People of Charlotte, please meet Lee and Quick, hosts of the fabulous and informative podcast, Divas and Duckets. The two GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) explore topics such as finances and dating, prenups, debt, investments, careers, trusts, wills, and much more.
Now let's get to know Lee and Quick's story!
Q. What fires you up? Gets you going? Lee: Discussing topics that can sometimes be challenging conversations like financial issues within the black community or even whether certain dating preferences are close minded. We got into the latter example a bit on a previous episode, our Dating Potential Series. I like having conversations that push me to view things differently and consider areas where I might need to grow or process further. Quick: Looking at how financial decisions are not just about money but understanding the mental, emotional and economic/environmental considerations that contribute to why individuals, largely in the minority communities, spend the way we do.
Q. How are you looking to make a difference in the lives of people?
Lee: I hope that being transparent about some of my lessons learned or mistakes resonates with other people. In talking casually with our audience as we do, I hope they feel more seen and less shamed or uncomfortable when it comes to building and improving their financial picture. Most importantly I hope the information we share empowers people to use what they learned to pursue their goals.
Unfortunately, sometimes people operate from a mindset of scarcity, as if by sharing information or networks they will somehow take money out their own pockets. I believe the opposite to be true: paying it forward only brings more business and blessings your way
Quick: I seek to use our platform to bring information to our community that may not be readily available and to do so in a fun and digestible way. We bring in various professionals across the country to provide subject matter expertise in addition to our own experiences and my desire is that our audience will seize this information to further and/or change their financial positions for the better.
Q. What does "community over competition" look like to you? Lee: For me it looks like a collective of sorts—coming together and sharing knowledge or being a resource or aid to others. Unfortunately, sometimes people operate from a mindset of scarcity, as if by sharing information or networks they will somehow take money out their own pockets. I believe the opposite to be true: paying it forward only brings more business and blessings your way. People can get further bartering and working together than by going it alone in my opinion. Quick: We actually discuss this in our episode Crabs in a Barrel. To me, you can only make the greatest impact when your community as a whole is strong. When I visualize community over competition, it looks like a neighborhood where everyone’s home looks well taken care of with well-manicured lawns, where the young will assist the old in helping to ensure their homes are also taken care of vs. the community where only one or two homes on the block are immaculate while everyone’s home around them is falling apart. Q. What have you learned about yourself while starting a new podcast? Lee: That imperfection is okay, and that it’s actually more relatable because it’s authentic. We had to figure out a lot in building a podcast from hosting sites to automated emails and editing. At one point, every “ummm” or imperfect stammer stood out to me. I even used to count them and beat myself up over them or wanted to edit each one out. But that’s not how I speak or sound day to day, perfectly polished. Impact and informing our audience is the goal, not perfection. So I learned that I have to give myself grace in learning a new space and in hearing and seeing myself on YouTube and other platforms. Quick: I learned that I can do more than I think! I have learned so much new information in starting a podcast. It has pushed me to learn new technology, expand my networking communication skills, learn how to do make-up, and so much more, lol. This podcast has taught me that if I leap, I will be ok. Q. What have you learned about each other? Lee: Certainly doing business with friends can be challenging, so it’s important to understand each person’s goals and long term vision. Luckily Quick and I were aligned in terms of what we want Divas and Duckets to be. I think the biggest learning curve for me was just figuring out our lanes and how to grow within this business. Quick is more tech savvy than me for example which I learned as we were setting things up. Rather than struggle and frustrate myself, that aspect of things is her baby. From there, we just had to trust each other to handle things within our respective strengths.
Quick: There’s a saying that friends/family and business don’t mix. But I believe the saying truly should be friends/family without a business mindset and business don’t mix. Lee makes a good business partner and a great friend. We don’t always agree but thankfully we balance each other out, so that our emotions never take priority over the logical side of what’s best for our written vision plan. We’re also able to contribute to the business financially on an equal level. I trust her. And that goes a long way.
And undoubtedly, the most common feeling is one of shame, “How did I get here?”
Q. What are you looking to grow the podcast into? Lee: I’d love to do more speaking engagements and to grow our platform on a national scale. Allowing myself to dream, I’d like to see us at Essence Fest, doing live shows when it’s safe to do so, speaking on other shows or podcasts, and growing outside of our circles. Quick: Everything. I believe we have put a lot of time, energy, and money into this podcast. We have worked hard from day one to ensure our audience receives a professional and polished product. The heart of this podcast is to help others help themselves, therefore, I want it to reach as many people around the world that need to hear it. With the right marketing and exposure, I would love Divas and Duckets to grow into that go to “ducket” source for Ted Talks, speaking engagements, news media, sponsorships, school programs, seminars and more. Q. What's a common theme in people's financial stories? Lee: I’d have to say not knowing and/or not having access to information. Lack of access can lead to poor decisions, even legal/criminal issues. Another passion I move in is helping individuals who have criminal records and need assistance finding jobs, developing job readiness skills, and accessing other resources. Many times lack of access or that “how to” knowledge makes all the difference in decision making and knowing what options are available. Access to information is so important! We don’t know what we don’t know and unfortunately, you pay for what you don’t know in some shape or form. Quick: Shame. I also help individuals with their finances through a consulting business. And undoubtedly, the most common feeling is one of shame, “How did I get here?”
Q. Have you ever been financially irresponsible? Lee: Lord yes. I shared it during our very first episode, but I’ve tried to be transparent about my journey toward becoming more financially literate throughout episodes since. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a pretty financially stable home. However, I didn’t have many conversations or lessons about saving or credit growing up. I learned about money management the hard way during and after college, getting into credit card debt. Quick: I would say no. I was fortunate enough to grow up as a young child being taught about budgeting, saving, balancing checkbooks through ledgers, and more. I learned about credit cards, interest rates, etc. I’m grateful for the lessons my parents instilled in me about money at a young age. While I did at one point have a substantial amount of credit from my perspective, it wasn’t something I felt overwhelmed by or knew wasn’t manageable. Although I was taught a lot about how to keep money, I wasn’t taught a lot about how to make the money I’m able to keep…grow. I’ve heard many times that I play it too “safe” when it comes to my money; saving, saving, saving. And while it’s normally from those doing worse than me financially, I do understand the message that there is more I can be doing with what I’ve saved. There is certainly a lot I have learned through this podcast about investing that I didn’t know, so in a sense that is how I’ve been financially irresponsible—I could be further along in my own financial journey. I now understand I had a unique and more positive foundation with finances than most in our community, which is definitely something I was oblivious to for many, many years. Q. Can you please share success stories from guests? Lee: Honestly something as simple as hearing our audience was blessed by information we shared, or able to use that information to make any changes or adjustments is a victory to me. I’m also always happy to hear about listeners retaining our guest’s services and having positive experiences. The most endearing one I can quickly recall is that several men reached out and started their therapy journeys after hearing our Just Man Up episode because they felt seen/heard by our guest who is a male practitioner. Quick: Two of the success stories that comes to mind were comments from our D&D fam related to our episodes Investing During a Pandemic and Maternal Health and Healthcare Bias. The investing commenter informed me that she changed her 401K contributions immediately after listening to the episode to adjust her ability to diversify her funds. And the maternal health commenter related that she cried during the episode because it was the first time she felt heard as she was in her journey dealing with fibroids and the inability to have children. Knowing we created something that has had that kind of impact is a blessing.
To learn more, you can follow Divas and Duckets here:
Facebook: Divas and Duckets
Instagram: @DivasandDuckets
YouTube: Divas and Duckets
Website: divasandduckets.com
Stories have power—they teach, inspire, motivate, and challenge us.
Stories help us to not only see others but to see ourselves more clearly, as we connect with the life stories of those in our community; a community that is strengthened by the power that is unleashed by the collective energy of individual stories.
Interested in sharing your story with People of Charlotte? Email peopleofCLT@gmail.com to learn more!
