Nnamdi Okaa: Navigating Life and Laughter
Nnamdi Okaa, a rising star in the world of comedy, joins Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson on the Empowered at My Skin podcast to explore the nuances of personal growth and the journey of self-acceptance. He articulates that empowering oneself begins with embracing one’s identity, including the name that signifies one’s heritage.
Throughout the discourse, Nnamdi shares insights into his evolution as a comedian, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in the craft. He discusses the challenges faced in pursuing his passion, particularly the stigma surrounding his name in a new country, and how he transformed these obstacles into a source of strength.
This engaging conversation not only highlights Nnamdi's comedic prowess but also serves as a profound reminder of the transformative power of self-acceptance and the significance of sharing one’s unique voice with the world.
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the importance of empowerment, aiming to inspire individuals to adopt a more positive mindset.
- Nnamdi Okaa discusses his journey from Nigeria to Canada, highlighting the cultural adjustments he faced and the significance of self-acceptance.
- The conversation explores the role of comedy in addressing personal experiences and societal issues, demonstrating how humor can be a coping mechanism.
- Nkechi and Nnamdi stress that vulnerability and authenticity are crucial in both life and comedy, allowing for deeper connections with audiences.
- Nnamdi shares that the journey into comedy was influenced by a desire to connect with audiences through shared experiences and emotions.
- The episode concludes with a reminder that empowerment comes from embracing one's identity and experiences, encouraging listeners to celebrate their uniqueness.
If this episode resonates with you, then remember... SUBSCRIBE • 5-Star Rate • COMMENT • SHARE this Podcast!! 💚❤️🙌🏾🙏🏾
Book Recommendation: "The 50th Law" by 50 Cent
Find Nnamdi Online:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/mistadre_/
Backyard Bantss Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetalkativex
B Side Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DJRevy_B
Find us online: https://linktr.ee/nkechinwaforrobinson
Transcript
Great day, amazing human.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Welcome to Empowered at My Skin podcast, where our mission is to help 1 billion people in this world think in more empowering ways.
Speaker A:Empowered humans empower humans.
Speaker A:So you are in the right place to become a lead domino for Empowerment today.
Speaker A:My name is Nkechi Mwaho Robinson.
Speaker A:I'm not only your host, but I am a vibrant optimist obsessed to bring you empowering content with every single episode.
Speaker A:We will bring you weekly content, alternating between longer episodes with featured guests and a shorter episode called Empowering Bites, where I will be joined by my co host, Gabby Memone.
Speaker A:So if you're ready, let the show begin.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Great day, amazing humans.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker A:Yo, I'm so excited for this podcast because it's Friday.
Speaker A:Fresh one for me, like, first time ever type of guest I'll get to in a minute.
Speaker A:But our guest today is a global MC turned rising comedy star.
Speaker A:From hosting events around the world to selling out his own standup tour, he shared stages with some of the biggest names and built a brand that blends humor, hustle, and heart.
Speaker A:I love him.
Speaker A:So please join me in a big podcast welcome for Nandi Oka, aka Mr.
Speaker A:Dre.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure and an honor to be here, man.
Speaker B:Thank you for having me.
Speaker A:Yo.
Speaker A:Okay, so first of all, kind.
Speaker A:I've never interviewed a comedian, and I love to laugh.
Speaker A:And I'm like, I'm hoping I can keep it all together.
Speaker A:Well, I saw him.
Speaker A:I saw him on stage probably about three weeks ago.
Speaker A:Two weeks ago.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm still laughing at one of your jokes, which I'm going to tell in a minute.
Speaker A:I will never tell.
Speaker B:Well, thank you, thank you.
Speaker B:I'm glad you had them at the show.
Speaker A:And I also had the pleasure of hosting an event with him.
Speaker A:And I'll never forget, like, true story.
Speaker A:I remember when I was like, I'm gonna have to host the event with a comedian.
Speaker A:I was telling my friends, like, I'm actually nervous because, like, how's that vibe gonna work?
Speaker A:Like, say they're funny and I can't match that.
Speaker A:But it was.
Speaker A:It was awesome.
Speaker A:It was just wicked.
Speaker A:We were.
Speaker A:It was cool.
Speaker B:What's funny is when I found out that I was co hosting with you, I was saying the same thing to my guys, yo, this woman has done it all.
Speaker B:Like, how do you go toe to toe with that?
Speaker B:I'm just gonna be, like, taking notes as opposed to working.
Speaker B:So I had the same kind of feeling just Coming into that event.
Speaker B:It was a fun time.
Speaker A:It was a fun time.
Speaker A:It was a really fun time.
Speaker A:So let's get started, because I really want to learn about your life.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And I just want to know, like, how do you know when you're funny?
Speaker A:So hold on, hold on.
Speaker A:I forgot to tell you what the joke was.
Speaker A:The joke was, everybody.
Speaker A:We were at Comedian Tricks.
Speaker A:He was hosting, and.
Speaker A:And should I call you Dre?
Speaker A:Mr.
Speaker A:Dre?
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And Dre was hosting, and he.
Speaker A:The final joke he dropped at the opening was he said, if you'd.
Speaker A:If you can't find the jokes funny, then my.
Speaker A:Then my job description is bigger than your problem, honestly.
Speaker A:Say funnier.
Speaker A:But it was something along those lines.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:So basically, I was.
Speaker B:I was opening up.
Speaker B:I was just trying to get the crowd warm and just kind of, let's let them know what's going to happen tonight.
Speaker B:And I like to end with stuff like that, because then it just like, okay, guys, let's just have a good time, you know?
Speaker B:So I'm glad it worked.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was really funny.
Speaker A:It was really funny.
Speaker A:So the first.
Speaker A:My first question I typically ask all my guests is, what was your most empowering thought of the day you've had so far?
Speaker B:Of today or today?
Speaker B:I think being here.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:Being here just because I get to speak to someone.
Speaker B:And I think I told you this.
Speaker B:I've admired you from afar, and I'm glad we had opportunity.
Speaker B:I guess it was just perfect timing because I've known of you for a very long time, and it felt like knowing that I'm about to have a conversation with you, it felt like everything I've been doing kind of.
Speaker B:I won't say leading up to this, but it's built me for this, you know, so it's empowered me.
Speaker B:It's gotten me.
Speaker B:Everything I've done has led me to this.
Speaker B:And so I'm excited.
Speaker B:I feel.
Speaker B:I feel very.
Speaker B:I feel like what I'm doing going forward is.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's right.
Speaker A:So this is.
Speaker A:What I'm going to say to you is I think you're a massive personality, and I think God, like, God is doing work in you, with you, through you.
Speaker A:And in.
Speaker A:In a very.
Speaker A:There's something that's just yours, uniquely yours, obviously.
Speaker A:And I think you have.
Speaker A:I'm excited.
Speaker A:Like, let's just start talking about it.
Speaker A:Like, first of all, you were born in Nigeria.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I have to confirm, but I think my mom's from Anambra State.
Speaker A:But anyway, so journey to.
Speaker A:Journey to Toronto.
Speaker A:Like, right, talk to us.
Speaker B:Basically, I think I've told the story once, but basically I was a university in Nigeria at the time in Lagos State.
Speaker B:And I wasn't the best.
Speaker B:I wasn't the best of kid.
Speaker B:I wasn't the best of, you know, I wasn't the best of kids.
Speaker B:Is that, is that, is that a writing list?
Speaker B:I'm like the best student.
Speaker A:You weren't the best student?
Speaker B:No, I wasn't the best, you know, I wasn't the brightest tool in the shed.
Speaker B:I also wasn't one of my favorite.
Speaker B:I wasn't my dad's favorite kid at a point in time.
Speaker B:And so I was out one night.
Speaker A:I have to ask you a question.
Speaker A:Where are you looking?
Speaker B:I'm thinking, I'm ging my thoughts.
Speaker B:Look at you now.
Speaker B:I'm look at you.
Speaker B:No, but like, basically coming to, coming to Canada was a funny story because my dad just told me, hey, you're going to Canada.
Speaker B:And I was like, where's that?
Speaker B:Like, what is that?
Speaker B:I never had heard of it, you know.
Speaker B:And then when I found out where I was coming to, I was, okay, cool, I'll be with all my friends.
Speaker B:So it's a place called cic.
Speaker B:And that CIC I went to is not the CIC everybody went to.
Speaker B:Everybody went to the one in Hamilton.
Speaker B:I went to one in Kitchener Waterloo, actually, Badin, Ontario is what it is.
Speaker B:So it's 30 minutes outside of Kitchener Waterloo, but the closest landmark is kitchen or water.
Speaker B:So, you know, that's my journey to Canada.
Speaker B:And then, you know, speaking of university, we had a conversation earlier, earlier on, and basically I came to Canada and I was like, why am I.
Speaker B:Why am I around so many Nigerians?
Speaker B:Why am I.
Speaker B:So where can I go that I want to see Nigerians?
Speaker B:You know, at least not a lot.
Speaker B:So there will be few of us so we can lead and just be impactful.
Speaker B:And it wasn't going to be York University at the time, you know, everybody knows, you know, he knows York University, knows York University.
Speaker B:So I googled Google, did research, did research.
Speaker B:The next thing, Trent University appeared on the map.
Speaker B:I was like, ah, that's where I'm going.
Speaker B:I had no idea where it was.
Speaker A:But you didn't think that any Nigerians knew that either.
Speaker B:You know the shocker, they were Nigerians, dude.
Speaker A:I was waiting for that.
Speaker A:There's Nigerians everywhere.
Speaker B:One of my closest friends went to Trent University.
Speaker B:I met him there.
Speaker B:He graduated before I, you know, finished, and I met him at Train.
Speaker B:I was like, ah, you.
Speaker B:So you are here.
Speaker B:Got the idea.
Speaker B:But, you know, that was one of the reasons.
Speaker B:And obviously the program that I went in for at the time was particularly favored at training.
Speaker A:And just to understand something, did you come by yourself or did your.
Speaker A:Your dad was already here or.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Yo, I've never told the story before.
Speaker B:My dad was coming with me to Canada.
Speaker B:We got on the flight, we got to Germany.
Speaker B:What was that was where we did our layoff.
Speaker B:I'm thinking, okay, we're gonna get on the flight from Germany to Canada.
Speaker B:We get to the gates.
Speaker A:Why am I already laughing?
Speaker B:My father says, you're your own.
Speaker B:He's great.
Speaker B:To the United States.
Speaker B:He left me.
Speaker B:He also had to clear the sky.
Speaker B:You look at the Nigerian skies now when international waters.
Speaker A:International so that you can't run and go back.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:That his point.
Speaker B:And so I had to journey the rest of the way from Germany to Canada by myself.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:And how was that.
Speaker A:How was that experience?
Speaker B:So it wasn't as bad because, I mean, I've had.
Speaker B:I've had to travel before, but also I went to boarding school back in Nigeria.
Speaker B:So the.
Speaker B:The idea of living alone and being myself, I'm kind of used to it.
Speaker B:And I think I won't like that even better just like myself, but like, you know, halfway.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, selling in wasn't the easiest thing to do because you're coming to a new country, you're all by yourself, even though, you know you have cousins and uncles and people scattered around, it doesn't mean you're going to see them forever.
Speaker B:See some of them still.
Speaker A:All these years.
Speaker B:All these years.
Speaker B:But I'm thankful I had people to call friends at the time and like, grounded me and showed me the ropes and, you know, how to, like, you know, carry on from there.
Speaker A:And so where have you.
Speaker A:You're domicile.
Speaker A:Where do you reside now?
Speaker A:Because you're not still out by Trent University.
Speaker B:No, I'm not.
Speaker B:No, I'm not.
Speaker B:The journey has been funny.
Speaker B:I move from.
Speaker B:I move from Peterborough to oshawa.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like 45 minutes.
Speaker B:And I move from Oshawa to Whitby.
Speaker B:So I currently stay in Whitby, which is 20 minutes.
Speaker A:You just haven't.
Speaker A:You haven't.
Speaker A:You're just still trying.
Speaker A:At least you're on this side of the.
Speaker A:I say the passport.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, so from.
Speaker A:Sometimes I feel you need a passport to get to, like, Oshawa.
Speaker A:So, like beyond Ashwa is like.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's like 1 9:05 long distance.
Speaker A:So I, I mean, I feel like I'm gonna fast forward, I was thinking, but.
Speaker A:But you kind of think, and then you're supposed to come back focused.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Let me try and.
Speaker A:Okay, so I feel like I'm gonna.
Speaker A:I, I find.
Speaker A:I want to understand because I really want a lot of this podcast because there might be somebody out there listening, like, yeah, you have something special.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Not everyone can do comedy.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I want to know what moment you just knew you had something special and it was to be a comedian.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And you also have to tie in.
Speaker A:Did your parents say that this was one of the options they wanted for you?
Speaker B:I'll start with this way because.
Speaker B:So I went to university for environmental science.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Host thing to science.
Speaker B:That I could take my father to pay my university fees.
Speaker B:Ah.
Speaker B:He didn't care what it was.
Speaker B:I thought that was science behind it.
Speaker B:So to answer your last question, no, it was not in their bingo card that I was going to do comedy.
Speaker B:And I remember when I finished university and I had a whole moment where you do the, hey, dad, I'm going to school, take the degree.
Speaker B:Take the degree.
Speaker B:I'm going to go do my thing.
Speaker B:And I tell him I was going to, you know, be in the entertainment industry and I was going to start being a professional mc, because that's how I started.
Speaker B:And I kid.
Speaker B:You know what I like.
Speaker B:He called my mom.
Speaker B:I said, your son thinks it's good to go to Hollywood.
Speaker B:I was like, hey, dad, two different things.
Speaker B:But, hey, okay, I, I get your drift.
Speaker B:And it took me a while to prove it to him that this was a little.
Speaker B:This was what I was gonna do.
Speaker B:You know the typical story, when you start paying the bills, when you start taking care of family with work that you do, that is not what they assigned.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, that, like, okay, that's my song, you know, so.
Speaker B:But didn't get to that for a long time.
Speaker B:And even some days now, there's still some kind of contention, you know, he'll call you a PhD, you know, that kind of thing.
Speaker B:But I'm, I love him because it's, it's a way to just remind you that you got to keep working, keep working hard and don't let it get to you.
Speaker B:Kind of like, you know, your fame.
Speaker B:Don't let that get to you.
Speaker B:Just what's the next?
Speaker B:You know, what's the next.
Speaker B:Then you gotta kick off your bucket list.
Speaker B:But how I figured this out.
Speaker B:I'll tell you something about Me, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:I haven't have huge imposter syndrome, so I deal with that a lot.
Speaker B:And so I really.
Speaker B:I do rely.
Speaker B:Not necessarily consciously, but I do rely on my friends to sort of push me or.
Speaker B:What's the word?
Speaker B:Tell me that, yo, you can go get this done.
Speaker B:That's why when I.
Speaker B:When I did my tour, I had to have my people around me.
Speaker B:Not because I wanted them to, like, make my head feel big, but I just needed them around me because they knew it was kind of like a.
Speaker A:Continue to push through the fear.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Confirm you.
Speaker B:Oh, good.
Speaker B:You do this, do this.
Speaker B:You know what you're doing, you know you're good.
Speaker B:But exactly that.
Speaker B:Exactly that.
Speaker B:And so validation has been a very big issue.
Speaker B:Still isn't for me.
Speaker B:And I'm thankful for them because how I started was basically, someone just said to me, hey, man, I think you're funny.
Speaker B:I think you should start.
Speaker B:And that led to missing classes, going on trips, you know, just to, like, pursue the hustle.
Speaker B:I always tell people I give a shout out to my bad friends because.
Speaker A:Oh, that's why.
Speaker A:That's why you're bad friends, because they're the ones that made you miss class.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Because, you know, to really go to shows in other cities, because I started as an emcee before then trying to do comedy, and then comedy really came because part of my.
Speaker B:My skill set when it comes to being a master of ceremony, as you know, is everybody has different skill sets, like, be.
Speaker B:It's being witty and being spontaneous and being able to handle a quick joke here and there.
Speaker B:I already kind of had those, you know, that skill set and still honing on it.
Speaker B:But the pandemic hit.
Speaker B:No gigs, no weddings, nothing.
Speaker B:Someone said to me, so are you telling me that because there's nobody booking you, you're not going to get on stage and be in front of an audience?
Speaker B:And that kind of hit me really hard.
Speaker B:And I figured out you.
Speaker B:I wanted to do comedy for a while, and comedy was a way for me to get people to come out and see me for who I am, you know, why?
Speaker B:To buy a ticket or, you know, whatever, just show up for me and I'm able to get on the stage and have.
Speaker B:Have a good time with people in front of me, which led to, like, you know, me doing my shows and going on tour.
Speaker B:So that was kind of like, you know.
Speaker A:So you did that during the pandemic?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:So the point of.
Speaker B:I just didn't.
Speaker B:I just went back to School, actually school for radio broadcasting.
Speaker B:But once the pandemic was starting to clear up, I knew what the next goal for me was to be.
Speaker B:Was to get into comedy.
Speaker B:I started to now build my own brand for myself.
Speaker B:You know, being like an MC had already helped set certain stages already in terms of confident, knowing how to handle the crowd, learning how to be spontaneous.
Speaker B:But now it was now down to the writing of the jokes, getting it down to it, and being funny.
Speaker A:I've never really asked, is there comedy school?
Speaker B:Yeah, there is comedy school.
Speaker B:They are.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so people do take them and just depends where you are on your level.
Speaker B:I still think that I want to take some classes here and there just because, again, we're always learning the craft is.
Speaker B:You can always be better, you can always do better.
Speaker B:So I just got to figure out the time.
Speaker B:But, yeah, they are coming and just.
Speaker A:And curious because I know there's some comedians that tell, like, they tell joke jokes, right.
Speaker A:But then there's a lot of comedians.
Speaker A:I love the comedians that really just talk about regular life and just make regular life funny.
Speaker A:You know, are you.
Speaker A:You're the latter part, right?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker A:And so in that.
Speaker A:And you might be.
Speaker A:You can.
Speaker A:You can swear the fifth or plead the fifth or whatever.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:Like, do you.
Speaker A:Is it about embellishing or are there.
Speaker A:Is there some of the truth and some of it isn't?
Speaker A:Is it a mixture?
Speaker B:Well, I can't speak for everybody.
Speaker B:I'll speak for myself.
Speaker B:There is a just.
Speaker B:There is an underlying truth.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:How then, you know, deliver, deliver and create.
Speaker B:And there's always embellishment because it has to it sometimes just regular stories.
Speaker B:But for me, there is an underlying truth to a lot of the jokes that I've been telling.
Speaker B:And a lot of the, you know, shorter stories are just quick experiences that I've.
Speaker B:That I've been a part of and experience.
Speaker B:So there's always underlying truth to it.
Speaker B:But then, you know, we can get lost in the interest.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But for me, there is that way I'm able to remember the joke anytime.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So I'm gonna say something because the next question I kind of marries to something that you actually just said in passing.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:And I want to just commend you for actually being that vulnerable and talking.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker A:I'm allergic to the imposter syndrome.
Speaker A:In fact, I'm on a mission.
Speaker A:And I would say that most psychologists or whatever, like, will probably want to, like, you know, take me out, because I don't.
Speaker A:I Don't I believe that we as human beings, we all.
Speaker A:We have.
Speaker A:We live life experiences.
Speaker A:I think calling it imposter syndrome messes up more, causes more harm than good in the sense that it's not.
Speaker A:It's not a diagnosis.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And it's not something that.
Speaker A:And it's such a broad statement when you say you have the imposter syndrome, when it's really situational, potentially.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And it's fleeting.
Speaker B:It doesn't.
Speaker A:It's not like you don't.
Speaker A:We have it every single day, every.
Speaker A:Like, all throughout the day, in every moment.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so I actually had a journey with it because I believed that I had a poster syndrome.
Speaker A:Then somebody took me from imposter syndrome to imposter moments.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:There's these.
Speaker A:These tiny moments when you're in a certain situation, and.
Speaker A:And what happens is, like, it's moments of uncertainty where you're doubting.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so I've learned how to cope with that, like, by my br.
Speaker A:Like, there's things that I know to be true.
Speaker A:Like, for example, I know my name.
Speaker A:And in moments of doubt, when I start to say my name and just keep saying my name, well, my breathing slows down and I start to get some clarity, and I'm back in the moment that I'm in, and I realize that maybe I just need to ask a question or maybe they're, you know, I'm in the right room.
Speaker A:You know, I'm supposed to be where I'm at.
Speaker A:Like, suddenly you get a little bit more clarity, even in that moment.
Speaker A:And then I heard the most brilliant thing last year, and that's why now I have a mantra that is like, there is nothing imposter about me.
Speaker A:And women tend carry it more than others.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And by the way, I even used to say imposture.
Speaker A:And my girlfriend's like, it's not imposture, it's imposter.
Speaker A:But anyway, so there's nothing imposter about me.
Speaker A:Because there isn't.
Speaker A:And there's nothing imposter about you.
Speaker A:And I think what we have is we have these crises of confidence.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And they're moments.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And everyone has them.
Speaker A:And therefore, when you do have it, it doesn't.
Speaker A:It doesn't.
Speaker A:It's not wrong.
Speaker A:It's a human.
Speaker A:You're having an actually human experience, and if you can humanize it, it's easier to work through.
Speaker A:There's nothing wrong with you.
Speaker B:Gotcha.
Speaker B:Gotcha.
Speaker A:You know, so I appreciate that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I like that you said that.
Speaker A:But I said, even behind.
Speaker A:So when I think about.
Speaker A:I just see highlights.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I see your wins, you know.
Speaker A:So what's something about your journey that people don't see?
Speaker A:I would never have thought that about you.
Speaker A:But is there something else like, that people don't really see about you in your journey.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:I mean, I don't know if it's a.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:I don't know if it's like a.
Speaker B:I don't know if it's like a.
Speaker B:I mean, what I wanted to say was, like, I think people don't know that I like to be myself, like, in.
Speaker B:In as much as the job requires us to be around people.
Speaker B:And I'm very much an alone person.
Speaker B:Like, I joy being by myself and just being by myself.
Speaker B:I'm not an outsider person.
Speaker B:Kind of like, personality is different, but we're outside.
Speaker B:We do what we got to do.
Speaker B:But if you live, be.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:I like to learn.
Speaker B:And if you notice that the show we're doing, obviously we're working together, but, like, I was listening to the things that you're doing because I'm taking away from, you know, again, you as a professional.
Speaker B:But, like, I love to listen and learn.
Speaker B:Even though I have a number of podcasts and I do all that stuff, I would prefer just to sit down, listen and learn.
Speaker B:That's best.
Speaker A:Yeah, we're kindred spirits because I, as much as people think I like to be out there.
Speaker A:And it's not that I love people, I just don't necessarily need a lot of people around me.
Speaker A:My personal time, like, if you're on my phone, it's special, you know, via get my number, it's special.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker A:I really do appreciate that.
Speaker A:Flip.
Speaker A:Flop to fire.
Speaker A:What is that?
Speaker A:Is that a term you carry?
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker A:My team asked Ask the question.
Speaker A:So they said they want to know.
Speaker A:I don't know if it's comedian thin.
Speaker A:I was like, flop to fire.
Speaker A:I was like.
Speaker A:They're like, just ask him.
Speaker A:I'm like, flop the fire.
Speaker A:I don't know what that is, but essentially, when something.
Speaker A:Like a time when something went wrong but ended up leading to something really impactful.
Speaker A:Do you have one of those moments?
Speaker B:I gotta just think about it.
Speaker B:So some attachment to something.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It could even be on stage, and you're like, God, how am I gonna get through this?
Speaker A:And then it was just like, one of the best experiences you ever had.
Speaker B:Flop too far, float too fire.
Speaker B:Gotta think hard.
Speaker B:Can we.
Speaker B:Can we circle back?
Speaker A:Yeah, we can circle Back.
Speaker A:That was a rapid fire.
Speaker A:That was a rapid, that wasn't a rapid thriver.
Speaker A:So I still have more.
Speaker A:So like I, I feel like comedians have the hardest, like the hardest job because like to your point, as much as it was a joke, it's like, like typically we should, like humans should be light in life and I think the lighter you are in life, the funnier things can be.
Speaker A:Like, you're not taking life so seriously.
Speaker A:So how do you, like, how do you work through that?
Speaker A:Because you, you have really no idea who's in the audience.
Speaker A:You just know you have a job to do and you will have to figure out your crowd.
Speaker A:Like, how do you hone that craft and when there's just so many different people in the audience that have like, they've come from so many different experiences.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think for me personally, because my comedy is not like I'm about just creating happy, feel good moments and the different stages you get through life.
Speaker B:Maybe this stage you just want to talk about certain topics that are really near and dear to you and you might find a different crowd, a specific crowd for that.
Speaker B:But I consider myself very safe in general within the comedy space that I'm a very applicable because again, they're my experiences and I'm trying to relate that with, you know, with the different audiences.
Speaker B:But I think my, a few things that I like to do is the vibe check thing that we do where we kind of figure out where people are from.
Speaker B:And then as much as like you guys are screaming and having a good time, I'm mentally taking notes, okay.
Speaker B:Of the kind of people that are in the room and the people that I'm going to apply to, apply myself to.
Speaker B:And then obviously as you go within that, one thing I've learned is the different rooms require different words.
Speaker B:And I think put it in where you place it and how you say it.
Speaker B:Like, you know, I've, I've done jokes where I would say the same thing, but the punchline will always be different because of the rooms are different, you know, and also, you know, if they're millennials in the room, they will get this.
Speaker B:If your Gen Z's in the room, they're not going to get it.
Speaker B:So you gotta kind of figure out that as you go.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But me, I have things where I like to walk around the building just to kind of see, you know, before the show starts.
Speaker B:You know, I have the privilege to do that right now, you know, because coming up in industry, so I'll take advantage of all those things where I can walk around, see who's in the building.
Speaker B:That gives you an idea of, you know, where we're going to go with.
Speaker B:With things.
Speaker B:But I would say, like, when you're opening the show, at least when I'm opening a show, I try to have less pressure because I feel people give you grace because you're the one who's coming up to, like, just talk to them for the first time.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so I'm just more about warming them up and just letting you know who I am and then also trying to get to know you.
Speaker B:And then there's some sort of energy that.
Speaker B:That connects and then, you know, and then we push from there.
Speaker B:And, I mean, those are the few things that I've just kind of put into practice over time that has helped me win.
Speaker A:I almost feel like you guys are like, psychologists because you have to understand, like, kind of what you just, like, you have to understand different behaviors, different mindsets, different generations.
Speaker A:Like, you have to study people in a sense.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:No, you have to.
Speaker B:We just didn't have to go to medical school for that.
Speaker A:You could have said to your dad, like, effectively, I'm a.
Speaker A:I'm a doctor of sorts.
Speaker B:I have a joke like that.
Speaker A:I have a doctorate degree.
Speaker A:Comedy.
Speaker A:Is there.
Speaker A:Are there any actually, Are there any doctor comedians like, there?
Speaker B:So I don't.
Speaker B:I mean, I don't know any personally, but they're out there.
Speaker B:I know they're teachers who are comedians.
Speaker B:I've seen a bunch of.
Speaker B:I know a bunch of them.
Speaker A:PhD in comedy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's out there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You can actually design the program.
Speaker A:No, but I think it's quite fascinating.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker A:And then I.
Speaker A:I guess my next question is.
Speaker A:And I feel like I'm asking.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:So, by the way, comedy is one of the.
Speaker A:Like, it is such a.
Speaker A:Like, that day, like, all I wanted to do was just laugh and I laughed so hard.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Now that I'm at 52 comedy shows on a.
Speaker A:On a Sunday night, to go to work on Monday may not be the best thing.
Speaker A:I thought this was going to be just a relax.
Speaker A:I woke up, I felt like I was in my Mac truck.
Speaker A:I had a headache.
Speaker B:Well, that's a good problem, I guess, for us.
Speaker A:I laughed so hard that I made myself sick.
Speaker B:I was like, this is not because, like, you know, you know what's funny.
Speaker B:Once you identified yourself at the audience, in the audience.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Every time I said something, I was listening for your laugh.
Speaker B:Like, I could hear your laugh.
Speaker B:And I Appreciate that because that informs me that I'm doing all right and I should keep going.
Speaker B:And so it's funny when I tell people that you guys just laugh and have, you're having a good time, make sure you're having a good time, not like, you know, like, enjoy the moments because just like there at that point in time and you know, so I'm glad, I'm glad.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that you do this and I think it's, it's such a feel good thing and especially in tough times.
Speaker A:So my next question is like, what's off limits for you and how do you determine that as a comedian?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like when you start to think about, like, because I know a lot of comedians try to keep it current, right, to like what's happening in, in, in sort of the present moment to make it very relatable to, to audiences.
Speaker A:But for you, Dre, is, are there like off limit kind of topics that you just won't go there?
Speaker B:I think politics is the one that I, I stay away from personally.
Speaker B:It, I mean, first of first things first, like with comedy, I think you got to do.
Speaker B:You, you gotta.
Speaker B:And when you do, you, you, you present your best self.
Speaker B:And so we try to do something that I'm not comfortable with or I don't understand the subject as much.
Speaker B:There's no point for me going there.
Speaker B:Like, I can, I can do a one liner but that's it.
Speaker B:Like I'm not going to create a whole story behind something that I don't have an understanding and understanding for.
Speaker B:So if I do understand politics at some point, then maybe, but it's just something I stay away from because again, there's always contention from different sides.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Politics is the one thing I will stay away from.
Speaker B:The rate other than that, nothing, the, the general stuff that people stay away from, like racist, you know, wars and, and, and, and anything I can't make funny.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I stay away from.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Then I'm gonna stay away from it.
Speaker B:And, and that's maybe now, you know, maybe a couple, maybe in a few years that might change.
Speaker B:You know, again, like, I think people forget and I, I always have to remind myself I've only been doing stand up comedy professionally for three years and there's a world out there still a lot I gotta learn.
Speaker B:You know, I'm just thankful that I've been able to grow as quickly as I can.
Speaker B:But I also appreciate the craft enough to be patient, to learn and just be a better comic in general.
Speaker A:And, and who, who do you look up to in sort of the world of comedy?
Speaker B:I mean, the OGs are there where you.
Speaker B:You just wanted to give respect to the games of Richard Pryor.
Speaker B:Someone that I've really enjoyed because it changes for me and I have, you know, different reasons to why.
Speaker B:So it's more like Joe Coy.
Speaker B:So I enjoy.
Speaker B:Because he does the kind of stuff that I think I would do just about your family and one of you, the people that are closest to you.
Speaker B:And because you take pleasure in that, people are going to take pleasure in having fun with.
Speaker B:And then, you know, Kevin Hart is up there just again, with the business acumen in terms of just how he's been able to diversify his portfolio and just be a better businessman in the game of comedy and has allowed me to elevate my game terms of just doing it and doing it right.
Speaker B:Because context, I've.
Speaker B:That showed the tricks show again.
Speaker B:I've been doing comedy for three years, right?
Speaker B:You can look at me without knowing me and say, oh, he's been in comment for three years.
Speaker B:He doesn't deserve to be on that stage.
Speaker B:And that's fair.
Speaker B:But because I think I've done right in terms of, like, selling myself, putting myself out there, doing what you need to do on a business level, I've been able to.
Speaker B:I've been able to be noticed by the right people and being, you know, so I always tell people that you're doing something.
Speaker B:There's two sides of it.
Speaker B:There's you honing on the skill, skills, and as you're trying to perfect or be good at the business of it, because then how are you going to make it a thing?
Speaker B:You know, people have been doing comedy for a very long time, and they seem like, how did you do that?
Speaker B:It's like, honestly, it's gone firstly, but also, you know, putting in the right work.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Was that the first time you opened up for tricks?
Speaker B:First I'm opening for tricks, but funny story, right?
Speaker B:The journey to that particular stage.
Speaker A:Is it gonna be a funny story, though?
Speaker B:Not necessarily.
Speaker B:Not necessarily.
Speaker B:It's about four or five years in the making.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So they have a show that I was talking about, which is the Juice Comedy cup, right?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that happens every December.
Speaker B:When I started on that show, I came as a guest and I said, yo, I want to be here one day.
Speaker B:I started working, you know, making my way, getting to know the producers of the show, doing my thing, and then I became a guest judge.
Speaker B:Yeah, I became a guest judge.
Speaker B:Still grinding, showing up Just being in the corner, soaking in knowledge, showing up, just doing the damn thing.
Speaker B:And all of a sudden I got a call.
Speaker B:Hey, we got three minutes for you.
Speaker B:Like, I'll take it.
Speaker B:Three minutes.
Speaker B:Did my thing.
Speaker B:I don't think the producer saw the show.
Speaker B:I think he just heard the laughs.
Speaker B:And then I opened up for White Yardy.
Speaker A:He's funny.
Speaker B:Yeah, Talented.
Speaker B:Then I went from a guest judge to being a comic on Juice Comedy Club last year.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:So that was two times.
Speaker B:That was, that was twice in one year.
Speaker B:And then obviously tricks.
Speaker B:And so it's just.
Speaker B:And that's five years in the making.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And I'm just grateful that I was paid.
Speaker B:And then.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:So I love that journey.
Speaker A:And it's 10xing, it's 10x.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And my last question before I go into rapid thrivers, you can imagine, like, this is like one of my favorite interviews because my cheeks are hurting.
Speaker A:Like, I just.
Speaker A:This is such a feel good.
Speaker A:You're such a feel good human.
Speaker A:Anyway, just so as you are yourself.
Speaker B:By the way, thank you.
Speaker B:You made it very easy.
Speaker B:So thank you.
Speaker A:So when comedians get together, do you have a serious comment?
Speaker A:Like, what's the, like, what is that?
Speaker B:Like, you know what's funny now that you say that?
Speaker B:We actually, I don't think we really have conversations.
Speaker B:Like, it's not funny.
Speaker B:It's not as funny as, you know, it's not.
Speaker B:I think the fun is after the show, but before the show when we get together, like before a show, it's not funny.
Speaker B:No, we just.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's not funny.
Speaker B:I'm thinking about it now.
Speaker B:I'm just like, nah, no regular people.
Speaker B:Like, if you walked in there, you'll be like, these guys are not going to make us laugh.
Speaker B:These guys.
Speaker B:Somebody get the fire marshall.
Speaker B:We have a problem.
Speaker A:Like, I guess it's like anything else, right?
Speaker A:Like you, once you're under the spotlight, you kind of go, right, yeah.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And so I, So I have, I have two, like two choices between, like sort of this final question is like.
Speaker A:And I'm trying to think which is the better one.
Speaker A:But I'm gonna ask you, like, do you have a favorite story or joke that you tell?
Speaker A:But I was also gonna say, like, then my second question was.
Speaker A:And you get to choose which one you want to answer.
Speaker A:Like, if I just say, tell a joke now, can you like, or is it like, you have to be.
Speaker A:Then here's the funniest thing.
Speaker A:Through this entire thing, I don't think you've Told a joke, but I've been.
Speaker A:I don't know when I haven't been laughing.
Speaker A:Like, it's just.
Speaker A:I hope I don't wake up sick tomorrow.
Speaker B:I hope you don't.
Speaker B:I hope you don't.
Speaker B:We still got the rest of the week to get through.
Speaker B:I guess one of my.
Speaker B:I'll tell you one of my first jokes that I remember writing.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's funny now because you do those jokes.
Speaker B:And, like, I can't do that anymore, man.
Speaker B:It's too.
Speaker B:It's too.
Speaker B:But I remember I used to tell you the joke about how I.
Speaker B:I got my driver's.
Speaker B:I got my permanent residency, right?
Speaker B:And I remember going to get it, pick it up from, you know, from the immigration office.
Speaker B:And the guy goes like, yeah, man, be careful with it.
Speaker B:You know, I'm like, why?
Speaker B:He's like, yeah, man, your permanent residency is like your G2 of citizenship.
Speaker B:You know, it means that you have privileges, but you don't have all the privileges.
Speaker B:And so when you mess around, you're gonna find out and you can end up right back where you began.
Speaker B:And so I used to tell it, obviously, different ways, but I used to put my best jokes and then obviously.
Speaker B:And the good thing about comedy is you tell a joke as time goes on, you're able to add more to it.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:To it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I've gone on to add more to the joke, which, you know, I find really cool.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Oh, man, you're so awesome.
Speaker A:So heading into rapid thrivers, when you think of somebody who inspires you, who comes first to mind, Can I say you?
Speaker A:No, because you're you.
Speaker B:You're like, right there.
Speaker A:That's so obvious, but thank you.
Speaker A:I take those flowers.
Speaker A:He gave them to me.
Speaker A:Ready?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Fair.
Speaker B:If I.
Speaker B:If.
Speaker B:Who comes to mind in terms of inspiring me?
Speaker B:Trying to think.
Speaker B:Trying to think.
Speaker B:This is not rapid fire.
Speaker B:For sure.
Speaker B:Because that's okay.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker B:On who this person.
Speaker A:So many.
Speaker A:So many names have passed through your mind, by the way.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, so many do.
Speaker B:So if it comes to inspiring, who inspires me right now?
Speaker B:So many names.
Speaker B:I'm trying.
Speaker B:I'm trying to make sure I pick the right person from the heart.
Speaker B:Can we come back?
Speaker A:Nope, that's not how this podcast works.
Speaker B:Maybe you should let it slide.
Speaker B:Who inspires me because it's funny.
Speaker B:Because I.
Speaker A:So if this helps, you're the only person that's ever struggled with this question.
Speaker B:That struggled.
Speaker A:324 seasons.
Speaker A:Like, at a minimum.
Speaker A:Just say your dad or your mama.
Speaker B:Like, you know what?
Speaker B:For the sake of it.
Speaker B:My dad.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:My dad.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:And that's what I was thinking, because I was like, let me see somebody I can have something say about.
Speaker B:Not like I can't say anything about my dad, but I wanna.
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:Fine.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker B:No, in all honesty, I've.
Speaker B:As I've gotten older, I've realized a couple of things that my dad used to say as a kid that I took for granted.
Speaker B:I was like, nah, it can't be me.
Speaker B:Can't be me.
Speaker B:And I've now been.
Speaker B:I've caught myself realigning a lot of those things he used to say.
Speaker B:And I'm more grateful for him as a father and as a dad.
Speaker B:Even more so, though we don't talk as much as we should, and that's just because he's a military man.
Speaker B:My upbringing was very different.
Speaker B:Like, again, when my dad brought me up, they told y'all I was supposed to be in the army.
Speaker A:You must have jokes about that.
Speaker B:But anyway, so, yeah, definitely my dad.
Speaker B:And just because a lot of the things that he said to me as a kid, I'm realigning with it.
Speaker B:I'm finding purpose in all of that now, and it's making me a better person.
Speaker B:And just with.
Speaker B:With purpose.
Speaker A:That's beautiful.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:See, it was a great.
Speaker A:See, look.
Speaker A:Touch my heart, man.
Speaker A:You got there.
Speaker A:You got there.
Speaker A:Way to land that plane.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What is a daily activity that helps you, like, feel empowered?
Speaker A:It helps you with your thrive.
Speaker B:A daily activity.
Speaker B:I think being able to just, like, I like to envision things how I want to happen.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I like to have an idea of how I want something to land and to have those, I guess, daily.
Speaker B:I don't know if you want to say one on one, you know, conversations.
Speaker B:And I do fun fact.
Speaker B:I do this thing where my shower.
Speaker B:When I shower, that's when I do a lot of manifesting.
Speaker A:That's a lot of information right there.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I kind of, you know, I say to myself, the things I want to achieve.
Speaker B:I want to be nice for you this way.
Speaker B:So that allows me to just, you know, I guess put fire in myself, you know, building and keep growing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, and I'm gonna break all rules of, like the rapid thriver because I'm actually feel like I'm going back to an interview question.
Speaker A:But something that just came to mind is.
Speaker B:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker A:Like the main fact that you get a microphone.
Speaker A:And as much as you're there to tell jokes.
Speaker A:You also have this opportunity to deliver a message.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because I also think that in some aspect of it, you are also a public speaker.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:And you get to mix and intermix comedy with.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Messaging.
Speaker A:And people tend to like, hold a lot of relevance to what you say.
Speaker A:And so what is what mess, like what life message do you tend to weave into sort of your, your, your routine?
Speaker B:Or for the most part it would be, you know, along the lines of that without like take away calling.
Speaker B:We all go through.
Speaker B:Most of us have experiences.
Speaker B:You know, I like to tell work jokes where I talk about my employees who are Caucasian and how we experience similar things or how we go certain.
Speaker B:Through certain experiences together.
Speaker B:And I'd like to, you know, try to tell people that it's okay to have issues and fall down and pick yourself up.
Speaker B:I tell jokes about how, you know, and when I was thinking about the, the fire to flop thing.
Speaker B:Therapy is how I got.
Speaker B:Is one of the ways I got into comedy too.
Speaker B:Got me into writing like my last tour portion of my.
Speaker B:Well, I want to say 20, 30, honestly, like, you know, 55, 60 of my jokes come from my breakup.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I tried to go to therapy.
Speaker B:I couldn't afford therapy because therapy was too expensive.
Speaker B:And I was like, you know what?
Speaker B:How about I go just go tell these people my jokes.
Speaker B:If they laugh at it, then I know that we, you know, my problems aren't that bad, but I have to seek help really and truly, you know, So I, I like to tell people that with my comedy, just like I'm.
Speaker B:We can go through similar things and I'm here telling you that you'll be all right in the end.
Speaker A:That's beautiful.
Speaker A:So, yeah, yeah, no, thank you for that came to mind.
Speaker A:I thought, I thought that that's really, that's really touching because that's important.
Speaker A:I think there's a message all of us carry and I just, I was curious to know what you are so back rapid thrivers.
Speaker A:What is a book that has empowered you?
Speaker B:What is a book?
Speaker B:You would not believe this, but I just finished reading a book by.
Speaker B:I want to use his.
Speaker B:His legal name, Curtis Jackson 50 Cent.
Speaker A:I've seen it recently.
Speaker A:Yeah, I know what it's called.
Speaker A:It's called the, The.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:The 50 laws of something.
Speaker B:Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's the one book I've read recently and yeah, the 50.
Speaker A:The 50th law.
Speaker B:Yeah, the 50th law.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I, I saw it because I was looking for another book.
Speaker A:And I was like, oh, I wonder what it's about.
Speaker A:But it's his.
Speaker A:It's about 50 cents.
Speaker A:Like, is that the content?
Speaker A:Is that It's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Again, it's just a doubler.
Speaker B:Just a play on words.
Speaker A:Yeah, Play on words.
Speaker A:That's what I thought.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:About the rules that he's followed by to become a successful business.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:He's somebody else I admire.
Speaker A:What is an app that helps you with your thrive?
Speaker B:What's an app?
Speaker B:TD Bank.
Speaker A:That's a good one.
Speaker A:That one is a funny one.
Speaker A:That's funny.
Speaker A:Nobody has said that in 324 episodes.
Speaker B:I'm sticking to that.
Speaker A:That's a good one.
Speaker A:I like that one.
Speaker A:And I should break out to a commercial.
Speaker A:And now we bring you the TD bank app.
Speaker A:What is one misconception that people have of you as they see you?
Speaker A:You know, sort of like I said at the beginning, like, just hustling, you know, getting on those stages, making people laugh, doing your thing.
Speaker A:What's the misconception that people have of you as they see your humor, hustle, heart.
Speaker B:I think people think it's a glamorous job.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's not.
Speaker B:It's not always.
Speaker B:They're good days.
Speaker B:They're good days, but they're also bad days.
Speaker B:I remember we did a show in Windsor in February, and we had to go to the show, doing that blizzard.
Speaker B:And everybody knows the blizzard.
Speaker B:I'm talking about one that happened in that Valentine's long weekend.
Speaker B:I had to drive eight hours to get to Windsor on Sunday for a show that was two and a half hours, you know.
Speaker A:And it wasn't canceled.
Speaker B:No, we couldn't cancel the show.
Speaker B:And I'll tell you why.
Speaker B:It was an integrity thing for me.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:This is the first time I'm doing a comedy showing window.
Speaker B:And as I told you, I like to envision things in my head.
Speaker B:I was like, if we do this show and we do it right and we do it well, the next time we come around these 40, 50 people, I'm hoping they can bring someone else that would multiply.
Speaker B:But if we to do this show, the next thing we're going to come around is going to be, they didn't come at the last one.
Speaker B:Are you sure they're going to come?
Speaker B:So we're going.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Fighting an uphill battle.
Speaker B:So I was like, you know what?
Speaker B:If you guys can't go, that's fine.
Speaker B:I will go by myself.
Speaker B:If I Have to.
Speaker B:But the show has to go on.
Speaker B:We get there.
Speaker B:Then I find out that obviously we went with some friends.
Speaker B:I find out that I get there.
Speaker B:The Airbnb I booked didn't have enough rooms.
Speaker B:If I tell you I slept in my car on February 16th because we have enough rooms at the Airbnb, would.
Speaker A:You believe that you gave the rooms to all your peeps?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And you slept in the car in the blizzard.
Speaker B:Quite a blizzard.
Speaker B:February 16th.
Speaker B:And guess what?
Speaker B:And when we meet February, March, I'm on stage for 800 people.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It's not always a glamorous job.
Speaker B:They're good days, they're bad days.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:So just the Airbnb was that small?
Speaker A:Like, how big's your crew?
Speaker B:Like, again?
Speaker B:It was seven of us.
Speaker A:And you guys couldn't just like.
Speaker A:Like, there's no floor.
Speaker B:Like a grown man.
Speaker B:We didn't carry an air bed.
Speaker B:I didn't realize that grown man.
Speaker A:They're growing and everyone needed their own bed.
Speaker A:Yeah, that is something.
Speaker A:That is something.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So where do we find more of you?
Speaker B:I think Instagram is the biggest social platform that everybody connects on.
Speaker B:So you can definitely find me on Instagram.
Speaker B:You can find all the stuff that I do and all of my other endeavors that I'm currently a part of.
Speaker B:And Instagram.
Speaker A:Two podcasts.
Speaker B:I have two podcasts.
Speaker B:One with DJ Revie B.
Speaker B:It's the call.
Speaker A:It's called I Met Her.
Speaker A:It says.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And we kind of interview like, you know, creators and creatives and mostly DJs in the site, in the community, just to tell their own stories because we, a lot of DJs, some people have, you know, been through a lot, and some are really amazing people on the other side when you get to know them.
Speaker B:And it's a very fun podcast.
Speaker B:We just wrapped one.
Speaker B:We're currently filming season two.
Speaker B:So by this time, by the time this comes out, we should be in progress of, you know, releasing season two.
Speaker B:And then the other one, which is the one that I want to see you on very soon, is the Backyard Man's comedy podcast.
Speaker B:It's the one where we just, you know, engage with our, our kinfolk, have conversations, break bread.
Speaker B:You definitely wouldn't want to go to work the next day because we're going to just laugh.
Speaker A:I think I'm funnier talking to you.
Speaker A:I feel like some funny came out of me today.
Speaker B:No, I think.
Speaker B:I think you can do stand up comedy.
Speaker B:You just got to.
Speaker B:Just got to find what your.
Speaker B:What your.
Speaker A:I think I would talk about the humans that I have to work with.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:People be walking around.
Speaker A:I always say, like a professional performance review time.
Speaker A:People.
Speaker A:There's like different.
Speaker A:There's different levels of performance ratings that you get like, so you get like needs improvement.
Speaker A:You get like meets most.
Speaker A:You get meets all which is average.
Speaker A:And then you get the exceeds.
Speaker A:And like that is like a time in corporate where people walk around like the rating they got, right?
Speaker A:Like it's just like, oh, you're average.
Speaker A:You got meats all like they just like suddenly they're.
Speaker A:They're raining and I.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Anyway, I would love to.
Speaker A:We'll.
Speaker A:We'll talk about.
Speaker A:We'll talk.
Speaker B:So as before you get your fire question, let me tell you my fire to flop story.
Speaker B:Yeah, I remember now.
Speaker A:So you have one.
Speaker A:Okay, go.
Speaker B:We did a show, my final, my final stop for my tour.
Speaker B:When I started the tour, we're just going to do three cities.
Speaker B:So that's three dates, right?
Speaker B:Ottawa, Kitchener, Waterloo and Toronto.
Speaker B:We then did the Toronto show, right?
Speaker B:And God, as God, you know, has has it, we sold out the first date, right?
Speaker B:And I sat by myself for like a few days with that news because I didn't know what to do next.
Speaker B:You know, we had sort of like two weeks in advance and we were still getting requests for tickets.
Speaker B:So I was.
Speaker B:But I was afraid to put on a second date.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Because no one in my circle has put out a second date for a show.
Speaker B:Secondly, we're Nigerians.
Speaker B:We only do one show.
Speaker B:We don't do.
Speaker B:We don't.
Speaker B:We don't like to be greedy.
Speaker B:We're not selfish.
Speaker B:We like to do the one and call it a day.
Speaker B:And I sat by myself and then I said to my team, hey guys, we've been sold out for like four days.
Speaker B:Like, what do we do?
Speaker B:And it was like, yo, put on a second show.
Speaker B:And I was like, I'm scared because, like, I know that it's gonna come across people that yo, these guys now beat to pump us.
Speaker B:Like, who does it think he is?
Speaker B:So I went in with all those like, convictions saying how we're gonna do this and we dropped it.
Speaker B:And I remember like the first few days, no one was buying the ticket.
Speaker B:I was like, God, I knew this.
Speaker B:I knew, I knew this was going to happen.
Speaker B:I started walking back on all my.
Speaker B:Like, I was like, yo, we're gonna do this.
Speaker B:We're not gonna do this.
Speaker B:Couldn't do this.
Speaker B:But you know, it came out to be the best show that I had.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Until the Pool that came out to the first show, but turned out to be the best show that I had because I think I wanted to prove something, you know, that if people do show up, they will get.
Speaker A:They're gonna get the best.
Speaker A:They're gonna get them.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And they did.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:That was my, you know, again, I love doing all the cities, but Toronto, that last show was like, it was amazing.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was it for me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:Do you have another show coming up?
Speaker B:So I don't have any personal shows coming up.
Speaker B:I'm working on another tour.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I can give an exclusive.
Speaker B:It's going to be a double headliner tour.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it's going to be same time October this year, so we're still putting all the details together.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:City tour.
Speaker B:We're trying to do a big.
Speaker B:We did three cities last time, but I'm trying to double down on that, you know, six, nine cities.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Okay, I'm there.
Speaker A:You know, I'm there with my big ass laugh.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:So this podcast is called Empowered in My Skin.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I'd love to know what that means to you.
Speaker B:You know what's funny?
Speaker B:I was, I tried to do some, you know, obviously listen to, you know, a few of the episodes.
Speaker B:And by the way, you're doing an amazing job.
Speaker B:You know, 300 and something episodes.
Speaker B:That's something we all should aspire to get to because I know what it means to show up every day.
Speaker B:Sit down.
Speaker B:Whether it's bad day, good day, you have to put on a smile and talk to people and get their stories out of them.
Speaker B:So I want to give you your vows because I know it's not seven seasons.
Speaker B:Come on, come on.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:So please remind me the question again, what it doesn't mean.
Speaker A:What does empowering my skin mean to you?
Speaker B:A pound of my skin.
Speaker B:For me, it means showing up as who I am, accepting everything about me.
Speaker B:And I say this because I think the best way to explain is I'll tell the story.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:When I came to Canada, I didn't go by Namdi for a long time because of that whole or less a stigma fact of the fact that if you put your resume down and they saw your name, oh God, they weren't.
Speaker A:Going to like, wish you knew me.
Speaker B:And I heard you spoke about it a little bit at, you know, the show.
Speaker B:We also together.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:And after a while, you know, getting into the radio business, I was really Mr.
Speaker B:Dre for a while, but I was like this next Chapter of me.
Speaker B:They're going to know me for my name.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And it started with a little things.
Speaker B:Changing my name on Instagram, just having done.
Speaker B:Just give you that idea.
Speaker B:Okay, that's my name.
Speaker B:And then coming to the radio business, I'm trying to apply for jobs.
Speaker B:I'm like, I'm putting my name on, like, I'm accepting it.
Speaker B:I'm not like, oh, you can call me this, you call me whatever.
Speaker B:And so that empowered me to just walk and just be confident.
Speaker B:And it's made me just feel, listen to, heard, you know, I love my name.
Speaker B:I really love it.
Speaker A:What does it mean?
Speaker B:My phone has a life.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think that's how I would explain being a part of my own skin, just accepting where I am.
Speaker B:And it's never too late to do that for anybody who's out there listening.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker A:That part, that.
Speaker A:That's beautiful.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you for this incredible gift of sharing amazing, energizing, like, energy with you I knew was going to be fabulous.
Speaker A:I knew my day needed it.
Speaker A:And I'm so happy you said yes.
Speaker A:And you said it so quickly.
Speaker A:And I actually really grateful that we're connected.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:I am.
Speaker B:I'm more grateful.
Speaker A:No, see, I have this conversation with a friend of mine.
Speaker A:You actually don't know how grateful I am, so.
Speaker B:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:You actually don't know the size of Mike.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:Let me just.
Speaker A:You tell me before I tell you how grateful I am, you tell me how grateful you are.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker B:Grateful too grateful.
Speaker A:I'm intoxicated.
Speaker B:I'll let you have that one.
Speaker A:You have that one anyway, my friend, and to everyone that's listening, I hope you laughed as much as we did.
Speaker A:But sadly, this is where I have to say we're out.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:There you have it.
Speaker A:I trust that you are feeling more empowered in your skin.
Speaker A:As the late Dr.
Speaker A:Maya Angelou said, when you get, you give, when you learn, you teach.
Speaker A:So it would mean so much for us at Empowered in My Skin, Inc.
Speaker A:If you share this episode and tag us or teach an insight that you took from today's episode on your social and tag us.
Speaker A:Feel free to leave us a review over at itunes and follow us on social media at Empowered My Skin.
Speaker A:Finally, remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
