We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mea Allman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
After attending a cultural event I realized that there was a general lack of cultural knowledge or ignorance of our cultural heritage. Being from the Caribbean, it’s so important to know your cultural history so that you can understand who you are, and the historical perspective of our heritage. In 2007, I started with a newsletter to share some of the rich culture in my community from attending various events along with photography. Everyone loved reading my newsletter, until a good friend of mine said, you need to turn it into a magazine. After reading several magazines, from the layouts, articles, and what it really took I was overwhelmed. So, I started to brainstorm to figure out a simpler way to achieve this idea of a magazine. First I had to come up with a name that would represent all Caribbean culture under one. Second, figure out what type of articles, then reached out to a few business friends that were willing to write articles based on their expertise that would be featured. I offered them free advertising and media coverage at their upcoming events, which sealed the deal. Now the hard part came in putting the magazine together with graphics and layout. Being a creative person, I put my skill to the test. My idea of an execution became a reality in April 2008, as I became the Founder/Editor-in-chief of an online publication called Karibbean Under One Magazine (KUOMagazine.com), with my oldest son Michael (CEO/CFO). A few years later my dear friend Lyma Dunbar came on board as Vice President and we took KUOMagazine to another level of onsite media coverage here in Central & South Florida, interviewing various entertainment artists, Caribbean Carnivals to many Cultural events.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was born in the beautiful island of Kingston, Jamaica, W.I., and left at age six to live in Toronto, Canada and now reside in Florida. Who I am in the world, is a Caribbean woman who comes from a diverse mixed culture of Indo-Aryan (Bangladesh), Arawak Indian, Chinese, Costa Rican, Jamaican, and Scotts from my parents and grandparents’ cultural heritage. It’s truly an honor to be born on March 8th, which is International Women’s Day, that allows me to experience a part of a community that’s my own. I started this business because I wanted to raise awareness and educate on how to live a healthier lifestyle and how to embrace our cultural heritage with a passion. KUOMagazine is an upscale lifestyle magazine addressing the needs of Caribbean-Americans and people of color. It is more than just a magazine, it’s a lifestyle enterprise that offers PR & Marketing, Media Coverage, Produces TV shows, Graphics/Web Design. One of our biggest missions is to raise awareness and educate on how to live a healthier lifestyle and embrace your cultural heritage with a passion. We also have several brands from Ribbons of Survivors 365, founded 2014 to raise awareness on various chronic illnesses/conditions, and share testimonies from individuals. As a cultural advocate, being bullied and cultural discriminated, I was passionate about creating my Official Women of Kulture, founded in 2016, with the purpose of building a welcoming community of sisterhood, raise awareness of cultural diversity of women who came together to celebrate, educate, inspire, and uplift each other by sharing their achievements, overcoming obstacles, self-care tips, and how we embrace our own sense of cultural identity. Then Official Men of Kulture 365, created in 2019 with the same concept of Women of Kulture. Each year KUOMagazine host a luncheon celebration to honor 6-8 individuals with our Ribbons of Survivors 365 & Men/Women of Kulture 365 brands.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
No, I would do it all over again. Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer put me on the path I was destined to be on and find my purpose and passion in helping others. When COVID started in 2020, I found a new passion in other areas of becoming a Certified Master Life; Certified Health & Nutrition; and Certified Self-Care & Boundaries Setting Life Coach. As a health advocate I want to encourage others to make, meet, and exceed goals in both their personal and professional lives by using my success as a 22-year breast cancer survivor and cultural advocate. In 2021, I will produce/write scripts and the host of my “G.L.O.W. 365 TV Show (= Greater Level of Wellness 365),” along with my co-hosts (Coach Dawn, Coach Lady Q, and Coach Sophie G) who are also life coaches in different areas. It’s a live virtual broadcast monthly every Tuesday on YouTube @glow365tvshows that focuses on a new perspective on business, culture, entertainment, health and wellness information in America and the Caribbean islands, with top experts in their field who share their expertise on how we can find balance and wellness within the Mind, Body, and Soul. Additionally, I am an Empowerment Speaker and Producer/Director/Write for several TV shows on KweliWorks, and Executive Producer for Caribbean Straight Talk Show, International Cultural Ambassador for the Orlando International Film Festival-Lions Club with the focus to provide a platform to celebrate Caribbean filmmakers. My proudest moment was in June 2022, I received a Congressional Community Award from Congressman Darren Soto for Caribbean Heritage Month, as a community leader that’s documented and recorded in the Library of Congress. To be honest I doubt that I would be doing all what I do today if it wasn’t being a cancer survivor. It has given me so much purpose in life.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Being authentic and true to myself. You also have to build relationships by supporting other businesses if you want them to support you too. I am constantly doing research, talking to other business friends and how I can improve my product and brand. The one lesson I’ve learned about myself is that my product and brand represents who I am, how I give back to others, and how you present yourself in the public eye, because they’re always watching. When I received the Congressional Community Award from Congressman Darren Soto for Caribbean Heritage Month, as a community leader that acknowledgement meant I was appreciated for what I do and making a difference in my community, and all the things I do comes from the heart, and I love to help others. I don’t do things for self, but my faith and wisdom from the blessing from God.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.KUOMagazine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glow365tvshow https://www.instagram.com/OfficialKUOMagazine https://www.instagram.com/ribbonsofsurvivors365 https://www.instagram.com/officialwomenofkulture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialwomenofkulture https://www.facebook.com/officialkuomagazine https://www.facebook.com/glow365tvshow
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuomagazine-tv
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamladymea
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@glow365tvshows https://www.youtube.com/@kuomagazine youtube.com/@caribbeanstraighttalk youtube.com/@officialwomenofkulture
- Other: Other: http://kweliworks.com
Image Credits
Coach Mea Allman, MCC/HNLC-C (Karibbean Under One Magazine)