Speaker 1: 0:00

I cannot live with regret.

Speaker 2: 0:01

Yep same.

Speaker 1: 0:02

Failure's fine. Failure ain't no make, you know, never mind. Success is fine too, but the unknown. I can't sleep at night. Knowing man, if I would've just tried, because I believe that if you don't activate your idea, it'll go to somebody else.

Speaker 2: 0:15

Yeah, it goes somewhere else, it's energetic.

Speaker 1: 0:16

Yes, somebody else will have that same idea and activate it and you'll be sitting there, they. They stole my idea. You don't know them.

Speaker 2: 0:22

Yeah, so the idea never belonged to you. No it only belonged to you when you executed it. Then you can say it's mine, because now it's out and it's the proof that you did it.

Speaker 1: 0:30

But it doesn't belong to you, lish, really do speaks, it really do speaks. I really do be speaking. Lish speaks is a great name. Thank you Because you be speaking. Don't bring no drama my way. Don't bring no drama my way. Don't bring no drama my way. Yeah, I might have a crackdown.

Speaker 2: 0:48

Don't bring no drama my way. Don't bring no drama my way. Don't bring no drama my way. What's up, everybody? It's your girl. Lish Speaks, and welcome back to another episode of my podcast. I'll Just Let Myself In, Listen. This is the podcast where we don't wait for an imaginary permission slip or some seat at some imaginary table. We let ourselves into our God-given doors and today I am super excited. I'm feeling super blessed. I'm even a little bit nervous which, if you watch this, you know I'm not normally like this Because I have a guest that just really lives out and embodies what we do here at. I'll Just Let Myself In. This person quite literally let themselves into the entertainment industry and has done so much. Let me tell you a little bit about him. He is an actor, a comedian, a director, a New York Times bestselling author. Already he has over one million subscribers on YouTube, 2.2 million subscribers on Instagram, 1.2 million followers on TikTok. He's a father, he's a husband. He seems to be a friend to everybody in the industry, if you watch his show.

Speaker 2: 2:00

He's a man of God and a man of his word, because he said he would do this interview and he's here. Ladies and gentlemen, Kev on stage.

Speaker 1: 2:06

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Did I do all right? You did great. I was like you forgot three million on Facebook. You know what I'm saying? I didn't want to say nothing. Okay, three million on Facebook. I mean you listen, you got to put them all up in there and tell the whole truth. You got to let everyone know. Shame the devil. I love to see it Listen you got a lot going on.

Speaker 2: 2:28

And we're going to get into as much of it as possible. August 21st, your series Churchy will be airing a second season on BET Plus, where you can stream that yeah. Then on BET the channel television, Do your research. You know what I'm saying. You will be airing your show Hospital, the.

Speaker 1: 2:47

Hospital, the Hospital, yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:48

Which is going to be sketch comedy and, from what I saw, you got every influencer under the sun who could make it to LA.

Speaker 1: 2:54

I got so many people. I love working with people. I see we're going to talk about that.

Speaker 2: 3:00

You love nepotism and frimpatism.

Speaker 1: 3:01

I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it.

Speaker 2: 3:03

And then you have your next New York Times bestseller, In Jesus' Name.

Speaker 1: 3:08

Listen, the numbers ain't going well yet it's going to go.

Speaker 2: 3:11

I hope so it's going to go, because it'd be hilarious if that successful failure is a New York. Times bestseller failure. Let me tell you something. It would be apropos we do things late sometimes you know what I mean Last minute.

Speaker 1: 3:22

We are going to come in last minute. That's what we do, that's what we do.

Speaker 2: 3:26

That's what we do. Success Failure. Coming out September 25th, guys, buy the book. I've already pre-ordered it. Pre-ordered it. Do what you got to do. Amazon Charge it.

Speaker 1: 3:48

You know, whatever you're doing, your way to get your hand soap anyway, kev.

Speaker 2: 3:50

Yeah, thank you so much for being here, for having me tell the people how this happened.

Speaker 1: 3:52

You and we need to get a picture so I can go on your thread and and prove that it happened. You put out a thread. Yes, um, that was like basically, kevin, shoot my shot. I would like to get you on my podcast, unbeknownst to me, because I really don't spend much time on threads Unbeknownst.

Speaker 1: 4:08

The man reads Unbeknownst to me, and what happened was Joshie, who's my longtime photographer videographer. He texted me a screenshot of the thread and was like Kev, I know you get these all the time, but I can vouch for Liz. She's dope, she's a poet. I worked with her when we were at all deaf. Like, if this matters at all to you, I can vouch for her. She's good people and I was like okay and uh and listen.

Speaker 1: 4:35

I try to do what I wanted and still need done, so like I'm still shooting my shot to people and I try to put out into the universe, even though I believe in God, amen, and I know he's a creative author right, but I try to be for people, what I need and what people have been for me.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Um, obviously it's hard to do it all the time, but I would hope that, as as big as I ever get, I'm always reminded of how I was not always big and how I was like shooting my shot, dms and low key. I really just started doing this for the first time, thanks to Issa Rae and Kevin Hart.

Speaker 2: 5:16

Tell us, that's how.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Issa Rae was like I don't ever want to do this, and that's how I am too. I just don't like asking for help or anything. So it was good you know each, and that's how I am too. I just don't like asking for help or anything. So it was good you know each one. Teach one, reach up, reach back is my philosophy. So as I reach up, I reach back, and then hopefully you do that for somebody else, and then we all help each other, everybody eats B?

Speaker 2: 5:37

Everybody eats, everybody eats. I love it B. You know I'm from New York.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Oh are you? You know I'm from New York. Oh, are you, I'm from Brooklyn. Yeah, oh, brooklyn, absolutely, I know that place.

Speaker 2: 5:44

Yes, I am, no matter where you go in the world, if you say Brooklyn somebody will be like hey, brooklyn. So absolutely no, truly. I appreciate this because, you know, in that moment I saw that you were in Atlanta and kind of moving and shaking and I think the threat said, in the interest of missing 100 of the shots you don't take, yeah, you know, yeah, and I really do believe in that.

Speaker 2: 6:09

um, I am bold and audacious and I get a lot of no's right, oh, do you, but I'm okay with that, because I also get a lot of yeses yes, you know, like our podcast, we started in uh march of 2023. You know, by 2024 we were picked up by sirius XM for Holy Culture Radio, right, oh dang, and that's huge.

Speaker 1: 6:25

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 6:26

But I failed a lot in my career before that, so I showed Kev before we got on camera, a picture of me and Joshie. I feel funny calling him Joshie. He's a grown man.

Speaker 1: 6:35

Josh? No, he's Joshie Joshie. He's not a grown man, he's just 32.

Speaker 2: 6:38

So he's a sweet little baby on the breast milk. He is the sweetest person, though, but he going to get that work done.

Speaker 1: 6:47

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 6:48

Which is probably why y'all still working together, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 6:50

That's my first employee. He's amazing.

Speaker 2: 6:52

But anyway, I showed Kev a picture of us filming in Central Park in 2016. I used to do Slam Poetry, new York, if you know.

Speaker 2: 7:01

Slam Poetry I used to host that New Year weekend. I used to do all the stuff. So all that digital found out about me, said, hey, we're going to do some, we're going to send Joshie, we'll do some poetry. We spent two hours in Central Park doing poetry. It never came out. Okay, I told him about an interesting deal I made with a brand that all that had for 10 seconds called Signal. You know the video is still on YouTube to this day with a couple hundred thousand views. Baby, I've been working for years, so if you told me no, it would have been okay, because I know eventually, it would happen.

Speaker 1: 7:33

I've adopted part of that philosophy. I feel like the answer is already no. Like if you don't ask, the answer is already no. If they say no, you're really just back to where you were. The only thing that can change is that it might be a yes, yes. So if you ask them, they say no, well, they wouldn't come in or they weren't doing it. No way, yeah, what do you have to like? Literally, what do you have to lose?

Speaker 1: 7:52

And the thing is I often people ask me for stuff to do things or whatever, and I often say yes as much as I possibly can. But when it's me, I'll be like they're gonna say you're dumb and you're ugly and they're going to push you down Like it ain't just going to be a no, they're going to come to your house and push you down the stairs with their no. But I'm glad to hear that you have persevered and I think that's so dope, because no matter what you do in life, it's not all success. No, like yesterday. I took some L's yesterday and I mean I buried myself in chicken tenders. I really did. I'm supposed to be eating good leadership.

Speaker 2: 8:27

No chocolate ice cream, or Churchill, you was busting a chocolate ice cream down with no shirt I got 1,000%.

Speaker 1: 8:31

I know you're not supposed to use food.

Speaker 2: 8:32

I said this feels real.

Speaker 1: 8:33

This feels too real. I have done this and they, lucky. I was at the hotel when I went to place the room service, the ice cream it was. It became late night menu and I was, like you, so doggone lucky because I was gonna bring me three scoops. How many people are dining, mind your business. Bring me three orders of the ice cream and shut up. I had a bad day so, um, but you really.

Speaker 1: 8:55

I think in some way, success and failure have both taught me the same lesson. Um, I'm sure you've had a podcast or video go viral, do well, and no matter how well something does, eventually, eventually you have to do the thing again. Like Kobe Bryant, he went for 81, right, and it was like, oh my God, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Then you got to play another game in a few days. No matter how you win the championship, eventually a new season starts.

Speaker 1: 9:19

So I think you know you can rest, but if you're going to continue, you can rest. But if you're going to continue, you can't rest on your laurels, nor your successes. Like, same thing, if you you know you have a terrible game or outing, or whatever you do, you still got another game in a few days and I think that approach has helped me, because I think sometimes you get discouraged, which is fine, normal human, all that type of stuff. But I think the only thing that you should not do is like like wallow yeah, in that in your failures or your success, you got to appreciate them. For the moment, let it pass and move on yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 9:51

You joked about dealing with, you know, failures by eating fried chicken and ice cream but truly I really did respectfully and I had cookies and you're in atlanta, you got to eat the chicken everyone is in la chicken tenders. Eat a salad in LA.

Speaker 1: 10:05

They season chicken tenders with black love. I said first of all this is Lowry's and I know y'all not supposed to put this in there. Somebody said I don't care, I'm making this be good if I got to do it myself. So yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 2: 10:17

I'm sorry you joke, but the truth of the matter is you are very resilient. Yeah, you do persevere. You know what keeps you getting back up. You talked about taking l's. Uh, I heard you in an interview with david shantz talking about how you had to shut that app down like listen, it was about to be done you know, I mean like studio finna close. Yeah, it's not what it's not working. We're not gonna keep doing it yeah how do you recover?

Speaker 2: 10:42

and and because it seems quick, it seems like you recover and go I think I learned this in therapy.

Speaker 1: 10:47

I I didn't realize it about myself. My therapist yeah, my therapist pointed it out. She was like I think your best skill is you are quick to pivot, like I. I I'm gonna try to share this without getting in trouble getting in trouble and I just let myself go, I'm navigating okay.

Speaker 1: 11:07

So I've been a do it by myself person and even when I didn't do it by myself, I was the top of the food chain as far as like decisions go. Even back at All Def, even though it wasn't my company, I sat at the top of creative decisions for content.

Speaker 2: 11:21

So you're the reason my stuff didn't come out except poetry.

Speaker 1: 11:23

Poetry I of creative decisions for content. So you're the reason my stuff didn't come out, except poetry, poetry, I don't know what. I'm not a person. If we made it and shot it, we putting it up. So I don't know. Poetry was a little.

Speaker 2: 11:31

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:31

You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2: 11:32

It was a little brand thing. We blame Russ, yeah, blame.

Speaker 1: 11:35

Russ. It was Russ. But I'll be honest, working in TV now I'm navigating, working with the network, right, and that's a new thing for me and there was just something yesterday that I pitched and they were like nah. And I was like because I had already thought it was a yeah, I was like I thought y'all was going to say yeah, but y'all going to stick with the no, huh, okay. And I was in the shower this morning and then I did popped in my head like, okay, this is how I'll make the best of this. And it wasn't that they they said yes and they weren't even wrong like in this situation, they were absolutely right. Um, I'm a little gung-ho to sometimes very passionate, but I think the fact that in the shower, my mind is like, oh, we'll do this right. And I think the fact that in the shower, my mind is like, oh, we'll do this Right. And I think I have learned that you just got to adjust Right.

Speaker 1: 12:33

I was a stand up, I am, I'm a stand up comedian, but I was a touring stand up comedian in the pandemic 2020, my, my worst fear was that I would get canceled. It would be like something I said some old video. I don't even have a whole bunch of old stuff. That I was saying crazy because I always wanted to be who I am. But sometimes the world changes and the things you didn't, that weren't problematic, now become problematic. So I thought, okay, one day I'll get canceled, you know. And then Earth got canceled and I remember being like dang, this is our number one. Like this is how we make our money, this is what I do. And I remember I was sitting in my backyard and we had just moved to Calabasas, which was infinitely more expensive than where we were living Calabasas.

Speaker 1: 13:09

My Lord, do it for the blacks guys, do it for the blacks, For the black people anyway, and we was in there and then all our money went away and I was like they're going to let us stay so, um, I was like, okay, I can't go do stand-up but I'm not gonna do zoom, and I know disrespect is zoom comedy, but the the three second lag is too long for stand-up I don't like preaching on zoom it's terrible.

Speaker 1: 13:35

I need that amen or boom, but I need it quick. And I remember la was like, okay, you can have up to 25 people outside if they're, if the people from one house can be together and then six feet apart. Blah, blah, blah. And I was like that's enough. You can have up to 25 people outside if the people from one house can be together and then six feet apart. Blah, blah, blah. And I was like that's enough. I perform shows with 25 people. And I was like, oh, I could stream it right and I could like you know, you and your husband and two other friends to come invite you, do COVID tests.

Speaker 1: 13:59

And then what happened was this idea popped in my head with nobody else. Dave Chappelle did it before me and a lot of people have been like, oh well, can't do it. Now Dave did it and when he did, I was like, oh great, now I can show people. It's gonna be like this you can buy tickets. I had a better year that year than I would have ever had. If I sold every single ticket that year on tour that I was scheduled for in every single city I mean every seat I wouldn't have made as much as I did with Keep your Distance, nor would I have been able to help as many comedians as possible. And here's the other thing as the world opened back up, keep your Distance died Because, as people could go outside, they don't want to come home to their living room, they want to go. They can thing about pivot is. It works both ways. Sometimes you pivot into it and it works and it's. You know the drug game. We're both aware.

Speaker 2: 14:48

Now I'm getting too excited, go ahead.

Speaker 1: 14:50

Sometimes you can hit a lick for a while, maybe one time, maybe three times, but when it's over it's over, and I think that's what has helped me be fresh. I'm not really tied to any one mode of doing things. I'm tied to creating, and I think that creation can come in many different forms and I embrace them all for what they do. I love standup, uh, but I love acting as well. I could take a break from standup and do acting. Take a break from acting and do standup. I could write, I could edit. Do you know what I'm saying? So I think, in that way, the pivoting, pivoting, pivoting is the key.

Speaker 2: 15:21

Yeah, same. When you were talking about shower thoughts, my husband smiled at me because I come out the shower with a whole show a whole documentary we should produce.

Speaker 2: 15:30

We have a media company called Blame Media, and he is the Melissa Is he? He is the. Obviously. We read you all's book, we watched you all's podcast with Latarius, their future wifey, and we literally just kept looking at each other like well, he really kept looking at me Because I'm the one with all the ideas, who wants to spend every dime we have creating so that the world could feel good and laugh and be enlightened.

Speaker 1: 15:53

I have to be stopped by her. No, all the time she's got to be like hey, hey, Somebody got to do it, though Somebody's got to stop me.

Speaker 2: 15:59

Somebody's got to do it. You know the dreamer in you, the person who will die at a nine to five.

Speaker 1: 16:06

Funny enough.

Speaker 2: 16:08

I met my husband on a blind date, really On a blind date. My best friend used to be his barber when they were in college. He's four years younger than me. I'm a little bit of a cougar and she was like I got this guy and he's a little young, but I really think you guys will hit it off. Anyway, we go on this blind date. Five minutes in, I was like he's supposed to be my man, my business partner, my best friend, I don't know which one, but he's supposed to be in my life. It was very evident very quickly Five minutes in. At the time I was working at Bank of America, really, doing credit cards, helocs. You are mean. Listen, I was working at Bank of America. I was they called it solution sales.

Speaker 2: 16:48

So if a person called because they lost their card. Their card got locked. You were supposed to help them with that and then pivot into upselling them a new credit card, getting them to increase their credit line. Send them over to HELOC. I told my husband on our first date that I said, oh, I won't be at this job for very long, it's not my thing.

Speaker 2: 17:08

Yeah, you know, and he was like he was telling me about it. You know, on the first date, what do you do for a living? And he's telling me he's an IT director. Yeah, because you know I just love my foundation. You know I'm probably going to retire here. I said, oh, I won't be, it was killing I would cry in the parking lot Like no cap.

Speaker 1: 17:23

I would cry in the parking lot.

Speaker 2: 17:24

I know the feelings, you know, yeah, and so when a dreamer like you gets with a person like Melissa, who is I, could be at this nine to five and thrive and be happy and climb up the ladder. My husband is that way. It takes a just thing on both sides.

Speaker 1: 17:37

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:51

And something that you talked about that I resonated with so much is having them mature from the perspective that this person is against you or doesn't believe in you or doesn't see your vision. Yeah, to the maturity of they believe in me, they love me. They also know everything doesn't always work and we need to be able to buy toilet paper, soap and have insurance, right. So I think a lot of married people need to hear that, right? How do you navigate that?

Speaker 1: 18:01

first of all, I love that you have asia wilson's on.

Speaker 2: 18:03

Yes, my girl.

Speaker 1: 18:05

My wife talked about the kite and the string analogy, where you and I are the kites and our spouses are the strings, and the kite wants to fly and would go all the way up, but without a string it would fly and fall, and same way the string without a kite would never get off the ground. At the end of the day, they both end up on the ground, so the kite and the string really work together. My responsibility as the dreamer is to catch the wind and fly. My wife is. Her responsibility is to keep me grounded, to not let me go and to make sure I can navigate the situation.

Speaker 1: 18:44

Once I adjusted to that point of view, I started seeing her value as opposed to her as an opposition, because when you're a dreamer, if you don't believe, then it's me against the world. I'm Jon Snow pulling out my sword. I've felled a thousand horses. I will die for this. You know what I mean and that approach is actually very valuable because it's what keeps, it, gets you up in the morning, what keeps you up at night. You know dreaming, editing, believing, creating all that type of stuff, but left to our own devices, I would spend my, I would, I would. There's no idea that's bad. Every idea I have is the best. I'm going to change the world and destroy Netflix. And why wouldn't they green light it? And why would it be? And doesn't matter how many times my wife is right, I'm gonna be right the next time right.

Speaker 1: 19:36

So I think I'm really grateful for her in that way, because she's helped me navigate so many circumstances, navigate deals, navigate my own Like I'm hard to deal with when I'm not getting my way and when a dream is not being actualized, everybody's my enemy. Uh, everybody's wrong. So just last night my wife was like and and and it's really tough to navigate because she's like let me help you, but don't be mad at me. Yeah, you get moody. Yeah, oh my gosh. And it's rare. But I remember I was talking to her and I was talking to our employee and he was trying to be like you know the silver lining, kevin. I said there's no silver lining today.

Speaker 2: 20:16

Everything is dumb and don't even talk to me right now.

Speaker 1: 20:19

Matter of fact, let me go and my wife was like I know, I know you had a rough day. I just want you to eat and go to bed.

Speaker 2: 20:27

God bless Melissa.

Speaker 1: 20:28

And I was eating the chicken. I was like chicken's good. It was so fire-less the fries were, so I mean I really had to. Just I had to, like, lick my wounds a little bit. Yes, because we, you know, we don't. Everything doesn't always work. Yeah, you know what I mean. And in our mind, how could it not? What do you mean?

Speaker 2: 20:48

Yes, the Lord gave me this idea. The Lord himself, because we from the church, so we believe.

Speaker 1: 20:54

God himself. Like when I started Kevin on Stage Studios, people think I'm joking. They were going to be like man somebody is killing us y'all. They are leaving Netflix and they're going to the Goss what is Goss? Kevon Stage Studios and I was going to be like hello Netflix. I thought you might call it's taking you some time. Yes, it's me. They never did. They didn't notice at all. I don't think one person, even the people I know at Netflix, they noticed.

Speaker 2: 21:26

Ke at all. I don't think one person. Even the people I know at Netflix, they know this. They didn't know it may not move the needle, but they know this.

Speaker 1: 21:28

But my next thing's always going to be my best thing and I think that's a good way to be, but I think it works. We are great together for that reason. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Because she would still be working at KeyBank and not tripping. I'm not even saying that's bad. A lot of people don't. Everybody's not built like us and I don't mean to elevate us. There's nothing wrong with going to your job and getting your steady paycheck and your health insurance and letting them other headaches be somebody else's taking your PTO. I miss it sometimes. I ain't got no PTO, I ain't got no direct deposit. Now I can have three good months and I can have six bad months. So and taxes is crazy, so I don't. Taxes is crazy. Taxes is crazy. They don't just tell you what it is.

Speaker 2: 22:15

I want to talk about it. Go ahead.

Speaker 1: 22:19

So your taxes is probably. It's all crazy, but my parents did it, both my parents and my dad and her dad, both in the military for 20, 25 years Like there's nothing wrong with that. Melissa could have worked that job and it's stressful to be an entrepreneur. Some people entrepreneurs be like I'm done with this.

Speaker 2: 22:36

I'm going back to regular job, yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:38

I like to direct. Deposit.

Speaker 1: 22:39

Yeah yeah, and health insurance Like Boeing was a good, it was a good gig. Like we got christmas, the new year off, yeah, and then a bonus. And then we got a bonus notification. Then, around valentine's day, I was like this is all right because it's in private school, like I wasn't tripping, but I think, um, I, I couldn't do that, yeah, because I just weren't built for that. I was gonna get fired. Yeah, either quit or get fired because I I can't be at the people's job, not watching youtube and studying. I was trying to get on the design team at boeing. Everybody else had dells because you know, corporate, corporate, but the design team they had apple max.

Speaker 2: 23:16

I cannot draw okay you thought you was gonna get you.

Speaker 1: 23:19

I said let me I want a pie for, just so I could get I'm moving, just so I could edit at work. But I was looking at them. They was like Kev, stop. My coworkers was like bro, they all went to college for design. They're like six years in, you're not getting on this team. You're not getting on the design team. You got to do like a whole drawing packet. They're like you're not going to get on.

Speaker 2: 23:47

I was like what about the old laptop? Give me one of them. I love it. No dreamers, we just have, we just something in us? Man, I think it is. It definitely is placed by god, because the truth of the matter is you got to have the yin and the yang. You got to have both. You know, I feel like um, you know so much of what. Like I use brown sugar based because of melissa yeah, right, never heard of it until her right.

Speaker 2: 24:01

So obviously she could have been at some other job, but she is an influential person, she's funny she's beautiful. These are things that I feel like you know. You helped her realize and um, I always talk about my husband. He's an incredible public so I'm like you need to be keynoting at all these black tech, afro tech, all that you know you do your thing and I feel like these things have elevated him as well.

Speaker 2: 24:21

so it's definitely the kite and the string I that I want to get in to some of your influences right, okay. So you talked about David E Talbert at one point.

Speaker 1: 24:30

Yes.

Speaker 2: 24:30

When it comes to the plays that you and your brother used to do, you are now. You've done. Keep your Distance. You've done tours the Back Pew Tour. You're doing the Ball Brothers Tour. You got Churchy, you, you got Churchy. You got Successful Failure coming out. You got Spectrum commercials. You got all the things right. So, respectfully, you have surpassed some of your. You know North Stars from the past, right, who are you actually looking up to right now? Have I surpassed them Somewhat?

Speaker 1: 24:54

Not no, david.

Speaker 2: 24:55

E Not, with no Jingle Jangle.

Speaker 1: 24:57

Not, not, not, not no, david E yeah, that's true Not.

Speaker 2: 25:00

David, but but not Tyler. These are the people that you're still looking up to okay, I them.

Speaker 1: 25:06

People is still way East Array. They're far, they're far ahead, which I think you should like. You should the people you're chasing should always. You know what's funny.

Speaker 2: 25:17

I think and let me just encourage you real quick. I love that you feel that way, but I don't think the people feel that way. But I don't think the people feel that way. You are like the people the other day we were on threads and we thought somebody was about to say something negative about you. Did you read those comments?

Speaker 1: 25:30

I saw that we thought that somebody was going shout out to Scottie Beam, because she's how I saw it.

Speaker 2: 25:35

I've known Scottie for years as well.

Speaker 1: 25:37

Love.

Speaker 2: 25:37

Scottie and she posted it and I saw it too and I was like, oh yeah, because we was about to ride at dawn for you, brother.

Speaker 1: 25:44

They the people love Kev.

Speaker 2: 25:46

I don't know that we see you far behind.

Speaker 1: 25:49

I get that a lot and I think I wrestle with it because maybe I'm just I don't know. I think I always see where I want to go. So therefore I don't acknowledge where I am, nor where I came from, and I don't do anything for flex, yeah. So I remember I was telling somebody. I was like man, you know, I'm trying to get here. They were like Kev, you have two studios, you have a podcast studio and then you have a sound stage with a podcast studio, two podcast studios in it. They were like who else has that? And I was like, well, that ain't. You know that we just got that for, because I was like we're just paying a lot of money in locations and it was just cheaper. They're like, yeah, yeah, whatever your business reasons are fine, you're doing it, but but you have two podcasts. You bought a house in la, which that was my goal. I ain't by that't buy that house.

Speaker 2: 26:41

Oh, okay, we was just renting over there, but you was there, yeah, we was over there.

Speaker 1: 26:44

That's old money though them people. They was at crazy prices. But I think, because I remember I'm supposed to take Netflix down. Yeah, so I do accept that I can be both an inspiration and a goal for someone, while I'm also somebody else's inspiration and goal for me. Yeah, so I think that's that's where I've landed.

Speaker 2: 27:05

Yeah, Well, take some of your flowers, man. I appreciate I'm taking them and I suck at taking flowers and compliments I just get nervous and my hands get clammy and I want to.

Speaker 1: 27:13

I want to hide, but I appreciate that and I appreciate the people coming for me because coming to my defense, and he was saying great things about you. He was, but it was worded in a way that I saw people be like what's up? Though, yeah, are you cool? He's cool.

Speaker 1: 27:32

Like I've known him online for a long time, he was like, hey, y'all, I like him it was like yeah, you better like it, matter of fact, repost it, rewrite it again, rethread it, make it make more sense. But but no, that was, that was dope, yeah.

Speaker 2: 27:45

Yeah, yeah yeah. Successful failure is a dope title because I think it helps us understand, especially. I'm 37. So I'm, you know, an elder millennial, as they will call it. But I do think that even those of us who like to talk about how we you know, we didn't come up online and whatever, whatever we have now adopted the same microwave mentality as the ginseng we want things to happen quick, we want to put something out, we want it to go viral immediately, and I think you telling your story in this way helps us to understand the patience that it takes to become who you are becoming, that it takes to become who you are becoming. One of the things I love about you, from what I've seen online, is that you don't seem to care more about being a success publicly than you do privately. A lot of people, specifically from the faith background, are a public success and a private failure when it comes to relationships, marriages, their kids, all sorts of things.

Speaker 2: 28:41

And I saw you almost turn down the podcast summit because it was going to be on one of your son's birthdays or has been in the past, absolutely this year.

Speaker 1: 28:50

Yeah, I was not going to do it, you can get me out by this time, I'll do it. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 28:55

How do you navigate, making sure that you're not a public success in a private failure?

Speaker 1: 29:00

that you're not a public success and a private failure, because my ultimate goal, above anything, is that in 20 years, during Thanksgiving and Christmas, my kids feel safe enough to come home with whoever they are with and whoever they love to come to their parents' house, and their parents are still together. That's my number one goal and I'm dead serious about this. I listen to and Shaq's been very open in public about this. He's always like I have a 30,000 square foot home, but I'm alone and like I. That's my worst nightmare. You know, my worst nightmare is not working a regular job, like if it, if you gave me a choice, or like, hey, you can have your family, but you got to go, you know, back to Boeing. Then I would go back to Boeing. I would find the joy in the 10 minute breaks and the lunches and the vacation and weekends. But if you told me, you get all the dreams you want, you're famous, you got shows on all these platforms, you got a private plane, you got a hundred million dollars, but you are divorced and your kids don't rock with you, well then, that's just. That's just. I would turn all that in. Yeah, because I've had a great life and we've had fun at every stage when we had no money.

Speaker 1: 30:13

My wife you think she's creative now, boy she found a way to get us to do some stuff I remember they used used to sell, like coupon books and stuff. We used to want to take our kids to the Sonics games and Mariners games. We didn't have full-price tickets, but she found, like we go Tuesday, october 17th. Now they're going to be playing a team that who cares about, and the game got to be at 2,. Okay, in the afternoon, but it's a dollar Tuesday evening. So, but it's a dollar Tuesday evening, so we're going to spend $8. And we went with her, our kids, my brother and his kids, her sister and their kids. We used to go to the park, have lunch, play games, and one of our sisters was on EBT, so we used to have state-sponsored barbecues and cookouts. Come on, state-sponsored. Shout out to the state of Washington.

Speaker 2: 31:01

We got lamb chops Never quite heard it put that way.

Speaker 1: 31:06

State sponsor barbecues, little lunch situations. You know we'd have game night. We'd play Uno and Taboo Like you don't need money to enjoy that and money cannot replace what you truly enjoy.

Speaker 2: 31:19

Neither can success.

Speaker 1: 31:20

Neither can success. There's times when me and Melissa went on a trip to Egypt with our boys and we were gone for like two weeks Most expensive vacation I've ever taken to this day. It was insane. Yeah, we were arguing being her in a bad place for like four of the ten days and at that moment I realized, oh man, a five-star hotel, the best food money can buy for. You know, we were on a yacht. That was like it was my family of four. We all had our own room. Technically, me and Melissa stayed in the same bed. There was a crew of 22 people. They were like oh, two weeks ago Tom Cruise was on it, the week before that Pharrell, and last month was Leonardo.

Speaker 2: 31:59

DiCaprio, I don't want to hear nothing about you thinking that you behind certain people. I'm about to throw something at you. Okay, go ahead.

Speaker 1: 32:06

But me and Melissa were not in a good place and I remember sitting there thinking, oh, it doesn't matter where you are in the world, how much money you have, If you're not at peace, it doesn't matter. Now we've been at Motel 6 before six before and had cigarette smoke all through here.

Speaker 1: 32:21

The doors are outside and there was people was paying by the hour. Now, you know, when people paying by the hour, they not coming to lay down. I mean they coming to lay down but they not going to sleep. We had the time of our life at that Motel 6. I still taste the cigarettes. Anytime I think of it, I can taste cigarettes.

Speaker 1: 32:37

So my goal is that first and I work to maintain that, um, and it's very important to me and it's more important to me than any of the others, and that's also why I'm grateful that my career has been very slow. My rise has been. I mean, I'm talking about I'm 42 years old. People are still finding out about me today and it's been like I didn't. I didn't.

Speaker 1: 33:00

There's no one video that blew me up. There's no one tour. There's no one video that blew me up. There's no one tour. There's no one, anything. People just been rocking with me for a long time. Yeah, and that has allowed me the pacing to adjust to the stresses on my marriage, my kids, their childhood. I was there, walking them to school, picking them up. I didn't tour heavy, heavy until they were already in middle school, in high school. So you know, I wasn't not a part of their life and I've been able to adjust to fame and celebrity relative to my life. So I think that's all been beneficial, because I it'd be dangerous to go and now everybody's looking at you, you know, and you're not really able to handle that. So I'm grateful for the way things have happened.

Speaker 2: 33:41

Yeah, I love that. When it comes to something like the hospital, where you put your money behind it, you get your people together, you don't have really any guarantee that you're going to make any money back or anything's going to happen like that. It's scary. I interviewed Dr Bobby Jones recently.

Speaker 1: 33:59

Dr Bobby Jones. I sure did, I'm Bobby Jones recently. Dr Bobby Jones, I sure did, I'm Bobby Jones. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dr Bobby Jones Gospel. We love Bobby.

Speaker 2: 34:06

Jones, You're good. That was good. Yeah, I love Bobby Jones. You should do more impersonations. That was good. I don't know that you know this, but his story is very similar. No.

Speaker 1: 34:14

I didn't know this.

Speaker 2: 34:21

I said you're the first concert creator, bro, bobby Jones. Bobby Jones, so Bob Johnson, from BET. When he first got the job at BET, they didn't have programming and they didn't have a studio and they could not afford a whole lot of programming because BET wasn't BET, right? Hmm, he found out about Dr Bobby Jones producing his own show. Really, the show had already been two years in, right, I think. He said he was making like $100 a week or something and he was paying everybody else. He wasn't even getting paid, but because they had the footage already, bob Johnson presented this footage to the executives at BET and said we can air this show. And that's how Dr Bobby Jones' gospel got on BET.

Speaker 2: 34:57

And he said it was about 10 years of that before they went to the BET studios and started filming at BET, and that's when he started wearing the shiny suits and the ring and Kirk and all of them showed up. But before that it was him, james Cleveland, anybody else who could sing at their studio that he was filming.

Speaker 1: 35:13

Wow.

Speaker 2: 35:14

And it made me think of things like what you've done, some of the things I'm trying to do. You know, sometimes it's not going to catch on, but it doesn't mean that you should stop doing it. So I want you to kind of talk to, you know, the other creators out there who are funding something, putting all their money, all their time, their mental energy, asking their friends to show up for free, with no guarantee.

Speaker 1: 35:40

You know, give them some encouragement, some inspiration, to keep going. There is a movie, kevin costner I think it's called field of dreams, where he says if you build it, they will come, and I think he's talking about a baseball um field and there's like some ghost part. Forget all the other stuff, the part I want to focus on if you build it, they will come, and I think that's kind of in my philosophy for churchy. Me and Melissa saved our money. I always joke that Spectrum should be an executive producer in Churchy because I was like Spectrum, thank you, savings account, savings account, brand deal savings account.

Speaker 1: 36:12

But it was a huge undertaking and we initially lost money Technically. If y'all want to be honest, can I be honest? Even in the second season, I still probably haven't made my money back from the first season, but it's like a necessary thing and it has produced a second season, the hospital and other things that we have on the horizon, because people have seen not only has it been done, we produced it both times, period, like physically produced. It paid the people, hired the people, paid the people. It's crazy to see the amount of money that it costs go into your account and go right back out and I was just like dang, that's wild.

Speaker 2: 36:58

And it was fast.

Speaker 1: 37:00

When you got to pay people that money go faster. I never seen money go way that fast. I said dang that Friday to Monday. Y'all got pain, pain. So it's also very surreal, like the hospital we filmed in two and a half days, literally. I couldn't even afford the third. That hospital rental place was very expensive for a person to rent and paying all those. I paid all those actors, yeah, every single person, wow, except Tony Baker, yeah.

Speaker 2: 37:29

He did it for the love my nigga. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, and he can get paid.

Speaker 1: 37:34

He just will not sign the paperwork, like I sent it to him, yeah, and they follow up, and after two months they're like okay, brother, you don't want to do it?

Speaker 2: 37:41

Shout out to Tony man.

Speaker 1: 37:42

Shout out to Tony, but the money's always there.

Speaker 2: 37:44

Well, he know, y'all gonna make money together 1,000%.

Speaker 1: 37:46

He already knows what it is. I got a couple friends like that. Yeah, and I'm that friend too. I pull up, I ain't even like we ain't talking about. Yeah, yeah, give me a little funky little five yeah give me your money.

Speaker 2: 37:58

I know you got other things to do.

Speaker 1: 38:03

It's so interesting that like that has been picked up for TV, because that was not the, it was just for Patreon.

Speaker 2: 38:11

Got it.

Speaker 1: 38:12

Never intended to be anything more. Now, obviously, I shot it on the cameras that if somebody was interested, you could do it. Right, right, and that's part of the reason why I was expensive, right, but I didn't, I didn't even like plan to sell that, yeah, so I feel like that's really where it's just. It can only be God, right, because my path has been up until this point make it, sell it versus pitch it. To this day, I haven't pitched anything that didn't already exist versus pitch it. To this day, I haven't pitched anything that didn't already exist, um, and also it's. I don't. I don't advise everybody to do this because it's very expensive, but I realize for me it's so much easier to say yes to something that already exists because it's there. You don't have to take a chance on it, you can now imagine you don't have to imagine it you don't have to produce it, you don't have to go through the notes process.

Speaker 1: 39:00

It is here, we have the files and I think that's been my competitive advantage. So far as I'm willing to make it, and even if you didn't buy it, I've already won because my patreon has got it. You know what I'm saying, so that's been great. This next thing that I'm working on, that I um just shot a few weeks ago. Idea, idea literally came to me. I could not sleep that night and I was like man, I really can't. And then that idea was like in my mind and I had to get everything that I was thinking about off of my phone and within five weeks we were shooting.

Speaker 2: 39:34

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got to move quick you got to you got to move quick. Money loves being expedient. You can't in slowness. You will lose it.

Speaker 1: 39:44

You lose the idea.

Speaker 2: 39:45

somebody else will do it. You'll just lose it, and I think too, realizing that failing fast is the best thing.

Speaker 1: 39:52

You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 39:53

Like if it's not going to work, let's find that out quickly, right away. I'm not dreaming of this for 10 years or for it to not be a good idea in the first place, and I can live with that.

Speaker 1: 40:00

Same. If I shoot a basketball, it go in or it go out and I know right away, you know the adjustment and I can move on and I'm okay with that. And I think the only thing I'm not okay with is not trying. I cannot live with regret. Yep, same Failure. Success is fine too, but the unknown. I can't sleep at night, knowing, man, if I would have just tried, Because I believe that if you don't activate your idea, it'll go to somebody else it goes somewhere else it's energetic.

Speaker 1: 40:28

Yes, Somebody else will have that same idea and activate it and you'll be sitting there. They stole my idea. You don't know them.

Speaker 2: 40:34

Yeah, so the idea never belonged to you. No it only belongs to you when you execute it. Then you can say it's mine, because now it's out and it's the proof that you did it.

Speaker 1: 40:42

But it doesn't belong to you. Lish really do speaks.

Speaker 2: 40:44

It really do speaks.

Speaker 1: 40:45

I really do be speaking. Lish speaks is a great name. Thank you Because you be speaking.

Speaker 2: 40:49

Listen, you know I've been doing I've done a lot. I've acted slam poetry rap. Why'd you stop doing slam poetry? Ooh, that's a good question. So the truth of the matter is, I think I got in my head Lish. Isn't it crazy why you got in your?

Speaker 1: 41:06

head.

Speaker 2: 41:06

I think I got in my head because I was doing music at the time and I had become a BET Music. Remember BET Music Matters yeah. I was a BET Music Matters artist. That's actually how I met Scottie B.

Speaker 1: 41:15

Really, I've lived a lot of lives in 37 years you've been doing that.

Speaker 2: 41:19

You don't do music either. Ish, I do music, ish, and I used to write for a lot of art. I do a whole lot of stuff, and I think I kind of got in my head about the poetry versus the music. This was a time you remember, 10 years ago.

Speaker 1: 41:35

You couldn't do more than one thing right, you had a niche like this is what you do.

Speaker 2: 41:38

Yeah, yeah, yeah and then so the music started doing. Well, you know what I mean. I was very militant. My first project was called Melanated. This was before. This was in 2015. You know what I'm saying. So this this is you know, and so you know I was on that. You know what I'm saying. I was on that and then, as I continued to make music, music and do that's how signal found me. That's how so the radio station that I work with now, holy culture, shout out to holy culture, channel 140, uh, 8 pm eastern time. If you're watching, it there.

Speaker 2: 42:06

Um, they found me because they were playing my music. Someone called me and said you're on the radio. I had a song out called today. It's a very bippity, boppity song I've never created a song like you sing or rap both both, but I mostly rap. Um, I've never created a song like it before or since, and I really believe there's something behind that.

Speaker 1: 42:22

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 42:24

But they were playing my music and then they realized oh she yaps. You know she has a podcast. We had had eight episodes out, we had produced it. I filmed all eight episodes before I even announced that I had a podcast.

Speaker 1: 42:34

That's what I'm talking about, baby, I like execution.

Speaker 2: 42:36

Let's do it I don't have time to be, we put the podcast out and then now life has got Because I still work full time to this day, to this day To this day.

Speaker 1: 42:43

Karen Still work full time To this day.

Speaker 2: 42:45

What you do to this day I'm an associate minister at a church in Duluth, georgia.

Speaker 1: 42:49

Yeah, I was a youth minister, you was a youth pastor.

Speaker 2: 42:53

This is why I love churchy we're going.

Speaker 1: 42:55

Oh, it's good.

Speaker 2: 42:59

Yes, I know about bringing people in trying to get them to a church that don't really get it. But you get it, but they don't get it. They don't get social media, but you get it. All the stuff, Wow, but yeah, I think I got into my head. I think even with the acting there's a whole lot of things that I feel like God has said hey, you can do this, but let me tell you how I knew that media was what I was got this idea in my head.

Speaker 2: 43:25

We had just gotten married and my husband was, like you seem unhappy and I know it ain't me Shout out to the awareness. Let me tell you what I'm not going to own this.

Speaker 1: 43:29

I love this for you because if you're unhappy, what did I do? Is my problem?

Speaker 2: 43:32

Oh no, not my husband Child I got to tell him he is over his head. I got to say you did, because he's like I did something. I'm perfect. What do you mean? You know, and I work by choice. I don't have to work. God bless the man of God. So he was like. You know, I gave you the wedding that you wanted. We live in a beautiful apartment. We film at my apartment because we have 17-foot ceilings. It's a beautiful place to live.

Speaker 1: 43:56

Okay, come on Duluth. We do our thing over there, but I understand why you didn't want to come all the way to Duluth.

Speaker 2: 44:00

Kevin told me no, he said I'm not coming to your house.

Speaker 1: 44:02

I said I'm not going to your house. First of all, I mapped it out and it was an hour I respect your brother and I said, no, I got too many things to do. I understand, I understand. I said you taking two hours plus the time, you taking three hours of my day, lish, you ain't going to speak that much. You speak right here off the cab, the 15, this is mid-city girl.

Speaker 2: 44:30

No, I appreciate it. Anyway, he was telling me he's like you know, you seem unhappy. What are you feeling? What's going on? He was like you know, do you want to put out another project? Because when we met I had just dropped a project and so I was like I actually think I want to do podcasts, like I think I really want a show was my words, I want to host a show. I want to be like Sherri Shepherd, tamra Hall.

Speaker 2: 44:48

Like that's my vibe. And he was like okay, you know, when do you want to do it by?

Speaker 1: 45:07

And I was like you know, maybe by like the end of first quarter quarter, everything was filmed and ready to go. That is the first time that has ever happened in my life. You better administrate. I've been a creator my whole life. But once I got married yes, because, like your partner, it's a it's a blessing. Yes, when your partner sees you unhappy, uh, even more blessing to know it's not them, but still work to help you. Yes, achieve that. You know I I think melissa's done that for me.

Speaker 1: 45:23

Last week she made biscuits just because I mentioned that was so nice. But business-wise. She's also like. She knows I'm a pure creative. Yep, right, I will never stop. She knows I will take the money I make from a tour and immediately spend it on a show. So she's not, and she, but she's also has the foresight to be like we got kids, we got you know I'm not crazy, but I am. So she's like why don't we set aside X amount of dollars for you to create whatever you want, and it doesn't matter if it goes anywhere or nowhere, if you just want to make something? And I'm like, I can?

Speaker 2: 45:59

do that. Yes, it's so freeing.

Speaker 1: 46:01

It's so freeing because she knows I got to get it out of me, otherwise I'm back at Boeing, you know what I mean. And it doesn't really matter if it gets sold.

Speaker 2: 46:13

It just matters that people can watch it, and you're also miserable to be around when you're not creating.

Speaker 1: 46:16

Ask me how I know. Oh my God, Trust me.

Speaker 2: 46:17

Ask me how I know.

Speaker 1: 46:18

I know.

Speaker 2: 46:19

He's like what do you need? Let's get the cameras and the lights in here. Yes, today, right now. Yes, call somebody because you are not happy. It's like a fish that can't swim. It's bad.

Speaker 1: 46:28

Like it doesn't matter, like people are like why you work so hard. It's like I'm doing what I love. I have to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, nice Birds.

Speaker 2: 46:38

Yep, it's not for me. This is why I knew this was going to work for me too, because one time Maya Angelou said something in an interview. She was talking about how you're only going to be successful at what you are willing to sacrifice for. And I love music and I may do music again one day. So many of my friends are artists. I love you know poetry. I may do that again one day. I need to as a hobby, because hobbies are important, not everything needs to be monetized.

Speaker 1: 47:04

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 47:05

But this, this right here.

Speaker 1: 47:07

You and your bag.

Speaker 2: 47:08

I'm willing to sacrifice, I'm willing to look stupid, I'm willing to shoot my shot Things I was never willing to do for music. Music was about me being cool.

Speaker 1: 47:17

I'm writing for this Brooklyn stand up Media right period. You know what I'm saying. Best side to be exact. You didn't even know that.

Speaker 2: 47:22

You felt the best side coming off me.

Speaker 1: 47:23

I felt the best side through you Period. That's also the only thing I know, but that's why I know.

Speaker 2: 47:29

Respect, respect, respect, respect. But for media I'm willing to look like a cornball. Yo, I don't care. I'm curious about people, I care about their stories. So when I realized that I was and I think my husband realized it he was like okay, this is something that I can really get behind, and I'm sure Melissa does the same thing. For you 1,000% when she sees like, okay, nah, he's willing to sacrifice for this. It only makes her feel more confident in sacrificing.

Speaker 1: 47:53

Absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Let's talk really quick about nepotism, and so do I. Yes, I love the fact that you give not only your kids, but seem like everybody, kids around you.

Speaker 2: 48:10

1000 is in the second season of church.

Speaker 1: 48:11

Yes, angels, kids are in there. Yes, uh, my kids are in there. Yeah, that chick angel, one of the most talented people on god's greener, I love her. All her children are in the show. My kids are in the show. My niece, uh mckinley's in the show. My other niece McKinley's in the show. My other niece, makaya, was in the first season as a baby. She doesn't even know.

Speaker 1: 48:25

I love it, but she was in there. I believe in nepotism because every person of power by losing nepotism they all. I just saw Kirk Herbstreet's son. He just got promoted to an analyst. He ain't tweeted in a year, no disrespect. But Jerry Jones, do you think he sought out the best people to run the Cowboys? Did he say Stephen, I think his daughter's name is Charlotte. Y'all are my children, you're going to be in there, a comedian made a joke.

Speaker 1: 48:55

If you want a plumber, if it was plumber and sons, it was johnson and sons. Y'all got sons in the public. Give me johnson and sons. Mortuary is jackson and jones and sons. Every business passes their stuff down. Yeah, I think hollywood should be no different. And even if it's not your direct thing, it's, it's your friends, your family. Oh, can you put my son in? I remember, remember I used to listen to this podcast, how I Built this with Guy Raz Amazing podcast. But I had to stop listening to it because I was so frustrated with how often people could have an idea and go to their friends and family and raise $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 without even taking no outside investment, just friends and family. You're raising half a million dollars for GoPro or whatever. That's not us In our communities, brother. Why don't you raise your?

Speaker 2: 49:42

You could be selling a $15 t-shirt and they want a discount 1000%.

Speaker 1: 49:46

We don't have disposable income like that. We definitely don't have hundreds of thousands by and large. So absolutely, my children. When you talk to them about college, they're like, yeah, you know, after college, I, you know, probably just want to work for the company and they're talking about the company and I'm like this is crazy.

Speaker 1: 50:01

My dream isn't that amazing. Yeah, that they know they can go work other places, but they always can work, yep, with their family. And, um, that to me is the biggest blessing, you know. I mean as a, as a parent, you're supposed to prepare your children's inheritance, but not only their inheritance is prepared, come on, but why they? Why don't? Why not let them work in it? And my, my boys, are both creative in different ways, um, and they are able to see what we do and and and do what we do and potentially continue building on what we've built on. Yeah, but if they just want to work at, my youngest son could work at a dog hotel and be happy.

Speaker 1: 50:40

Yeah, but if he ever needs something, we will have given it to them. My goal is to die and it be a benefit, not a burden. You better be sad, it better tear you up.

Speaker 2: 50:53

Yeah, Tear the church up too.

Speaker 1: 50:55

Fall out, scream pile up your mind, push me over.

Speaker 2: 50:57

Yes, y'all not going to put me in the casket, burn me.

Speaker 1: 51:01

Burn me alive, but in the back of your mind.

Speaker 2: 51:04

You'll be like I say the same thing. Cook me on 375. Come on now. The Lord know I'm coming up, yeah no-transcript.

Speaker 1: 51:20

Low and slow, tender. I want the meat falling off the bone. You feel me, but in the back of their mind I want them to be like don't kill me. But you know what I'm saying. Dad didn't left me something, right? Because I have homies, man. My homie used to my mom died man. Oh, my God, I'm moving to Vegas and I bought a house because of what she left me and I'm going to miss her.

Speaker 1: 51:43

But man, I got a dog. I got this new Frenchie man $2,000. I said brother, he was sad he did all right, but mama done left my little bread. Brother, he bought a house Immediately Right. We gotta sell fish plates.

Speaker 2: 51:59

Just to bury somebody.

Speaker 1: 52:00

You ain't had no shit so that's my goal is to be a blessing and not a burden.

Speaker 2: 52:05

I love that Churchy season 2 is premiering on August 21st. Bet+ Some of you got everybody named mama in there. Who can we look forward to seeing? Because we had, like almost every, influencer on season one.

Speaker 1: 52:19

The main cast is returning. We have Lexi.

Speaker 2: 52:23

Allen who killed it. Shout out to Lexi, she's amazing.

Speaker 1: 52:25

Played. Mother Jean Anthony Alfonsi returns as Pastor Stinney. Nick Few was in an episode as Teddy, as the grandson. Yeah, he's a series regular in this version.

Speaker 2: 52:36

Love it.

Speaker 1: 52:37

Tahir Moore and Quinn Walters were both, you know, just in an episode. They're now series regulars. Nice, jasmine Love joined the cast. She's a series regular as far as the cameos go. Tabitha Brown, nice Recurring guest star. Yeah, big Tab, not the little, not the Little.

Speaker 2: 52:55

Tony.

Speaker 1: 52:55

Baker. Recurring guest star, cameos. We got Keith Lee, atheon Crockett, reggie Coos, lecrae, kirk Franklin in braids. Sheesh, in a Shamar Moore wig. That was his idea. You brought that up, that was his idea. He was like can I have braids? And I was like can I have braids? And I was like you absolutely can. Got his head sized, had some braids made, so it's going to be a great show.

Speaker 1: 53:20

It's better, funnier, tighter. There's more episodes Ten episodes this time and, yeah, you'll be able to watch it in the weekend. You will enjoy it, so make sure to stream that. Run those numbers up the first week.

Speaker 2: 53:32

Run those numbers up and make sure that you grab Successful Failure.

Speaker 1: 53:35

Yes.

Speaker 2: 53:36

I don't know how you know the numbers are not doing well, so I'll pay attention to that. My publisher told me I know Don't pay attention to that though, but I got to know. Uh-uh, just pray, father God, in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus.

Speaker 1: 53:50

You can say two times, three times, but once you're Grammy Award winning, you're Grammy Award winning, you're going to do it one time.

Speaker 2: 53:57

Go run up the book, guys. Make sure that you grab Successful Failure. I ask a question to end off my show and it is in the grand scheme of things, what do you want your legacy to be?

Speaker 1: 54:08

Ooh Kev created a lot of opportunities for a lot of people, a lot of opportunities for a lot of people.

Speaker 1: 54:13

More than anything, that's the thing I am most excited to do is to take an actor and actress who've never had a chance to do it and give them a chance. Take somebody who's been number 10 or 12 on the call sheet and bring them up to number three or two or one behind me, so probably two Even if you only were a PA and you wanted to run a camera. But you run a camera on your other other stuff, like that's my goal. Eventually, I want to be able to produce things that other people have written later, later later.

Speaker 1: 54:42

Do not pitch me nothing right now.

Speaker 2: 54:44

I'm first in line. We cannot do it.

Speaker 1: 54:46

I'm talking about five, 10 years from now, when we got the stuff. Uh, that that'd be. My goal is to be able to help elevate other creative writers and and talent and comedians. But I think when I look back on what I've done so far, the thing I'm most excited about is creating for other people.

Speaker 1: 55:01

People on, keep your distance those comedians who hadn't had anything taped yeah the fact that they have a a stellar piece of tape that they can go out and show to comedy clubs and theaters and colleges to get booked. That's my greatest joy is creating opportunity, even back to All Def. I love to create opportunities for other people and that's probably the thing I love the most.

Speaker 2: 55:20

I love it. Well, you are well on your way.

Speaker 1: 55:22

Thank you.

Speaker 2: 55:23

To you know, fulfilling that legacy, and I just truly want to thank you for taking this, this interview, but also truly just being an inspiration from you know, the books you know to you still create several videos a day.

Speaker 1: 55:37

Yeah, I got something on my phone I had to post on the way back, you know you just are really like a master class for real. Thank, you, oh, you remind me. If you preorder the book and you take a screenshot of your preorder, you can go to the link in my bio.

Speaker 2: 55:53

fill out a form and we'll give you my master class for free. I'm going to do it because I pre-ordered.

Speaker 1: 55:55

Yeah, you don't even have to do it now. If you pre-ordered it at any time, as long as you have the screenshot, you uploaded that and we'll send you the masterclass for free.

Speaker 2: 56:02

So listen, y'all heard it here first, maybe myself, and if you pre-order, the book screenshot it, go ahead to his website and make sure that you get that master class for free. Um, you teach us so much. You've been doing this for years and years and years, thank you. You've been doing it since your kids were little. You've persevered, uh, and so I'm excited to read the book, because I know that there's going to be so much information that that a person like me is going to be able to take and yeah, so thanks so much for for being here, man, thank you, Lish.

Speaker 2: 56:33

Thank you for coming. That's another episode of. I'll Just Let Myself In With your Girl, Lish Speaks. If you have watched us on my YouTube, please subscribe. I realize about 80% of you who watch my YouTube regularly are not subscribed.

Speaker 1: 56:45

How dare you?

Speaker 2: 56:46

Get it together. Kev said.

Speaker 1: 56:47

Let me go subscribe right now.

Speaker 2: 56:49

You know what I'm saying? I don't care, but subscribe Is it Lish.

Speaker 2: 56:53

Speaks. It's Lish Speaks. Yes, If you're following me on Instagram and you've seen clips of this there, thank you so much. If you're listening on Holy Culture Radio Sirius XM, Channel 140, 8 pm Eastern Standard Time, we thank you for listening there. And if you're watching on their YouTube, we thank you for watching there. Listen, you know this is or some seat at an imaginary table. Like Kev, we walk through our God-given doors, we walk through the opportunities that God has created for us and we live fully on purpose here. I want to see you again, same time, same place next week. Leave us a review, Let us know how you're feeling about the podcast. Tell a friend to tell a friend. If you think this will bless them, send it to them. And again, I see you, same time, same place next week. Peace.