Colored Girls Hustle Blog

“On Her Hustle” is a monthly series of interviews with women of color artists, entrepreneurs, healers and activists who hustle hard for our communities. Colored Girls Hustle uses this series to amplify the work, talent, and passions of other women and girls of color. Click here to read more about our series and to nominate someone to be interviewed.

This month we’re featuring Katina Parker, media maker and content curator  who hustles hard to ensure that images are created to accurately reflect who we are. Read her interview below to learn more and support her fundraising campaign for her new documentary webseries Truth. Be. Told.

Colored Girls Hustle: Describe your media-making process. How did you get started? Who are your subjects? What kind of content do you curate?

Katina Parker: I make films, shoot photos, write words, and design. I also create presence for projects and causes through my communications skill-sets.

These last few years, my life has been focused on documentary work. I’ve managed to slip in narrative projects, here and there, like the “Devil’s Teeth” music video that I directed for Justin Robinson, Grammy Award-winning founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

I document out of love, out of a desire to preserve the stories and legacies of people who matter to me. It started with my family in Oklahoma when I was 10, obsessively documenting my great grandmother’s tall tales (which were often true) about life as a 6 foot tall Black Indian woman raising 11 kids, practically on her own. Fighting men and dogs in the street. Going to church every Sunday and many days in between. Doing men’s work from the time she was 9. Picking cotton, 200 pounds a day. Working as a foreman in the cotton fields. Cleaning White folks’ homes. Raising their kids. We’re from Spencer, Oklahoma. There’s no street you can drive up or down where she can’t tell you a job she worked.

She brought me my first camera, a Polaroid, when I was 10… She regretted it everyday afterwards. From there, I went to tape recording interviews with her. I have over 100 hours of stories. From there I graduated to film/video.

Later, my documentation continued with the people I grew up playing basketball with in Wilmington, Delaware, where I came of age. We were all street kids. I don’t think any of us thought we would live this long. There was something about feeling expendable, vulnerable no matter how tough we cursed or how hard we fought to be respected, I always wanted to remember that about our fierceness in the face of uncertainty. Ironically, most of us are still here. We get together every year and play a reunion game. In those moments, we’re 16 all over again, with older, crunchier knees and bigger bodies, but laughing and loving the memories. I document that too.

There’s Odunde, the Yoruban street festival that happens every June in Philly. Been photographing that for 20 years. I’m working on a book. The colors, the people, the food, the culture, everything is vibrant.

There’s One Million Strong: Photos from the Million Man, World Day of Atonement, Million Women, Million Youth, Million Youth Movement, Millions More Movement, and Million Family Marches. I spent 10 years, from the time I was 20 until I was 30, creating that body of work. It’s a touring exhibit and I’m working on a book.

When I was in LA, I befriended Saul Williams and Cody ChesnuTT. Documented their shows/personal lives for many years. Working on books for those images too.

These days, I document the evolution of my family – my kids. I have a 3- and 4-year old. Some of my newer work focuses on Black Indian identity, cultural practices, and ancestry. And, of course, there’s Truth. Be. Told., my new doc series about Queer Black Visionaries.

Colored Girls Hustle: Describe yourself in 3 verbs.

Katina Parker: Catalyze. Ground. Persist.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us about your hustle philosophy: What does the word “hustle” mean to you and how does it apply to your life and professional practice?

Katina Parker: Your search proves your love: These are the words that guide my journey. I came of age in the streets of Wilmington, Delaware during the 80’s and 90’s. For me, the word “hustle” is synonymous with life force, that push, that achingness to transcend and outlast hard circumstances, in order to know freedom, love, healing, stability. It is my ability to imagine and create magical new realities through a combination of opportunity, readiness, creativity and resourcefulness.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tells us a bit about your new documentary series “Truth. Be. Told.” Why are you creating it? What are you hoping to accomplish?

Katina Parker: “Truth. Be. Told.” is a documentary series that seeks to reclaim the birthright of Queer Black Visionaries within our families and communities by providing a platform for out, Black LGBTQI-SGL-TS people to tell their personal stories of challenge, radical self-inquiry, transformation, and triumph.

To date over 50 Queer Black Visionaries have committed to being interviewed for Seasons 1 and 2, including: Staceyann Chin (Jamaican-born, Tony Award-winning playwright); Emil Wilbekin (Editor at Large for Essence magazine), Patrik-Ian Polk (Creator of Logo TV’s “Noah’s Arc” series); Mia McKenzie (Creator of the Black Girl Dangerous blog) Linda Villarosa (a former Editor for the New York Times); Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Co-Creator of the Mobile Homecoming Project); Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler (Filmmaker/Transgender Rights Activist); and Valerie Spencer (Actress & Transgender Activist).

Currently, we’re raising $4,000 to cut the pilot episode. You can check out trailers and the IndieGoGo campaign here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/truth-be-told-pilot-fundraiser-take-two

I believe that “Truth. Be. Told.” can significantly shift the culture of acceptance for Black LGBTQ people in our communities while creating a high level of sustained media visibility that focuses on our positive contributions to American culture.

Colored Girls Hustle: What do you believe is the impact of media on social change?

Katina Parker: When I was an intern at BET – back in the day when Donnie Simpson and Sherry Carter were hosting “Video Soul” and “Lead Story” was still on – there was this Rastafarian dude, he told me that TV is the greatest form of social programming to date. ‘Tis true. The image, the moving image in particular, creates change. It’s what gave the Civil Rights Movement momentum – those heartbreaking images of our people being mistreated went out to the world and international disgust created pressure on the American government to answer to its own moral compass.

Now, with social media, the implications for social change are broad. Essentially, we are teaching one another, cultivating our values and shared vocabularies through Twitter, Facebook, etc. We are also igniting one another to care – and to stay engaged - through the use of powerful imagery and consistent validation of our shared values. Despite some of the drawbacks, I think social media is evolving our collective consciousness as a people.

Colored Girls Hustle: We’re in a DIY generation where there are few gatekeepers of information and resources. Almost anyone can take pictures and capture life events on video. How do you think people can use their resources to tell their stories effectively? How do you see this access affecting traditionally under-represented communities?

Katina Parker: The advent of affordable technology and social media has been the perfect window of opportunity for people of color, Queer people, poor people, and women to create projects for us, by us. These days, it’s like we’re operating as telepathic, telekinetic points of light. I see so many conversations about identity happening on-line between people in totally different geographic regions, totally different age groups, different class structures. There’s a great deal of positive cross-pollination in our midst.

Having a DIY spirit is dope but it’s equally important to take classes to develop technical and artistic proficiency with cameras, lighting, audio, etc. – especially if you want to be taken seriously as a media maker. You can do so by going to school, by studying the primers they have on YouTube and throughout the web, or by creating your own curriculum. But it’s not enough to just pick up a camera and tell a story, if the camera is all over the place and the audio is sub-par – or, worse, your writing or acting need work. We still gotta stretch ourselves and embody the best so that we can offer one another the best.

Katina Parker is a filmmaker, photographer, writer, and communications specialist living in Durham, North Carolina. Her current projects include creating a touring exhibit and self-published book for her body of work One Million Strong: Photos from the Million Man, Million Women and Million Youth Marches and launching Truth. Be. Told., a documentary series about Queer Black Visionaries.

“On Her Hustle” is a monthly series of interviews with women of color artists, entrepreneurs, healers and activists who hustle hard for our communities. Colored Girls Hustle uses this series to amplify the work, talent, and passions of other women and girls of color. Click here to read more about our series and to nominate someone to be interviewed.

This month we’re featuring Tanya Fields, fierce mama of four and the founder and Executive Director of the BLK Projek. Read her full interview below to learn how she hustles hard for food access, economic justice, and herself.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us a about The BLK Projek. When and why did you start this organization? Why the name “The BLK Projek”?

Tanya Fields: The BLK Projek is an organization that looks to harness the power of the local, good food movement to create economic development opportunities for marginalized women and youth while simultaneously supporting local growers and creating an alternative food system in low-income communities.

In layman’s terms that means we get poor women and youth the tools to create food business that will create income for their families and better food options for the community. I started this organization as a low-income mother who started doing environmental work and found myself frustrated by my community’s tendency to stay stuck in reactive mode. I wanted to fight FOR something not always against something. I also had a child who was asthmatic developing food allergies and watched my own waistline expand and I couldn’t find decent food for either of us. Combine these things with an abundance of undeveloped land — food and urban agriculture seemed like right direction. I decided in 2009 that I wanted to concentrate my efforts on creating alternatives that could empower people as well as solve a relevant issue. I left my day job. It was the right time, it was a toxic environment and I could only concentrate on innovation, creation and justice from a place of love. It seemed like the perfect time. I started the incorporation process shortly after.

Colored Girls Hustle: What is the current programming of the The BLK Projek? What communities participate and benefit from this work?

Tanya Fields: The BLK ProjeK has two overarching programs: “Holistic Hood” which concentrates on base building, safe spaces where folks can come to engage and heal. I realized awhile ago that no matter how many hard skills you teach low-income, marginalized folks if you don’t take the time and care to address the trauma they have faced on a daily basis (and, mostly likely, generationally) then folks won’t be able to move on from the place they are in or even acknowledge that moving on is a possibility. Programs under that umbrella were Mommy and Me Yoga, Bronx Grub Meals, Free Acupuncture and community meetings.

“Healthy Hoods” is the economic development piece where we concentrate on incubating initiatives that will provide healthy food, support local growers and construct alternative food systems that put the people and the planet over profit and greed. Our two current campaigns are our South Bronx Mobile Market and the Libertad Urban Farm Proposal. The Libertad Urban Farm Proposal is a campaign to get an urban farm in the Longwood/Hunts Point section of the Bronx. The urban farm would serve as a safe, green, community space; a workforce development platform; and as an alternative way for community members to receive fresh, organic produce. We are working with another community group and the local councilwoman to negotiate a piece of city owned property in the community.  Our other campaign and by far our biggest is our South Bronx Mobile Market.

Guerrilla farming in the South Bronx

Colored Girls Hustle: You just launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for a Veggie Mobile Market. How exciting! Tell us more about the Veggie Mobile and why this is important for the communities you serve.

Tanya Fields: I am so geeked for this mobile market. We have a beautifully painted former school bus that already has a great history. It was a tour bus for Climbing Poetree before it was donated to the VROOM Bus Collective. It is tricked out to run on used veggie oil. We are raising funds to take this bus and put solar panels on her, get her a transmission “transplant,” shelving and storage, appliances and additional equipment. Shoot, if we have enough we might put some rims on that joint! We will procure almost all of our produce from local growers both urban and rural. We will then sell in South Bronx communities accepting EBT and WIC as well. We will then work with folks like Wholeshare to create an online platform and procure nutritious value-added food not available in the hood. The first phase is to hustle up this money to do the bus retrofits and we are running an Indiegogo campaign for that. http://igg.me/at/southbronxmobilemarket/x/2793004

Colored Girls Hustle: In your video for your Indiegogo campaign you talk about the connection between community development and economic development. Your programming for the BLK ProjeK also exists at this intersection. Tell us more about why you believe these things are connected and can transform our communities.

Tanya Fields: I am not doing work with affluent folks, or ivy league folks or folks with tons of education. Many of the folks I am working with are like me: they are survivors and they are constantly overwhelmed with dueling and contradictory messages of excessive consumption and scarcity. “You don’t have enough that’s why your streets aren’t safe; BUY NEW JORDANS AND DR. JAYS!” Folks ain’t about to start spending time on things that they feel are not of priority. And in the minds of many of the folks here: as long as you have food you are good. Many of my folks are also on SNAP/food stamps so if folks are struggling, and if they are overwhelmed, then when we are organize, advocate and activate we also better be thinking about how to create initiatives or hook folks into initiatives that are going to help them thrive financially. If you working with low-income folks and you are not developing long-term economic strategies then you are just doing charity. I’m not about that life. The life I am about is empowerment and self-sufficiency.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us a bit about your hustle philosophy: What does the word “hustle” mean to you and how does it apply to your life and professional practice?

Tanya Fields: Hustle is about understanding that if opportunity doesn’t knock, fuck it and build your own house, walk through your own damned door. Hustle is resiliency and grinding. Understanding  that success is many times defined by who is wiling to take the most calculated risk the longest. For me my hustle is to be bold and courageous, to push others to be bold and courageous, and to work smart and hard. I also understand the hustle doesn’t mean I have to know everything and that I can’t do it alone. A successful hustle has a good network and a team of resourceful, supportive folks. When it comes to me personally, I constantly push myself outside of my comfort zones and try to be introspective. I want to remind myself even when I “fail” that there was a lesson to be learned and that tomorrow, if I am so blessed, is another opportunity for me to be a better version of who I was the day before.

Colored Girls Hustle: Describe yourself in 3 words.

Tanya Fields: Assertive. Resilient.Compassionate.

Colored Girls Hustle: You were recently disinvited from a TEDx Manhattan’s Changing the Way We Eat conference. We were absolutely INSPIRED by how you chose to handle that situation publicly and transparently; and used that as an opportunity to create your own space. Tell us about how the situation transpired and about your independent event “Not Just Talk: Food in the South Bronx.”

Tanya Fields: Wow, that situation was BA-NEE-NEES! I have a link her to the EBONY.com article that covered what my friends are now calling “TanyaGate.” For more information about how the situation went down, folks can read my open letter. We have pictures up on our Facebook page documenting the Not Just Talk event.

Colored Girls Hustle: A lot of us on the grind and doing work on the ground in our communities often feel left out of larger, “mainstream” conversations and movement building work. What are some key lessons that you learned from the TEDx experience that you can share with others about how to handle rejection and marginalization?

Tanya Fields: That’s tough. I don’t know if I am still able to really “handle” it and I am not sure I want to. When I become desensitized to it is when I think it might be time for me to do something else because I don’t have it in me to fight anymore.

I think for me, it’s more about how not to operate from that place of pain and triggers and rage. I often seek to understand why I am being rejected and why I am being marginalized and to speak on it every time I see it. That doesn’t mean I have to have the process publicly but it means I acknowledge it, call out the oppression and then tap into my love for myself, for my children and their generation; acknowledge the sacrifices of the elders and fight from a place of love. It is also about knowing when to “surrender”, like when to say “fuck this” and realize every space don’t have to be for me. I have talents and gifts that can help me create a new space. That’s what the mobile market is about, that is what my event “Not Just Talk” was about. It was about me saying “fuck it” I can create an alternative for my folks that will feed us and pay us and celebrate us and allow us to flourish. 

Colored Girls Hustle: You’re a mother, an Executive Director, and active on social media, among other things. What are the ways you successfully manage your time and how do you prioritize self-care?

Tanya Fields: For me, getting through the day and doing one important thing is a successful use of my time. If I can feed my kids before 10pm, I have successfully used my time. And if I can take 30 minutes to have a meal and not answer an email or phone call, then I have successfully used my time. I made a choice to have 4 babies, shit is tough most days. When I made that decision I also decided I wouldn’t use them as the reason for me not to be as ambitious as I have always been. I want more kids believe it or not lol. I’m loco, I love being a mother and I reconciled with the fact I am living the life I want.

I like the craziness, I like the grind, I like deadlines and the constant ripping and running but I do get weary. I have days where I eat emotionally and where I give my kids cereal for dinner because I am too damn tired to make the nutritious meals I fight for. I used to get really stressed and then crash and burn. It was a vicious cycle. I started learning to forgive myself, realizing I didn’t have to do everything all the time. I am a human being. I may be ideologically a super woman but not literally. Black women think they have to take care of the whole world and we receive those messages everyday from our own folks and others. We have accepted martyrdom as part of our DNA. Shit, not me. That’s not my narrative. I have forgiven myself for being vulnerable and learned to ask for help and understanding. I don’t have to take on other people “stuff”. Therapy has helped tremendously, taking time to love my body has helped. Freeing myself from the shackles of a patriarchal and sexist view of sex and seeing motherhood as radical has liberated me. I make sugar scrubs and I tell my children that they have to take care of their own needs when I am in the bathroom scrubbing myself down. I explain to my older girls what it means for me to have this time and that our household is one of cooperation and that we all can take turns being the “leader”.

I also learned the power of “no”: saying no to opportunities that will stress me out, keep me from my kids and aren’t a priority. I also learned that when I felt like the walls were closing in on me because the kids were fighting or the house was a mess or I got a rejection letter for a proposal or a relationship wasn’t working out, to just STOP. To breathe, to put my hand over my heart and listen to my heartbeat. I started a shrine to my great-great-grandparents and offer them water and light. I talk to them. I learned the power of ritual.  Once, I liberated myself from this idea that I needed to be everything all the time and that I needed to “win” everyday, self-care got easy.

Tanya Fields is a food justice activist, public speaker, educator, food enthusiast, sometimes blogger, fierce mama bear of four precocious children and the founder and executive director of the BLK Projek. She is currently raising funds to start a mobile market in the South Bronx. In her spare time she updates a food blog called Mama’s Kitchen From Scratch and does a cooking demo workshop called Fab Food on a Food Stamp Budget. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.

“On Her Hustle” is a monthly series of interviews with women of color artists, entrepreneurs, healers and activists who hustle hard for our communities. Colored Girls Hustle uses this series to amplify the work, talent, and passions of other women and girls of color. Click here to read more about our series and to nominate someone to be interviewed.

We’re heating things up this month in our February “On Her Hustle” interview with Arielle Loren: founder and Editor-in-Chief of CORSET, the “go-to magazine of all things sexuality” and an entrepreneurial freedom teacher at Portable Incomes. Read her full interview below to see how she hustles hard for sexual and economic freedom.

Colored Girls Hustle: How did you discover your passion for sex and sexuality?

Arielle: I always loved sex from the first time I did it, and had been curious about it long before then. However, I definitely didn’t think it’d be such a large part of my career as an empowering entrepreneur and writer. It kind of fell into my lap between falling in love with interesting men, living in New York City, and my coursework at NYU.

Colored Girls Hustle: Why start Corset Magazine? Why not continue to do free-lance writing about sex and sexuality?

Arielle: I am an expansive thinker, and starting a sexuality magazine was an extension of my brand as a freelance sexuality writer. I created a platform for more voices to be heard and I curate content that sexually empowers people from various walks of life. The majority of Corset’s content is community-sourced, meaning our readers are our writers and their stories are valued.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us a bit about your hustle philosophy: What does the word “hustle” mean to you and how does it apply to your lifestyle and professional practice?

Arielle: Hustling is a daily practice of ambition. For me, hustling is doing. So I work to really focus on a few of my business ideas, and gradually bring them to life. So far I have three functioning businesses (I define a functioning business as one that makes money). I hope to make that five by the end of this year.

Colored Girls Hustle: Use three verbs to describe yourself.

Arielle: Inspiring. Kind. Intuitive.

Colored Girls Hustle: You lead a “non-traditional” lifestyle in that you don’t work a 9-to-5 job. What does a typical day look like for you? And what do you enjoy most about the way you live and work?

Arielle: I wake up early. Meditate/pray. Check my email. Start working. Eat. Work some more. Go to the beach or out somewhere. Comeback and work some more. Meditate/pray. Hit the bed.

That’s my typical schedule, but I change it when I please. I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur. My freedom can’t be bought, which is why I don’t work in the 9-5 world.

Colored Girls Hustle: What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs who are interested in having a career and business that allows them to travel or is not location-specific?

Arielle: I created an online business course called Portable Incomes for entrepreneurs, aspiring and veterans, to strengthen their businesses and create incomes that can fund their travels across the world. I’m really big on not being tied to an office or specific location, regardless of whether or not you’re in a 9-5 job or have a brick and mortar business. Entrepreneurship means freedom to me, so I’m giving business owners the tips and tricks to make them far more money and have steady streams of income flowing into their account regardless of location. I made a lot of mistakes setting up my three functioning businesses, so I’m fast-tracking my students by sharing all the secrets to my financial success.

Colored Girls Hustle: What are some of the major risks you have taken to pursue your passions? How did you overcome fear and doubt?

Arielle: Financial stability was a big risk, but again, I was clear that my freedom couldn’t be bought and meant more to me than financial stability. That’s a bold statement, but it’s how I feel and live. Being clear about that is what put fear and doubt behind me, and it’s why I get to live on the beach in a 2500 sq ft oceanfront condo, dance salsa, go to yoga, hit the spa, or call a masseuse to my patio whenever I want. You have to be clear. As Will Smith says, we make things complicated. Life is really simple. Set your principles and be willing to die for them. That level of determination is what manifests dreams into reality.

Colored Girls Hustle: How would you connect a good sex life and expression of sexuality with your hustle (or anyone’s hustle)?

Arielle: Good sex and intimacy make me more productive. But more than that, I’m very much in my sensuality as I work. I rarely have clothes on. I’m always meditating and listening to my body for guidance on my business decisions. And I recognize the mind-clearing power of orgasms. So my love life, sensuality, and sexuality all feed my businesses in really positive ways. I have no intention to ever do business without them.

Colored Girls Hustle: Many of us discover new projects and businesses as we’re working on other things. How has your vision and career path changed over time?

Arielle: I would say my career path is always evolving. My purpose has stayed pretty consistent, to live authentically as me and inspire. I’m an entrepreneurial artist, so sometimes my purpose manifests through writing, putting together a beautiful magazine, coaching women entrepreneurs, helping people travel, or whatever. At the end of the day, I’m still me, and that’s my business.

Colored Girls Hustle: Living abroad near the beach must be fun! How do you manage your time and find the balance between work and play?

Arielle: I just do what I feel. Some days I need to hibernate, stay in the house, and work a lot. Other days, I won’t even open my computer, and I’ll take a digital sabbatical. I’m pretty tapped into my intuition, so I know when I need to do more work or if I need more time to play. So I just call it like I see it!

Arielle Loren is a sexuality thought leader, writer, and filmmaker who is dedicating her career to empowering dialogue about sex. Her work has been featured and praised by The Huffington Post, NPR, Jezebel, NBC News (The Grio), BET, EBONY, The Root, and Clutch Magazine. She has directed and produced a media-acclaimed documentary, Bideology, about women dating bisexual men. A graduate of New York University, Arielle is the founder of CORSET Magazine and serves as the company’s CEO and magazine’s Editor-in-Chief. She leads CORSET’s international community of readers on their journeys to sexual empowerment. You can follow Arielle on Facebook and twitter. Follow CORSET Magazine on Facebook and twitter.

“On Her Hustle” is a monthly series of interviews with women of color artists, entrepreneurs, healers and activists who hustle hard for our communities. Colored Girls Hustle uses this series to amplify the work, talent, and passions of other women and girls of color. Click here to read more about our series and to nominate someone to be interviewed.

This year we’re kicking off the “On Her Hustle” series with a double bang! Our January interview features Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones, co-creators and stars of their self-made cooking show Food Heaven Made Easy. They use their web-based, monthly programming to help New Yorkers eat well on a budget. Read their full interview below to see what inspires their hustle and watch their latest show.

Colored Girls Hustle: What inspired you to start the Food Heaven Made Easy show?

Wendy & Jess: The rates of obesity and obesity related diseases, such as diabetes, are running rampant our communities. We’ve done lots of work surrounding nutrition and we noticed that folks don’t always feel empowered to make healthy eating choices.  A lot of reservations came from budget constraints and lack of knowledge regarding healthy cooking. We created Food Heaven as a platform to show folks from low-income households that healthy eating is attainable for everyone.

Colored Girls Hustle: Why are you two so passionate about healthy food and cooking? How does your passion “feed” your community?
Wendy & Jess: Food is a powerful tool that can be used to bring people together. Good food is also a major source of happiness for both of us. We use this happiness to get others motivated and excited about eating healthy.

Colored Girls Hustle: What is your vision for Food Heaven Made Easy? How do you see your show growing and evolving in 2013 and beyond?

Wendy & Jess: We’re working towards expanding the show so that it includes visual media, personal community interaction, and organizing around food sustainability. One of the greatest things about our show is that we are able to be ourselves and do things that we want to do. When working for other people or organizations, you don’t really have that flexibility. We see our show as a step towards our personal and professional independence. 

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us a bit about your hustle philosophy: What does the word “hustle” mean to you? How does that apply to your lives and to your show?

Wendy & Jess: To us, hustling means constantly working hard to get to where you want to be. Let’s just say our show is one huge hustle. We’re in school and working full-time, so we constantly have to figure out how we’re going to make time for the show. We have to figure out which one of our amazing friends is going to help us film and produce the show. It’s a lot of small things that go into making Food Heaven Made Easy, but we’re thankful for our community. They’re always looking out and helping us when we’re in need.

Colored Girls Hustle: Describe yourselves in 3 verbs.
Wendy:
1. Adventurous
2. Creative
3. Shameless
Jess:
1. Curious
2. Creative
3. Introvert with extrovert tendencies (I know, more than one word…)

Colored Girls Hustle: You two do more than the Food Heaven Made Easy show. What are your other hustles and how do you manage your time to ensure that you’re in the integrity of your passions?
Wendy: I’m in graduate school full-time pursuing a Masters in nutrition. I also work as a health educator in a suicide prevention program for Latina teenagers. All of these commitments make it incredibly challenging to find some down time, but the great thing is that everything I’m involved with goes back to nutrition, so there’s room for overlapping.
Jess: I work as a dietitian at a hospital. I try to set aside time each week to make sure that I am pursuing my personal projects and passions in addition to growing professionally in my career.

Colored Girls Hustle: People who hustle hard have difficulty finding the time (or interest) to eat well and cook healthy meals (like the whole wheat crust kale pizza pictured above). What advice can you give our readers about getting creative in the kitchen and fitting health/wellness into their hustle?

Wendy & Jess:
Our three top tips for people who want to improve their health are the following:

Eat a Plant-Based Diet

The majority of your diet should be plant based. This includes veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans and grains.

Balance it Out

Make sure to eat balanced meals that include lots of veggies, lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Portion Control

Portion sizes have increased significantly over the past few decades. Try eating on a smaller plate to ensure you are consuming less at each meal.

Colored Girls Hustle: What’s the most challenging part of producing Food Heaven Made Easy? How did you get through that challenge?

Wendy & Jess: The most challenging part is funding. This is a self-funded initiative, and so we often have to come out of our pockets to make the shows happen. We’re hoping that as the show expands, we’ll get funding to do more creative nutrition/media work. 

The lack of women of color in the field of nutrition has actually motivated us even more. We know there’s a need for this kind of education in our communities, and we’re fully committed to the work we do.  

Colored Girls Hustle: What advice would you give people who are interested in starting a web-series or TV show?

Wendy & Jess:
1. Never tailor your message/image to accommodate others.
2. Network with likeminded people that will help you expand your project.
3. Have fun! Don’t get too caught up in the internet craze.

Colored Girls Hustle: Colored Girls Hustle is all about women and girls of color who hustle hard and look good too. And the two of you always look fly on your shows! How does your sense of style impact your hustle?

Wendy & Jess: Thanks for the compliment! We’re all about fashion and style (on a budget) and so we love that our image inspires others to try new things- whether it be a new lipstick color or tofu.

Hustle

Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones are co-founders of Food Heaven Made Easy, a monthly cooking and nutrition web-series that demonstrates how to prepare culturally diverse, delicious, quick and cost conscious meals at home. Watch their shows on Youtube and check out their yummy recipes. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. 

Wendy Lopez is committed to serving as a force of love, justice, and growth within communities of African decent that have been negatively impacted by the inequities of our food system. Through her experiences providing nutrition education workshops for children, adolescents, and families, this Bronx native strives to bridge the gap between food, health, and community. Wendy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in nutrition from Hunter College and works with youth to explore the ways in which food and health have a direct impact on the mind and body.

Jessica Jones has a M.S. in Nutrition from the City University of New York: Brooklyn College and works as a Clinical Dietitian for the largest hospital in Brooklyn. As a Clinical Dietitian, Jessica uses Medical Nutrition Therapy to improve the nutritional status of her patients. In addition to her love of hands on nutrition education and counseling, Jessica has a passion for using media as a tool to promote healthy lifestyles and has penned hundreds of articles about food, health and culture for publications like the Village Voice, Time Out New York, am New York and

“On Her Hustle” is a monthly series of interviews with women of color artists, entrepreneurs, healers and activists who hustle hard for our communities. Colored Girls Hustle uses this series to amplify the work, talent, and passions of other women and girls of color. Click here to read more about our series and to nominate someone to be interviewed.

To kick off our series, we interviewed Jasmine Burems: a Bed-Stuy based entrepreneur, herbalist, doula and the founder of HONEY & GOLD, an organic women’s wellness beverage and bodycare company. She is currently running an Indiegogo campaign to begin production of HONEY & GOLD’s Signature Elixir, the first ever organic bottled women’s health drink made with 24K edible gold. Support her campaign and read her full interview below.

Colored Girls Hustle: What is HONEY & GOLD? What inspired you to start this business?

Jasmine Burems: HONEY & GOLD is a revolutionary, feminine body care company.

It’s a vortex of my passions and pleasures; and my desire for a world where people who are nourished and empowered lead society in the direction of wellness and collective advancement.

My life’s work is to inspire women to nourish themselves. Often we are last on our own list after family, friends, strangers, employers etc. HONEY & GOLD is the way I share my “self-love life” with the world. Its how I offer simple lifestyle alternatives to facilitate the cultural shift I seek in society.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us more about the HONEY & GOLD lifestyle. What kind of women can benefit from your products and services?

Jasmine Burems: Every woman can benefit from HONEY & GOLD products. Any woman who is interested in pursuing optimum wellness, any woman who hasn’t even thought about it because she’s too busy running the rat race, taking care of family, or meeting the superficial demands of society.

The HONEY & GOLD lifestyle is about integrating simple self-care rituals into your day: wellness teas, mindful meditation, energy cultivation, preventative breast massage treatments, optimizing your digestion and absorption of nutrients. Its about taking time to wallow in your own desires and passions, finding a pleasurable way to break a sweat daily or laughing so deeply that you massage your internal organs.

Colored Girls Hustle: Tell us a bit about your hustle philosophy: What does the word “hustle” mean to you and how does it apply to your life and professional practice?

Jasmine Burems: To hustle is to close my eyes, dig deep within, find the most inspiring otherworldly gem, fall deeply in love with every facet of it…and then open my eyes, stay woke and completely align my words, thoughts and actions to the manifestation of that jewel. That’s my true hustle. The work of it is just as much receptive as active. Left brain and right brain. Projection and surrender. To live my life on my own terms, I have to hustle. To hustle is to do the internal and external work to bring a vision into fruition.

Colored Girls Hustle: You just launched an Indiegogo campaign to begin production of HONEY & GOLD Signature Elixir, the first ever organic bottled women’s health drink. Tell us more about your campaign and why this drink is important for women’s health.

Jasmine Burems: Signature Elixir is the first ever woman-specific wellness, pleasure and beauty drink. It’s made with organic herbs, local raw honey and 24K edible gold. It tones, strengthens and nourishes the uterus and vagina.  It pairs with the Rose Quartz Yoni Egg, a semi-precious crystal used as a vaginal fitness tool that promotes wellness and pleasure.

I want women to fall in love with themselves. I want you to treat yourself like royalty. HONEY & GOLD is important because it’s an example of how we can do it in a truly responsible way. A lot of brands sell us cosmetic confidence, superficial benefits, body bashing ideals and environmental toxins. HONEY & GOLD is about cultivating an internal relationship. Signature Elixir and the other HONEY & GOLD products are all natural, support organic agriculture and are manufactured in a responsible way. No one and nothing has to suffer for us to feel and look good.  The Indiegogo campaign will allow me to make it happen. I have many innovative products to offer and I see Signature Elixir as the gateway product that will establish a foundation so the brand can offer women self-care products for generations to come.  

Choose the “Rose Quartz Yoni Egg” package when you contribute to the HONEY & GOLD Indiegogo Campaign. You’ll experience the benefits of Signature Elixir, a 30-day Signature Tea Cone Supplement, the Rose Quartz Yoni Egg and also receive a copy of My Self-love Life- Recipes and Rituals: An Essential Guide for the Woman Who Loves Herself.

Colored Girls Hustle: Describe yourself in 3 verbs.

Jasmine Burems: Cultivate. Nurture. Harvest.

Colored Girls Hustle: What do you like most about being an entrepreneur?

Jasmine Burems: I own my day. I wake up and devote myself each day to doing my purpose. I’m growing personally and professionally. As an entrepreneur my job is to create solutions, make decisions and raise currency to propel those solutions so they are accessible to the people who will benefit from them.

Colored Girls Hustle: Time management can be challenging for entrepreneurs, especially if this is the first time they’re working for themselves. How do you successfully manage your time? What advice would you give to young and new entrepreneurs?

Jasmine Burems: I think the best advice I can offer is to keep moving outside of your comfort zone.  Do what’s most important first. Don’t leave the least comfortable tasks for last. Courage boosts productivity.  Also, work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Give yourself small windows of time to complete defined tasks so you don’t lose morale.

Colored Girls Hustle: Clearly you have a passion for women’s health – you’re also a doula and an herbalist! How is your HONEY & GOLD work connected to reproductive justice?

Jasmine Burems: I believe that self-love, and self-care deepens our sense of bodily autonomy. Our bodies are one space in the world where we are truly sovereign. I hope to see women, especially women in the reproductive justice movement gradually move from using self-care as an antidote (taken to counteract a toxic lifestyle) to incorporating it as a daily way of life. 

Colored Girls Hustle: What advice would you give to people who are hesitant or resistant to pursuing their passion?

Jasmine Burems: Do it! Be “both and” not an “either or.” Say yes to yourself.

Colored Girls Hustle: What resources or rituals have helped you maintain your sanity and self-care?

Jasmine Burems: Prayer. I love to pray and lately I’m finding new ways to pray with my voice, my body, in the stillness of my mind, or in movement. Bathing is one of my favorite rituals. I find peace, center and release in the water.

Jasmine Burems is a Bed-Stuy based entrepreneur and founder of Honey & Gold. She was born at an Aquarian eclipse and believes that a gratified woman is the most precious and potent resource to her community. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and honeyandgold.us.