We recently connected with Lola B. Morgan and have shared our conversation below.
Lola, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
My hope for my legacy is that the work unfolding in our communities provided by A Griot’s Corner, whether with children or adults, inspires someone to recreate the change instilled within them. Whether this revolves around self-care practices, community development, or encouraging someone to assist others in their Mental Health journey. The value lies in our connection, healing, and transformation; therefore, the intention is that our teachings will empower an irreversible change that’s a ripple effect for generations to come.
Lola, 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?
Absolutely, I’m the Owner & Founder of A Griot’s Corner, LLC, located in St. Petersburg, FL. AGC guides communities to emotional and mental freedom by offering therapeutic tools, resources, and services to Heal, Empower, and transform communities globally. Our list of services includes life coaching, youth programming, and peer support to aid and equip the public with tools for proper life navigation. Primarily in developing healthier reinforcements to cope with triggers and life stressors such as death, trauma, lack of self-worth, identity, separation, & bullying. AGC also facilitates Community Initiatives & Corporate Workshops to help advocate & elevate the voices of community members while helping them engineer positive mental health strategies for themselves and their loved ones. In 2019 I debuted my first book titled, “The Butterfly & The Bully.” This book is a trauma-informed tool that makes it easy for your young loved ones to begin the conversation anchored in the root of their emotions caused by life stressors such as death, bullying, trauma, and separation.
I currently devote my time curating healing spaces within communities, teaching the art of well-being, facilitating youth programming for non-profits, and assisting adults with Life Skills and Emotional & Mental Resiliency through Corporate and Comunity Programs. I use\ modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (better known as CBT) to remove blockages in retraining the mind. I often speak on the importance of having access to Mental Health providers and resources, wellness roadmaps, social and emotional behavior, radical self-care, empathy in the workplace, Diversity|Equity|Inclusion|
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As a child, I was bullied for my appearance, speech, etiquette, and simply for being me. Having to go to school every day and deal with the resentments of other children alongside the lack of self-worth I carried was hard. Many adults along my journey have poured into me, reminding me of my self-worth and providing the tools for me to do the work to overcome all of these things. Once I started going to therapy consistently and building a healthy routine filled with things that represented the joy I wanted to receive. This lit a fire inside of me to continue doing the work and showing others that it’s normal to have doubts but what you do with the result is everything!
For instance, in the book I created, “The Butterfly & The Bully”, paying reverence to the shocking death of my brother- I had no idea what this gift would turn into or how it would influence the lives of others. Yet here we are six years later, and I can mentor children on Life Skills, create impact in communities by creating Healing environments for them to feel safe, and teach emotional and mental strategies for people to be well. Everything in my life has led me right to this moment, and although I would change everything to have my brother with us, I’m confident I’d still be able to feel encouraged enough to continue the work while he was present.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Of course! My background is in marketing, journalism, and people management; I’ve served in many corporate roles within these fields. When publishing my book in 2019, it was a way to pay reverence to my brother (who was killed due to gun violence in 2016) and to encourage youth to see themselves through illustration while providing strategy and tools to build self-confidence. When I decided to go full-time into my business in 2021, my only product was my book- no services, just the book!
During this time, I didn’t quite understand my capacity as an entrepreneur. Trusting myself in this type of way while continuing to serve the community and diving into Behavioral Health truly helped hone my skillset. At the beginning of my business, I felt stuck, lost, and defeated because I wanted to show up with all of the necessary resources in hand, but I hadn’t done all of the work, and quite frankly, I felt lost on where to start. I started to create strategies like the 20 DAY SELF-CARE CHALLENGE to help others change their mindset and self-reflect on their inner voice. I took this challenge for 20 days and posted my journey on social media. I then realized how I was operating out of fear and lack.
This challenge allowed me to utilize the resources in my community, so I partnered with a procurement specialist with the Small Business & Supplier Diversity Office of Florida, hired Business & Branding Coaches, joined the Chamber of Commerce, Attending Pitch Conferences, and conducted research on people have raised funds in their business.
All of these things created a significant shift in my life, but I had to be ready and willing in my mind to move forward with the possibilities of what I knew were attainable for me as well. Pivoting in this way allowed me to find my niche, honor my voice, and truly ethically scale my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.agriotscorner.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agriotscorner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agriotscorner
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lola-b-morgan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwX4Ad-AQTZ_cZ1AIfQUOKw/featured
Image Credits
Boyzell Hosey, Phillip Scott, CLOSER TO OUR DREAMS, MEDIA