Zaakirah recaps her third Essence Festival experience — this time as a speaker across three different platforms. She breaks down how she landed the opportunity, what she covered on each stage, and gives a full budget-friendly itinerary for anyone planning their own Essence Fest trip.

In this episode:

0:00 – Intro: Who is Zaakirah & what See Life Different is about

0:42 – Overview: Speaking on 3 stages at Essence Fest 2026

0:58 – Zaakirah's backstory: childhood eye cancer, vision/hearing loss, and her Essence Fest history (2016 → 2024 → 2026)

1:27 – History of Essence Festival & the Essence magazine legacy

1:49 – How she got the opportunity: shoutout to New Voices Family (PACE program)

2:50 – Winning the New Voices Excellence Award

3:13 – Setting intentions to be part of Essence Fest

3:53 – Speaking opportunity #1: Moderating the "Reimagining Inclusion" panel

4:42 – Speaking opportunity #2: Wellness talking circles with Refinery29's Unbothered & Well

5:53 – Speaking opportunity #3: New Voices community programming

8:31 – Gifting & networking with fellow entrepreneurs

8:07 – Beautycon lines & wristband access tips

8:31 – Concert Floor seats: Brandy & Monica, T.I.,

10:24 – Why accessibility (captions, sign language interpreters, wheelchair access) matters at events

12:39 – How to work with Zaakirah as your brand/accessibility strategist

14:13 – Budget travel breakdown: hostels, flights, the airport express bus

17:12 – Planning your itinerary using the Essence Fest app

18:34 – Friday: off-site events, Sprout Social meetup, Sister Song concert

20:19 – Meeting Lachi for Zaakirah's upcoming documentary project

23:11 – Catching a live podcast taping of Because We Feud

24:17 – Friday night networking dinner & prepping for speaking day

24:36 – Food recap: Daily Beets, True Food Kitchen, Cafe du Monde, po'boys & more

26:13 – Sunday: exploring the DMV community presence & Baltimore mayor session at convention center

27:14 – Fun fact: descendant of Frederick Douglass via Stephen Bailey

27:36 – Mario Performance at the Coca-Cola stage

28:41 – Touring Black New Orleans & the Ninth Ward

29:20 – Recap & what's next: goals for the next Essence Fest

29:48 – Outro & how to connect with Zaakirah

Connect with Zaakirah:

🌐 Website: https://zaakirahnayyar.com

📱 All social links: https://zaakirahnayyar.com/social

Learn more about New Voices Family:

https://www.newvoices.family/

https://smart.bio/newvoicesfamily/