Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Emmanuel.
Desiree, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My mother and I were nomads. She’d show up at her friends’ houses around dinner time to ensure that I’d have food. Rotate between shelters, friend’s couches, and family members to provide me a place to sleep. Even dropped out of college with a 4.0 GPA to pay for my schooling. A true testament to the strength, grit, and resilience of an African-American woman determined to break generational cycles.
The turbulence experienced during my foundational years instilled a skillset in me that is unmatched. I watched ways be made out of no way and therefore understood that the choices that I made today would impact tomorrow. I choose not to become another hood statistic, to continue breaking generational cycles, and start building a legacy that empowers my community and future generations to make better choices.
In 2018, I had my first mental health breakdown and found myself in a cycle of depression, mania, and multiple suicide attempts. My mind had difficulty digesting how after obtaining two college degrees and landing what most would consider a dream corporate job, I still felt undervalued, unfulfilled, and quite honestly uncertain of who I was and what was my purpose. It wasn’t until I sold my furniture, packed up my car, and took a one-way road trip to Atlanta that life started to truly make sense.
Fast-forward to today, I am a 29-year-old first-generation college student, homeowner, multi-published author, entrepreneur, and community change-maker! I currently run a company called Young & Brilliant that bridges the education gap in underserved communities. We partner with community organizations and schools by providing a series of workbooks and workshops that teach our youth life skills such as how to start a business, financial literacy and critical thinking. We are currently running a campaign to help build one-million youth entrepreneurs starting with Dekalb County School district! It is by far the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. Knowing that I get to contribute to the future through providing a skill set that most of us learned the hard way allows me to serve humanity and live in my purpose. I literally get to teach people how to build a legacy while building my own. It’s a win, win for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey has been everything but easy. However, during this chapter of life I start my day with the affirmation “This is my season of receivership.”
I battled depression since 2nd grade. Overdosed on pills in middle school. Almost jumped the Brooklyn Bridge one summer. Cried in the driveway of my first apartment because rent was due and I only had $20 in my bank account. Had an ex-manager put my bags on the side of the road and drive off in the middle of a foreign state at an old job. And experienced countless other events that had me at the verge of wanting to give up life. But I never gave up. The Phoenix rises from the ashes, right? Instead, I submerged myself into researching ways to improve my mental health and overcome whatever obstacles were thrown at me. Online forums and books became an escape. Eventually leading me to get back into writing.
Last July, I launched my first book, Transformation, which is a poetry collection about my journey of working through childhood trauma, unlearning generational behaviors, and finding my voice. It was the most liberating experience and allowed me to redefine my “struggles” and share the wisdom that pain taught me over the years. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t scary. It required a level of transparency and vulnerability that we’ve collectively been conditioned to shy away from. But as I started taking solo trips around the world to places like Egypt and Colombia, I learned to sit still, listen to my inner guidance system, and care less about external opinions. I also noticed how other cultures were communal-based instead of individualistic. Even in the most rural of areas, the communal presence was strong. That is what I’m building with my Black Dot Cultural Center family. We share our knowledge and resources to continue building our communal-based businesses. We exchange knowledge on survival skills such as financial literacy, gardening, holistic living and so much more. We even collectively hike Stone Mountain one morning a week at 5am to stay physically agile. It’s actually quite dope to be an Atlanta transplant and to have curated such an amazing support system that’s constantly growing. A reminder that real humans still exist and the more I lean into authenticity, the more the Universe aligns me with the right people.
I say all that to say perspective and community is always key. I manage the struggles of being a budding entrepreneur and managing life through understanding this. We either let the story define us, or we define the story. I choose to make my story one of victory. To see the positive in all things and to surround myself with people who hold me accountable and speak life into me. All things come back to the choices we make.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I always smile when people ask me what I do because I can finally say I LOVE what I do! I am a Creative Strategist Consultant that specializes in educating my community on ways to build generational wealth while making impact. I have two businesses. The first one is Young & Brilliant which is a youth-focused organization that utilizes workbooks and workshops to teach life skills such as entrepreneurship, financial literacy and critical thinking.
I’d read multiple articles from UNCF, NUL, and other organizations talking about the education and wealth disparity in the African-American community. These statistics sparked a desire in me to make a change and find a way to utilize my expertise to make impact and service my community. This is my most proud creation!
My second company is Esi Prints – which is a compilation of all of my print work. It hosts my artwork, my poetry collection, my book publishing services and will be expanding to my online courses soon. This is my passion project. I love all things art and find myself bridging art and education through my works. This is what sets me apart from other people.
As an ex-management consultant for a top firm with 10+ years in the Insurance & Financial Services world, an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Business – I find myself in an interesting space. The nerd in me has become best friends with the creative in me. That combination allows me to speak to a diverse group of people, build an impactful community, and execute creative ideas.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Life is a game of chess. You need to strategize, plan and execute calculated risk. Without risk, there is no reward. I’ve taken plenty of risks in my life but the largest and most terrifying one was from this past April. After a series of internal issues and a constant mental health battle, I walked away from a promising career. I was making 6-figures before 30 years, had a blog article published on the company’s website, and ton of other “great things” going for me…but it was depleting. I felt undervalued, over-worked and like I was not making any impact. It wasn’t until last October in Egypt that things became clear. I had to have a one-on-one talk with Spirit and get clarity on my purpose. Not only did I hear that I needed to focus my energy on educating the youth but I also dreamt it. From that point forward, I made a decision to walk in obedience and continue to trust the Divine guidance of this process. This birthed my company Young & Brilliant.
So far, it has been extremely rewarding! My books are best-sellers in a local Black-Owned bookstore. I am expanding into more locations. I’ve been able to book workshops. I am currently filming a reality-tv show for a major network. I’m running a campaign where businesses can sponsor Dekalb County students to receive workbooks and workshops. And a handful of other beautiful blessings that have found me this season. I’m truly just grateful and very much aware none of it would exist if I didn’t take the risk of betting on myself and moving in obedience.
Pricing:
- Young & Brilliant Workbooks – $20
- Young & Brilliant Workshops – Varies
- Esi Prints Artwork – $10-$60
- Esi Prints Poetry Collection – $10
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youngandbrilliant.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdesireefaye/
- Support Dekalb County Students: https://www.youngandbrilliant.org/products/sponsors
- Other: www.esiprints.com
Image Credits:
Photographer of Black & White Photo – True Color Vince
