Building Beyond Yourself

Summary

Keep it Positive, Sweetie — Episode Summary Podcast: Keep it Positive, Sweetie
Episode: Building Beyond Yourself
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guest: Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman
Date: June 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Keep it Positive, Sweetie is a masterclass in building not just for personal gain but for collective uplift. Host Crystal Renee Hayslett sits down with Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman — author, founder, community-builder — to discuss how success, purpose, and community are interwoven. Drawing from Dr. Key’s inspiring work with The Village Market and her new book No One Is Self Made, the conversation is rooted in purpose, faith, and honesty about the joys and challenges of leadership, entrepreneurship, and sisterhood. The episode centers around the true meaning of support, legacy, and why thriving is a team sport.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Foundations: “It Takes a Village” Game

(Starts ~04:30)
Crystal opens the episode with a “village” themed game, prompting Dr. Key to reflect on pivotal influences:

• Life-changing Teacher: Mrs. Drake, her third grade teacher, “really nurtured that [love for reading].” (05:00)
• Family Lessons: Integrity, as modeled by her parents. “If you operate in integrity, all will be well.” (05:27)
• Hard Business Lessons: “Likely holding on to people too long… because I didn’t want to be a Black woman that let other Black people go.” (06:01)
• Early Believers: Grandmother Josephine, who always affirmed her uniqueness: “‘You are so special. I don’t know who you are going to become…’” (06:55)
• Wellness Essentials: Faith and the daily practice of self-affirmation and breathwork. “I literally anoint my vessel every day with words…” (07:39)
• Community Saving Moments: The nurturance of Black women checking in with her during hard times: “I have felt so tethered to love and in an embrace…” (08:49)

“We will save us.” — Dr. Key (09:24)

2. The Power of Community Space & Village Books

(10:13–12:38)

• Launching Village Books in Atlanta fulfilled a childhood dream but more importantly meets a community need:
  • Physical, intentional safe spaces are vital: “When you walk into any of my establishments… you will feel the warmth… it was designed just for you.” (11:11)
  • Bookstores as “safe houses” for healing and knowledge.

3. Books as Tools for Healing and Imagination

(14:15–16:15)

• The importance of diverse representation and healing narratives in books:
  • Wellness practitioners writing for and about the Black community (e.g., Dr. Thema Bryant, Tabitha Brown, Dr. Joy).
  • “There’s a gentleness in the language… The nudging is not harsh… it is for us to know that we have wings.” (15:24)
• Vulnerability and the evolving language of emotional wellness: “Vulnerability is something that we’re still finding as a strength.” (15:59)

4. Rethinking ‘Self-Made’: On Her Book & the Reality of Success

(17:37–25:11)

• Why “No One Is Self Made” challenges dominant narratives:
  • The “self-made” myth is rooted in American individualism and media programming.
  • “My book is a loving deprogramming of the consciousness of how we talk about success.” (19:23)
• True support often looks like prayer partners, friends, family, encouragement, not just financial backing.
• “To take on the title of Self made erases every one of those currencies that have been put into us.” (20:06)
• On public perception: “Because I know that words are prophetic and I know that words have an opportunity to teach in a moment. I always say, but actually I’m village made.” (20:49)
• What she hopes readers unlearn: Support is not just money; it’s recognition of one’s village and reflecting on the “blanket of care” that surrounds us. (24:02)

5. Transparency & Navigating Difficult Seasons

(29:05–34:46)

• Dr. Key speaks candidly about recent financial hardships and the impact of philanthropy shifts on her nonprofit:
  • “I strive to be a very transparent entrepreneur… because two things are often true… incredible things have happened [but] we also… saw drastic rollback in funding.” (29:34)
  • The weight of leadership and responsibility for her team.
  • Faith as an anchor: “My spiritual compass is my eye in the storm.” (31:03)
  • Addressing aspiring founders: “I can almost assure you… there is [at least] one day during the week that you’re going to have to sit with yourself…” (31:43)
  • “It will not always be easy, but it also will not always be hard.” (32:17)
  • On pivoting: “Sometimes we quit too soon, but also sometimes we don’t pivot soon enough.” (33:29)
  • The power of stillness over reactivity: “Sometimes the job is to be still. To be still so you can be clear.” (34:39)

6. Vision, Synergy, and Divine Assignment

(35:00–39:09)

• The connective tissue across all Dr. Key’s ventures is intentionality, love, and uplifting the collective:
  • “I want us to love each other. That’s it… I only build from a place of building a village because I know that that is my God assignment.” (35:33)
  • “We have to train our gaze to see each other and to honor in what we’re seeing.” (36:12)
• Her journey was divinely led, not self-authored: “We write a vision for ourselves… The blueprint is the path that God wrote for us.” (37:58)
• Warning against “performative” community; emphasizing authenticity and true modeling: “There’s nothing performative about my work.” (39:00)

7. Scaling to the Atlanta Airport: Vision, Preparation, and Excellence

(39:34–55:09)

• The journey to opening Village Retail at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport:
  • Five-year vision: “I intentionally took my time to be prepared for where I knew I was going to be… There was never a doubt in my mind that we would not be where we are.” (41:55)
  • Vision-casting as a spiritual collaboration: "I ask God to anoint every one of my visions so I don’t build in fear. I build with clarity." (42:32)
  • Navigating the complexities of a major retail launch through humility, preparation, and collaboration: "It takes a village. I surround myself with people who are far more smarter... I am always confident enough to know that it is a gift to sit at the table with brilliant people." (44:41)
• Village Retail’s mission: “We should choose us every day… The Village Retail says you are important every single day. You are worthy every single day.” (53:17)
  • The store is home to 30+ Black-owned brands, offering a global platform and exemplifying excellence as the standard.

8. Sisterhood, Abundance, and Transforming Scarcity Thinking

(55:10–58:36)

• On supporting each other without competition:
  • “When you have a village with reach, you don’t have to go by yourself. We go together.” (55:09)
  • Rejecting scarcity: “The elevation of consciousness is that the sun shines on you and I at the same time… There is room in the lane. There is space. Scarcity is another conditioning.” (57:13)
  • On real collaboration: “We have been conditioned to believe that we are meant to be each other’s competitors rather than sisters or collaborators.” (57:57)
• Crystal and Dr. Key share experiences of support and encouragement, naming Tabitha Brown as an example of genuine sisterhood. (56:37–59:46)

9. Impact, Legacy & What’s Next

(~60:55–62:28)

• Dr. Key’s ongoing projects: Encourages listeners to visit Village Books, shop at Village Retail, and, most importantly, “The greatest ways that we can support each other is by doing our own individual work.” (61:49)
• Her message is one of deep self-love and personal growth as the foundation for collective progress.

10. Unapologetic Joy & Purpose

(62:44–63:30)

• Crystal closes by asking what Dr. Key is unapologetic about this season:
  • “I am so clear and unapologetic about who I am… about my joy… about my clarity, about this divine mission that we’re on… unwavering in what I believe the light at the end of the tunnel is for us.” (62:44)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On community saving her:
  “I have felt so tethered to love and in an embrace in the way that I give people. It has been so beautiful when I needed it, to be on the receiving end without ever having to ask for it.” (08:49) — Dr. Key

• On collective support:
  “We will save us…We will.” (09:24) — Dr. Key & Crystal

• On excellence and Black entrepreneurship:
  “We require excellence in the Village Retail. The back of our shirt says ‘excellence is a standard.’ Not perfectionism, but excellence.” (54:20) — Dr. Key

• On scarcity & competition:
  “The elevation of consciousness is that the sun shines on you and I at the same time… There is room in the lane. There is space. Scarcity is another conditioning…” (57:13) — Dr. Key

• On legacy:
  “If we build and create our things for ourselves, we are not controlled by any of the forces that tell you right now at this time, you are not important. The Village Retail says you are important every single day.” (53:17) — Dr. Key

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:30 – “It Takes a Village” game: formative influences
• 10:48 – Founding Village Books & the value of literary spaces
• 14:15 – Books as tools for collective healing
• 17:37 – The “self-made” myth & her book’s philosophy
• 29:05 – Navigating hardship as a leader/founder
• 35:19 – Vision for interconnected ventures and collective uplift
• 39:34 – The five-year journey to Village Retail at Hartsfield-Jackson
• 55:10 – Breaking scarcity and embracing collaborative abundance
• 62:44 – Dr. Key’s season of unapologetic joy and divine clarity

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Takeaway Message

Building beyond yourself is not just an ideal, but a lived practice: support is a verb, self-made is a myth, and thriving as a community demands intentionality, humility, and daily acts of love. In Dr. Key’s words, “We go together.”

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Listener next steps:

• Get Dr. Key’s book, No One Is Self Made
• Visit Village Books and Village Retail in Atlanta (including at ATL airport, Concourse B, across from the Delta Lounge!)
• Support local Black businesses and practice intentional community daily
• Do your own healing “work,” because when we see each other with love, “we will be well and do great things together.” (61:49)

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"The sun shines on you and I at the same time… And neither one of us is without its warmth. So if there is enough space for the sun to shine on both you and I at the same time, let's put that in practice in our lives. There is room. There is room in the lane. There is space.” — Dr. Key (57:13)

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For more episodes and positivity, subscribe and share. Stay blessed, stay encouraged, and keep it positive, sweetie!

Transcript

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.

[DJ Envy]

What's up y'?

[Funko Pop Announcer]

All?

[DJ Envy]

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[Nissan Rogue Advertiser]

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[Shopify Advertiser]

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[Sexual Health Advocate]

it's me again.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And we prepped.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Prepped.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

It's the time for empowerment and I've got a message for you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Disrespect.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

You gotta think about sexual health no matter what. Where, with who. Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

To all you lovers out there, ain't no judgment. This is your cue. Yeah. It's time to talk about pre special prophylaxis, a part of HIV prevention. Talk to a healthcare provider and visit carefortheculture.com to learn more.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Calling all my sweeties to the forefront. I'm your host Chris Renee Hazlett and

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

this is the Keep It Positive Sweetie Show.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Welcome to Keep it positive, sweetie. The place where we heal, grow and learn together. Today's episode feels especially important because we are talking about community, purpose and what it really means to build success with

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

without leaving other people behind.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

In a world that celebrates individual achievement, today's guest is challenging the idea that

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

any of us truly make it alone.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Through her work, her business, her book, and the communities she continues to build, she's showing what it looks like to

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

lead with intention, collective care and impact.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I am so happy to be sitting down with Dr. K.E.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

hallman.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman is a transformational entrepreneur, author, speaker and founder of the Village Market EnterPR, an ecosystem that has helped thousands of small businesses grow. From village retail and village books to expanding our Village United into more than 30 states. Dr. Key has built her work around two core beliefs. No one is truly self made and support is a verb. This conversation is about leadership, purpose and community responsibility. Kiss family. Please give a very warm welcome to Dr. Key.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Hi. How are you doing today?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I am amazing.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Well, you look amazing. You are radiating.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Thank you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. You came in here, we were like, yes. You brought good energy in.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We love that. Thank you. Thank you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes. So you are so busy. So thank you for taking time to sit with us today. I'm excited. And we're going to. Before we jump into everything that you have going on because guys, she has a lot going on, I want to play a little game with you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Okay.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

This game is called It Takes a Village. A little play on what you got going on. So the first one is I'm going to give you some scenarios and I want you to tell us who or what impacted you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Oh, that's good.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes. So the first one is a teacher who changed your life. Oh,

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I'll go with who first came to mind. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Drake. Wow. Phenomenal. Phenomenal teacher who I think early on saw me and saw my love for reading and she really nurtured that. So shout out to Ms. Drake.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Shout out Ms. Drake. It's so funny. Mine was my third grade teacher, Ms. Sherry Gardner.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Wow.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

In Topeka, Kansas. Yeah. So when you said third grade, I was like, that was mine too. I love that. A lesson from your parents or grandparents.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Oh, I will go with a lesson from my parents. And may my mother rest in peace to always operate in integrity. My mom, my dad. My dad still says it that if you operate in integrity, all will be well. And not only did they say it, they also modeled it.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's so good. I love that when you can see it. We Talk about parents and children and how they emulate what they see. So I love that they modeled that for you. And we see it. We see it in the fruit, honey. A business lesson you learned the hard way.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Oh, this is tough. This is today a business lesson I learned the hard way. Likely holding on to people too long. Yeah. I think I. I've been an entrepreneur now for 10 years, and I think we see the signs early when someone is not a fit. And I know early on I will hold on to people because of the potential of them. I will hold on to people also because I didn't want to be a black woman that other let other black people go or staff go. But holding on too long, it impacts the overall company and the mission and the vision.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. And the evolution. Absolutely. Because it'll stifle you. Wow, that's good. Next one. Someone who saw your vision early.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Shout out to my grandma Josephine in Crowder, Mississippi. My grandmother, I remember maybe being nine years old, and I would tell her all my dreams, and one day she looked at me and she touched my head and she said, you are so special. I don't know who you are going to become or who you're going to be, but you are so special. And she has consistently said this throughout my life. And when I call her later this week, she is going to say the exact same thing.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's beautiful. Shout out Grandma Joseph thing. If you're watching, which I'm sure you will, she will watch a wellness habit that you cannot live without. Ah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Wellness is such central. My faith. And my faith is a good steward of how well I love myself. And I cannot live without my breath work. I cannot live without the way that I affirm myself every day. I literally anoint my vessel every day with words and how I love myself so I can be prepared to go into the world.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's good. I love that the last one, A moment community saved you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Ah, that's so good. It's been. I will tell you, as many social entrepreneurs like myself, our founders who launched a nonprofit, it has been a very interesting time for 501c3 organizations and fundraising. And last year was extremely hard for me. And we're still getting out of hard. But the way that black women have. They have just known to check on me.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

They have just known to say, doc, let's get on. Let's get on a call. I want to see how everything is going. I want to talk to you about your strategy, because while a lot is happening, you are seen while A lot is happening. You are not forgotten. And so I have felt so tethered to love and in an embrace in the way that I give people. It has been so beautiful when I needed it, to be on the receiving end without ever having to ask for it.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's so good. Shout out to black women.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Shout out to black women, man. We will save us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

We will.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We will save us. Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That is so good. Because some women don't have that testimony, you know, they. You hear the opposite so many times over. But to hear the positive side of that and women who really do rally around each other, as you said that, it reminded me of our good sister Kimberly Blackwell.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

She literally does that. What is going on? What's your strategy? What are you working on? What do you need?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

What's missing?

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

She's so good at that. So I love that you have women around you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That will ask those questions and check on you and say, hey, we need to have dinner. Let's sit down. We overdue, you know, that's so important. I love that.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. I think that is always going to be central for how we survive times, but also how we thrive into the future.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

For sure.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yes. We have to have our champions.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes. I love that. Well, let's go back to last year. 2025 was a huge year for you. My goodness. I don't know if you know this, but me and the sweeties are avid readers. I'm always letting them know what I'm reading. And you have Village Books right here in Atlanta, Georgia. Congratulations. I do want to ask you what made you know that having a physical space to read stories, to buy books, and to have that community right here in Atlanta. Why did you feel like that was important?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

You know, I had to open Village Books beyond it being the seven year old me dream.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Wanting to own a bookstore, that should tell you a lot. You know, it should tell you a whole lot that I wanted a bookstore since I was young. But it's also, at this point, we need to build intentionally every single everything that I open, Crystal, I open with a great intent. We see that.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I open spaces for a sense of safety. I open spaces for a sense of belonging. I open spaces for a sense of love. When you walk into any of my establishments, in particular my bookstore, you will feel the warmth of how it feels to walk into a space and know that you were chosen for it, that it was designed just for you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I also want spaces in the bookstore at Central because we need to be expanded in our knowledge. We're at a time now where taking time to actually read, to go deep into literature, to read opinions that may be different from yours, that may stretch you. We need that. And so everything that I open, I look at as safe houses.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah, I love that.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Like, how can I build in such a way that people can come? And even if you haven't read a book in years, you still know that this bookstore is right on time just for you and where you are right now. And I'm in love with authors. I'm in love with writers. So I also wanted to open a bookstore for all my favorite authors, those who are ancestors and those who are present. It's just such a beautiful way to honor those who are gifted with the pen.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And gifted in a way to be able to tell stories. So it is literally my honoring of community. Every single thing that I do. Yes.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

No, we see that. Take me back to 7 year old Q. What books were you reading back then?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Oh, everything. Everything. I younger version of me. I still was in love. I loved fiction, so I was reading like all the children's books as well. But early, early on, I was already curious about the Dr. Maya Angelou's of the world because I started to hear her poetry. And so early I wanted to read poetry. I wanted to. There's a writer, Sharon Draper, who came a little bit later, but I love Sharon Draper. And so reading books that reflect who I was, books that opened my imagination, I always gravitated to. And I was always writing as well. So I would read a book, then I would write and then make my mama listen to me. And, you know, always your first audience, right? Yes, absolutely. But I was just enamored. Enamored with books. I could not get enough of it.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I love that. For me, I was the same way. I was like Beverly Cleary, babysitter's club. I remember sitting in my room at my desk and I would just be in the books. My mom had to literally say, come on, it's time to eat dinner. I'd be like, hold on. And then I fell out of that as I got older. And then now I'm back into it. And I was telling Shelly, today I can tell when I've taken time to really start reading again. Your conversations change, your vocabulary changes, and

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

it's words that you knew.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

But then when you put it down, you like, what was that word I'm trying to think of?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

But when you're constantly reading, those words stay with you.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

So I definitely see a change in

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

myself when I'm actively reading, which is something that I promote through my platform. I want to ask you, what role do you think that books play in healing collectively and with imagination, especially in our community?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely. So what I am so happy to see is that so many wellness practitioners are writing books now that center us in multidimensional ways. I love. Dr. Tama Bryant is one of my favorite spiritual leaders and to what she wrote in Homecoming. And even my good sis Tabitha Brown and her many books love her. They're so nurturing. Yes. So much joy, so much lightness. So much in the sense that while it feels like all is falling apart, you are still whole even. It's just. Even if it's just shattered pieces right now. That is why we need books. And not just any books, but we also need books that reflect people that look like us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. Because there's a gentleness in. In the language.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

There is a sense of even if the nudging is there. The nudging is not harsh. The nudging is for us to know that we have wings and to expand them and fly. And so I'm grateful that we are. That we have Nedra and boundaries. There's just so many exceptional books. My good friend, Dr. Joy, sisterhood heals, literally cradles. Sisterhood and how to be in loving relationships with other women. We need all of that.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

We do.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And we also need books that name how we feel so we can feel less alone. Because I do think vulnerability is something that we're still finding as a strength. Vulnerability and emotions. Early on. You know, I don't know how you was raised, but I was just raised to be strong.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. Like, you don't really have time for all the feelings and things like that.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And as the great ancestor bell hooks write about an all about love, so much of how our parents raised us was from a sense of them just wanting us to be safe.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But because of that, we've had to go to root cause analysis that there is space for our big feelings. There is space for having your feelings hurt. It is space where business does feel personal. And this hurt my feelings. It is space for I am emotionally tapped, and I think I am burnt out. We didn't even have these words. We're literally. I think just now we're really honoring. What does it mean that you cannot pour from an empty cup and it's because people have named it that your cup has to be full in order to continue to pour.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That's why we have to go to the well of reading to to be. To be safe and to be held in such a way and also to just be affirmed.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. So that is why I think we need to get back to text. I think we need to also get back to beautiful conversations. Like, this is why I'm so happy that you launched your podcast.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Thank you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Because listening to you and seeing how well you are in these conversations feels like a really good book. Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you so much. This brings me to you actually being an author. You talk about all these other amazing authors. You are one as well. And you wrote a book called no One is Self Made. I feel like our culture specifically has made self made into this North Star. Like, this is what you should aim to be. Like, do it yourself. And anybody who knows me knows that I'm big on team. Like, I can't do this all by myself. And I love. That's why I even love the title. Like, she gets it. She gets it. I want to know why do you feel like we are so attached to that idea that we have to do

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

it ourselves, you know, to even think about any form of attachment of why we aspire for the things we aspire for? I'm always questioning our pursuit and our ambitions. Are we striving for something that is inherently inside of us or have we been conditioned to aspire? And so individualism is a very American Westernized concept. And self made largely came from magazines and publications that when we talked about someone reaching the pinnacle of success, they're called a self made person.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yep, you're right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Self made person of the year. So then I wonder if an entrepreneur or someone in entertainment, I wonder if they think the pinnacle requires that because that is all they've been conditioned to believe.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We don't have publications that talk about the village that is propelling that person up to even be on the COVID of a magazine. So I think it's sometimes hard to know when you have been programmed.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

My. My book is a loving deprogramming of the consciousness of how we talk about success. Ancestrally.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We are communal people. Come on Ancestrally. In present day, whatever success, success that we may have, and it may not always come in a form that we want.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Any great thing that we have done well in life. There have been prayer partners. There have been a group text of friends.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

There have people that slide you $20 when you needed it when you're an undergrad. There are people who have affirmed you since you were little.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And that does not always come into currency in the way that we talk about it. But there's a space, spiritual currency that has continued to propel us forward.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

To take on the title of Self made erases every. Every one of those currencies that have been put into us. And I don't believe that is our intent.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so no one is self made. Is. Is requiring us to be intentional with how we tell our stories.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Because every single opportunity that. Every opportunity that I have, I make sure that my mother is written into my success, my father is seeded into my success, my grandparents, my family, my friends, my staff. Because if I accept Self made, then I began to erase people who've been very vital to the own fabric of my existence.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so no one is self made is to say, be intentional about every single thing that you say. Thank you. To even the titles that people give you. And I have sat for interviews and people have said, Dr. Keith, how does it mean to be a self made woman? And because I know that words are prophetic and I know that words have an opportunity to teach in a moment. I always say, but actually I'm village made. And I began to name all the people and all the places and all

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

the church is saying that I have seen.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Because if we want to shift how we talk about success, then someone has to be a steward of it.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We can talk about it, we can write about it, or we can do it. And I think we need more people who get on stages and lift all the names and all the people. So every person aspiring who's watching on television, when they start to think about their own success, then they know the most powerful thing that they can do is to stand with their village.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. I love that. Reframing the psychology of what it takes to succeed. Because you're absolutely right. When I think about Forbes articles or all these wealth magazines that we read, and this is the pinnacle of what we're trying to get to. And they've reached that pinnacle. And you do oftentimes see Self made. Self made. And most of those people are standing on. A lot of people are standing on shoulders and shoulders of different people that have helped them get there.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That is so good.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And also it's profoundly untrue.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Very much.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

It is just not. It's, you know, beyond all the things, it is just also profoundly untrue.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

It definitely is.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But I am always very sensitive when I talk about this because my book was also sticky for some people. It felt like a judgment of their hard work. And so what I'm very clear Of I'm never neglectful for the 3 o' clock hours that it was nobody but you and God. I'm never neglectful of that because then I would be neglectful of my own three o' clock in the mornings and it was me trying to figure it out. I would never neglect the intestinal fortitude. I would never neglect that there must be a vessel. Yeah. There has to be an individual. But I'm also not neglectful in my knowing.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. No.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And my knowing is self determination is needed. Intestinal fortitude is needed.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

There must be an individual. But I also know that there are so many people tied to that individual that has have steward us throughout life and will continue.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That is what's true.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I love that when people read this book, what is something that you hope they unlearn? Because even the person who you say it's a little sticky for them, in my opinion, I would hope they'd read me like, dang, you're actually right. I wouldn't take offense to it and be like, no, I know I worked really hard, but that's actually true. There are so many other people that helped me.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

So what is something that you hope people unlearn when they read this book?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. What I can tell you what people are unlearning. And I'm always so touched when I get, you know, super kind DMs about, you know, Dr. Key, I ain't know about this no one is self made thing. And then they say to me, you're right. You made me step back and realize that I'm not alone. I may not have everything that I need, but I have some things and I have some people.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so you know what I'm hoping and truly what's been affirmed to me that no one is self made has really allowed people to know that you have people and to really be reflective over their lives that it may not be the million dollar investment that you need.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Because there are qualifiers of what we think support is.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I'm always going to be advocates that business owners need investment, primarily black business owners. We are still deeply underfunded. But if we're only thinking about support by those who fund us, we're not seeing the sea of people around us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. And it has been very, very affirming to see people have a paradigm shift with how they see their success. Even people who have said, Dr. Key, I took a moment and I sent an email to all the people who helped me when I was early on, who volunteered for me when I. When I literally didn't have it.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And people who have seen me throughout my life. I'm always just striving for us to have physical representation that there is a village.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

There are people. There is a blanket of care around you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Even when it does not feel that. It's because I think we all have felt that. I wish I had different, different relationships. I wish I had this. So I won't counter that.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But I want us to know that we're not in a deficit. Right. We're not in a deficit. We may be at a baseline where there's so much opportunity for more.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But you. And if you are here, you're not

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

in a deficit for sure.

[DJ Envy]

What up, y'?

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

All?

[DJ Envy]

This is DHA Envy from the Breakfast Club. From Curtis 50 Cent Jackson and the executive producers of Power comes the Starz original series Raising Canaan Kana. Kanan Stark's journey has been one of ambition and betrayal as he fights to escape the shadow of his mother Rock, played by Tony, Grammy and NAACP award winning Patina Miller. As tensions rise, Kanan forges a dangerous alliance that sets off a war with his own blood, becoming the ruthless man he's destined to be. Raising Kanan is a story of power, family and betrayal where every choice has consequences and no one gets out clean. This final season is a must. Watch. You'll want to tune in for every episode as it drops. Don't let it get spoiled for you. Starring Makai Curtis, Shameik Moore, Wendell Pierce, Joey Badass, Tony Danza and more. The final season of Raising Canaan is here. Watch now only on Starz.

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[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

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[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

You talked about last year was a really hard year for you and something you're still coming out of. Yeah, but there's been so much success. Success. Let's talk to the person that may be looking from the outside, looking in and saying man, she's got it all going on but not knowing what else you're coming up out of. I want to speak to that because so many times they see where we are but they don't see the daily fight and the daily struggle. I want to talk to that person who may be thinking like I'm trying to get there but they don't know what all comes along with being where you are.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely. I try, I strive my best to be a very transparent entrepreneur and founder. So if you look at my socials is largely about the work because there's really no highlight reel, you know, and because two things are often true that while I mean incredible things have happened for my company and being able to scale. We also in 2025, as so many other nonprofit organizations through my organization, our Village United, we saw the drastic rollback in funding. Yeah and to have so many of our funders say that they've gone in a different direction that they're no longer focused on small businesses in this way. Every single no for any founder that has to pay payroll, you start to calculate numbers. Yeah, you start to think about because I am not just a CEO who thinks about what is good for me. I feel it to be a privilege to be a leader.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

To. To have an incredible team. So I'm always thinking about all our livelihood.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so last year, I was deeply prayerful. I'm always clear that God always comes through.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

He does now.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That is one thing that keeps me steady and that keeps me anchored. My spiritual compass is my eye in the storm. And so that is why I can stay, have a sober spirit in spite of all things. But, yeah, last year was hard. I mean, it was literally, and it continues to be hard because we. We need those in philanthropy to be bold.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. To continue to make good on getting organizations the funding that they need to do the work that will reach the people. When is that ever a bad thing?

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah, exactly. You know, for the founders who are people currently who may listen to this, number one, you are not by yourself. And largely, a lot of the people that you admire and look up to who look like they have it all together, probably like, twice a week, three days a week. But I can almost assure you there is two days during the week, at least one day during the week that you're going to have to sit with yourself and know that when you're thinking about your own pivot.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Mm.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I also want to name for those entrepreneurs how normal that is. I. It will not always be easy, but it also will not always be hard. That is what has been foundationally true for me.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I'm always so clear that my heart has a timeline. But my good is for like it is. It is always concurrency, always running. And so there are moments when those trying days feel louder than the good days. But the good is omnipresent. If we can shift our mindsets to believe that the goodness is omnipresent, that means sweetness is always close to us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That. That the yes is always just so close, even though it feels so far.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But I know that it is hard. I've had to affirm myself so much. I've had to tell myself the work is good regardless of the no. Right. And that I must continue to be a good steward of the work. When it is overflowing, it is good. When it is slowly flowing, it is still. Still good. It is still good.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That is so good.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And sometimes we quit too soon, but also sometimes we don't pivot soon enough. And I think that just because it is your baby at every growth stage requires something different of you. I think we have to be willing to pivot in our businesses. We have to be able to pivot in our visions. So maybe the valley is time for you to do some pivoting. And I also know that it will. Has been important for me, Crystal, is that I am not reactionary. I am very clear when it's a lot happening, that it's meant to discombobulate my own vision and distort what I believe is true. So when it feels like all is falling apart around me, I get still.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's good.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I get still because I don't want to react to the falling. I want to be a steward of the vision. So I need it to fall so I can. My path can be clear for the vision. And I think sometimes I know it's survival that we have a tendency to be so reactionary. Because you're simply trying to survive.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But sometimes the job is to be still. To be still so you can be clear.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And path. Your. Your. Your in charge, your path forward. Because all while that was going on, I was also quietly working on the airport opening for Village Retailers.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. Come on.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

All at the same time.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes, exactly.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

All at the same time.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

We talked about that before we sat down. About. It's so much going on. Everyone is going through so much. But there's still a peace and a calmness where you still have the fortitude to push forward or sit still to get the direction that you need to move forward. I absolutely love that. And you speak about vision.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

And I want to know what is the bigger vision of tying all your ventures together? Because you do have Village market enterprises. You got books, you got retail, wellness, community, education. All the things I want to know. What is that vision that you have for all those.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. I want us to love each other. That's it. Yeah, that's it. I only build from a place of building a village because I know that that is my God assignment. I am so clear. That is I am on a divine assignment to create spaces that awaken our heart in our mind and lift the collective consciousness of how we see each other. When we shift in how we see each other, all the things that we believe that we are fighting against will lose. And I am so clear of that. We have to train our gaze to see each other.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And to honor and what we're seeing. So, yes, I have my retail stores. Yes, I have our Village United. And we're working with small businesses across the country. Yes, we deployed millions in grants. Yes, I have my bookstore and all the Village Market enterprises. But every single thing that I build is the deep roots are in the ground and the seeds that I have planted. And the only thing that I ask God for is at the end of this, let the light be the light of you. And we are can hold space and hold light. And that I can see you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And nothing inside of me feels that my light was dimmer.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I see you. And I know that my light is even more ever present, ever vescent. And that is the word.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I love that.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That is the word.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

When did you know this was a God appointed assignment?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Because it was not what I wrote for myself.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

What did you write for yourself? Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

If you would have asked me, maybe 15, 20 years ago. My first career path, I was an educator. So I taught high school, 10th through 12th grade English. And I loved it, Absolutely loved it. And then at the end of my educational career, I worked as a Georgia Department of Education and I loved it. Nowhere in there have I said anything about a village. Nothing. And so when I started to get the Vision for Village Market, my very first company, I was like, oh, that's nothing but God. Because I think it is true. We write a vision for ourselves. And that's the first draft.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

The blueprint is the path that God wrote for us. And I know that the my deep belief that it takes a village and that the village will be the only thing that saves us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I know that that is. That is something that God put inside of me because he knew that I would be a worthy steward for sure. And I would carry it well. And also know that that is what we need.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. No, for it is.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. That is what we needed. We needed. We need it in a way. Also, what doesn't seem superficial, because with love, we're in a time that when a marketing industry know that there is a buzzword like community, then we start to manufacture community.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yep.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so then people start performing community rather than being in it and being actual. Yes. People perform being sisterly. Yes. Rather than being sister. Yeah. Absolutely.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

For sure.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

There's nothing performative about my work.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I do believe those of us who have been called lightworkers called at this time to be light workers. Because we don't need more performance.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We need true models and models. That's not perfection because we're all human beings. But there needs to be things out there that is genuine so people can believe that. That love and light and care and warmth.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

It is the human existence and what we were also created. Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

No, for sure. For sure. I love that everything you do, you're intentional. About it.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

And I can see that in everything. And how there's so much synergy in between. Every venture is so good. You recently just opened a retail store in one of the biggest, if not the busiest airport in the world. Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. Tell me about that whole journey. Because one, I know it's. It's not easy to get in that airport. This is a big deal. Congratulations, first of all.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Thank you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

But yeah. Take us on that journey. How this came about.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I wrote the vision for opening the Village Retail. So I have my first location. We're still open at Pont City Market on the second floor. Yeah. Village Retail. Pont City Market location will be open for six years in. In November. Five years ago is when I was walking on the belt line and I said I'm going to scale to the airport because Atlanta has the world's busiest airport, over 108 million annual visitors.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Crazy.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That is. That is incredible.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

A global audience. My. That's the way I vision cast.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I vision cast in such a way that how. How do I create access in a way that is undeniable of the acceleration of my people. There is no airport that is more proficient or better.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Position for it. And so. But I also clear. I'm a quiet builder and so it's almost hard to know what I'm working on because I don't work on anything until I don't announce anything until the announcement.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

So. But I've been working on this for five years.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I had to ensure that we were prepared for where we were going. Right. Because I was clear five years ago that this is where we would be.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

With no experience of it, by the way.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

None. None, none, None. But I was so clear. I was so clear that we were going to be there. I was so clear that my job was to train my staff. My job was to ensure that I can prepare entrepreneurs for that level of volume. And that is also me being disciplined enough to not scale too fast.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Smart.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I intentionally took my time to be prepared for where I knew I was going to be right there. There was never a doubt in my mind that we would not be where we are. Even the location.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Really.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I chose that location.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Where is cuz we going to be at the airport? I already told Asana we going to

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

stop by concourse B, Center H. Oh,

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

that's a good one.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Okay.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's prime real estate.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely. And when you all see the location, what I want people to understand is that that is what I said I was to going where we were going. To be.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's crazy. I know that vision, honey.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Vision casting.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

You cast it, baby.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Vision casting that it is anointed by the love of God. I don't vision cast alone.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I ask God to anoint every one of my visions so I don't build in fear. I build with clarity that it will be every single thing. I do not need a lot of people to tell me, Dr. Key, I believe in you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I believe in me. I am so clear. So I don't need a lot of fanfare and all the things that we. I don't need it because I inherently know that every single thing that is chosen for me will come to pass for sure. And I knew this while all literally funding was grant. Grantor at the grantor was like, we're no longer funding. So I'm getting no's and I'm also building for a yes. I'm getting no's and I'm building for my yes. Because we do not have the privilege of not operating in duality. We do not have the privilege of. There's a no here. And that's my final no. That's a no here. And I will continue to see my yes.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so I just built quietly.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I told my team to trust me because your team also sees what is going on. And I affirm them that there will be hard days in business. Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

It's inevitable. Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And you all will be at a ribbon cutting in 2026.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I know that's right.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

So every hard day that you have experience, a celebration is coming. And I don't give my team platitudes. I give my team evidence of what happens when you are clear of your path. Because I also want to model to them to be clear of their path. And so a lot of red tape. To get the airport open. I had to learn a whole new industry, but I gave myself five years to learn.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I was gonna ask you, like, you didn't come from this background at all, but I was going to ask you, how did you prepare for that?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. Number one, it takes a village. I surround myself with people who are far more smarter, inexperienced in the things that are not experienced in. Yes, I am. I'm always confident enough to know that it is a gift to sit at the table with brilliant people.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

It is.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. I'm also deeply humble enough to. To know that is a gift to being spaced with other brilliant people. And so I surrounded myself with good people. And then I'm a student. I am forever learning. I do not require people to forever athlete. I'm in the gym. Yeah, I get up early. When you have trained yourself to be in the gym and to be fit. And staying with that analogy, the muscle memory, it kicks in real quick. Real quick. So I may not have experience of being in the world's busiest airport, but I have experience of doing big things well.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. And so it was literally me arming my team with what we needed, me learning a new industry, like really learning it. Having dinners with people so I can make the best business decisions in the faith that every single gap that I may possess, I will find I will attract what I need for sure. And I always say one of my prayers is that God protect my blind side. If that is a prayer, always just pray protect my blind side. Because we don't know what we don't know.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes, for sure.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah, we don't know. Especially when it's something new. But I knew, Chris, I can't tell you enough that I knew that the village retail would be at the world's busiest airport. I knew that it was going to transform the lives of every black business in our store. I knew that it was going to put this company on a global stage. And I'm also clear that that is our rightful place.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Absolutely.

[DJ Envy]

What up, y'?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

All?

[DJ Envy]

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[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

That's funko.com I want take me to the day.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Waking up knowing that you are headed to Hartsfield Jackson Airport to cut that ribbon. Take walk us through that day because I know that had to be a glorious day for you. You from the moment you woke up.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

You know, actually before our ribbon cutting, I was in San Francisco speaking at a conference.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I could. I could only. I was only there to speak at the conference and I couldn't stay and I humbly, you know, quietly told people I got a ribbon cut in Atlanta tomorrow so I have to get back.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

This is your ownership.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Ribbon cutting tomorrow. I have to get back to Atlanta but I was walking through the airport when I landed and because the store was open already and we just having our big reveal. So I walked by the store when I got back to Atlanta and I said tomorrow. Tomorrow. God, we did it.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. And so what I felt and What I continue to feel in a mass. I'm a massive amount of joy and I'm so proud of myself. I'm so proud of my team.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But also I also want to be clear that there are moments in your life when you know, like, God, you really rock with me. Like, you really. You really trust me me with this. And so the all what I. What overwhelmed my heart is that, God, you really trust me with this.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I am always so aware of that because I. I'm only going to be a good steward of it. And I couldn't wait until the businesses saw it. I could not wait. And for the businesses, being a part of the ribbon cutting is a requirement for me. There is a lot of red tape to have big reveals at the airport. A lot of security.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I can imagine. Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And I fought for every single brand to have that opportunity.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

And tell the people as well that you opened this so that small businesses and owners could come and sell their products in your store.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Absolutely. Yes. Thank you for naming that. Because when I open a location at Punt City Market, the why I built the Village Retail. I built the Village Retail because we need spaces that honor and center our products. We need a space that is curated beautifully. We need a space. And we not just need deserve. We deserve a space that people from all over the world, because that's what happened in Pond City Market as well, have an opportunity, a privilege to take our products back home with them.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And six years ago, that was my mission. And you bring such a. You bring me back to a place of something that is also very important to me. I do not believe in supporting and buying black from a place of protest. I don't think that we should only patronize black businesses as a response to a boycott. I think we condition ourselves that we only choose us when we're mad at someone else.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And so I opened the Village Retail. It's open seven days a week. Six years ago. Not in a place of boycott. Nothing was happening in the world in that sense. Or 10 years ago. When I launched Village Market, I literally have opened and created my spaces simply because we should choose us every day. And we should have a space that has been designed and chosen for us, created by us, that we don't have to figure it out or one day something may change and there's no longer space for me on the shelves. If we build and create our things for ourselves, we are not controlled by any of the forces that tell you right now at this time, you are not important. The Village Retail Says you are important every single day. You are worthy every single day. You are good enough every single day. But let me be clear. We require excellence.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes, we do.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

We require excellence in the Village Retail. The back of our shirt says excellence is a standard. Not perfectionism, but excellence. Because I build from. From the place of I drive for experience. From customer service to our bags, everything is impeccably branded. And that is by design of excellence.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And now the Village Retail scaling to the airport. This is placing brands on a global stage.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Also, it is so hard to get in the airport. It is, it is. It is so hard to get into that industry. Yeah. But when you have a village. Come on, come on.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

When you have a village with reach,

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

you don't have to go by yourself. We go together.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And when people have shopped at Village Retail and they understand it's 30 plus black businesses, that. That ribbon cutting was. Yes. For my company, but it was symbolic of so many other companies. That is my why. And I want to shift. I want to shift our. The way we choose each other. Do not choose me because you're mad.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Because when the. When the emotion sobers, then often we go back to the very place. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That we're no longer upset. Yeah. And then our community is left behind. But if we make patronizing black businesses.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

A lifestyle, that it becomes the first thought.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

I am striving that we become each other's first thought.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

If our books are coming out, we're each other's first thought. If a podcast is being announced there, the episode we are each other's first thought.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That is community to me.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. And I love that when you were opening the store and you saw that I had a haircare launching, you literally hit me and said, crystal, we need

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

to get your products in the store.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

The fact that you even reach out, you know, you spoke our good friend Tabitha Brown.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yes.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Absolutely love her.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

When I launched this line, she also has her own hair care line. She text me and said, I'm so proud of you. If you need anything or help navigating different spaces, you call me and I just want to say thank you, Tab. Because she is just a diamond in the rough. She's a true gem that we should all cherish. But it's the DMs like that and the text messages that means so much from women that see we see each other, you know, and even if we are navigating the same space, I'm letting you know there's room for you yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

You know, there's room for us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

The elevation of consciousness is that the sun shines on you and I at the same time.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And neither one of us is. We are not without is warmth. So if there is enough space for the sun to shine on both you and I at the same time, let's put that in practice in our lives. There is room. There is room in the lane. There is space. Scarcity is another conditioning to make us feel that if Crystal has a product, then no way I can support her because it's going to take away from me. That is the conditioning of scarcity.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And there are opportunities that you do feel that. It is competition. But we also have been conditioned to believe that we are meant to be each other's competitors than each other's sisters and each other's collaborators. That is why words matter. And really doing the root cause analysis of. Of why we think the way that we think. And if we go deep into the roots, a lot of this is environmental conditioning that we have been programmed.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

There is space. I want every single person to hear this. There is room for all of us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

And even the goodness that we see in other people and how we may see them doing.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That's. That is still breadcrumbs by those who do not look like us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

That it is mere breadcrumbs.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Imagine if we decide to elevate our consciousness and to know that I require there be a room. I require there be space. I require that. I require collaboration. My reaching out to you is like, absolutely. I have a retail store. Come on. Yeah. Let's do this. And I think that is. I'm a girl's girl anyway. Yeah. But I also think we have to live the things that we talk about.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

No. For sure.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. That's what Tab does.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

She does, man.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah. No. My sister has held me down. Tabitha Brown is all that people think she is. And all that people have no idea that she is. Listen, she is one of the most genuine people I have ever met in my life.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

She really is.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yeah.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I'm so grateful to know her. I met her for the first time at the White House when Trail did the Black Excellence Brunch in D.C. and she's like, me and my husband watch you all the time. I gotta get a picture so I can send it to him. And I was like, oh, thank you. And then we end up exchanging information. And then we ended up doing a movie together last year. And we have just been locked in. And I just love her because she is one of those people that'll randomly text you and let you know that she loves you and I'm thinking about you. And that goes so far, you know, because a lot of times people are just so caught up in their lives that we don't take a moment to just check in, you know. So I just love that. I love everything you are doing. It's just, it's impactful. It is necessary, especially for our community, Atlanta, a largely African American community, to have someone like you right here at home to show us, hey guys, we got what we need. We just need to support each other. I absolutely love it. Do you have anything else that's coming up that we can be on the lookout for? We know Concourse B at Atlanta Hartsfield. We're going there for sure. Right across from the Delta Lounge. We got that. Is there anything else that we can be on the lookout for or other places we can support you in?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Yes, of course. Always go by the book. No one is self made. Yes. Stop by my bookstore, Village Books, if you're in Atlanta. What you waiting on? When you fly to Atlanta, add us a part of your, your destination. And if you are a small business owner and you were just looking for a village and your people, check out our village united.org we built something so special with the organization. But I will say this. One of the greatest ways that you can support my work is by loving yourself. The greatest ways that we can support each other is by doing our own individual work. Because when we do our individual work, we will put the weapons down and we will train our eyes to see each other and not be intimidated by what we see.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Right?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

But see it from a gaze of love. When we get to this place of deep healing. When we get to this place of deep knowing that it's not by any accident we were created by such divine loving hands and that it's not by accident that we share time together. That we were chosen for such a such a time as this. If you ever want, if you ever want to Love and support Dr. Key, do your work. I'm going to do my work. And we will be well and do great things together.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I love that. Dr. Keith, thank you so, so much. In closing, I do want to ask. Our theme this season is unapologetic. We are walking through life unapologetically. I want to know what is Dr. Key unapologetic about in this season of her life?

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Oh, Crystal. I'm so clear and unapologetic about who I am. Yes, I am so clear. I'M grateful that I still my feet are anchored so deeply in joy. I'm unapologetic about my joy. I know I am unapologetic about my clarity, about this divine mission that we're on. And I'm also unapologetic that I will say the things that needs to be said out loud, affirmingly still, with love. But I am unwavering in what I believe the light at the end of the tunnel is for us.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yeah, I love that. Dr. Keith, thank you so much. I know you got a crazy schedule. Thank you for sitting down with us. I know this blessed me, so I know it's going to bless our listeners. Thank you.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Thank you.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Yes, absolutely.

[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

Thank you.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So good.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

What I appreciate most about this conversation is that it reminds us that success means very little if it only benefits us individually. Dr. Key's work is so powerful because she's not just building businesses, she's building community, access and systems of care. In a time where so many people feel disconnected, overwhelmed or isolated. This conversation reminds us that we are never meant to do life alone. Thank you Dr. Keefe, for your wisdom, your intentionality, and for reminding us the power of collective care and community. Be sure to grab your copy of no One Is Self Made where books are sold. Thank you all for tuning in to another episode of Keep It Positive.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

Sweetie.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Don't forget to download the Season 11 Kips Reflection Guide at Crystal Renee Hazel.com subscribe and share this episode with someone who could use a little positivity. And if you want advice, positivity or just want to share what you're going through, email us@keepitpositive outcomes gmail.com as always, stay blessed, stay encouraged, and keep it positive, sweetie.

[Crystal Renee Hazlett]

I'll see you guys next time. Foreign.

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[Sean Duffy]

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[DJ Envy]

NHTSA

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[Dr. Lakeisha Key Hallman]

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