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

Ulunda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a child growing up in poverty and episodic homelessness, I found freedom in my voice, writing, and storytelling. I was around 15 when my dad got out of prison and my mom was going to move us around again that I realized I might be able to get a better life if I one day use my life as a testimony. So I started speaking, writing and story telling.

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 a teenager. I feel like my writing and storytelling inspires others to believe in themselves. I also know that people see hope for their own circumstances because they see through my life it’s possible to overcome anything. The life you were born into, is not the life you are required to live. Your circumstances today don’t have to be your circumstances tomorrow.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was 15, I decided to leave home and try to create a different life for myself. With my home life being so chaotic I decided to leave home and go work and just focus on school. I moved around and lived with friends and at different houses but it gave me peace in knowing that being homeless was my choice not because of what my parents were or were not doing. That moment changed my life because I took accountability for my own future. I ended up getting a job, car, and eventually graduating Highschool. By 19, I was able to get my own apartment. That decision was the best one I ever made. I’ve never been homeless in my adult life and that gave me greater perspective on how hard it is for parents to provide in the midst of their own struggles. Looking back now, they didn’t fail me but they did the best they could and in a hard and challenging way it created opportunity for me to be better.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I have had to learn is trying to create a future for yourself isn’t easy and you’re going to mess up. While not living at home as a teenager, I tried drugs and alcohol the first time but I realized that if I was going to have freedom I couldn’t waste it. That took being bold, standing out from the crowd and refusing to become another statistic to say, it stops with me. Again, the life you were born into, is not the life you are required to live. No matter where you are in life, the choice is yours NOW to make it better.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ulundabaker.com
• Instagram: @ulundabaker
• Facebook: Ulunda Baker, Motivational Speaker
• Linkedin: Mrs. Ulunda N. Baker – Senior Director Business Diversity, Category … – LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrs-ulunda-n-baker-9995909