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Conversation with Genesis Amaris Kemp
115 Plays4 years ago
Genesis Amaris Kemp joins me on this episode of The Entrepreneur Speaks Podcast.
She shares her journey, challenges as a minority in the workforce and how she refused to allow negative self - talk and self - doubt to prevent her from succeeding.
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Transcript
Speaking Up Against Injustice
00:00:00
Speaker
My advice to that person would be do not remain silent. Make sure you talk about it. And if you see something that is not right, whether it's microaggression, whether it's systemic racism, then you need to speak up and speak out about it in order to help change the narrative. You have to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. And you have to ask yourself, if I do not speak out about this,
00:00:29
Speaker
then what and if you don't know what the then what could be then that should be some inclination that you need to speak out about it. Another thing I would advise people is to practice my three R's which are refuel, refocus and realign. Refuel is understanding
00:00:51
Speaker
that you need to practice self-care and self-awareness and pour it into yourself as much as you pour into others because if you're not whole and well, mentally, mentally and emotionally, how can you be good to someone else? And if I put it in flying terminology, when you're on the aircraft, they tell you to put on your mask first before you put on someone else's because
00:01:17
Speaker
If you aren't good and hold to yourself, how can you help somebody else? The next part is refocus. Refocus your energy on things that are positive, things that are building you up personally and professionally and understand this question. Am I where I want to be now? And if not, how do I get there?
00:01:45
Speaker
And that is part of your self-discovery. Who are you? Like I would say, who is coffee? And you would tell me who you are and I think that is a part of refocusing and realigning yourself goes next to that. So when I say realignment, it's so important that we have a balance, whether it's between
00:02:08
Speaker
home and work or whether it's a balance between our internal system, you have to come to some equilibrium where you're not being pulled from the left to the right, but you have a holistic alignment that is allowing you to really go as far and as fast as you want to go.
Introduction of Genesis Amaris Kemp
00:02:31
Speaker
Welcome friends to The Entrepreneur Speaks. I'm your host Kofi Annemedou.
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Each week I host an amazing entrepreneur on their journey, successes and challenges. It is my hope that we will learn from their experiences as we all work towards living a life of passion and purpose. My guest Genesis Amaris Kemp is a wife, sister, creative content writer, author,
00:03:06
Speaker
and most importantly, a child of God. She's a strong black woman who is fighting against social injustice and spreading awareness and teaching on inclusion and diversity. She has a new book. She'll be telling us about that book. I host her today on the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast. In this episode, she shares her journey.
00:03:36
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Welcome to my show, Genesis.
Genesis's Background and Career Journey
00:03:39
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Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Let's start off by getting to know you better. Who is Genesis Amaris Kemp? And how is your childhood like? So I am first generation American. I'm also a native Houstonian. So I live in Houston, Texas. My childhood was great. I was raised by both my mom and my dad.
00:04:04
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My dad and I were super close and I say were because my dad recently passed away the day before Thanksgiving this year. I accept our condolences. Thank you so much. And I definitely
00:04:19
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I'm a firecracker, meaning that, you know, when people come around me, they'll know about my bubbly personality. They also know that sometimes I could be very blunt with things that I say. And, you know, I get straight to the point because I definitely believe in, you know, just speaking what's on my mind versus letting something go later, later on down the road and having that built that emotion built up inside of me. And as you mentioned earlier,
00:04:47
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I'm a wife. I'm a child of God. I definitely believe my relationship and spirituality has really helped me so far in my life. And I'm just so thankful that I have that relationship with Christ. Tell us a bit more about your work or career. How has the journey been so far?
00:05:10
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The journey has been interesting so far. So I have 11 and a half years in oil and gas and in the energy sector. I started at a young age. I started in high school through a co-op program, worked for a smaller mom and pop company. And once I had four and a half years there, I wanted to accelerate in my career. So I went to a bigger
00:05:37
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company, a Fortune 500 company that is well known. Little did I know that whenever I started to really see systemic racism, I started to face things that I didn't face in my previous jobs.
00:05:53
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And oil and gas wasn't my first job. Um, I started in real estate as a personal assistant. Then I went to the side fair cancer center and then I went into oil and gas. And so a lot of people listening may be like, Oh wow. She's done a lot at a very young age. Cause I'm only 29 years old, but I'm so grateful for all of the wisdom and experience that I gained along the way. Cause it helped shape me to the woman I am today.
00:06:22
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What has been some of the challenges you've encountered on this journey?
Challenges and Inspiration for Writing a Book
00:06:29
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So I've encountered pay disparity. I've also encountered racism, as I said, systemic racism, where a lot of times I was the only African-American woman or like I like to say chocolate drop on my team.
00:06:46
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So I was treated differently in comparison to my peers. I was in a different category for ranking, which goes into the performance review. My pay was different. Along the journey, I faced being left out and just being
00:07:05
Speaker
in the inclusion diversity bucket on paper, but not seeing it manifested in my workplace, which really allowed me to take all of that and channel it into a book because I saw there was a problem and there was a need for me to speak out about it. Okay, we'll talk about the book later in our conversation, but what useful lessons have you picked up along the line?
00:07:34
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Never let people place limitations on you. Take ownership of your own career and not wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder or give you something.
00:07:47
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I also came up with my three R's which are refuel, refocus and realign. I think that's very important and it's a vital part in personal development and growth. And then the other thing was feedback is a gift. Whether or not you could apply that feedback to your life to help you grow or whether you could discard that feedback and still think the individual that they cared enough to give you some wisdom.
00:08:20
Speaker
What inspires you Genesis? What inspires you? Definitely my parents were a big inspiration to me my mom and dad you know coming with them being immigrants my mom is from the Caribbean and my dad was from Curso so that really inspired me how they came over to America to make
00:08:44
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a better life for themselves and their family but they also had struggles along the way because you know the color of their skin was black and we live in a very a very red state where sometimes you do face a lot of racism depending on what part of Texas that you're in and just seeing my parents have to overcome those struggles and barriers in order to make sure me and my siblings had
00:09:10
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what we need. It was inspiration because I felt like sometimes they would sacrifice their personal goals and desires in order to appease their children and make sure their children have what they needed. Another inspiration for me is God for sure. Like, you know, God speaks to me in various ways, whether it's, you know, dreams, movies, or whether he uses people to give me a message. That is inspiration because while I'm here on this earth, I want to know that I
00:09:40
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you know, use all of my gifts and talents and I didn't bury them. Wonderful.
Themes of Genesis's Book on Inclusion and Diversity
00:09:49
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Now let's spend time talking about your book. What's the title of your book? Chocolate Drop in Corporate America from the Pit to the Palace. Why this title? I definitely wanted something controversial, but I also wanted something that would grab someone's attention.
00:10:09
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Whenever they see the title, they're like, hmm, I wonder what's that about? Because although the title is Chocolate Drop in Corporate America, the cover of the book definitely shows inclusion and diversity. And you could see that by the people that are on the cover of the book, by the different career paths that they're in. And there's also a world in the background depicting that, you know,
00:10:32
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These issues can happen worldwide. It doesn't just happen in America. And systemic racism and systemic issues and social injustice don't just happen in corporate America, but they can happen in the medical field. They can happen in finance and whatever industry you're in. So just because you may not be in corporate America doesn't mean that this book doesn't apply to you. So what really motivated you to write this book?
00:11:00
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It was actually frustration. It was after my performance feedback with my supervisor, she gave me some information. That information was not accurate in my opinion, and it was contradictory to the peer reviews that I received. But by the time she gave me the feedback, there was no going back and changing it. It was pretty much set in stone. And in order for her to change it so I could
00:11:30
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you know, be portrayed in the accurate light to match what my peers were saying, the ones that I worked with, it would have to go through higher management in order to get it to be reversed.
00:11:41
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So it was in that situation where I was like, you know what? I'm just so tired of this. I'm tired of, you know, the unfairness. I'm tired of the injustice. So I had literally pulled out my phone after that discussion with her and I wrote in my notes section, Chocolate Drop in Corporate America. And I wrote a few sentences, but I wasn't even thinking that it was going to be a full blown book. Hmm. Is she still your supervisor?
00:12:09
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She will be until February. I got the news recently that I would be laid off after seven and a half years with the company. And I was like, I'm not even worried about it. But the only thing that really stuck was that they told me a week after my dad had passed away. But I was like, you know what? When one door closes, God always opens another one. And I believe that everything happens for a reason. For a reason.
00:12:38
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Yes. And it just
New Beginnings After Personal Loss
00:12:40
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means that, okay, my season at that particular company is up and I did what I was supposed to do in that time. So God is getting ready to elevate me to something else where I'm able to grow and plant more seeds. Amen. And that shall certainly come to pass. Amen. Amen. How long did it take you to write this book? Two months.
00:13:09
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Two months. Wow. Two months. How did you do it? So I would go to work during the day and then I would come home and write at night. Also at the time I didn't even own a laptop so I wrote my entire book on my cell phone, believe it or not. Wow. Very interesting.
00:13:36
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Now walk us through the structure of the book. What would one find in the book? So the structure of the book, it starts, the first chapter is like in the beginning where I talk about how I started and got introduced with this company and how I faced certain obstacles as an administrative assistant. And that's where I first encountered the limitations of
00:14:01
Speaker
They said once an admin, always an admin. But I knew that I was not going to college to get a degree to be an administrative assistant. I was going to college to pursue a higher position and further my career in advance. So it was in that instance in 2013 where I knew that I needed to do more and take ownership of my career. Then it goes,
00:14:29
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into getting down to business and cracking the whip. And what that will walk you through is how I took the limitations that they placed on me and how I overcame those limitations by looking for programs that the company had that would be beneficial to me that I can use in order to grow and develop within the company.
00:14:53
Speaker
Then I go into the leap of faith. I think we all in life need to take a leap of faith, whether it's overcoming your fears, whether it's jumping over hurdles or whether it's just being unapologetically you. No matter what situation that you're going through in life, we all have to come to a point where we say enough is enough and where we learn how to pivot in order to set ourself up for success. And the reason why I say that is because so many times
00:15:23
Speaker
We're so busy pouring into other people that we forget to pour into ourselves. Then I talk about three years in the making, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And I believe the Trinity is so important because you can't succeed without one. You have to have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So in those three years that I was going through, I just put my head down and I was really grinding away. But to them, it looked like I was working
00:15:51
Speaker
But to me, I was strategizing on my next move and how to get from point A to point B and how to overcome the barriers. Then I go into the walk in hats off, where I talk about my graduation and how I worked full time and I went to school that night. And then it wasn't easy, but I knew that's what I needed to do in order to get to where I wanted to go. So in life, you have to make certain sacrifices.
00:16:22
Speaker
Then I go through some other topics of the book as well, but I definitely don't want to give the book all away. It's a very easy and short read. It's only 102 pages. I'm just really advocating for other people as well as telling my story because I feel like when we share our stories of the trials and tribulations that we go through,
00:16:44
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it's helping break the bondage and the yolks of people who are tied up in order for them to see hey if she can do it then I can do it too and I also talk about my fate in the book too because I believe if you have the fate the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains and a mustard seed is very very tiny so imagine if you have a lot of fate what you can do and it was like during those trying times and the dark moments it's like
00:17:12
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when I really pressed into God and God was speaking to me that, hey, you need to be the voice that other people need to hear. You need to tell your story because there's someone else that needs it. Because by you telling your story, it's strengthening and it's igniting someone else to be bold, be courageous, to speak about it. And since the book has came out, so many people have told me, hey, you told my story. I was just afraid to tell my story or I've had a guy tell me
00:17:41
Speaker
Hey, by you telling your story, it really encouraged me to write my own book about my personal experiences in corporate America. And that's something that I want to see because I want to impact lives. I want to change lives. And if I don't, if I don't impact a lot, if I just touch one person, then I've done my job because you don't know who that one person is going to go on and touch and affect. Very, very true. And those are very powerful words.
00:18:12
Speaker
How does one get a copy of your book? So my book is available on Amazon. So I have a paperback version that is $13. And I also have a Kindle version available for $2.99 on Amazon.com. And my book is also listed on Goodreads as well. And then if someone is interested in me
00:18:37
Speaker
personalizing their book, they can contact me directly and we could sort out the payment. It'll still be the $13, but I'll of course charge the shipping and handling since I'll be mailing it directly to them and I'll do like a little inscription. Thank you. What would be advice to someone going through some form of social injustice?
Advice on Self-Care and Advocacy
00:19:05
Speaker
My advice to that person would be do not remain silent. Make sure you talk about it. And if you see something that is not right, whether it's microaggression, whether it's systemic racism, then you need to speak up and speak out about it
00:19:21
Speaker
In order to help change the narrative, you have to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. And you have to ask yourself, if I do not speak out about this, then what? And if you don't know what the then what could be, then that should be some inclination that you need to speak out about it. Another thing I would advise people is to practice my three R's, which are refuel,
00:19:51
Speaker
refocused and realigned. Refuel is understanding that you need to practice self-care and self-awareness
00:19:59
Speaker
and pour into yourself as much as you pour into others. Because if you're not whole and well mentally, physically, and emotionally, how can you be good to someone else? And if I put it in flying terminology, when you're on the aircraft, they tell you to put on your mask first before you put on someone else's. Because if you aren't good and whole to yourself, how can you help somebody else? The next part is refocus.
00:20:29
Speaker
Refocus your energy on things that are positive, things that are building you up personally and professionally and understand this question. Am I where I want to be now? And if not, how do I get there? And that is part of your self-discovery. Who are you? Like I would say, who is Kofi?
00:20:57
Speaker
and you would tell me who you are and I think that is a part of refocusing and realigning yourself goes next to that. So when I say realignment, it's so important that we have a balance, whether it's between home and work or whether it's a balance between our internal system. You have to come to some equilibrium where you're not being pulled from the left to the right, but you have a holistic alignment
00:21:27
Speaker
that is allowing you to really go as far and as fast as you want to go without having any distractions, without having fear, which I like to say false evidence appearing real that is causing you to remain in confinement, and without you listening to negative voices and forces that are trying to keep you in a mindset that is conditioning you
00:21:55
Speaker
to not grow or limit you from your endless opportunities and possibilities. And I would use a car analogy because I feel everyone drives a car at some point in time. So whenever you get your oil change on a car, they tell you
00:22:11
Speaker
that you have to realign and rebalance your tires in order for your car to be optimal and drive straight. But if you do not realign and rebalance your tires, your car is going to be pulling to the left or the right and it's not going to go in a straight line. So if it's important for us to realign and rebalance our tires,
00:22:33
Speaker
It should be important for us to realign and rebalance our life so we can be the optimal person that we were created and called to be. Very inspiring. Before we wrap up, let's play this game. I'll mention some key weights and I expect you to tell me something about these weights. Are you ready for the game?
00:23:03
Speaker
I'm ready! Alright, the first one is inclusion. Being able to see everyone for who they are and making them really feel like they matter, for them to be seen as well as heard. Diversity.
00:23:24
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being able to have people from all cultural backgrounds, being able to have people that don't necessarily look like you, and being able to really be open and transparent with people. How about purpose? Purpose. What you were put on the earth to do
00:23:53
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Last but one, are you ready for that? Yes. Passion. A passion.
00:24:01
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Passion to me is something that you can do without getting paid for. It's more than a hobby. It's something that's fun, something that's exhilarating, something that just makes you warm and fuzzy inside. And your passion is something that you can do nonstop, something that you wouldn't even mind doing without getting paid for it. Last but not the least, self-development.
Personal Inspirations and Authenticity
00:24:30
Speaker
Ooh, that's a good one. Self-development is how you are developing your personal self, how you are growing, whether it's personally or professionally. And self-development is something that is going to change over time because as the world evolves, so must we as individuals evolve and grow.
00:24:58
Speaker
Excellent. I think you deserve an A+. You are an author, but what kind of books are you currently reading? What books would I find on your bookshelf?
00:25:15
Speaker
So there's quite a few on my shelf, some that I started, but I haven't finished. Like I have some spiritual books, some books from John Gray, Bishop TD Jakes. I also have a book called Boundaries that tells you how to establish healthy boundaries and, you know, how to go about saying no whenever you really don't feel like doing stuff. I also have a book on there called The Five People You Meet in Heaven. And I have a book
00:25:45
Speaker
By a 13-year-old author, which she is amazing, it's called The Rules of a Big Boss, where she talks about how she overcame bullying at a young age. And I was like, oh, I could totally relate to that, because in high school, I was a victim of bullying. And I like how she's sharing her story as now she's 13, but she wrote her book when she was 12. And I'm like, wow, that's so inspiring, because at 12 years old, I wasn't even thinking
00:26:14
Speaker
of writing a book. Then I have another book that I started to read and support my other friend who's an author based out in Jamaica. It's called Breaking Your Barriers. Very interesting. I always say that it's good to always document your life, to tell your story. And as Les Brown always says, you should document, you should rub the symmetry of your knowledge.
00:26:43
Speaker
You shouldn't take your knowledge into your grave. Leave something that people can read and make it in life. We are just about to go off. What would be your last words? What would be your advice for my listeners? I would definitely tell the listeners out there to be who they want to be and not what people have subjected them to be.
00:27:09
Speaker
And the reason why I say that is because in life, so many times when we're growing up, people always ask us, hey, what do you want to be when you grow up? But they never take time to ask, who do you want to be when you grow up? And I think that's so important. I would also encourage them
00:27:26
Speaker
Whenever they're in a room full of people that may not necessarily look like them or may not support them, I would encourage them to be the thermostat in the room. You go into that room and you set the temperature. Don't just go with the temperature in the room and don't just adapt because we weren't created to just adapt to what people want us to do, what they want us to say or think.
00:27:52
Speaker
Be who you are and there's a way that you could do that respectfully, professionally, authentically, and transparently. We need you to show up and be your authentic self and ignite your gifts, your talents, your purpose, and your passion in order to be that person that you want to be, not what other people have projected you to be.
00:28:20
Speaker
Thank you very much, Genesis Amaris Kim, for sharing your journey with us. I wish you the very best. Thank you so much for having me. This has been another interesting episode of the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast. Watch out for our next episode. I remain your host, Kofi Animedou. As always,
00:28:50
Speaker
Stay safe and let's continue to keep hope alive. Cheers.