WEBVTT 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:11.359 All right, welcome to good news York sponsored 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.060 by ads on the go get ads on the go calm I am 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:17.480 Mike Brindisi Again, I'm flying solo Matt. I 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:19.379 can't make fun of him today. He actually had 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:24.140 an emergency meeting For his other side of the 00:00:24.140 --> 00:00:26.980 business growth mode technologies, so I'm flying 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:30.219 solo with a very special guest. I'm very excited 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:34.149 ladies and gentlemen She is the founder of the 00:00:34.149 --> 00:00:37.530 Pivot Place podcast as well as QCulture Media 00:00:37.530 --> 00:00:40.289 Group, the one and only Victoria Coit. Victoria, 00:00:40.350 --> 00:00:42.469 thank you for coming. Thanks for having me. You 00:00:42.469 --> 00:00:45.789 are so welcome. Thank you. Bonus points. As soon 00:00:45.789 --> 00:00:47.369 as I met you, you had a Yankees hat on. I'm a 00:00:47.369 --> 00:00:50.250 gigantic Yankees fan, so obviously you're a good 00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:52.869 person. Perfect. I'm in alignment. That's me, 00:00:52.950 --> 00:00:55.810 exactly. I apologize you're stuck with only me 00:00:55.810 --> 00:00:57.899 today, but... We're going to have some fun because 00:00:57.899 --> 00:01:01.259 you've done some amazing things and I'll be honest, 00:01:02.179 --> 00:01:04.959 Matt put me on your radar. Ironically, he's not 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:07.280 here, but he said, I would love to get Victoria 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:10.099 on the show. She was part of Profound. And I 00:01:10.099 --> 00:01:12.400 looked you up and you are doing some amazing 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:15.420 things. I don't even know where to start, but 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:18.840 I think let's talk about the Cuse Culture Media 00:01:18.840 --> 00:01:22.079 Group. Tell me when you started, how it came 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:25.219 about and what you guys are doing. Yeah, thank 00:01:25.219 --> 00:01:28.319 you, thank you. So welcome. So Q's Culture Media 00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:30.959 Group, it actually started off as a publication 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:37.680 back in about 2016. Okay. Roughly. We started 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:42.500 off as a publication called SOTE Magazine, and 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:46.260 that stood for South of the Earth Magazine, and 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.780 it was a magazine highlighting women of color 00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:51.719 and all of the different amazing things that 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:54.299 they do and issues that they do go through as 00:01:54.299 --> 00:01:56.939 well, specifically in Syracuse, New York and 00:01:56.939 --> 00:02:00.180 the surrounding areas. I ended up, you know, 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:03.379 life was lifing. I ended up having a daughter, 00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:06.540 an amazing daughter. and really thought I was 00:02:06.540 --> 00:02:08.780 going to sit it down for a while, but anybody 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:11.080 knows when you have a passion and a vision, it 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:15.740 just keeps knocking at your door. we pivoted 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:18.680 and we actually said, you know, we should do, 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:21.680 I pivoted and thought maybe doing a magazine 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:25.280 for everybody, you know, highlighting everything 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:29.759 specifically in the communities of color and 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.419 professionals and creatives and all of that in 00:02:33.419 --> 00:02:35.840 Central New York would be the move. And so that's 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:38.500 how Q's culture was birthed. That's amazing. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:42.900 And so you're showcasing different people in 00:02:42.900 --> 00:02:46.840 different industries. And is this a digital publication 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.740 or was it a print publication? Yeah, so it evolved 00:02:49.740 --> 00:02:52.900 for about a year. It was a publication and it 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:57.039 quickly evolved to a public relations firm. So 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:01.319 events are sort of the thing that I do easily 00:03:01.319 --> 00:03:05.199 and it gives me joy. It pumps me up to bring 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.939 people together. And so when we would have the 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:10.300 magazine, we would also have events, networking 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:14.319 events at the time. I had just moved back from 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:16.900 DC, and I always love to go to networking events 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:19.099 because you never know who you would run into. 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:24.199 And so we started doing networking events, and 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:33.900 that rolled into... I started asking questions 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:36.719 like, why aren't there any people of color in 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:41.080 the C -suite? Why does the entry level look so 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:45.199 much different than the top? And the answer I 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:47.759 would get a lot of times would be because folks 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:53.460 weren't applying or... I'm trying to be nice. 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:56.500 You don't have to be. Yes. A lot of fun. No, 00:03:56.500 --> 00:03:58.699 this is good news, right? That's OK. So moral 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:02.020 of the story, I said, hey, I have a place where 00:04:02.020 --> 00:04:05.400 a lot of different, a diverse group of people 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.460 come. They're professionals. They're educated. 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.240 And they would love to hear about the opportunities 00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:13.840 that you have. And so from there, they would 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:19.000 sponsor events and get in the room. I would share 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:22.079 a lot of positions through my network and my 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:26.269 mailing list. began to get hired. And that amongst 00:04:26.269 --> 00:04:28.750 so many other things, I started doing a lot of 00:04:28.750 --> 00:04:32.670 public relations from that. And that's how we 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:35.189 turned into a boutique PR firm. That's amazing. 00:04:35.910 --> 00:04:40.189 And so some of your clients, give me a little 00:04:40.189 --> 00:04:43.310 taste of like, what does your clientele look 00:04:43.310 --> 00:04:47.370 like? What does it look like? Is it a certain 00:04:47.370 --> 00:04:49.930 industry? Is it all types of different industries? 00:04:50.350 --> 00:04:52.610 all types of different industries. It's just 00:04:52.610 --> 00:04:56.029 different industries that are looking to connect 00:04:56.029 --> 00:04:58.470 in a different way. What they're doing is not 00:04:58.470 --> 00:05:01.629 working at that time, at the time. And they're 00:05:01.629 --> 00:05:04.970 looking to get their product, service, whatever 00:05:04.970 --> 00:05:08.189 it is, in front of a different group of people. 00:05:08.569 --> 00:05:13.689 And so that's where I come in. I think that outreach 00:05:13.689 --> 00:05:16.829 and marketing and branding, all these buzzwords, 00:05:16.949 --> 00:05:19.610 it doesn't have to be also boring and stuffy 00:05:19.610 --> 00:05:22.569 and corporate. And you don't always have to take 00:05:22.569 --> 00:05:26.029 the same approach, which is maybe a billboard 00:05:26.029 --> 00:05:29.110 or this or that. And I love using events as a 00:05:29.110 --> 00:05:33.110 mode of communication and building your tribe 00:05:33.110 --> 00:05:36.139 and things of that nature. That's wonderful. 00:05:36.459 --> 00:05:38.639 So, I mean, in addition to being a PR firm, is 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.319 it fair to say, I mean, you're also connecting 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:45.860 employers with employees as well? I was, I definitely 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:49.259 was. So, how Q's culture looks, looked before 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:52.519 COVID to how it looks now is, I wouldn't say 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:54.459 totally different, but I would say different. 00:05:54.819 --> 00:06:01.060 Yeah. It looks different. I would say also that, 00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:02.639 yeah, I would just say that it looks different. 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:06.000 You were talking about events. um in these networking 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.939 events you mentioned you have a festival uh coming 00:06:09.939 --> 00:06:12.300 up let's talk about that what what is it and 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:14.920 where is it when is it and what are the details 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:17.939 yeah absolutely so as in the same vein as pivoting 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:20.879 after covid you know um instead of quarterly 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:23.199 events or monthly events i thought it would be 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:27.089 better for me to do two to three very large events 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:30.529 a year that brought people together. And one 00:06:30.529 --> 00:06:33.870 of them is the Reunion Fest. So before it started, 00:06:33.870 --> 00:06:36.449 before COVID, and that was our first year, actually 00:06:36.449 --> 00:06:40.110 2019, right in front of City Hall when we had 00:06:40.110 --> 00:06:42.370 our festival. And then when we came back from 00:06:42.370 --> 00:06:44.209 COVID, I was like, you know what? I don't want 00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:46.269 to call it Q's Culture Festival anymore. I want 00:06:46.269 --> 00:06:49.449 to call it the Reunion. And that's what it is. 00:06:49.569 --> 00:06:53.370 It's the Reunion Fest. We're going on our fifth 00:06:53.370 --> 00:06:57.660 year. It was named that because as a child, I 00:06:57.660 --> 00:06:59.959 have a 10 -year -old named Celeste Rose, and 00:06:59.959 --> 00:07:02.620 when I was around her age, I could just remember 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:05.139 my family putting me to work. You know, whether 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:09.139 it was the family vacation, whether it was our 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:12.819 annual family reunion, which moved around a lot 00:07:12.819 --> 00:07:15.259 of us from the South, and we were one of the 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:18.139 only families in the North. So every three to 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:20.360 five years, we would have it in Syracuse, at 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:24.259 the Syracuse Hotel, and I would be like, of that 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:28.170 organizing team. with my grandmother. So putting 00:07:28.170 --> 00:07:31.750 that together, a weekend of events at such a 00:07:31.750 --> 00:07:33.569 young age, I didn't even realize that it made 00:07:33.569 --> 00:07:36.129 an impact with me, but what made it impact was 00:07:36.129 --> 00:07:39.069 having that moment and intentional time to connect 00:07:39.069 --> 00:07:42.069 with family, to connect with folks that you haven't 00:07:42.069 --> 00:07:45.310 seen in so long. So I just patterned that after 00:07:45.310 --> 00:07:48.550 this festival. There are individuals that specifically 00:07:48.550 --> 00:07:51.970 come to town to come to it, that used to grow 00:07:51.970 --> 00:07:53.769 up, that grew up in Syracuse. They know they 00:07:53.769 --> 00:07:57.860 can see their friends. and family or classmates. 00:07:59.339 --> 00:08:02.319 And then also, you know, we're all so busy. So 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.319 do we really get to see folks that we grew up 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:07.800 with like that? You know, this is the time to 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.379 do so, to be intentional. I think that is so 00:08:11.379 --> 00:08:14.660 awesome for many reasons. The obviously being, 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:18.060 you know, I think with social media and post 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:21.319 pandemic, we're less social as a society. So 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:23.800 I think it's great that you're kind of trying 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:27.939 to kickstart that again. But what I also think 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:33.220 is, you know, I noticed years ago, you know, 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:35.919 I would get emails all the time, you know, our 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:39.059 high school reunion, you know, 10 year, 15 year, 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:41.919 and then it kind of died out right around COVID. 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:45.720 And someone made a point to me that... With the 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:48.120 rise of social media everybody's kind of still 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:50.019 in touch. You can see people on social media 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:52.159 You can talk you can see what everybody's up 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.360 to so not as many people are getting together 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:57.500 So the fact that you're kind of creating a reunion 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:02.620 for all is just awesome And I think it's such 00:09:02.620 --> 00:09:05.620 a great thing. And where is this happening? It 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:09.059 happens in Perseverance Park, which is for folks 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:11.820 that grew up in Syracuse on the corner of Salina 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:13.940 and Fayette where the old central bus hub used 00:09:13.940 --> 00:09:15.919 to be. A lot of people say I didn't know that 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:18.620 was a park and I didn't know it had an A. You 00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:21.259 know, but it's called Perseverance Park. It's 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:23.139 in front of the Chase building right in the center 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:26.740 of downtown on the corner of South Salina and 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:28.620 West Fayette Street. That's amazing. And what's 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:31.090 the dates on that? August 2nd, which is this 00:09:31.090 --> 00:09:34.990 Saturday, from 3 p .m. to 10 p .m. So this is 00:09:34.990 --> 00:09:38.789 our first time moving. Actually, we started on 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:41.470 a Saturday, but then after we were on Fridays, 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:44.549 after work from 5 to 11, now we're moving it 00:09:44.549 --> 00:09:48.490 back to a Saturday, and we'll be there from 3 00:09:48.490 --> 00:09:54.799 to 10. That's amazing. In addition to... The 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:57.919 the Cuse culture media group you do have a podcast 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.179 called the pivot place I do that is awesome and 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:02.860 a beautiful website by the way. I went and checked 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:04.940 it out Thank you. Tell me about how the pivot 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:07.460 place started. What's it about? When does it 00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:11.039 air and where? Yeah, so the pivot place is another 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:13.580 beautiful thing that came out of pulpit You know 00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:17.960 the the brand the pivot place You know I was 00:10:18.730 --> 00:10:21.429 Thinking that I wanted to move out of Syracuse 00:10:21.429 --> 00:10:24.669 at the time It was such a transitional time for 00:10:24.669 --> 00:10:27.289 me and I just like, you know, I'm a very spiritual 00:10:27.289 --> 00:10:29.830 person So just in meditation and prayer like 00:10:29.830 --> 00:10:32.350 what do you want me to do? And I came up with 00:10:32.350 --> 00:10:35.289 this thing called the pivot place. It's It wasn't 00:10:35.289 --> 00:10:39.529 a podcast. It actually was an opportunity to 00:10:40.680 --> 00:10:44.500 Connect entrepreneurs from Syracuse with entrepreneurs 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:47.059 more so from Central New York with entrepreneurs 00:10:47.059 --> 00:10:52.740 in Western Africa so Ghana Nigeria, and I thought 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:55.539 that we it would be a good opportunity You know 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:57.580 remember you had a pen pal back in the day. Yeah, 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:00.379 you know I was excited. Yeah as an opportunity 00:11:00.379 --> 00:11:05.009 just to cross cultures and to cross -pollinate 00:11:05.009 --> 00:11:07.889 when it comes to business, whether it be trade 00:11:07.889 --> 00:11:13.009 or services, whatever the case may be. And that's 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:15.470 what I wanted the pivot place to be for folks 00:11:15.470 --> 00:11:19.870 to pivot their business and mindset to a whole 00:11:19.870 --> 00:11:22.350 different continent and likewise from the other 00:11:22.350 --> 00:11:27.460 continent. That happened like that. That's still 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:30.860 in the cards a lot and being constructed. But 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:34.879 I had the logo. I did the whole entire brand 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:37.899 identity and all that because I'm just like, 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:41.840 that's how my mind works. And, you know, it was 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:43.740 placed on my heart to do a podcast. And when 00:11:43.740 --> 00:11:45.299 I was like, what am I going to name it? And I'm 00:11:45.299 --> 00:11:47.500 like, you know, I had this logo and all this. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:48.980 So it's going to be called the Piffit Place. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:55.080 And I want to interview folks that from the state 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:58.080 of being of saying, no matter what you are and 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.220 who you are in life, there are these moments 00:12:00.220 --> 00:12:03.340 in life that are very pivotal. And whether you 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:05.340 realize it or not, they change the trajectory 00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:10.659 of your life. And so in retrospect, what were 00:12:10.659 --> 00:12:16.360 those moments? What was it when you're... parent 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:19.179 or somebody significant in your life past? Was 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:21.879 it when your birth of your child? Was it when 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:24.779 you were fired? You know these things that you 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:27.679 think are negative But you look back and say 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:30.460 it was good that that happened that that shifted 00:12:30.460 --> 00:12:33.500 my understanding You know and pulled me back 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:35.720 to where I was supposed to be so that I could 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:38.639 remember Who I was and who I'm supposed to be 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.480 I mean it gave me power actually and so I just 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:43.279 wanted to have those conversations because I 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:46.379 know every single human being on this planet 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:50.340 has a moment like that, if not a multitude of 00:12:50.340 --> 00:12:54.879 moments, right? And so one thing that came to 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:58.279 me when I was doing networking events is that 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:01.679 I started out doing it for minority millennials. 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:06.100 That was my target audience. I know a lot of 00:13:06.100 --> 00:13:07.820 different people in a lot of different spaces, 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:10.480 not all the same age range. And what I've found 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:16.279 the jewel inside of that, the gem, was that perhaps 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:18.259 more seasoned entrepreneurs were in the room. 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:21.419 Younger ones were like, oh, I've been wanting 00:13:21.419 --> 00:13:23.139 to get in touch with this person. I've been emailing 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:25.500 this person. But they're so busy that you don't 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:28.960 have time to always connect. And so being able 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:32.299 to connect with somebody that you feel like is 00:13:32.299 --> 00:13:35.149 unattainable. and understanding that they have 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:38.049 a story that they were once where you were. And 00:13:38.049 --> 00:13:41.710 that story, you know, evolves. Like, there is 00:13:41.710 --> 00:13:44.070 another side, right? There's another side of 00:13:44.070 --> 00:13:47.590 life. And so that's what The Pivot Place is about. 00:13:47.669 --> 00:13:50.450 It's about the other side and it's about seeing 00:13:50.450 --> 00:13:53.529 both sides, you know, simultaneously. So I've 00:13:53.529 --> 00:13:55.730 just been blessed to speak to some amazing people. 00:13:56.319 --> 00:13:58.639 about what their pivot is. I would love to hear 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.620 what your pivot, you know, because you look like 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:04.039 you're thinking. I'm thinking. I'm just listening 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:07.419 to you and thinking about what an amazing concept 00:14:07.419 --> 00:14:11.419 to come up with a podcast with that reason, because 00:14:11.419 --> 00:14:14.580 you're so right. There's you know, there's the 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:16.779 obvious moments that that are pivotal in our 00:14:16.779 --> 00:14:19.100 lives. Right. Like you have kids. I have kids 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.299 like those are life changing. Those are very 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:23.200 obvious to see. But it's funny you mention this 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:26.220 because. Not long ago, I kind of was reflecting, 00:14:26.460 --> 00:14:29.120 and I realized personally, I went, you know, 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:32.539 I was in a cover band in, like, the early 2000s, 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:36.620 and I was playing at some bar, and a woman came 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:40.159 up to me, said, you would be great if you guys 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:41.960 played in Ithaca, New York, and I'd never been 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:45.019 there. Long story short, fast forward, not only 00:14:45.019 --> 00:14:46.940 did we play in Ithaca, New York, I became best 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:49.279 friends with the owner of that club, ended up 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:52.700 moving out to Ithaca and staying with him till 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:55.299 I got on my feet. Fast forward, I've got two 00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:57.679 kids, a wife, and an entire life and career that 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:01.299 was created. And I just think sometimes, what 00:15:01.299 --> 00:15:03.519 if I hadn't played that gig and I didn't meet 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:05.559 that woman? Would I have ever made it to Ithaca? 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:08.600 I mean, it was a tiny moment. Just a tiny, like 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:10.720 we got done. People were coming up to me. She 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:13.779 comes up to me. We introduce ourselves. And it's 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:16.179 just amazing, like the butterfly effect of like 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:18.759 that one moment changed the trajectory of my 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:21.440 life. Not in that moment, but eventually. So 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:24.220 I think not only is that a fantastic idea for 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:28.700 a podcast and whatever else form it takes, but 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:31.500 it's also just an incredible gesture on your 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:34.019 part to make people reflect on that and to talk 00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:36.299 about that and to find gratitude because you 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:38.600 said you're spiritual. And one thing I've learned 00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:42.100 through therapy and working on myself is gratitude 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:46.100 does so much for somebody. And I just what I 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:49.750 found, too, is that between. the Q's Culture 00:15:49.750 --> 00:15:51.889 Media Group and the Pivot Place podcast, there's 00:15:51.889 --> 00:15:55.409 one overall theme. And that is, it seems like 00:15:55.409 --> 00:15:59.210 you are out to help people, connect people, and 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:02.669 help people grow. Where does that come from? 00:16:02.970 --> 00:16:05.809 And what drives you to, I mean, it's an amazing 00:16:05.809 --> 00:16:09.220 thing. And what drives you to do that? Let me 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:11.279 answer your first question. It wasn't a question, 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:13.340 but it can. Probably a hundred things at ya. 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:17.820 Yeah, so I have an amazing mentor that I speak 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:21.340 to on a daily basis, right? And one thing he 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:25.679 stresses is being in the moment. And it sounds 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:28.779 like you and that buyer were in the moment, but 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:32.440 you also, I'll add onto that, like not rushing. 00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:36.669 Right? Because you can miss something that can 00:16:36.669 --> 00:16:39.590 shift your life inside the moment. And I even 00:16:39.590 --> 00:16:42.909 like this morning, full transparency, I was late. 00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:46.610 I have been out late and I wanted to be like, 00:16:47.350 --> 00:16:50.309 but because I had other things going on, I said, 00:16:50.409 --> 00:16:57.529 you know, just slow down, relax. You know, you 00:16:57.529 --> 00:16:59.690 and I are having this conversation like we're 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:05.069 supposed to, right? And that's just what it is. 00:17:05.710 --> 00:17:09.390 So what brings me to this point of my own self 00:17:09.390 --> 00:17:14.190 -awareness is pain. Pain births purpose, right? 00:17:14.269 --> 00:17:17.480 It gives clarity. and it takes you to where you 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:20.500 need to be. A lot of times, I saw this documentary 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:23.220 and I'm so irritated that I cannot remember the 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:25.619 name of it because it was a random, here we go 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:28.240 talk about the moment again, a random DVD that 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:31.720 somebody gave me showing my age a long time ago, 00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:35.900 just a documentary about Syracuse, right? And 00:17:35.900 --> 00:17:39.140 under the 81 bridge, they asked a homeless man, 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:42.940 just holding a sign, they asked him, what is 00:17:42.940 --> 00:17:45.000 your biggest regret? And you would think that 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:46.559 it would be all types of different things. And 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:49.660 he was just like, deal with your shit, right? 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:54.839 I was like, yeah. Hell yeah. Yeah, deal with 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:57.359 it. Take control. You know, deal with it. Because 00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:02.180 we see so many folks that are stuck in the past 00:18:02.180 --> 00:18:05.140 because they never dealt with whatever that thing 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:08.799 was, right? And so it could be like somebody 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.349 still saying, Well, it was because of my mother 00:18:11.349 --> 00:18:14.670 and my father, whatever. They're just back there. 00:18:14.690 --> 00:18:16.910 They just cannot be present. They cannot move 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:20.269 forward. The anger and everything inside of them 00:18:20.269 --> 00:18:25.170 screams 1989. 100%. From their appearance to 00:18:25.170 --> 00:18:28.849 their approach to everything is just like fixated 00:18:28.849 --> 00:18:31.369 on something that they never dealt with fully. 00:18:32.269 --> 00:18:36.910 That is so well said. So many people I've met 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:40.920 and so many people I know are stuck. And when 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:42.980 I first started going to therapy, the one thing 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:45.819 I figured out, the overall arching theme of my 00:18:45.819 --> 00:18:50.299 pain and my struggle was I was... regretting 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:53.019 things in the past and constantly worrying about 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:55.240 things in the future. Shout out to your therapist. 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:58.359 Yeah, well, God, thank God for my therapist. 00:18:58.440 --> 00:18:59.960 I wore the wrong shirt today. I have a shirt 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.400 that says I've got God in a therapist. God bless 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:05.019 you. That is awesome. Because we think we only 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:07.240 need one sometimes. Prayer without works is dead. 00:19:07.539 --> 00:19:10.460 Absolutely. And, you know, I'm a big advocate 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:12.680 for mental health awareness and because of my 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:14.880 own struggles. And, you know, that was eye -opening 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:17.279 for me. It was along the same lines where it 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.299 was like... If you're constantly looking, you 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:20.880 know, regretting the past and worrying about 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:23.440 the future, you're not in the moment. And so 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:26.380 it is such an important thing for us to be mindful, 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:28.220 to stay in the moment and be in the moment. Like 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:31.099 you said, you being late, an example of me, I'm 00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:33.660 always late, by the way, so don't worry. One 00:19:33.660 --> 00:19:37.440 thing I heard before and it's along those same 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.519 lines was, and I don't want to get morbid, but 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:42.259 it was like, if you're ever late, right, or you 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:44.630 get stuck in traffic, someone told me, That might 00:19:44.630 --> 00:19:46.809 be the difference between you, God forbid, getting 00:19:46.809 --> 00:19:48.589 in a car accident. Like maybe you would have 00:19:48.589 --> 00:19:50.289 been at the intersection where something happened. 00:19:50.490 --> 00:19:53.190 You don't know. And maybe it's bullshit, too. 00:19:53.210 --> 00:19:55.549 But the point is, it helps you in that moment 00:19:55.549 --> 00:19:57.589 go, you know what? I don't need to be mad about 00:19:57.589 --> 00:19:59.309 this. I don't need to be worried about this. 00:19:59.589 --> 00:20:02.470 There's a reason I'm late. And, you know, I'm 00:20:02.470 --> 00:20:03.690 still going to get there and I'm still going 00:20:03.690 --> 00:20:05.789 to get to this interview. Absolutely. You have 00:20:05.789 --> 00:20:09.589 such a healthy mindset. And before we go, I just 00:20:09.589 --> 00:20:13.309 I got to ask. So tell me what what is what is 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.799 What is it like daily working for your PR firm, 00:20:18.579 --> 00:20:21.720 Cuse Culture Media Group? Tell me a day in the 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:23.480 life. What are some of the things that you guys 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:30.960 tackle and deal with? Great question. I am coming 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.579 out of corporate. It's funny that I started The 00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:36.440 Pivot Place when I was ready to do my own pivot. 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:42.970 So I'm 30 days in right now. I'm 31 days in. 00:20:44.630 --> 00:20:48.589 But my last day at my official full -time job, 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:51.289 because I was a hybrid entrepreneur, was the 00:20:51.289 --> 00:20:54.869 last day in June. So right now what it looks 00:20:54.869 --> 00:20:59.230 like is this festival this weekend is new contracts, 00:20:59.349 --> 00:21:02.789 new exciting contracts with some great entities 00:21:02.789 --> 00:21:07.150 that I've been blessed to sign. It looks like... 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:12.589 just be in alignment with my purpose and taking 00:21:12.589 --> 00:21:17.150 it day by day, you know, reasoning in every single 00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:19.950 step that I take and making sure that it's where 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:22.849 I need to be because I'm responsible for myself 00:21:22.849 --> 00:21:26.849 and I'm responsible for my daughter. And so it 00:21:26.849 --> 00:21:31.579 looks like... And being cute. Yes, you are very 00:21:31.579 --> 00:21:35.500 cute. Oh, thank you. Man, Victoria Coy, you are 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:38.940 amazing. Before we go, obviously, give us the 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:41.140 plugs, the festival websites, anything you want 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:44.269 to plug, but also. Anything else you want us 00:21:44.269 --> 00:21:46.130 to know or to talk about that you want to get 00:21:46.130 --> 00:21:49.329 out there? Absolutely. So I said that I do a 00:21:49.329 --> 00:21:51.890 couple of large events every year. One is the 00:21:51.890 --> 00:21:54.029 festival, the Reunion Fest, which is the first 00:21:54.029 --> 00:21:57.289 weekend of August every year. And then also I'm 00:21:57.289 --> 00:22:00.069 the co -founder of the Central New York Legacy 00:22:00.069 --> 00:22:03.369 40 Over 40 Awards. Oh, yeah. And that's honoring 00:22:03.369 --> 00:22:08.339 40 nominated. professionals, changemakers, purpose 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:11.920 -driven people that live in central New York 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:14.400 and are making an impact. And that is always 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:17.920 the first weekend in April. So nominations for 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:20.980 that opens up on November the 1st and they close 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:26.140 on December 31st. And outside of that, I just 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:28.240 would like to tell your audience to follow me 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:34.309 on Facebook. Victoria Coy everywhere. the pivot 00:22:34.309 --> 00:22:38.390 place on Instagram, QCulture on Instagram, Facebook. 00:22:39.049 --> 00:22:41.210 You could also subscribe to our mailing list 00:22:41.210 --> 00:22:44.650 on QCulture .com and stay in the know of what 00:22:44.650 --> 00:22:47.289 we have going on and how can you can, you know. 00:22:47.890 --> 00:22:50.450 That's perfect. We will make sure that all that 00:22:50.450 --> 00:22:53.250 info is up in the captions on the screen. Thank 00:22:53.250 --> 00:22:55.869 you. And I can't thank you enough for coming. 00:22:57.019 --> 00:22:59.720 And I mean this sincerely you you are a very 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.079 impressive person and an impressive woman and 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:05.579 I really respect you and what you do not only 00:23:05.579 --> 00:23:09.359 for for people of color, but just people in general 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.839 in in Central New York and beyond and Keep doing 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:15.160 what you're doing and please come back anytime. 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:19.380 Thank you Victoria Coyte the pivot place podcast 00:23:19.380 --> 00:23:23.400 Q's culture Media group. She does it all she 00:23:23.400 --> 00:23:26.299 connects it all We love her. Thank you so much. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:29.000 Thank you. And with that, another episode of 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.079 Good News York, we will be back next week. Matt 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:33.779 and I will be here. Lots of guests, lots to talk 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:36.259 about. It is Good News York sponsored by ads 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:38.740 on the go. Get ads on the go dot com. Victoria 00:23:38.740 --> 00:23:40.539 Coit. She's amazing. Check her out.