Meet Sahiya: Jamaican Roots in Paris

Speaker 1 0:00

Hello everybody , welcome back to another episode of Carry On Friends , the Caribbean American experience , and maybe we are going to call this the Caribbean international experience because of my guest today . Sahiya is my guest and I'm excited . She is my second guest who is from Paris , but we'll get more into that . Sahiya , welcome to the podcast . How are you ?

Speaker 2 0:27

Thank you . I'm wonderful and I'm excited to speak with you , so thank you so much Awesome .

Speaker 1 0:33

All right , so I already told the audience that you are joining us from Paris , so tell the audience a little bit more about who you are , caribbean country you represent , the work you do and , most importantly , why you're in Paris .

Speaker 2 0:48

Sure , oh , my goodness . So where can I start ? Well , I like to represent Jamaica because that's where my parents are from and I'm first generation . My sister and I American . My parents got married in Jamaica but found themselves in Iowa . My dad studied agronomy and my mom studied education , and so I grew up in Iowa .

Speaker 2 1:15

But I had a lot of family , especially on my mom's side , in Brooklyn , new York . So after I left high school in Des Moines , iowa , I went over to Brooklyn and I was going to start school there at Pace University but ended up finishing oh yeah , ended up finishing my degree at City College of New York , which is also where my dad went , city College of New York , which is also where my dad went . And I also did a master's degree at Columbia University . But I spent maybe , like I don't know like 15 , 16 years in New York and then after that I kind of after my master's , I took kind of a plunge and I decided to change coasts and so I went over to California for a bit , stayed there for a couple of years but decided it wasn't quite my vibe , you know . So I ended up going down to Florida to stay with family for a bit during the pandemic . You know that was like crazy times . And then I launched a consulting practice actually and I ended up in Houston , texas , where I met a lot of great people and then eventually started kind of working in corporate again but had a great experience in Houston and throughout .

Speaker 2 2:44

You know my travels in the United States and places that I lived . I can say now , like you know well , texas is not quite like this . I lived there , you know , like I got to really experience a lot of different places around the US . And why am I in Paris ? Well , because Jamaicans like to be everywhere . So I think it's like in our DNA . You know , we cannot help ourselves , but the deeper reason is really because it was something that I did .

Speaker 2 3:17

For me it was always a dream that I wanted to be in Paris . Now , the choice of study I went back to school and I studied luxury marketing . Before this I was in the healthcare industry in the US for like 20 years . So I did everything in like academic centers , insurance , hospitals , consulting , you name it , even got the first master's in that . But I just kind of decided , you know , this was not really for me anymore and France was always just a place , like I had fallen in love with the culture , the food , the fashion lifestyle , maybe even you know the fantasy of it all . So I decided , you know , I was going to change my career , just make a pivot , do something really original just for me . And yeah , and here I am , in Paris .

Speaker 1 4:16

So so here you said so many things . I mean no , no , no , sorry , this is amazing , this is incredible . I want to touch on a bunch of stuff . So big up to fellow Pace person .

Speaker 2 4:30

I went to Pace in Pleasantville Barcliff campus though .

Speaker 1 4:34

Oh nice , nice yes yes , and then agronomy that's what you say your father studied .

Speaker 2 4:40

Yes , and he's also an attorney , so he he's a pivoter as well , because he left agronomy and then went into law , which he's still a practicing lawyer in Orlando , florida .

Speaker 1 4:54

So shout out to my dad and what's his agronomy .

Speaker 2 5:00

So I take it kind of as it's almost like biology . Yeah , you know , with farm and when I was little it was funny because I always thought that I was like , wow , he can just plant anything . You know , like I don't know if you know the African violets , but he would take a stem and he would just put it in water , it would grow . We had peonies , marigolds , everything would grow . But it wasn't until later on I learned that , oh , you know , he has like a PhD in this kind of stuff so he can grow anything .

Speaker 1 5:35

Yeah , that's amazing . That's amazing . It's good to know that . Now I want you to talk to me about growing up in Iowa , Des Moines , where you know I lived in the Midwest for one point of my life . It's in Wisconsin . Yes , yes , yes , yes . So I want you to talk to me about what it was like growing up in Des Moines . And you know , did you have like a Caribbean community ? What was that like for you

Growing Up Caribbean in Iowa

Speaker 1 6:03

and your family ?

Speaker 2 6:04

Wow , whoa , it's taking me back . I had , I think , a pretty great childhood growing up in Des Moines . Like we lived in a pretty sort of what you might say middle-class neighborhood . I walked to school , mowed the lawn , planted flowers , you know like this kind of stuff Going to school was , for the most part , great . I have sometimes , you know , where I remember really great things because I had teachers who really loved to like foster debate , who were just very passionate about teaching , about education , and many of them , you know , I remember to this day .

Speaker 2 6:47

And I also had kind of experiences growing up there where I didn't kind of know where I fit in in some ways , because I'm a Black woman . You know my parents are Jamaican and I felt like sometimes people didn't know Some people , I would say sometimes mostly school children didn't really know what to do with that . You know they're like why do you talk this way or why do you dress that way ? And I'm like because my mom's not letting me come to school with my belly out . You know what I mean . She's just not having that . And you know why are you such a nerd ? Well , because , again , my mom's not having that . You know she said education is the key to our future , and my job was to go to school and to learn and , you know , to be a good student . I did my best , um , but yeah , so it was kind of like not really fitting in sometimes or having this place because people want to kind of put you into this box and they don't understand . You know what is this like Jamaican culture , what is this thing ? You know really good people to connect with and you know to hang out with , be friends with , some of whom you know I'm still in contact with to this day , which is amazing .

Speaker 2 8:28

And also , too , iowa was interesting because my mom was an educator and she ran like a daycare in her home , in our home , and so sometimes I come home from school and like the kids are all at nap time , you know , and I'm like , oh my gosh , can I have some peace ? You know , but she took education really seriously and so she had a great community of people that you know the kids , their parents that you know she was teaching . These were younger children and primarily like in the black community , so there was this real bond as well over her , you know , taking care of the kids , them , you know , welcoming us , you know to the , to the state of Iowa , if you will . But also it was interesting .

Speaker 2 9:06

She had a lot of church friends and so at church they would have things like wild game feast where some of the guys would go hunting and they would bring pheasant and she would curry the pheasant and they were like , what is this ? And she would make rice and peas , different things like that . So there were a lot of ways that I think also my parents really found ways to bond with the community . That created a supportive environment for me growing up .

Speaker 1 9:43

Wow , that is amazing . Also , growing up not here in the U S but in Jamaica , my grandmother brought the daycare into the house , so I understand completely . When the daycare was in the building before the hurricane blew down the building , I had to work at the daycare and I was pretty young like , but it was , you know my brother and I . We were the mini playmakers , because we were young .

Speaker 1 10:08

So you know , whatever we want to play and do , the little kids would follow us . So , yeah , that was helpful . But as we got older , the daycare came to our house and you know the work didn't feel much fun anymore . But I do connect with you , know what that's like and building relationship with the parents and the families of the kids who came to the daycare . That's at home , so that's awesome .

Speaker 2 10:32

Definitely . And I would just add to some of the kids who are in the daycare like I know them , One of them even came to Paris just a while back . She's just a few years . No , she said this one is several years younger because I actually used to babysit her . So to see her all grown up now is like amazing . So all good kids .

Speaker 1 10:54

Yeah , yeah , that's , that's wonderful , all right , yeah , so you pivot from um .

Pivoting from Healthcare to Luxury Marketing

Speaker 1 11:01

Why make ? Or I ? I was being nice , but why make ? Why ? Why ? What was that ? I know pivoting is in your bones because daddy did it , but , like you know , you wanted to . You know Paris was always a draw . But what , specifically luxury marketing ?

Speaker 2 11:21

sure , yeah , um , because , uh , you , working in healthcare , I loved it for many years and I really , I mean really really loved it and I had great experiences and I had , you know , challenges working in the industry . But I think after some time I had some personal situation myself and then also just professionally , it felt like , you know , always a day even if you have a great team just kind of combating the system itself when you really want to deliver something excellent , you know , for patients , for companies , et cetera . So I just found that , wow , there's so many barriers here , or kind of always getting the question of who's going to pay for it . And for me it's like I just want to be able to launch something to take care of people . Of course it's like I don't want to not be within the regulations and codes , but if a program is good , I want to be able to stand up this program and do it soon . But I think it just were things that took a long time to get done . Know , no one's fault or anything , it's just a system that we have and I also just thought I really wanted to be around something . I think that would really make me feel happy and I remembered , like happy places , always being in Paris shopping . You know you come , you go to some of the stores , the boutiques , you get the champagne . You know you come , you go to the some of the stores , the boutiques , you get the champagne . You have the experience like this always stood out in my mind and I started to take up French again .

Speaker 2 13:15

And my tutor at the time she used to teach a class at a university in Georgia where she was teaching students about , like the history of Louis Vuitton , christian Dior , you know these great designers or companies , brands that we all know today . And I asked her I said , wow , you can study this . Is this some kind of like science ? You know , because I only know this as a consumer ? And she said yeah , because a lot of these brands , of course , have been around for hundreds of years . So it's part of art , it's part of history .

Speaker 2 13:52

And I just started to really do some research and think like , wow , what might my life look like if I could pursue something like this ? And also , you know I had been asked this question what would you do if money were no object ? And that was like a powerful question , because I think for me I'm like no , money's always an object . It's always . It's always a consideration how are you going to pay your bills , how are you going to do this or that or the other consideration how are you going to pay your bills , how are you going to do this or that or the other ? And it was really tough to sort of put that aside and challenge myself to say you know , if you were doing anything , what would it be ? And I was like I would go to France . I would go to Paris and then be around or be in an industry you know that I've come to love , you know , which is a luxury industry . So that's a lot of that is really what you know . What's brought me here to this country ?

Speaker 1 14:52

What would your advice be to someone who's pivoting industries ? Because it's one thing to pivot and remain in the industry , but you've pivoted industry , and I mean you also have your dad , who's pivoted industries as well . What have been some of the lessons that you've gotten from him and now you've applied to your life that you would offer to someone else ?

Speaker 2 15:19

Sure my goodness , what lessons has my dad taught me ? No , you know , he's taught me great lessons . You know he was super supportive and I would say all my family was really supportive when I told them that I wanted to make this move to Paris . You know , my dad's advice was really to go for it . He said , you know , when he was younger , even though he came from Jamaica well , in New York and also Iowa , he said , you know , he kind of wished that he had done some more traveling abroad . You know maybe seen a few other countries , et cetera .

Speaker 2 15:58

So he's like very practical , kind of like well , can you do it ? Do you want to do it ? Well , just do it . And so I did it . But also I saw how he really loves like the law and he loves to practice law and I think that it was great for him to make the pivot that he did . I'm sure he could have been happy in agronomy as well , but I mean he has a love for the law and I think that is great because it also shows people that I mean you can do something for a long time and make a change and fall in love , you know , with something else . So I think those two lessons are probably the biggest ones that I can think of , but I'm sure you have many lessons as well . Being an entrepreneur is maybe you've made a lot of pivots , or I've .

Speaker 1 16:57

I've had to pivot different roles , different industries , and I think the lessons that I've learned is just taking a step back , and it's I think I'm more like your dad , I'm very practical is take a step back . Can I do this ? Do I want to do this ? Right ? Because we don't want to left one thing to end up in misery doing something else , right ? No ? So that's the first practical thing and then embrace the fear of , or the butterflies of , the unknown . I want to say fear because there's a lot of uncertainty and then , just do it .

Speaker 1 17:38

And then if you get the itch another three years to pivot again , just do it . You know , like just lean into it . And I think sometimes you don't want to lean into it because you go back to this thing of starting over again . Right , and sometimes maybe some of that advice or maybe I don't know if you told anyone that you were going to Paris and you know some of their they're projecting some of their uncertainty on you because this is a big , this is a big move to pick up and move and do all of this . And you know , sometimes we don't pivot , even on a smaller scale , because

Understanding the Luxury Industry in Paris

Speaker 1 18:15

it's starting over and having to deal with those initial uncertainties that don't feel comfortable .

Speaker 2 18:21

So the feelings of like difficulties or challenges and being uncomfortable is so , so real . There are so many , you know , there's , I think , sometimes media that's projected that's like , oh , you know , you can just get up and do this and , especially Paris , you'll be in cafes all day , you'll be strolling the street all day and , you know , like , drinking wine all day , and I'm like this is not the reality . You know , like there's a lot of things that can be very uncomfortable , but and there's a lot of stress that also , I think , came with the move . I still love that I'm here , but I mean , I have to acknowledge like there were difficulties and there's still difficulties .

Speaker 1 19:12

So you mean to tell me , you're not having picnics under the Eiffel Tower every week , I mean absolutely not , absolutely not .

Speaker 2 19:25

I wish I do get to see it sparkle and I'm still like it's still very magical for me to see , like the Eiffel Tower sparkle . But I wish , but right now too . I mean , it's hot . It's hot . You know , the buildings don't have AC . I'm looking for an AC , I have my fan on , I'm trying to rig things up and , you know , keep the heat out and , you know , drink a lot of ice water . There's definitely some things that are more comfortable in the fall , like , yeah , doing that picnic or doing it in the spring every week , but like right now in the summer , no , absolutely not .

Speaker 1 20:10

All right , so you were taking French . Where's your level of French now ? How hard that was to kind of learn this new language and get settled in and finding a community there .

Speaker 2 20:23

Sure , oh well , first with the language , I will tell you that I was telling a French friend of mine we were walking and speaking together . I'm at about an intermediate level , so there's a lot of things that I can understand , there's a lot of vocabulary and I can go and , you know , do common things and navigate my way generally through life here . But it's always kind of this work in progress , especially here , because Parisians speak quite fast , so sometimes you know they're saying this whole thing and I've heard it , but my brain is like over here still , you know it's at the beginning of the sentence .

Speaker 2 21:09

French has been , I think , one of the biggest challenges of my life . Honestly , and I say that also because when I did the master's program it was in English . I didn't want to do it in French because I just felt , you know , that's going to be way too much pressure and stress for me . So it was in English and there was just so much work and not a lot of space and time to learn French . And also for myself , I had a lot of shyness and maybe felt a little intimidated , even though I had friends who were like you know , you should practice , we can practice together .

Speaker 2 21:48

But I think now I'm more so getting over that and just going along really trying to do French when I can listen to French . But you know , when things were stressful I'm like , look , I don't want to hear anything French , I don't want to , I don't want to listen to any French music , I don't want to listen to any French news , I just want to , like you know , put on my Spotify playlist or whatever , and listen , you know , to the music that I like , the podcast I like you know , et cetera . But now , now I'm at a better place . Things have like settled down and I've sort of like recharged my goals , if you will .

Speaker 1 22:29

But we're going to get to some of those goals . But in your transition from the US to France , what part of your Jamaican , broadly Caribbean identity you or do you find yourself holding on to the most ?

Speaker 2 22:42

Oh wow . Well , in my room I have two flags that I got from the Olympics .

Speaker 1 22:51

I was going to ask you about that , you know , but I'm like wait , wait , go ahead .

Speaker 2 22:55

No , no , no , yeah , yeah , I was . I was at the Olympics , me and my other friend from London who's Jamaican born and grew up in London . Now , so , yeah , we went to the Olympics , we had on our Jamaican colors . We went to the Jamaica house , we had our flags . We got to see the women's 100-meter race . I wanted to see , wow , I wanted to see Shellyann and Sherika but didn't get to see them . But I understand , I did get to cheer for Tia I think she won one of the heats . I mean she's so impressive Tia Clayton running , I think , yes , tia and her sister running the 100-meter race .

Speaker 2 23:41

And yeah , I mean , and the food like there's a place called Big Black Cook I want everybody to know I said cook and they are a restaurant very small here but they do make some Caribbean dishes , so they have a curry , chicken and rice and peas dish . So when I'm like feeling in the mood , you know I need some food or I want to kind of connect , I go there and I have like the curry , chicken and rice and peas and I think like , maybe like a ginger beer . And there's a couple other Jamaican restaurants . There's like , I think , a vegan one and another one called Jamrock that opened , I believe , this year or last year . So I try to keep myself connected , really with food . That's a huge thing for me . What else ? And I think , just maybe personality Music is huge for me .

Speaker 2 24:44

When I'm commuting in the mornings and I need something to make me feel grounded , I put on the music you know I listen to , like Barris , hammond , like old school music , you know , and then also , when I need some more like energy , I put on some Soca music from Trinidad . So but yeah , I keep , I keep those things with me . And I have not been back to Jamaica since I've been here . I would like to , but I did get a chance to go to Barbados last month and it was amazing to , like you know , see friends , be on the island . You know the people , the hospitality , the waters like the beach , the food , Incredible . So yeah , I try to stay very connected .

Speaker 1 25:36

Wonderful , all right . So talk to me now . You're doing luxury marketing . How is that going ? What is this luxury marketing ? What are you doing ? All the things , sure .

Speaker 2 25:48

So actually we just finished , really , this sort of class portion of the program . So I did that for , I would say , about nine months and then now I'm in the process of looking for an internship or full-time position here in Paris . I'd like to stay here . But , yeah , luxury marketing really focused on marketing for the luxury

Finding Caribbean Community in France

Speaker 2 26:12

industry and understanding the science behind how luxury companies market themselves , how luxury companies market themselves , and understanding also so much and learning so much about French and Italian luxury brands , but especially French brands , and then in all aspects of the luxury industry as well , from cars to watches , jewelry , fashion , leather goods , etc . Like all of these aspects of the industry that you can focus on marketing , promotion , understanding how they do , storytelling as well , how they differentiate themselves from competitors in the market , and then some of the techniques that they use from history , especially in art , to even further like elevate the luxury brands , which was a great experience . So , for example , some brands will , in their marketing campaigns , will draw from you know something back in history , like in France , say , from you know Louis XIV or Marie Antoinette or an eagle , or they'll tell stories around a certain type of flower that the founder loved , like the camellia flower that Chanel loved , or stories about the trunk . You know , with Louis Vuitton , how it all started and they kind of draw from this , which is really different from , let's say , mass market marketing . Like , if you're Zara , h&m , you want to have quantity , quantity , quantity , reach as many people as possible , you know , sell as much as possible , reach as many people as possible , you know , sell as much as possible . But luxury , even though they're present , you know you might say that they whisper in some ways . But also it's been super interesting to understand how luxury companies are now moving into broader spaces . So , for example , I don't know if you saw in New York , like the new Louis Vuitton cafe that's opened . Prada has a cafe as well . So they're moving into these different areas in , like , hospitality hotel . There's a new Louis Vuitton hotel opening next year .

Speaker 2 28:41

So I did a project around that and that was really great to also do some fieldwork and check out different five-star hotels here in Paris and Milan and see , kind of how they're truly differentiating , you know , themselves from everyone else and really what are those facets that make them luxury ? So like , for example , here in Paris there is something called a palace distinction and actually it's not just in Paris but it's in all of France , and so this distinction is awarded to certain hotels that meet a certain criteria . That's even above and beyond five-star , service amenities , etc . And that was great visiting those and doing field research , you know , and just seeing , like , how they operate , how they welcome you , their offerings , their storytelling , etc . So long story short yes , these were all of the things that I got to study . Yeah , the fashion brands , craftsmanship wines I love wine and spirits , so I could go on . But , yeah , all these different niches , if you will , in the luxury industry .

Speaker 1 30:05

I mean a lot of people study luxury marketing , for lack of a better word . How do you feel that you bring something different to the space of luxury marketing ? I mean you might know more than me , but luxury marketing is luxury marketing . When I when I mean you might know more than me , but luxury marketing is luxury marketing . And the people who can afford luxury marketing is even smaller , right ? So how do you get into that space and how do you differentiate in that space , if that makes sense ?

Speaker 2 30:34

Yeah , sure , I think , for my myself personally . And you know , to your first question , like what do I bring to the table , I think you know first it's a love . And you know , to your first question , like what do I bring to the table , I think you know first it's a love , for you know this industry and really , which started , I think , with fashion you know , some of my favorite brands are here but also it was this experience or this ritual that you could have when you came here . Let's say , if you went to Louis Vuitton and you were buying something and you have the opportunity to be presented with different items , have the glass of champagne , have some interaction and some of this stuff seems simple , but it's really kind of an art form if they do it well , because , whatever your budget is , when you come into one of these places , you should feel like you're welcomed , you should feel like you're being , you know , treated with respect .

Speaker 2 31:33

And I used to think about how could I sort of apply this to the healthcare industry , you know , because I wondered , you know , different times , like , for example , with patients , if we , you know , provided them with different sets of sheets , you know that were feeling more luxurious , would they feel a bit more comfortable . Would they feel a bit more comfortable If we take the service approach ? How can we , you know , in hospitals or insurance companies , have a more maybe service minded or client guest centered approach ? So everybody feels like I mean , yes , you might be calling about a bill or you know something unpleasant , but you still want to feel like you're cared for , you're welcomed , you're special , you're one of a kind , especially in the healthcare industry , with people dealing with you know , I bring this perspective from healthcare that does take from the luxury industry and thinking about a service model , but also more of a delicacy , because I've been , you know , I've had to talk to patients or design programs with a very specific focus , a very , you know , niche focus , and one that requires an enormous amount of empathy , of course , and understanding . So there's that .

Speaker 2 33:07

But also , I think , as a consumer , I am somebody who welcomes a positive experience . I want to be treated well . My parents raised me this way and I am , I love , kind of the I don't want to just call it the service model of it , but like this kind of ritual and I know what people I think like and expect and how they want to be treated and that's like super important to me , you know , because when I go into any place , I really I watch how people other people are treated , I watch how I am treated , I watch how other people are treated , I watch how I am treated and I'm really focused on that and ensuring that people have great experiences and I love seeing people happy . Luxury is a joy . It should make you happy . It shouldn't make you feel bad .

Speaker 1 34:08

You're right , as I'm hearing you . It's really the hospitality of it . It's how the person feels and , um , at the end of the day , it's why people have um brand loyalty to certain things . Right , it's , that's part of the marketing . Why will ? Will someone always buy this ? You know , it's because it's how it makes them feel , and sometimes from a psychological standpoint . You know . You know , I've heard that for every negative experience , you need like five positive . You know three to five positive experiences . So it's like I had such an amazing positive experience with this brand , like I'm going to stay with them , like , yes , I'll give you a perfect example . There's a , there's a , there's a tool , there's a software . It's a brand .

Speaker 1 35:02

They have a suite of things Right , and the first time I started podcasting it was like the most difficult thing to learn . Started podcasting , it was like the most difficult thing to learn . I was just like it was like putting a new flight student into a 747 versus a little seaplane . And I know where I am 10 years later podcasting that I could master that tool , but I can't touch that tool with a 10 foot pole . I'm like I can't , I don't , I want to but I just can't . And I really think that's what these luxury marketing is is wanting to make such a great first impression that it stays with you for almost for life , really .

Speaker 2 35:45

Yeah , and the other thing is too that I think the market is changing so much because I think the traditional customer of luxury has changed . You know , there are different pockets of people all over the world who are attaining , you know ,

Maintaining Cultural Connections Abroad

Speaker 2 36:07

for better or for worse , new money , new , money are attaining , you know , for better or worse .

Speaker 2 36:09

New money Through tech , you know , online , you know , opening businesses , food , whatever it is . There are a lot of people who are , yeah , getting you know , this new money . So the landscape of the , you know , traditional client , this has changed and the market , if they want to be very successful , should adapt to this . You know , and and I think that what I also bring you know to the table is my own lived experience , right , and , and I think that's important because , you know , some industries are , you know , quicker to change and some are , you know , slower to change .

Speaker 2 36:55

I think luxury may be one of the industries , at least from what I understand , that has somewhat focused on sometimes traditional , maybe marketing or messaging , I mean , but definitely there are some really creative campaigns . But , you know , the thing is , too , how can you , let's say , market to the Caribbean , you know , or how do you market to Africa or Latin America ? These are , you know , or Asia . They're very diverse audiences that today companies need to reach , and I think that you know , working in complicated industries with a lot of people and even coming to an international program has really given me a sense of you know what are other people thinking .

Speaker 2 37:45

You know , what does the market in Milan traditionally like ? Or what does the market in Hong Kong traditionally like ? I got to meet a lot of different people from all over the world so I bring you know my own sort of American Jamaican . You know life , lived experience . But also I've been able to connect with a lot of different people , so I'm hoping to kind of apply some of that sensibility to you . Know companies and help them market their products and services .

Speaker 1 38:14

All right , so , as you wrap up , yes , and we reflect on this conversation , right , In some ways you took a traditional path and then you've kind of moved around a little bit and you know , for fun and for joke , we tell this one story that you know , Caribbean and Jamaican parents expect you to go to school and do this and do to work . We know it's not always true , but you know it's part of the funny story . You know , but you know that's not true because you're living that right . And so how do you , how do you define success for yourself , given this varied experience , and what do you want other Caribbean Americans or anyone in the Caribbean diaspora , wherever they are in the world , to learn about ? We can laugh at that one story because it's funny , right , but we can also be bold and brave and lean into . You know what success looks like that is different from what our parents envisioned for us .

Speaker 2 39:21

Yeah , definitely , I think you know success for me is . I still maybe wonder , because I think maybe I'll know when I reach it . I celebrate the milestones but I'm not sure that I have reached sort of success yet , I feel , because I just feel like there's so many things that I want to do and I need to do and maybe , you know , success would really look like also being know doing something in Jamaica as well . And you know , maybe even you know , in honor of you know my mom who passed some years ago and you know she had always wanted to go back and you know that's why I go back , a big part of it , because I try to live that experience , I don't know , hoping that you know she'll see me there and see me happy and things like that . And then the second part to your question . The first one's what does success look like ?

Speaker 1 40:38

And the second was Leaning into different types of success , but it might look different from what our parents might have envisioned for themselves or for us .

Speaker 2 40:49

Yes , okay , so leaning in , wow Again , I'm a risk taker , but I'm also quite practical , so people have to determine their own risk tolerance . I always say this , but I feel like this experience has been so great because you can find community abroad or , if you make a change and you really apply yourself , you'll meet the right people who connect you , know to you or with you and enhance your life . And I feel like you know , I spent many years being super practical and working as I was supposed to work Right , but this was really a decision specifically for me and I think that if there's something that you want to do just for you , then make your plan , take the risk and go for it . You know and trust that you'll land on your feet .

Speaker 1 41:49

So you're in Paris ? Yeah , how do you ? How do you maintain connection with your family on the other side of the world ? How do you connect ?

Speaker 2 42:02

Yes , WhatsApp , but also a lot of WhatsApp , a lot of technology , I would say . But when I have time , like in the evening right now , or sometimes in my afternoon , is their early morning . I know they're just waking up , so I call them , and so we definitely use a lot of social media as well to stay connected . We send photos , they read my blog sometimes , and those are all good ways , but also through platforms , you know , like your own .

Speaker 2 42:42

I did want to connect with you too , because there's definitely a few Jamaicans that are out here . There's an organization , jamaicans in France , and so there are a few of us , you know , who are here . They've had some events here and there and I hope to connect with the community as well . But I think , overall just if I think about my immediate family , social media calls , etc . But my Jamaican family , my Caribbean family , definitely through platforms , you know , like yours , where I can connect with more people , they can connect with me if they want , because really I just want to be able to encourage people to make that move or to make that change and to know that if they want to come to this side , one of us is here and you know they can reach out , you know if they have questions or whatnot , this side one of us is here and you know they can reach out . You know if they have questions or whatnot ?

Speaker 1 43:34

Thank you for sharing that .

Speaker 1 43:35

I mean I love this idea of Jamaicans in Paris .

Speaker 1 43:38

So I have this model that I just introduced and it's really based on my experience moving here from Jamaica when I was younger and I talked about how , even though I lived in Wisconsin and it's clearly not Brooklyn with a whole bunch of Jamaica there was younger and I talked about how , even though I lived in Wisconsin and it's clearly not Brooklyn with a whole bunch of Jamaica there was you're able to find small , a small community , and it's even more intentional and the connection because your mom was currying the pheasant but no one know where your mother

Reflecting on Success and Final Thoughts

Speaker 1 44:05

get the curry from , right , so there's some community , not big and broad like Florida , you know New York or Boston , but it's . It does exist . And even you , talking about the Jamaicans in France , you know we find community and because we have to be intentional , like you're being intentional , connecting with your family , connecting with the podcast , your connection to culture is then different , because it's so intentional for you to maintain this versus . You know you just go outside and you step outside your house in Brooklyn and you smell jerk chicken .

Speaker 2 44:41

You know like you know you might smell some like beef , bourguignon or a baguette . You're going to smell bread . Or you might smell , you know , cheese from the fromagerie yeah , that's what you're going to smell , bread . Or you might smell , you know , cheese from lingerie yeah , that's what you're going to smell here . A lot of bread for sure .

Speaker 1 44:56

Right . So I mean this idea of geography and how that impacts how much you're connected to culture . So this was timely and perfect . So , sahia , listen , let me know offline . I know somebody else who's in Paris Um she Guadalupe , um of . Guadalupe heritage but she's been on the podcast a couple of times and I adore her .

Speaker 1 45:22

She is really amazing . So I would want to put you both in touch and , um , I mean thank you again for being on the podcast . This has been really great getting to know you and you know your luxury marketing and you know , when , when , when things kick off , you know , I expect you to come back and tell me oh , you are doing the most in luxury marketing , especially in what they're calling emerging markets . But you don't know , we already exist , we're not emerging .

Speaker 2 45:55

We already arrived Exactly . We're major , yes , yes so .

Speaker 1 46:03

I'm excited for you and this adventure , and then maybe we can do a live stream to the Jamaicans in Paris , like wagwan .

Speaker 2 46:10

Yeah , that would be amazing . There's a few I have to reach out to some people , so cause I want to make sure they get this .

Speaker 1 46:20

Yes , oh , my goodness , this has been amazing . Well , is there anything else you want to share with our audience before we close ?

Speaker 2 46:28

Oh sure , thank you . Before we close oh sure , thank you , I would share that . I'm trying to get better at this , but I do write a blog at sahiahobsoncom and on the blog I share tips about the luxury industry , my life in Paris . I share pictures and things like that . So if people are kind of curious about oh , what am I up to or what might you know look good to do in Paris , or they want some insights about the industry , then you know they can go and check out my blog and you know feel free to contact me if there's anything that they want to see . I'm happy to explore that . So people can , you know , live a little vicariously through me , so I want to share that .

Speaker 1 47:12

Wonderful , and I'll put that in the show notes as well . Sahiya , thank you so much for coming on giving us a little insight as to what you're doing in Paris . Your background Wow . Agronomy , iowa , des Moines definitely a first first , but midwest we're always going to represent , yeah , um . So thank you again for being on the podcast and , as I love to say at the end of every episode , walk good , thank you .