1 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:05,900 Hey listeners. This is Neil Ludovic and Amir, 2 00:00:05,900 --> 00:00:08,600 John dalli, welcome to leave looking at. 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Where we have uplifting conversations about the state of 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,900 the world with our heroes, with the intention to demystify 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,700 orient and leave you. Our listeners inspired for this 6 00:00:20,700 --> 00:00:23,300 episode, we sat down with Pierce free Lon. 7 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,700 A man whose accomplishments are truly extraordinary. 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,900 Pierce is an Emmy Award winning producer for the PBS. 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,299 S-Series, the history of white people in America. 10 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:34,700 He is the former city. Councilman for the city of 11 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:39,100 Durham North Carolina, a two-time Grammy nominated artist 12 00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:43,300 for best children's album, alongside his mom who was also 13 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:46,000 nominated in the same year for her Jazz album. 14 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,700 Making them the First mom and son Duo nominated in the same 15 00:00:49,700 --> 00:00:52,200 year. He is also the founder of black 16 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,500 space, a space for afro futurists. 17 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,900 And if that's not enough, he's a children's book author. 18 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,100 And perhaps most importantly to him, A proud dad. 19 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:04,099 In today's episode, we learn about the importance of 20 00:01:04,099 --> 00:01:07,000 honoring. Our ancestors, vibrations, 21 00:01:07,100 --> 00:01:09,700 dealing with failure and challenges through acceptance, 22 00:01:10,100 --> 00:01:13,000 being obedient to your intuition and not the way you do. 23 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,200 One thing is the way you do, all things. 24 00:01:15,300 --> 00:01:18,800 Thank you for joining us today. And now, without further Ado, 25 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,100 let's start this episode. We hope you enjoy it as much as 26 00:01:22,100 --> 00:01:27,800 we did and leave afterwards looking up I met Pierce through 27 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:32,100 an incredible initiative which I believe Eve is the Genesis of 28 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:34,900 one of your Grammy nominations, if that's correct. 29 00:01:34,900 --> 00:01:37,700 We definitely have some overlapping networks but I also 30 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:40,900 think at a deeper level you put an energy out in the universe 31 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,200 and you attract like-minded energy and I found and you for 32 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,600 sure like so much Synergy, just all the projects you're working 33 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,400 on the people that you kick it, with our podcast, as a whole is 34 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,000 really about humanizing, our heroes, it's understanding their 35 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,800 worlds and who they are, and making them a little bit more. 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,600 Able to us. So I think I'm going to start 37 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,200 with this question of, how did you get here? 38 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:08,800 Wow, I got to start with my ancestors, they were 39 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,800 instrumental when I look back, first of all, my grandmother's 40 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,500 here to my left Queen Mother, Frances pierce, my mom made a 41 00:02:15,508 --> 00:02:18,300 portrait of her. That I'm going to show you. 42 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:21,600 It says Bloom where you're planted is the name of this 43 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,600 piece. You can see here, there's Queen 44 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,800 Mother, it's kind of like a collage with these cut out 45 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,500 pictures and birds. She likes to be I mentioned. 46 00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:33,500 This is one of those ancestors. That's like going to tell him 47 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:39,400 about your grandma right quick. This woman was a hairdresser, a 48 00:02:39,500 --> 00:02:43,400 community organizer. She was just a church lady 49 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:50,000 bible-thumping hardcore, Jesus, Apostle woman, and really was 50 00:02:50,100 --> 00:02:53,400 invested in rooted in her community and Cambridge 51 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,700 Massachusetts. She poured some really important 52 00:02:56,700 --> 00:03:00,300 values and to my mom that she passed on to me, you She was 53 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:04,200 just one of these like many black women in the black Freedom 54 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,300 struggle, who often go unnamed. There's a lot of men but there 55 00:03:08,300 --> 00:03:12,700 are scores of people like my grandmother who were doing work 56 00:03:12,700 --> 00:03:17,200 on a daily basis to uplift, the black community that you may not 57 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,200 know the names of and we have these people in our family. 58 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,400 We have them in our community, we have them, you know, at our 59 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,200 schools, there are teachers there are Librarians. 60 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,800 There are Grandma's Auntie's I carry her. 61 00:03:29,900 --> 00:03:34,400 Her spirit with me, just a look at me and my siblings say you 62 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,000 are the fruit of my womb in full bloom. 63 00:03:38,100 --> 00:03:42,200 And I think that such a such an apt metaphor because she did the 64 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,200 work during Jim Crow. You know what I mean? 65 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:49,600 Coming up for the Texarkana, Texas, grew up on a 66 00:03:49,900 --> 00:03:54,400 sharecropping Farm, just in the Deep, South and found a way out 67 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,700 of no way. Found a way to build a business 68 00:03:57,700 --> 00:04:02,600 doing hair and make them black. Men feel beautiful found a way 69 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,600 through her Church community to have an impact on the Civil. 70 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:10,900 Rights issues that mattered, to her found a way to saturate her 71 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:14,700 children in the Arts. She was close homies with Maya 72 00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:18,700 Angelou and made sure that my mom and her siblings were at 73 00:04:18,700 --> 00:04:23,100 every poetry reading art show exhibit. 74 00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:27,300 Dance performance after school program that they were saturated 75 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:29,700 in that, and that was a part of her Legacy. 76 00:04:29,900 --> 00:04:33,400 See, and what she left to her own children and I'm the fruit 77 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:38,500 of the fruit, you know, Fruity Fruity Fruity, Tooty number 2, T 78 00:04:38,500 --> 00:04:42,100 second generation, right? My grandma passed that onto my 79 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:43,700 mom, then they form like Voltron. 80 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,100 No, I'm saying they and while I'm talking about granny 81 00:04:48,100 --> 00:04:53,300 Freddie, I got a raise up. My dad's dad's dad's dad, his 82 00:04:53,300 --> 00:04:56,800 name was Alan freelon, senior. He was a painter in the Harlem 83 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,400 Renaissance. He was a politician, he ran for 84 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,700 public office. Office in 1949 to represent 85 00:05:03,700 --> 00:05:08,000 Pennsylvania and the in the state general assembly and was 86 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,200 just bout it. If you go look up his art, he 87 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:12,600 did. He was an impressionist painter. 88 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,400 But he also did kind of paintings that were critiques on 89 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,700 war and white supremacy. And he passed that on to my dad, 90 00:05:20,900 --> 00:05:23,900 his grandparents and great-grandparents clearly 91 00:05:23,900 --> 00:05:27,200 passed on their passion for Arts, their fighting spirit for 92 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,800 equality and their love for family and community. 93 00:05:29,900 --> 00:05:34,800 Immunity on to his parents, my mom is a jazz vocalist, she's a 94 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:39,400 singer and have the courage and wherewithal, and audacity to 95 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,400 step into into that realm. And I'm a kid watching her and 96 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:46,700 seeing, oh, this could be a career trajectory. 97 00:05:46,700 --> 00:05:50,500 This could be a path. My dad was a similar vibration 98 00:05:50,500 --> 00:05:53,000 to my mom. He was an architect and designed 99 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,400 many buildings around this country, including the 100 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,500 Smithsonian Museum of African American history and culture 101 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:03,000 shortly before he died. And he was another one who was 102 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:08,600 just singularly aligned with his purpose was undeterred by the, 103 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,000 you know, the fact that he was the only brother in the 104 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:16,400 all-white office and just overcoming adversity and tapping 105 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:21,100 into his excellence and resilience to pour himself 106 00:06:21,100 --> 00:06:23,300 unapologetically into his purpose. 107 00:06:23,700 --> 00:06:28,800 I don't have some kind of elevated perspective because I'm 108 00:06:28,900 --> 00:06:30,400 taller than everybody. Buddy else. 109 00:06:30,500 --> 00:06:33,100 Do I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. 110 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:37,600 Yeah, this is the whole family Force that's generation to 111 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,800 generation, but this is definitely family and role 112 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,600 models in. You're straddling that city 113 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,300 council. Being a producer, a music artist 114 00:06:48,300 --> 00:06:51,400 and author as well. Talk to us all about those 115 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,100 different hats. How do they all integrate I do? 116 00:06:54,100 --> 00:06:57,500 Wear a lot of hats, but there's a nucleus there that kind of 117 00:06:57,500 --> 00:07:00,500 binds the other pieces of. There's a Are there in the 118 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:04,800 middle of my solar system of things that I'm doing and at the 119 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,600 core of my being in my purpose as a creative person versus 120 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,500 Black Liberation. That that's number one, it's 121 00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:15,600 like a commitment to the black Freedom struggle and the 122 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:20,400 resiliency of black folks and families children Elders, that's 123 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,000 important. I think the Arts are there for 124 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:28,100 sure service, I say service because I think social justice 125 00:07:28,100 --> 00:07:32,100 doesn't quite Eight, the fullness of what, you know, 126 00:07:32,100 --> 00:07:35,600 service is really about. And also, when I say creativity, 127 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:40,200 or the Arts, which my dad said art is the most powerful force 128 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,000 in the universe. I'm not just talking about my 129 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,400 music, I'm not just talking about my books. 130 00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:49,500 Like parenting is also an art form, you know, trying to get my 131 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:53,200 kids to do things disciplining or loving them. 132 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:57,100 They make you improvised, right? It's like parenting is creative. 133 00:07:57,700 --> 00:08:03,200 Husbanding is creative work. I'm in a band with my wife and 134 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,000 she's dope. We got a shed to stay sharp 135 00:08:06,100 --> 00:08:08,800 sometimes as date night sometimes that can look like 136 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:10,800 different things. Sometimes that's getting in an 137 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,800 argument or a fight and then coming back and apologizing, 138 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:19,000 like it requires chops that need to be honed and develop and 139 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,800 require the same things that need to show up for you, in a 140 00:08:22,808 --> 00:08:25,300 creative environment. If you want to be successful. 141 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:30,300 I think service creativity Black Liberation that It's in my 142 00:08:30,300 --> 00:08:32,299 books. It's in my parenting, it's in 143 00:08:32,299 --> 00:08:37,100 how I strive to be a spouse and how I strive to show up and 144 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:41,700 community and various ways. Something that I know is super 145 00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:46,300 important to this idea of being a dad is so important and having 146 00:08:46,300 --> 00:08:50,300 children, I was just thinking my daughter like minutes before 147 00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:55,100 this call comes into my office, just like Dad, come over here. 148 00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:57,500 I cooked something I want you to try. 149 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:02,300 She had taken some Her. We had a take out last night, 150 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:07,700 she mixed the leftover salmon with rice, all right. 151 00:09:07,700 --> 00:09:11,500 Wrapped it up and rice paper through on some little sesame, 152 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:14,800 seed, some teriyaki in there, and then she threw it in there 153 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:20,600 in the airfryer and that in the airfryer. 154 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,500 So she comes in. She comes in here, Dad, you 155 00:09:23,500 --> 00:09:25,300 gotta try this. I'm looking at the clock, I'm 156 00:09:25,300 --> 00:09:27,500 like, I got an interview in 10 minutes. 157 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,700 Okay, ran in their shoes. She goes like this. 158 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:33,100 She puts her arms out. She says right this way. 159 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,400 Oh my goodness gracious. Excuse. 160 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:37,900 Right. I love it. 161 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,800 Oui oui. So, yes, that down. 162 00:09:40,900 --> 00:09:44,600 It was so good. It was so good. 163 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:48,900 Not only was that creative of her to do to come up with the 164 00:09:48,900 --> 00:09:50,800 recipe and to see what was in the fridge. 165 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,700 And then just remix. What was there? 166 00:09:53,700 --> 00:09:57,100 How often do you experience that as a DJ, where you like? 167 00:09:57,100 --> 00:09:58,700 All right. Well, this is what I got today. 168 00:09:58,700 --> 00:10:02,800 So let's You go down the rabbit hole and you surprise yourself 169 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:06,600 with what you find in the digital fridge of your hard 170 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,300 drive, right? And if we, you know, you escort 171 00:10:10,300 --> 00:10:14,500 the audience to taste this delicious salmon and rice wrap 172 00:10:14,500 --> 00:10:17,200 of a mix and it was a great parenting moment. 173 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:20,800 I honestly I haven't reflected about this because I literally 174 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,500 looked at the clock and said, oh, at now, I got to get on to 175 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:25,600 the calls. But you know, it's the same 176 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,300 thing that creative spark and the joy that you find. 177 00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:32,800 And Being of service to others. Like it's one thing she could 178 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,400 have made those rice wraps and just smash them herself. 179 00:10:35,500 --> 00:10:39,600 I got like that would have been dope for her to experience on 180 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,800 her own, but to share the experience, you know, and to 181 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:47,600 spread joy, to others. There is joy and abundance that 182 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:49,900 comes from service from looking at my expression. 183 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:54,400 And you see how expressive I am? I was like, Stella, you know, I 184 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,600 was helping her up. Like, she just won an award. 185 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,600 She didn't win an award, she won the air. 186 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,400 Prior award. The thing that is important back 187 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:10,400 to the purpose of your show. That kind of spark that Bliss of 188 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,200 a parenting moment or a doddering moment of her 189 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,200 presenting. Something to me, that is such a 190 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:20,500 visceral expression of love. That is available to us all. 191 00:11:20,500 --> 00:11:24,400 I just think that is something that seems in accessible to 192 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,300 people, but is actually in everyone's fridge and everyone's 193 00:11:28,300 --> 00:11:31,700 house home bless. And we just need to find ways to 194 00:11:31,700 --> 00:11:36,000 tap into it as often as possible and to share it, because when 195 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,500 you share it at the, you know, the vibration raises, for 196 00:11:38,500 --> 00:11:42,100 everyone Creator included. There's this theme about 197 00:11:42,100 --> 00:11:45,400 aligning to your purpose and sharing that, which is in all of 198 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,400 our fridges, no matter how we choose to slice and dice and 199 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,400 serve it, right? I'm also hearing from you this 200 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:55,500 beautifully integrated honor of your history in your past and so 201 00:11:55,500 --> 00:11:58,300 I'm wondering what are the conditions that one can create 202 00:11:58,300 --> 00:12:01,800 for themselves for That expression, I think the primary 203 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,700 condition is love. That's number one, that is more 204 00:12:05,700 --> 00:12:08,600 accessible for some than it is for others, depending on your 205 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,000 childhood and how you grow up and what you've been through, 206 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,500 whatever. When my wife and I, we talked 207 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:17,400 about the kids especially reflect on decisions that we've 208 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,800 made. I tell her often, if you lead 209 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,500 with love. There's really no error possible 210 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:29,000 for you to have all you have is like opportunities to grow. 211 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,900 I think that is where you have your kids stepping into moments, 212 00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:37,400 like, the ones we had this evening because the love is 213 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,900 present. And so, here's a great example 214 00:12:39,900 --> 00:12:56,100 with my mom. My mom's Journey when she was a 215 00:12:56,100 --> 00:12:58,800 teenager. She wanted to pursue a career in 216 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:04,900 music and was discouraged by her loved ones, including Queen 217 00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:08,100 Mother who just wanted the best for her daughter and wanted her 218 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:10,800 to get a job that had some security attached to it. 219 00:13:10,900 --> 00:13:13,700 We're all creative. We all got relatives for like, 220 00:13:13,700 --> 00:13:16,900 really, what you doing, how's that 401k, doing with those 221 00:13:17,300 --> 00:13:20,400 risky? Life Choices out there, you 222 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:29,100 know, making music or whatever. Make a out of love and a desire 223 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:32,000 to protect their child. Coming from a sharecropper 224 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:33,900 background. Not want your kid to live in 225 00:13:33,900 --> 00:13:36,900 poverty and to build a foundation from which they can 226 00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:41,200 have some Financial Security. She was discouraged at a young 227 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,400 age from pursuing a career in music I believe she was offered 228 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,800 a record deal of like 1415 which was also a young age to say like 229 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,000 well I'm not going to go to college, I'm going to do this 230 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,700 deal, you know, so So, for understandable, reasons, and 231 00:13:55,700 --> 00:13:59,100 coming from a place of love, she was discouraged from pursuing 232 00:13:59,100 --> 00:14:02,100 her music. So there's nothing you can do 233 00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:03,900 about that as a kid. You don't have the kind of 234 00:14:03,900 --> 00:14:07,300 agency to chart your own path fast forward. 235 00:14:07,300 --> 00:14:09,600 She went to college. She got her undergraduate from 236 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,200 Simmons and did exactly what her parents expected her to do. 237 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,700 Which was pursue a respectable career in healthcare. 238 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:19,200 She's going to be a nurse Matt my dad. 239 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,100 Boom boom three kids boom. Boom. 240 00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:24,800 All right. Now, we're in 1984. 241 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:26,800 I'm born. I'm the youngest of three. 242 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,300 Mom has a crucial choice on her hands. 243 00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:32,500 It's time to get back to work and be a contributing, you know, 244 00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:34,600 member financially to the family. 245 00:14:34,900 --> 00:14:38,200 Am I going to go back to UNC hospital and finish my Nursing 246 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:43,700 degree or am I going to step into the purpose denied at 16 247 00:14:43,700 --> 00:14:47,100 into the space of abundance and resilience that I've been 248 00:14:47,100 --> 00:14:50,600 dreaming about all the gigs she had done up to that point other 249 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:53,200 than singing in church is singing lullabies to her. 250 00:14:53,300 --> 00:14:54,700 Babies. Right. 251 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,600 And she has a crucial choice on her hands about how she wants to 252 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,600 live moving forward. Now that she has the agency now 253 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:06,400 that she has the ability to make decisions for herself and she 254 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:10,600 chose and that moment rather than bringing a guaranteed 255 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:15,000 income of whatever 3040 thousand dollars a year, a nursemaid back 256 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:20,300 in the 80s you know, certainly a stable income relative to I mean 257 00:15:20,300 --> 00:15:21,500 yeah. That s right. 258 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,800 Jazz it in the type of gig. For a person that don't have, 259 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,100 you know, a decade of experience career, right? 260 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,400 I'm playing at the mall. I'm playing at the airport. 261 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:36,200 I'm playing at the lobby of the hotel during the holidays, you 262 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:41,000 know, barely making gas money. Like it's a humble place to 263 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:47,500 begin at 30 with three kids, you have to love yourself enough to 264 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:51,000 Grant yourself permission to step into the space that, you 265 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,100 know, is going to be fulfilling for you. 266 00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:57,000 You not necessarily the best for my family because it's not 267 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,500 bringing in the same amount of money, or whatever. 268 00:15:59,700 --> 00:16:05,900 But guess what she was more happy and more able to pair it 269 00:16:05,900 --> 00:16:10,400 with abundance coming home from a gig where she really thought 270 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,000 she crushed it. And building a career where 271 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:18,900 she's making forward progression that is helping on her 272 00:16:18,900 --> 00:16:23,200 instrument and grow as a person. And as an artist you know that 273 00:16:23,300 --> 00:16:25,900 To be a better wife than it better mother. 274 00:16:25,900 --> 00:16:30,400 And of course, she got signed 10 years later and was nominated 275 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,500 for a Grammy and you knows travel the world and has had the 276 00:16:33,500 --> 00:16:38,300 career that she dreamed of. She only had that opportunity to 277 00:16:38,300 --> 00:16:43,800 step into abundance because she was being basically selfish. 278 00:16:44,100 --> 00:16:45,800 You know what I mean? There's a lot of people who 279 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:47,900 would look at her and say, oh, you're being selfish. 280 00:16:49,100 --> 00:16:53,100 Nah, she's loving herself. So, I have plenty of examples. 281 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:57,400 As from Queen Mother Frances pierced, my own parents to other 282 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,300 elders. And so now my job is pretty 283 00:17:00,300 --> 00:17:02,400 simple. Just don't mess it up, keep 284 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,800 doing the thing. Do the thing, keep stepping into 285 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,900 your abundance, keep being aligned with your purpose, keep 286 00:17:08,900 --> 00:17:11,700 showing the children through your actions. 287 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,599 How you love yourself through the way that you show up in the 288 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,599 world and then your community and in your relationships and 289 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:22,500 your family and they will take note of that. 290 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,800 And Run with that baton. And I can't explain it to them 291 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,700 as they have questions, but the best explanation is my own 292 00:17:30,700 --> 00:17:35,100 behavior and they can model and emulate that behavior as they 293 00:17:35,100 --> 00:17:39,700 step into their own versions of self-love listening to that 294 00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:41,900 especially like about your mother. 295 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,500 So much of that experience. I think was informed by that 296 00:17:46,500 --> 00:17:52,500 original decision to respect her own mother right to do maybe 297 00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,000 what's Needed, but not what's wanted. 298 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,500 And there's a little bit of a heartbreak there, a defining 299 00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:02,900 moment that kind of makes coming into herself at 30 that much 300 00:18:02,900 --> 00:18:06,800 more meaningful, that much more of that mindset of abundance. 301 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:10,600 I think that somewhere in our origin stories and our Genesis, 302 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,600 we all have those kinds of heartbreak moments, that help 303 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,900 Define us and I'm curious what was yours? 304 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,300 What is your heartbreak? That was also a breakthrough 305 00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:22,800 demystify that a bit. I've had many heartbreak moments 306 00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:25,900 I've had To learn. So when I say something as Gully 307 00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:29,100 as like I don't believe in mistakes and everything is a 308 00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:33,100 learning experience, like that's not just I wasn't born that way. 309 00:18:33,100 --> 00:18:37,600 Even with the tutelage that I got from the mentors, and loved 310 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,800 ones, who raised me, it really is something that I learned 311 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,900 through failure after failure after failure and getting up and 312 00:18:45,900 --> 00:18:49,500 seeing wow, you know, that really seemed like an L in the 313 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:52,800 moment, but but now that's a whole W1. 314 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:58,100 Example of that would be running for mayor and losing that 315 00:18:58,100 --> 00:19:02,100 election in 2017. Pierce ran for mayor of Durham 316 00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:07,800 in North Carolina, his platform Community, growth Youth and love 317 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:11,100 the primary race was crowded with a total of seven 318 00:19:11,100 --> 00:19:13,700 candidates. But Pierce gained 16 percent of 319 00:19:13,708 --> 00:19:16,900 the vote as the first time runner, he ultimately lost the 320 00:19:16,900 --> 00:19:20,900 race though. I put everything into that 321 00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:25,900 campaign, it was in the uphill battle of uphill battles. 322 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,700 It was really tough to kind of claw back from what felt like a 323 00:19:29,700 --> 00:19:33,300 devastating loss. Like all these people thousands 324 00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:35,600 of people voted for me, supporting me got on my campaign 325 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:39,300 I'm like I let all of you down. You is Oprah, I let you down, 326 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:42,200 you down, you down. Hey you in the back you gave me 327 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:44,000 two thousand five hundred dollars. 328 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,600 I let you down like it was just like whoo. 329 00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:52,100 This is tough. Now here's what those types of 330 00:19:52,100 --> 00:19:53,700 experiences and wisdom over time. 331 00:19:53,700 --> 00:19:59,300 Will teach you, I was not ready to do the work that came for our 332 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,400 mayor. So the guy who won his name is 333 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:06,400 Steve, Schewel had one of the hardest mayoral terms in the 334 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:11,000 history of our city, with covid and everything that was going 335 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,100 on. And he handled it with so much 336 00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:17,300 Poise and made decisions that really reflected his experience. 337 00:20:17,300 --> 00:20:19,500 He was on City Council. Council for a long time and that 338 00:20:19,500 --> 00:20:23,200 experience, really helped inform some important life-saving 339 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,800 crucial decisions that he made for the city of Durham. 340 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,100 When an opening came up on the city council, my former 341 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:33,000 opponent, the guy I was locking horns with and debates a couple 342 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,500 of years prior was my biggest champion. 343 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,300 He was like, oh yeah, that's a. We got to get pierced in that 344 00:20:38,300 --> 00:20:40,800 seat. He's that dude in 2020. 345 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,300 Pierce was appointed to serve on the Durham city council. 346 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,500 Now, he was ready to make some real change. 347 00:20:48,100 --> 00:20:51,900 During his term, he expanded the opportunity for those without 348 00:20:51,900 --> 00:20:54,300 wealth to serve on the city council as well. 349 00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:58,900 By passing a measure to increase council members salaries, just 350 00:20:58,900 --> 00:21:01,400 work. It made sense for what was going 351 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,800 on in my life at the time. If I was mayor, there would be 352 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,800 no children's music album and book and all these other things 353 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:12,900 that I've poured my life and energy into Yeah, daddy-daughter 354 00:21:12,900 --> 00:21:14,300 day. Girl, what up, what up? 355 00:21:14,300 --> 00:21:18,100 Right now we can go anywhere. You wanna roller skating rink to 356 00:21:18,100 --> 00:21:19,600 the movies, chilling at the house. 357 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,600 Maybe later, my energy would have been channeled in a 358 00:21:21,608 --> 00:21:24,100 different direction which I'm sure would have had its own 359 00:21:24,100 --> 00:21:27,500 fruits. But there is no doubt in my mind 360 00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:30,500 that everything happened exactly as it was supposed to. 361 00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:34,400 And I'm exactly where I need to be with, no regrets whatsoever. 362 00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:39,600 And in fact, my previous angst and insecurity around failure 363 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:45,100 has been flipped to Gratitude, moving forward, when losses 364 00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:48,600 occur, I'm much more resilient. It's not that I don't feel bad 365 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,200 when I don't get things that I really strive for think I 366 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,400 deserve, but the bounce back is much quicker, because I know 367 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,000 that it's not a loss, it's just a step. 368 00:22:00,100 --> 00:22:02,500 It's just a step in the right direction. 369 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,600 I mean, hearing that story and especially that you were saying 370 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,600 that your opponent was your biggest champion. 371 00:22:10,500 --> 00:22:13,100 I think that's a testament to your character to running 372 00:22:13,100 --> 00:22:15,600 campaigns with integrity and styles and, and those 373 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:17,900 vibrations, right? The anyone can feel that 374 00:22:17,900 --> 00:22:19,500 vibration. I'm curious. 375 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:21,900 Who are you looking to to Champion? 376 00:22:21,900 --> 00:22:25,200 Who are you looking to, as your role model as a guide? 377 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,000 Who do you? Look up to all the people, I 378 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,200 mentioned the ancestors that I mentioned my kids. 379 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,800 My daughter Stella, there are certain historical figures that 380 00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:38,300 I look to as people who really like you did that Harriet Tubman 381 00:22:38,300 --> 00:22:43,400 and Nina Simone and You know, they're just too many to name 382 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:48,200 Paulie Marie, Andre Leon, Talley sindorim folks, Andre recent 383 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,900 ancestor. I think my daughter is important 384 00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:56,100 to mention because it's not a people who are associated or 385 00:22:56,100 --> 00:23:01,500 Tethered to institutions of power and the rod recognition, 386 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:05,300 there are grannies in my community, like my grandmother 387 00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:12,800 who are just Rock-solid, highly intelligent Fierce, beautiful 388 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:16,400 power houses that I've known just from coming up in the 389 00:23:16,408 --> 00:23:19,600 community but also that I've met through my service on Durham 390 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:23,700 city council women who would show up at meetings with Stage 2 391 00:23:23,700 --> 00:23:27,200 cancer. Just like demanding things for 392 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,300 their community on other people's behalf and I'm just 393 00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:33,000 like, whoa, you could be home right now. 394 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,400 Probably should be wrapped in a blanket like watching Golden 395 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,600 Girls on Hulu, but You hear it at the council meeting like 396 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:44,800 showing up for your people, respect strength and resilience. 397 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,900 Those role models are literally everywhere that you don't have 398 00:23:47,900 --> 00:23:51,500 to squint hard to look specially when you're looking at at black 399 00:23:51,500 --> 00:23:53,300 women. As you're talking about all the 400 00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:56,300 people that are around you and you have so much Direction, the 401 00:23:56,300 --> 00:23:59,300 idea of what you want to do and how you want to do and where to 402 00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:02,400 go, seems very clear. And I think there's a lot of 403 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,200 people that have maybe an intention like I want to be in 404 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,800 this space but I don't, I don't know where Start, I don't know 405 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,800 who to talk to first or how to talk to them. 406 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,500 What would you say is the first tool or resource you know for 407 00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:18,700 the weary wavering person that's like I want to do something I 408 00:24:18,708 --> 00:24:21,200 just don't know how to start. What is that resource? 409 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,200 That could be used to them. There's clear tools that come to 410 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:29,400 mind to answer that question. One is butterflies that feeling 411 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,700 of butterflies in your stomach as soon as you leave the date or 412 00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:35,600 whatever and you're just like I'm feeling you. 413 00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:37,600 That's how I felt about the work. 414 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:42,000 Well, you never know listen before you find the one or the 415 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,100 several, you know, somebody that you really dig and really click 416 00:24:45,100 --> 00:24:48,700 with, you got a date and you gotta say, you got to look at 417 00:24:48,700 --> 00:24:51,900 the person, you thought was a diamond say, but your 418 00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:54,800 personality is trash, it wasn't as good as I thought it was 419 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,000 gonna be. But I mean, you gotta try stuff 420 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:02,300 out and so over the course of you trying things, eventually 421 00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:04,900 you're going to strike a chord with someone that puts a 422 00:25:04,900 --> 00:25:07,700 butterfly in your stomach and makes you fall in love. 423 00:25:08,300 --> 00:25:12,100 And when you feel that love in your and your, I don't know, all 424 00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:15,400 the chakras, but whatever is in your stomach, or your solar 425 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,600 plexus, or whatever. But when you feel it, you have a 426 00:25:18,608 --> 00:25:21,900 responsibility to say, like, what's going on here? 427 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,800 You can't have an experience like that and then go back to 428 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:29,500 like bussing tables or whatever. Is kind of like cool but not 429 00:25:29,500 --> 00:25:34,100 like really the purpose and so that's what the, the advice to 430 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:36,600 The Listener. Who's looking for, what's my 431 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:41,200 path that my My mom had a similar experience, she enjoyed 432 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,100 nursing. It was healing and it's an in 433 00:25:44,100 --> 00:25:47,500 one way, and then she enjoyed singing, which was healing in 434 00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:51,300 another way she said, I want to be a Healer but she didn't know 435 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:54,400 necessarily at the time whether that healing was going to be 436 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,600 through nursing which she enjoyed or through music, which 437 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,900 she was deeply, deeply passionate about also, but it's 438 00:26:01,900 --> 00:26:05,000 the difference between the person that you date but you 439 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,400 don't want to get engaged to and the person that you're Head Over 440 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,800 Heels, Love with, let's elope tonight. 441 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:13,200 So the former is great. I think we all go through 442 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:17,000 experiences in jobs and work that occupy that former space. 443 00:26:17,300 --> 00:26:20,100 If you're a musician, maybe it's the band that you go to that, 444 00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:22,000 you play with to get checks, you know. 445 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,700 But then there's this other one, that's that, that's it. 446 00:26:24,700 --> 00:26:27,500 Like this band, is it when I'm playing with these players to 447 00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:29,500 chemistry, the vibe is different. 448 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:34,600 And so we have to be aware because if you don't check in, 449 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,700 after your transformative experience, Then you can just 450 00:26:38,700 --> 00:26:43,400 move on through life without recognizing, that you're walking 451 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:47,400 away from something that deserves further inquiry. 452 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,000 So, there's there's a responsibility to be aware of 453 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,600 how you feel. And then once you make an 454 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,500 observation and say, like, wow, I'm really, I'm smitten with 455 00:26:57,500 --> 00:26:59,800 this. Then I have an obligation, an 456 00:26:59,808 --> 00:27:04,300 obligation to seize the opportunity to see what this is 457 00:27:04,300 --> 00:27:06,500 about. I'm not saying like, have a 458 00:27:06,500 --> 00:27:10,500 midlife crisis because You enjoy playing a gig one night, it 459 00:27:10,500 --> 00:27:15,100 deserves further inquiry and as you sit with it and over time 460 00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:18,500 you'll see if this is something you can dig your heels into or 461 00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:21,800 if it's something that you want to step away from but the first 462 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:24,300 step is the awareness of the butterflies and the 463 00:27:24,308 --> 00:27:28,100 responsibility to pursue them and to see what's on the other 464 00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:30,500 end of that. Part of this is awareness. 465 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:36,600 And the next step is is trying. It's just seeing what may I'm 466 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,600 curious, how do? You get through those challenges 467 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,800 that maybe didn't work out. Like, what's the nurturing that 468 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,100 happens there? Listen. 469 00:27:46,300 --> 00:27:50,700 If you mentioned some of them but that, you know, accepting, 470 00:27:51,100 --> 00:27:55,000 yeah, it's really important. Another good dating metaphor as 471 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:56,800 well. This is actually a dating 472 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,000 podcast. This is this fantastic. 473 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,600 Any progress. Listen, I believe that 474 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:04,500 everything is a marriage every band on man. 475 00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:07,500 I'm like we're married now. Like if I'm in a business, 476 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:11,300 Worship with you, it's a marriage, it requires the same 477 00:28:11,300 --> 00:28:13,900 thing from the individuals, and I can think of a few 478 00:28:13,900 --> 00:28:18,100 collaborations that I was reluctant to let go of even 479 00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:20,700 though I know the relationship was over. 480 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:24,500 And I'm talking about business, you know, relationships and 481 00:28:24,500 --> 00:28:28,600 Partnerships and creativity and Entrepreneurship. 482 00:28:28,700 --> 00:28:33,300 And here's the thing it's generous for you to let go. 483 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:38,100 Like there's this idea in our head that you know, letting go 484 00:28:38,100 --> 00:28:42,700 is gonna end something and yeah, sometimes things need to end. 485 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:46,100 It's like an apple that doesn't want to fall off the tree. 486 00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:52,000 Like it's remaining here, will only harm the vital nutrients 487 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:55,100 and prevent other new fruit from forming. 488 00:28:55,500 --> 00:28:59,200 If you have a blessing in your hand, that's meant for someone 489 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,800 else. Then you're digging a ditch for 490 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:03,800 yourself. You're canceling, your blessing 491 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,200 and there's by holding onto the things. 492 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,300 It's the same awareness with where you are in relation to 493 00:29:10,300 --> 00:29:14,100 that person, or that project of that collaboration, or that 494 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:19,300 vibration, you'll know, if you're truly honest, you know, 495 00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:23,500 when it's time to step away and you got to be, I still listen, I 496 00:29:23,500 --> 00:29:28,900 still struggle with this but you got to be obedient To your 497 00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:32,300 intuition. And if you're not, you're only 498 00:29:32,300 --> 00:29:35,600 causing harm to yourself and those that you're clinging to. 499 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:37,600 That's so beautiful. That's awesome, Pierce. 500 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,400 I'm also hearing the theme of surrender here. 501 00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:43,400 That's the strong one. Now, you sound like my grandma. 502 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:45,500 That's what your grandma says to under. 503 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:47,500 Yes. Surrender and obedience are kind 504 00:29:47,500 --> 00:29:51,200 of like the right there. But, yeah, I think another thing 505 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,000 I'm hearing is allowing yourself to experiment your way through 506 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,100 it, and try something. And if it's not Landing in a 507 00:29:56,100 --> 00:29:58,200 certain way accepting that it's time, to Let It Go. 508 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,400 It move on, it might be a blessing for somebody else. 509 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,300 Just like your beautiful story about not winning the election. 510 00:30:03,300 --> 00:30:06,000 It was a breakthrough in another capacity and you had that 511 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,800 symbolic site to see that. That's really, really beautiful 512 00:30:08,900 --> 00:30:10,500 given. What we've heard given where 513 00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:14,100 your internal Compass is pointing given where your 514 00:30:14,100 --> 00:30:16,200 nutrients are flowing in the direction that you're heading. 515 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,000 What's on your radar right now? Like what's where is your 516 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,000 attention going? What, what, what seeds are? 517 00:30:21,008 --> 00:30:23,100 You're nurturing? I look for this one. 518 00:30:23,100 --> 00:30:26,900 My manager Monica cause connectivity, but I see it 519 00:30:26,900 --> 00:30:29,600 visually as kind of Of concentric. 520 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:34,300 Bubbles in a Venn diagram. So so when you say father, for 521 00:30:34,300 --> 00:30:38,600 example, that's a big-ass bubble, whelmingly overlapping 522 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:42,400 in that bubble is author. This is my book daddy-daughter 523 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,500 day and you know, it's inspired by a song I wrote with my 524 00:30:45,500 --> 00:30:48,500 daughter. So like artist while parenting. 525 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,200 It's a book that's really rooted in the in the spiritual tenants 526 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,600 of afrofuturism which is one of the hats, you know? 527 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,100 And as I'm doing kind of book, tours and readings. 528 00:30:58,500 --> 00:31:01,200 Whatever Stella will let me drag her with me. 529 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:07,300 I'm going to and whenever I have an opportunity to live the book 530 00:31:07,300 --> 00:31:11,200 out in real life and cancel something, so I can help her do 531 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:14,600 handstands or test out that air fryer. 532 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:19,600 And, you know, I'm going to do that and it's not mutually 533 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:24,400 exclusive with any of the other kind of Bubbles and hats, that I 534 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:28,700 occupy and where, and as much as possible, I want those Tools to 535 00:31:28,700 --> 00:31:31,900 bleed into one another because of the more separate. 536 00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:34,800 They are the more directions I need to run. 537 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:38,000 If I bring it home to the Hearth and I live in the, in the 538 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:46,700 center, then I'm constantly at maximum efficiency, you know, in 539 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:50,300 all the truth and all the spaces that I want to be, I think for 540 00:31:50,300 --> 00:31:54,100 me it's really about blurring those lines as much as possible. 541 00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:58,100 While prioritizing husband and family first. 542 00:31:58,300 --> 00:32:02,900 Then then you know everybody else get in line, this includes 543 00:32:03,100 --> 00:32:05,500 what we talked about earlier with letting go. 544 00:32:06,300 --> 00:32:10,800 You know, one of the things that I've realized as far as what do 545 00:32:10,808 --> 00:32:14,300 they call it in basketball and they sit players when they're 546 00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:18,300 not injured load management. That's what they call it. 547 00:32:18,900 --> 00:32:22,300 Okay, it is basically you're not going to play today because we 548 00:32:22,300 --> 00:32:23,700 want to save you for the playoffs. 549 00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:27,300 Anyway, if I'm ever in a situation where where I'm not 550 00:32:27,300 --> 00:32:29,500 managing my life, Load appropriately. 551 00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:34,600 It's important to be aware of that and to let go of things so 552 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:39,000 that I can hold the other things with a more steady hand rather 553 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,900 than just be wobbly, because I'm trying to do everything at once. 554 00:32:42,300 --> 00:32:46,500 And I think for me, like a good barometer to what I'm capable of 555 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:51,800 is three things, that's it. It's three things and parenting. 556 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,000 And husbanding is one of those three, those opportunities that 557 00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:00,000 you give often come back to. And it Ways that people that you 558 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,900 wouldn't even have an expected are saying thanks to you. 559 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:05,900 You thanked a lot of people and recognize a lot of people today. 560 00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:09,900 Who do you need to give? Thanks to that. 561 00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:14,100 You haven't given thanks to yet whether here today or in 562 00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:20,000 general, that is coming up that maybe was unexpected or, yeah, 563 00:33:20,700 --> 00:33:23,200 that deserves it. I mean, there are too many 564 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:28,800 people to think, like I said, at the beginning, I have a vaulted 565 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,500 perspective because I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. 566 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:37,300 Now, as if that wasn't dope enough, I also have like active 567 00:33:37,300 --> 00:33:40,800 homies. First of all Spirits, ancestors 568 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:45,300 angels, helping me and then in it Angels, you know, helping me 569 00:33:45,300 --> 00:33:50,000 out, lifted me up and then just our people here on this Earth. 570 00:33:50,500 --> 00:33:54,900 And so, yeah, there's a ton of people that I consider mentors. 571 00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:58,100 There's a ton of people that I consider mentees and then peers, 572 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:03,100 And then ancestors, even this this very conversation because 573 00:34:03,300 --> 00:34:05,600 y'all got me like, awesome stuff. 574 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,600 I'm like, damn maybe I don't make this into a TED talk. 575 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,500 You know what I mean? Like, I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be 576 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:16,699 right, but, you know, but that is again, that's a testament to 577 00:34:16,707 --> 00:34:19,199 the vibe that you're bringing and what you're pulling out of 578 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:21,800 me, which is not common, like you've heard my interviews, 579 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,900 they're not all like this but anyway. 580 00:34:24,900 --> 00:34:26,900 Yeah. So I think there's a lot of 581 00:34:26,908 --> 00:34:29,900 gratitude to go around. For sure Pierce. 582 00:34:29,900 --> 00:34:32,900 You're amazing. Thank you for sharing so much 583 00:34:32,900 --> 00:34:37,300 wisdom. We're going to tune out with the 584 00:34:37,300 --> 00:34:40,000 track. You sent a few tracks over. 585 00:34:40,900 --> 00:34:44,100 You can get contacts for one of them, which would it be? 586 00:34:44,100 --> 00:34:45,900 And we'll take it off with that guy. 587 00:34:46,199 --> 00:34:54,100 So, I found a tape VHS tape from 1980 Something. 80-some 87. 588 00:34:54,100 --> 00:34:59,300 I can't remember the year now of my mom as a teaching artist in 589 00:34:59,500 --> 00:35:04,200 rural eastern, North Carolina. And, and this was a song, I'm 590 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:07,400 that was the The actual recording of that song, Justice. 591 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:15,500 Come here real quick. Just give me the tape. 592 00:35:15,500 --> 00:35:19,900 There's a tape in that bag says 1988 in the green VHS, right 593 00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:22,700 behind you. Thank you. 594 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:30,900 This is your grandmother. Check it out. 595 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:02,000 And she was, you know, singing no one exactly like you I heard 596 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,000 it and I called her. I said Mom, this is beautiful 597 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,900 like she's like. What's that again where did you 598 00:36:08,900 --> 00:36:10,000 find that? She had no memory. 599 00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:14,500 Memory of having recorded it at all, it's been 30 plus years but 600 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:18,500 it was really early in her career and is a Timeless 601 00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:32,500 beautiful song. I added some vocals and 602 00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:38,100 instruments and kind of try to breathe life into it for 20 21 603 00:36:38,700 --> 00:36:40,000 which is when blacks in the future. 604 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,900 Came out and it was the opener. The album opener. 605 00:36:44,500 --> 00:36:50,300 This kind of intergenerational sample from when I was really 606 00:36:50,300 --> 00:36:54,200 little kid and my mom was really young and her career and it was 607 00:36:54,200 --> 00:37:37,800 really special for me. You can follow Pierce on all 608 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,500 social channels at Pierce free lawn or on his website at 609 00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:47,000 www.airsofthero.com leave looking up is hosted by myself, 610 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:51,400 me, Ludovic and my co-host, Amir Jan Dolly, and produced by our 611 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,600 small. But Mighty team at Moon 31, a 612 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:57,800 company dedicated to creating platforms for Meaningful 613 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:00,600 conversations. That tackle the important issues 614 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,400 of today for folks that love with their hearing today and 615 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,900 want to hear and see. We have the complete uncut and 616 00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:09,900 raw episodes in video form available online. 617 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:15,600 On our fan page via patreon at www.levitt.com up.com fans 618 00:38:15,900 --> 00:38:17,300 there. You can support, what we're 619 00:38:17,300 --> 00:38:19,700 creating here. 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And first tips on the episodes 628 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:51,600 via our website at leave looking up.com. 629 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:54,700 This episode was created through the combined efforts of myself 630 00:38:54,700 --> 00:38:58,000 as executive producer, and our lead producer, Lou Chic Lotus Li 631 00:38:58,100 --> 00:39:00,400 the moon 31 team. Also includes designer and 632 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:02,800 Draya. Kang glass slipper, media, and 633 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:06,200 engineer just inject, Carter. An extra special, thanks to 634 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,100 engineer, TJ, dumpster, who mixed and mastered this episode 635 00:39:09,300 --> 00:39:12,700 original theme music by Brady W & background music provided for 636 00:39:12,700 --> 00:39:13,700 Blue Dot sessions.