We caught up with the brilliant and insightful LaMonique Hamilton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi LaMonique, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The mission of Centre Creative Company is fairly straightforward — we work to amplify historically muted and ignored voices through print, film and digital media.

The story behind the mission is two-fold. Throughout my 25+ year career spanning finance, journalism, politics, social justice and digital media, I’ve had the opportunity to work with both leaders in these realms as well as the individuals they represent or who make their organizations run. There has often been a disconnect with well-meaning leaders who operated as being a “voice to the voiceless” and the stories of the individuals themselves.

Through my work, I realized that people don’t need a representative to speak for them; they needed a way to tell their own stories. I started my company to encourage people to speak their truths and help businesses navigate the process of hearing and amplifying the voices of the people they work to serve.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always been a creative and a storyteller. I started writing stories and scripts for my Barbie dolls as a little girl. I begged my parents for dream houses, apartments, stages, pools, cars for my Barbies so I could build out their “sets” and fully act out what I imagined.

I’m trained as a writer, but I’ve always been drawn to different opportunities to be creative and allow me to learn more about people and the things that drive them. Being a creative fuels me. It’s the vehicle I use to hopefully make the world a better place, whether it’s through writing, singing, filmmaking, or speaking.

Through Centre Creative, I get to help individuals and organizations tell their stories, speak truth to power, and help make the world a more inclusive place by showing that we really are more alike than different. We just have a hard time hearing each other.

I’m proud of this work. I consider it my ministry, and I am first partaker. Through writing my book, “Shift: Essays from a Woman in Progress” or in some of my upcoming work in film and music, I push through my own insecurities to use my voice to hopefully inspire others to do the same.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My whole life has been a case study of the pivot! From being a classic Type A kid that had her life completely mapped out, to having a baby in college and being a writer who had nothing figured out beyond the next few days, it has been a journey. I’ve had to learn to be faithful to myself and my vision, and that means having to rely heavily on God and having an active prayer life so I could move when He says, even (and especially) when I do not understand it.

My latest pivot has been giving Centre Creative my full attention after years of working on it a little here and there while making other people’s visions come to life. I appreciate those opportunities, and they have informed a lot of the work that I’m now doing. However, I know the world has never needed what I am uniquely designed to do more, and I am excited about the future.

Any advice for managing a team?

I have a people first philosophy. As much as I put into my company, it does not come before my faith, my family or my needs, and I make sure the people who work with me prioritize it similarly. I work my teams hard, and I expect excellence, but by making sure they know I see them as well-rounded people with full lives, I build teams that trust me and are excited by what we’re building together.

On the flip side, when I see that someone is not the right fit for a certain position, I don’t waste a lot of time hoping they will grow into it or get better. I believe in making and learning from mistakes, but I acknowledge that there is a difference between the mistakes that occur in the learning process and someone not being suited for the work you’re asking of them. When I first started managing teams, I hated this part. I didn’t want to make anyone feel bad. Now, I embrace it as freeing people to find the position where they will excel and freeing myself to find the right person that will benefit the entire team and the overall mission.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.iamlamonique.com
• Instagram: @iamlamonique, @centrecreativeco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamoniquehamilton
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamonique-hamilton-519b7315?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Twitter: @iamlamonique
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lamoniquehamilton380
• Other: https://linktr.ee/iamlamonique

Image Credits

Rashaad McNeil, Adam Jennings, Sabrina Thompson