I’m sharing this transparently because as you’re building a brand or anything, transitions happen. You have to find your rhythm again. There’s a new way to strike a balance now, because the workload at my job is greater, so it’s a matter of making the time for the podcast and that is going to look different. It’s OK. I just told myself, if this is something you care about, you have to make the time.

So now I’m thinking about what I want this next phase to look like? Do I want to add video to my podcast platforms? Who do I want to interview? How do I want to take this up a notch from last season? So I’m taking more time upfront, instead of just pushing out content on top of content. I’m taking a step back to ensure I’m seeing elevation in the content. It’s been a hard shift, but I would say consistency, a rollout cadence, and discipline are what allow you to balance your hustle/passion project with your 9-to-5 job.

So my last question: what is your dream? What do you want for yourself, for The FearlessKea and beyond?

If I could have it my way, I don’t see myself leaving LA, so I would have my house in the hills, or out in the Valley. (laughs) I want to continue expanding the listenership and growth of my podcast. I see it being a launchpad for expanding my impact in the community. I really want to do more public speaking, maybe as a life coach, motivational speaker, or brand workshop facilitator. I want to be that person who encourages other people beside me and behind me, to help them chart their path forward.

In my podcast, I feel like I’ve been a sponge, just learning and understanding different narratives and journeys. Now I want to figure out how to pour what I’ve learned into others. I think my platform — no matter what it is — will always be used to inspire others. I know that I want to primarily work with black professionals, whether it’s a retreat or a conference, or one-on-one. I want people to know that I can be their go-to person, a connector that is to bring like-minded people together. I want people to know that I’m the person who can support them in having these hard conversations, and to be able to have an actionable or measurable result from it.

The sky's the limit...or, not even, actually. There are no limits. I don’t want to put myself in a box. I want to be able to define my own space, something untapped that marries that connector role with storytelling — which is my day-to-day work, marketing content in a way that strikes an emotional chord. So if I can marry those two parts of my world and have a lucrative income and with an abundance of wealth, then so be it. (laughs) I also just want to fall in love, and start a family, and see that next cycle of my life grow in front of me. So that is also part of the dream, too.

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