Episode 34: Crafting Stories that Matter: Yunice Emir on Luxury, Positivity, and Purpose

Yunice  00:55

It’s not really that early. The sun is already out.

Amber Cabral  00:59

It’s kind of early. The sun is out, yes, it’s cloudy, but it’s kind of early. So let’s have a little bit of chat about early, right? Because when I met you, your first invitation to me was, let’s get breakfast, and me being a I get up at about eight, I will probably assume my breakfast would be 10. Got an invitation for what time was our breakfast?

Yunice  01:23

I believe it was around eight, 830 only because I was in and out that day. But I had to make sure that we saw each other, because the energy that we felt, yes, when we I think it was our second, yeah, our second interaction, yes, I saw the first time I saw you, and I was like, Oh, she dope. We exchanged a few words. We ended up riding home together, yes,

Amber Cabral  01:49

that’s right, when we were coming from the Yes, that’s right, yes, that’s right. Okay, yes, oh, I might be blending things together, but yes, I

Yunice  01:58

remember Yes. But then we had the thing only two Yes. It was those two yes and Soho House yes was the second time, and we were sitting next to each other. And then the magic started. And I was like, you

02:08

live in Atlanta.

02:12

I’ll be in Atlanta in a few weeks. Let’s

Amber Cabral  02:14

get together. And you’re like, okay, sure shoot me some time, exactly, and

Yunice  02:18

the times that I sense you were, some may say early, but I feel like early is relative early.

Amber Cabral  02:25

I feel like I picked the latest of the times you gave me. I feel like you probably gave me something like seven, 738, o’clock. And I was like, Oh, wow. This is, this is, this is very bright.

Yunice  02:36

Very bright was. But we’re both bright and we are. I

Amber Cabral  02:40

feel like you, I feel like you wake up with this buoyancy that like it is, it’s a blessing. It’s a light. I’m so glad you’re the first person that I am talking to today. But it is also, you know, well, not but to tear down your thing, but I’m adding like, but, as in, in addition to, in addition to the buoyancy, like, for a person like me who is buoyant, like, when incentivized, not like the natural buoyancy that you carry, which I think we’re gonna talk about, but like, I was like, oh, eight o’clock in the morning, almost, for your safety, I was a little concerned. Like, well, she met me it was night time. I am a very buoyant being in the night hours, but at eight in the morning, I don’t even know if she’s actually gonna wanna be my friend, but it worked. It did work. Yeah, we had an amazing conversation. Every time you come to Atlanta. Now it basically, I’m gonna cross paths with you. We end up hanging out, talking, playing, catch, up, whatever. So absolutely

Yunice  03:36

and the beauty of the energy that we exchanged to was at that breakfast. At the end, you would have thought that we were roommates in college, all the things, it’s true, that we talked about and you shared some very helpful insights. I

Amber Cabral  03:53

did during that resources, yes, I did, I did, and

Yunice  03:57

the resources were phenomenal. So first, I know we’ve already started talking, but I do just want to thank you just for being open and willing to exchange energy with me, because it’s been a beautiful journey, and it’s only been

Amber Cabral  04:13

it’s wild Happy anniversary, right? Let’s consider this our anniversary day. Whatever today is, we’re just gonna mark it today. Okay, okay. Well,

Yunice  04:20

I love your anniversary outfit. You.

Amber Cabral  04:22

Oh, you too. I mean this, come on caller. I love it. We gonna show up now. Listen, show up in a show out holy, right? Absolutely. So I want to talk a little bit about your buoyancy, like the brightness, like the joy that you carry. I think it’s one of it’s one of my favorite things about you. It’s contagious and not in the the cheesy way I think people say contagious, like, where it’s like, oh my gosh, her laugh is contagious, or she you have, like, this very infectious energy, because it’s almost like you have no regard for, like, what anybody’s demeanor is in the moment, like I even today I came in. You know, Professor grump who. You know, I had no hellos for anyone. I think I poured myself a small shot of whiskey to get my day started. Because, you know, I had a rough night last night. Didn’t sleep much, right? And so I might even feel whiskey. Listen, you know, small don’t judge goodness, anyway, so, but I do think that, like with you, one of the things I was telling myself as I was kind of mentally preparing for the day was okay. I’m so glad that Yannis is first, because at the end of the day, I know that energy is going to help. Like, I cannot sit across from you on this couch and not be playful and silly and all like, because you just have that. Where does it come from? From whence? What is the sort like? Or at least some recommendations. Because I think, well, I don’t think everybody can carry that. I think it’s very natural to who you are. I do think that a lot of us wish we had the ability to tap into it when we need it, like this morning, when I came in as Professor grump, right? I knew I was going to get it from you. But like, what do I do if I just want to be able to pull it out on my own? Like, what recommendations do you have?

Yunice  06:00

You are so phenomenal at this. Oh, my goodness. The lead up to the question, and then the question first, thank you for recognizing it. Because I shied away from it for a long time, because I felt like it made people feel uncomfortable because they didn’t know what to do with it. They didn’t know if it was like real, if it was fake. But over time, I feel like the sum of my experiences, of the books I’ve read, of the Insta, the Instagram memes,

Amber Cabral  06:31

right? Instagram, they’d be meme it

Yunice  06:36

so, but like the sum of all of those just basically led me to be my authentic self, which is why I also am focused on self love, but I also understand too, that in order for me to promote it, I have to first love myself, and that means embracing all of me, including my light. And I know at some point you’re going to ask me a question, and I’m so you are really excited about it. I really am excited about the question. But to your point, it’s, where does it come from? I have to say, God, the universe, my ancestors. But then also, it’s a choice. I choose to be like this, and I wish I could explain it, but there’s just, there’s a feeling on the inside, like I just get so excited and nothing has to happen. Yeah, it just hits me. And people who are closest to me, they know. They can see it on my face. They can feel the energy my best friend, she’ll be like, you want to hug because she knows, but it’s just, I don’t know. It’s just joy, and it’s just love, and it just bubbles up in me, and it’s me wanting to share it with other people. So that’s, I choose. I choose it. Yeah, and life. Life’s for all of us, you know, but that’s, that’s like, it’s my superpower. The Robin Sharma, the author of the 5am club, he’s like, you know, what is that thing that you do better than anybody else. I was like, ain’t nobody gonna be more bubbly, no more optimistic, more positive. But what I am so grateful for is that it’s consistent. Yes, even in the midst of stuff happening, I’m just like, but it’s that thing, and I can be joyful about that. Yes, it’s just, it’s finding that thing. And we all have a thing, even in the midst of all the things that are happening. But it’s, do you choose to focus on what’s not Yeah? Or do you and can you choose to focus on what is

Amber Cabral  08:37

yeah? Look, look at you. I went preach. Listen, it’s coming out, vital. So you made me think of two things. One, a long time ago, I had gone through a really tough breakup, and this is many years ago. I think, you know, the number ahead of my age had was a little lower. So it was a while ago, but I went through a window of time where I decided I was and it’s probably still on Instagram, but I did this thing called 100 happy days. So I learned that I had to be intentional about my joy and put things around me that made me happy. And it was the easiest breakup recovery ever, like because I was intentional, I was purposeful about it. And so I do think there’s something to the entire idea that for a lot of us, we just don’t put it into practice like we hear it, but we may not actually actively do something as intentional as every single day I am going to pick a thing. And so I agree with that. You also mentioned the 5am club. You read a lot of books. You recommended a book for me that had the word morning in it, and I did not finish said book, and this book is about 5am I would love for you to tell me what are some other books that you’re reading, that you enjoy, that maybe don’t have the word morning in them?

Yunice  09:48

Well, I do have to start with the one that you mentioned, because I recommend it to everyone, because it’s literally transformational, and it’s called the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. And he basically encourages people to do six different practices that most of us already do. We just don’t do them in the morning and we don’t do them on a consistent basis. So going back to what you said before about finding things that make you happy, but like after the 30th day, you were like, Oh, I’m finding three things, because you started forming a habit. So the Miracle Morning is about forming a habit, but forming a good habit. And these are like six things that the seemingly most successful people and productive people do on a regular basis, and it spells out the word savers. So S is for sitting in silence, A is for affirmations, V is for visualization, E is for exercise, R is for reading. S is for scribing or journaling, and so when I started doing that on a consistent basis, it transformed my life. Fast forward, Robin sharma’s book, The 5am club. Same thing, you get up at 5am because he calls it the Power Hour, because, like, the first hour that you wake up. Why

Amber Cabral  10:59

does the hour have to be 5am Well, I

Yunice  11:02

mean, you can one because most people are asleep and most

Amber Cabral  11:06

people are asleep. You know, when I go to bed at like, 1am

Yunice  11:09

this is true. But then also, I feel like there is flexibility for you to do what works best for you. That’s definitely something that Hal Elrod, yes, like you can do these six things you can do for 10 minutes or five minutes, whatever suits your schedule, because people are like, I’m not a morning person, and I get it right. For some people, there could be things that contribute to you not being a morning person, but if you choose to be a morning person, and you like, yes, practice, yes, practice. And if you do the things to help you be a morning person, then you can, yeah, because, you know, we’re powerful and we can do all things, because you

Amber Cabral  11:49

see, whatever I want, absolutely,

Yunice  11:51

yes, we can have whatever we love.

Amber Cabral  11:54

Absolutely, I don’t know,

Yunice  11:58

okay, yeah, but yes, we absolutely can. So yes, 5am club, the miracle morning. I’m reading atomic habits now. Oh my goodness, everything talks about habits. Oh, I

Amber Cabral  12:07

talked about atomic I have actually read I’ve audio booked atomic habits

Yunice  12:12

and smart brevity. As a communications professional, I recently read this. The gist of it is, say more with less? Oh,

Amber Cabral  12:21

yeah, I am a fan. I think it was William Zinser who says, Why say 10 words when four will do I am a huge fan. Now I will say this, there are times I’m not always as bright as you are, that sometimes people receive those four words more terse because it’s less words we do a lot of, like dressing so, you know, message softness and warmth and things like that. But I do think when we’re talking about effective communication, taking something along those lines, and mine is super helpful. Let me ask you this. It’s literally trying to run out of my mouth. So one of the things I can imagine that can be kind of challenging for you is boundaries, mostly because I can, I personally have the experience of being like she is such a light, I’m gonna enjoy being around her. Let me invite her to this. I think she would show up really well in this space. Or let’s hang out, because you have this really great magnetism in light, and you are eager to share it with people. But I’m sure there are times where you’re like, I need a little space, right? How do you manage being such a magnetic, infectious, warm person alongside, hey, I have some boundaries. And then, as a additional layer, when someone else has some boundaries, how do you manage that? Because I can imagine some people might be like too much, too bright, too early. What are we doing, right? And so I would love to hear how you navigate those absolutely

Yunice  13:46

self awareness. Is it matters and is very important. And so I’ve consistently worked on being aware because, of course, I don’t want to offend people. I’ve also learned too that going back to what I said earlier, I want to share my light, and I’m not hiding my light. But I also realized that everybody doesn’t like light, that everybody does not want light. That’s true. Some people choose darkness and so and it’s not my place to try to make them come to the other side. And I think that we all have intuition, so I can feel it, and sometimes, you know, like people give me a look, and people who know me will be like, Look, I’m not, I’m not ready for it. But to your point about boundaries, no is a complete sentence. It is, and I’ve learned to embrace that, and it’s a beautiful thing. What I’ve also learned to understand too is just because someone says no, they’re not necessarily saying no to me. They’re saying yes to themselves. And just like I do that, they get to do that for themselves as well.

Amber Cabral  14:48

Yeah. And sometimes no is right, like no right now yes. It might be yes tomorrow at some you know, or at some point, right? And so I do think, like, just putting into practice that, like. We are dynamic people. You know, one of the things that I struggle with, with the folks I coach and even some of my mentees, is just this idea that when you make a decision about who you are, you have to be married to that. And we instead, don’t give ourselves the grace to learn new things, to take in new information, to have new experiences, and then say, You know what? Actually, I don’t want this to be this way. I would rather it to be this way instead, because we’ve set whatever expectations, you know, we have for ourselves around that former identity. It sounds like maybe you’ve got a little practice with flexing and adjusting to new ideas. You want to share any stories around that,

Yunice  15:37

sure, but if I may, before I answer, sure, I would love to ask you for like, an example on where you had to do what you just said, where you Oh, where I had to flex. Yes. Well, really, no, no, not where you had to flex, but where you continuously, like, showed up one way, and people began to expect that, but then you were like, well, hold up. I don’t know if I’m a show up like this every day. Yes,

Amber Cabral  16:02

I hope you’re enjoying today’s episode, and if you happen to also be looking for tools to help you navigate tough conversations, to be able to show up as a more impactful ally, or just to have resources about how to navigate equity in your world. I’ve written two books. My first book is called allies and advocates, and this book is really focused on helping you show up as a more impactful ally. It has actual tactics and tips and things that you can practice to help you get there, both for yourself and for others. My second book is called say more about that. Now. Say more about that is more about helping you to speak up, to push back, to challenge, to be able to have those conversations that sometimes get a little bit difficult. And in fact, I’ve given you actual scripts to help you to be able to do that. So if you’re interested in just having a few extra resources in your pocket to be able to help you to navigate any of those things, you can go pick up those books anywhere where you buy books, or you can pop down into the show notes and click the links and buy them there. Back to the episode. A very good example of that for me is when I used to work at Walmart. So I started my career at Walmart remotely. So I was only at the home office maybe once every other month, and I’d be there for a week or so. Of course, because I wasn’t there routinely, I wanted to build credibility. I dress the way folks typically dress in a corporation, blue, black, brown, gray, right? I kept it really, really buttoned up. Walmart is fairly conservative in terms of attire. It’s probably adjusted a bit in the last few years. But when I joined, it was relatively conservative. And then I took over the intern program, blue, black, brown, gray, not gonna work. We’re trying to recruit these young people. You want them to be willing to come and live in Bentonville, Arkansas, we have to find a way to make that at least sound, you know, appetizing. And part of that, to me was, if I don’t feel like I can bring more of my identity into this space, why would anyone that is in this younger generation be interested in working here? And a company like WalMart that serves so many people has to be thoughtful about that. So I started changing how I dressed. It wasn’t a big change for me in terms of, like, my esthetic overall, but what I wore into the workplace changed a lot. And then on top of that, in the process of that change happening, I had to embrace the fact that I had to invite parts of my identity that I’d left outside of the workplace into the workplace as well. Because I was like, I don’t, I don’t want the dichotomy. I don’t want to have two Instagram pages. I don’t want to have, you know, this is my public facing persona. This is the one that’s for everyone else. It felt like a lot of labor. It felt unnecessary. And so I had to give myself permission to grow and evolve in a way that said, Actually, both of these are you, and we can merge them a bit, so we get a little more flair. On this side, you can still be professional in corporate, much like we are right now, and still have a bit of color and context for that. So I think it’s, you know, probably the best example that I can reference that’s a professional one. I think, for a personal example, I had a very similar experience when I decided I didn’t want children I had I had a actual moment with myself, like, is that true? Because I’ve spent so many years doing what I think a lot of women do, which is, oh my gosh, I’m looking for my husband so I can have kids. I’m looking for my husband so I can have kids. And at some point I had to be like, do I want kids? I don’t even know if I actually want let me think about it. Do I want children? And I got to a place where I was like, Oh, I don’t. And so it allowed me to change my expectations of what I wanted when I was dating, what a relationship meant to me, how I wanted a person to show up in my life, what I wanted them to come with, because I’m not gonna have any babies. So if you want some babies, you might want to have had them already, right? So it was, you know, it, was another space where I had to give myself permission to like, evolve my perspective and make room for something that I did not anticipate previously. Good, good, good place. Toss that back of course,

Yunice  19:50

but I also love that too, because you gave yourself permission to be brave, yes and move forward, which is beautiful. But do you also think that. That you being authentic helped to inspire the authenticity in the interns or the people that you were engaging. I

Amber Cabral  20:07

1. I feel like with the corporate intern program, when I think about that, one of the main concerns that the folks that we were bringing in had was, how am I going to live here. It wasn’t the job people wanted to work what was the biggest company in the history of the world? Like, of course, I want to work here, but America saw my resume, right? But I’m in Arkansas, and I’m from Chicago, you know? So, like, it was an adjustment, and I was a city girl, you know? I’m originally from Detroit, I live in Atlanta. Like, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a culture shock, it’s an adjustment. And so, yeah, I do feel like there was more Permission granted. And not only that, I think it was a good example for young people to be able to say, oh, professionalism doesn’t have to look one way, because you’re still seeing the other colleagues that are there in the workplace that are less, you know, provocative or fun with their attire. But then you get to experience me where I’m being, you know, I’m gonna put on purple pants and a, you know, blue and white striped shirt with lipstick on it. And, you know, with the patterns, you know, like, I’m gonna have fun with that. And so I think it did give people permission to bring aspects of their identity into the space that they had. Okay, now, what’s a good example? I

Yunice  21:15

love that. Oh, my goodness, let’s hear it. Um, okay. What was the question again, because your your responses are so engaging, and I just, I kept thinking of other questions to ask you, but I’m like, oh yes, this is a conversation. But I Wait, what was this? I mean, but they’re just so engaging. But this also just reinforces that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, because the way this is flowing, and just the way that you share your experiences, and the way that you inspire experiences for other people is just so

Amber Cabral  21:52

it’s so beautiful. That’s how your joy feels. It’s the same thing. It’s my thing, and that’s your thing. Like, that’s what it is. Okay, I’ll repeat my question. My question was, when you are thinking about ways that you want to evolve your perspective, when you have gone from, you know, this is the way that I see this, but I am going to shift that I am imagining. I actually know a little bit about you, so I know that you’ve had to make some shifts personally, yes, but I’d like you to choose what you want to share. But you know, thinking about some mindsets and perspectives that you may have carried, and then you encountered other things and said, Oh my gosh, I need to change this. I would love for you to share a little bit about that process, especially because I think change sometimes can make folks upset and steal their joy. And I think for you, it did the opposite, absolutely. So yes, I’d love to hear

Yunice  22:42

okay. And I actually get very excited about change. Because for me, like change equals possibility, absolutely, and possibilities are literally endless and limitless. So for me, I’m like, change literally anything can happen. And to your point about we can have whatever we want. Yes, one of the mantras that I have adopted is everything is always working out for me. And so for me, I’m like, change. Anything can happen. And I’ve also started forcing myself to dream bigger. At first I would just be like, Oh, I feel like I’m not dreaming big enough. Just dream big. But I’m like, big, ain’t big enough, right? Dream. What’s the bigger? Yes, but also for me too, it’s the, it’s the the elevation of bigger, because also my definition of bigger may still be small. So I feel like, okay, yes, but I, but I also feel like it’s just, it’s a continual journey, and I don’t beat myself up about it, but a tangible example is I’m at a previous company I worked at, I would always include, like, exclamation points in my email, because I’m trying to communicate the emotion that I’m feeling, and it just so happens that I speak In exclamation point.

Amber Cabral  24:01

So but if somebody doesn’t know, you know,

Yunice  24:03

they’ll be like, Who is

Amber Cabral  24:06

this and

Yunice  24:07

how does she get hired? But someone actually pulled me aside and said, you may want to, you know, like, hold back on the exclamation points that you put in the email, because it may communicate or it may miscommunicate the sentiment. And I’m like, what? I’m like, dang, I’m trying to be me and I’m trying to be authentic. And they’re literally telling me, turn it down, shine, but don’t shine so bright, or be you, but don’t be all of you. Fast Forward, I joined another company that’s all about celebration and all about happiness and enjoyment. So I’m like, You know what? I’m going to be me? We’re all about celebration. We are going to celebrate. And so I started communicating in exclamation points and people appreciated. Because what I’ve also realized too, that one we can only be our. Selves, the people who are supposed to be our people will be our people, and those who are not will not be. And it’s okay. Also, whenever I interact with anyone, my goal and it has become a habit at this point, and it’s not intentional, because I’m just being me, but I’m like, if I can compliment someone, if I can smile or just look at someone so that they feel seen. I’ve done my job, because we never know what people are going through. And I read this, I heard about it like a long time ago, which is why sometimes I am like, Good morning, even if, even when I’m growing or even like when the mood seems dull, because just like a bad mood can be infectious, so can a good mystery. And so why not take that opportunity to help lift someone’s spirit, which could, in turn, literally save somebody’s life. I was listening to a podcast, and the person said the gist of it was basically that the person that was annoying them could literally be having the worst day of their lives. Because, of course, we we judge people based on like situations and based on our experiences, but we also have to remember that we’re all human, and just like we have days, other people have days too, yeah, but it’s going back to that choice, right,

Amber Cabral  26:20

right. I love that. So you alluded to it slightly. You work in communications, and I can imagine, well, first of all, I’m a little tickled by the exclamation point story, because you do. You live life in exclamation points. It is who you are, and that doesn’t read the way. I think that some people can interpret it. I think when people meet you, they’re like, Oh, absolutely. But I do think without the context that could sound like, what, like, almost too aggressive, maybe, yeah, something like confrontational ish. And so I do, I love that story, because you have created an opportunity where you’re able to bring you, but we’re talking about corporate comms like, you know, I think when most people hear corporate comms, they’re like, Oh, so this is the thing that we are doing. What? What exactly does it mean to lead a communications organization? What? What? What does that look like? And not the, not the yawn version? Of

Yunice  27:10

course, whatever, I can’t give anything in a yawn version.

Amber Cabral  27:14

That’s why I feel safe asking you this very, very, very, very sterile question.

Yunice  27:19

Yes, I’m here for you, but I think ultimately, it’s definitely about informing people, but it’s also about inspiring people as well, because most companies want their place of business to be considered a best place to work. So in order to do that, we have to meet people where they are. We also have to inspire them to adopt whatever journey and whatever culture is the desired destination. And to do I mean that is why communications is so important and so significant. And a lot of times, the people who understand the importance and the significant significance of the communications team are the communicators. And then sometimes we have to work on explaining why you actually need us. And in smart brevity, the authors basically said that they advise, like all of their C suite clients, they are friends, that the most important person that they should have next to them is a communicator. Yeah, not the CFO, but a communicator, and I was,

28:21

like, somebody,

Yunice  28:24

we we need them, right?

Amber Cabral  28:26

We need them. We do yes, what do you do? So I have a little bit more of a tough question, because I think when I consider, like, equity and communications, one of the things that I think we see a lot of that is frustrating is when a message goes out to, you know, not an internal message, but a message that’s shared out from an organization, and folks are like, where is the can you say? What you actually, can we get the details, particularly if there’s a circumstance where there’s an apology, Oh, can you give us a little insight about, like, what happens, like, what is the process that gets to that message that ends up, you know, for consumers, a lot of time feeling like, was that it, where’s the rest? I mean, you know, we don’t have to speak about anyone, so yeah, this is not, yeah, this is not connected to, you know, anything that you are currently engaging in. But you know, just generally having the experience I can imagine, you have seen or been a part of those conversations, and I would just love a small peek behind the curtain, because it is absolutely one of the things that drives me up a

Yunice  29:27

wall, of course. And as a communicator, it drives us up the wall as well. So you’re not

Amber Cabral  29:33

alone. Okay, listen right here together. Yeah, sure. Look forever, and we decided that too, yeah. So like the first meal, yes.

Yunice  29:42

So even though you got up early in the morning, to me, I appreciate you so much. I did it because it was you, and it also got us here. So there’s definitely a process that that goes into play. Multiple people are involved, but essentially, of course, the situation is assessed. What’s happening? Learning. Who does it impact? Does it impact our business? Does it impact our employees? Are our employees safe? We try to get as much information as possible so that we can focus on the facts. And of course, anything that we draft, anything that is communicated, we most people, or at least most communicators, I, as a communicator, recommend that we don’t enter conversations unless we should enter them. IE, is it related to our business? Is it in our industry? Have we participated in this conversation before? Do we actually have something to say? Yes, because if we don’t have anything to say, we shouldn’t enter the conversation. Do we have receipts, if whatever we’re saying? Is this actually facts? And is this something that verifiable? Yes, verifiable. And has it been long standing, and what is the purpose of us communicating it? What are we hoping to be the result? All of that goes into play, and some more, like some a few other additional things. But essentially, that’s, that’s the process. And then we start drafting the communication. And sometimes we may draft and then it’s like, this absolutely makes no sense. Multiple people have to review it first, because, of course, we have to make sure that it is legal, right? There are multiple stakeholders, but that’s also the importance of diversity and inclusion too, because we want to make sure that we have the right people a part of the conversation, so that everybody can basically lock arms. And if we’re going out with this. We’re going out with it

Amber Cabral  31:41

together, right? Okay, so there’s what it sounds like. Is that sometimes the messages are vague because there’s a lot of voices at the table,

Yunice  31:47

a lot of voices at the table, and sometimes,

Amber Cabral  31:52

sometimes their voices have more influence. Yes, absolutely,

Yunice  31:55

absolutely. There is. I mean, there are multiple, you know, like decision makers at different levels. But of course, once you get to the final say, there is that one person who says yes or no, yeah, but that’s also the power of the communications team and the communicators as well, because we do come with that influence because of our level of experience and expertise, which is why we ask that you listen to us please. Because we’re just trying to save us. We’re trying to protect the brands and the company. Oh,

Amber Cabral  32:26

thank you. The number of people who you know use their direct facing camera to make a plea this season, it’s actually kind of funny. Like, please hear what we’re doing. We are just making recommendations. Like, yeah, it’s a thing. I

Yunice  32:39

get it, and we’re in it together, right? We’re in it together, so

Amber Cabral  32:42

ultimately, have the same goals, absolutely. Yeah, okay, so I’m gonna ask you a little bit about where you work. So you work at Moet Hennessy. It’s Moet Hennessy. Lots of us like to pretend that that’s pronounced differently, but it is actually moet. And we say mo way, no way, no way. Okay. And you You lead Corporate Communications there. I, what I wanted to ask is, this is a brand that people immediately associate with luxury. You hear, moet you’re gonna immediately go, okay, luxury brand, right? You’re also a part of a luxury conglomerate. I would just like to know what does luxury mean to you? Hey, there. I hope you’re enjoying the episode. And, in fact, if you are, you can bring me to your organization or event to help you bring conversations like this to life in your workspaces. This is something I do for a living. I do coaching, I do training, I do executive consulting, whatever it is that you might need as it relates to trying to figure out how to activate allyship or equity in your space. It’s probably something I can support. So if you’re interested in how we can work together, you can reach out to me@cabraco.com or pop down into the show notes and click the link book a discovery call, and we will chat with you soon. Back to the show

Yunice  33:52

to me, and I appreciate you prefacing that, because luxury has many definitions. To me. Luxury is elevation. It’s an experience. It’s also relative as well. It’s a feeling, it’s an emotion, it’s inspiration.

Amber Cabral  34:13

I’m gonna add to this. Oh, for you. I’m gonna add to it for you. Okay, so as we were getting ready for this conversation, I I was having a moment and putting my jewelry on, and you said that we were you essentially began to dictate us a scene that we were experiencing that included luxury. This was also after I had just used my face steamer. Yeah. You were like, I need a face steamer, because the luxurious way is to not just do it with the towel Absolutely. So I would, I would love if you know, just for the adventure of our audience, if you are willing to just even if it’s another scene, if you are willing to recap or create another scene that we are currently resting in having this phenomenal conversation, oh

Yunice  34:54

yes, we are resting in love, because at the end of the day. Love is all that matters. We are landing in the middle of a beautiful island that was customized and designed just for us. All of our favorite things are at a arms reach. Our arms length reach everything that we ever wanted is there. The beautiful white sand is welcoming the crashing of the turquoise in teal mixed water that is, that is clean. It’s so clear and crisp you can see everything. You can see the bottom of it. I can see the color of your toenail polish, okay, from just looking down the water. Yes, we hear the waves. There is a nice, pleasant, natural scent in the air. The wind is lightly blowing through your lovely curls, but every curl remains in place. That’s right, because the hairy hair and it knows exactly what to do, yes, right? Yes. But then we blink our eyes and we’re in the new we’re in the middle of a fast paced city. We’re surrounded by all of the luxury boutiques. I won’t go down the list of the names, but we know some of our faves that may or may not fall under LVMH, and we’re walking in fabulous shoes, absolutely. And we are in adorned in all of the lovely jewels and diamonds that we can that we can wear, but we’re also not gaudy with it. I feel like luxury, yes, classy, chic luxury is also simplicity. Yes, it

Amber Cabral  36:44

is.

Yunice  36:44

And labels, labels don’t equal luxury, right? I

Amber Cabral  36:48

do think labels have an interesting relationship. Right now, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this too, because, you know, we have the Quiet, quiet luxury moment. And I’m like, well, quiet. It doesn’t have to be quiet. It could maybe just not be screaming, right, right? Absolutely. So I’m of the same ilk. I think that, you know, I like a clean, neat, but not necessarily as far as quiet, right?

Yunice  37:11

Yeah, right. But I also feel like too like luxury. It’s relative, because my definition of luxury may not be the same as someone else. So someone else may see luxury as Yes, as screaming, and that is the brand that they want to represent. And there is no right or wrong until your I know you had another guest who talked about etiquette Yes, and so it just, it depends on what, what is the situation right, but then also, what are you trying to communicate? And if, whatever you have on, if that is your definition of luxury, and that’s what you want to communicate. Go. Go for it, because it’s all about being authentic. Yeah,

Amber Cabral  37:45

yeah, I love that. So one of the reasons I wanted to have you on is that, because the show is called guilty privilege, I think that people have a really distorted sense of what privilege actually means. And so privilege is actually like something that is available to you that you don’t even really have to think about. And for you, I’m not assigning your privilege. I’m gonna ask you what it is. But for for you, the way that I experience you is that you have joy all the time. You’re purposeful about showing it. You’re intentional about relationships. You You are the most polite bully ever. Like, I will literally be like, Oh my gosh, I don’t know if I can make it happen, because I have this and this and this. And you’ll be like, Nope, I’m gonna be in and out. I’m gonna come, I’m gonna see you. I’m not gonna stay. Oh, and it like, literally, have come to my house and be like, my mom’s in the car. I just can’t get a hug, you know, like, but it’s, it’s such a purposeful, you know, like energetic, and I don’t know that people would consider that a privilege. I don’t think that we think about the energy that we project onto others or that we carry in our lives as a privilege, but that, for me, just experiencing you is a privilege. And so I wanted to have the conversation so that we could showcase that and give people a broader perspective. Of course, this episode and others of what kinds of things can fall into the category of privilege. It doesn’t always have to be, I’ve got a lot of money, or I came from wealth, or, you know, I got this fancy education, right? Very often it can be something that, to your point, is a choice, right? It’s something I’ve decided that I would like to carry with me, and it is a privilege for me to be able to experience it with you. So I wanted to share that I have a really juicy question that I know you are like, you might flip off the couch,

Yunice  39:30

but I will say, I mean, everything just will still be but after you just finished, I was like, a good hug goes. There a good

Amber Cabral  39:37

hug. We can but we can’t get around. No, we can’t, we can’t. We can’t get a rest. We would hug. Yes. We

Yunice  39:42

would hand hug, yes,

39:46

absolutely okay. I

Yunice  39:47

was like, now, do we need to keep hugging while you ask me this next thing? I

Amber Cabral  39:50

don’t know. I might need to hold you down so you know, we’ll see okay. So I know you have a couple small businesses. They are very integrally connected to who you are and how you believe. Specifically around your joy and optimism, but they’re also communications things. They’re they’re connected to what you do for work as well. I would love for you to share some of the things that you have, the thing I know of a few so you share what you would like. If y’all can’t tell this is my friend down, down the lane, just a little bit. But you know, I would love for you to share with us, you know, just what you have in the works and what, what, what things people may have an opportunity to engage with. It may help them pick up a little bit of your joy.

Yunice  40:27

Oh, my goodness. Amber, exclamation point. Period. So eloquent, so beautiful. Um, so where do we start? Um, I’ll start with love letters. Unlimited, which is my business, where I try to inspire people to love themselves, seek love in all things, and love others through wearable love letters. And I started this back in 2016 the first name was Love, always y, j, e, because it was my love letter to the world. And I signed the love letter, love always, y j e, and as i y j e are her initial, yes, y j e are my initials. And I was thinking, like, as I was coming up with this, because I just kept getting ideas. I was like, dang, I wish I could hug the world, but let we know, literally, that is not possible. But I was like, you would find a way, but what communicates a hug? And so that’s where I came up with the concept of wearable love letters, because a hoodie is comfortable, it’s like a hug, and the logo is a heart with my initials enclosed. So that represents me surrounding myself with love. But then when other people see it, it’s me projecting my love onto them. And when people wear the love letter, an example is love yourself.

Amber Cabral  41:49

I have a couple of those. Yeah, the love yourself. I was looking for them, but in the move, everything’s everywhere, yes, but

Yunice  41:55

it’s them or you reading that love letter to yourself. But then as you’re walking by, as people engage with you, and as they see it, they are literally reading a love letter that’s all about love. And for me, this is like an opportunity to blanket the world with love. And as an extension of that, I am coming out with a journal that in Oh, I

Amber Cabral  42:21

think we may have said journal.

Yunice  42:25

It’s live in love, love where you live. This is the first iteration of the journal, but inside the journal, and I’ve been writing in mine as well, but it’ll be available soon. But there are love letters throughout the journal, because my goal is always to inspire people and just remind them of how brilliant and amazing they are. Because a lot of times we think we have to go outside, but everything that we need is already inside of us. Yes, even if it’s an idea, a spark or something that encourages you to take the next step or to seek that additional education or seek that additional resource, it’s still there inside of you, which is a great segue into my other business, which is the Connect, where I help people basically connect their personal and their professional personas so that they are able to communicate their authentic brand

Amber Cabral  43:20

through and wholeness, yes

Yunice  43:22

their authentic brand and wholeness, basically, so that they can project what they are trying to project. And we go through like a full assessment on you know, a few questions from the assessment are, how would you describe yourself? What few words would your loved ones used to describe you. What do you want people to think of when, yes, when they experience you and when they think of you, because, again, you already have it. I’m just here to help you tap into what you already have so that you can elevate and then amplify it. Right, right? I love that. And I’m also a licensed real estate agent. Yeah, I

Amber Cabral  44:00

was about to say, I was just about to say, I said, But what she didn’t tell you. I’m also

Yunice  44:04

a licensed real estate agent. I’m licensed in Georgia and New York, yes, and my slogan is living love, love where you live. Because, again, I just believe love, it does conquer all, even with everything that we go through, just tapping into something that makes you happy, yeah, something that brings you joy, that

Amber Cabral  44:23

should be in your house, yes, for sure, that’s actually something you said to me, I when I said to you, oh, I’m not sure I’m ready to look for a house. I don’t know exactly what I want. And you were like, well, you’re gonna love it, so that’s, that’s the main thing we want, is that you love it. And I was like, Yeah, that’s true. That’s it. Like you’re very committed to making sure people are making living decisions that feel like they, you know, like they are living in the loving experience that they want to have.

Yunice  44:47

Yes, and it’s not just the experience that they want to have, but the experience that they deserve to have. Because my goal is always to make people see the possibilities. Yeah, a lot of times, you know, people. Won’t do something because they don’t think that something is possible. And I tell people, I just say, focus one. Let’s focus on the facts. Okay, and don’t go to Google and try to assess everything like yourself, while Google is a powerful tool. But then also, back that up with some expertise, with some professional with some professional guidance, but one of my goals is always to inspire people to believe that things are possible, and not only are they possible, but they’re possible for them. That’s one of the things that I had to get over, because I would always believe. I’m like, Yes, you can do. You can be, you can have anything. And I was like, dang, but why don’t I feel that way about me?

Amber Cabral  45:44

So it’s funny that you’re saying this because we had a conversation yesterday about this. So there’s another episode of the podcast that I feel a way about. Candidly, I haven’t yet worked through my feelings about it, but that is one of the things in it, it is literally about, I don’t that’s not a thing. I doubt. I’m like, Of course I can have what I want. Like, what do you mean? It’s absolutely the way I see the world. But you’re right. A lot of people don’t. So, like, I can’t even imagine a Giannis that doesn’t see there was right. Like, it just, it blows my mind.

Yunice  46:16

There absolutely was one. But then I made the decision is, a choice is, and I’m like, and if they can right, why can’t I? And once I started to embrace, well, once I continue, well, I continue to learn who I am. But when I learned myself, when I embraced who I was, when I decided that, yes, I can have, I do deserve, and everything is always working out for me. One thing started opening up, because I do believe that what you, of course, what you focus on, is what will manifest. But then I also, I did the work too along this journey. Right? Shout out to my therapist, thank you. Thank you so much, because it’s a thing. But I think that it’s not just a Oh, I’m just gonna wake up and things will just fall out. It’s labor. Yes, it’s labor. And of course, people always say that, you know, people don’t see what happens behind the scenes, like people don’t see they just see the results, right? And I’m like, I’m human too. I cry. I get disappointed. You mentioned a few things. Breakup, I experienced a breakup. I had to go through a process, right? The decision to have kids or not, and when I was going through that decision, when I made my final decision, which was to have a hysterectomy, after all the other surgeries that I had, I was like, because I ultimately, I knew I didn’t want to have kids, but I kept going back and forth, like, do? I don’t I do I just feel like that right now, because we’ve also been conditioned, conditioned to believe that, oh, you’re a woman. You’re not a woman until you have children, yes. And my thing, and my doctor also said, too. And she was like, you know, people will say, Oh, you don’t have your uterus. You’re not a woman. She was like, actually, your ovaries make you a woman. Not your uterus. You still have them. So, huh, I’m still a woman, but when I made that decision, I decided I want to have and live the best life. Because I read in a book this, nope, it was the billionaires boys club. When it when the movie opens up, you know, he’s like a stockbroker, and he’s like, my clients are always like, I want a better wife, a better house, a better car, a better this, a better that he was like, No, forget that. Don’t give me better. Give me the best. I want the best everything. And I decided I want the best for me, that decision would allow me to have the best life, and that’s just something that I continue to focus on, and that I try to communicate and to inspire other people in everything that I do, right? So

Amber Cabral  48:46

they give visibility to the option being available to them. Yes, that’s valid. You were just preaching to me. You don’t know it, but I’ll take it. I’ll receive it. I needed that. I’ll

Yunice  48:56

take it. When that camera goes off, some

Amber Cabral  49:01

photos. So I have one question I ask every guest. This is my last question. And, you know, the show is called guilty privilege. As I said. You know, people have a misunderstanding of what privilege actually is. Lots of folks feel guilty about their privilege, or they’re ashamed, or they’re, you know, defensive about it. And in reality, our privilege is something that usually opens doors for us or builds connections, you know, and and it helps us, it gives us ease honestly. So what I would like for you to answer is, what is one privilege that you have that you refuse to feel guilty about? Okay,

Yunice  49:34

I refuse to feel guilty about the answer that I’m about to give you, because it’s, a trinity, but the collective make one. Okay, so it’s my positivity, optimism and my light, which are essentially one in the same and oh my goodness, I’m like, it’s even hard for me to say now, but I have recognized that. It is. It’s powerful, and what I appreciate, and I think what my privilege is, is that I focus on definitely using it for good and using it to inspire people. But it’s also something that I to your point, I’m not even aware of it, and I just, I just be. You just

Amber Cabral  50:20

1. And walked in the room today and you like, squeal.

Yunice  50:24

You can’t help it, and I literally cannot. But I said this earlier too. I used to shy away from it. You know, all the Instagram memes that say, shine brighter, don’t let them like, Damn your light. And I was that, and I would allow people to dim my light because they want okay,

Amber Cabral  50:44

I want to belong. Was it fear? Was it why it

Yunice  50:47

was? I think some of it was I want to belong and I want them to like me. But then I got to the point where I realized that everybody is not going to like me and it’s okay, and just because they like they don’t like me. It has nothing to do with me. Most times it’s them. And also they may not be at the part in their journey where they’re ready to see or receive the light, but if they’re not, that’s not my problem, and that’s not for me to take on. And so I’ve learned to let that go. I also, I’ve also learned, like I said earlier, that everybody does not like the light, and they don’t want the light, because, for me, I’m like, what you mean, they don’t like me. How is that possible? But? And I’m like, but it’s it’s okay, because we’re not meant to be everybody’s people, exactly, but. And one of the affirmations that I write on a consistent basis, and of course, I’m sure you’ll appreciate this, and you’ll be like, of course it is, because it can never just be plain. But I start my sentences with I am so immensely thrilled and grateful that, right? So I say I am so immensely thrilled and grateful that my light enters every room before my physical body does, because for me, that’s transformational. And I know my light is not Giannis, Janae, Emir yje, those are the initials. It’s not me, but it is. It’s the sum of all of my experiences. It’s the sum of what God the universe and my ancestors want me to be, and I am this way for them, and because I’m supposed to be this way for everybody that I come in contact with, I don’t know why, but they know. And I’m just, oh my god. I’m just so grateful to be a vessel, right,

Amber Cabral  52:32

right? Thank you for joining me, of course. Thank you great conversation.

Yunice  52:37

It has been. It’s always a joy being in your presence, and I’m so proud of everything that you have built and everything that you continue to build, and I’m excited To see what’s in store in 2024