1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 What's your why in all of this? 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,360 My why? 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,840 It is so deeply entrenched in my soul. It was a vision. 4 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:19,680 One day when I was riding in the car with my then manager, I had a record deal with George Clinton 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:26,400 at the time and as we were coming from the studio, I just had like the vision was so big. 6 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:31,120 It was like in my mind this whirling cloud that I knew I did not have 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:38,560 all of the pieces to and something in my life told me that the pieces would come and I've never been able to shake it. 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:43,920 And here's the thing. I've grown up on both sides of the track. 9 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:50,720 I know what it is to have grandparents that see a vision for you and want to give you everything. 10 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:58,240 And I also know what it is to have parents that get lost in the muck and the mire of their own traumas or circumstances 11 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,120 and the sacrifice of children, which is horrible to me. 12 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:10,560 And every time I look at a child, I think about all of the different opportunities that I have been given. 13 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,040 And I don't see 14 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,360 as many people giving back in our own community. 15 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,720 It kind of pains me to see us have to go outside of our community. 16 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:28,640 They think that mentorship is out of reach. They think it belongs only to the rich. 17 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:33,440 They don't even understand that every time that you encourage the next person, 18 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:40,320 maybe even just have a simple conversation with them that lifts them out of their own sense of darkness 19 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:46,320 that you are creating a light that will ripple down maybe even generations. 20 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,080 And I just can't shake it. It's within me. 21 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:56,080 So I feel like I'm not doing my job, what my spirit came here for, 22 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:03,840 if I don't assist the next person any chance that I have, even if it's only in word. 23 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:10,320 Yeah, yeah. I get that totally. That's that gut wrenching, 24 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:18,240 do this, do this, do this. And of course, I have to mention, delayed obedience is disobedience, right? 25 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,240 Absolutely. 26 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:26,080 So as you keep getting that feeling and now you have this organization, 27 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,320 when it comes to the organization specifically, how did you get started? 28 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:37,120 Well, like I said, when I joined the skate club with my brother, 29 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:41,280 we hit a point, our first year competing was 2018. 30 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:47,280 And then all of a sudden, two years later, as we're ready to compete again, 31 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:55,440 we're locked down. And as we get into this lockdown, my spirit was like, no, this is not a lockdown. 32 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:03,040 This is freedom. I actually don't have to get up and run to somebody set at four dark 30 in the morning. 33 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,040 I don't have to worry about someone else's dream. 34 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,440 What can I do with this time? 35 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,640 So while everybody else was fearful and, you know, masking up, 36 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:21,680 I went out in nature and I allowed my mind to say, you have the time, sit down. 37 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,640 What are you going to do with this time? 38 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,160 So I wrote Dwayne's World Skate Foundation. 39 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:33,440 I researched, I looked at the demographics, I looked at my grandchildren. 40 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,800 I said, what legacy am I going to have for them? 41 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:44,880 And I looked at so many children who were suffering trauma, wearing a mask, not being able to go to school. 42 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:50,960 And I looked at the fact that so many educational programs, I mean, we had Schoolhouse Rock 43 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,120 and they don't have anything like that on television. 44 00:03:55,120 --> 00:04:01,040 That is really actually identifying a need and teaching with a purpose. 45 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,880 And I said, maybe this is what my actual goal is. 46 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,840 I have been given too many gifts, too many blessings. 47 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,440 I can orate, I can read, I can write, I can dream. 48 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:16,080 I can, I've traveled all over the world in so many different industries. 49 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:21,680 And these things that have been other people's end all, be all goals, 50 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:26,960 are just stepping stones to me. So there's got to be something so much bigger. 51 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:33,200 So I used COVID as my opportunity to create my own vision. 52 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,760 And I've taken the slow route with it. 53 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:41,840 And I think that anything that is worth having is worth the time that it takes to stew and simmer. 54 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:45,120 So that is where I am with it right at this point. 55 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,840 And I'm just hoping that people can see my work and see my work. 56 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:56,160 I'm just hoping that people can see my vision and want to join me and help create something spectacular. 57 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,160 Absolutely. Absolutely. 58 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:05,920 And you know, you're not the only entrepreneur, leader, business owner who's talked about 59 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:14,400 sitting in COVID and allowing that to build them into, in my own words, a better person, 60 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:21,280 helping the world and finding and honing in on our specific purpose. 61 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:25,840 And I often tell people, if it didn't break you, it made you. 62 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:30,240 You know, like you said, it sat you down, it got your mind going. 63 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:37,200 And at that point, you utilized it as a stepping stone to creating something 64 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,000 that was so much bigger than yourself. 65 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:44,720 And seeing what you see now and knowing what you know now, 66 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:50,480 now that everything's back in the groove and we're all on Zoom and you're on a podcast right now, 67 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:57,600 it just seemed like everything just, it rose, you know, it created so many different opportunities. 68 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:05,920 So I definitely can sit here and say that you had the right moment at the right time. 69 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:11,600 And now that you're here on the podcast, what is it that you would want the audience to know 70 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:16,960 or an action step to take while you're on this podcast today? 71 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:27,360 Well, an action step that I would like to take at this particular point is to be able to pitch 72 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:37,680 this concept and build the team that is necessary because film is a turnkey operation that takes a 73 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:46,080 crew of anywhere from 35 to 150, depending upon the goal. It is also a financial endeavor. 74 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:53,440 So I created it with the thought in mind of it becoming intellectual property for the masses 75 00:06:53,440 --> 00:07:01,840 to be able to view at the same time providing this opportunity where these children, as they work, 76 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:10,080 they'd be able to create a system of financial resources for them later on, maybe in trust, 77 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:15,520 that could turn into either a college career or their own business as they go. 78 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:23,520 So I'm looking for more people to help me build out this team. I'm looking for organizations 79 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:32,000 and outreach as well as corporate sponsorship to be able to bring a script or bring a project to 80 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:38,000 manifestation so we can get these working professionals. Hollywood has taken a hit 81 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:45,040 recently and it continues to do so. So there's need even in the industry for a new way of moving 82 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:54,000 forward, impairing these working professionals to maintain our craft. I'm looking at the desire to 83 00:07:54,000 --> 00:08:02,000 be in the upper echelon of your fields. I'm looking at that not be a desire anymore. People 84 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:07,920 are willing to do the bare minimum. And if we as human beings are going to leave a legacy, 85 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:17,280 we have to strive for excellence. We have to strive to better ourselves, not go backwards in 86 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:26,080 time, so to speak. So I'm looking for people, organizations, corporations that would want to 87 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:31,920 convey a bigger picture for our future generations to join me in this endeavor. 88 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:38,720 Absolutely. And I thank you for sharing that. Do you have a website that they can go to 89 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:45,920 to obtain more information? Well, that's actually on the build. I've bought the soul train.com, 90 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:53,360 which is for the studio. This has been me by myself pretty much up until this year. 91 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:59,840 I've been starting to build a team. So where you are in the beginning process, I do have my social 92 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:07,840 media, which features my brother. It features myself. And I do have all of the necessary things 93 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:13,760 to begin to build. I have the recording studio. I've got the film people. I've got schools that 94 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:20,560 I've started with in the West suburbs. It's a provisional West and a mentorship program that 95 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:27,440 I will be speaking to actually next Friday regarding pretty much this topic, how mentorship 96 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:33,200 can help. And they will be for the next four years, the students that I work with to bring 97 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:40,800 forward all of this passion. Nice. Well, thank you so much. And your social media is the soul 98 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:47,840 Willis or what's your hand? Okay. Okay. So if you look at this old Willis, you will find 99 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:57,040 a Facebook, you'll find my IMDb, you'll find my TikTok, my LinkedIn. I am not, I'm a shy 100 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:05,360 social media person. I really, I do, I post about the things that I feel are really relevant 101 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:12,160 at the moment. I'm not a daily poster. Look at the food that I'm eating. That's kind of 102 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:17,680 things that are important. They get posted. Absolutely. Absolutely. No expectations at all. 103 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:23,200 And it's funny you say that because you've been in film and dance and I did not expect to hear 104 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:29,760 that at all. That's what makes me giggle. You seem like just someone who's so lively that I could be, 105 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:36,640 you know, on there and I see you with your phone and yes, you looking at your food and all these 106 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:45,760 other places. Wow. I love that. It's funny though, every job that I've ever taken in film has put me 107 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:53,440 behind the camera. I'm assistant director, producer, production manager. So those are all behind 108 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:59,600 the camera roles. And even as a choreographer, everyone else was the star. I worked in artist 109 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:06,160 development. When I got my record deal, it was actually pushed upon me. I think I'm the only 110 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:11,680 person in history that's had three record deals and never actually went after one. They were just 111 00:11:11,680 --> 00:11:18,640 kind of always given to me because of the talent. But I don't think at that time I really had the 112 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:25,280 self belief that I was that girl. So I've always seen the light in others and worked very hard 113 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:30,240 to give other people opportunities. Thank you for being here today. I'm really happy that you tuned 114 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:35,920 into Vision Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as these episodes continue 115 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:39,680 to move forward. This is going to get more and more fun. We'll have more and more engagement as 116 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:43,920 well. We'll invite people to participate in the show and thank you for giving us your time and 117 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:56,080 attention. Have an excellent time building out your vision and becoming a Vision Pro yourself.