We caught up with the brilliant and insightful LaTia McNeely-Sandiford, MSW a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

LaTia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

The kindest thing that anyone has ever done for me came by way of personal sacrifice, unconditional love and unrelenting support from my two grandmothers, Berdie Younger (Momma) and Catherine McNeely (Grandmother/Kitty), who raised me.

As an only child, growing up in urban Jersey City, New Jersey, amidst the perils of poverty, addiction, socioeconomic decline and environmental challenges, unfortunately, my parents were addicted to heroin. They were young parents who didn’t have an opportunity to recover from their addiction. My mother died when I was ten-years-old, she was twenty-six. Subsequently, I would lose my father later in life, but after my mothers death, he wasn’t an active force in my life. As a result, those realities set forth a particular set of circumstances in my life that I’d eventually have to learn to navigate.

In my early years, I felt like I was on an island. Here I was, at eight-years-old, figuring out how to feed my parents who were at home, bed ridden and dope sick. I couldn’t tell anyone, I simply had to manage my environment and make the best choices for all of us. Constantly being in a position where I had to overcome adversity, very early in life, made me extremely resilient and independent. As a matter of fact, my parents groomed me for independence, by not being readily available emotionally or physically. When you have to care for yourself as a child, there’s very little that you aren’t prepared for in this world. They made sure I was prepared, whether they realized it or not at the time, they indeed prepared me for their absence.

After my mother died and my dad moved away, I went to live with my paternal grandmother, Berdie, (Momma) who became my custodial guardian. Momma was a hard working christian city woman southern roots. She was minimally educated and married by the time she was sixteen. She had moved to Jersey City, from Chatham Virginia, in hopes of a better life. When she came to Jersey, and her husband left her with two children, she quickly adapted to a life of independence. She worked for Jersey Head Start for 38 years. No matter what, she made sure she could provide for her huge family, their friends and friends of friends. Momma was popular in the city, mostly known for her generous heart. There wasn’t a person she’d turn away if they turned up at her door hungry or in need of a place to stay. She was very with-it, edgy, and had her ears to the streets. As a single mother to five boys (who were in the streets) she made sure she knew what was going on. Momma was the people’s Aunt. Everybody loved her and affectionately called her “Aunt Berdie, whether blood related or not. She was witty, street smart and fast on the draw, plain and simple, there was no getting over on Momma! Watching her taught me the importance of ‘common sense’. She instilled in me the importance of independence and resilience. She showed me the importance of loving my family, no matter where they are in their lives. She role modeled the importance of being a good person and helping as many people as I could.

While my grandmothers were polar opposites, they both imparted morals and values that shaped me as a woman. Grandmother, unlike Momma, was much more reserved, astute, professional and polished. Momma would often tease and call her saditty ‘Kitty’. Those two had a Thelma and Louise type of relationship that made them a hoot. Although Grandmother was a devout Jehovahs Witness, she had her vices too. She loved music, dancing and a nip of Bacardi here and there. , Catherine (Grandmother), yes, I called her “Grandmother”, because she would never in a million years have been called, Granny, Grandma or anything of the sort. If you dared defile her with an adjective associated with old, getting old or being old, she would happily correct you by saying, “Sweetheart, I’m nobody’s GRANDMA!’ Now, back to the story — Grandmother was a consummate professional. She was soft spoken, sexy, poised, sophisticated and demure. The lessons that she imparted on my regarding how I showed up in the world a a “Brown Girl’, was crucial to my development. Grandmother was the one who reminded me to stand up straight, “Stomach in shoulders back”, remove ‘ain’t’ from my vocabulary and speak proper Kings English (which I mostly do). Grandmother taught me about my history. She taught me that I came from Kings and Queens. She reminded me that how my skin color could hinder me in America, but she also taught me how my education could counter that fact. Grandmother was always pushing me to succeed. She was my proof reader when I was in college and subsequently, she proof read my first memoir, Burdens In My Backpack. Grandmother gave me the tools I needed to have in order for me to advance in a White, Anglo-saxon, Protestant world, as a Black Woman.

My grandmothers loved me when I had no one else in the world. No matter what I was every experiencing, I could count on those two to be there for me. Even as we were burying their children, she displayed dignity and strength that I had never seen before. They have been the perfect example of who I should aspire to be in my life. The have never ever stopped loving and supporting me. They were the only two people in my life who have been present for every single milestone in my life, good, bad or indifferent. I was their golden child and the entire family understood that fact. The three of us were a unit that’s been consistent for forty-nine years. Therefore, it was so befitting that in the end, it was only me who was able to return that love to both of them, simultaneously, together.

My grandmothers gave me the gift of a purposeful life. They are the reason why I am The Adversity Expert.
Their love, guidance, kindness and support is why I’ve managed to accomplish the impossible in my life.
I was supoosed to have been a statistic. However, they believed in me and that allowed me to believe in myself. Their kindness allowed them to receive me with an open heart no matter how I showed up, good, bad or indifferent. They both loved me until the day they left this earth.

Our kindness came full circle – In 2021, I was in production on my first feature film, The Lions Vision Productions Addiction Trilogy, [CONFLICTED. ADDICTED. CONVICTED], when I became both of my grandmothers full-time caregiver. Their unyielding support continued, even in their advanced ages. Ultimately, I casted both of them in my first movie. At the time, I had relocated Grandmother into the building, across the hall from Momma. As their health began to decline, I moved in with both of them. As they neared hospice status, I took care of them both, in their homes, by myself and at their sides. On June 4, 2022, Grandmother passed first. A few short months later, on October 12, 2022, Momma passed after. However, I completed my mission of caring from them until the end. I was able to give them in their final days what they had given me all of their lives.

LaTia , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, most people know me as The Adversity Expert. My story of triumph over extreme adversity has been publicly featured in print, on-line and WABC channel 7. As a former recipient of the Best of the Best in Business Awarded by (BITES), Woman of Prominence Award [Women in Business New Jersey] and Union County New Jersey’s Woman of Excellence for Entrepreneurship, I continue to serve, dream big and succeed.

I was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, amidst the perils of addiction and poverty. Through my journey, I became a master at overcoming adversity by progressing beyond adverse situations, life events and people. I am an only child of heroin addicted parents. My mother died when I was 10 years old and my father passed later in life. I was raised by my two grandmothers that I spoke of earlier. Through everything, I have remained resilient, even as I continued to lose all of my immediate family members.

In 1991, I first beat the odds by graduating Lincoln High school in Jersey City as a single parent and domestic violence survivor. Then, in 1995, while battered, abused and broken, I pressed forward to earn my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Hudson County Community College, graduating Summa Cum Laude. I had denounced what my environment dictated and what statistics reported by becoming the first in my family to graduate from college. In 1997, I earned my Bachelor’s Degree, Cum Laude, in Criminal Justice from Jersey City State College, now New Jersey City University. Despite being submerged in obstacles, unsupported by my environment, my desire to be ‘successful’ never wavered. In 2001, I proved that success comes to those who want it when I earned my Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers’s University, New Brunswick.

I have since enjoyed a 20-year career in Social Work advocating for the highest risk populations. Over the course of my career, I’ve held two Executive Directorships, two Directorships and a Clinicianship in various NJ non-profits before starting my own business in May 2010.

Today, I am an filmmaker, playwright, author (Burdens in My Backpack), speaker, success coach, and entrepreneur. I’m the Founder & Executive Producer of Lions Vision Productions Studios; the First Black Owned film, media and entertainment studio in Northern New Jersey. My production company specializes in producing digital content, videos and films that matter by prioritizing marginalized groups and their experiences. Additionally, we help businesses expand their brands with video.

In December 2022, I premiered my first feature film, The Lions Vision Productions Addiction Trilogy [CONFLICTED. ADDICTED. CONVICTED], a scripted fictionalized story, depicting a rising urban youth on the cusp of success, before his environment, and those he loves derails is success.

Most important to me is God and serving. I personally fund my philanthropic endeavors which includes working with the addicted population through my GRAND LOVE BUNCHIE FOUNDATION, LVP Leading Ladies (teen mentoring program) and The Worthy Women’s Reflection helping transitioning women. Through my Worthy Women’s Sisterhood Network, I continue to be a resource for women, particularly those with entrepreneurial aspirations, while chasing my own dreams of being a renown filmmaker. For more information visit www.MSLATIA.com and www.LVPNJ.com

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

My entire life is a testament to my resilience. I was an orphaned little girl left in a world to figure life out. Without functional parents, impoverished, and living in an environment riddled with addiction, I was forced to strive for a life I had never seen. This journey was hard fought because in that process, I myself fell victim to some of my circumstances. As a teenage (13) parent, I had to figure out how to provide for her what was never provided for me. I didn’t have the answers, but I had the will to want and be more. Even when I was trapped in a relationship where I was battered, abused and broken, still, I never allowed my spirit or desire for success to ever waver. Momma and Grandmother taught me to keep my head high, shoulder my own burdens and continue to move forward. So, that’s what I did…
Despite the many challenges I’ve had to overcome, I’ve always kept a positive outlook and strived for success. When all the chips were stacked against me, in 1991, as a teen parent, I graduated Lincoln High school, in 1995, I graduated Hudson County Community College, in 1997, I graduated from Jersey City State College and in 2001, I earned my Masters Degree in Social Work from Rutger’s The State University of New Jersey. By age twenty-eight, I had relocated and purchased my first home. I am living proof that your beginning doesn’t determine your path or your end.

As a Social Worker, I spent twenty years advocating for families like mine and girls /boys like me. Then, at the height of my career, I decided to take a risk and bet on myself. In 2010, I retired from my social work career and Founded, Lions Vision Productions, a multimedia production company in New Jersey. Since, then, I haven’t looked back. I may have tripped a few times, but I’ve never fallen. When necessary, I reassess, pivot and move forward.

I am a student of life. I live. I learn. I make mistakes and take store the lessons to use them to make better decisions the next time. Despite whatever obstacles I’m faced with, I always remind myself that I am the author of my success. I decide how I want to show up in this world and what I want to take from it. Period.

Have you ever had to pivot?

While I began my production company wanting to be the female Spike Lee, it wasn’t until I began working in my business that I realized… I was broke! In order to produce movies, it took means, equipment, crew, knowledge and opportunity. At the time, I had none of those things, but the one thing I had was time. As I was learning about the industry, I took time to study the craft of filmmaking. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn, but I also had something called, BILLS. At that point, I was at a crossroad. I had left my career where I was earning $85K as a Program Administrator, savings was dwindling, so I needed to make money. My next move need to be intentional. I had to figure out how could I stay in my field (media production) and earn a living that would help me fund the filmmaking. After a year or so, I wrote out all the things that connected to filmmaking that I could do within my production, that could learn me money. Then, it came to me, I’d pivot my business (temporarily) to become an Event Producer.

Starting my business as an Event Producer allowed me to earn a living. It also gave me an opportunity to develop relationships, garner clients, purchase equipment, learn about and cinematography through producing event videos/photos. However, the money also became a trapping and I stayed in that lane longer than I should have stayed. I stayed in Event Production for ten-years before I stopped producing events to get back to filmmaking. It’s important to note that the entire ten years that I operated my Event Planning business, I did so from my home.

Then, in 2019, I decided, I don’t want to produce events any more. I’m going back to my original dream of becoming a filmmaker. I had been accumulating equipment and writing content over the ten years that I was producing events. As a producer I had a unique problem, all the content in the world, little money and no space to being. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, so did opportunity. I was presented with an AMAZING opportunity to open my first studio and, despite the pandemic, I RAN WITH IT! I opened Lions Vision Productions Studios, the first Black Owned Film, Media and Entertainment studio in northern, New Jersey.

Today, I’m living my dream producing movies. In December 2022, I premiered my first movie, The Lions Vision Productions Addiction Trilogy [CONFLICTED. ADDICTED. CONVICTED]. This was my first script to screen project. Needless to say, as an independent filmmaker I did performed most roles, BUT I learned how to run a set, take a project from script to screen, organize a crew and manage a budget. I’ve taken those lessons to my next project currently in production, The Black Beauty Trilogy Series [Black Beauty/ Sistah Stories, Cultural Curators].

Moral of the story… bet on yourself! You don’t have to abandon the dream, just figure out another lane that gets you to the same point.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.LVPNJ.com
• Instagram: LaTia_LVP
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LVPNJ/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmcneelysandiford/
• Twitter: NOT on Twitter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLZgeqaSXyyr4S8oBP3hNSQ
• Other: PERSONAL BRAND MSLATIA, THE ADVERSITY EXPERT Website: www.MSLATIA.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latiatheadversityexpertlvpnj Note: Please inlcude my personal brand contact information in all listings. Thank You

Image Credits
Lions Vision Productions Studios