Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyvonne Briggs.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a kid growing up in New York City, my mom and I would ride the subway from Queens to Manhattan super early in the morning. Let her tell it, I was a curious (read: nosy!) little girl and always had questions. Since she was raised in a “children are to be seen and not heard” culture on the island of Barbados, she swore that she would raise her kids differently. So, even at 6 o’clock in the morning when I had thoughts, she would not only listen to me but also ask, “What else?” To this day, I am still asking, “What else?” Even working across fields like beauty and fashion (model agent), entertainment (television producer), education (middle school English teacher), ministry (assistant pastor), and fitness (spin instructor), at my core, I am a storyteller. I honor that statistics don’t always change people, but stories do. And it is my purpose to help humanity evolve.
That’s why I’m so thrilled that I have found my sweet spot! What you’re called to do (serve), what you’re trained to do (think), what you love to do (talk), and what you’re paid to do (thrive) are the holy grail. The alignment of each of these practices is what I call “the sweet spot.” There is no greater feeling than pursuing a passion project that impacts the world and helps me to live well. But, in order to get here, I had to choose myself over and over. I learned that I had to decolonize my understanding of work, heal my feelings of unworthiness, align with my soul purpose, take inspired action, and attract the opportunities (and life!) that are meant for me. No one else has a blessing with Lyvonne Briggs’s name on it.
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?
I can be an overthinker sometimes. When I was graduating with my Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, I asked a mentor what I should be doing next. She said, “You’re 31. You need to make an executive decision. And if you don’t like those results, make another one.” I never forgot that. She reminded me that I am powerful beyond measure and in control of my destiny. Since then, I have made it a ritual to get clear on my purpose (in life and for a project) and make the healthiest choices I can in that moment. Sometimes the path is clear and straight, sometimes it’s crooked and murky; but, regardless, it’s always moving forward. One of my greatest lessons was learning to forgive and rid myself of timelines. When we’re young, people ask us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.
Even before we matriculate to college, administrators ask us, “What’s your major?” When you’ve been conditioned to believe that you have to achieve certain things now, today, yesterday (Top 30 Under 30 Lists, anyone?), you can become so caught up in the chaotic pace that you lose your personal rhythm. I reject this pressure by reminding myself that things don’t happen on my time (I mean–what even is time??), but everything happens in divine timing. I am a huge proponent of remembering one’s soul purpose and contract and doing everything you can to ensure that you are remaining authentic to who you are. Lastly, learning to trust my intuition has been so key. When you are a creative person (“multi-hyphenate” as some folks like to say), there are sooooo many different directions your life and work can take. How do you know which way to go? Sometimes, you don’t. But most times, you do. So I get quiet, I go inward, and I access my innate spiritual tools and technology to discern the right path forward for me. When I listen to me, I never steer me wrong!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a co-creator with the Creator. I show up in the world as an author, writer, poet, educator, transformational speaker, preacher, pastor, spiritual life coach, and podcaster. My faith is integral to everything that I do and I am a Black woman spiritual leader who is no longer at war with her body. Vulnerability is my superpower and radical truth-telling is my special sauce. So whether I’m writing about safety for Black girls or speaking about liberation for Black women and femmes, I am using my voice (and, let’s be real–my face) to amplify the messages that matter most to me.
My debut book, Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body is out in March 2023 and is available for preorder now. It is a love letter to Black women, currently or formerly churched, who want to learn how to love themselves unapologetically. I expound on more of these topics on my Sensual Faith Podcast. And I really cut up as the cohost of Sanctified, a faith-based podcast on Jemele Hill’s Unbothered Network, available exclusively on Spotify! Currently, I facilitate book proposal challenges and incubators to help other writers get closer to their dreams of being published authors. As I take my audacious dreams to the next level, I encourage others to come alongside me and do the same. I envision being a masterful storyteller who coalesces other creators, filmmakers, and multi-media maestros in order to tell the stories that we want to tell.
Ultimately, I am a joy finder. In human design, I am a Generator and we are deeply invested in ensuring that whatever we’re working on is pleasurable…it’s a gut feeling, you know? So I will never stay in anything that doesn’t feel good to me. Does that mean that I abandon admin days and online marketing? Not at all. I welcome a touch of friction. But if there’s ongoing resistance, I know that means it’s time to recalibrate. There is power in the pivot and I have never met a pivot I didn’t like! I intend to pivot my way onto stages and magazine covers all in the name of leading a pleasure-based, self-love movement for Black women and those who support us!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Social media has been the great equalizer. Anyone with a basic smartphone and connection to a 5G network can post a thought or idea online. While there are instances where this can be perceived as detrimental, by and large, our ever-increasingly globalized society means that we are meeting people across time and space and engaging in shared mutual learning experiences. Now more than ever, we need thoughtful, nuanced dialogues that allow for more growth in the areas of empathy and understanding.
Publishing and podcasting (and social media) are the perfect spheres for provocative storytelling. Black women are the most highly-degreed demographic and the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. As we continue to take on leadership roles in industries across the board, our values, perspectives, and vantage points are being uplifted. As a womanist, I am always curious about how certain movements are affecting Black women. I suspect that as we start to take up more space and heal and get free, others will do the same. Then, the dollars and the sense will start to flow even more! Black women are the blueprint so fund Black women, elect Black women, invest in Black women, ordain Black women, follow Black women, and TRUST Black women!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lyvonnebriggs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyvonnebriggs/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/l.proverbs.briggs
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lyvonnebriggs
- Youtube: https://www.tiktok.com/@lyvonnebriggs?lang=en
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/lyvonnebriggs
