Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Imani Kaliid. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Imani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I’ve had the good fortune of enjoying a great career in the digital distribution space within the entertainment industry. In the last decade, I’ve facilitated content delivery to well over sixty (60) countries with major partners including iTunes and Google Play to name a few.

My assumption was that I’d ride off into the digital sunset when the time came to call it quits. That was until I happened upon a life-changing moment late one Sunday morning.

After leaving my favorite restaurant and enjoying my go-to meal, I see a larger, more muscular, younger man in my field of view approach. For context, I stand at 6’4, and 225lbs.

Based on his eye line, furrowed brow, clenched fists, and the fact that he was headed straight for me, my assumption was that he wanted to have a very physical conversation with me.
As an inner-city kid, I’ve been there before – a stranger upset because of a variety of reasons – accidental bump, parking space, mistaken identity, etc.

I had no intention of winding up in the hospital ER or worst-case scenario, the city morgue. I went through all of my mental preparedness to protect myself. I would do whatever was necessary to return safely home.
It turns out that the guy had no intention of inflicting harm on me. His eyesight was locked into his lady friend whom he was searching for. She happened to be behind me.

I thoroughly mined that moment for the next three moments and it was clear that I had violent trauma from my youth with domestic abuse and inner-city violence.

After addressing my untreated trauma, my cause for serving victims of violent trauma became my number one priority through content creation, written editorials, and a mobile app that is currently in development.

Imani, 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?

I’m an L.A. native – raised in South Central Los Angeles with my parents and three older siblings. At times, my upbringing was as gritty and dangerous as one could imagine with drug abuse, crime, police brutality, and economic struggle.

Once I finished college, I jumped around different jobs until landing in the entertainment space. I would later become quite versed in digital media, mobile devices, and international distribution through a few positions I held at studios like Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.

I hadn’t given it much thought at the time, but looking back, I’ve built a comprehensive background in business affairs, creative, and more recently, the digital piece of my employment. I’m confident that there aren’t a lot of people in that industry with that blend of experiences.

I’m proud that I’ve discovered a mission with my foundation that I can leverage my experience from entertainment and apply to my mission of serving those who struggle with violent trauma.
My weekly activities are all mapped to the end of helping people disrupt violent trauma through my video content through my weekly podcast – “Survivor Stories: From Pain to Power”, my editorials posted on medium.com, and the development of what will be my free mobile app – a technological tool to usher folks to the appropriate level of support during times of uncertainty and crisis.

I can relate to people feeling confused, isolation, and despair. I’ve been there many times as a younger man so, it made perfect sense to do my part in addressing this problem through content creation and technological tools – my core focus.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The year 2011 more or less sucked for me personally and professionally. That year was one of those periods where life seemed very “blah”. Around February, my mother was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and her diagnosis was the biggest gut punch ever. I was unhappy at work, not in a meaningful romantic relationship, and became the primary caregiver for my mother who was being treated with chemotherapy and radiation.

I suffered moments of deep depression, weight loss, despair, and resentment until her passing eight months later.

I often wondered how I could maintain my full-time job while giving my mother the best care possible, attending doctor visits, treatment, etc.

After attending grief counseling, there was a big takeaway – I’m the guy, leader, hero, etc.

Previously, I’d often angrily ask, “Why am I the one stuck with the cleanup, triage, etc.?” It’s very much the same reason why you or people in your life seem to be the ones tasked with slaying the proverbial dragon. I’m built for it and for so long, I didn’t want to accept certain challenges willingly.

I can point to other examples like playing organized sports with broken bones and helping my teams to pull out victories. I can point to finishing out my semester strongly after having knee surgery mid-semester in grad school. I can also point out professional accomplishments against all odds where those would later admit, “I didn’t think you’d pull that off, Imani.”

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

That a limited mindset is often a mirage we construct for various reasons (i.e. fear, scarcity).

I’ve been known to be rigid as a younger man. I believe this was a self-protecting mechanism to keep myself safe while being raised in a volatile environment. It makes sense. The stakes were high and potentially life-threatening.

I still learn through reflection on past events and introspection.

For instance, as a high school basketball player, I once had an exceptional game against a nationally-ranked opponent. Why? Because I was new to the sport and had no idea that he was a nationally ranked player at the time. Had I known beforehand, I suspect that I would have deferred to his status as a so-called “blue-chip” athlete. That would have been a limitation I would have put on myself that could have dampened my performance.

Another example is being thrown into a huge task during my time at 20th Century Fox where I was charged with launching a new digital platform in several territories. Had I been asked, I may have declined in that I hadn’t had one coding class at that point, and hadn’t managed tech vendors. I was a fish out of water in all senses of the expression, but I got it done and received praise.

The point of all of this is that we sometimes lose the figurative fight through a lack of self-awareness and devaluing ourselves. The odd piece in this is that other people saw these qualities in me, but I wasn’t seeing that in myself, which is sad.

Now, if you are a person that suffers from vertigo and/or you’re a horrible driver, you probably don’t belong flying an airplane.

However, you’d be surprised as I was in the case of the basketball example and my time at Fox when you just allow yourself space to figure things out and deal with the discomfort of not being in your comfort zone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inviafoundation.org/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imani-kaliid-9a397739/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MisconnectedP

Image Credits
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