00:30July 1st through July 3rd, the Essence Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola is bringing the heat with experiences you love, including Essence Beauty Carnival and Essence Wellness House.
00:41We've got something for everyone.
00:43Meet and greets, shopping, panels, workshops, performances, and more.
00:48It's the black joy from me.
00:49Get your tickets now at EssenceFestival.com.
02:01Land among the stars at Essence Studios Center Stage, where you can hear from your favorite celebrities and even meet them in the fan zone.
02:10And there's even more.
02:12You've got to see it to believe it.
02:14Start mapping out your weekend now.
02:16It's all going down June 30th to July 3rd at the Essence Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola.
02:23More information at EssenceFestival.com.
02:25My brands are both New Voices portfolio companies.
02:46They invested in the Lit Bar very early on and have provided a ton of mentorship in addition to capital that allowed me to grow my businesses and target stores across the country.
02:57I would absolutely recommend the New Voices family to any founder seeking investment, seeking partnership, seeking advice, seeking mentorship.
03:18I can't say enough how helpful it is to feel like you have a partner when you're on the startup journey.
03:24One of the greatest things we can do in our lives is to have a mentor and a coach.
03:40We use it every person that has made it to a certain level.
03:42There's always been somebody along their journey to say, hey, they helped me out.
03:46I know for a fact that New Voices have to come back for me.
04:01Meet Essay, a community finance platform.
04:05Borrow money when you need it, on your terms, and lend it when you have it, and make a return.
04:12We're people helping people.
04:14Join us.
04:16After two years, Essence Festival of Culture, presented by Coca-Cola, is back on the ground in New Orleans, June 30th to July 3rd.
04:25It's the black joy for us.
04:27The 2022 Essence Fest is everybody's welcome home.
04:32See all stars, including Kevin Hart, Nicki Minaj, Janet Jackson, New Edition, and more on stage every night.
04:39Plus, fill your days with community, culture, and connection at over 30 unique events over the weekend.
04:45Revisit your faves, like Essence Marketplace, Essence After Dark, and Beauty Carnival.
04:51Or make new memories at debut experiences like Essence in His Zone, Men's Experience, the Black Boy Joy headquarters.
04:59With fun, interactive activities, as well as experiences around entrepreneurship, business, self-care, and relationships.
05:07All fit for a king.
05:10Essence Tech Summit.
05:11Step into the future and explore a world of cutting-edge technology.
05:15Celebrate black women in tech, as well as learn from industry leaders on all things cryptocurrency, NFTs, and more.
05:22Essence Eats Food and Wine Festival, the ultimate foodie destination, is bigger and better this year.
05:29Featuring the all-new immersive Food and Wine Festival.
05:33Enjoy recipes and tastings from world-class chefs and mixologists, and so much more.
05:38This is your official taste of Essence.
05:41For the full list of experiences, and to get your tickets, go to EssenceFestival.com.
05:56Whether this is your first festival or your 20th, this year's Essence Fest will be like no other.
06:03Here's what you need to know before you go.
06:05Every night is a party in the Superdome, but don't skip the day vibes.
06:10Meet us around the Essence Fest campus for a wealth of free events curated just for you.
06:16Land among the stars at Essence Studios Center Stage, where you can hear from your favorite celebrities and even meet them in the fan zone.
06:25Make sure you stop by the all-new Essence Film Festival, where you'll not only get a sneak peek of the most anticipated Hollywood projects,
06:32you'll also be introduced to the work of up-and-coming Black creatives.
06:37Take a load off and reach out at Essence Wellness House, your weekend's self-care sanctuary.
06:43Put yourself first with tips and tools from health experts to help you wherever you are on your wellness journey.
06:50Join us at the Essence Wealth Empower Stage, where you'll hear empowering conversations from today's top thought leaders and activists.
06:57This experience will also feature global Black economic forum moments, where business moguls and inspiring entrepreneurs will illuminate the path
07:06on how to build economic equity and generational wealth within our communities globally.
07:13You know it wouldn't be New Orleans without some good food.
07:16Taste and sip your way through the all-new Essence Eats Food and Wine Festival, your daytime culinary destination with top chefs.
07:24And this year, we got your late-night cravings covered.
07:28Stop by Essence Eats, the let-out edition.
07:31This food truck block party will keep you fueled as you head to all that Essence Fest late-night has to offer.
07:37Get your power suit ready. Essence E-Suite is back.
07:41From panel conversations featuring leading Black women in business to recruitment,
07:45it's the number one destination for your career advancement.
07:49Essence After Dark returns.
07:51Join us for late-night comedy shows featuring Fat Tuesday and special music curations featuring Afrobeats and classic R&B curations.
08:01And there's even more.
08:02You gotta see it to believe it.
08:04Start mapping out your weekend now.
08:06It's all going down June 30th to July 3rd at the Essence Festival of Culture, presented by Coca-Cola.
08:13More information at EssenceFestival.com.
08:16This is Janet Jessen, everyone.
08:18And this is you, Sarah, everyone.
08:19Welcome to my Essence cover sheet.
08:21Thank you so much.
08:51Thank you, everyone.
08:55Thank you, everyone.
09:02As males get older, we become more distinguished, for lack of a better word.
09:07And for females, it's more like, y'all get names like Cougar and Auntie and things of that nature.
09:12They count y'all out way too early, man.
09:15Because if Angela Bassett is a testament to what an older woman, more mature woman can be, man, then I want to go that route.
09:23What's good, y'all?
09:26This is Method Man right here.
09:28And this is my Essence uncovered.
09:31My Essence stays covered, though.
09:32But this is my Essence uncovered.
09:35Y'all be good.
09:35Having an Essence cover mean to me?
09:41When I get one, I'll let your ass know.
09:43This is the digital cover.
09:44The physical copy magazine that I grew up on?
09:48That would mean the world.
09:49This is great.
09:50I love the fact that you guys even thought of me for this, and I am truly honored.
09:54I've won a Grammy, and I recently got my first acting award, and that was from the NAACP, Image Award.
10:02I covet that award more than the Grammy any day because that came from my audience, my people, and they love me.
10:09And I'll take that over anything.
10:11So for Essence, after all these years of me being in the business, to be here right now speaks volumes, volumes to my journey,
10:22as well as, you know, the classiness of this magazine.
10:27It just got a little bit more classy.
10:29Yes.
10:38You can't do both.
10:39I tried it, and it didn't work out for me.
10:41That's why I took a long hiatus from acting, or acting took a long hiatus from my ass.
10:46Let's put it that way.
10:47There were shows being missed, of course, studio, albums not being made, because I was way more into my acting than music.
10:56I haven't met one person that's acting and singing, and they're doing both, and it's working for them, with the exception of J.Lo,
11:03because J.Lo does every f***ing thing.
11:05She's the best at it.
11:06Don't at me.
11:07I was in a group that meant a lot to its audience.
11:13We never compromised ourselves, and they respected that.
11:16So why not 25, 26 years from there still have a career?
11:21Because, you know, you can't pay the buck.
11:23I mean, I've always been myself, and nothing's changed, so the audience should still be there.
11:29And we're blessed to still have the audience there.
11:31That's all I can say.
11:31How important has physical fitness been to my overall well-being?
11:37When I started, big depressed, insomnia, a bunch of things going on.
11:41For me, it was, if I'm going to get my mind right, my body might as well be right.
11:45Why, you know, exercise the mind and not exercise the body?
11:48It doesn't make sense.
11:49It was just a transition for me.
11:50I feel like if I can do it, anybody could do it.
11:52Hey, this is Summer Walker, and we're on set for my Essence Magazine cover sheet.
12:09I feel like I'm going to get my mind right.
12:39I feel like I'm going to get my mind.
13:09I feel like I'm going to get my mind.
13:39I feel like I'm going to get my mind.
14:09What does it mean to me to be on the cover of Essence?
14:23I pray for this moment.
14:27Literally all of my life as a kid, I literally said, I'm going to be on the cover, Essence.
14:31I'm going to be a star.
14:33And being on this cover is bigger than just saying Pinky Cole.
14:37Being on the cover is every single entrepreneur who has big dreams to make it, to make their business go viral and make multimillion dollars and just really realizing their dream.
14:48And people get to see it through me, a girl from East Baltimore who had big dreams and big visions and was able to manifest them.
14:56And that landed me to this opportunity here.
14:58And that's what we're going to ask them.
14:59So I'm excited.
15:00I feel good.
15:01How are you?
15:02I'm still living in the moment.
15:05You know, it's funny because as entrepreneurs, we always talk about being on big platforms and letting the world know about our organizations.
15:12And now they're about to see, you know, that two entrepreneurs that have restaurants, what we stand for, the mission that we own.
15:19And it's so, you know, we're so grateful that.
15:21Yeah.
15:22It feels like a dream and to be able to have my friends and family witness this moment and to be able to walk into a store and we pick ourselves up off the shelf.
15:32Like, that's priceless.
15:33You can't pay for that.
15:34So I'm excited that what we've built has gotten us here.
15:38And I'm even more excited to know that this is only the beginning.
15:41Yeah, and for me, I get to see, well, my 88-year-old grandmother, she get to see, you know, me in the markets.
15:48You know, she raised me.
15:50I told her when I started this business when I was losing all my family that she would see her grandson break barriers.
15:55And that's what I'm doing.
15:56You know, you got to try to figure out, you know, what's important and still try to keep time for everything in your life that you love.
16:02But this is the part that's building the part that's going to take care of what you love.
16:06So you got to leverage that out.
16:07So when people say, make time and do this and do that, yes, you have to make time for your loved ones because that's important.
16:13But I also got to get to this bag so I can help my loved ones when I ain't here no more.
16:17So I think that is the most important thing right now is managing and leveraging the time.
16:21And that's what we're both working on.
16:23I think we're doing a good job at, you know, what we got in our lives going on.
16:26You're doing a great job.
16:27yeah.
16:38Yeah.
16:39Ki'n ball in a life, man.
16:44Go on with it, go on with it.
16:46Yo, AJ, are you kidding me?
16:50To us.
16:50Yeah, we give things like we need it the most
16:54We have to give things like we really supposed to be thankful
16:57Blessings all for my life and
17:00My tongue got through the journey, the earnings, I trust for the plus
17:04And gratitude is a must
17:07Yeah, we see blessings for all by my right hand
17:10Both of those pretty friends will take off the below
17:13One time they sit down in a class and we go and then
17:15Only set the road and make one with the road
17:18To us
17:19Yeah, we give things like we have to give
17:23That's what blessings are for me
17:25And say me to tell them a story
17:27That's what blessings are for me
17:30And that's why me to give him the door
17:32Blessings for all by my right hand
17:34Both of those pretty friends will take off the below
17:37One time they sit down in a class and we go and then
17:39Only set the road and make one with the road
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