Aug 28, 2019
Welcome to She Leads Podcast Season 4, Episode 18! This episode of She Leads Podcast features Seretha Collins and Simone Brown founders of Clean Ears. Seretha Collins and Simone Brown are Conversationalists, Music Enthusiasts, and Podcast Creators who lead their lives like the Bosses they are. To hear Seretha Collins and Simone Brown’s take on leadership, listen to their interview as they discuss operating in excellence, honoring your time, and the importance of continual learning.
Seretha Collins’ Bio
Seretha Collins is a California girl, born and raised in the Bay Area. After college she moved to Atlanta where she rededicated her life to God. She ended up serving in multiple places at her church from children’s ministry to small group leader. During this time Seretha found that her love of music made her the go to person to ask make a playlist of fun and clean music for friends and events. She and Simone co-founded Clean Ears to be a place to have the conversations they weren't hearing from the pulpit. When she isn’t podcasting, Seretha practices yoga or is spending quality with her dog exploring the city and finding new ways to tell stories through media.
Simone Brown’s Bio
Simone Brown is a native of Kingston, Jamaica who grew up in Atlanta, GA. She values transparency, facilitating honest conversations, and encouraging people to articulate their feelings and struggles in the safety of God’s presence. She co-founded Clean Ears to help to show people that such conversations can help to strengthen our faith. As a die-hard lover of hip-hop, she also wanted to show fellow Christians that we can still enjoy our music while keeping our ears and spirits pure. She has continued her entrepreneurial pursuits and launched a subscription box, Eat Train Cleanse, with her sister. When she is not being a boss and creating content, she loves spending time with family and friends.
Nicole Walker’s Interview Commentary
I really enjoyed this interview with Seretha and Simone and I hope you did as well.
I agree with Seretha and Simone’s stance on the importance of continual learning and innovation. We will never know it all or reach perfection, yet it is super important to aspire for better when and where needed. According to Simone the requirements to obtain knowledge are, being willing to learn, being able to listen, and asking questions. Knowledge opens the door to the unknown, and is required to be a successful leader. If we want to grow we should aim to learning something new and try something different as often as we can. A quote by Brian Herbert reads, “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice”.
I admire Seretha and Simone’s connection! Being able to find someone that you vibe with and are able to thrive with is priceless. They are both very fortunate to have each other!!! Finding your tribe is super important, as collaboration is needed for optimal success. When we surround ourselves with people that are aligned with our vision and future we gain the encouragement, accountability, and support needed to reach our potential. As Simone stated “You need people around you that will call out the best in you and tell you, you can do this”! A quote by an unknown author reads, “Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul”.
I can relate Seretha and Simone’s experiences with being a reluctant leader, as I experienced the same. As with Seretha, I did not see some of my leadership skills until others called me out, which for me still took some time to digest and accept. As with Simone, I would notice people modeling my behavior and staring at me, but I didn’t initially equate this to leadership and wished they would stop. Also, choosing to play it safe and not step outside of my comfort zone is something I still battle with. Realizing I was a leader came with a sense of responsibility that I had to accept in order to grow. As Simone mentioned, it takes courage to step into the role created for you. A quote by Brian Chesky reads, “The second thing I had to do was not be reluctant as a leader…And when I started doing that, I realized that people are thriving for this, and that it’s so much more helpful for people”.
Nicole Walker’s Takeaway of the Week
Seretha and Simone mentioned to importance of removing distractions and honoring our time to be more productive. As Seretha suggested, working in thirty minute increments is a great way to stay focused. Putting a time constraint around our focus times, minimizes the likeliness of burnout and over thinking. When we honor our time, we ensure we are working on beneficial tasks. Viewing our time as important is essential to determining where our time should be spent.
I will make it my business to focus more by working in increments and honor my time by aligning my efforts with my goals.
A quote by Dan Coppersmith reads, “Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is simple. Every choice matters”.
Nicole Walker’s Leadership Challenge
My leadership challenge for you would be to think about the one thing you can take away from this episode and adopt into your life. I know it’s hard to absorb too much information at one time and it’s even harder to try and implement too many changes at once. When I attend a training or listen to podcasts I aim to walk away with a least one thing that stuck out to me and one way that I can change as a result. I challenge you to do the same! If you decide to take me up on my challenge I would love to know about your key take way. If you care to share please go to the She Leads Podcast Discussion Group on Facebook and leave your comment under the Takeaway Thursday post for Season 4 Episode 18.
Don’t forget to subscribe to She Leads Podcast for First access to future episodes. And, like and share this episode of She Leads Podcast entitled “Expand Your Knowledge with Seretha Collins and Simone Brown”.
Thanks and until next time “Be Empowered and Empower On”!