We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jolanda Malone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jolanda below.

Jolanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

When I was a little girl, I grew up in the South Bronx. I was an animal lover (still am lol ). Always looked forward to coming home from school to see what new furry friend I would meet. My abuela(grandmother) , such an angel, allowed me to help the stray animals and make sure they were okay.

My abuela’s house felt like a castle. Always filled with smiles, love, such good aroma of yummalicious food, and furry friends. No matter what we was a family and everyone can fill the love and appreciation that filled the house. My abuela always lended a hand to her family, neighbors, animals, and people that she came across. She was the light to my life and truly an inspiration. I explained to her that I wanted to allow some of the stray cats to come and stay with us and she did all she could to allow them to live an amazing life. She allowed me to see that whether your house is full of riches or you may not have all the money in the world ; that your heart could be the most rich of all. This always carried on into my daily life. With helping friends , stray animals, and people going through financial hardship.

My Abuela was a strong soul and this is why my non-profit organization is named after her Beartha(her name is Bertha, but wanted to include earth in it). I wanted to continue her legacy and help God’s children whether they had two legs or four.

Jolanda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jolanda Malone and I am 27 years old. I am the founder of Beartha. Beartha was founded in 2021 and was originally called Stay Pawsome. Beartha promotes health and wellness for people and animals through community, support, and resources.

We have a program called Meals on Wheels. Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, we drive around and hand out pre-made meals , fruit, water, and a snack. We also have hygiene bags and pet product bags for people that may need hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, wipes,etc and pet supplies if they have a pet with them.

We also have Heart Centered Discussions every 2nd Tuesday on IG LIVE @beartha919 where we discuss topics about healing, letting go, self love , and much more. You can also email us for Heart Centered Support which is a Pay what you can Session aimed to help people in low income communities to be able to know that no matter what they are worthy and can push forward. Support is always a good thing and gives you courage to continue in the right direction.

We us our instagram page to also engage with our community and discuss topics that are motivational, health topics for both people/animals, and ways we can help the environment.

Community in Unity ; we are all in this together.

Beartha is a Non-Profit Organization that is 501(c)(1) but outside of that it is a community and a family. We want all to feel seen, appreciated, and heard. Sometimes when you have to survive for so long you forget to live and we want them to know they have a chance and things can come around.

With our Youtube channel we talk about plant based meals that are not only easy, affordable, but also healthy for you too!!! Using the least amount of processed items as possible. Believe me I LOVE Bread lol but it doesn’t always have the best nutritional value for us . So I like to show other ways we can get healthy carbs in our body on a budget. We talk about Holistic health for your furbaby and you, and more.

I will almost be 5 years as a vegan and truthfully was one of the best decisions of my life. I lost 60lbs and not only did it change my size on the scale but also my mental space. I am truly thankful because I feel like it helped me align to my purpose which is helping others.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Having a Passion and Love! to be honest doing it for the money won’t work here! I sing my favorite song Money on my mind by Sam Smith “I DON’T HAVE MONEY ON MY MIND I DO IT FOR THE LOVE” . That is a real thing and I wake up and find joy in just seeing others receive the help they need.

Also patience, and I say that because everyone comes from all walks of life and you have to be able to have patience and a listening ear to understand what will work for them and what they truly need.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

So I started this Organization by myself. But let me tell you the support is real! You meet so many beautiful people that have similar visions and would like to help you in any way they can.

My volunteers are such a great help and truly allow me to keep going. They are always supportive and provide great ideas. Also networking with people you get to see other people skills and talents and learn through them! No one does it like you remember that.

I recently added a Social Media Manager for my instagram account and let me tell you I was super nervous because this organization is my baby and I wanted things to look a certain way. Making this change honestly allowed me to be more hands on and doing what I love. This has also been such an amazing adjustment and also love came out of it as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: beartha.org
• Instagram: beartha919
• Youtube: Beartha
• Other: Email is [email protected] Telephone : 919-264-1410