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In this season finale of From Chains to Links, hosts Ifeoma Ike and Kelly Burton reflect on the incredible journey of the podcast, celebrating its role in elevating Black innovation, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment. They dive into the impact of storytelling, mental wellness in business, and the power of collective economics – while hinting at exciting new projects on the horizon. With humor, honesty, and deep insights, they explore how innovation isn’t just about tech but also about people, culture, and the stories we share. This isn’t goodbye—it’s just the beginning of something even bigger!
Welcome back to another episode. I’m here with my amazing co-host Kelly Burton. How are you, Kelly?
I’m good, Ife. How are you?
I am okay. This is the last episode of this season, and we have a little bit of a break which will be excited to end this conversation with what’s next on the horizon, but it’s been a journey. I remember the conversation we had that kickstarted this whole thing. I didn’t know that was going to result in me being talented. Shoutout to all the production team, carbon thread, Cedar J. Lawrence. Let me tell you something. You drop a little bit of an idea with these folks, you have T-shirts with a logo with some you said that you’re like, “Did I said that?” They’re ready.
Within 48hrs.
Kelly Burton doesn’t help, so I’m going to kick it off to you because you heard this phrase from Chance to Links and now, we are 3 or 4 seasons in. We’ve heard amazing feedback from not just people that own a business but people that have what you’ve coined this entrepreneurial spirit that are like, “This is different than what’s out there.” What do you think makes this space different? Especially, since we are in innovation show. Our guests have been amazing innovators and entrepreneurs and social problem solvers. What do you think makes this different than some of the other innovation show?
Black Innovation And Community Empowerment
Going back to when we were imagining and thinking through the format. You were very intense on it being an innovation show and us centering Black innovation. Yes, it’s a conversation about collective economics and how we use a black community can be empowered in this moment. It’s also a show on Black innovation. We’ve had entrepreneurs, investors, nonprofit executives and leaders. We have people who are building ecosystems in their own community. We’ve been able to have these rich conversations that are different and distinct from the conversations that are being had on other platforms. How about you, what do you think?
I’m wondering if there’s any moment that stands out for you. I’ll let you think about that for a second. What stands out for me the most is, number one, we wanted Innovation to be accessible. Our shows have had joy and laughter. We invite our guests to be their true selves. We know what it’s like to have to show a certain form of perfection, excellence, and other spaces. I just love the freedom that we have modeled and therefore, assured from our guests. It’s just been a delight to have them speak their truth and have a space where they can speak their truth about their journeys.
One of the features that I love about from the show is we centered wellness and mental health. It is something that can be a very personal and at times scary process. We live in a society where you keep your problems at the door as if who you are and how you’re thinking is a problem. It’s amazing to be around so many people that felt that were safe enough to talk about the reality of like, “If I’m not well, it impacts my business, my employees and how I innovate.”
The last thing that’s been my favorite question that I wish we would have gone back to this season. You used to asked it so sharply because you couldn’t wait is, when did you first know that you’re Black? After they gave that beautiful introduction then you ask this, “When did you know that you were Black? When did you know that you were Black in America?”
It’s so funny you mentioned that because I had the most fascinating conversation with my aunty. I told you this. My aunty is in her 60s and she was like, “Kelly, I never thought about it. It took me down this whole personal journey of growing up in the South, what that was like, and why I left. I’ve never experienced content that forced me to be interested in that way.” Now, mind you, she’s my aunty, so anything I do she loves right. I get that part, but also it was a genuine reflection for her. I’ve heard similar things from folks whereas the content that’s come out from the show has given people an opportunity to reflect in a different way.
Thank you for sharing that story of your aunty. I always get fascinated by how people call their aunts. Is an aunt or auntie or aunty? People have different ways of saying aunt or aunty. Ours is very like African Everything’s very down here, but I say that because at the root of a lot of what we do is storytelling. Storytelling is an innovation. It is a gift and a craft. We all will transition from this Earth, but it is the stories that hold community.
Innovation in the modern world largely seen as a thing to do, a frontier like Silicon Valley is tech accomplished in Acre flag. As I reflect on this space, especially since we’re both social scientists. My early background is in engineering. Everything was just hardwired to be very mechanical. I feel like we put some meat on the innovation bones like they’re real humans here that are going through real stuff. I hope we see some more of that. I don’t know if you have any reflections on the blend of storytelling in innovation that we were able to do with this project.
Storytelling As A Form Of Innovation
Back to the piece that you shared about wellness and how we were joined with Aaron and CeCe. They’re telling us about their journey and how similar it was to our journey and the challenges, struggles, and the ways that it impacts our health. To your point, I feel that and this conversation around entrepreneurship, especially it is romanticized in ways that are not real. I don’t think it’s real or not real based on the conversations that I have with entrepreneurs every single day. I feel that it allowed us to offer a fresh take and a real take on what entrepreneurship looks like within our community. I hope that there’s an opportunity for more of that because I feel that we just scratched the surface.
We said that there’s some projects that we are working on. If you all are nosy enough to want to know what they are, you’re going to be connected to us but I’m not telling. One thing that we’re excited about is providing the human holistic side. Not even just as a practice. Without distinctly saying that it is part of the theory of change, there is a theory of practice that isolation does not help an entrepreneur to do this.
If you think about it, any good thing you’ve done in life was very far from bootstraps. You had community, aunties and people cheering you on, even if they didn’t know what you were doing. Those of us that have been programmed to participate in that way of existence like, “Here’s another way of the existing potentially a more sustainable way,” or it provides more sustainability to our collective existence especially in these changing times. If you’re too afraid to tell your story, then you may not be able to get the blessing on the other side of people that are invested in who you are and what you’re trying to create.
Part of this break that we’re taking is for us to be able to build the infrastructure that allows us to tell those stories at scale and it’s exciting. We have learned so much on this journey from the show and we get to convert those learnings in ways that enable us to have even greater impact.
Entrepreneurship As A Spiritual Journey
I’m excited because a lot of trust has been built between all of the teams that are working to do exactly what you just said. We all have experimented with so much of even revelation for ourselves through this project, so getting a lot of dings with folks about like, “You and Kelly went there on the entrepreneurship is a spiritual journey.” I sat on the couch too like, “She’s going in.” The here’s my tambourine. To the audience, Kelly is half flower child and half scientists. As my co-talent and sometimes my employer, you see the scientists a lot but when Kelly leaves into like these free flowing conversations, you don’t know what’s going to come out.
That’s that other side.
I’m very excited about this next chapter because we don’t censor this show on the organization that is tucked in which is the Black Innovation Alliance affectionately called BIA. Kelly, you are the cold brain child and the steward of this space. I know you wouldn’t have attributed to such but I would not be me if I didn’t say that the fem gene is of who you are. It’s what has allowed for there to be a different fresh way that people cannot only be a part of this community, but support this community and the infrastructure that will building.
I say that to folks that recognized the power of storytelling and narratives, even a visuals to spark excitement for people that are struggling and for young people that maybe trying to figure out if they’re going to be a business owner or for people that are like, “I want to invest more in the fastest growing demographics and making sure that they succeed. I’m excited that we get to take a moment to think about how all of those pathways are connected to each other and are not desegregated.
The Power Of Collective Economics And Boycotts
We are in such an interesting moment. We started this show thinking about collective economics. There are actively people who are carrying out economic boycotts against companies in this moment in ways that we probably could not have imagined years ago, at least not in a way that has been so mainstreamed. A conversation that we were talking about dedicated to the Black community is a conversation that the mainstream is having and that’s powerful. There’s a lot in planning seeds and/or watering.
There’s a scription that God will allow for the increase. God will create the increase. It just encourages me to say at BIA, “We’re going to keep planting seeds. We’re going to keep watering and continue to cultivate,” and watch God create the increase. As much chaos as there is in this moment, there’s so much possibility and that is what I am most excited about. How about you, what do you see the possibility in this moment?
We had an amazing event not too long ago with former quarterback Colin Kaepernick. There was something he said that resonated because it’s true and simple. He was like, “None of us would be in this room if it wasn’t for a challenge or several challenges. On the other side, our challenges are opportunities.” It was just a big resounding yes. It reminded me of when I went to law school, specifically choosing a law school that was the only one that focused on public interest, which means I’m not here to get rich.
The one security that I had was, as long as there’s a problem, I’m never out of a job. I am excited specifically in this moment as you’re talking about the boycotts and the climate that we’re in. I’m excited that people are getting closer if not already there as to moving from what is your job to what is your purpose. Moving from what is your enterprise to what is your assignment.
When you’re able to create an entrepreneurial pathway or even another way of looking at it, when the universe is conspiring, it allows you to be able to exist and survive while doing good. The question is, can we get more people that can do that? I’m excited about the many ways specifically with BIA that you all are creating deposits so that people know that they’re building different can build together. They’re build to last and they recognize that they don’t have to do it alone. That with trust, there is a team like BIA.
Even if what we have isn’t able to hit every entrepreneur, we are a model of what is possible, period. We matter. We exist. Businesses exist because we exist. That’s the most exciting part of the next chapter, is that this is a seed. When we come back to think of new show ideas and new ways to pollinate the landscape, it will be informed by all these new things that are popping up.
We are entering the age of the entrepreneur and it’s come to own it like, let’s go.
I think so, and the informed, the conscious, the knock if you buck. We wanted to see everybody that has that spirit. You’ve been very intentional about that. It’s like everybody has a spirit, even if they’re a cubicle. It’s like, “I have a vision of something that I want at the core to sustain my family.” It doesn’t even necessarily have to be created something new. It could be like, “My grandfather used to have a tire shop. I could sell tires. What is my business plan? How do I get this up and running?”
I’m just hopeful that people see the warm voices, the labs, the rosy cheeks, and the beautiful faces. If we look inviting, it’s on purpose. This does not have to be a bitter process that, unfortunately, many of us went through. It’s sometimes from rejection within. Not necessarily from outside communities. I don’t think that we have to haze our way through everything. There can be some soft spaces to do this work and we are soul space.
That’s so beautiful. We are soul space. Ife, I want to thank you for going on this journey with me. It’s been a beautiful journey and I’m so grateful. Also, thank you for being the resident greer at Black Innovation Alliance, the steward of our voice. Folks don’t realize that they’re so much like the intellectual juiciness that comes out of BIA comes from you. I want to let you know that I’m so deeply grateful for you and for your willingness to always be like, “Let’s try it.” I know that could probably get a little exhausted like, “We try this, too. Let’s try it. Let’s do it. Why not? I’ll do a show with you.”
It’s going to harder when people come to your backyard with suitcases and say, “Do you have your outfit? Don’t worry about the lights. Don’t worry, Valentina, got something for you to eat.” You all think we’re joking. Literally, two days later, I was like, “Do I need different outfits?” Yes, I usually go with the flow for the most part. I got my issues. I’m an artist. I’m sensitive about my shit.
It’s a space full of some of the most brilliant minds. I know you probably feel this way, Kelly, but I’ve said this, to work with other brilliant iterative minds all at the same time, sometimes the biggest issue you have is that everybody has a brilliant idea and you’re trying to figure out what’s the best billion idea. When you get off those calls, sit back, and think about it, we’re always going to land on brilliant. It doesn’t matter where it comes from.
As we close out this chapter, shout out to the rest of our team who has held it down in all the ways.
You all are amazing.
Bigger, Better Future For Black Innovation
We got so much more to come. That’s exciting. This is not goodbye. This is, see you soon, bigger and better, and feeling the gap.
With that being said, we want to thank you all again for joining us throughout this season. Thank you for joining the show. We would love to hear what are some of your thoughts on not only storytelling as a core component of how we innovate moving forward but also what do you want to hear more of and who do you want to hear from? What is it that you’re hoping that we can cover? Please let us know in the comments. Drop that below. Again, we thank you for reading. Follow us. You can find all the different spaces to follow us on our website, www.ChainsToLinks.com. Thank you so much. Thank you, Kelly. We’ll be back when we’re back.
Thank you, all.
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