New Episode! Esperanza Spalding on knowledge of self, changing the world & did she say bebop dance party?
Kickstarting Know This! Season 2–who’s got $5 on it? http://kck.st/Vjq4Xl
We Are the Ones: Sharlene Santana
We’re very excited to welcome a new intern, Sharlene Santana, to the Know This! team. Get to know her through our latest “We Are the Ones” profile!
1. What gets you most excited about waking up in the morning and living your life? What are you most passionate about?
What gets me most excited about waking up in the morning is working on making my side projects a reality. The process keeps me going. I also get excited when I meet new people and connect with friends that share the same vision and light up when they talk about their plans to make a change. I am most passionate about helping the younger generation especially young women feel empowered and ignite their entrepreneurial spirit.
2. How did you discover that to be your true passion?
By taking a leap and quitting my “job” at a Fortune 500 company to pursue something other than a desk job. After making this bold decision, life was full of experimentation through volunteer work, working part-time jobs and working at a nonprofit. It was then I realized that I was meant to lead a life of public service, help the younger generation and find freedom in working for myself.
3. Biggie Smalls once said, “we can’t change the world, unless we change ourselves.” What’s one personal change you’re working to make or have made, and how do you think it will help you be a better change agent in the world?
A personal change that I’m working to make is to not be so much of a perfectionist. Being somewhat of a perfectionist has its disadvantages because when you strive for perfectionism, things take longer to get right. Changing this will help me be a better change agent because I won’t have to overcomplicate things and can give more to the world instead of waiting for everything to be right. Things are not going to be perfect the first time around so it’s best you present whatever you have to the world.
4. What social change do you want to be a result of your work and ultimately a part of your legacy?
I want to create a philanthropic revolution that motivates the next generation to take action and make a positive impact in their communities and at a global level. I want to be an agent of change and encourage young people to redefine their careers by utilizing their talents/skills and interests and become entrepreneurs while doing social good.
5. What excites you most about working with Know This! TV?
Working with Know This! TV means that I get to be a part of something refreshing and fun. What immediately attracted me to Know This! TV was the ability it has to make a positive impact and spark interesting conversations. That is exciting to me. With all of this noise we’re surrounded by in media, Know This! TV is what our generation and the next generation needs more of. It’s amazing to be working with a TV show that offers a positive message and empowers you to make a change- all in an entertaining way. I am excited to be part of the next season and can’t wait to see what’s in store.
6. What’s your go-to quote or song to keep you feeling motivated and empowered in pursuing your dreams?
There are so many but if I had to pick one that keeps me motivated and empowered it would be by Mahatma Gandhi. He said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
We Are the Ones: Lisa Nicole Bell
The first of a new profile series, “We Are the Ones” Wednesdays (from the popular quote “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”), meet changemaker and entrepreneur, Lisa Nicole Bell:
Lisa Nicole Bell is the personification of what happens when art and commerce collide. A passionate communicator, creative entrepreneur, and relentless solution finder, Lisa is a unique hybrid of social change agent, on air personality and behind-the-scenes powerhouse. As an award winning filmmaker, media personality, international speaker, and social entrepreneur, Lisa integrates lofty social and creative ideals with practical solutions and business models. She currently serves as the CEO of Inspired Life Media Group where she and her team create content that moves the social and economic progress agendas forward.
What gets you most excited about getting up in the morning and living your life? What are you most passionate about?
I’m most excited about the lives I touch through my work. When I get a note saying how my work has positively impacted someone’s life, I’m humbled, inspired, and motivated. I’m most passionate about moving the social and economic progress agendas forward.
How did you discover that to be your true passion?
Trial and error. I’ve done a lot of different things throughout my career and it seemed all over the place at times. However, in hindsight, I see that it was all leading someplace meaningful. I believe we have to experiment before we uncover our sweet spot.
Biggie Smalls once said, “we can’t change the world, unless we change ourselves.” What’s one personal change you’re working to make or have made, and how do you think it will help you be a better change agent in the world?
My personal change has been working through the discomfort of fear and uncertainty. In spite of being generally extroverted, I can be extremely introverted. I have a tendency to overthink things, and I want everything to be “right.” That cocktail of things can be paralyzing, but I push past it. I believe in my work enough to be uncomfortable while I share my gifts with the world and strive to play a bigger game.
What social change do you want to be a result of your work and ultimately a part of your legacy?
I want to create a global movement toward living well and doing good - the realization that when you are in harmony with your purpose and taking meaningful action toward that purpose, you are positioned to invest in humanity and positively impact your community and the world. I want to be a catalyst for scalable change that yields a more self-aware population. I believe that service is the rent we pay for being on the planet, and I want to inspire more people to live with that framework.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on the stage/DVD version of a book I created last year entitled The Legacy Letters which features 30 high profile women writing letters to their younger selves. I’m also in pre-production on a docuseries on young entrepreneurs. At some point, I’ll return to the pen and pad and write another book.
What’s your go-to quote or song to keep you feeling motivated and empowered in pursuing your dreams?
I am a huge Ralph Waldo Emerson fan. He said, “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” I get up every morning with that as my goal.
For more information on Lisa Nicole Bell, you can find her here:
www.lisanicolebell.com // www.fromherpen.com // www.artcommercelife.com // www.inspiredgirlsonline.com // www.twitter.com/lisanicolebell
It’s baaaack! Our friends at #AwkwardBlackGirl launched Season 2 the other week with “The Sleepover” on Pharrell’s #iamOTHER channel. Check it!
Know This! Tour: Official Trailer
Fed up with the state of reality TV, in Fall 2011, Ariana Proehl took her online talk show “Know This!” on a 14-city tour to show and prove that we are more than Real Housewives and Basketball Wives. This trailer highlights the 8-week tour that kicked off in New York City and captured 41 interviews with some of the country’s top next generation leaders and creative entrepreneurs in media, music, fashion, business, politics, public service and more.
From the Bay to LA, we’re checking in with two healers, Kali Shirley Johnson of Soulistic Wellness and Chris Pearson of Be Well Natural Integral Healing Space, that embody our saying that Knowledge of Self is Sexy, and look to make holistic healing accessible to us all.
In Los Angeles, Ariana is talking with Alicia Zakon, educator & author of the upcoming book “Laundry and Love Notes,” and Nijla Mu'min, writer, filmmaker & photographer, about finding their creative voices and the power of sharing our voices and our truths even when we’re scared.
We’re in Hollywood! And Ariana’s sitting down with Issa Rae, the creator & star of hot new web comedy series “The Misadventures of AWKWARD Black Girl” (www.awkwardblackgirl.com). Issa dishes on being from an awkward family, acting & directing, her dream theme song for the show and more…Check it!
In their first on-camera cast interview, actors of hot new web comedy series Awkward Black Girl (www.awkwardblackgirl.com) dish on behind the scenes antics, ABG fans, getting recognized in public, favorite scenes & more…Actors Madison Shockley (Fred), Andrew Allan James (A), Hana (Boss Lady), Lyman Johnson (White J) and Tristen Winger (Darius aka “Baby Voice”) guest.
On Know This! we have a saying that “Knowledge of Self is Sexy.” In this episode, Knowledge of SEX is Sexy. So let’s talk about it! We have Nurse Practitioner Simran Tagore on hand, as well as voices repping East Oakland’s Youth UpRising in the house talking about what it means to be sexually empowered and the important stats you need to know.
Ariana’s talking to Oakland born and bred hip hop artist & educator, Do D.A.T. Watch him spit a lil somethin’ from his album Oakland in Blue, and drop some knowledge when it comes to mentoring young artists through youth program BUMP Records.
Ariana talks with the leaders of Urban Underground, a youth development organization working to bring out the best in the underserved youth of Milwaukee, one of the most segregated cities in the U.S.
They got next–and they got dreams! And not to be the next Snooki (thank goodness). Ariana visits the Southwest Youth Collaborative and Chicago Freedom School to hear the candid dreams of some of their youth participants, and some of the personal and social issues making those dreams a struggle in reality. We also hear from the young adult mentors and youth development workers helping support those dreams.