#0029 The Power of the Pivot

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Hey loved ones,

I’m writing to you after a particularly challenging morning which inspired this edition’s theme. It was no biggie but just busy. My eldest forgot his coat - with his phone and oyster in it - at an evening class. This simple but impactful act had a knock-on effect on our morning routine.

This meant I spent three hours trying to fix everything by emailing and calling the evening school to ask them to keep an eye out for it, driving both kids to school and trying to do it on time, dropping my mum off at church on my way to pick up the coat which I then dropped off at the school so that my eldest wouldn’t spend the day stressing about it.

A friend of mine had had a similar incident earlier on in the week, which led to a trip to A&E with her middle child whilst working, managing her younger child and a whole host of things. We’d done the classic thing: we’d pivoted and yet made everything work.

Another example of this came when I was talking to another friend who is upskilling in a new field. As we talked about what she was learning, I shared that I’m studying for a cybersecurity qualification which seems to be a new running trend in my family. The conversation made me pause and reflect. She and I have always been entrepreneurial women and 2024 has been pretty challenging on the business front. However, here we were, still fanning the fire of our dreams and expanding our skills into other areas safeguard our futures. Pivot.

Whilst it’s a skill that anybody can have, I’m going to go one step further and say Black women are the Queens of a pivot. We identify and lock down opportunities or if we’re in a challenging spot, we find a window where a door was closed because - let’s face it - we don’t have the luxury of being mediocre if we want to survive let alone excel.

Billion-dollar pivot

I’ve been listening to one of my favourite business podcasts, How I Built This, featuring my new business crush Fawn Weaver. Fawn discovered that Jack Daniels - the founder of the global whisky brand that bears his name - credited his distilling abilities to a Black man named Nearest Green and it blew her mind. It set her on a path to discovering who this man was and to tell his story.

Initially, she thought she would write a book documenting his journey. Her research led her to a major pivot that built a billion-dollar whisky business in an industry without women or people of colour. Fawn has me hyped. The cynic in me could say well her dad was a Motown song writing genius so even though she left home at 15 or something she had many a high-powered uncle and aunty in her proverbial phone book and at her disposal, however, that would underestimate the absolute fortitude of this woman to make this business work when everything said it could only be impossible. Her story is so fantastical - and ordained in my opinion - that I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up discovering she’s related to Uncle Nearest because some ancestor led her to a jackpot.

Her story is one to listen to purely to remind yourself of what can be achieved if you're ready.

Meet Nadine Robinson

You know when you meet someone and they instantly give you good vibes? That is Nadine Robinson all over. Besides being a bald babe like me, Nadine does something I love which is journaling and spends this episode talking about how it can be used as therapy for people, its various forms and how it can help you meet yourself. One of my favourite lines of hers is that “The pen holds me accountable” and journaling is an opportunity to “meet yourself”. Nadine is generous and shares how her journaling practices helped her get through some of the most challenging moments in her life. Watch the video over on Youtube and hit the subscribe button if you feel inclined.

My new podcast, Unboxed with Juanita Rosenior

Finally, as part of my rebranding of this publication which includes my new YouTube channel, I’m launching Unboxed with Juanita Rosenior which is my look at life, business and culture. In this episode I explore Melissa’s Wardrobe’s new brand partnership, the Forbes Family fundraiser for the ACLT and a new BBC documentary that looks at the exploitation on Black artists in the music industry. Episodes will be on YouTube and Spotify if you prefer to listen on the go and bask in my dulcet tones(!).

Remember, whatever you’re up to this week there is more than one way to get to what you’re trying to achieve. Changing direction or pivoting isn’t a failure but yet another opportunity for success. Embrace the pivot!

Until next time Loved One,