Meet Yolanda Owens | TED Speaker | Coach | Connector | Grower of People and Plants

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yolanda Owens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yolanda, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I used to think of work-life balance as a concept like a balancing scale. It is not. it’s more like hydraulic pistons. One day my priority and time will go toward my family, another day or week, that will shift more toward my work. Work-life balance is a series of vicissitudes for various parts of your life. The question is are you guided by a slate of values that those around you, whether they are on the upper or lower end of your time and energy, they know where you stand? This shifted for me first after growing our family, then more so as my parents have needed more help. As a millennial in the sandwich generation, I am both caretaking for my own young children, and addressing the needs of both of my parents with my siblings.
Recognizing this shift is part of what pushed me to obtaining my International Coaching Federation (ICF) Certification. Who else is out here seeking a way to figure out how to show up in the world? How can I help?

What should our readers know about your business?
During the pandemic I had to leave my job to facilitate kindergarten for our now 9 yo child. I used that space and time to lean into the things that brought me joy and set my heart on fire. That was making connections between Black culture and green spaces. Green spaces not in the sense of a park or green locations, but in the sectors that there has been disenfranchisement for Black folks because of exclusivity or because of co-opting the culture. In 2020 I had the distinct privilege of delivering my first TED Talk (hopefully there is more where that comes from!) about the disparities in access to agricultural education for Black and brown communities, creating a larger wedge between these communities and the lucrative and life-sustaining industry that is agriculture.

With my background in agricultural communications and community development, I used what I knew are started Forage + Black in October 2020. Forage + Black is the intersection of Black culture and green thumbs. My mother is the descendant of caribbean and Central Amerian heritage (Aruba and Panama) and my father is a descendant of enslaved Africans. This work is so important to who I am as a person—paying homage to those that came before me.

There are many challenges to having a business like this, namely the overhead. In an effort to mitigate that, each item is made to order, so while it may take a bit more than Amazon, know that your items are made just for you and with care here in the US.

One question that I often get is, “Do I have to be Black to purchase/wear your items?” and the short answer is no. But what is very important, is that you understand what the statements on the apparel mean and the importance of why this culture needs and deserves to exist.

For more information, head to the website forageandblack.com, where I share quite a bit about the history behind each design and why I created them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since having kids, I don’t find that I get out as much as I used to. At least not to places that adults frequent. I would take them to Community Grounds. I love that their default is oatmilk, so I don’t have to pay extra because my stomach says no to dairy. We hit up Mercury Diner for brunch and then I would also take them for a stroll through Chestnut Ridge Park. It is one of my favorite spots to walk through with my family. I’ve taken my kids, my sister, my mother—sometimes all at once! We could bring various foods from East Market (my fave are the brussels from Taste of Greece). I would make sure that we stopped by Flavor 91 Bistro for some sambusas and drinks. I would also be sure to hit up some of my favorite thrift stores locations throughout the city (we have so many good ones!) and I’d send them on their way with some HighBank Bourbon, because, well, because bourbon is good.

I’m a driver, so I would take the scenic route to all of the places so that they can see the differences in neighborhoods, the quaint parks (Westgate Park), the cozy corners in the more interesting of places (Hawthorne Park) and the museums.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people deserve recognition in my story. I truly believe in the African philisophy of ubuntu, “I am because you are.”
There are folks that have continued to push me like my husband, Cedric Owens, my friend Trish Clark, who put me up for this story, people doing this amazing work like Julialynne Walker and friends made through my time in the African American Leadership Academy. And as always those that held me down and raised me up since day one, and that’s my ride-or-die sister (and brother) friends, as well as my blood sibs (too many to name!).
I believe that each person holds many facets. Not everyone is going to get them all, but it is important to keep various folks around you that have seen at least a couple of them to have a fairly comprehensive view of who you are. Then you can reach out to them for differing needs.
I try to make myself available to others (without compromising my own needs) to do the same.

Website: https://forageandblack.com

Instagram: @forageandblack

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-owens/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForageandBlack

Youtube: https://youtu.be/dU4qV2AZ3jU?si=pDkmD3j0TTNPsB8U

Other: https://ted.com/talks/yolanda_owens_agricultural_education_a_love_story

Image Credits
picture leaning in raised bed with “A Pretty Big Dill” shirt on- Columbus City Schools
picture with bouquet of flowers, Dedra Cordle (Columbus Messenger)