In this episode of The Idealists (formerly Grit & Grace), Melissa partners with Sadie Nash Leadership Project, a not for profit that strengthens, empowers, and equips young women and gender-expansive youth of color as agents for change in their lives and in the world.
Melissa co-hosts this episode with a Sadie Nash student, Tasnuva Shehrin, and together they interview Imani Ellis, Director of Communications at NBC and the CEO & Founder of CultureCon and The Creative Collective NYC. CultureCon is a first-of-its-kind ideas conference that caters to all aspects of creative life. Past speakers include Tracee Ellis Ross, Will Smith, Regina King, Lena Waithe, Spike Lee, John Legend, Nick Cannon, and more.
“I look at my ancestors and how them not bringing their full self was a means of survival in this nation that was not built to prioritize them. I think about all of the hardships and all of the struggles of those who have come behind me, and I really do make it a larger act than just myself. I really do believe in the quote of we’re standing on the shoulders of giants and there are so many people, so many names we’ll never know, so many experiences we’ll never understand or be privy to, who really fought and died for the privilege to show up.”
episode highlights.
Imani introduces herself and describes why she started The Creative Collective, a community and creative agency dedicated to facilitating brave spaces for creatives of color. In particular, she describes the intentionality involved in scaling the collective from her living room, to events with 300 people, to a conference that now boasts an attendee list of more than 4000.
The conversation delves deeper when Melissa and Tasnuva question why Imani values "bringing her full self to work." Imani shares the ways in which this "fullness" is a means of countering imposter syndrome and the sense that assimilation is the only path for upwardly mobility. She also shares her philosophy around the luxury of being able to "show up" and how it drives innovation.
Imani then briefly shares her career trajectory starting as a Coordinator at Bravo and working her way up to Director of Communications. Imani advises Tasnuva on her own career progression and how to cultivate and leverage relationships without feeling transactional.
The conversation ends with Imani sharing her audacious vision for the world which involves creators embracing a communal narrative over an unhealthy lone ranger narrative. She also shares where we can get free tickets to Culture Con's next digital event!