Thanks for checking out The Collabo!
In January I posted the blog's first feature of the year. The purpose of these posts is to
highlight the initiatives, events and businesses of some of Toronto's
young professionals and entrepreneurs. This month I had the privilege of interviewing Goddess Intellect. Check out below for the Q&A with The Collabo (TCB) and Goddess Intellect (GI).
TCB: In reviewing the “About” section of your blog,
you are described as a talk show host, relationship coach, author of Goddess
Intellect blog and weekly columnist in Hello Beautiful magazine. Can you tell
us about your personal journey into each of these ventures?
GI: I feel like all of these ventures and opportunities are in a
way related to each other. Everything that I do is tied into promoting open
dialogue, connecting people; building relationships and helping people grow.
Being a talk show host arose from my ability
to start and encourage active conversations with others. With respect to the
blogging, this venture originally stemmed from me relieving frustration by
reading other blogs and posting comments. When I would post my comments and
note that they were pretty long, I started to think to myself maybe I should
start my own blog. With many of my readers gravitating towards my posts on
relationships, this was reassurance that the content was relatable and
engaging.
I consider my role as a
relationship coach stems from something I do naturally; I truly enjoy listening
and helping people. Lastly, my weekly column for Hello Beautiful began from being
referred from another blogger to start writing for the magazine.
TCB: For readers that may be new to your blog, how
would you categorize or describe the content?
GI: Goddess intellect is my personal journey and thoughts on
relationships. The blog is geared towards women but men read the blog as well
which I think is great. In fact, I have had males write to me asking if I could
write about a particular topic. In general I think what my readers appreciate
and respect is that on most topics, with a few exceptions, I can see and
understand things from both perspectives. I think they also enjoy the casual
style of the blog.
TCB: In addition to the blog, Goddess Intellect also
offers a variety of workshops. What inspires or propels you to develop
workshops?
GI: Everything I create I have to feel a personal connection to
the initiative. Many of the relationship workshops, for example, were derived
from things that I have learnt personally and knew would be helpful to others
when shared. The Bedroom Eye social which was a past event hosted by Cocoa
Bloom Cosmetics and myself, is an example of an initiative that was presented
to me and I was happy to be involved in. From past recollections of being misinformed
about makeup as a woman of color, I felt connected to Cocoa Bloom Cosmetics
being that it is a line designed for all women, but specifically for women of
color. Hosting that event was great, as it had a girl’s night out type of feel
to it.
Another source of
inspiration for my workshops also arises from emails I receive from readers. I
receive emails in response to articles I have written on the blog and
magazines. Since there is only so much that can be written in an email, I found
myself identifying the common themes that I could deliver in a workshop.
I always try to make sure the content of the
workshop is relevant to what readers want to know and what would be helpful to
them. I think sometimes it may be easier for people to seek advice from an
objective perspective. It’s not a matter of them not being able to talk to the
circle of friends and family who love and care for them, but rather getting an
outside perspective is sometimes easier.
TCB: Another Goddess Intellect initiative that has
been a great success in Toronto and within the United States is the Battle of
the Sexes events. I noticed there will be a battle of the sexes tour in the
upcoming future. Can you tell us a little bit about this tour, such as which
cities it will be taking place in, and a little bit about the decision to
expand the initiative abroad?
GI: Battle of the Sexes started from a radio show Ménage a Talk. The premise was three
people, each with their own unique personality and perspective, would talk
about various topics, such as body image, business and entertainment. When we
ventured into doing a live show, we opted to do it in New York, since the
majority of the audience and co-host at the time were based in New York. The first show was called Ménage a Talks live:
Battle of the Sexes. That show was a success, and I was later asked about doing
a live version in Toronto. In 2012, I did two Battle of the Sexes shows in
Toronto shows.
As I started networking, and considering that I have a large
US following due to writing for Hello Beautiful which is based in the states, I
thought it would be a great opportunity to take Battle of the Sexes abroad. The
cities where the live show will take place include Oakland, Atlanta, Washington
DC, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.
In order to take the show abroad, I have launched a crowd
funding campaign. This is when you elicit donations from the public, whereby
contributions can be made from an individual or on behalf of a business. I am trying
to raise 10, 000 in 45 days. It is a bit nerve wrecking to know whether I will
get it, but I didn’t want to put this dream on hold or loose creative control
from getting a huge sponsor. People can donate a low as dollar. I also do my
best to support entrepreneurs and small business at the show, by encouraging
them to be vendors at the Battle of the Sexes pop up shop.
TCB: Can you tell us what is your desire or goal for
readers to take away from reading your blog or attending a Goddess Intellect
event?
GI:The goal of Goddess Intellect is to promote better and
improved relationship among men and women. I want readers to be more curious
and open about their own life and connecting with the opposite sex.
For More Information on Goddess Intellect check the links
below:
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