Becoming a Bawse with Kimberly Blackwell

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Becoming a Bawse with Kimberly Blackwell"

Podcast: Keep it Positive, Sweetie
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett (with producer Dinora)
Guest: Kimberly Blackwell
Air Date: October 17, 2023
Podcast Network: The Black Effect and iHeartPodcasts

---

Episode Overview

The episode “Becoming a Bawse with Kimberly Blackwell” is an empowering conversation between host Crystal Renee Hayslett and business powerhouse Kimberly Blackwell. Together, they dive deep into what it means to be a “boss” – in business, relationships, and life. The two women discuss authenticity, success, significance, partnership, personal growth, generational influence, Black women’s excellence, the power of faith, and navigating high-performance environments. The episode is filled with practical wisdom, memorable quotes, and plenty of laughter and real talk.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Meeting, Energy & Building Meaningful Connections

• First Meeting Story: Crystal and Kimberly reminisce about their first meeting through mutual friend DeAndre Tristan and how their genuine energy and authenticity sparked a lasting friendship.
• Nurturing Connections: Kimberly emphasizes she is intentional about whom she builds with:

  "I do know a lot of people, but there aren't a lot of people that I will take the time to nurture something meaningful." (01:40)

• Moving Quietly & Selectively:

  "I'm very humble. I know from where my best blessings flow. And I stick and move very quietly and selectively." (02:23)

• Lesson in Networking: Kimberly shares life “free game”:

  "You get better things without a plus one, ma’. You don’t always need a plus one." (02:49 - 02:58)

---

Authenticity, Style, and Privacy

• Expressing Through Style: Kimberly recounts her first job in retail and always loving to express herself through fashion—voted best dressed as a freshman in college.
• Value of Privacy:

  "I am a hyper private person ... I like that people don't know what I do. Those who need to know, know." (18:27-18:46)

• Being a Mystery in the Room: Both discuss the power of letting work and presence speak, especially as Black women in high-profile environments.

---

The Gathering Spot Conflict: Leadership & Mediation

• Navigating Business Crises: Kimberly shares how she stepped in to mediate a public business dispute between Black-owned companies, using her business acumen, privacy, and influence to resolve tensions.

  "A lot of things can be resolved through communication...When God gives you superpowers, they should be used for a greater good." (09:36-10:53)

• Leadership for Community:

  "We owe it to our ancestors and our next leaders to get in the way." (11:09)

---

Family, Upbringing, and Words of Affirmation

• Parental Influence: Kimberly describes being raised by loving, affirming parents – her mother, a schoolteacher-turned-superintendent, affirmed her and her siblings daily calling them “geniuses.”

  "At an early age, my mother was a schoolteacher...she calls us genius. And so those words of affirmation...We were not like, where we didn't feel that we could be anything that we wanted to be." (11:39–13:29)

• Modeling Lasting Partnership: Kimberly credits watching her parents’ marriage and teamwork, as well as her athletic background, for her discipline, ability to take criticism, value of team, and sustaining relationships.

  "Marriage really isn't 50/50. There are shifts...do you have a partner that understands the shifts?" (16:35)

---

Romance, Independence, and Security

• On Finding Love & The Right Partner:

  "It takes a secure man to deal with me...What I'm not willing to do is to dial back my blessings to accommodate any insecurities." (18:27–18:47)

• Having It All: Both discuss the reality of finding both love and career success, referencing Kimberly’s parents’ unique story and their own journeys in dating and relationships.
• Soft Girl Era & Submissiveness: Kimberly talks about the importance of vulnerability and being able to “turn off” boss mode at home:

  "Men need to feel needed...how do I show up as a woman and understanding...I subscribe to the word. I know what it means to be submissive." (29:13–29:36)

---

Friendship, Giving, and Expectations

• Giving Heart & Managing Expectations:

  "I needed to stop expecting me from other people...Just because it's not reciprocated the same way doesn't mean they're a bad person." (25:09-26:22)

• Friendship Breakups & Loyalty: Both discuss the pain and process of outgrowing friendships, jealousy/envy within circles, and handling those transitions with compassion and boundaries:

  "The reveal is just that, a reveal. And what you can do is maintain the friendship, but it will be different." (37:26–37:37)

---

Faith, Gratitude, and The Power of Testimony

• Unapologetic Faith:

  "I'm unapologetic in my faith. Because when God has been as good as he is and will be for me, I will not hide it." (32:05)

• Humble Beginnings: Kimberly recalls driving a Honda with a coat hanger holding up the bumper, running her business from a 600 sq ft apartment:

  "For the grace and mercy of God...if you have a problem with me talking about how good He is then we probably not gonna talk a lot." (33:00)

• On Favor:

  "Favor ain't fair...Because we can say, and it's not a brag or a boast, it's a praise." (33:31–33:37)

---

Navigating Corporate Spaces & Bringing Culture to Commerce

• Being The Only One In The Room: Kimberly often works with and leads in environments as the only Black woman, leaning into her expertise and building tenured relationships.

  “When I partner with a corporation, it’s not to be here today, gone tomorrow...I know consumers, I know what it looks like in the sense of business transformation.” (44:06–46:48)

• The Power of Proximity: How courtside seats and being present in unexpected spaces leads to lucrative opportunities and visibility for other Black women:

  "You never know just what that means...it means something to see you as a Black businesswoman go sit down, feet on the wood, courtside." (49:27–50:08)

---

Authentic Confidence & Code Switching

• Authenticity as a Superpower:

  "I think that when people connect with you in your purest form of authenticity, I don't have to switch up...I'm comfortable in my skin...I can go and switch, but it's not code switching." (55:10–57:41)

• Bringing Others Up: Kimberly advocates for mentorship and sponsorship, for Black women especially, in all her deals and opportunities:

  "Your network can determine your net worth...it is very easy to stay in circles that look like us. Get up and get out." (39:57–40:12)

---

Performance, Pressure & The Reality of Being a Woman Leader

• Navigating Stereotypes:

  "You show up confident...But being a powerful woman like you are often is called challenging, difficult, and a bitch, for lack of better words." (61:30)

• Preparation & Humility:

  "Prepared. Over prepared. Oh, you have to be over prepared. Collaborative. And also coachable." (61:42–62:27)

---

Significance Over Success

• Building a Legacy of Impact:

  "It's not about success. It's about significance." (68:58)

• Giving Back: Advocating for continuous self-improvement, investing in learning, and always finding a way to pay forward your blessings.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A candle loses none of its light by lighting another.” (39:12, Kimberly)
• “Take the high road. It will never fail you.” (41:03, Kimberly)
• “If you know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what you are supposed to be doing, then you stay the course.” (88:29, Kimberly)
• “If at your core, you do everything rooted in love…I’m shrewd, I’m direct…but if you know, my heart and my intention is always rooted in love…the power in how you receive, digest, everything I do will be taken in its proper context.” (96:01–96:33, Kimberly)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:09 – Introduction & meeting story
• 01:26 – The importance of energy and intentionality in relationships
• 06:05 – “What does she do?” – Kimberly explains her role and career
• 07:43–11:09 – Navigating The Gathering Spot crisis, “using superpowers for good”
• 11:15–14:21 – Family, upbringings, words of affirmation, and partnership
• 18:27–20:38 – On privacy, dating, and security
• 22:28–25:33 – Growth in relationships & self-inventory
• 25:38–30:45 – Friendship, giving, and managing expectations
• 31:48–34:39 – Being unapologetically faith-driven
• 37:13–43:03 – Handling jealousy, friendship transitions, and staying positive
• 44:06–50:08 – Being a Black woman in corporate spaces, authenticity, and proximity
• 55:10–58:01 – Authentic confidence and not code switching
• 61:30–63:22 – Challenges as a confident Black woman leader
• 68:58–69:13 – “It’s not about success, it’s about significance.”
• 80:42 – Advice for aspiring businesswomen and navigating fear/insecurity
• 87:27 – Listener letter: transitioning to entrepreneurship and overcoming fear
• 94:56 – “We’ve glamorized this whole thing about being your own boss. I just want people to be a boss, period, in whatever position that is.”
• 95:09 – “Keep it __, sweetie” signature close; Crystal chooses “significant,” Kimberly chooses “in love.”

---

Actionable Advice for Listeners

For Aspiring Women in Business:

• Understand what you can afford to do, and learn the ropes within corporate environments before launching out.
• Invest in continuous learning.
• Be strategic with your relationships—build a strong network and seek mentorship/sponsorship.
• Stay authentic—be yourself in every room.
• Find your community or “tribe” for support.

Navigating Transition & Fear:

• Don’t expect immediate success—start small, scale up, and don’t quit your day job prematurely.
• Minimize overhead, reinvest profits, and be resourceful.
• Follow your gut, but pair passion with practical business planning.

---

Episode Takeaways

• Authenticity, faith, and humility are foundational for leadership, business, and life as a Black woman.
• Legacy matters more than titles; success is about significance.
• Being a boss isn’t defined by entrepreneurship only – you can boss up in any role, organization, or community.
• Invest in yourself—your skills, your network, your tribe.
• Find ways to give back and lift others as you climb.
• Keep It Positive, Sweetie: No matter how challenging the environment or complicated the relationship, remain rooted in love, positivity, and authenticity.

---

Transcript

[Krystal Renée]

Hey, guys, and welcome to this episode of Keep It Positive, sweetie. And today, we are talking about being a boss. Okay? And I have none other than the biggest boss lady herself, Kimberly Blackwell. Oh, my goodness. First of all, Kimberly, thank you so much for coming to sit on the couch with me today.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

First of all, you called me and was like, will you do my podcast? I'm like, are you kidding me? Like, it was an honor to be asked. I'm extremely proud of you. You know it. I say it all the time. You give me my podcast all the time. And I'm just so excited for all that's happening. And, you know, I like being a sideline spectator and watching your big life. I'm just proud of you.

[Krystal Renée]

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I remember when I first met you, DeAndre Tristan, a brother of ours. Shout out, DeAndre.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We love you. What's up?

[Krystal Renée]

DeAndre, super talent stylist. Just amazing. I met him on Good Morning America because he styles Robin Roberts when I was still styling Tyler, and that's how we got cool. And then you came in town, and he was like, come have brunch with us. And that's the first time we met. And we ran into each other a few times after that. And then Soul train awards around 20, 21, we ran into each other. That's when we reconnected and swapped numbers.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But let me tell you something. What's interesting, too, is that I'm really big on energy.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, me too.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So for me at lunch that day, I was kind of curious.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because we vibed. And I'm very selective in where and how I kind of, you know, everybody will say, oh, Kim, you know everybody. And I do know a lot of people, but there aren't a lot of people that I will take the time to nurture something meaningful. And for me, when I saw you again, I was like, oh, okay. And we were able to spend some time together. You know, I have some great clients. You were worthy of an opportunity. And so we did some business together. And from that, I was just. We went to eat.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And we yacked and yacked and yacked.

[Krystal Renée]

I said, do you want me? I said, did you want to bring. I know who you had in town. He's like, no, just me and you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

I was like, I get one of them.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. You treat me like I'm talent. You know, I'm like, I am that person where I am very humble. I know from where my best blessings flow. And I stick and move very quietly and selectively. And A lot of folks, you will see me show up places by myself. I don't need an entourage. I have a lot of great friends. And I've also learned trick of the trade.

[Krystal Renée]

What's that?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You get better things without a plus one, ma'.

[Dinora]

Am.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Free game.

[Krystal Renée]

Free game. Best free game.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You don't always need a plus one. And I will say that in a lot of opportunities, I've been very fortunate that way. But I knew that evening when we had dinner that it would manifest into something that I cherish now as a sister.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, I just appreciate you. Like, every time I call you, you just. First of all, the energy, like you said, the energy is top tier. Everything you do. I mean, can y' all just look at the woman?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Like, no, first of all, don't even. So we keeping it real. I was like, so, what's the vibe tomorrow? She was like, girl, I haven't even gotten that far. So, you know, I didn't know what to wear. I know. I'm coming to your beautiful home. Right? But then you walked outside, and I was like, oh, that's what we doing today. Because, you know, you got your own game.

[Krystal Renée]

You set the bar, though.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So you know what? Fun fact. And I told you so. I am a hyper private person, and we'll talk about that. But I did. I said, I'm gonna give a little. This is my girl. I'm gonna give a little bit to her audience. But fun fact, I've always enjoyed expressing myself through style. And so a lot of folks, their first job may have been McDonald's. Mine was retail. So I was working at TJ Maxx. I was working that, you know, the Gap. And so my freshman year of college, we had a magazine called the Happenings. My freshman year, who was the best dressed?

[Dinora]

You.

[Krystal Renée]

I already know it. So been there.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I kind of been doing this.

[Krystal Renée]

Like, B said, been on, been town.

[Dinora]

What?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, we're coming off a Renaissance class.

[Krystal Renée]

You know, clearly, we're still on the Renaissance side.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yes, we are.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, my gosh. I knew, like. And I literally went to my class, okay, what would Kimberly wear?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, And Kim came chill today.

[Krystal Renée]

Kim came chill. But Kim still.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Kim came chill today again. I just, you know, I feel like a lot of times you show up in a way in which you express your energy. I knew here I wanted to be very authentic. I knew I wanted to be very comfortable. I'm actually a little bit afraid because I'm like, if she gets me in an Oprah, you know, I needed to be prepared. But I'M ready for you.

[Krystal Renée]

Thank you. Thank you so much. When I think about being a boss, the first song that comes to mind is Independent by Destiny's Child. All my women independent Throw your hands up everywhere.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Come on, soft flex. Come on, you can sing. Sing, girl.

[Krystal Renée]

Me, me, me.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Me. I can't sing.

[Krystal Renée]

I was up screaming last night watching Beyonce. So my notes a little off right now. But no, I want to tell. Give them a little background of who you are, because a lot of people may not. I mean, even me, like, still, like, it's still like a mystery about you. I always. I was like, it's just something about. And I love that you keep that mystique because that's what keeps people curious.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And you can just fly under the radar.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

Not people not knowing you in the rooms, moving the room. You know what I'm saying? Shaking.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

One of the top questions is now, what does she do?

[Krystal Renée]

Literally?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I mean, there is a lot by way of how I spend my time as a business leader. You know, I own and operate a business. I sit as an lp, as an investor. I'm a serial investor across various funds. I'm a corporate director and a publicly traded company. I wear a lot of hats and also in a lot of cases, serve in a function of crises management and mitigation. So a lot of the stuff that you all see that's. You don't see me.

[Krystal Renée]

We don't. But it's you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I might be there. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

Recently, the gathering spot, that was a big public thing. And the gathering spot is so huge in our community. And you were very vital.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know why? There are a lot of lessons in that. Let's talk about it and let's talk about that. Because I think that for me, what happened was I was traveling, so I didn't know how things had hit the public airwaves. And I had come home from New York and a friend had sent a dm and it had some stuff around it. And I was like, you know, I knew both CEOs, but I didn't like what I was seeing by way of the media and as black business leaders. And these are scaled businesses. These are not mom and pops. It really hurt me at my core that that was the narrative and that one, we were at odds publicly and that two, it was a merger and acquisition deal. I do a lot of things around M and A, and there are complications to that. And so for me, it was like both CEOs. I called Ryan Wilson first, and it was not to be involved. It was actually to check on TK Peterson to make sure that he was okay.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Love, TK and because of the friendship that we. We have, he shared some things. At the end, I am, folks will tell you, I'm a vault. I value, you know, confidence in folks being able to share things privately. And I said, well, you know what? I actually think that this is something that could be resolved. I said, and if you're comfortable, because I didn't want to break confidence, I'd ask you to allow me to do what I do. And so he said, if you think, you know, it's worth your time, I'm open to it. I called Ryan Glover. He called me right back. And what I want to say about Ryan Glover is that his baby is like my baby Haley. She goes to Syracuse. I love her to death, but he and I did not know one another well. But, you know, he felt comfortable. And, you know, one of the things I would say to folks is that, you know, I stand strongly on my reputation.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And what I hope it is is that I'm not messy. To your point on privacy, I try to keep my name out of a lot of things, but as a business person, I'm shrewd. But I'm also very compassionate as a leader. And he immediately gave that opportunity. And we huddled up, and for about nine or 10 days. They were very long days, but very meaningful days. And there weren't a lot of people around.

[Dinora]

Mm.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

TK Ryan Wilson, Ryan Glover, and myself.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And we were able to resolve it. And the bigger messages, you know, Forbes had headlines, million Dollar Mess, and all these different things, is that a lot of things can be resolved through communication. And they wanted what was best for everyone. And I told them, guys, the gathering spot, as you mentioned, you know, here in Atlanta, Louisiana, like, you know, across the country, it is powerful in what they've built by way of community.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And so it meant that much to me. And always, I tell folks I like to use my superpowers for a greater good. If I could be a bridge to see that happen, because there are a lot of people who look like us black folks. Sorry that I felt like could have stepped in to help this out sooner. And we have to understand that when we are put in positions of influence, it should be to impact always positive. Because I also believe that when God gives you superpowers, they should be used for a greater good. But he also sees if you have something, you're not using it the right way and abusing it quickly. As he give it to you, he Will take it away.

[Krystal Renée]

Absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So again, it worked out and, you know, just a lesson in how we owe it to our ancestors and we owe it to our next and future leaders to get in the way.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. I love that you stepped in. You put your Olivia Pope white hat on and fixed it.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It's handled.

[Krystal Renée]

It's. And it is handled. Handle.

[Dinora]

Okay.

[Krystal Renée]

I love it. I love it. So you were born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a household with both parents, played basketball and volleyball growing up, and you talked about how your mother would call you and your siblings geniuses. Let's talk about the impact of receiving words of affirmation that actually build the confidence and strong sense of self worth and self belief at a very young age.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, I know.

[Krystal Renée]

It's so important.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It is very important. And I feel very blessed and fortunate. My parents last week celebrated 55 years of marriage. They met in the fourth grade. They went to prom together. They went to college together. You know, that doesn't mean that they have not probably had their own ebb and flow. What I do tell people is that if it was really bad, we never saw it. Right. We didn't know. And so to that point, I've been very blessed and fortunate to witness everlasting love. They are one another's best friend. They travel the world together. My dad writes love letters. My mother calls him her boyfriend. But to your question, at a very early age, my mother was a schoolteacher. She retired as the superintendent. But we would come home from school and see kids in our dining room. And I'm like, who are these kids?

[Krystal Renée]

Right?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But she was a hands on teacher who believed fundamentally in making deposits into others. And so not knowing their circumstances at home, our home became their home. And so we were instilled at a very age the power of giving back. And I subscribed to the belief to whom much is given, much is required. And she does to this day, she calls us genius. You know, and so those words of affirmation, her being an educator. I started school at a very young age. I was started at 3. I was advanced to grade girl. I pledged as a teenager.

[Krystal Renée]

You know, can you tell what she pledged?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Facts.

[Krystal Renée]

I see.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But that said, there was never a time that, you know, we were not like, where we didn't feel that we could be anything that we wanted to be. And we had the support of my father and my mother. My father lived. I mean, we grew up watching him as mayor. But what I also saw was that he put his family first.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, that's good.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So all of my games, as you mentioned, being an athlete were on his schedule. So he would come no matter what he was doing. Running the city, running the state. My father has always made time, and we have never doubted God first his family right there as well.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. That's so good and so important. I know. Like, especially the things that your mother was doing for those children.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

A lot of them weren't getting that at home.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And education goes past the hours of three.

[Dinora]

It does.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It's a village.

[Krystal Renée]

It keeps going. Once you get to do the homework, that's what you really get. All the lessons you need.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And then, like today, you don't know kids are going home. You know, they don't have food. They don't, you know, they're going home and they're being raised because mom and or dad has to work two or three jobs. And, you know, big bro is like, holding it down. And so I think we have duty to make sure that we are looking out for those. I don't even want to say the least of these, because sometimes it's not just the least of these. We have duty to look out, period.

[Dinora]

Period.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. That's good. A duty to look out.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Period. Period.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. What did you learn about partnership, whether personal or professional, by watching and witnessing your parents and being a part of sports teams?

[Dinora]

I know.

[Krystal Renée]

I was an athlete growing up.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I know.

[Krystal Renée]

That has carried me through my. Just that discipline. It's something about, like, being in an organized sport or something organized in school that just carries, like, you push through. Like, I got constructive criticism very early on.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Krystal Renée]

I was able to take it because our cheerleading coach, we were like the competition. Cheers. So it was hard. She didn't care if your bone was sticking out. You keep going.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Nose breathing, keep going.

[Krystal Renée]

I'm like, okay.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, that's like, you know, for me to have played sports competitively, I think, as you mentioned, life lessons, teamwork, camaraderie, role playing, sacrifice, commitment, discipline. You know, I am very big on. We also had the house going back to my parents. That was like. Everybody came over to the Blackwells after school. So we had the basement. Everybody was in the basement, you know, And I just really think when I look at partnership, particularly in a household, I saw that Marriage really isn't 50, 50.

[Krystal Renée]

Talk about it.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

There are shifts a lot of times, and most times it may be 70, 30, 80, 20.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But, you know, do you have a partner that understands the shifts?

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And do you have a partner that can celebrate you at all times. See, my mother knew that my father's profile was his profile, but my father knew that he had a baddie, too, and he could celebrate her and lift her and know that when it was her season. And so you really want to look at where and how you find a partner or a mate that is secure because, you know, when you're blessed and fortunate, it could be challenging.

[Krystal Renée]

Absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, let's get into that, because we. It is. And I am of the belief that I am very humble. I promise you, I am.

[Krystal Renée]

You are.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, because for me, it's just. That is who I am in my core. Right. And so it's always funny. People are like, you're so personable. Well, why wouldn't I be? You know, so that's how I was raised. But what I will say to you, too, is that it takes a special guy to understand my world that's real, and not my Instagram world, my real life. Hey, because I am, to your early point, I'm going to give you what I want to give you. On social platforms, I'm the same way. That's what I choose to give you. But the privacy as currency, the anonymity, there's power in that. I like that. People don't know what I do.

[Krystal Renée]

I know that's right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Those who need to know, know. And so what I will also tell you, too, is that when you're dating and looking for that mate or partner, what I also have learned is that it takes a secure man to deal with me.

[Dinora]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm talking about secure. And what I'm not willing to do is to dial back my blessings to accommodate any insecurities because they don't go away. And so, you know, when you think you are making all of these, like, you know, they're there, they're there. Now, they may have, like, little spikes here and there, but what I try to, you know, say, not just for men, again, you in that space, you know, is that we really want the.

[Krystal Renée]

Things that don't cost a thing that money cannot buy. That is so true.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Can I get a listening Earth?

[Dinora]

Okay.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You've been listening to my phone calls. I'm just saying. And so. And I don't, you know, for me, I date. And I have very good men around me. So, you know, in case any of them watching, because, you know, you got about a million followers. Right, Right. But where I am right now and going back to what you asked and what I've witnessed. Yeah, I know what it takes to be sustainable because you can have a great partner, and it can be a great season of dating. But when you hit a bump, what's up?

[Dinora]

What's up?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

What you doing? And for.

[Dinora]

For.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

What I know and where women are today, young women who are very aspirational, you can have both. I've seen it. I've seen it. But it does take a special kind of mate.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, absolutely. I went through years of my life where I was like, well, maybe love is just not in the cards for me. Maybe that's the sacrifice of things. That. Yeah, I'm experiencing it now. But, like, if I was like, for a while, I was like, maybe. I used to joke, like, I'm gonna be like, oprah, just give me a steadman. You know what I'm saying? I'm gonna be good, you know? And I don't even know the particulars of their relationship.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We know what works for. But you know what? We know it works for them. It works. You know what I mean? And so whatever works for whomever, you know, you like it. I love it. Period.

[Krystal Renée]

Exactly. Oprah. We love it.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Oprah, we love it. We love to see it. Hey, Stabman.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Krystal Renée]

No, seriously. And I was like, God, maybe a part of me. And I don't know if you. This feeling or a season in your life where you like God, like, if you have everything in the world, everything is like, I don't have anybody to share it with. I had seasons like that where I was like, dang. Then I was like, well, maybe that's not in the cars for me. Maybe that's the sacrifice of having it all or not. You know what I'm saying?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I honestly believe you could have it all. I've seen, you know, my parents have it all. You know what I mean? But I do believe that my parents also met, Remember, fourth grade. Fourth grade. And so for them, they grew together.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And so when you have folks who are at different phases and. Or stages, you know, for me, like, you know, everybody's like, man, you gonna have to date white. You gonna have to. He gonna have to.

[Krystal Renée]

You gonna have to go to Dubai, get your points.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And Kimberly Blackwell. I just firmly believe that what God has for me, it is for me, and he will be mine and only mine.

[Krystal Renée]

I know that's right. Speak it.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I love it.

[Krystal Renée]

That's so good, man. It's definitely been.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But I like how you just said. Cause see, I didn't know if we were like, you know, I like how you said, you know, I found it. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

You know, and it's still early. You know what I'm saying? We're getting to know each other, and we've hit those. You hit a bumpy.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Like, what's up?

[Dinora]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

You know, like, we hit those and it's. You, like, have to step back and communicate. You know what I'm saying? Learning each other and just real.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But you know what's funny? Like, I've seen you in dating cycles.

[Krystal Renée]

You have.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and this is different.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, this is different.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And take your time.

[Krystal Renée]

I am. You know what I mean?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I think a lot of times we want to rush things, you know?

[Dinora]

Mm.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm probably more patient than most.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But it's gonna happen.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, it is. I believe it for both of us.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I've already claimed my victory.

[Krystal Renée]

I know that's.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But you know what? In fairness, there are some things that I have to work on.

[Krystal Renée]

I'm learning that even in this relationship, there's things I had to work on, and that's okay.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

That's growth.

[Dinora]

It is. Yeah. Wow.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. Speaking of things you have to work on mental. For me, therapy has helped me realize. Cause I was kind of oblivious to things that I needed to work on. And so I started doing therapy thanks to my manager Dinora, who introduced me to my therapist, Dr. Delanna Zimmerman. And I saw that episode.

[Dinora]

Oh, you did?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I support my friends. Okay. Appreciate you.

[Krystal Renée]

No, but I was like, oh, my gosh, Krystal, you ain't. You know what I'm saying? Like. Cause I can say this sometimes I look and like, I got it all together. And then you meet somebody and you're like, wait a minute. We're putting two different lives together and you realize, oh, I still got things I need to work on. Of course. You know, so that's. I love that you can do that self inventory and be like, there's still things that Kimberly needs work on.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm extremely self aware. Now, my friend might say differently at times. I'm extremely self aware, and I know my areas of opportunity. And for me, it's just the consistent behavioral changes that I sometimes need to make.

[Dinora]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

Same.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We there. You gotta. You know, you're thinking for two.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and I am extremely considerate. And what most people will say is that I have a giving heart. Almost to the point where I'm too giving.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

I. I'm now you on my street, Dr. Darius. My street.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

Give, give, give. Me like. And I had to have a conversation with Tyler about this. About. And I can share this with you, because you probably feel the same way. Have you ever found yourself, like, you give, give, give, and you feel like you're not getting it back, and you're like, dang, you start to kind of get frustrated.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. Let's shift gears out of dating relationships and go to friendships.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I have gone through some things where when I tell you I am a.

[Krystal Renée]

Girl'S girl, you are what you are.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I will give beyond measure. But what I realized too, and this is not anything against, you know, any particular friend, it's just that I realized that I needed to stop expecting me from other people. Because the things in which and how I would operate as a friend may not be the way they would operate. Doesn't mean they're a bad person. It just means that I needed to manage and shift my expectations.

[Krystal Renée]

Yep, absolutely. That's what Tyler told me. He was like, take money out of it. Take what you do out of it. And Jenora said the same thing. A lot of times, whoever you're sowing into may not sow back into you. And Tyler made a great comment. He said, you know, Crystal, he said, I used to look around, be like, I'm doing all this for these people and like, I'm not getting anything in return. And God told him, tyler, they can't do it to the level you do it. They'll never be able to do what you do for them. And he said, you just gotta look at their heart. How do you feel when you're around them?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And do you feel loved?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So true.

[Krystal Renée]

And I was like, wow, that is so true.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I realized that, like, you know, different friends have different gifts.

[Dinora]

Yep.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and for me, I love a good time. I love to laugh, you know, so I pay attention to energy. I make the shifts as needed. Who am I laughing with the most? And when I'm having a hard time, who's recognizing my hard time? And are they sometimes giving me a hard time in my hard time?

[Krystal Renée]

Ooh, Kimberly.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, that part. So you know where and how I look at my peace now?

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

How I'm giving the heisman in separation is intentional, but it's not to be received in anything of malice. It's just where I am and how I'm looking at things and what I need for me.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. That's so good. That was such a good point. But let's. I want to double back to, like, dating. You and I are both. I'm a very hyper masculine or not hyper masculine. Let me go back.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

No, you ain't hardly hyper masculine.

[Krystal Renée]

No, you are not.

[Dinora]

I'm a nigga.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Well, no. Okay, so keep going. You can say it the way you.

[Krystal Renée]

Want to say it, but, yeah, I'm hyper independent. I'm super independent. But because of my independence, it does create this, like a. You know what I'm saying? Like, you kind of got it, like, you know what I'm saying? It's this facade that comes up with this Persona where you're like, I'm her.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know what I'm saying?

[Krystal Renée]

And does that interfere with, like.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Well, you know what? So here's what I'll say. I realize that I own and operate a business. I realize that I sit in boardrooms and I go in and I am asked to lead by governance and solving. I know that that requires a position to sometimes be stern and direct, but I realized, too, that that's what I do. That's not always who I need to show up in who I am, especially in a relationship.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Men need to feel needed.

[Krystal Renée]

They do.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and so, you know, what is it and how is it in my soft girl era, Right. That I show up as a woman and understanding. I subscribe to the word. I know what it means to be submissive. I have no pride. I tell. Hey, I have no pride with you, babe.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

No, none. So I can allow myself to be vulnerable in a relationship that I find is worthy and meaningful for me to show up that way.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

When you start breaking down, like, I used to date this guy, and he used to say, cool. Cool ass, Kim. You know, because that was the energy that you gave. That I gave him initially, but he broke me.

[Dinora]

Ooh.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Ow. Okay, so. But you want. You know, I want a man to be a man. I'm not a man.

[Dinora]

Hello.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And in all that I have to do as a leader, as a manager, as a provider, sometimes I just want a hook, baby. What?

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Sometimes I want you to say, you know what? Pack your bag, let's go.

[Krystal Renée]

Actually, don't we pack a shop when we get there?

[Dinora]

What?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, so you want someone to recognize what you may need, but you also have to be deliberate and intentional about what they may need.

[Krystal Renée]

Absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I tend to over index in that because I realize God is so good to me. I'm talking about so good. And I know that there may be some disparities. Disparities in the things that actually don't mean a lot to me.

[Dinora]

Right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But I recognize that and how men and. Or whomever may need to process that with their partner, because I don't want anyone to feel inadequate.

[Dinora]

No.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But what I do want you to figure out is what are you giving me that no one else is?

[Dinora]

Yes. Oh, that's good.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and why and where is it and why is it that I run to you when I'm having a bad day? That I run to you because I can depend on you to bring a smile to my face or an inside joke?

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know?

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

That's so true. Oh, so good. We often talk about faith. You don't hide your faith none at all. And I love that we've gone to church together.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yes, we have. Yes, we have. I mean, again, I'm unapologetic in my faith.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because when God has been as good as he is and will be for me, I will not hide it.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I also know that in my darkest hours in time, it's been me and Him. That's it.

[Dinora]

That's it. Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And so to know what he has done, I'm talking about, you know, folks, these kids, you know, they go on Instagram and they see xyz, they want the instant and immediate gratification. You know, I drove a Honda with a hangar that held my bumper up.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

What 600 square foot apartment is where I started my business.

[Dinora]

Yes. Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Gilded, multimillion dollar enterprise. I write seven figure checks to go into investments. But for the grace and mercy of God. And so for me, I am. I know from where my blessings flow. And if you have a problem with me talking about how good he is, then we probably not gonna talk a lot.

[Dinora]

Hello.

[Krystal Renée]

Cause he's gonna come up.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We talk all the time. Because we can say. And it's not a brag or a boast, it's a praise.

[Krystal Renée]

It is a praise.

[Dinora]

Ooh.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, because like I said, you know, for some folks, favor ain't fair.

[Krystal Renée]

And it ain't. Let's touch and agree on that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Cause it ain't.

[Dinora]

God has been good to us.

[Krystal Renée]

Favor is not fair. I definitely wasn't touched on that. Because I know.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. I'm glad you did. Cause that's a huge part of who you are. You know, if you come to my page, you know, folks come to my page, they want. Oh, you know, she got the pieces, right.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And sometimes I do, but. But that's not why I want you to come to my page. I promise you, I don't have. I figured out that that may be what lures people to my page. Yeah, I know that. So I'll give a piece or two.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But what I really want you on my page is for that social Sunday sermon.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Krystal Renée]

Yes. You gonna give it to us?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Cause I'm gonna give it. And I'm gonna give it along with the word. Because if I can have and touch one person on Sunday who may be struggling, who may need a word.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Who may not know him, but can see what he has done for me. Because if he can do it for me, he can do it for you.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh my goodness. What I tell everybody around me. If you see what God is doing for me, what makes you think he won't do it for you? Because a lot of times you got people around you who. Where they may be jealous or envious or not even understand like why you. And not even thinking I'm next. You know what I'm saying? Like you have to look around and.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Be like, how do you see? Again, I'm flipping it.

[Krystal Renée]

Let's do it. Yeah, let's talk.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I'm mad at myself that I waited too long to flip it. How do you deal with the fact that you are in a season to where God continues to show you things unimaginable. You have folks in your circle who may not be excelling at the same pace.

[Dinora]

Mm.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

How do you deal with friends who really want to be good friends? But you see.

[Dinora]

Mm.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Cause you know.

[Dinora]

Uh huh.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We do see it.

[Krystal Renée]

We see it how you deal with it. Well actually I just talked about this. I'm going through a purging season where God has revealed a lot of things in my life.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

I think oftentimes people like us who are givers and we also see the good in everybody even when they not so good. We see that little bit of good. We're like not a good person and you just love them and you just want them to see the good in themselves and change. And I literally had to just start setting boundaries and be like, you know what? This is no longer serving me. And sometimes people, they're in their own way, you know, they see that you're going to. You're climbing and climbing and they're still in the same space. And it's been like that with not just friends, family relationships. I've had to like just really take inventory of everything around me to see who's really here for me. And then you start looking at the people that are entitled.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

You know what I'm saying? To what you have. And the people who have shown jealousy, envy. And envy is a really dangerous thing when it comes to friends. It's really dangerous with anybody. Anybody that's in your circle.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It's scary. It's very dangerous.

[Krystal Renée]

It's very dangerous.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And let me say this. It's dangerous. But you know what else? It's disappointing.

[Dinora]

It's so.

[Krystal Renée]

It's heartbreaking.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It hurts.

[Dinora]

It does.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I mean, it hurts badly.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And it's lonely. It's like once you have. Once you make that step to be like, hey, I can't do this anymore. You go through a phase of. It's almost like it's a breakup, you know, and it hurts so bad. It's like, God, like, why couldn't this person just see it or just be happy and like. Cause you here, you know what I'm saying? We all rocking together. We having a good time together. But they in the corner, like.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And like, I say, you know, for me, like, you know, I try and this is what I've learned. And I would challenge you this. It doesn't have to be a breakup. It does not have to be a breakup.

[Dinora]

Okay.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

The reveal is just that, a reveal. And what you can do is maintain the friendship, but it will be different.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and then you have to.

[Krystal Renée]

Have a conversation with that person. Like, how do you. Or do you just move?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So you know what? You should have the conversation. But I have had it where I have not same, you know, but I actually think you should have the conversation. In a real friendship, you should be able to have the conversation.

[Krystal Renée]

Well, if you had the conversation a.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Few times, man, you coming into my Bible study. Reverend Cordelia Wallace. Reverend Cordelia Wallace, New York. We do Bible study on every Saturday, and she has a great group of women shout out to Simone Smith, who put me in the Bible study. But what I will tell you is that we talk about that in leadership lessons and learnings, but also in friendships and how they evolve after a certain number of times, then you have to really maybe count it as. This isn't. You've tried.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and you know, you just. You move differently.

[Dinora]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You move differently.

[Dinora]

You do.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And this is a person. I have one situation in particular where, like, just love her to death, you know, and it's more so like, you just need to, like, work on yourself and figure out what that is, where that unhappiness is stemming from.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Figure out the root trauma is real.

[Krystal Renée]

It's real.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Trauma is real. And sometimes we don't know what others have been through. And you could be friends with someone for however many years, and you just don't know where what they're navigating still.

[Krystal Renée]

Still.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, I pay attention to, you know, a candle loses none of its light by lighting another. You know who. And how are people clapping when you get those awards and recognitions, baby.

[Krystal Renée]

John Gray talked about that. He did a whole sermon. He was like, God watches how you clap when it ain't your season. I said, wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And what I try to do is I always try to clap. I am the person, too, where I will bring people's names.

[Krystal Renée]

Yes, you will.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Into the room I am always looking at. And I do think that that is one of my superpowers because, you know, I firmly believe that your network can determine your net worth. I move in a lot of circles.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I always challenge people. It is very easy to stay in circles that look like us. Get up and get out.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You don't want to go to that lunch or that outing.

[Krystal Renée]

Go, go.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You never know who was in the room. I sit at tables and am in deals with a lot of men. Men, period. And men that don't look like. You know what's interesting? Some of my biggest advocates are men and men that sometimes do not look like us. Some of my biggest distractors are women that look like us. Ah, keep it positive, sweetie. I said it.

[Krystal Renée]

That's the truth, though.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You said it.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But what I realized is that even when I know that I stay true to who I am.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, you keep it positive, sweetie. What?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And when you do that.

[Krystal Renée]

You get.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Past and to the other side. And what I've learned, and this is a lesson that my mother's taught me, you always take the high road. I'm gonna say that again because a lot of times we in these situations, you always take the high road. It will never fail you. And when you take. Hasn't failed me. And so even when I know. And we said that earlier, stop expecting me from. I take the high road.

[Dinora]

Yeah. Wow.

[Krystal Renée]

That's. Besides Michelle, when they go low.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

When they go low. And my dear friend Candy, when they.

[Krystal Renée]

Go low, she go low.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

She go lower, you know, but she's a great person. So I say that she knows I love her. But what I will say to you is that for me, I would rather because everybody had the three sides of every story and they gonna tell their story. I'm not the person who runs and feels the need to tell my side.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I move in silence.

[Dinora]

Yeah, you do.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I know what road. I know what I did. I know how I did it.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I know circumstances and what and how I tried to always stay as A catalyst. Tell your story.

[Dinora]

Yeah, that's cool.

[Krystal Renée]

I ain't got to say.

[Dinora]

Yeah. Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, you a real one. And I also think too people also you can tell, you know the story, but people are paying attention to how you telling the story.

[Dinora]

They are.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And they also paying attention to how the other person isn't.

[Dinora]

Yeah, they're like.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because again, you know, you don't, you don't have to do it.

[Krystal Renée]

That's so good. I love that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

What would Jesus do?

[Krystal Renée]

Keep it moving. Let him talk.

[Dinora]

I love that.

[Krystal Renée]

So Kim, you are, man, your resume is crazy. You've worked with a lot of Fortune 100 companies such as Nationwide, Chase, Uber. Actually got to do an activation with you at Nationwide.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Nationwide is on my side.

[Krystal Renée]

Amen. I'll sing it for you. Nationwide is on your side.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Come on jingle. Come on out. I'm gonna make sure they see that.

[Krystal Renée]

Next season. Sponsored by Nationwide.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Hey, you know, Cause that's how I move.

[Dinora]

What?

[Krystal Renée]

Period?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

What? What? That's real.

[Krystal Renée]

I love it, I love it, I love it. I wanna talk about your experience. Cause oftentimes I'm sure you the only black person or black woman in those rooms. What is it like gaining respect from your non melanated companies? Cause I know you probably like in there by yourself.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know what I like to say is that, you know, I have great partners. I mean great partners. You name some of them. Nationwide, Uber, Amazon, Chase, I mean Food, Lion. Most of my clients have been tenured clients. I've been doing business with Nationwide for 14 years. I've been doing business with Food Line for over. When I partner with a corporation, it's not to be here today, gone tomorrow. What I love about them is that they actually allow me to go in from an agency of record side as a brand partner, but to learn the entire business. I consider myself a business leader. I'm an owner operator. So I understand with sales, marketing, the intersectionalities, what it looks like in growth channels, I won't do all that. But all of that said, what they also understand is that I know consumers, I know what it looks like in the sense of business transformation. I work with companies that are low market share that now over index because they go into the African American community, they realize our purchasing power, they go into Latinx communities, they look at women, they look at millennials. So. And they let us do it in a way that may be a little bit non traditional. I was talking to an officer at Nationwide literally yesterday and she said, Kim, what you did for us at Black Enterprise, you brought And I took. I took Yandy Smith, I took Ming Lee, I took Rasheeda. And we talked about. I mean, these are three women scaled businesses, multimillionaires, different channels of business. But that's a different story for a financial service provider. But if we don't understand who our consumers are as it relates to protecting what matters most, then we're doing a disservice. And so they can tell their story. Stories in a way that leads to understanding what financial freedoms look like, what generational wealth looks like. So what I love and what I get to do is that, you know, I get to bring a little bit of culture to commerce, to capital, you know, to consumers and where and how companies at corporations, global corporations think differently. And, you know, I go in and do a little corporate thugging. It's a lifestyle, you know? Yes, lifestyle. Ow. I love her.

[Dinora]

I love it.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And you know what? I say, too, it's important, because what I love about what I get to.

[Dinora]

Do is.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, boardroom, pool hall, I tell folks my name is good on any boulevard. And when you. The power of knowing who you are, whose you are, and how you work with others and understanding the full diaspora of a community, it just really becomes game changing.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, I can imagine.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

That's so good.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. And let me say this too, because you asked the question. People want people on their team to win.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You mentioned sports.

[Dinora]

Mm.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm built to win.

[Krystal Renée]

You are.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We ain't playing small. We don't win by two. We win by 20. What?

[Dinora]

Period?

[Krystal Renée]

Okay. Literally. And we know you love your sports.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We know I love my sports. Sports enthusiast. I'm going to a Reds game. Fun fact. You know, we've been owners in the Reds since 2006, so you know where I get this whole business investor. And seeing that, you know, and what that looks like for folks who look like us to be in Major League Baseball. I want an NBA team. Y' all hear that?

[Krystal Renée]

It's coming.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I want an NBA team. But, you know, for me, sports is a part of my outlet.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, it is. We go to the games.

[Krystal Renée]

We do.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, we have fun. We have a lot of fun. The games are an exciting experience.

[Krystal Renée]

They are.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, I love the Hawks. And there. Shout out Melissa Proctor, CMO of the Hawks.

[Dinora]

Will.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

There is nothing. Will everybody. Jamie, we love you all. There is nothing like an Atlanta Hawks.

[Krystal Renée]

It is nothing like it. I tell people, you gonna get a.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Swag and a surf.

[Krystal Renée]

Okay.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You gonna get a little bit of performance. Two chains might be Performing, you know, Atlanta's finest.

[Dinora]

It's.

[Krystal Renée]

Listen, it's just a great experience. It is. Food is good. Great. We got a good team building.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. I've been a season ticket holder now for over 10 years.

[Krystal Renée]

Wow. Because you now. I've been going on my second year because of you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And you know what? I was so proud of you. Cause those tickets ain't cheap.

[Krystal Renée]

They ain't cheap.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I was like, baby girl is doing it. What?

[Krystal Renée]

But I learned from the bag.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm coming to the float. I'm coming. I said, move out the way.

[Dinora]

I'm.

[Krystal Renée]

Let my girl, y'.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

All. But I will say this to you, too. You never know just what that means. Cuz you would be surprised at how many people come up to me and say, it means something to see you as a black businesswoman. Go sit down. Feet on the wood courtside, knowing, you know that. And I thought about it, like, dang, I never thought, you know, I'm just strolling out to my seat. I never thought. But for me, it changed how I looked at a lot of things, because folks see what they can be and how they too.

[Dinora]

Mm. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

You did that for me. You did. I was in the. Actually, I was in the Atlanta Hawks suite last night in the beginning of the concert, and one of the guys who helps, like, keep the score for the team, he sits right in front of me. And it's always like a gesture, like, hello.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And I never knew his name. And he was like, oh. He's like. He's like, this is my wife. This is Crystal. He said, you probably don't think I know, but I watch your shows on bet. She's like, she has two shows on bet.

[Dinora]

I was like, wow.

[Krystal Renée]

And he was like, no, she sits right behind me. And it's just like, you never know who you're gonna sit next to. Literally. One game, I was sitting next to one of the owners of the Sacramento Kings. His wife loved my boots. And then I found out who he was, and I was like, oh, well, my castmates is from there.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You better spit more free game. What I will tell you is that those seats have led to very lucrative business opportunities.

[Krystal Renée]

I can imagine.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

That is crazy. Like, the people I've met just going.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

To games, Proximity is a real thing.

[Krystal Renée]

So to that, I say thank you. Because you exposed me to something, you know, that I didn't even. I see people down there, but I never knew. And we did.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

We were going to the game. You like.

[Krystal Renée]

I'm like, wait a minute.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I Felt like it is. You did it for yourself. And I'm extremely proud.

[Krystal Renée]

Thank you so much.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Can I say something else, too? I just thought about this.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So for your 40th birthday party last year, you invited me and I was like, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

[Dinora]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So think about it. We hadn't known one another that long. Now we have fast tracked the friendship.

[Krystal Renée]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I say this because you don't have to be friends with someone for 15 years to click and then know that that will be a special person in your life for years to Right. And I arrived by myself. And guess what table I was at Table number one. And for me, while I was there to celebrate you, I could have been at table 201. I was there to celebrate you. But seeing and sitting with your parents, seeing how you curated that table with those who minister to you by way of faith.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Not to mention, of course, she had Tyler Perry at table one. You know, it really meant something to me in a way of what? And how God has blessed me with you.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Seriously, wow. Cause I was thinking to myself, like, she just had me anywhere in the room. I know a lot of people in Atlanta.

[Krystal Renée]

Not Camila Blackwell, but I took that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

As the highest form of compliment.

[Krystal Renée]

Thank you. Cause that's what it meant for me. I was like, I want her at my table.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You just. I don't even know if I've ever expressed that to you. You just did not know to how you cemented yourself. And a special. You know, there's nothing you couldn't ask me for that I wouldn't do. Now, that was before the party.

[Dinora]

Yeah. Mm. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And you came back in town like you made time to come back.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Let me tell you something. Going back, whether it's dating or anything else, people like. Oh, Kim, you know, I didn't want to ask you. You so busy. I am. I'm always busy. And gon be busy. I need to be busy. It beats the alternative.

[Dinora]

Hello.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But you're never too busy.

[Krystal Renée]

That's a word.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You're never too busy for the things that matter. And you create the time. You make the shifts. You. You inconvenience yourself in a way that it does not feel like an inconvenience because it's an act of love.

[Krystal Renée]

Thank you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I have no. I will make. I show up for people. And I. That's what I'll. That's another thing. If I had to look at what people. What I hope people see is that she shows up.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, you show up. You do. I've seen you do it for other people, too.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I try.

[Krystal Renée]

Like, you really do. And I'm like, how does she even have the time?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But that. But remember, that's an example of my parents.

[Dinora]

Yes. Wow.

[Krystal Renée]

It goes back to that. I love that code switching is so real.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And she said, yeah, yeah. But what people admire most about you is how unapologetic you are. You dress, you walk, you speak, you show up as yourself in every single room. I want to know, other than the words of affirmation that you received at home, how did you just gain this hope? Just like the way you even walk into the arena, it's like, who that do you have this confidence and what made you be like, I don't have to switch it up because, you know, I've been victim of that. I used to work on Capitol Hill and I'd be talking, hey, what's up, man? All right. And then get a good morning, Senator, dentist office.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

How can I help you?

[Krystal Renée]

Like, come.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

That's a real thing. You know what? I feel like that's a part of my superpower. I think that when people connect with you in your purest form of authenticity, I don't have to switch up. You know, I know I'm well educated. I'm dual degree. I've, you know, gone to Harvard, you know, what are you kidding me? Cornell, you know, you name it. Was this in my notes that was, let me just say, shout out to Dannora for doing her homework, because as a producer, she had just about everything. That might be one little small thing that she missed. But I will tell you, when I saw where and how we were navigating this discussion, one of the most well prepared that I have, and I do a lot by way of media. A lot. So again, but going back to that, and that's always just knowing too, you know, when you talk about making those deposits, you always want to make sure that you are continuing to level up. I never rest on any laurels. And I say that even by way of my clients, the clients that I've mentioned that I've been with for over a decade. I never rest on any. Somebody always chasing, I'm looking, you ain't catching me. And so with that, too. I think people do business with people they like. And I also believe in how you show up is with receipts and proof of performance. When you put the points on the board, you know, they don't have to be your bestie.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Remember, they want to win. That's it. And the other thing is, is that I advise many C suite leaders and beyond corporate America, many high profile people. They need to feel connected to you. They need to know you are a person of integrity. They need to understand your character. And my character is that, you know, I'm comfortable in my skin. I'm comfortable, you know, one day being in the White House, another day being hanging with, you know, my friend Pierre Thomas, AKA P from qc. You know, I mean, I can go and switch, but it's not code switching.

[Krystal Renée]

You ain't switching though.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I may switch. Exactly. The environment may change, but I go in consistently. I will tell you, you know, when I'm spending time with people who don't look like me, what I think they like about me is that I show up 100% as who I am.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And we have fun.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, no, absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I love immersing myself with smart people. And smart comes brilliance, comes in many forms. And you don't have to be degreed. I am. But you don't have to be for me to learn from you, right?

[Krystal Renée]

Absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I can immerse myself on the boulevard and learn. That's what I want. That's why I spend so much time with young people, you know? You know Rachel Jackson.

[Dinora]

Yes. Love.

[Krystal Renée]

Rachy.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Baby, we love you. If I'm looking at Rachi, you know, there's a reason people like you always with her. Guess what? It's mutual. She's teaching me things.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, I literally, you know, yesterday got a text from Desi Banks. I love Desi has done and how he has built a mobile enterprise around content.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So what people think they're calling me for? Cause here's my thing. Secure people help other people secure the bag. So for me, one thing I'm good at is that.

[Dinora]

Right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But what they don't realize is that they are also teaching me.

[Dinora]

Yes. Wow.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that you spoke on how you work in a performance based industry where they want, it's all about the points on board, they want the win. Does that create any stress or self doubt or anxiety for you? And if so like how do you navigate stress and anxiety?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. So here's what I said going back to how we started our roots. You know, I'm a performance athlete, you know, I'm a corporate athlete, you know, so I actually like a little pressure, you know, I do, you know, I want you to think that I might not win because I'm winning, period. You know, Period. And so for me, just that whole drive, I tell folks and I heard you tell denora that she works as hard as Beyonce does. No disrespect, Dinora, but I think that there are not a lot of people who outwork me. I work. And that's what I also like for people to understand is, like, you know what? They can see all that stuff. But you know what? The folks that I work with and partner with as corporate leaders, they will tell you she works, she works. So all that little fluff you all see, she works. They know I am, you know, mitigating crises at one in the morning, two in the morning. I am doing all sorts of board decks, and, you know, I lead ESG on the board that I'm on, you know, so for me, I embrace leadership opportunities because I play to win.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, dude, I love that you carry yourself with a lot of confidence, dignity, and a strong sense of self. And you have this undeniable don't try me energy about you. Don't. Sweet as pie, but don't try her. Please don't try her. I want to talk about the challenges of being a woman in the business, and if you were a man of all, this would be celebrated. You know what I'm saying? But being a powerful woman like you are often is called challenging. We're called challenging difficult and a bitch, for lack of better words. Have you dealt with any of that?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, I mean, you know, you show up, and you show up confident. Now, remember, confident, yet humble.

[Dinora]

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But confident.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Prepared. Over prepared. Oh, you have to be over prepared. Collaborative. There are techniques that I use because I'm five' ten.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I show up, and it's already am the presence. There are certain things I can't control.

[Krystal Renée]

Absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and so I try to present myself with humility, but I am going to. You know, I was talking to a board member, and she's like, kim, what I love is that you're very direct. And I actually asked, like, you know, direct in a way that's off putting. She said, absolutely not. No, Because I'm also coachable, and I think that's what we also have to be is coachable.

[Krystal Renée]

Absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And realizing that I never want it to be that, I don't feel like I'm growing. And so, you know, I don't know Tyler Perry, but, like, for me, like, I want to talk with a Tyler Perry so I can pick his brain and actually make some deposits.

[Krystal Renée]

I know that's right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I love to be around people who are constantly in elevation mode. You know what I mean? So whether it's Oprah. Whether it's Melody Hobson, you know, whether it's the Thunder Ducket, you know, whether it's Roz Brewer, you know, I want the people that I see, look to and admire because they've navigated things that I especially aspire to navigate.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that.

[Dinora]

So good.

[Krystal Renée]

Love some. Melody Hopson.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yes.

[Dinora]

Love some.

[Krystal Renée]

To Sanda.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yes.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, my gosh. Powerful, powerful women.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Krystal Renée]

You always. You also talked about how your privacy is currency.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yes.

[Krystal Renée]

And which is good. Like, I love it.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Actually, though, let me say my privacy is currency and I am hyper private.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But you got me a little bit today.

[Krystal Renée]

You did what you say?

[Dinora]

T?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

T. She got me. That's right. I don't talk about my private life, but I do think that there are gems and nuggets in a macro share that we should. We have to do better as women. We have to do better as black women. And sharing more of the lessons, learnings. And some of that, you know, is inclusive of the warts. You know, I'm always like, man, somebody needs to tell us all the stuff that nobody said it was cool to tell. And so, you know, as I look at, you know, ways in which I'm trying to navigate content, I want more stories, too, that actually focus more on the warts.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because I've had some, you know, warts, and that's professionally and personally. And I think we have to get comfortable with understanding that, you know, people relate more when, you know, they see the human side of you, you know.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because, you know, because everybody sees this facade of all the highlights, you know.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know, and I tell folks, you know, you see the glam, you know, but you don't really see the guts. And so, you know, a lot of times folks don't see that. I'm in my office in Ohio, and I'm in there, you know, 14, 16 hours a day, if not longer, you know, and I'm there on the weekends, you know, and all of the sacrifice and, you know, what comes with being an owner, operator, you know, all the stuff folks don't necessarily talk about. But, you know, I think as we get more comfortable in who we are, we almost owe it to others to kind of take off the mask.

[Krystal Renée]

Yep.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I started a women's conference and summit, and it's really geared towards C suite corporate leaders who don't really get an opportunity to kind of just be. And it's called Accelerate Her. And it's a community that we've built not just for the summit. But how do we as women and women of col color and black women use our superpowers collectively? And a lot of times you have all these summits. You have the summits that the corporate leaders go to. You have the summits for the culture. No, what I did honestly was I just went through my phone and I was like, you know what? I'm calling all the baddies in business and beyond.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I got the high performers. You did you on some like, global escalation. You look on. We don't know where you are in the world, but I gave you a pass.

[Krystal Renée]

I had to go see my dad.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But I did call.

[Krystal Renée]

You did, you did.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

That's right. I forgot.

[Krystal Renée]

I had to show up for show one.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Okay, you did, you did. Soft flex number two.

[Krystal Renée]

But next year I'm there.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yes, you are. I'm a beat.

[Krystal Renée]

You there ain't gonna be.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because what I realized too is that just as I mentioned how sometimes my distractors are women that look, there are far more women who are trying to do good than a few bad apples, you know? And so what I wanted to do was to look at how we brought all the good apples together, to look at how we drive policy changes, how we drive changes in business and corporate America, how we get women more contracts, how we get. We had lovey Ajay Jones to come in and do a book workshop because guess what? Not enough of us are writing books and telling our stories. So I had told her, yes, I have women who are not authors. Come up with something. Guess what? She did it. She called me. She was like, girl, you done changed my life. Guess what? She now has a book academy so that anybody.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Can go and learn from a four times New York Times best selling author.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Cause one day I feel like I have at least three books in me. I definitely have a podcast.

[Dinora]

Yes, yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But I need more time.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah, we can't wait for that podcast. I will be your first subscriber.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Well, you subscriber, I'm gonna need you on. Because I already know the name. The name is unapologetically boss. I've already trademarked it.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because you know what? What I feel at my core is that everybody has the potential to be a boss.

[Dinora]

I love that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And that does not mean you have to work for yourself. You can be a boss inside of someone else's organization. Yeah, you can be a boss in your community. You can be a boss in the choir. But what is it and how is it that you identify your superpowers to unlock unload and unleash into whatever type of change and impact. Because where I am right now, it's not about success. It's about significance.

[Krystal Renée]

That was a word. It's not about success. It's about significance. Wow, Kim. Oh, that's good. I heard you moan over there.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

She said, yeah, because a lot of times we focus on the success part.

[Dinora]

We do.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And for me, going back to core tenants, I told you, take the high road. In another fear, you. You know, the other thing is when you do the right things for the right reasons and in the right way, God takes care of the rest.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

Wow, that's good. You just dropping. I hope y'.

[Dinora]

All.

[Krystal Renée]

I hope you got your collection plate. You catching all these nuggets.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because, honey, and if you take the collection plate, pay it forward. Oh, that was.

[Krystal Renée]

We about to talk about. You better get out my notes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Krystal Renée]

But I was gonna talk about. I was gonna get to that. But there's something you. I both haven't got. Common. We worked in politics.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

I interned when I was a junior in college for Senator Lamar Alexander on Capitol Hill in D.C. and then in turn, got a job my senior year. And I ended up leaving school to finish my last semester online. And I worked for the Senate for two and a half years after school before I moved to Atlanta to pursue.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I remember when I learned that you told me all this when we were in Baltimore traveling together, and that's when I learned your story. And actually, that's when I was like, like, she's got it.

[Dinora]

Wow. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And you. I found out you worked in the Obama and Trump administrations as a member of the National Women's Business Council. First of all, how did that even come about? Like, that's so.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It's so crazy. So I was appointed National Women's Business Council during the Obama administration, 2011. This speaks to another thing that has been fortunate for me in that Donna James was then leading the council. I knew Donna. Donna was actually the person who told me that I should go into my business full time. I started my agency as a side hustle. And I always tell folks, your side hustle can become your main hustle. Right. But she was the one who really pushed me. And I was like, man, I'm getting my check every two weeks. I'm good. She was like, you have something that corporations pay for in the way in which you think differently and are able to bring business impact in the sense of driving it forward. So Donna was appointed first to lead the council, and she called me and she said, I need for you to serve.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And what I also say is that one, people see things in you before you see it in yourself. But what I couple that with is that if you are a known performer, again, it goes back. People want people on their team designed to win.

[Krystal Renée]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

When I was appointed to the council, it was designed. It's the National Women's Business Council. Our three kind of stakeholders are the President of the United States Congress and the SBA Small Business Administration. So my focus was, our focus was how do we get more women in the sense of access to contracts, opportunities, capital. Because we are underfunded, yet we are the highest and fastest growing population of business owners.

[Krystal Renée]

We are.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And when we look at organizations in vc, currently under attack is the Fearless Fund. You know, and if we didn't have organizations like the Fearless Fund or Collab Capital, where I serve as an advisory member with Jewel, Melanie and that team, they are giving monies to scaled founders in areas around innovation and underrepresented groups. Those programs and funds wouldn't exist if the monies were going to them. If you look back at women of color.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

A fraction of 1% goes to female founders. Remember, I'm a female founder. I'm a black female founder. Founded my business out of a one bedroom apartment. Crazy, self funded. Nobody gave me any money.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I didn't go to mom and dad self funded. Now there are programs designed to help. There are funds designed to help. And so for me to sit on that council, it became a way as a catalyst through public policy for me to drive forward that change. And I really and firmly believe that, you know, in order for us to look at how we impact, we have to have women and men who are courageous and convicted, who are willing to get in the way to shake it up for others when they can't. And so, you know, I served on it. I was supposed to roll off, but then Carla Harris, who I love dearly as well, came on and she said, sis, I need you to stay. And I stayed longer and extended my term. And because it didn't matter to me who was in the White House, okay, I was. Because the women who needed the funds hadn't changed. And so we need to make sure. And this is how, this is my position on politics too. You know, we need to make sure that we have folks in the room, in both rooms.

[Dinora]

Hello.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because if we don't have folks on the other side.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Who's speaking up and how we driving the change?

[Krystal Renée]

No one.

[Dinora]

That's so good.

[Krystal Renée]

Wow. No one gets Anywhere alone. I want to know who are some people that have played pivotal roles. You just spoke of a few women that have played pivotal roles to help you get to where you are today.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, I mentioned Donna James, I mentioned the way I look at Carla Harris. I serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Council. It is a group of black officers of the Fortune 1000 that rank within two of the chairman of those organizations. At the time when Carla was the board chair, they were not really accepting entrepreneurs. We were not the basis of how that organization was founded. But she said to me, kim, you know, we need people who think differently. And at the time, I never really thought of myself and going into the organization, I'd always been an advocate and a partner outside and driving my member companies in the sense of the PMM portfolio because I believed in its mission. And she was a primary advocate in me, you know, getting into that organization that I take a lot of pride around how we change how corporate America does business. So, Carla, Donna, you know, I've also had women step up who don't necessarily look like me in the sense of our melanin. You know, there's a. It was a woman, Asian, Philippine, from the Philippines, that put me on my first corporate board.

[Dinora]

Oh, wow.

[Krystal Renée]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And so again, I go back to where I met her at Gwyneth Paltrow. She hosts something where founders get together, very small group of us, and we're talking about how we change the ecosystem, what it looks like, and also just really looking at rest, restoration and where and how we build community. Served on a panel afterwards, talked to her. She was A former a CEO of Care.com. spent 90 minutes with her and within six months was on my first corporate board as a publicly traded corporate director.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I say that because, again, I don't take lightly where I am invited into rooms and so mentorship, advocacy, sponsorship. While many do it for me, I'm going to do it multiplier for others. And so I. When names come up for board opportunities, I bring up names. When names come up for corporate sponsorship and how we look at personal service agreements, I bring, you know, names up. Where I am focused now is just as I go back to that significance track.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm really big now on where that dash and, you know, what my life, I hope, represents is I really want to create a lot more black and female. Not just millionaires, multi millionaires.

[Krystal Renée]

I know that's right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Right. And I believe in the power of monetizing content. I believe in the power of media.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I believe That a lot of folks sit in positions of talent. I want them to develop the rigor and the muscle around business ownership and what that means to kind of create currency from their talents. You and I were talking the other day, and we were talking about this whole writers strike and how you have learned the power of diversifying your streams of income.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

I was gonna call you and ask you about that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I was. And I was proud again to hear where and how you're doing it. You know, I tell folks, you know, I've been fortunate to build wealth in investing in real estate.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Commercial, residential.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Investing in art, Developing a collection worth seven plus figures. When Jay Z talked about art, hey, I was like, what? Tell them, Jay. Yeah, right. And through business ownership. Business ownership creates wealth. And so when you look at all these different streams and you look at the ways. And just like I said, if I had a book. Passive income.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

How am I making money when I'm sleep? Okay. And I'm also looking at, too. How do I. Because I sit in a lot of deal flow. They call me deal flow Diva. Right. I sit in a lot of deal flow. And what I say to folks, too, is, I can help you with the deal, but I am very shrewd.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So I put myself in a deal. I know the value of what I do. A lot of people can't afford me.

[Dinora]

Right.

[Krystal Renée]

Hello, Hello.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But it comes in various forms, you know, and so do you want 100% or nothing?

[Krystal Renée]

Right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Or do you want 80% of something that, you know, mm, can change your life?

[Dinora]

Exactly.

[Krystal Renée]

I know that's right. We're gonna close with you giving just a few tips on what you would tell young women who are trying to be businesswomen, just like you get in these corporate spaces. Cause some people just don't know, you know, they're trying to navigate certain things. What are some tips that you may tell them to even navigate those tips? Or even if they're battling with, like, the insecurity and fear of, like, how do I go in these rooms and carry myself?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. I'll give you a few nuggets. One, understand what you can afford to do and not to do. And when. I knew when I could afford to make my side hustle, my main hustle, I tell folks, learn in corporate America. Learn in wherever else.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

On their die.

[Dinora]

Hello.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Develop the relationships that you may change to where they become a client.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Learn systems, look at software, look at, you know, where and how, you know, companies are thinking about innovation.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Learn AI. Oh, we Ain't even go there.

[Krystal Renée]

We not going there because that's why we're on strike. That's part of the reason why we're on on strike right now.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Why?

[Krystal Renée]

Because they can literally scan our faces, take our voices and just pay us a small fee and create a whole movie TV show with everything. They don't need us, ma'.

[Dinora]

Am. Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Oh, see, see I thought it was like, you know, see I got the little macro, the writer strike and you know. But, but what I will tell you. And that's the shame too. Yeah. That part of it is. But let me say this, going back to AI, figure out what you can do that AI can't.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because what I will tell you is that there are forms in business where AI is going to create efficiencies in business.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, absolutely.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You're not going to need to pay. It's just. What? It doesn't sound good, it doesn't feel good. But that is what it is.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But what I will tell you too, going back to some of the other things, find a tribe, one that understands what it is that you're wanting to do. Not necessarily the how, but you're going to need cheerleaders. That doesn't mean they have to be in your day to day, but it does come in many forms. And when times get hard, you're going to need some. Someone or somebody's.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

To help cheer you on. Always invest in continuous learning. I mentioned Harvard, Cornell, Northwestern, Dartmouth, all of them. I continue to invest in my learning. So it may not be the Ivies, but go take a webinar.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Go on YouTube and learn something.

[Krystal Renée]

And the Ivy's now have online courses.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

That you can take. They have that too. And you can go and look up different things and find community. Because a lot of times too there's a great information share across community. For those folks who are wanting to go into business for themselves. There are tons of programs that actually where there are dollars that we are leaving on the table.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So go and do the homework as it relates to grant funding and where and how you may be eligible to get support. And then I would say, you know, state, of course. Whether you're working, you know, for yourself or for someone, there will always be hard times.

[Dinora]

Yes.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And you have to be so committed to your course. Unwavering. And if you're God fearing like I am, stay in your word.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Because there are so many lessons in the word that will guide you and bring clarity to chaos that we face on the day to day. You Know, and you know, shoot for the stars.

[Dinora]

Yeah, it's good.

[Krystal Renée]

Hey, y', all. You got it straight from Kimberly Blackwell. I mean, I don't know what more to tell you or to give you. Okay.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

It's been fun.

[Krystal Renée]

It's been amazing. Thank you.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Can we go eat?

[Krystal Renée]

I'm so hungry. You know, I'm not eating all day, like.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Cause you working, she hustling.

[Krystal Renée]

I had a half a bagel. Like, literally, that's all I've eaten all day. I'm starving.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Wait, let me say something before you sign off.

[Dinora]

Uh huh.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And I've said it throughout. What I love and what I'm seeing is how women and black women are showing up for you. They don't play about Chris and I, you know, it's a force that you cannot engineer. And what I would say to you is to embrace it and understand.

[Dinora]

That.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

The favor that God has put upon your life is something that I know that you will steward in a way. But just know that you're not doing it just for you. You're not doing it just for your family. You're doing it for the almost million. But will be millions that pay attention to how you live. Because your life, your life is in the way in which you sing a soundtrack for so many.

[Dinora]

Wow. Oh.

[Krystal Renée]

Kim, Wow.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I said what I said.

[Krystal Renée]

You said what you said. And I received that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I received that.

[Dinora]

And I mean, wow.

[Krystal Renée]

Thank you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I love you.

[Krystal Renée]

I love you too. Thank you so much. Oh my goodness, I am so full. We're gonna do my favorite part of the show, which is called positive outcomes, where our listeners write into us and we give them advice. Okay, so it's a listener letter and this one says. Hello, crystal. I'm a 49 year old detention sergeant in Polk County, Florida. I've been in law enforcement for nearly 20 years and want to start a new career. My passion is decorating. I have a decorating business, a travel agency, and I make custom Crocs. All my part time jobs. My dream is to open up my own venue. Since COVID my business took a huge hit because the venues closed down and now they are too expensive to rent. I have been praying and asking God to lead me in the right direction and provide me with the resources I need to open my venue. I'm tired of living in fear of what might not happen and of failure. I'm also tired of working in a career that is no longer fulfilling. How do I get over my fear and pursue my dreams?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Ooh, yeah, that's for me.

[Krystal Renée]

Or both of us both.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

So I'll say I had the experience working on Capitol Hill. I did it for two years, and I got to the point where I literally was at my desk, like, responding to constituents, and I'm like, what are you doing? And for me, in my life, I've noticed when God starts wrestling with me and I ask myself the question, krystal, what are you doing? It's time to do something. It's time to shift some things around. And I would say that to you, nothing's gonna be easy. I mean, Kim is a prime example. She started off in an apartment. Maybe your venue doesn't have to be as big of a scale that you want to start it on or that you see it. It can get there, but maybe you need to just scale down to something that you can afford and build up from there. That's what I would say. But I also would say, don't just quit your day job. You know, you gotta. Okay.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Bills must be paid.

[Krystal Renée]

Exactly. So I would work on that. It has to be a side hustle until it becomes your main hustle.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

All things Kim already touched on.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Well, and what I would add is that, you know, I am big on following my gut, and I do think that, there are times when, you know, you may not want to admit or embrace. So if you know that, you know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what you are supposed to be doing, then you stay the course. For me, I feel that, you know, coming out of college, starting my business, you know, in my early 20s, from that apartment, I knew that I was in my purpose. If this business aligns to your purpose and you see your product as being something that is differentiated in the marketplace, and you know that you can now explore other ways, crowdfunding, how you go to friends and family to look at ways to raise capital. To your point, I always kept my overhead low, so I didn't start hiring a lot of people initially. Yeah, I contracted people. So how do you minimize your expenses so that you can continue to invest more into the business so you can't make the money and go out and buy the Birkin.

[Krystal Renée]

Right.

[Dinora]

Hello?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Okay.

[Krystal Renée]

What she said.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Instead, you're going to have to reinvest into the business, and that's going to be a long time coming before you upgrade that car or you go get those Js. You may be in whatever sneakers you wearing now. And it'll be a minute. But what I will tell you is that if the product differentiation is there, if the brand and the consumer Demand is there. Why your Crocs? And in this world to which, you know, we're seeing it show up in different forms, how do you get creative and resourceful? Have you sent Crystal some of your crocs with her million followers? Like, how do you use product placement to bring awareness? And if you were to get that awareness, could you supply the demand? There are a lot of things that sometimes we have to look at, and it's straight talk.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

That I sometimes think we're not necessarily ready for, and that's where the hard questions come. But if you're prepared and your gut says this is a part of what you're supposed to be doing, I believe that that passion and purpose can turn a profit.

[Krystal Renée]

Okay.

[Dinora]

I love that.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that we do. Apart what I'm going through and what I'm growing through, it is so good. And I'll start right now just based on this topic, what we're talking about. We're going through the strike right now, and I am going through a season of reinventing the wheel and trying to figure new things out and working on other passions, things that I'm passionate about that are going to other hustle. It's gonna start as a side hustle, but I see this ending up being the main hustle, you know, so looking into that and really researching and learning something new, because I. I realize now that while acting brings great money and it provides a great life, it also. There's a lot of uncertainties in the future that now need to tap into something that I know is, hey, I can't do this. You know what I'm saying?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I mean, that's the real. But acting will come back for you, and it'll come back times three. But to your point, what else?

[Krystal Renée]

What else?

[Dinora]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

So that's what I'm going through and growing through right now.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I think going through for me is just that after Covid, my business changed where we grew into new areas. And so that also meant me finding the right talent and skill set, because I'm also trying to work differently. I work very hard, and Dinora can have all this hard work. Right. My working harder is I'm trying to work smarter, and I'm also trying to change lives. So right now, what I'm going through to hopefully get to is my dream team. So I am looking for folks who want to work. I'm looking for folks who want to work because I have a. My operational excellence standard is high. I am not the easiest person to work for because the reality of it is. Is that I'm black. The reality of it is, is that I'm a woman.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

So I don't get do overs in my world. And so for me, and again, not resting on any laurels and knowing that people are chasing me, what I put out has to be five star, best class, disruptive, impactful, moves the needle where, you know, corporations can count, where and how we've driven sales and helped to grow market share. Right. And so for me, I'm excited about where I'm going to because I have some really cool things in the work. I'm excited, but I want. I'm at this point where I want to change other people's lives, but I'm not going to give it away.

[Krystal Renée]

That's right.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You know what I mean? But I want, you know, I'm looking at acquisitions. Do I go buy up some boutique firms because they've shown themselves to be of great value? Do I find somebody who. Actually, being your own boss is not always, you know, for everyone?

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

And what I find sometimes is that our folks who are out here, they like, you know what?

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah, I'm ready to go work for someone, and that's okay. What I think we've glamorized is this whole thing about being your own boss.

[Krystal Renée]

We have.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I just want people to be a.

[Krystal Renée]

Boss, period, in whatever position that is. I love that. I love that we do something where we call, keep it blank, sweetie. Where we fill in the blank.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Krystal Renée]

And this because just to play off of. Keep it positive, sweetie. So we're gonna say for me, I'm gonna say for this show, keep it significant, sweetie. Because you said something. It's not about the success, it's about the significance.

[Dinora]

That.

[Krystal Renée]

That stuck with me. So I'm gonna say that.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Wow, she stole my word, y'.

[Dinora]

All.

[Krystal Renée]

I did.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I really stuck with you. Let's see. Cause Keep it Significant was a good one. Dang, that was a good one.

[Krystal Renée]

We can use the same one.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Nah, I want to say keep it. This is not really one word.

[Krystal Renée]

That's fine.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I do that. Keep it in love, sweetie. Because I believe if you at your core, do everything rooted in love, I've told you, I'm shrewd, I'm direct.

[Dinora]

Yeah.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

But if you know, my heart and my intention is always rooted in love. The power in how you receive, digest, everything I do will be taken in its proper context.

[Krystal Renée]

That's so good. That is so good.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Keep it in love, sweetie.

[Krystal Renée]

Keep it in love, sweetie.

[Dinora]

Wow.

[Krystal Renée]

That was amazing. Ladies and gentlemen, the Kimberly Blackwell, thank you so much.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Thank you so much.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, my goodness. I hope this episode blessed you as much as it blessed me. I'm so excited that I got you on the couch. A fountain, right?

[Kimberly Blackwell]

I'm like, you know, this couch is very powerful. Like, I feel like I went to therapy today.

[Krystal Renée]

Everybody says that when they sit here.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Yeah. Wonder why.

[Krystal Renée]

I might be on to something.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

You might be on something. On to something.

[Krystal Renée]

Oh, man.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Here come another stream writer strike. Can't stop that. What?

[Krystal Renée]

They sure can't. And it can't. What? Beyonce say, ching a ling, ching a ling.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

She saw that.

[Krystal Renée]

Ching a ling, ching a ling.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Don't put us together. Don't put us together, honey.

[Krystal Renée]

No, but for real, guys, thank you so much for tuning in. If you want to write into our positive outcomes listener letter, write into keepitpositsweetiemail.com that is Sweetie with an IE you can follow Keep it positive, sweetie. On all platforms and you can follow me on all platforms at lovechrystalrenae. And that is L U V Kim. Let us know where we can find you.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

MBlackwell PMM @ Kim Blackwell. Paul. Mary. Mary.

[Krystal Renée]

I love that. All right, we are going to make sure they tap in, guys. Please follow Kimberly. I'm telling you, you will be blessed, inspired. Every time I go to your page, I'm inspired. Make sure you tap into that Sunday, because on Sunday, she go feed your soul.

[Kimberly Blackwell]

Oh, we go to church, period. Bedside Baptist, but we go to church.

[Krystal Renée]

We're going to be in there. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. And in the meantime, you know what to do. Keep it positive, sweetie. See you guys later.

[Dinora]

It.