We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Evingerlean D. B. Hudson, Ph.D. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Eve, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I am happy as a business owner. In fact, I’d go on to say that I’m happier than I’ve ever been. The road of entrepreneurship has given me space to be who I am, just as I am, wherever I am. It’s allowed me to create and give to the world in a way that feels authentic to me. For years I felt muffled, but now I feel freer than I have ever before. I was telling someone recently that this journey has allowed me to see I was standing on the greener grass the entire time. You know, sometimes “watering the grass where you are” may mean that you ought to bet on yourself. I’m glad that I did. I won’t deny having thought about a 9-5 a time or two. It’s been moments when a big opportunity might not have worked out. It’s navigating the frustration. It’s thinking that it’s easy to just collect a check and keep it moving. That’s easy. Hindsight, while there are things that may be diffcult as an employee, I can’t think of anything more challenging as a professional than being an entrepreneur. At the end of the day, every single thing in your business falls back on you.
Dr. Eve, 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?
While my first love is higher education, I decided to take a break for a year to “gather” myself. That turned into me to switching gears to start my social entrepreneurial journey. The catalyst for me was my own experiences. I’d kept feeling like I was struggling to navigate adulthood as a first-generation college graduate. So, I sought simply see if anyone else in the world was experiencing what I was going through. I just wanted to know how they were making and what advice they had to offer to others like us. One thought turned into a conversation that’s turned into hundreds. What was a mere attempt to build a community of my own has turned into a global movement.
Now, I am the founder and president of Evingerlean Worldwide®—an entity created to uplift first-generation scholars and professionals across the globe. I am committed to being a champion for historically underserved communities, creating safe spaces for growth, making pathways for social mobility, disrupting generational poverty, and building wealth through entrepreneurship. Of many first-of-its-kind initiatives I’ve created, I’m most excited about my global brands. The First-Gen Lounge is an award-winning and #1 show in the world for first-generation history makers with over 100k downloads across more than 100 countries. The First-Gen Shop® is a store created to celebrate first-generation barrier breakers and has been featured in EMOIR Magazine, joined forces with organizations including Motorola, and served high-flyers internationally. First-Generation University® is a learning and development platform offering programs in personal growth and professional growth that’s empowered over 20k+ scholars and professionals.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Back in 2020. Remember that nasty thing that happened and literally changed the world? Well, it absolutely gave me a run for my money. Like, no kidding. I was losing my business overnight. I was watching everything that I’d spent years building crumble before my eyes. What was most upsetting was that it was nothing I could do about it because “coco” was what would be defined as an Act of God. I was just speaking and consulting at the time, so I quickly had to shift and figure out what to do next with no sight of when the madness would come to a halt. I found myself saying, “never again.” So, I pretty much started from what felt like ground zero. I leaned into online programs in business development for a spell. Eventually, online engagements were normalizing and had come back around. Finally, I opened an online store and that was a game changer. The point was to not give up. I had to take a second look at my gifts and mission and find a different way to utilize them. I lost some sleep and shed a few tears, but it made my a much better entrepreneur.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I attribute this to being both innovative and community-oriented. I saw that there was no one doing work in the space at the time, and I realized that it was where I wanted to make a difference. So, I dove all the way in. It’s always been a part of my mission to lift others along the way, so being focused on serving those in my community has been crucial. The platform I’ve built wouldn’t be what it is without the community. That, in itself, is what’s made all of the difference to me. I was never out to be competitive (and I’m still not), I simply created a lane and made room for others to be heard, seen, loved, valued, and supported. I didn’t think anything about making history at the time. I also had no idea just how big things would get. What I know is that I’m truly grateful for all of this who have shown up, and I’m looking forward to those who’ll come along. It’s more than a market—it’s a movement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.evingerleanworldwide.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/evehudsonphd
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/evehudsonphd
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/evehudsonphd