HOW BLACK@INBOUND CHANGED MY LIFE

[logicalcreator]

Pick Up The Phone, Adventure's Calling

It’s time for everyone to buckle their seatbelts because I am about to take you for a ride. Feel free to pack your refreshments for an enhanced experience. For the first pitstop of this road trip, we will gather around the campfire for a classic storytime. This tale is about how I went from being a lost soul to a networking natural.

Curiosity Killed The Cat

Growing up, I was a curious child. Even now, I am known as the friend who is always asking questions, thirsty for answers. Reception to feedback and organization are some of my best qualities. When presented with a task, I try to tap into my left brain and right brain traits. Some nicknames that have been assigned to me due to these characteristics are “List Lady”, “Question Queen”, and “Logical Creator” (thus, my business name was born).

Coming Out Of My Shell

One area that I fell short in was putting myself out there. Anxiety always found a way to throw a wrench in my personal progress. The feeling of failure and rejection are things I never wanted to experience. Naturally, I search for pathways that will take me closer to my goals. A common solution that appears is networking. To be honest, the thought of talking to potentially hundreds of strangers caused knots in my stomach. What if I sound stupid? Incompetent? Naive? Will they all just laugh at me? Imposter syndrome weighed heavy on my conscience. But I knew I had to make a significant change in my life to start seeing results. Risk takers are often the ones on top of the world. It was my time to take the road less traveled.

Hitting The Jackpot

In my quest for information, I stumbled upon INBOUND 2021, hosted by HubSpot. What initially caught my attention was the different types of speakers participating. Spike Lee?! OPRAH?!?!?! Talk about black excellence! Speaking of black excellence, I also noticed some meetups hosted by Black@INBOUND. Yes! This is the perfect way for me to come out of my cocoon! Being in a virtual room of powerful black people? The opportunities MUST be magical. Of course, this all sounded intimidating to me, thanks to my lifelong best friend, Anxiety. On the other hand, this is all the more reason to participate. Let the games begin!

Talk That Talk

Upon joining Black@INBOUND, I was made aware of the monthly networking events that take place. From that day on, I set a goal to attend every single networking event for at least a year. Public speaking is a valuable skill that I want to possess. Talking about myself and learning about others on a monthly basis is the perfect way to achieve this skill. November 2021 was the start of earning my “Networking Natural” title.

Hard Work Pays Off

So what are the results of my monthly conversations? For starters, I landed a part-time design gig with Corey Washington for his company, Rishari. Guess what else? I’m finally being paid what I’m worth (Hallelujah!). Even though I’ve only known him for a short amount of time, Corey has become one of the greatest people I’ve ever met. He’s truly an angel from heaven. Do you know who else is a blessing? Nadeja Adams. Due to her being my number one cheerleader, I obtained the Blacks In Technology Scholarship for the UX/UI program at Springboard. Her continuous praise of my personality and work always leaves me blushing like a schoolgirl. This program will propel me to my dream job as a Product Designer. Nadeja, Corey, and I are all gonna have a virtual happy hour when I finally pay off my student loans thanks to their monetary help. Another person that will be included in the party is Enjoli Johnson. She reached out to me to become her design mentor. Never in a million years did I think I would ever be worthy of being a mentor to someone. I am truly honored to be helping her break into the design space. Furthermore, I am looking forward to all the lasting connections I make in the future.

Sharing The Wealth

It would be selfish of me to not share any of my secrets to success. The black community must continue to flourish so we can all laugh at the naysayers. To live up to my “List Lady” title, below are 3 tips and tricks on how to get on the pathway to greatness.

1. Spend a lot of time self-reflecting. Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Ask others how they feel you could improve personally and professionally. They may point out things that you didn’t realize on your own.
2. Organize info in multiple ways. For example, I make note of my goals in Google Docs, iPhone notes, vision boards, and verbal daily mantras. It helps manifest things into existence.
3. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. In every failure, there is a hidden lesson. Taking risks is essential for progression. You must come out of your cocoon in order to turn into a butterfly. 

Shameless Plugs

I would like to provide you guys with some scenic routes. Consider this your goody bag for going on this trip with me. Are you ready to go down the rabbit hole? Here it goes!

Connect with me https://www.linkedin.com/in/briafauntleroy/

View my work https://logicalcreator.com/

Connect with Corey Washington https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyallanwashington/

View Corey’s work https://www.rishari.com/

Connect with Nadeja Adams https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadeja-deja-adams-10b79ba9/

Check out the program https://www.springboard.com/

Connect with Enjoli Johnson https://www.linkedin.com/in/enjolijohnson/

Journey To The Center Of Self

Well, passengers, we have finally concluded the story. I hope it was very insightful and lit a spark inside your soul. You have time to digest everything you have heard on your way to our destination. What is the destination? We are headed to a place called Self Discovery. The estimated time of arrival is dependent on your cooperation. I am looking forward to seeing your reaction to completing the road trip. Safe travels!