1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,640
People, welcome to the Sunside Kingdom show.

2
00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:11,320
The place where we highlight individuals with, oh, so important skills,

3
00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,000
such important impact,

4
00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,720
people that just make the difference in their communities,

5
00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,720
especially those from the Dutch Caribbean, because that's what we're here for.

6
00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:24,320
Welcome, welcome.

7
00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,880
Today we have with us, oh, a very interesting lady.

8
00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:29,720
Oh, Lord.

9
00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:37,200
So today we have the immense pleasure of welcoming Sherma Rouse,

10
00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,800
a dynamic singer, songwriter and performer

11
00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,480
known for her soulful voice and powerful stage presence.

12
00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,760
Born on the island of Curacao, that's correct.

13
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:50,880
Yes, all right.

14
00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,480
With deep connections to synesthesia,

15
00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:58,160
she has worked with top artists like Anouk, Treintje Oosterhuis

16
00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:03,600
and gained international recognition during Anouk's Eurovision 2013 performance.

17
00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,680
Sherma made waves on The Voice of Holland, released several acclaimed

18
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,600
solo albums and even topped the Dutch charts.

19
00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:15,000
But she's not just a singer, she's an author of two cookbooks,

20
00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,840
which are amazing, if I might add, thank you, that celebrate her Caribbean roots.

21
00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,600
She has her own TV show, Sherma's Soul Food.

22
00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,840
And this year she's launched her first series,

23
00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,080
Sherma's Caribi Smaken.

24
00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,320
Her influence extends beyond music, movies and television

25
00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,600
as she inspires and uplifts others by promoting culture and the arts.

26
00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,400
We are beyond excited to have her.

27
00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:41,200
Thank you so much.

28
00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,600
And thank you for coming all the way down from the Randstad.

29
00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:45,600
Hey, hey.

30
00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:58,160
To below the river to chill with us here for this for this coming hour.

31
00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,160
Welcome to.

32
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,720
The Sunside Kingdom Show.

33
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:06,720
Thank you. What a welcome. I love it.

34
00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,560
Appreciate it. Nice to be here. Nice to be here.

35
00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,480
Thank you. So you're.

36
00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,480
Multitalented, entrepreneurial.

37
00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:20,480
We just had a nice little conversation before before we got started.

38
00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,800
But but can you tell us a bit about what keeps you busy today in 2024?

39
00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,840
Well, you know, you said I'm an artist, I cook as well.

40
00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:35,440
And I think the the most important thing right now,

41
00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,280
the shift that I'm going through is trying to create

42
00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:45,960
things that will long term create wealth.

43
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,240
So, of course, I'm busy with music and concerts and touring,

44
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:55,480
but also trying to create partnerships or like I wear glasses are one of my like.

45
00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:57,680
Things. Yeah.

46
00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,680
So one of your one of the things that you're known for.

47
00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,560
Yes, because I always see you with the freshest, most.

48
00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,520
Exquisite style. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

49
00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,480
That's why I had to pull out my nice shades.

50
00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,720
I see the. I see it. I see it.

51
00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,560
You know, so I'm like, like, like, for example,

52
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:22,840
like looking at new business models, like creating my own my own glasses line.

53
00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,440
Different things. So my focus is now I've been a singer for a very long time.

54
00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,440
I've made a lot of music.

55
00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,400
I've traveled the world through music.

56
00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:36,560
So now it's time to like go to the other side of business.

57
00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:38,960
Yeah. And that is getting to.

58
00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:43,280
Creating products that are associated with my brand,

59
00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:48,600
because I see myself as a product, not just I'm not a singer, I'm not a cook.

60
00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,360
I'm Sherma. And that that thing.

61
00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,360
I can market it. Yeah.

62
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,640
So I'm working on that.

63
00:03:55,640 --> 00:04:00,480
So working on on on product ties in certain elements of the world.

64
00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,880
Yes. Yes. Yes. Nice. Nice.

65
00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:08,160
So in in we well, we touched on a few of those accomplishments,

66
00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,080
but I know there's many more that I haven't even mentioned here.

67
00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:17,560
Is there anything specific as you as you sort of look back on your on your career

68
00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,840
in general that you would say was one of the biggest highlights?

69
00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:23,720
Oh, there's so many.

70
00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,560
There's so many. Let's pick three.

71
00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,040
OK. So I'm going to pick three.

72
00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:35,240
OK. Well, I think the latest one that I did was a tour

73
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,840
with an orchestra that I produced myself.

74
00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:42,920
So, oh, wow. So I had 40, 54 people on stage.

75
00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,800
54. Yeah. With me.

76
00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,840
And that was a big investment because, you know,

77
00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:55,560
you have a dream of vision and you have a you know that you will sell tickets,

78
00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:57,800
but you don't know how many and you have big venues.

79
00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:04,440
So that was a investment in.

80
00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:06,560
So that was amazing because it was very successful.

81
00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,320
It was sold out. So that was like, wow, I did that.

82
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,200
Yeah. Amazing. It was really amazing.

83
00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,800
And and before that, I think writing my first cookbook, you know,

84
00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,880
I've been cooking for a long time, you know, cook food is a part of our culture.

85
00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,040
It's a big part of our culture.

86
00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:29,160
But I think as the Dutch Antilles, that Netherlands has no idea

87
00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,040
about our cuisine, our kitchens.

88
00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:39,880
So I really wanted to write a book to, you know, to show, to exhibit our culture.

89
00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:44,200
Yeah. And so I was really glad when the first one came on the market

90
00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,600
and it was like people loved it.

91
00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,680
So then I did part two.

92
00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,360
But the first one was like really something special. Yeah.

93
00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:57,760
And I think the third one was a longer time ago,

94
00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,360
like 15 years ago when I released my first record.

95
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:05,240
Next year is 15 years since I released my first record.

96
00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,560
And I had I financed it myself.

97
00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:13,200
I did. I had 15 musicians playing strings and horns.

98
00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,960
And that was a big accomplishment, something that I will never forget.

99
00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,560
Yeah. Yeah. Because that that.

100
00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:20,920
So let's maybe go back to that moment.

101
00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,720
So what? How was that process?

102
00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:30,240
So when when did it click in your mind that I'm going to finance this myself?

103
00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:34,640
Well, you know, it's like sometimes.

104
00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:40,120
Like I'm you know, sometimes some people dream, right?

105
00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,440
They have a vision and they dream me. I do.

106
00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,640
So I don't wait. Yeah.

107
00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:50,240
Because I'm always busy with creating like a buffer.

108
00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:52,560
So I'm always busy saving and putting money aside.

109
00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:57,120
So when this came to me, I could just step

110
00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,040
because I didn't have to worry about finding the money to do it.

111
00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,320
Yeah. Because I had it.

112
00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,920
So then I could just do so when I decided, you know,

113
00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:11,400
I was doing my last year of conservatorium, I studied in Rotterdam.

114
00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:16,960
And as a last year, you could do an album.

115
00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,120
I did. I chose to do an album as a project. OK. Yeah.

116
00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,200
Like but then it was just to perform it, to write songs and perform.

117
00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,040
Then I was like, well, if I'm writing the songs, I might as well record the songs.

118
00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,160
And so it it developed. Yeah.

119
00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,120
But it was very natural.

120
00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,400
It wasn't like, oh, somebody discovered me.

121
00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,840
No, I was touring and traveling the world with other people being a backing vocalist.

122
00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,320
So like like which people?

123
00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:47,360
Different people from Tasha's world, a lot of artists

124
00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,560
that in the beginning of the 2000s that were like doing really well.

125
00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,000
But I played with a lot of famous people, Shaka Khan, Michael Bolton.

126
00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:57,640
I had the opportunity to do backing vocals for

127
00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:02,040
so many people. And here in the Netherlands, for sure.

128
00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:07,800
A lot of the artists, a lot of records, a lot of albums, a lot of top

129
00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:10,440
40 singles for other people.

130
00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:11,640
I did a lot of different things.

131
00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,400
Oh, you did a lot of backing vocals on those as well?

132
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,160
Yeah. OK. A lot of records.

133
00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:18,440
Yeah. So.

134
00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,280
So I was already making music, but then I thought it was time for my story.

135
00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:27,840
Yeah. But I did the end exam project and that's how it developed.

136
00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:29,560
But it was very natural. Yeah.

137
00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,400
Because at that point, how long had you already been

138
00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:35,880
touring and working with other people?

139
00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:37,960
Because this is now 2009, right? So.

140
00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,040
Yeah. So then I was like, I was like, I was like,

141
00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,080
I was like, I came to live in the Netherlands in 99.

142
00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:50,440
And by 99 December, I was already playing in bands,

143
00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:55,120
you know, like Candy Doll for so many different people.

144
00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,920
It's like you would have to Google it to take a look.

145
00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,000
It's too many different things.

146
00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,880
I did a lot of different things like Tribute to a Marley with Reggae.

147
00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,800
We toured in Africa. We've been all over the place.

148
00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,480
I've been to like 15 countries in Africa.

149
00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,400
Oh, wow. Asia, Japan, my own music.

150
00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,840
You know, South Korea was in China two weeks ago.

151
00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,240
You know, so it's and China that was also touring.

152
00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,760
Yeah, yes. Yes. Three shows, three countries in six days.

153
00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:29,280
So it's music was always something that I started from.

154
00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:31,840
I was doing as soon as I got to the Netherlands.

155
00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,960
Yeah. And before that, in the Caribbean, a lot of the Calypso and Soka artists.

156
00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:37,040
My dad was a musician.

157
00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,520
So I did a lot of backing vocals even then.

158
00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:40,480
And I grew up in church.

159
00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:42,760
You know, you sing in church, you sing the gospel.

160
00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:44,600
So music was about to ask.

161
00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,520
So where did the music actually start in church?

162
00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,040
I think I think I think that is

163
00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:56,040
how do you say it?

164
00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,800
It's the beginning for most acceptance criteria

165
00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:04,520
for actually being a soul singer or being a singer, I think.

166
00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,240
I think it's in general.

167
00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,480
Like that, like really true great vocalist.

168
00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,120
They always started in church.

169
00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,280
Church, definitely.

170
00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:21,840
If we go back to now, that that that moment in 2009

171
00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,560
and and you unpack that a little bit more.

172
00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:28,280
So you said you you finance the project.

173
00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,240
It was a very special moment for you.

174
00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:36,440
And and what specifically about it

175
00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:42,680
15 years later is still ringing as as as sort of this turning point,

176
00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:44,080
defining moment.

177
00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,600
I think it was the.

178
00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:51,800
The start of me becoming the Sherman that people see today.

179
00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:53,560
You know what I mean?

180
00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:57,600
Because when you put out your own music, you become you would

181
00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:01,840
you're like vulnerable because you're putting out your own story.

182
00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:07,680
Yeah. And I think it's it gave me like a boost towards doing more for myself

183
00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:10,480
to choosing myself and putting myself first.

184
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,640
Because, you know, as a as a musician in a band,

185
00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,920
you're very invested in making sure that the person you're working for,

186
00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:23,880
that they can fly because you're a part of the the the the bed,

187
00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:26,160
the carpet that they're like floating on.

188
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:26,760
Yeah.

189
00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,440
And so that's my nature.

190
00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:30,880
You know, I love to uplift people.

191
00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:32,280
I love to.

192
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,320
Like be a support that if you look back,

193
00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,360
you see me smiling, focusing on you.

194
00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:42,960
Yeah. And I think I had to.

195
00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,240
It's the start of me learning to.

196
00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:51,560
Be that for myself, you know, yeah, and I did a first my first record.

197
00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,080
Because essentially it was from 1990 to 2009.

198
00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,960
So the first 10 years you supported so many people.

199
00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:04,680
And even after even even though I recorded and released an album,

200
00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:07,720
I still was doing backing vocal work.

201
00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,600
I did it up until like 2014.

202
00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:12,640
OK, another five years.

203
00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:17,080
Yes, because it's also hard to sometimes, you know, when change,

204
00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,360
you have to make a change.

205
00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:24,520
Change takes time because you know, as a solo artist,

206
00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:26,320
you start to invest more.

207
00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,920
But being a backing vocal, I was making an amazing living.

208
00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:32,680
Amazing. So you have to see it like this.

209
00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:36,120
Yeah. You're a set set payer.

210
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,400
Yeah. Just you are the only person that's.

211
00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:42,680
Necessary to make your business happen.

212
00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:47,360
Yeah. But the moment you become a baby, you have like 15, 20 people

213
00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:49,160
that need something from you.

214
00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,320
You need to have a totally different mindset.

215
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,520
Yep. You need to evolve.

216
00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:55,960
You need to evolve into a whole different person.

217
00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:57,240
Yeah. And it takes time.

218
00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:01,400
Well, but also have like more financial stability.

219
00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,960
Yeah. To be able to, you know,

220
00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,880
be flexible enough that if something happens,

221
00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:15,720
that you have the financial power to take care of it.

222
00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,840
Yeah. Like Covid. Yeah. Covid came.

223
00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:22,720
I had my agenda was full.

224
00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,000
I had tours lined up, concerts.

225
00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,120
And then all of a sudden that all fell away. Gone.

226
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:33,120
And I have eight musicians, lights, sound, all of these people that are.

227
00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:37,520
Dependent on. Yeah, but they are, you know, set set payers.

228
00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:39,360
Set set payers for English again.

229
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,880
Independent contractors. Independent contractors.

230
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:43,560
So I didn't have any

231
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:47,400
obligation. Yeah.

232
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,880
In the sense of they send me an invoice and I pay.

233
00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,520
Yeah. So if there's no work, there's no invoice.

234
00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,000
But emotionally. Yeah.

235
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:59,160
And you have you feel very

236
00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:04,960
responsible because these people commit themselves to you.

237
00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:06,320
You're in, you're out.

238
00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:12,320
So I had to really think about creating different ways to keep them working.

239
00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,000
Then it's stressful. Yeah.

240
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,960
Because then I have to also invest more.

241
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,360
I felt like I had to, but that's the responsibility that I feel.

242
00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,520
And that's why they still work with me, because even in Covid,

243
00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,240
I try to keep them keep them working.

244
00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:34,480
Like three of the four musicians have a normal job on the side.

245
00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,000
But my guitar player, for example, he only plays music.

246
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,240
So, OK, like, for example, I took him on more gigs.

247
00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,040
Like smaller things because I didn't have to.

248
00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,520
But I did it so because I know it's I felt the loyalty to, you know,

249
00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,120
the commitment to help.

250
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:56,520
And that is a financial load that comes with risks.

251
00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:58,320
You know what I mean?

252
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:03,640
So to make that step from being a set set payer and independent

253
00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:08,160
contractor to Enve or BV or whatever you want to call it,

254
00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,640
Hodex Forum took some time.

255
00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:16,080
Yeah, because I had to really create a healthy financial, like Vang Net.

256
00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,000
Yeah. To be able to make that choice.

257
00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:20,240
Understood. Yeah.

258
00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:26,000
So if we if we now.

259
00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:28,360
Go way back.

260
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:33,960
We go way back to Little Sherma. Oh, boy.

261
00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,280
So Little Sherma was born in Curacao. Yeah.

262
00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:41,080
And you you stayed there till what age?

263
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,040
Not maybe just one.

264
00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,600
And then my mom and dad moved back to Stacia where they are from.

265
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:48,200
OK, since you Stacia's.

266
00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:51,480
So then you mainly grew up on Stacia until I was 16.

267
00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,280
OK. So what was life like on Stacia growing up?

268
00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:01,800
Amazing. You know, the safety.

269
00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,720
And the freedom that I have experienced as a child

270
00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:10,720
is you can't buy it.

271
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:12,720
Yeah. It's all about.

272
00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:18,160
You know, it's that you're in a community where if you're walking,

273
00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,800
heading to town, anybody that passes and sees you, hey, where are you going?

274
00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:24,400
Let me give you a ride. Yeah.

275
00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:29,200
Or you go to school after school, you go to grandma's house.

276
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:33,920
There's a grandma to choose from who you want to go or to an auntie.

277
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,320
You didn't lock the doors at night.

278
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,240
You could go to sleep and not worry about somebody breaking into your house.

279
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,280
Yeah. We were 10 minutes on the beach.

280
00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,360
You could swim. My dad took us to swim almost every day.

281
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,720
Oh, wow. I mean, golden.

282
00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,720
Yeah, it was it was.

283
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:52,600
It was idealistic.

284
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,920
It was it was unbelievable.

285
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,600
And I think coming from such a small community and then

286
00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,080
coming into the world where I'm living right now, I think the most important thing

287
00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,840
is that I know I'm I think that a lot of the the.

288
00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:12,640
It is Norman and Vardar that I sort of values all the values that I carry with me

289
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,120
were born on that island.

290
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:20,720
Yeah. On that small safe community, you know, the the work ethic

291
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,120
in and how I do what I do in.

292
00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:29,240
So where would you say the work, the work ethic specifically came from?

293
00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,320
My mother, my father.

294
00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:33,360
There were people, you know, we were we were kids.

295
00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:34,760
We didn't.

296
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,120
We were focused on doing our best in school.

297
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,240
You watch National Geographic Discovery Channel, CNN.

298
00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,480
You were it wasn't.

299
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,200
Or you were outside playing what you weren't.

300
00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:50,560
Are you reading a book?

301
00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:53,360
Yeah, it was it was a different

302
00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:57,960
focus because they understood that education was very important.

303
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:03,080
Yeah, they understood that investing in

304
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,880
society is very important.

305
00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:09,320
My mom did a lot of give a lot of kids like

306
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:12,440
bail less tutoring.

307
00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:16,760
Yeah, tutoring. We always had classmates and kids that would come to our house.

308
00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:18,960
Because what does your mom do specifically?

309
00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:20,360
My mom is a medical analyst.

310
00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:24,120
OK, she was chemistry, physics, mathematics.

311
00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:25,560
She was really good. Yeah.

312
00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:29,200
And those subjects, so she did a lot of extra teaching at home.

313
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:33,840
Kids would always come that problems with subjects that she would help.

314
00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:38,200
Yeah. So, you know, or working with the auxiliary home with the old folks.

315
00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:42,200
Yeah. Spending time, you know, always giving back something.

316
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:44,960
And I think those things,

317
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,000
seeing those things have formed who I am today.

318
00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,360
You know, I do a lot for charity.

319
00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:51,680
I think it's very important.

320
00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,120
I love the children a lot for.

321
00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:56,520
Because you mentioned earlier.

322
00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:58,960
Well, before we started recording

323
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,040
some of the charities specifically, could you maybe touch on that a bit?

324
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:03,840
Yeah, sure.

325
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:05,280
Sure, I do.

326
00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:10,640
I'm ambassador for for a charity that's called Heartakint, for example.

327
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,520
And it's a charity that focuses on

328
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,560
collecting money for research

329
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:23,520
pertaining to children that are born with heart defects.

330
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:24,720
Oh, OK. Yeah.

331
00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,360
Children born with a heart defect is the is the biggest

332
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,960
has the biggest mortality rate of children in this country.

333
00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:35,880
It's even more than cancer in children.

334
00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,360
Oh, wow. But it's something that's something I didn't even.

335
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:40,600
A lot of people don't know. Yeah.

336
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,200
Because, praise God, you have healthy children.

337
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:45,520
But it's a lot of people every year.

338
00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:50,960
1500 children are born at least with a heart deficiency here in the Netherlands.

339
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:52,320
In the Netherlands. Oh, wow.

340
00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:54,000
Yes, a lot of children. Yeah.

341
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,400
So it's like three, four, five a day

342
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,920
are born that have serious heart issues.

343
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,720
And so, you know, you have the Heart Stichting, the Heart Foundation,

344
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,360
but they'd focus on grown adults.

345
00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:08,560
And we focus on children.

346
00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,320
And it started because someone had a child that was born with a heart

347
00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:14,320
and he was like, what can we do? Yeah.

348
00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,560
So I've been doing that for like for eight years now.

349
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,680
Oh, nice. And another one is called Stichting Dushi.

350
00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,200
Stichting Dushi. Dushi, you.

351
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:29,680
Yeah. But it's special because it's a foundation that focuses on children

352
00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:35,760
that have had more than one, that have like, in Dutch you say,

353
00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,160
Hechtingsproblematiek.

354
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,960
Children that have issues with connection, with connecting,

355
00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:47,280
because they've had several foster homes or very dangerous situations.

356
00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:48,280
Yeah.

357
00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:53,600
So we have six houses here in the Netherlands where we, you know,

358
00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:58,040
take care of each house has at least about ten kids that live with us.

359
00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,040
And we take care of them. Oh, wow.

360
00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:07,880
And but this is this is this is a foundation that that

361
00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,880
that that you're like ambassador as well.

362
00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:13,560
Ambassador of. Yeah, as well. Yes.

363
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:21,160
So I invest. I try to like create connections at companies that want

364
00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:26,320
to sponsor or do different things for the Stichting or like

365
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:29,400
workshops or nice things for the kids.

366
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,640
Yeah. You know, that they can go on holiday.

367
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,920
And like we took five of our kids two years ago to Suriname.

368
00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,120
Oh, wow. Took them back to their roots.

369
00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:40,640
We have children from all different, several different kinds of denominations,

370
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:49,240
not only Dutch children, but Curaçao, Suriname, Moroccan, Chinese.

371
00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:51,240
And we try to keep brothers and sisters together.

372
00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,360
So it's it's very beautiful.

373
00:21:53,360 --> 00:21:57,320
And it's something that's very necessary because there's a lot of children

374
00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:01,080
that haven't didn't have the youth that I had.

375
00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,040
Yeah. Yeah. So for me, that's something very important to invest in that

376
00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:10,000
group of children. So I do that.

377
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,480
I've been doing it for like 14 years almost already.

378
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,040
Oh, wow. So I do that.

379
00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,080
And then so that started around the time of the first album.

380
00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,680
A little bit, a little bit after. Yeah. Right. Yeah.

381
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,440
But I've been doing, you know, I'm a teacher as well.

382
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,640
I've been teaching for a very long time.

383
00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,360
And what specifically music? OK, music.

384
00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:33,840
So Alvaro Colleges, me as an MBO.

385
00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:35,600
I taught for like eight years.

386
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,000
So, you know, you you come into a segment where you deal with children

387
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:43,240
that need help, the need you see where they come from.

388
00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:48,200
And so for me, I've been always investing in the new generation.

389
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,400
So teaching or coaching, studio, mamba, glider,

390
00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,800
Vertrouwenspersoon, different things, all things pertaining to children.

391
00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:00,840
Yeah. So that's the like the giving back side of what I do.

392
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:02,440
Yeah. That's very important.

393
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,200
I think that's for me, very important.

394
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,280
Yeah. If I ever would have the finances and the financial freedom

395
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:15,960
to only do that, to be a beneficiary to certain things, that would be a goal.

396
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,440
That would be the dream. Yeah, definitely.

397
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:26,800
Definitely. And so you mentioned your mom and dad as as.

398
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,560
As very important figures in your life that taught you

399
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:38,160
many of these foundational things that formed you, the person that you are today.

400
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:43,880
Were there any other specific role models, mentors that you had along the way

401
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:48,960
that you would say really gave you a couple of golden nuggets

402
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:51,560
and helped you to grow to the next level?

403
00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:56,680
I think on several on different levels, you know, you have as a person,

404
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,520
you have different facets, right?

405
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:03,520
So as a human being, as a person, as an mensi manas,

406
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:08,520
that's my parents, you know, like the basics.

407
00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:13,240
Yeah. But then you have my like my grandmother's, you know, the love for.

408
00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:20,840
God, music came a lot also from seeing them do what they did.

409
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:25,120
My grandmother was a heaven organ player and the other one was a singer in church.

410
00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:26,840
Yeah. Very inspiring to me.

411
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,720
Yeah. To see what they did to people when people heard them play or sing.

412
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,000
When people heard them play or sing what it did.

413
00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:45,560
Yeah. That was like one of my earliest memories of, well, I want to be a singer.

414
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:49,880
You know. So because your mom didn't sing.

415
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:52,920
No, no, no. My dad is in position.

416
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,440
Yeah. OK. And my mom would play some guitar.

417
00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:58,040
But in the singers were my grandmother's.

418
00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,840
So and your dad, your dad's mom was the musician.

419
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:05,400
Yes. She made she sang.

420
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:09,360
She played organ and mom's mom was an amazing singer.

421
00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:11,320
Oh, OK. The music was on both sides.

422
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:12,800
Both sides. Yeah. Yeah.

423
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,760
And my mom said it was a saxophone player and steel band player.

424
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,280
So I have a lot of music.

425
00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,520
Yeah. A lot. A lot. A lot of music in my family.

426
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:21,880
Music and cooks.

427
00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,640
So where did the cooks come from?

428
00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:25,840
Both sides. Both sides.

429
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:27,480
Yeah. Yeah.

430
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,600
So it was just destined that you had to sing and you had to cook.

431
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,080
This is it. 100 percent.

432
00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:38,360
As a musician, for example, I learned a lot from the artists that I toured with,

433
00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:40,480
you know, like a Candy Dolphur, for example.

434
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,400
Yeah. She is amazing and showing how not only being professional,

435
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:49,640
but also how you take care of your musicians, you know, how you treat your people.

436
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:50,800
So that was part.

437
00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:55,160
And some of those lessons is also what you take took along

438
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,160
and had to execute yourself during Covid, for instance.

439
00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,160
Definitely. Definitely.

440
00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:04,200
Or a nuke, you know, she's also very focused on what her crowd

441
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,200
experiences, you know, when they come to a concert.

442
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:12,280
I think it's amazing that you also focus on the experience of your public.

443
00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:14,680
Yeah. Which is super important.

444
00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:16,200
Yeah, but a lot of people don't do it.

445
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,320
Yeah. But I think it's amazing.

446
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,840
And yeah, that's how you actually create the repeat business

447
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,080
that people would love to.

448
00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:24,360
Keep asking, coming back.

449
00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:25,320
Coming back. Yeah.

450
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,040
So, yeah, you know, those little nuggets are.

451
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,640
But also I've learned a lot of things of what not to do.

452
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:35,440
You know, you don't have to call out any names of those persons.

453
00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,240
But could you give me some examples of.

454
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:42,480
You know, like, you know, like to become an artist

455
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:47,040
where your musicians don't even have a conversation with you.

456
00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,240
Oh, wow. That you don't even talk to anybody.

457
00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:52,120
You just come and do your work and you go back home.

458
00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:53,280
So that's the Hollywood stuff.

459
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,280
No, that's closer than you think.

460
00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:58,560
Yeah, it's.

461
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,640
The Dutch version of Hollywood. It's humbling.

462
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:02,160
What would we say that is?

463
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:03,360
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

464
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:04,360
Hilliville.

465
00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:06,560
You got Hollywood and you got Hilliville.

466
00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:08,560
Hilliville. Yeah.

467
00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:13,360
Yeah, so it's I think it's about knowing what's for you

468
00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:14,640
and what's not for you.

469
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:15,640
Yeah.

470
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,640
In all facets of your life.

471
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:20,640
I believe it.

472
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:26,640
And so we touched on the musician mentors.

473
00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:30,640
We touched on the family mentors and role models.

474
00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:35,640
On the business side, were there any specific ones?

475
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:36,640
My uncle.

476
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:37,640
Your uncle.

477
00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:38,640
Woyo.

478
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:39,640
Tell me.

479
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:40,640
He.

480
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:42,640
My uncle could sell.

481
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:47,640
A panty to the king.

482
00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,640
He had a gift, a natural.

483
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,640
He had many baskets.

484
00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:58,640
So a car rental, money gram.

485
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:00,640
He was.

486
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:02,640
And this is all on Stacia.

487
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:03,640
All on Stacia.

488
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:09,640
He was agent to the cruise ships and oil tankers had come to put to tank the ships.

489
00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:13,640
This man, he had so much vision.

490
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:14,640
He could.

491
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:15,640
He was a photographer.

492
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,640
I mean, and it was somebody that didn't even finish sixth grade.

493
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:22,640
Didn't finish.

494
00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:25,640
The basic education.

495
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:26,640
Yeah.

496
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,640
But he was such a gifted.

497
00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,640
They can social power.

498
00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:33,640
Yeah.

499
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:34,640
Was very inspiring.

500
00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:38,640
You know, so as a kid, I always saw him creating something new.

501
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:42,640
So that I think that's part of my fire.

502
00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:43,640
Yeah.

503
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:44,640
That I don't just do one thing.

504
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:48,640
You know, he always just say, well, he never said it, but he lived.

505
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:49,640
He lived it.

506
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:50,640
He lived like.

507
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:51,640
An example.

508
00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:55,640
He lived in a way that, you know, that we have more than one gift.

509
00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:56,640
Yeah.

510
00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:04,640
And a lot of times we ourselves by our social surroundings, we can be forced to just see

511
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,640
one thing or we have to do that.

512
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:10,640
And that's why I think that social society also kind of.

513
00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:11,640
Social society.

514
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:15,640
To force you in to believe in that you have to choose one thing.

515
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,640
You know, and a lot of people go through life.

516
00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,640
Doing the same work for 45 years.

517
00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:22,640
Yeah.

518
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:23,640
Doing the same work.

519
00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,640
The same routine.

520
00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:29,640
Like if the bus is two minutes late, they're like out of their.

521
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,640
You know, element.

522
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:37,640
And then seeing him create so many different.

523
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:41,640
Baskets of income really inspired me.

524
00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:42,640
Because.

525
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:48,640
Because then when, when we translate this now to your, you know, your own life.

526
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:49,640
What.

527
00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:52,640
What are the different baskets that you have right now?

528
00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:53,640
Oh yeah.

529
00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:54,640
Several.

530
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,640
I'm always busy creating baskets.

531
00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:58,640
What you know about the music.

532
00:29:58,640 --> 00:29:59,640
Yes.

533
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:00,640
We've spoken about that.

534
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:01,640
Cookbooks.

535
00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:07,160
cookbooks. So then I guess we would tie the cookbook also to the TV show.

536
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:10,440
Yes, TV programs.

537
00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:14,840
So that is Sherma the chef, Sherma the singer.

538
00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:18,120
Sherma the teacher. Sherma the teacher. You still teach?

539
00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,800
Sometimes with private lessons. Okay so Sherma the teacher. Don't call

540
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:27,960
because I have no time. Don't do it. I already don't know how there's any time

541
00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:31,400
left with these three but I know there's probably a fourth and a fifth.

542
00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:36,040
So what is that fourth and fifth? Then there's coach.

543
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,320
Coach, yeah. Yes, so like and specifically?

544
00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:43,960
Like for example you call me and say hey Sherma

545
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:49,160
I'm at like a standstill and you're a

546
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:55,720
assistant peer and you come to me with your whole like ideas

547
00:30:55,720 --> 00:31:00,040
and then I'm good in analyzing a situation and seeing

548
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:05,160
up and seeing possibilities. That's a gift.

549
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:10,280
It's what it is and I like to do that with like on the

550
00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:14,680
neighbors with artists. Sometimes people that own restaurants

551
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:19,480
or looking to change a vision. I do that kind of stuff as well.

552
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,480
So that's like the coaching but also coaching

553
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,960
in kids that have emotional difficulties.

554
00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:32,360
So then that's more like a close network based on the stuff that I do with

555
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:38,920
the charities. You know what I mean? So that as well and I also do

556
00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:43,560
the drives coaching. That's company coaching but more based on management.

557
00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:49,240
Okay. So like for example you have a big company you have like 18

558
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,840
managers on CFOs and this and this and we want it and we do like a

559
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:57,880
workshop with music and with

560
00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:03,800
a bit of ownership like be realizing your position within the whole

561
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:08,760
total and like to isolate yourself. Those kind of things. But those

562
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:12,680
things are specific. They come through a certain

563
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,760
channel. It's not something that I that you're actively marketing or

564
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:20,520
pursuing but when they come along then I do it.

565
00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:24,040
The creative scientificity in you is like

566
00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:32,760
I'll do it. Yeah yeah yeah or even like the other side is also

567
00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,600
to presentation like if you're a big event

568
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:41,000
international and you speak English or whatever language

569
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,880
or different cultures. I do a lot of that as well but I'm also a curator.

570
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:52,200
I've made museum, tento selenga. Several different things. I mean

571
00:32:52,200 --> 00:33:01,160
you're really a centipede. I'm not sure if that's the right word but

572
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:06,440
yeah that's what's coming in like octopus like yeah I mean I thought I

573
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,960
dabble in a lot of different things but this is a yeah that's a lot of different

574
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,480
things and there's also the investment side

575
00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:18,040
right? Yes also. Okay any any any stuff you want to touch on

576
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:23,080
on the investment side? For me the biggest and most important investment

577
00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:29,080
is anything that I can do for myself.

578
00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:36,680
Okay anything that is for example even in

579
00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:44,040
where I live, how I live, that my home is situated in a way that

580
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:48,600
I'm happy. That's for me like that's investment pertaining to

581
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,800
what I need but investment in for example

582
00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:55,240
generational that's like one of my biggest focuses

583
00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:58,760
is creating a generational wealth that my nieces

584
00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:02,280
their grandchildren won't have to work as hard as I worked.

585
00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:05,640
So it's not only the next generation with the generations to come.

586
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,560
So I'm trying to create and that I'm doing that in different ways

587
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:17,240
that is in wasgoed. It's a real estate. Real estate yeah I'm doing that also in

588
00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:22,440
literally saving and I'm doing that also in

589
00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:26,840
spreading knowledge so that not only that I will give them something

590
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,960
but they have the tools to make it even bigger. Yeah

591
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:33,800
to do for themselves for them but to make also the investment that I make

592
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:38,920
the sacrifices that I make that they can they can capitalize on it and multiply

593
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,640
it multiply it yes yeah to the next level.

594
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:46,120
Yes and I don't only do that for my sister's kids but I do that for my

595
00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:49,400
friend's kids for the the next generation that we

596
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:55,160
create awareness with our children. Yeah you know

597
00:34:55,160 --> 00:35:00,360
I mean it's so important because we were talking about it earlier that

598
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:05,240
is also something that is not as much spoken about or shared in our

599
00:35:05,240 --> 00:35:09,560
culture. I think in general in the world as it

600
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:14,120
is today it's not as shared as it as it should be but

601
00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:19,240
definitely within our cultures within our dynamics it's

602
00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:25,240
it's not as strong but and I think also that a lot of people that see

603
00:35:25,240 --> 00:35:29,080
artists they see what you do on stage yeah

604
00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:32,920
but they don't see like I feel sometimes I feel like an iceberg

605
00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:36,840
and you know the tip is what you see yeah right indeed and under the water

606
00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:41,960
level it goes on way deeper deeper and so much broader

607
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:46,680
and so much more but you just see what

608
00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:51,080
I want to do the iceberg what I want you to see because that's my action

609
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:56,440
but that's the outworking for my action so the results is what you see yeah but

610
00:35:56,440 --> 00:36:00,600
the steps that I have to take how hard I have to climb how fast and

611
00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:05,240
how much I have to carry yeah it's not visible but I think that a

612
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:10,360
lot of people underestimate what is necessary to be

613
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:16,680
a product you know yeah not only as an artist but as a designer

614
00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:23,960
as a builder as a straterlecher whatever it is you do that you have a

615
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:30,200
gift that you share a welder or I mean my cousin my mom's cousin

616
00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:34,040
he does welding but so specific that very few people can do it

617
00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:39,800
so it's very specific yeah and if you and people just see the ships

618
00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,400
sailing by but not knowing the kind of work and

619
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:47,400
and quality and investment and studying knowledge is necessary

620
00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:53,160
to do the work so that that ship can sail yeah and that's the

621
00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,720
and nowadays I think that a lot of people underestimate what is necessary

622
00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:03,160
to do a good thing yeah you know the type of work and

623
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:08,040
dedication it takes to get to that level to become that expert

624
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:15,400
that can can create things that just only few can exactly yeah and

625
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,640
again I'm ping-ponging back to our earlier conversation because

626
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:25,880
that was a pretty interesting one earlier you were mentioning about

627
00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:32,440
one of your life philosophies of that you you took some time to

628
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:39,720
transition from allowing your cup to oh yes leak from both ends to flow

629
00:37:39,720 --> 00:37:43,880
out the top but also to leak from the bottom and that you had to make

630
00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:50,760
changes there could you maybe elaborate expand on that a bit

631
00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:57,000
in general and I think that's what I call a deficiency and it's mostly I

632
00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,800
for me it feels like some a part of our culture

633
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:03,240
of the black culture the caribbean culture

634
00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:09,320
is that we we grow up learning to take care of people around us we learn

635
00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:14,920
to turn the other cheek we learn to if to help yeah right but if you take

636
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:19,800
that character that's characteristic and take it out of the

637
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:23,640
controlled environment and bring it into the world yeah it's something that's

638
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:28,600
it can work because 99 percent of the people around you

639
00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:34,200
don't have that same upbringing don't have that same character yeah

640
00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,640
that was formed on that small island community

641
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:40,680
and and and they will tend to take advantage of

642
00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,840
they will let you pour without filling your cup ever

643
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:48,200
you know what I mean yeah and so I had to see

644
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:53,560
that for me to be able to do for you that's what I learned here is that I

645
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:58,760
have to do for myself first yeah and so we didn't learn to be selfish

646
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:03,240
we learned to help yeah but I think to be able to do for another you have to

647
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:06,920
do for yourself yeah first yeah so when when I had the cup it

648
00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:11,560
was like at 45 degrees I was pouring but there were holes in the

649
00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:14,840
bottom so my cup was never full it was like maybe

650
00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:19,480
on a slant yeah this little bit was in the cup

651
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,440
unless it until I decided to turn it straight

652
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:26,840
straight up and put the titanium

653
00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:32,120
bottom yeah titanium titanium and cover up all the holes

654
00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:35,800
and then started pouring in and when it got full

655
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:43,960
my overflow is what I can let you catch yeah and not everybody I had to be also

656
00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:48,040
be actual discernment in who yeah gets my overflow

657
00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:51,640
yeah because if you sow on unfertilized ground

658
00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:56,040
there's no return preach you see what I'm saying

659
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:59,400
so if you know we we plant seeds to harvest

660
00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:04,120
you don't plant seed for to stay in the ground and you plant seed for it to

661
00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:08,200
multiply right but if we are like planting seeds

662
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,480
sowing seeds in ground that is not fruitful

663
00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:15,320
we will never harvest and it has to you have to be aware

664
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:23,320
what discern what is fruitful yeah and and and isolate loyalty

665
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,880
isolate oh I know you for a long time no not because I know you that means that I

666
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:33,560
will sow in what you're doing yeah no no no I have to see

667
00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:38,680
that whatever I tell you that you take it and you multiply it

668
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:42,760
if you don't multiply I can't invest yeah so that means that my

669
00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:49,720
my overflow is not accessible my access my having more doesn't

670
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:55,560
mean it's accessible to you yeah so I had to learn that lesson so

671
00:40:55,560 --> 00:41:00,920
we could you could you maybe pinpoint one of those moments and when you

672
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:08,520
really learn that lesson it's big like for example you know um

673
00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:12,440
sometimes we can work with people out of loyalty

674
00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,560
so then you're pouring into them pouring into them but

675
00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:19,240
it's never enough yeah they're never satisfied

676
00:41:19,240 --> 00:41:23,240
and they never it's not reciprocated you know it's not

677
00:41:23,240 --> 00:41:28,360
gave and name yeah it's given and cry is that a given take

678
00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:34,200
it's a given receipt yeah or receive you want to receive it's a but a lot of

679
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,320
times we work in we're giving so because we're expecting

680
00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:41,880
it to come back and but most of the time when we do that

681
00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:46,600
people that are not like-minded they don't have the same upbringing

682
00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:50,360
don't have the same ethics yeah they morals and values

683
00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:53,720
they will never be able to do that for you yeah

684
00:41:53,720 --> 00:41:56,680
and so I had it in a lot of work settings

685
00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:00,440
with different musicians or whoever did like a

686
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:04,840
person that does your I don't know that did

687
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:09,240
drive drive my car or you invested in everything and then when you need them

688
00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:12,440
they're never there only when it suits their purpose yeah

689
00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:17,240
small things yeah but are very big things in a bigger picture

690
00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:20,600
you know what I mean or people that you paid for

691
00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:24,680
every month for the 12 years for them to work for you and then all of a sudden

692
00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:28,360
um something goes wrong and they cannot

693
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:32,600
understand that hey you ain't got it right now

694
00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:35,720
yeah for example yeah it's a simple example

695
00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:41,160
or even that that somebody this is a nice one that you

696
00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:44,440
always treat people well always do good and then

697
00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:48,360
they hear something and they don't come and ask you a question

698
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:51,800
they just assume but then and then but also not

699
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:57,400
being aware that hey um I have you you can trust that I will never do

700
00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:01,960
something to hurt you so why would you take someone's

701
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:05,960
word who has never done anything with you but just put something on you to

702
00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:11,240
make trouble and not see it and so on and so on

703
00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:15,080
and so on and so then you have to or sometimes you can see people doing

704
00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:20,200
certain things and you're like no but we're friends you'll never do that to me

705
00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:25,320
those things are dangerous things yeah and those are things that I had to

706
00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:30,040
learn so that my cup could be filled yeah because you can be

707
00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:35,560
friends with people you can have personal or business relationships

708
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:38,520
with people but if you see them showing certain

709
00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:43,400
correct characteristics that might not sit right but they

710
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:48,200
didn't do it with you or to you yeah but don't underestimate

711
00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:51,560
that it can come right back around and bite you in the ass true

712
00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:54,440
and they can do the same thing that they've been doing to everybody else to

713
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:57,800
you as soon as the shit hits the fan yeah my

714
00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:03,240
grandmother said it the best she said know your friends and treat

715
00:44:03,240 --> 00:44:07,240
them well never your friends your secret tell

716
00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:10,920
oh for when your friends become your fo

717
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:18,680
around the world your shit will go oh shit that that one we gotta write down

718
00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:25,720
thanks grandma hey I'm like okay but only now I understand

719
00:44:25,720 --> 00:44:28,840
I because I was just about to ask you like uh

720
00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:32,120
I I sure grandma told you this as a kid as a kid

721
00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:37,320
and and it's and and it's so many years later that it really starts to click and

722
00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:42,680
be so many years decades later decades later grandma

723
00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:46,440
hey if she was still alive I would be uh be telling her thanks every day

724
00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:52,120
you know it's like a lot of you know a lot of generational wealth is

725
00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:57,960
also in lessons you know and and and I mean like me I came

726
00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:03,480
to the Netherlands at 19 years uh 19 years old into a

727
00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:06,200
country where I spoke the language but I didn't know

728
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:10,440
the culture yeah was very lonely because you come into a place where

729
00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:13,480
there's nobody like you there's other students that come but

730
00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:15,480
they're suffering the same thing you're suffering

731
00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:18,120
yeah so before you can make a connection it takes months

732
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:23,240
yeah and I believe that knowing what I now know

733
00:45:23,240 --> 00:45:27,000
I can tell my nieces you know be prepared them

734
00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:30,440
even better for what it would be like but my parents never studied in the

735
00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:33,640
Netherlands so they had no idea yeah oh I'm sure they would have prepared

736
00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:37,480
us you know so it's it's also generational

737
00:45:37,480 --> 00:45:42,360
wisdom it's not only financial generational wealth but

738
00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:46,840
in knowledge yeah you know in in empowering

739
00:45:46,840 --> 00:45:50,280
our children but also to know where you're from

740
00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:54,360
super important you know to know that you know I

741
00:45:54,360 --> 00:46:00,200
I have a vision on slavery and on the mindset Marcus Garvey said

742
00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,720
that he says we have to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery

743
00:46:03,720 --> 00:46:08,200
for none of our ourselves can free our minds but Marty sang the song

744
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:11,480
yeah I just got goosebumps it's one of my favorite Bob Marley songs

745
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:15,720
yeah but it's the redemption it's a speech from Marcus Garvey

746
00:46:15,720 --> 00:46:20,600
the the entire song oh yes oh I didn't know it's a speech

747
00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:25,080
that's why if you listen to this if you read the lyrics you see that it's

748
00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:31,880
he's speaking live yeah and it's because for us to grow as a people

749
00:46:31,880 --> 00:46:36,120
but not only the black person that experienced racism but the

750
00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:42,040
white person that is a is is a part of the generation

751
00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:46,520
is not saying that it wasn't there but saying

752
00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:50,520
but seeing that it hit an ice vatican new north state

753
00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:55,160
yeah still it's still visible yeah but I'm not saying that you did it I'm just

754
00:46:55,160 --> 00:47:00,600
saying it's what it's you're behaving from a place of

755
00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,880
having that freedom and I'm behaving from a place of having no freedom

756
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:07,720
yeah and so that we have to teach our children

757
00:47:07,720 --> 00:47:11,720
to have a mindset to see that you can be anything you want to be

758
00:47:11,720 --> 00:47:16,520
yeah you can be more than whatever anybody says about you

759
00:47:16,520 --> 00:47:20,040
but that's the generational knowledge wealth

760
00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:25,640
that is also necessary 100% it's a mindset shift and that's the only reason

761
00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:29,880
that I can do what I'm doing and that I can

762
00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:35,720
you know have that financial freedom is because I believe I can do anything

763
00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:39,720
yeah because it all starts in the mind if you if you don't believe you can then

764
00:47:39,720 --> 00:47:42,120
you never will but that's if you don't believe it's

765
00:47:42,120 --> 00:47:45,320
possible then it won't be possible but I had parents that taught me

766
00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:49,880
that I could be anything god bless them amen

767
00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:55,320
but I mean but I know a lot of kids our kids today still struggle with

768
00:47:55,320 --> 00:47:58,840
you know acceptance or struggle with having the room

769
00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:02,920
to be more than what someone thinks they can be

770
00:48:02,920 --> 00:48:10,200
yeah so that's also part of my yeah my my hope for the future

771
00:48:10,200 --> 00:48:13,960
so that there can be more shirma's more girls

772
00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:18,520
and boys that they're not only to dream but to do

773
00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:23,000
yeah you know because that they that they have the possibility to

774
00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:26,840
be a owner of a house and have a car and have

775
00:48:26,840 --> 00:48:31,160
nice things and have the possibility to leave their children

776
00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:35,000
set for life yeah we have that possibility in us

777
00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:39,720
100 we have it and it's I mean it doesn't have to happen in one

778
00:48:39,720 --> 00:48:42,840
generation but you can plant a seed and see it

779
00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:47,160
grow what what what what the what what they do in the cruise they do

780
00:48:47,160 --> 00:48:51,560
the finger snapping yeah yeah yeah

781
00:48:52,120 --> 00:48:58,120
amazing um so maybe let's let's let's let's kind of

782
00:48:58,120 --> 00:49:03,560
continue in this pocket a little bit with

783
00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:07,480
which which particular facets do you think of your

784
00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:13,960
caribbean upbringing has played a crucial positive role

785
00:49:13,960 --> 00:49:19,400
in growing your career love

786
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:26,280
leave there yeah we are a culture that's very welcoming very open

787
00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:31,000
um and I think that's something that has made room for me

788
00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:38,200
yeah is that you that I'm accessible to people

789
00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:44,040
but also the um

790
00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:47,480
yeah it's it's the gift it's a gift also you know

791
00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:51,880
yeah it's not it's not mine for me it comes from

792
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:57,880
a different source and I and I learned about that source in that small

793
00:49:57,880 --> 00:50:02,280
community yeah you know you work on an island where 90% of the people go to

794
00:50:02,280 --> 00:50:05,400
church then you have no choice but to learn

795
00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:09,320
to know you know what I mean yeah it's different than coming to live in the

796
00:50:09,320 --> 00:50:13,240
Netherlands and most people have no faith yeah

797
00:50:13,240 --> 00:50:16,920
then they don't want it but they didn't they're not

798
00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:21,000
they weren't really exposed to it exactly because a lot of things

799
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:25,320
in religion here were you know like put on you and you must

800
00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:29,880
but at home we had a choice you know you but it was a choice but it was like

801
00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:33,240
another choice but a choice yeah yeah because you could be forced to

802
00:50:33,240 --> 00:50:37,160
go to church but you didn't have to because you learned

803
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:41,160
that it was something that's part of the culture like my niece

804
00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:45,880
my niece this week she's six she told my sister

805
00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:51,080
messaged me she said she was walking with her to school and she said mama

806
00:50:51,080 --> 00:50:57,320
um tante is not afraid to sing for people

807
00:50:57,320 --> 00:51:00,440
she said and she's not also she's not afraid to sing for god

808
00:51:00,440 --> 00:51:04,600
so my sister said like what what do you mean because she sings in church

809
00:51:04,600 --> 00:51:08,520
she said yeah because god lives there right

810
00:51:08,520 --> 00:51:12,360
and I was like that's so beautiful because that she can

811
00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:18,440
already know yeah without having to be forced and without someone explaining

812
00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:21,080
to her she thinks about it yeah I think so

813
00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:25,080
beautiful because that's the you want to be that kind of example and I

814
00:51:25,080 --> 00:51:29,480
think that that that's what we had at home yeah

815
00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:33,080
you know as growing up it wasn't like a must god was like a

816
00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:36,280
a part of our existence and I think without

817
00:51:36,280 --> 00:51:43,000
being an entrepreneur being an artist I cannot claim anything

818
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:47,880
without acknowledging that for me that's god

819
00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:55,880
in my life yeah I can't preach it's not by my own but by his

820
00:51:55,880 --> 00:52:02,680
you know yeah the facts facts facts hard facts

821
00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:09,560
facts so let's uh let's rewind the clock one more time

822
00:52:09,560 --> 00:52:14,120
why are you going back how long are we talking already

823
00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:18,520
this might be the last one if uh we could talk for hours

824
00:52:18,520 --> 00:52:22,920
you know right okay I know we can so we we we we go

825
00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:25,880
we hopefully we're gonna continue some conversation

826
00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:29,800
you guys getting like a what have we been talking for two hours already

827
00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:36,680
okay but looking back to let's say 18 19 year old

828
00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:42,920
shirma yeah right because um 19 year old shirma is the one that

829
00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:47,560
moved to the netherlands yeah and and and got a bit of the culture shock

830
00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:52,520
and and had to sort of refigure out what life is for her

831
00:52:52,520 --> 00:52:56,680
from that point on um the shirma of today

832
00:52:56,680 --> 00:53:01,080
what what advice would you give that 19 year old girl

833
00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:09,080
why that's a really good question I think um

834
00:53:09,080 --> 00:53:12,840
the only thing I would say is it will get better

835
00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:17,640
it will get better it will get better have faith it will get better

836
00:53:17,640 --> 00:53:23,000
that's I touched myself wow

837
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:28,840
it will get better wow wow that one just gave me goosebumps

838
00:53:28,840 --> 00:53:35,080
so that one bring me to tears wow you know sometimes

839
00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:39,640
you know as a student coming here you know dealing with racism

840
00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:42,520
dealing with being different you know I came to study

841
00:53:42,520 --> 00:53:49,400
chemistry I'm a chemist so I came to to study in a very white

842
00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:54,760
um I didn't come to do like a teacher or a nurse in

843
00:53:54,760 --> 00:54:00,440
where you had more a bit more diversity none at all

844
00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:07,960
yeah so you you gotta feel like you know I felt like a

845
00:54:07,960 --> 00:54:12,360
uh I was like a unicorn

846
00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:15,480
I was a unicorn yeah because an exception to the rules

847
00:54:15,480 --> 00:54:19,960
and it's like this the this not supposed to exist yeah

848
00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:25,000
yeah not for me because my leave the food is a unicorn is beautiful it's

849
00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:29,960
it's majestic so you know you your your your background already

850
00:54:29,960 --> 00:54:32,280
taught you your your beautiful and majestic

851
00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:36,600
you know your value yes uh but the coming to a situation where

852
00:54:36,600 --> 00:54:42,600
a unicorn is not normal yeah of others was best or have to you know it was very

853
00:54:42,600 --> 00:54:47,080
lonely very lonely and so I would just say

854
00:54:47,080 --> 00:54:53,720
it's it it's gonna get better yeah yeah I wasn't expecting that one but

855
00:54:53,720 --> 00:54:58,840
me neither me either but you asked the question

856
00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:05,240
so any any final thoughts or words for uh for our audience

857
00:55:05,240 --> 00:55:09,640
well if it pertaining to achieving your goals

858
00:55:09,640 --> 00:55:13,640
I would say there are four things that for me

859
00:55:13,640 --> 00:55:20,920
have always been very important is you know to be the best in the room

860
00:55:20,920 --> 00:55:24,680
and being the best in the room is not meaning you know that you

861
00:55:24,680 --> 00:55:27,960
are better than anybody else but to be your best

862
00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:31,880
self to be the best version of yourself yeah

863
00:55:31,880 --> 00:55:39,160
at all times yeah and number two is have social skills don't let

864
00:55:39,160 --> 00:55:46,840
your worries your energy be the thing that shifts the room

865
00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:51,400
be it let it be something positive the room uplifting something

866
00:55:51,400 --> 00:55:54,920
that you bring that inspires be an inspiration

867
00:55:54,920 --> 00:56:04,840
yeah number three is time be on time be on time because

868
00:56:04,840 --> 00:56:11,720
me people don't wait on me I hate it I hate it so it but it's important

869
00:56:11,720 --> 00:56:15,080
because time is money yeah

870
00:56:15,080 --> 00:56:22,520
there's money and number four never stop learning oh yeah

871
00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:29,000
never stop learning 100 be aware that it's never done yeah so keep honing

872
00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:33,320
your skill keep looking for things to add on to what

873
00:56:33,320 --> 00:56:39,240
you have to offer those four things have brought me this far

874
00:56:39,240 --> 00:56:43,560
beautiful that's it I think with that we can

875
00:56:43,560 --> 00:56:47,720
we can wrap a nice bow tie on this one

876
00:56:49,720 --> 00:56:54,280
oh Sherma thank you very very much my pleasure John my pleasure

877
00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:58,200
for coming down all this way and and spending this time with us here

878
00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:04,200
another problem thank you yeah I had I had an amazing time it's

879
00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:09,240
been a very inspirational conversation thank you thank you me too even a part

880
00:57:09,240 --> 00:57:13,000
emotional roller coaster towards the end but but I fully get it

881
00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:18,760
because it's uh when when you make that shift

882
00:57:18,760 --> 00:57:22,120
it it can feel so dark and lonely at times

883
00:57:22,120 --> 00:57:28,680
100 but I also when I also believe that we need to

884
00:57:28,680 --> 00:57:32,120
speak about this more 100 but also you know

885
00:57:32,120 --> 00:57:37,480
be aware that not all bad things that happen to us

886
00:57:37,480 --> 00:57:44,120
um will will will turn out bad sometimes it's for your good

887
00:57:44,120 --> 00:57:49,960
yeah like you know I always say David needed Goliath to become a king

888
00:57:49,960 --> 00:57:54,440
true so we need to have shooting we need to have bad days to have good days

889
00:57:54,440 --> 00:57:58,200
yeah and you need to have those bad days to even

890
00:57:58,200 --> 00:58:03,640
understand what a good day is so that's the thing it will get better

891
00:58:03,640 --> 00:58:08,440
thanks again welcome and with that one we're signing out

892
00:58:08,440 --> 00:58:11,960
like subscribe leave some comments if I forgot to ask

893
00:58:11,960 --> 00:58:15,800
miss Sherma any amazing questions then please let me know

894
00:58:15,800 --> 00:58:23,160
um and I'll see you in the next one guys thank you bless

895
00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:47,160
you