Lish Speaks: 0:00

So let's treat this like you're getting back to me. All right, listen up. Right, listen up. Clock the T, okay, as the kids will say. So what do you say to people when they're like, how did you do this or how can I do this? What do you tell them?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 0:11

Start. I know that's easier said than done and you hear that from everybody, but it starts with you just by getting up. The longer we sit and look at what everybody else is doing oh my gosh, I gotta go see this youtube channel, I gotta go listen to this you prolonging what you got going on. So I would just say get up and start and think about, like they say, think about the why, like, why do you want to do what you want to do and just go for it?

Lish Speaks: 0:57

Welcome to. I'll Just Let Myself In the podcast of which a girlish speaks. We are back for another week and I'm excited because we have someone in the house that is very dear and special to me. Ladies and gentlemen, she is an influencer, she's a chef, she's a mom, she's an all-around boss. Those of us who love and know her we know her as ria, but you may know her as Boss's Kitchen give it up for Rhea everybody. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Um, I'm so hyped to have you here yes, I'm happy to be here girl I've been waiting.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 1:33

You got me here. I got you on the couch.

Lish Speaks: 1:35

I got you on the couch we are going to really talk about the pivot that you made during the pandemic man um, because before that we didn't know you as bosses kitchen and so I I know a little bit of the behind the scenes story and I'm excited for my listeners and viewers to be able to hear, because it's such a story of inspiration yeah, a story of trusting in God and a story of letting yourself in and not waiting waiting for anyone to give you an opportunity to walk through your God-given doors.

Lish Speaks: 2:07

So we're about to get into that. But before that, you guys already know we have the best segment on podcast television and it's called what Podcast television. We have the best segment. We have the best segment in podcasting and it's called what I'm Stepping In. It's where I talk to you about the sneakers that I have on for the episode and what I love about them. Today I'm wearing the Undefeated Air Force One Collab in the Celestine Blue colorway, and when I tell you this shoe is so dope?

Lish Speaks: 2:36

First of all, I love a colorful shoe. Y'all already know that If you watch this podcast, you know I love a colorful shoe. I love patent leather and different textiles. The cool thing about this shoe is that although the whole shoe is patent leather, there's a gum bottom and then the check is translucent, so it kind of gives you a couple different textures. I love the tongue of the shoe, which is like a peanut butter type of color, and it has the Undefeated logo on the tongue. You got a little toe box charm that says Undefeated. There's a real name for that. I can't remember what it is, but that says undefeated and I just really love the attention to detail that undefeated goes into when it collabs with any brand, but specifically with Nike.

Lish Speaks: 3:18

I love this shoe. I think it's so much fun. Eventually, I will collect every colorway. This is the first one that I got my hands on, uh, and it got a little pink, purple, blue and brown and all colors that I love, all things that I love to style up, and y'all know how we do it here. If you love them, go get you some. So, boss, the boss of all bosses lord let me tell y'all something.

Lish Speaks: 3:41

Um, I keep wanting to say your real name, ria ria ria actually catered my wedding, yes. So when I tell y'all this is fam, this is fam like y'all have some good food first of all okay, let me say there's two things people talk about when they talk about my wedding.

Lish Speaks: 3:59

Okay, the worship at the wedding and the food at the reception. All the time people be like yo, that food, I would be like yo, that food I'd be like. I tried to tell you here's the link. So good, amazing, now you know your food is good when you got to say it's good, right, but it is. It's good. I feel like you cook from your soul.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 4:19

I do, I love to cook.

Lish Speaks: 4:30

And when you love something you're gonna, you're gonna put your all into it, yeah, yeah. So I love it. I love it. So I met you as my older sister shout out to my sister, sephora, as her hairstylist yes, now, this is pre-pandemic. And she, I had just moved to Georgia and she was like, yeah, you know, what she was telling me was just what she must have. She's locked up now, but yeah, this is when she was getting fried, died and laid to the side.

Lish Speaks: 4:46

Okay, wigs and all wigs and weaves and all that um, which is still my testimony. And so you know I knew you as her hairstylist and she would always tell me about you and y'all conversations and just how inspirational you were and how cool you were. And then during during the pandemic, something kind of switched up. So give my viewers a little bit of your story your background.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 5:11

So I was a salon owner for six years. I was running my salon During the pandemic. Everything shut down, like I was inside of Town Center Mall in Kennesaw. So they told us hey, we can't come back. I had just got my home Wow, a single mom and I was like man, what am I going to do? So behind the scenes, I was always cooking, so I would cook for family events, and people was like man, you're going to go far with this. So the dream was always to cook and have my salon Like I don't know if you ever seen the movie BAPS but I wanted to have like my restaurant and my salon, um.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 5:44

So once everything shut down, I went home one day. I prayed on it and not to get too deep into it, but it was a lot of things going on with me, health wise, also during the pandemic. It was weird. It was just weird stuff happening. I had these, um, painful headaches. Um, I was in and out the hospital probably like three or four times a week, had three MRIs on my brain. We were trying to figure out what was causing this. So the doctor kept looking at me like ma'am, nothing is wrong. I'm like something is going on. It was weird. I love to tell a black woman nothing is wrong.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 6:17

Yeah they said, but they had to keep doing it because it was weird. So I prayed about it and God was like you're gonna have to pray this one out. So I prayed, I fasted. Then one day I just got up and I said I'm not going to lay in a bed, no more. I got up and start posting my food, um different dishes, and just showing that energy in the kitchen, Cause I love having fun.

Lish Speaks: 6:37

I turn my music up and I'm good.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 6:38

So I just started posting and one day it just went viral. Everything took completely off. A production company reached out to me and I was like, hey, is this? This they playing? So I reached out to one of the lawyers. I asked him to read it over, to make sure you know this is something.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 6:53

And it was so just by just getting up, I pivoted during the pandemic. I just started posting and sharing and it completely took off. Yeah, from TV productions to celebrities reaching out, it went really far. And again, that was off of faith, prayer and fasting. Yeah.

Lish Speaks: 7:08

So I love that and we're going to get deeper, deeper into that. When you think about that moment, you got that call from the mall and I know exactly where your salon was. You walk in, it was just one side and it was like a yogurt place next door.

Lish Speaks: 7:21

I can see it, I'm right there, yeah, and you get that call from the mall and, mind you, beginning of the pandemic. We didn't really know how long this was going to last. You know, the president was saying that it would be over in two weeks. You know, we didn't know what was really going on. So you get that call. You had just gotten your home, as you said. Yeah, son, which? Yes he's, he's. He's taller than me and kid I can. I saw him the other day.

Lish Speaks: 7:45

I'm like first of all when he gets so slim and so tall like it happened overnight huge lord size 12, and shoe oh my goodness, 13, like he's, just like I was like wait a minute, right. Um, you posted another day. But you know, you got a kid, you got a child. Yeah, you got this home that you're trying to maintain. Yeah, you know, what do you think happened for you? Emotionally? That said, I'm going to be all right. What happened?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 8:11

Like it was that faith.

Lish Speaks: 8:12

Like I just laid there.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 8:14

I was no lie. I was crushed, I was hurt. I was like I can't fail my son. I can't, I can't give up. I've always been like a driven person. So just laying there I heard his voice clearly like get up, you got this, I got you. I heard it clear as day and I did not know. And that's when I just got up. I was using what I had the island in the kitchen and I just propped my phone up in front of a book and I just went to posting.

Lish Speaks: 8:40

Now let's talk about that, because you said he told you to get up yep, you got up, yep, you used what you had, yep, and you post it. And I think there's such beauty in that, because a lot of times we think we have to have some sort of special magic or potion to make it happen right, when all you actually have to do is like, obey, right, you have to actually get up and I, I can like come off as like a guru in that way sometimes because I'm like you, I'm very driven. But I think what people don't often know about people like us is that we are struggling yes, obey, it's not easy, it's not easy like he told me get up and I got up.

Lish Speaks: 9:17

How you gonna profit this guy? What we supposed to do? Get up and do what right, like you know it's not easy.

Lish Speaks: 9:23

It's not easy and I think, and I think there's such a beauty in people seeing people like you push through, because there's a single mom somewhere who doesn't believe she can do it and by seeing you she goes. Well, maybe I can. You know one of the practices I have when I'm getting ready to film whether it's a podcast or YouTube content or something for church or whatever, I like to watch other people who do it as well.

Lish Speaks: 9:47

Because, I like to remind myself like oh, we're all regular. Yeah, we're all regular, yeah. If this person has 100,000 more followers than me, it's usually because they started before I did yeah, or they work harder than I do, yeah, but it's not because there's some special sauce on them that God didn't give me no, and it really helps me. So what would you say? Or what do you say? Because I know you, like me, we love an advice. We were talking before the camera started about how we need to really, in 2025, be more wise, more wise, discerning and selective about who we give our energy to in terms of trying to help people.

Lish Speaks: 10:23

But what do you say? Because I know you get all the DMs people reaching out to you for help Constantly and you can't get back to everybody. So let's treat this like you're getting back to people. All right, listen up, Right, listen up. Clock to T, okay, as the kids will say. So what do?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 10:40

you say to people when they're's easier said than done and you hear that from everybody but it starts with you just by getting up, the longer we sit and look at what everybody else is doing. Oh my gosh, I gotta go see this YouTube channel. I gotta go listen to this.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 10:56

You're prolonging what you got going on so I would just say get up and start and think about, like they say, think about the why, like, why do you want to do what you want to do? And just go for it. And just remember you're not going to have everything together. You're not going to have all the money. I started off with $20 in my pocket for my first business. In this business, I started off the cooking with $50. So you may not have it all together, but just go and remember, don't look at the likes, likes, don't pay attention to all the views, just post. Because I remember just having two likes or 16 likes and two views and then one day I woke up and it was just a whole another story. So I just say do it and don't worry about what people say, because no matter if you're doing good, bad, someone always going to have something to say. It doesn't matter, do you boo boo, somebody really is always going to have something to say.

Lish Speaks: 11:45

It doesn't matter, Do you boo, boo?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 11:46

Somebody really is always going to have something to say, yeah, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.

Lish Speaks: 11:49

And the truth of the matter too when it comes to, even, you know, like, starting with what you have. You know, people need to see that. Yeah, somebody needs to see your little janky iPhone video. Right, I just made a post about this because, um, another creator she goes by, brooklyn betty. She talked about, you know, just doing it, yeah, with your eye. Do what our last mission doing with. Do it with some of your braids fuzzy like, just, yeah, and I literally posted a video from last year, yeah, and I posted looking a little crusty, rusty phone, I look, and guess what that video helped me. It helped me go viral eventually.

Lish Speaks: 12:26

Yeah, because it was part of my 10 000 hours, right, and I think we've gotten away from the concept with all the like quick, you know, yeah, quick virality and people, whatever we think is quick.

Lish Speaks: 12:39

Um, we've gotten away from the whole idea of putting in your 10,000 hours, like I remember when I was coming up in music, that was a big deal. Like you would sign a deal, a development deal, you know, or you would start working on a producer and you guys would lock in and understand yo, in the next five years we're going to be on, right, we expected it to take time, it takes time, and so when it, when it happens quickly, you get to be surprised. You could say, oh OK, but you're not, you don't, you're not so easily discouraged when it's taken a while, and I think that's important. Another thing you said that I love is remember your why. And recently somebody said I want to say it was Dr Darius, I'm always quoting Dr Darius Daniels, but I feel like it was him but he said if your why doesn't make you cry it's not good enough.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 13:27

Right, mine, make me cry a lot. My dream is so like, my vision is so big. I'd be like dang, like every night. I'm just like man and I know how much work it takes. Like it's times where I get emotional, I talk about it, but it's times where you just working so much and you truly love what you do and you ready to see that outcome and me putting in so many hours, and then, as soon as I'm done, you rush home to be that mom. But you, you still love what you do. So you're still trying to prepare for the next one. So you up at two, three in the morning, like that's dedication, that's love, that's somebody that's driven. So think about like why, or you know why you want this and I promise you like you will go far with it, you will keep going, you won't give up. There's many obstacles that hit me to the point where it was. Like you, you're not about to break me because I know where I'm trying to, what I'm trying to get to.

Lish Speaks: 14:14

So just know your why I love that just be unstoppable, unstoppable yeah, yeah, and you know anyone who has watched any of your videos. If y'all haven't, go ahead, go ahead and follow her boss's kitchen. I'm telling you I'm going to be cracking up, having a good time. You'll be jamming. Ok, like I had to turn down a little bit because you know they'd be trying to mute stuff.

Lish Speaks: 14:33

But yes, I have fun in the kitchen You'll be having a good time and as someone who I don't know all your business but just knows that you've been through stuff all your business, but just knows that you've been through stuff. You talked about illness. I was raised by a single mom, so I know that being a single mom ain't easy, you know you're also not just a mom to your son but you play that big sister, auntie role to a lot of people, right, how do you find joy to push? Because you listen. You could be. You could literally be a faceless page and just show your hands making the food right. You can be a faceless page and just show your hands making the right right. You can, but you literally, yeah, show the joy and the perseverance in your life through your dancing and your cooking having a good time.

Lish Speaks: 15:12

How do you push through to do that?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 15:15

one because I love it and I push through, just knowing like, like this is who I am like. I've always been this type of person, me dressing up because some people be like you don't have to. I know my son was like mom you don't gotta dress up every time you do a video, but you feel good when you dress up, when you go put that lip gloss on, put that little lash on, yeah flat on that hair, you feel really good and I just, I just enjoy catering to other people, making other people feel good.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 15:40

so imagine you scrolling on your page and you constantly seeing like negativity all day. Then you hit somebody page and they just happy about life. They turned up, they're not putting on a front, it's just, that's that joy that God gave me that nobody can take away. So you know, I think that's what pushed me just being who I am and just loving what I do.

Lish Speaks: 15:59

Yeah, I love that. I want to talk again about the whole idea of pivoting because I have that. I want to talk again about the whole idea of pivoting because I have. I've talked about this on the podcast before, but one of the things that I'm so grateful for in my personal life is that I am not just multi, multi-talented. I'm willing to turn to a different talent when the, when the Lord says so, right. So you know, you could have easily just said, okay, well, my salon is closing but I'll just take clients in my home, or I'll wait until the pandemic is over, or whatever, right. Or you could have just said, well, I'll cook, you know I'll sell plates, but I won't post it. You know, there's a lot of ways you could have gone about this. I feel like a lot of times people block their blessings because they've told themselves I'm a hairstylist.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 16:51

Yep.

Lish Speaks: 16:52

That's it, that's what I am. Yes, I can cook, but this is what I am, this is what I do. And you know, I can relate for a time in my life of telling myself well, you're an entertainer, you're a rapper, you're a Christian rapper, that's what you do. But I've always loved fashion. I love to cook as well, I love to talk, you know, and for me, it was hidden in plain sight because my name was Lish Speaks, not Lish Raps. Lish Speaks catch the prophecy in that it was already there. Because it was already there, Because it was already there. But I was so stuck in, you know, and I love music and I will do music again. But God made it very clear at one point, like you need to be speaking. You were one of the people who were like now, girl, yeah, I love when you do these videos. Why are they so few and far in between? I mean, it was so powerful.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 17:45

I'm like where is Lish? Where's that video, the music banging? But it's something else deeper in her that I know. It gotta come out and when. I start seeing your videos.

Lish Speaks: 17:52

I'm like there it is, thank you.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 17:54

She was in my dms before I got consistent like nah girl it's there what we doing, and I think sometimes we know it's there, but again, fear. Yep, you know fear keep us in bondage. We worry about our financial situation. It's a lot of things that make you try to hold back because we want to be comfortable. I'm comfortable with this job. You know this pays my bills and sometimes you have to step out that box. You got to take that leap of faith.

Lish Speaks: 18:19

You got to be willing to pivot because you don't know what you need to be known for. You only know what you are known for. You know you needed people, needed Boston's Kitchen, yeah, right. And if you would have been stuck in, no, no. No, I'm here Because here's the thing you always going to be able to do here yeah, always.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 18:38

That's not going nowhere. Still do it Right.

Lish Speaks: 18:39

You know what I'm saying it's not going nowhere, the music is not going anywhere from all the other things we love are not going anywhere. But you can really and I want you to speak on this in a second you can really block your blessings when you refuse to see what God is highlighting in this season. Man, like if you posted a cooking video, yeah, and people like it, even if it didn't go super viral at first, people like it, right. But you keep saying, well, that's not really what I do. I'm in your silence. Yeah, god is trying to tell you something Like come on.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 19:08

I'm sending people your way to let you know.

Lish Speaks: 19:11

Yes, and so you know speak a little bit to how sometimes we give like our blessings if we're just not willing to follow what God is telling us to do.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 19:19

Well, just bouncing back off what you said, you can block it by just not even believing in yourself, um, that blockage of fear. So if there is something inside of you that you know you should go like, do, I just say do it. Um, and just don't let nothing hold you back. Because if I would have not stepped out on faith with the cooking, I probably would have still been trying to say come to my house, I could do your hair and my mindset would have still been stuck in that. But I would have missed out on so many opportunities. I never would have probably had a TV show, I never would have met the people who I met.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 19:53

I never would have not to be off topic, but this is like the most money I have ever made in my life. That's very much. The most money I have ever made in my life was cooking, and that was because I was obedient and I stepped out on faith. And when I say obedient is that I heard it like it kept bothering me, like hey, cook, go ahead. I had friends that came over like start the page, taria, just do it, just post. I was like no, no, people gonna look. You know I was, I was doing all that, but I didn't. So if I didn't listen, I don't think I would be where I'm at right now. I wouldn't have opportunities that I had right now. Why not, you know, by leaning to my own understanding. If I would have leaned to my own understanding, I wouldn't be where I'm at right now.

Lish Speaks: 20:33

That's the correct word, absolutely yeah, and a lot of people who are, you know, struggling to figure out what's next for them. Struggling to figure out, like, how to make money, struggling to figure out how to get themselves out of a situation that you're in. I tell them all the time it's in your hands, yeah, the resources are there, it's in your brain, it's in your mouth. God has put it in you already. It's just a matter of figuring out the best way to use it and then actually listening. And we've all you know, I know I've definitely been, you know, on the back end of like dag. I wish I would have took this advice somebody gave me. You know what I mean, and so I try to tell. Now, when a successful person tells me to do something, I do it. When they tell me to read something, I read it. When they send me a podcast, I watch it. When they send me a sermon, I listen to it. Right, because I know what it's like to not have taken the advice.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 21:22

But you gotta remember what you said. The right person to send you the advice. Because, sometimes you can receive information and advice from the wrong person. Yes, and everybody don't want to see you win. No, somebody could you excel, so they'll try to tear you to go somewhere else.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 21:44

So just be careful who you are allowing in your ear, who you are allowing to give you advice. I don't even let people pray over me all the time. I don't receive everything from everybody. So again, having that discernment, um, that plays a big role in us and it's not going to be easy. We make it sound easy. We say all the resources is there, but you are going to go through something. You may have sleepless nights. You know things may get a little tight. That's part of running a business.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 22:02

That's part of getting to that destination. Yeah, it's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it.

Lish Speaks: 22:06

It will be worth it. And not only that. I love what you talked about, you know, not letting everybody pray over you, not just having that discernment. There's so much we were talking off camera about how. You know, I do this podcast in my house and I'm very selective about my guests. We're not bringing everybody up in here. Everybody won't make it to the couch, you know. It's just. It's just a very sacred space for me. And even in what you do, you know, I love the fact that you always bring up your faith.

Lish Speaks: 22:34

You know, you ain't going to beat us over the head with it, but you ain't hiding it at all.

Lish Speaks: 22:39

You talk about your relationship with God and how he's the one really keeping you going. I think it's so important for people who want to be influenced, who want to go viral, and it could be for anything. It could be for hair, it could be for food, it could be for blowing up balloons. Right, if you have faith and your faith has gotten you there, it's important to share it. Yeah, it's just really important to share. People need to see that, and so a lot of that hope and light that you provide on that page yeah, you know it's from that- it's faith and you're looking at somebody that's been through the divorce, been been through abuse, um, been betrayed, you know, been set up by people.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 23:17

Try people try to take me out and I'm probably one of the nicest person you ever meet. It can extend from jealousy, you know it's a lot, so just not allowing all of that to just affect who you are, be who you are be, you, yeah, and I promise you God he will never leave you or forsake you. Yeah, never.

Lish Speaks: 23:35

I love that. I love that, all right, so you cater. I hate to even say it, I feel like that's beneath you, but you provide an experience. Yeah, experience For all types of people. Yes, you did my wedding, which I'm going to say was your best. It was amazing, but maybe without saying names I don't know if you signed NDAs and all of that, but what has been one of the experiences that you were just like I can't believe. I mean like I can't believe this is my life right now.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 24:04

It was a lot of the tv productions that I dealt with, um, I cooked for a lot of corporations, um, celebs too as well. I try to take the celebrity out of the chef celebrity chef because I want people to know I cater to everybody, you know, not just a certain group, um. But the best experience, I think, was when I was sitting in the TV productions and they kept calling me back and when the CDC, the health department, reached out, like I was like yes, yes, you're doing it, girl. So just getting that love from strangers, or when they, when they um send you an email and say I heard about you and you just get that feedback, it makes me feel so good, like thank you, god, I know this is you. So, yeah, all types. That's when I felt it it's more of the TV production when I was just sitting there Because it's just big.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 24:51

It was big, yeah.

Lish Speaks: 24:52

And then they call you back, and then they ask you for other opportunities that we can't speak on, so yeah, let's talk about the callback, because something that I feel like is missing a little bit in this generation is are the soft skills and the qualities that get you called back right? Because you can make the best food in the world yeah, if you get there and you act the fool right, you're not getting called back, you're not getting called. So what is professionalism right? Yeah, so let's talk about some of the things professionalism and you act a fool you're not getting called back. You're not getting called back. Professionalism yeah, so let's talk about some of the things professionalism and the like that you think help you get those callbacks and build those relationships. How do you build relationships in your industry?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 25:30

Again like building that rapport, and also you got to know how to deal with people, different personalities. If you're already getting that feeling like, uh, this seemed like it's gonna be rocky, you know you got to kind of decipher, you know which way you want to go. But for my callbacks is mostly I think I know the food is good, but my personality, yes, I'm good with people, the energy is there and people know like I know she's gonna give her all when she comes. I know she's gonna be on time. Yeah, I know she's going to do what she said she's going to do.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 25:59

So it's just being honest and making that client feel like they can trust you. They're going to call you back and you bring that love. Oh yeah. So that's why, before any event, my phone is on D&D. It's certain things, any type of distractions I try to remove. That way nothing is carrying on with me before I provide a service for somebody, because people can tell when something is going on or you're not giving your all so I just say remove all distractions before you do any type of event or whatever you're doing, and just be honest with who you're working with and give love, show love.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 26:37

They can always come back.

Lish Speaks: 26:39

Yeah, no, your energy is amazing. Yeah, like, truly, when we were planning the wedding and talking through the food, she's like all right, can we do this and that? Let's try this. Like you, you will definitely help, you know, to make it make sense, right, but you're also going to be honest about the need, like this is what needs to happen in order to get what you're, what you're asking me for, and I really did appreciate that.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 26:58

Yeah, and you can't please everybody, you can't make everybody happy. You may run into them little hiccups, but it's always good to go back and say you know how can I fix this, or you know what went wrong, Cause some people they just don't care.

Lish Speaks: 27:11

Yeah, good money, right, all money and good. Sometimes you have to turn down an opportunity. Yes, okay, if you can. If you can think of a story, tell us. You should discern it. Yeah, with details, but tell us of a time you you had to turn something down because it just wasn't wise for you or wasn't for you right.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 27:30

So, um, earlier last year I think, this gig was like 7500 and only I had to work for about, I'd say about six hours, and they were willing to pay. But something kept bothering me. I don't know what it was, something just felt off and my spirit's a little sensitive, like I catch on to a lot of stuff. So I let them, you know. We kept writing back, we kept emailing and they was like, okay, well, what we can do is we could send the whole thing, you know, to you, and I usually require just a deposit. I said no, we could just do the deposit, you know, and then, as time get closer, then you could do your remaining. But they kept coming back, adding little things and it just, it just did not feel right.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 28:12

So what I did was I prayed on it. I called them people back that next day. I said, hey, I just want to let you know I will not be able to proceed or do this service. You know, I wanted to be honest. I really didn't give an explanation why. I just said we won't be able to. So I always say and I won't get into deeper details, but listen to your body, if something feels off, just don't. And we're not talking about anxiety or worry. Like you know, when something is off, when people, people moving a little different, or it just it just doesn't sound right, and just for your safety as well, no, 7,500,. I had stuff to do, but no, and I heard it clearly, it was like I mean I could not sleep. So when it gets to that point, oh no, I'm not, I'm not going to even risk it. God, I heard you clearly. I'm not risking it.

Lish Speaks: 28:57

Yeah. Where do you get your spirituality from? Did you grow up going to church?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 29:02

Yes, we was in the church four days a week. We grew up in a church and, I'm not going to lie, I used to get mad. You don't have to go to church four, five times a day.

Lish Speaks: 29:12

I used to get upset.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 29:13

Yeah, I got older, it stuck with me. You know, I found myself waking my son and my niece up at 3 am. We fasting this week, we praying let's go, you know, because you need that, especially with the world we're living in right now. You need the prayer, you need the fasting because there's so much going on and I think, with me doing that for so long, that discernment just came so strong Like I catch on quickly. That doesn't make you perfect. That doesn't mean you know everything is just I don't even go certain places. I remove myself from a lot of things, not because people are bad, it's just like, hmm, something ain't clicking here, so let me remove myself from this because, whatever's going on, I don't want to be tied to something.

Lish Speaks: 30:04

I don't want to be in a mix, and then now it was on, you know, on me. So always just pray for discernment and it's gonna come, yeah.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 30:06

So when you get them feelings, yeah, don't proceed. Yeah, I know it's not it's not.

Lish Speaks: 30:08

It sounds good because that's 7500, did you know right? 7500 could have been a little, but you know what I always tell people? Yeah, the price of disobedience is too high you can't afford it. No, when the lord tells you to do something, when your spirit, when his spirit tells you to do something and you disobey, you can't afford it.

Lish Speaks: 30:23

I promise you whatever money he was going to make is not going to be able to afford what's going to come from that, and so it's super important. You talked about your dad for a second and I love okay. First of all, you and your mom are twins. Let's start there. Yeah, we are twin twins. She be trying to hide behind the camera. Y'all are twins. When I saw you post, I was like, nah, that's your twin, yes, but I see you with your dad and he will go on jobs with you, um, and just y'all look like y'all have such a tight bond, and I'm also a daddy's girl.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 30:50

I love my father.

Lish Speaks: 30:51

He's, he's my twin, yeah, um, and he's someone who I have so much in common with, and I think it's so important. I think it's so important for us as black women, no matter what the relationship was when you were growing up, or whatever is that, if you have a chance as an adult to let your daddy be your daddy, let your father be your father. It is such a beautiful thing Because because I don't care how much I'm very loved by my husband. Yeah, I'm very loved by my mother. I'm very loved by my siblings. Yeah, there is something very specific about a father being there, yeah.

Lish Speaks: 31:31

There's very something very specific about it. So you know, I want to give you an opportunity to give your dad his flowers and just talk about your relationship a little bit.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 31:37

you know, I'm gonna give you an opportunity to give your dad, his flowers and just talk about your relationship a little bit. Just growing up my dad had tough love and I have tough love too. But, um, growing up he did have tough love. He was very particular about me, like he did not play. But he also oldest no, I'm like in the middle it's eight of us, eight, it's eight. So I have two sisters and five brothers lord yeah, but he played't.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 31:57

Play around me, yeah, um, no, I couldn't go a lot of places at a young age. He was like no, no, no, no, um. But he always said I need dinner done by 6 30. So I think that's where the cooking came in at. Like he had me constantly in the kitchen, or you know, when he's cutting the grass to come out here and help me, like I was his little son. So I'm like no, and I used to get upset sometimes I'm like why I'm doing all this, and I used to get upset sometimes I'm like why I'm doing all this. But as I got older, even just being an independent woman, it taught me not to be so dependent on. I mean we should, but just being able to handle things too, yeah, and just that bond there. Like we have so much fun together just cooking, and he does what I do too, but it's not as heavy. But just having that there taught me so much. Even now, when you're waiting for your husband to come, you know you should know what to look for, like.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 32:40

I see every little red flag like nah, you ain't the one, you ain't the one, Cause I can hear his, his voice in the back of my head. Like no, no, you gotta be careful, you gotta be careful here, but no, just having that bond it just helped you. Um, just try to kind of make better choices with certain things and yeah, he the woman I am. Today we have fun together.

Lish Speaks: 33:00

I love it. Yeah, he seems like a really great guy. Yeah, we do, you know, speaking of men and love and marriage and all this stuff, you are, um, you're a boss in your own right. Right, like that's a part of your brand. Yeah, boss's kitchen. Yeah, you are extremely popular on social media. Yeah, um, well, over almost 200,000 followers on um, on instagram, um, you know, and so that can bring a certain level of attention, right, right, and you talked about seeing red flags. Yeah, I got a two-part question for you. One, all right, go ahead. One, um, are you open to love right now in?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 33:41

your life. This year I am. I am open. This year I am taking a chance, I'm going for it and I'm not gonna lie. Last few years I would tell people I'm taken. I would tell people I'm with somebody when it's not. It's just more of. I gave that time to God. I shut everything down. It's almost, it's just more of. I gave that time to God. I shut everything down. It's almost two and a half years, Nothing. Yeah, I just put my whole focus on God and I said God, whoever you have for me, I am open, but I want you to reveal it to me. Yeah, yeah, you know I want to get this right. I don't want no more delays. I don't want to make no more you know issues I want to do it right, yeah, so, yeah, it's been two and a half years.

Lish Speaks: 34:23

Okay, nothing, lock period, don't play um. And then the second part of that question is ask someone with your, your stature, with your drive forget the stature, right, because social media numbers and all that stuff, yeah, that's here they go tomorrow, whatever, with your drive, with your personality, right, what would a man have to have in terms of a personality in order to lead you? What do you feel like you would need?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 34:50

oh, he gotta be able to handle it again. Like you were saying, I really need a man in my life that's going to lead, someone that's driven, someone that's, you know, family oriented, someone that just knows how to love, not just with the mouth, but showing those actions. A lot of people talk and I need actions. I want to see it because I'm going to give you all the love you need, and that was my problems in the past. It's more of. You can't give to everybody. You know you want to make sure you give it to the right person, so I just want that same love reciprocated. You know someone that can take charge like baby, take the cape off, I got this, you know you home right now. You know, yes, you ain't the boss up in here. Yeah, not too controlling, because this can't be controlled.

Lish Speaks: 35:44

That's the thing here's the thing.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 35:45

It's so funny.

Lish Speaks: 35:45

Um, there's no man on earth that could control me unless he was slapping me around, and even then, yeah, I'm gonna get out of that, right, yep, and so being able to let my guard down a little bit, yeah, helped me to know. Oh wait, you can calm down without being without, yeah, without losing yourself, right, and it's been so important to to be able to find that in a spouse, and you know I'm believing God for for you. But let me ask you this do you feel ready?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 36:06

to be led.

Lish Speaks: 36:06

Yes, like do you feel ready to submit in that way? I told God I'm ready.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 36:10

I did. I told him it may come off like I don't know, but I have took my. I have took the time to work on Taria. Yeah, when I tell you two and a half years, that means no dating, no one's calling my phone, I mean you can get the little people that keep trying to sneak back in, but I don't entertain it. I took that time to heal Again. I've been through abusive relationships, abusive marriage, just verbal abuse as well. So when you have a lot of trauma there, you want to make sure you're healed before you try to jump into something, so you're not putting that on. You know someone else, but I have took the time, yeah, if God need me to wait a little longer.

Lish Speaks: 36:44

I told God I'm willing to wait. It's worth the wait.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 36:45

It's no rush, because when you rush out there and you see it, I'm like no, I waited this long for this. So, um, no, it's just taking your time and just working on you. Yeah, making sure you're healed correctly so that you can give that love.

Lish Speaks: 36:58

Yeah, that's needed, for sure. You talked about being in unfavorable relationships and situations.

Lish Speaks: 37:04

You got a son, yeah, who is amazing, who is, yes, sweet and kind and hardworking, yeah, um, and he may not be of age for you to tell him everything you've been through, right, but even him and your niece you know. What are you teaching them? What are you telling them? To try to prepare them to either not go through some of the things you've been through or not perpetuate certain you know stereotypes and males for your son. How do you teach them about that delicately, that patience that's our biggest word patience.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 37:35

Like I need you to be patient. Understand, even now, like now, like even if I do have it, I make them wait a little bit because they're so used to. I got it, I know my mama got it, she going to get it. No, we going to be patient, we going to wait. And I know it's a lot of single moms. We try to give our kids everything because we want them to. We don't want them to go without, but but with them I teach them a little differently. Sometimes it's okay to go without. So when we're doing our fasting or whatever you're going without, we're not getting that today. So it teaches them like I I don't see auntie doing that, so I need to make sure I'm not. So that's helping her. It's even helping my son. He's a guy too. It happened with boys too. He doesn't see that from me and he would tell you he never sees that I keep that separate when the time is right then.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 38:31

So it's just having that balance teaching them patience and making them wait some time, and making sure that you're setting the same example that you're trying to teach them, because I can't be teaching them something and then I'm out there acting a fool Because they're going to see it Ready to turn up Now they know I can turn up. I'm just saying you just got to make sure you're being responsible.

Lish Speaks: 38:52

Do you feel like they're more inclined to become entrepreneurs? Because they're watching you, not my?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 38:59

son, not your son, mm-mm. No, but it's he's like Ma, you work too hard. My niece said it too, but AJ was like Ma we going to work.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 39:07

Ma, you work way too hard. And it bothered me the other night, not in a bad way, but he said, mom, I see you put so many people before yourself, like when the last time he said that to me, he said, mom, when the last time did you do that for yourself, like you had it, but you didn't, you know. So he sees that and that made me say, okay, dang, I got it. Let me see what I need to change.

Lish Speaks: 39:28

Let me go.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 39:28

I like I'm going to get my feet done. So, um, it just more of no him. Nah, he was, like he ready to go play ball and he loved to draw. He's an artist, so he wants to do something different, and I'm not that type of parent to force you to do something because I'm doing it. But I will tell you, get off the game. We about to go do this. You know, um, and he loves having fun with me in the kitchen as well.

Lish Speaks: 39:48

Yeah, yes, I see it, he does, he doing his thing. That's why I asked. So yeah, I love that. You know you talked a little bit about self-care and the lack thereof for you, you know, when you work as hard as you do. So one of the things I've been telling people in my life is that 2024 showed me that whatever I thought hard work was before that, I wasn't working that hard, right.

Lish Speaks: 40:17

Like when you start really get into it, when you really start getting after it, you realize, oh, this is what it means to really like that waking up at three o'clock in the morning, that you know being at, you know doing multiple different things at the same time. Yeah, you start to see that, and so it is very easy to neglect yourself. Yeah, it is very easy to neglect the relationships closest to you your best friend, your spouse, your mom and dad. It's very easy. It's like I'm busy, I don't have time, I don't have time, I don't have time. And one of the things that I'm working on for self-care right now for me is the care of the people that I love. So making sure I see my nephews and my brother and my sister-in-law more, making sure I see my sister more, making sure I see my mom more Trying to call my dad, more Things like that, because I'm going to See. The thing about me is I'm going to get my nails done.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 41:05

Hair going to be done. I'm going to show everything I'm going to do that part.

Lish Speaks: 41:08

But the actual self-care for my soul. What am I reading? Am I fasting? Am I taking time to pray Deep prayers Not just prayers for other people or prayers for what I'm doing that day or prayers for, but like deep, heartfelt prayers. I'm really working on that. So, for 2025, what's something that you feel like you want to work on?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 41:29

Mine is the opposite from yours. I'm a big giver and, like my son was saying, I put myself last a lot. I'm not doing it this year. It's me I'm putting me first. Um. So yes, I'm gonna still pour out a little bit, but I heard it clearly. It's time to just go all in for Rhea yeah me, um.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 41:48

so, yeah, taking time for myself, putting that same energy that I put out into myself as well, yeah, um, and I'm just just ready. Like you said, I'm open up to love. I'm ready to enjoy those things. You know I've been working hard. Yes, you have, and the projects are coming soon. But as soon as that's done, I'm ready to like, enjoy the other side.

Lish Speaks: 42:06

Yeah, and enjoying the other side is so important. Yeah, I'm ready for that. It's like the whole smelling the roses. Take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. And there are seasons. There are seasons. You working hard, that's what you're supposed to do. You did it. You know what I mean. So those seasons where you in the field, you in the field but also take those seasons to be on vacation and to relax and to chill, because I don't feel like I've ever seen you go on a vacation and I also post.

Lish Speaks: 42:29

I post a lot, but I don't post everything, so you do go on vacation, I I post a lot, but I don't post everything. You know how some people post everything Honestly if you look at my page, you probably look like I don't go on vacation either. You don't show it. You don't show certain you know what I'm saying.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 42:42

I don't plan any vacations. I don't care how much I post you would really never know, Like they would ain't been for that? Because I put the work in for years, you know, just trying to build a business from scratch, like both of them. So I think it's time and, like you said, enjoying the fruits of your labor, that's been my prayer. I said, god, this year I'm ready to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Lish Speaks: 43:06

Yeah, and you deserve it. You deserve it. You bring so much light to our timelines. Thank you, so much love, so much energy. You bring, like I said, not just food but an experience to every event. Um, there's a reason people call you back. There's a reason people love you. There's a reason people taste your food. They want to come hug you behind the table. They're like girl, you know, because you radiate a light um and um. If you haven't gotten your flowers before, let me give them to you here. Thank you, it is just such a pleasure to actually know you as a person and that what you show on the Internet is real.

Lish Speaks: 43:43

Yes, it's not some fake personality or persona. This is me.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 43:48

This is who. I am Exactly it's exactly who you are In the very most humble way and I'm happy for you too. I'm so thankful just to see you come this far on the couch, because I was praying I was like where is Lusha? You got to get these videos out and just to see you just flourishing and just stepping into that call and like I know it's going to go so far. This is not the end. Y'all hear me, this is not the end.

Lish Speaks: 44:11

This girl is about to be global. Thank by to be global. Thank you, global it's coming. Thank you In Jesus' name, I receive it. Listen, we end off our show with this question, and the question is in the grand scheme of things, what do you want your legacy to be?

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 44:26

What do I want my legacy to be? I'm just a very effective person, so I'm trying to see how to put that there. Someone that's loving just, I guess, more everything which is based off this faith thing, you know, just faith, like someone that has really trusted God through the whole process of her life. That's, that's all I've been doing, just trusting God, and I ain't gonna lie, I feel like I've been in the boxing ring sometime but just kept getting back up. So I will want my legacy to be something like that Someone that just kept trusting God through the process and it never stopped, never stopped through everything, never stopped, not one time. That's a perfect answer.

Lish Speaks: 45:06

Yeah, legacy is that I kept trusting God. Kept trusting God. Listen, y'all. This has been another episode of. I'll Just Let Myself In the podcast where we let ourselves in through our open, through our God given doors. I hope that listening to uh Rhea story and just the things that we were talking about helps you to understand that, no matter what's going on pandemic, family stuff, anything, divorce, whatever you can let yourself into where God has for you to go. You can also always pivot and change directions, because as long as you're listening to him, there's nothing that you can't do. Um, and so we've been here doing this podcast.

Lish Speaks: 45:42

Shout out to holy culture radio, which is where we also air on monday nights, and I believe that so many of you will be blessed from this episode. If you love what you see here, please share with a friend, please, uh like, please subscribe, please give us a review, please, uh, shout out holy culture radio on their social medias and tell them that you're liking what you see. And, last but not least, I want to encourage you to email us at speakers at lish speakscom. Tell us what you think, write in questions, ask uh us for advice. We'll make sure that we read it on the air, but I really do hope that this episode encouraged you. If you loved it, we want to hear from you. Listen, this has been another episode of I'll Just Let Myself In with Lipspeaks Amria, aka Boss's Kitchen.

Rea - Bosses Kitchen: 46:31

Tell the people where to find you, where to follow you. Yes, so you can find me on Instagram at underscore Boss's Kitchen TikTok Boss's Kitchen.

Lish Speaks: 46:42

TikTok Boss's Kitchen or the website wwwbossskitchencom, and don't just follow.

Lish Speaks: 46:44

Put in that order Put in that order. Go ahead and book your next event Right. Book your next event Right. Do what needs to be done. I'm trying to tell y'all. People say two things about my wedding yeah, the worship and the food. It was giving what needed to be gained. So, yes, definitely lock in with Boss's Kitchen and make sure that you plan your next event. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for sharing your story and sharing your life. I know, I already know, it's going to encourage, inspire so many people. We'll be back here next week, same time, same place. I just love myself and what your girl is speaks. See y'all then, peace.