More for Me and You Podcast

Ep. 2 | 'Be Magical' with CEO of AfroUnicorn April Showers

• Bryan of Mometu • Season 1 • Episode 2

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On episode 2 of the More for Me and You Podcast we welcome the CEO and Founder of AfroUnicorn April Showers. We get the chance to hear about her journey, how she keeps things magical, and what the future holds for her company. Then we break down a documentary playing for free on Mometu that sparked her interest, Testimonies of Faith: Humble Journeys. Lock in and get ready to be magical.

Episode Features: 

  • Intro
  • Interview with April Showers
  • Small Business Shoutout: Demi Lauren Studios
  • This or That?
  • Podcast Promotion: No Film School 
  • Movie Review: Testimonies of Faith Humble Journey's 

Follow us on Instagram or TikTok for BTS footage @mometupodcast, check out the full video version on YouTube www.youtube.com/@freemometu & do not forget to download the Mometu app and watch movies for free today.

Speaker 1:

Hey everyone, welcome back to the More For Me and you podcast, and on today's episode we welcome guest April Showers. She's the CEO of Afro Unicorn and later on we actually talk about a film that she chose that's playing for free on Momitu, the Testimonies of Faith Humble Journeys. So if you want to learn how to be magical, let's go jump into the pod.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's right. Jump into the pod morning if you hustle, high hustle. You can never waste a moment. That's more for me and you. That's more for me and you. That's more for me and you. That's more for me and you.

Speaker 1:

Let's go we met in can such a crazy place like we're so close to each other. I'm in orange county here in la. It's just like crazy that we did not meet beforehand. And of course we meet at a random party in Cannes, like so wild.

Speaker 3:

And mentioning that I always run into you. Yes, there.

Speaker 1:

Like I mean every turn, it was like every single turn, you and Alpha, like it was just like up the stairs, there's April Go to the party. There's April, like it was ever. Like here's an elevator, april comes out of it. It just, it was so wild. It was so meant to be for us to meet, so I'm so glad that we did and so glad that it led us to be here.

Speaker 3:

It was magical it was magical.

Speaker 1:

There was only something else that was magical. I think we'll get into that a little bit later. But, april so glad to have you here, get to talk with you. I would personally because I we've talked a lot about business and we've talked about a lot about just Afro Unicorn and its current journey I'd like to get to know a little bit more about you. So I mean, who is April Showers? Where did she come from? Like, tell us a little bit about how you grew up and how you became the person you are today born and raised here in Los Angeles, south, south Central, 89th and Westerns, my hometown.

Speaker 3:

I have two parents, so people first off they always want to know April Showers, is that your real name? 1,000%. My father is Herman Showers, so Herman and Carlette had April Showers in the early 80s. Let's just call it 80. I don't care about my age. Um well, I just I just turned 40.

Speaker 3:

Oh wow, I just had my birthday this past sunday happy birthday thank you, you don't need to send me a song so I I grew up with my mom and my dad in south la and I attended um local schools in englewood and la and then I got into the magnet program.

Speaker 3:

I don't know if you were from Los Angeles or from the area but we have this thing called the magnet program, which allowed you to go to schools outside of your area. And I actually went to school out here in Hollywood. I went to Bancroft Junior High School. Of course it's a middle school now, but I was in performing arts. I've always been a dancer very cool.

Speaker 1:

I did not know that about you. Yeah, what kind of dance did you do? Ballet, tap, jazz, modern, all of it yeah, so one day, dancing with the stars is gonna have to come calling it has to happen at some point.

Speaker 3:

But I have to get you know my levels up. But yeah, eventually they will call me. I didn't think about that. I'll go ahead and I'll put that on the list.

Speaker 1:

One thing I know about you is that you have a vision board and you put everything your little mind puts like just it's crazy how much you've done and it's always on your vision board and you I love that you talk a lot about that within your journey. Yeah, about About just things that are like, no, I'm going to do this and people are like, well, are you sure You're like it's on my vision board, Like it's going?

Speaker 3:

to happen, right, if I wrote it down Some things, though, and we'll talk about it later, but it's like, until I can really see it I'm kind of like iffy about it, but if I could see it it's a go green lights everywhere awesome going back to your childhood, obviously getting going to medical school dancer.

Speaker 1:

What came about from there?

Speaker 3:

and I went to LA County High School for the Arts and I was not your normal teenager, your normal high schooler. I was very active in the city of Los Angeles. I was not your normal teenager, your normal high schooler. I was very active in the city of Los Angeles. I was the first youth commissioner under Mayor Richard Reardon where we established Children's, youth and Families Commission and I also had a talk show, la Youth Speaks Out. I had 46 absents on my senior year because I was doing official city business.

Speaker 1:

I wish I could have that much absence from school, but it was excused so it was all approved.

Speaker 3:

It was all approved. I was named, at the age of 14, 15, the youngest youth activist in the city of Los Angeles by the LA Times.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing.

Speaker 3:

I've been doing this for a long time.

Speaker 1:

That is so incredible, so okay, so okay, that's his place.

Speaker 3:

What's?

Speaker 1:

the next? What's the next piece?

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh. So that's just the. I'm telling you like the type of child that I was. Like I, my father, just he turned 87 in october and he goes to work every day and wow, so my, I had an older father. So I grew up with motown and zz hills, down home blues my first song at the age of two that I was seeing. So I had a very um old soul, and I'm saying all this because it matters to the way I move in my life.

Speaker 3:

I lived on 89th and Western, but my mother made sure I stayed outside of the area, like even my schools. I went to school in Hollywood and I went to high school at Cal State, la, and even on the weekends when we wanted to go eat we were out in Beverly Hills or PV or she just always kept me outside of my inner city. Yeah, and it helped me visualize. So I remember we would take drives. We would like take PCH to Malibu or PCH the other way, and I always wanted to have a house on the hill with the ocean on the other side of me.

Speaker 1:

And that vision came true, Of course. So that's just. That's really cool. It's a very unique story and I've heard it before from other people like making sure that you are taken out of what could potentially keep you away, your environment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because there's a lot of people that are unfortunate. They don't get to leave where they are right and they stay there, and then obviously they don't have the dreams and visions come true and come to life. Because kids do dream, no matter where they are, and I love that you're doing that with your company, so let's kind of jump into that a little bit.

Speaker 3:

Unless there's any more steps in the way that I'm not missing there, just that. I had an entrepreneurial spirit at a very young age, like I was in real estate and I have an insurance agency. And then this unicorn business came about.

Speaker 1:

And that came around. About what time? When did you start kind of dreaming of Afro Unicorn as a business, or even just as an idea, as a character?

Speaker 3:

As an idea, it was 2018, because a friend kept referring to me as a unicorn. But he had been calling me a unicorn for a couple of years and then, finally, one day, I just said, cortez, why do you keep calling me a unicorn? He said, well, because, april, you're raising your boys. I'm a single mom with two amazing boys. One just went off to LSU. Single mom with two amazing boys, one just went off to lsu and the other one is in high school where he's getting his um, aa and his diploma at the same time.

Speaker 3:

so I have very two smart young men and I have my insurance agency going on I think 13 or 14 years this year, and then I was a licensed real estate broker and so it's like April, you're doing unicorn stuff and I'm like, but what does that even?

Speaker 1:

mean.

Speaker 3:

He's like well, because you're managing everything. I'm like, yeah, I'm a woman, that's what we do.

Speaker 1:

He goes no.

Speaker 3:

April, but you do it at an extraordinary level. You are a unicorn. I didn't know much about unicorns so I went to Google them. I saw that they were unique, they were mystical. I'm like I'm definitely unique, I'm all things black girl magic, and so I said, okay, I'm the unicorn, this is going to be my little avatar. I would just put the unicorn emoji to represent who I was. And then, after a period of time, I just kept looking at the unicorn. I'm like it doesn't resonate with me, like this little unicorn on our iPhones does not look like me and all the goodness that I say that I am, I don't see it in this unicorn. So I went back to Google to go find a unicorn that looked like me.

Speaker 3:

There was nothing there. I was like okay, so here's the opportunity for me to create this Now as we know it, afro unicorn. I reached out to my cousin it was all via text, and he's an artist and I was telling him like, hey, I, I have this idea. I want her to be called Afro Unicorn, I need her to have curly hair, she has to have a crown, jewels in her crown, I want her to have eyeshadow, I want her to have earrings. And it was so opposite because I went from not knowing nothing about unicorns to now, I'm like, telling people exactly how I want this unicorn to look. And after several weeks, he gave me some drawings and I started to pick the ones that I wanted. And then, as he started to add color to them, they were all in different shades and I looked at it and I go, wait a minute, this is like this could be bigger than me, like I was looking for an avatar for myself.

Speaker 3:

But I'm pretty sure there are other people who have felt or feel we suffer sometimes from imposter syndrome, not believing that we really can, not believing that we really are unicorns, as my friend called me for two years and I kept ignoring him. So I said I want to find my tribe. I feel like someone else is going to resonate with these unicorns. So in my mind I said I want to create a movement, I want to give them their avatar to let them know who they are, and I was looking for women entrepreneurs. That was the start afro unicorn together, my cousin and the guy that I was working with kept telling me april, I think, kids like unicorns.

Speaker 3:

I think you should include kids. I'm like what, what, what do they do? Yeah, I mean are they raising kids? Do they have businesses? Are they unicorns?

Speaker 1:

no, it makes sense. I mean, you can grow growing up like knowing about my little pony and you know, because that's my the first thing that goes in my head is like magical ponies.

Speaker 3:

I was shira he man go, go, go. What was it?

Speaker 2:

lion, lion um it's uh thundercats, thank you for that Preaching it girl.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, so I was, although I was a dancer I'm not I wasn't a girly girl, so I wasn't. I didn't. I've never seen my Little Pony ever till this day, so I did not know that unicorns was a kid thing, yep, and it was the way that I was introduced to them, because this grown man was calling this grown woman a unicorn, so I was like I'm not doing the kids. And then my marketer at the time his name is Ronnell he sent me a mock up image of a little chocolate black girl with an afro puff on the top of her head with her hands open, and she had my unicorn on her shirt and I was like okay I see it, I'm sold.

Speaker 1:

We have the kids.

Speaker 3:

But I wasn't that sold. I was like we're gonna call them afro unicorns in training like I still felt like they had to thought.

Speaker 1:

It was just like it was still you it was a women's movement.

Speaker 3:

I invited 25 women to my home who are either entrepreneurs or who I knew that wanted to get into entrepreneurship. If they had products, I purchased their items. For the other women that were in the room, I had a videographer come in to ask a couple of questions. What would you tell your younger selves when you hear what does Black Girl Magic mean to you? And when you hear the words Afro Unicorn, what does black girl magic mean to you? And when you hear the words afro-unicorn, what does that mean? It was kind of like my. Now I know it was called a case study, so I got their live reactions. I had written bios on all of them, didn't ask them any questions. These were people that I knew, so I wanted to find out, when I was telling them, what I thought made them unique, divine and magical, and I was building this platform to where women could support other women. And eventually I wanted to have these conferences and we can find out the different business opportunities that were out there.

Speaker 1:

And that, honestly, would have been incredible, like that alone would have been incredible just within the business world. It's going to happen too, and it will. Yeah, I'm so glad that it it went the route it did, like when you're explaining the emoji. First of all, like most people that have just an emoji idea, would be very short-sighted and be like uh okay, I want to submit this to bitmoji or whoever and get my own.

Speaker 1:

you know, afro unicorn made right, just so I can use it and have it not even as like an apple emoji, but just as something you can use you can search it and you can always create bitmojis. That's pretty easy. I'm so glad that you didn't just do that and you created this whole and then it turned into multiple shades because, honestly, emojis have like all the people are different shades of color, right. So it's like it's good to get that across the spectrum. You took it a whole further, but it's actually the spectrum fits your niche too right and that's lovely, like all shades of color yeah and to have that now represent into um little girls being inspired like or inspired to, yeah, just be strong, independent dreamers, thinkers.

Speaker 3:

So the way that the way that it launched was on brand, to make sure you have a brand. As always, I feel like brands should have a movement behind it, like there should be some built-in dna and so, no matter which direction you're going, you can always get back to the core of it. So at that event, the women said, oh, what's your instagram account? I was like, huh, I didn't have instagram. I was.

Speaker 1:

You didn't use it personally either had a facebook okay, not for this yeah I really wasn't on.

Speaker 3:

I remember the first time my girlfriend called me. She was like oh my gosh, chris Brown just broke up with such and such and they're going back and forth and I'm like they're doing this where, she's like on Instagram, they're talking. I'm like, wait, wait. So you mean like the celebrity is talking to another celebrity and they're messaging and everyone sees it. Yeah, she's like. Yes, I'm like that is weird. So now, I was so far removed from it that makes sense.

Speaker 1:

I mean we're we're kind of the facebook generation. I mean, yeah, I when I was in college, that's when facebook kind of took off.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I was myspace and then yeah, oh yeah of course.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we all had myspace, but I mean, facebook was like the first, like where it was a little more interactive, right, and you had to be. You had to have a dot edu email at the time when I signed up for.

Speaker 2:

Facebook just to date myself, I mean.

Speaker 1:

I already dated myself. I said I was just turned 40. So, um, but you had to have that. And then it expanded into what it is today, which is crazy.

Speaker 3:

Instagram went from being just about pictures to being a whole social network To celebrities having arguments which I'm still like. Wow, that's how they communicate through Instagram.

Speaker 1:

So you got an Instagram.

Speaker 3:

So I got well. I didn't just, maybe you didn't just get it, but I didn't just get the Instagram, I had a setback my son that was, April 28th was the date that I birthed Afro Unicorn, meaning I gave my idea and my vision to a group of people right.

Speaker 3:

And then the launch day for the e-commerce site, because I did say we're going to launch a T-shirt, like I'm going to sell these T-shirts. It's going to represent who you guys are and you can wear them to my conferences at some point. My son ends up going into the hospital. On May 11th, may 12th, he had been having complications to where he couldn't keep anything down and a couple of days had gone by and I'm just one of those busy single moms where I'm like you're going to be okay, but he was not okay. We had to get the paramedics and they had to take him off and we were in the hospital for 20 days.

Speaker 1:

Wow, how old was he at that time? Eight, okay, I have a three-year-old and he's sick at home and he like there were moments where I like, are you breathing?

Speaker 3:

like so I totally like, yeah, now I understand about being a parent, like truly in the midst of a kid being sick, that's, that's wild to be at a hospital for three weeks and his his life pace level, which was supposed to be under 200. We were at 17 000 when we checked in. Did you what I said?

Speaker 1:

You're supposed to be under 200.

Speaker 3:

We were at 17,000. So he was very crucial and I wasn't going to move forward with launching Afro Unicorn because then I had this other child who could not stay in the hospital with me. So I'm like, okay, so who's going to watch him? It was a crazy situation. Three people in three different instances came in and said April, you need I know you have this business that you're going to launch. You need to launch this business. Like all the forces are trying to stop you, but God wants you to do this. I'm like, oh, I think it's just food poisoning.

Speaker 3:

But by the third time, the third person that came in through the hospital door and was like're gonna launch that business. When you say you're gonna launch it, I was like, okay, god, I see you, I'm gonna launch this business. I had to figure it out. So I end up hiring an assistant while I was in the hospital. Like they came to the hospital to get interviewed, mm-hmm. And it was just God protecting me because I had to trust this person, even with my child, because I had to get him to and from school and go to downtown and get my inventory and do all the things. And, yeah, we launched on May 17th. I want to talk about Instagram, because I learned Instagram in the hospital.

Speaker 1:

You had some time. I had time on my hand.

Speaker 3:

I had time on my hand, I mastered it. I mastered, I found out how to find my audience. I learned about hashtag strategies and where did you learn about it?

Speaker 1:

where did you do your research? Or did you use reddit?

Speaker 3:

did you use nothing just just doing it yeah, I just did it and I saw like the hashtag. So I clicked on the hashtag and then I saw that there were multiple posts and I'm like, okay, well, let me see if my hat let me look for black unicorn that's probably what they call themselves. So let me look for women entrepreneur hashtag and then I will go on their comments and I would say, hey, have you ever seen an afro unicorn before? I created a brand of women of color who hustle, follow the movement, and if you already consider yourself part of that, crew you're like okay, her message just resonated with me.

Speaker 3:

Let me go click over to her page.

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh there's unicorns that look like me. I have to follow her and I need one of these shirts, because I took the pictures from the 25 women I had at the event and I posted them all on my page and I talked about what made them unique, divine and magical. I would say, hey, you know, check out Tiana. She works at whatever business nine to five, but then she has her own traveling notary company and this is why you should support her and this is what makes her unique, divine and magical. Make sure you tap in. And so people saw that I was genuinely supporting them and so they just got on the wave and the movement and they're like let me go grab my shirt. And that was in May.

Speaker 3:

I did skip some steps and I think it's important because when I launched in May 17th, when I got home May 30th with my son, may 31st, my uncle favorite uncle died of a massive heart attack. Seventeen hours later, my other uncle died of pneumonia. We had a double funeral the following week in Louisiana. I knew it was going to break my grandmother's heart. It did. She died six months later. A month after that, we were in a global pandemic.

Speaker 3:

And the entire time I had this Nipsey had died like right a month before I launched, and so I was just like the marathon continues all gas, no brakes. Clearly something big is going to happen if all of this um bad things keep coming to me.

Speaker 3:

Like something good is coming and it's trying to prevent me from moving. So I got to stay focused and I got to keep moving. So when we launched in May, by June, by July, Tiffany Haddish was rocking and supporting the brand, Alicia Keys, Sherri Shepherd, and it was all organic and it still is very much organic, yeah. So we just started this movement and then COVID was a blessing. People were at home bored, bored in the house, bored and wanting to tickety-tock away.

Speaker 1:

I did so many things that I normally would never do.

Speaker 3:

And what better way to throw on a unicorn shirt and show us your new dance moves?

Speaker 1:

Yep.

Speaker 3:

And, interesting enough, you mentioned Dancing with the Stars. So Phaedra was on there last, maybe a season ago. She did a TikTok during COVID and then, when she was on Dancing with the Stars, she used it as her practice shirt.

Speaker 1:

So cool. Three or four years later, so cool.

Speaker 3:

And did another TikTok.

Speaker 1:

So your shirt's already been on Dancing with the Stars. My shirt has been on Dancing with the Stars, so cool, yeah.

Speaker 3:

And so then a viral video came about of a little girl wearing an Afro Unicorn shirt. She was outside taking pictures and someone said I love your hair. She said thank you, it's an Afro. And then that video went very viral and it got all the way up to Oprah daily. And then Walmart sent me a message and asked me would I consider bringing in Afro unicorn um through party supplies? And then it made me the first black woman to have a fully licensed character brand in major retail.

Speaker 1:

Can we just get like some, just some claps for that, good Lord, thank you, um. I've heard parts of these stories before and so it's so cool to just hear everything, like all the gaps being filled out, to where it is today. Very proud of you. Thank you For not just keeping it so small. It could have just been just a thing for April, a thing that you just kept to yourself, and there's going to be so many people, so many children and eventually, businesswomen, who are going to be inspired by this brand.

Speaker 3:

Not eventually businesswomen. It started with the businesswomen.

Speaker 1:

Well, it started with you, but then you took it back to the kids. But then I was saying like now you're going to, it's going to even Everybody's being.

Speaker 3:

Now the men are being. I have a story about men too okay.

Speaker 1:

Now the men are being okay, so everyone's being inspired. By afro unicorn yeah, I'm inspired, yeah, and I'm not even afro unicorn myself but, um. I will take the original unicorn um yep so why can't you take afro unicorn? I mean I need to get a little. No, you don't. You get a tan, nope.

Speaker 3:

We've never had a problem wearing Cinderella, snow White or any other characters.

Speaker 1:

That's true. Okay, you've just changed my mind Buying a sweatshirt tomorrow, thank you, or tonight.

Speaker 3:

You have one.

Speaker 1:

I don't.

Speaker 3:

You did order one.

Speaker 1:

I was going to order one.

Speaker 3:

I thought you did.

Speaker 1:

I was close, but I never pulled the trigger, so now he needs to pull the trigger, y'all and I don't know why I didn't, but I had it in a cart and, for whatever reason, I'm sure my wife asked me to do something probably a honeydew and got sidetracked. But I did have it in the cart and I was asking you because I was asking about different colors of different ones you may be releasing in the future or not. So, I don't know what happened, but you'll have an order soon. Okay.

Speaker 1:

Promise you Sounds good, so I know where Afro Unicorn is today. What is in the near future?

Speaker 3:

Animation.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 3:

Live theatrical shows, live experiences. I have a world called afronia. So I said all roads lead to afronia. Very cool, so getting to the ultimate goal is some type of amusement park.

Speaker 1:

So all roads are we gonna have afro unicorn on ice? Yeah, that's what it's not.

Speaker 3:

It's not on I but like literally talking about a broad show, right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that is so cool.

Speaker 3:

A touring show.

Speaker 1:

Wow, and is that going to be tailored towards like? What audience is that?

Speaker 3:

It's going to be like your blippy type show Amazing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, I'm very proud of you, thank you, and I'm so glad to have met you. I'm so glad that our paths crossed, so glad to have met you, I'm so glad that our paths crossed. And, yeah, just thank you for sharing about your journey. Being a small business is difficult and that's why each episode we've chosen to shout out a different small business. This week we've chosen Demi Lauren Studios, located in downtown LA. Now, on my 40th birthday, we had a family friendly fun day here at Demi Lauren Studios. It's kind of a paint-and-sip type experience and you can BYOB, which is kind of nice. So the next time you're looking for a fun time with your family and you're in downtown LA, make sure you visit Demi Lauren Studios. Ms April, yes, would you like to play a little game called this or that?

Speaker 3:

This or that, let's get it.

Speaker 1:

So this or that, it's actually sponsored by a company called coastline travel advisors. So if you're looking for anywhere to go in the world, whether it be can or anywhere in the united states, anywhere in the world, go to coastline travelcom and you can uh get help with your travel needs. But the uh this or that. I'm just going to throw out 20 questions to you. Uh, some of them are fun and playful, some of them get a little deeper and stronger, and uh yeah, so let's have some fun let's get it uh, as I ask all of our guests, tacos or pizza?

Speaker 3:

tacos.

Speaker 1:

I'm from la very, very true, uh, sunrise or sunset um sunrise sunrise. I'm a sunset person, maybe just because I don't like mornings, yeah.

Speaker 3:

I'm up at 4.

Speaker 1:

Sunrise it is Chewing gums or Mints. See, I like mints in the car, but I'm more of a chewing gum person. When I like workout, move to Hawaii or Florida.

Speaker 3:

Who's going to Florida, hawaii? Are you serious Right now?

Speaker 1:

Some people don't like being isolated on an island Five hours from the mainland.

Speaker 3:

Next question.

Speaker 1:

Read the book or watch the movie.

Speaker 3:

I like to watch the movie.

Speaker 1:

Me too.

Speaker 3:

I like to listen to my books, so I like to watch the movie.

Speaker 1:

Sauce on the side or sauce on top.

Speaker 3:

I to have both, but I'm gonna go sauce on the on both on top, on top bonus question what do you use for your fries?

Speaker 1:

ketchup ketchup, I'm a ranch person. Okay, uh, rescue a kitten or rescue a puppy who's gonna? Take care of it afterwards. It's more of your. Are you a dog person, cat person? No, I'm not an animal person.

Speaker 3:

I'm scared the cat's going to scratch me, so I'll get the pup.

Speaker 1:

Get the puppy, Small puppy though.

Speaker 3:

Okay, I got the puppy.

Speaker 1:

Yep, and we can make Afro-unicorn dog costumes yeah, we've been working on that. Oh, that would be lovely. Always hungry or always tired.

Speaker 3:

I'm always tired because I'm up at 4 in the morning.

Speaker 1:

And you're always grinding with your business. You're traveling everywhere all the time too. It's really hard to get you in one place, so I'm glad you were able to come here, always feel understood or always feel appreciated.

Speaker 3:

I feel ooh, always feel understood or appreciated.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, one of the two. Dang, I feel, or which one would you prefer?

Speaker 3:

Maybe not what you feel, but yeah, I would prefer to be appreciated.

Speaker 1:

Before appreciated. Why appreciated versus understood?

Speaker 3:

Because understanding can only go so far, and then, when you don't, then you no longer understand.

Speaker 1:

Always tell the truth.

Speaker 3:

Always tell the truth.

Speaker 1:

Or know when people are lying.

Speaker 3:

Oh, I'm a cancer. I know when you're lying.

Speaker 1:

Always tell the truth. You already know the other one. In a typical day, would you like more time or more energy? Um, more energy, not the time. No, uh, are you a coffee person or tea person? That's not on the card, but I'm just nope. Do you need it? No, just natural energy. Unlimited knowledge or unlimited creativity? Unlimited creativity good, um and I say good just because that's like, that's what I would say uh, sleep in a luxury hotel or sleep under the stars a luxury hotel.

Speaker 1:

I don't like bugs never be able to show emotions or never be able to hide them.

Speaker 3:

I'm a cancer, so I want the first one, which is never going to happen.

Speaker 1:

Loud neighbors or noisy. It says loud neighbors or noisy neighbors. I didn't write this one.

Speaker 3:

It must be the nosy. I'll take nosy neighbors.

Speaker 1:

Oh, nosy neighbors. Yes, I was like I didn't write this one.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I want the nosy neighbors.

Speaker 1:

Nosy Neighbors.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I was like I didn't write this one. Yeah, I want the Nosy.

Speaker 1:

Neighbors, nosy Neighbors. She's the neighborhood Pleasant, the what is?

Speaker 3:

it Neighborhood Watch. Yep, that's what I grew up under.

Speaker 1:

This is a fun one for you. Glass Half Full or Glass Half Empty?

Speaker 3:

Glass Half Full.

Speaker 1:

So you know, with the bright side of, uh, afro unicorn the movie, or afro unicorn the musical, um, the movie's coming, the movie is coming. You heard it here. Um, maybe not first, but you heard it here. Have lunch with aretha franklin or diana ross aretha franklin?

Speaker 3:

yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1:

I don't know why I thought about that I didn't even know about your old soul comment. That was actually perfect Host a TV show or be on a TV show.

Speaker 3:

I'm getting ready to host one very soon.

Speaker 1:

What do you not do? And this is pretty deep here though. Relaunch Afro Unicorn, knowing what you know, or stay the course. Relaunch Afro Unicorn, knowing what you know, or stay the course.

Speaker 3:

I have to stay the course because the opportunities that I received wouldn't probably come if I went traditional yeah, yeah, and hearing about your journey, especially with the TikTok shirt and all that stuff with perfect. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

But thanks for playing this or that, again sponsored by Coastline Travel. You ever looking to go to anywhere in the world? Coastlinetravelcom and find an advisor for you? Promoting your podcast is hard and that's why each week we've chosen to promote a different podcast we think you'll enjoy. This week we've chosen no Film School. This podcast talks about becoming a filmmaker with you guessed it not going to film school. So if you're interested in that, make sure you check out their website at no film schoolcom to learn more and with that we'll see in the pod. Welcome back, uh, miss April. It has been phenomenal, uh, to get to know you, but also to hear those fun answers. I hope you had a good time playing that game, um, but I did task you with something before we came here was to go onto the Momi2 app and to look through all the different movies and shows and everything we have. We have over 10,000 titles to choose from. You picked a film from 2007 called Testimonies of Faith Humble Journeys, and it's a documentary made by Wendy Wheaton.

Speaker 2:

Testimonies of Faith Humble Journeys, hosted by Wendy Wheaton reaches beyond the average interview.

Speaker 1:

There's a time when God is carrying us, and then there's a time when he wants our faith to be increased.

Speaker 2:

And shares the personal stories of the stars. I practice the presence of God all day, every day. For the past couple of years I've had a few tests, but you know God will not put anything on you that you can't bear. We get up close and reveal their testimonies.

Speaker 3:

We've sang all our lives, but never in a million years would I have imagined that we would be singing here at this level. Whatever's going to happen, is going to happen anyway, but it's being able to get through it, their tribulations.

Speaker 2:

No matter what trial may come to your life, don't give up on your praise. Don't stop praising God and their triumphs, testimonies of faith. Always believe in yourself and their triumphs, testimonies of Faith. Always believe in yourself and remember YCDA. That stands for you can do anything, as long as it's positive, you can do it.

Speaker 1:

Testimonies of Faith Humble Journeys. Why did you choose that film?

Speaker 3:

We're going through a lot right now in this country as a business owner as a small black business owner as well under attack, and sometimes you just want to have a little bit of hope, and so if I have to watch television or a movie, I'm constantly on my phone seeing Doomsday. I wanted to see something that was uplifting and it was very uplifting.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the 2007 documentary. It was very uplifting. Yeah, um, the 2007 documentary was, uh, it was, it was different to watch because obviously it was it was shot in sd, so it's uh, if people are gonna go watch it, which I highly encourage people to do, uh, just know that the, the quality is not gonna be quite 2025. It's a the, the quality camera and then the audio and stuff was a little different. It was a little uh, I'm not saying I'm not gonna say rough, but it was.

Speaker 3:

It was just different to look through because you it's so funny you say that because it took me a long time to get used to hd television.

Speaker 3:

Really, like a long time yeah, I felt like I was moving. Like I'm like, why is the camera shaky? Like so I didn't even really pay, like because that's my comfortable place. I'm old school, I told you that earlier, so it took me I would go to people's homes. They had these big HD televisions. I'm like this looks weird. It looks like it's shot with your camcorder, but now I don't see the difference. But, clearly you're the guy, so you saw it.

Speaker 1:

I watched too many movies, but, yeah, when you're watching something that was made in 2007, but on uh and not not a high quality camera in 2007 that was then put up onto a 75 inch flat screen, it's a little little different, um, but because it's an uplifting film, we are not going to talk negatively about things. Uh, we will move on to the positive. Um, but I was, I was so happy that you chose this film, um that we got a chance to hear from some celebrities which we we don't typically hear, like rawness from celebrities sometimes, and I think that's so important to hear, like the rawness of people's stories, which we just got to hear yours, um. But what was your, what was your favorite story throughout this documentary? It was only 45 minutes. It was an easy watch.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I had an interesting take on all of it, because my brain knew it was 2007, so I wanted to do the. Where are they now?

Speaker 1:

Unfortunately, yes, okay.

Speaker 3:

And the reason why it's because a lot of them spoke. I love Della Reese's story. I love Touched by an Angel. I grew up watching that with my father and she had her own angelic experience as a child. So hearing that story was great. Kenny Lattimore, who was talking about at the time his wife Shante Moore, and just thinking about where I was during that time and Shante's got a man that was a song that was out. But then I went to Wikipedia to see what happened with life and I saw like they're on their well at least one is on their third marriage now and then it just made me just realize like look, if you're not turning chapters pages, you're not living. And some people aren't living that were in a documentary either, like Teddy Pendergrass.

Speaker 1:

Yep 2010,. I believe.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and so it just made me just appreciate every moment in life, like today could be good, tomorrow may not be as great, but you still have another day, the pages are still being turned and your story is still being written. But when I even just listening to and I think what's the lady's name? I can't. She was a big churchy lady and so she was married four times. So it's just like, hey, we're not going to always be perfect, we're not going to always get it right, and we just got to keep, keep on living.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, um, yeah. The first thing I did was the same thing. Because there was so many people I was like some of them, I Some of them. I didn't know who they were. Like, I'll be honest, al Jarreau. I did not know who Al Jarreau was. Okay, I just didn't grow up with him, but most of the other names I know. But then, looking up and like oh okay, she passed away in 2017.

Speaker 1:

Okay, he passed away in 2017. And he passed away in 2010. I was like, please stop doing this. Like hopefully this is not the trend and Please stop doing this. Like, hopefully this is not the trend and luckily, the rest of the people in the documentary are still living and enjoy that. But yeah, it was so interesting to hear their takes on just life in general. What would you say is like an uplifting moment or uplifting message to people listening to this? Like, what would you um say if, if wendy was in my chair and talking to you?

Speaker 3:

um, just that. You know you have to stay positive. I'm learning that a lot. So I'm doing a lot of reading, a lot of meditation, a lot of positive talking, and I'm learning that you are what you say. There's life and death and the power of the tongue, and whatever you focus on is what's going to happen in your life. And I don't know if you ever heard of the Secret. Wow, you got to tap into the Secret, the Secret.

Speaker 1:

Can you tell me about the Secret oh?

Speaker 3:

most definitely. Is it a secret, or can you me about the secret?

Speaker 1:

oh, most definitely. Is it a secret or can you?

Speaker 3:

um no, it's not a secret, it's not like fight club.

Speaker 1:

We don't talk about fight club.

Speaker 3:

Like we can actually talk about the secret no, no, we could talk about the secret, but in the secret just talks about how you manifest. You can manifest whatever life that you want for yourself. Right and example if you say I'm always late or I'm gonna be late, oh my gosh, traffic is gonna like the moment you step out the house, everything goes bad, like you catch the train because the universe only hears that you want to be late what you're manifesting for that?

Speaker 3:

it doesn't know the difference. So if you're always complaining about your bills, the universe is here as you say, OK, let me keep putting them into situations where they have more bills, because wherever your focus is, that's what you will attract to yourself the bills. But you think about how money comes to you with speed and how all your bills are paid and how you're going to be on time, Like say those things versus saying these Speaking things into existence.

Speaker 1:

I love that.

Speaker 3:

And being very careful on where you allow your thoughts and concentration, and we're human. That's the one thing I loved about watching it and then going to see their stories, because sometimes, when you get up here and you have these interviews, you really want to just make yourself look perfect. And you know, I went through the trials and tribulations and I got it right and now me and my wife are loving each other. You're like, okay, and until you're not, yeah, so um it just. I just like the fact that I know that we all have those moments where we have moments of doubt, but then it's like, okay, are you going to give the energy to the doubt? Are we going to give our energy to the solution?

Speaker 1:

I love that.

Speaker 3:

So I'm choosing, even in this crazy hectic time that we're in, I'm choosing to give my direction to the solution. I'm always trying to figure out how we're going to solve this problem.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I'm a very big proponent of that as well. I didn't know about the Secret, but now I do.

Speaker 3:

So thank you for sharing that. You got to tap into the Secret. Thank you for sharing that with me. You have to watch the Game of Life and how to play it. I mean read the Game of Life and how to play it.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I'm a very positive person and my wife sometimes doesn't like that I am. When there's moments of like something goes wrong, my first inclination is always like, okay, we got to figure it out. Okay, what are we going to do to fix it? What are we going to do? And she's like, can you just take a moment and just be in it first before you try to move on? But I just can't do that. Sometimes it's so hard for me. I just always push forward.

Speaker 3:

That's a blessing. I have to train myself.

Speaker 1:

It's very hard.

Speaker 3:

Because I'm a natural warrior. I mean, I talked earlier about me being cancer and like that's one of our traits, that we are natural warriors. But then I learned a scripture and it talked about worrying and then I said oh, I'm not going to, that's not going to be my focus point anymore. I can't focus on worrying now, not to say that I don't worry, but I just can't put my focus there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm the same way, like yeah, I worry about a lot of things. Being a focus there yeah, I'm the same way like, yeah, I, I worry about a lot of things. Being a father is you worry all the time? You wake up at two in the morning you look at the in the little camera and you're like, okay, is he the monitor? And you're just like, is he breathing? Do I need to go in there and check? Just want to make sure? And yeah, so I worry all the time. But yeah, you have to keep that focus, that mindset, just moving forward and and things will work out.

Speaker 1:

Um, john woodenen is a big quote for me and I always mess it up how to say it, but it's the best things work out for the people who make the best of the way things work out.

Speaker 3:

Oh, you got to send that to me.

Speaker 1:

I will it's in his book. Say it one more time the best things happen to people that make the best of the way things turn out. Ooh, yep, and he's a very very wise man.

Speaker 1:

Mm-hmm, but so I've kept that with me and then I wasn't going to make this a faith conversation. My favorite scripture, which I actually have on my arm in Chichewa so it's actually in the language from Malawi it says as water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man, and I always want to make sure that people are being real, being honest, being themselves, and that's a big piece of being that positive kind of outlook on life, or having that positive outlook on life. For sure.

Speaker 1:

So I love that Wendy did get into a segment and I will ask you that same question Um, who is your guardian angel?

Speaker 3:

I thought it was a lovely question. Um my, my grandmother.

Speaker 1:

Tell us about it.

Speaker 3:

Um, my grandmother lived in Louisiana, northeast Louisiana. I spent almost every summer with her until I was about 14 years old. Like I was born July 20th. I was there by July 30th like I was on a plane yeah, only like a week and she just always her, my grandfather. They understood me a lot and she was my everything Like. If there was ever issues or problems with my mom or my parents, I'll call her. I come get your daughter.

Speaker 3:

It was a lot of that growing up as a teenager, but my, my grandmother she was. She taught me how to cook and I learned how to clean from her and I just learned a lot of things. And I remember when I was married and it just was not working and I didn't want to disappoint my grandmother because my grandmother came out to the wedding and I'm like she came out because I didn't want to get married at the wedding. I was ready to go, but I'm like, well, grandmother's here, we got to do it. So I did it because grandmother was there. And then I just remember her telling me if he's not beating on you, he's not cheating on you, then he's a good man.

Speaker 1:

I'm like.

Speaker 3:

And then one day she called me. I was on my way to my office in Long Beach and she's like poo-poo, that's what she used to call me. Poo-poo. I was thinking and I just want you to be happy and whatever happy looks like for you. And I didn't call her and tell her hey, I'm thinking about getting a divorce or anything, just in that moment she just she had something to hit her so she's definitely my, she's my guardian angel.

Speaker 3:

When she was here on earth and definitely being gone, and I talked to her, like I'm saying I always, always say, well, what, what, what would grandmother say?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm very, I'm very blessed that, um, a lot of the closer people in my life are still with me, and I don't know what that feels like, or haven't experienced that yet. Um, actually, my my grandmother sadly just passed away yesterday morning, um, but I didn't really be in touch with her much.

Speaker 1:

My uh, she's on the East coast, so didn't really have the chance in touch with her much. My, uh, she's on the east coast, so didn't have the chance to talk with her much, but um, but that's amazing, like I and I was thinking about the question I don't know who my guardian angel is, because I just I don't know, I haven't gone through that right. So like my first inclination was like, oh, it's my wife, but she's, but she's still here, she's still next to me, she's beside me, and so, like um I did, there was one person that did answer with someone that um was alive, and then another person mentioned um, is that god is their guardian angel?

Speaker 3:

yeah, so I have a lot of angels. I see angel numbers all day long. Right now, I'm tough on the 222, which is all about partnerships. Okay, which is clearly what's happening for me right now. I'm connecting with a lot of people and I see 444, which is all is well. I don't care what's happening in the middle. If I have a moment, I'll look down or I'll look somewhere, and then it will just be there. So I'm like, okay, my angels are all around me.

Speaker 1:

Let's see what time it is. Oh, it's 151,. So it's not too too late.

Speaker 3:

Oh no, it's not, and it has to be for me, like my mom would sometimes send me numbers. I'm like it doesn't work like that Mommy, like I have to see it for myself.

Speaker 3:

But I always get a reminder, like I always get a reminder that my angels are watching over me and people don't really think about angels like that and I'm like, well, when did they disappear? Because they were all throughout the bible. So, yeah, I didn't remember when they said we wiped out all the angels of the earth. So angels are very real and I think that's why I loved um touched by an, the show that Della Reese was in. I remember me having an encounter here in Hollywood. I was in junior high school, around the corner at Bancroft, and after school, before dance practice, we would go grab something to eat and I remember being across at the burger stand and I was short like some change.

Speaker 3:

And it was a homeless guy across the street yelled my name and said April, and he said I have it. And this person gave me exactly what I needed. That's wild, it's very wild, it was very wild.

Speaker 1:

They had no idea. I'd never seen the person. Never seen him again. How long ago was this?

Speaker 3:

In 1992.

Speaker 1:

93. Like I've never seen the person ever seen when was how long ago was this? In 1992, 93. So this was well before anyone saw april showers on instagram. That's crazy yep, yep.

Speaker 3:

So I mean we. It says we entertain angels unaware.

Speaker 1:

So you have to be, just kind to everyone you encounter, because you never know when you're entertaining an angel well, I'm very happy that you chose this film um, very happy that wendy decided to make it. Uh, I think it's just, it's a beautiful little touch of uh, a show that that our app needs um, because I think every platform needs some uplifting um content yes so I'm very happy you chose that of all the other film I'm sure you saw. You saw a few other films on momi too.

Speaker 3:

Um, what were some other films that kind of well you have a lot of films, films and titles that I'm like, okay, I gotta go back and and watch this, because I didn't know that this person had this movie out, or I love that there were new faces. We're always.

Speaker 3:

I remember there was a time in Hollywood where you would just see the same actors over and over and, over and over again, and so it's good to see a lot of the independent films, but even you have some of the big ones. A lot of the big ones are on there as well. So I just like the fact that you had a big, diverse library of content, and so I can't wait to dive in. And when I'm having those days I want to just disengage with the circus show and the crazy world that we live in and just go into fantasy, just get away yeah, like, like, like a little unicorn unplug for a moment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, um, no, I appreciate you saying that, because we do have a very diverse and eclectic mix of content, um, and it is nice to see some of these actors, um, even some of them, which are in um, like vivica a fox we had a holiday film that she, she, had cameoed in and it's just like something I've never seen, never heard of, right like christopher lloyd.

Speaker 1:

Um, it was in it's in a filmat Builder, and it's just like this little indie film that never, never even known before before we actually brought it on to MoMe too. So it is nice to kind of find those little gems here and there, and I'm so glad that you chose this film. Thank you for doing so, cause it's just, it's something I needed too.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, can I ask you a question? Of course, what made you?

Speaker 1:

I'll put on all you can put on the host cap um, tell us how and why did you start?

Speaker 1:

momi too.

Speaker 1:

Yes, um, momi too.

Speaker 1:

It was actually kind of a a covet thing too, where it was just one of those um sit down conversations, because time kind of slowed down a bit right and we were noticing that there was a lot of people just ingesting content.

Speaker 1:

So there was just a moment where we said what kind of content is maybe not being seen enough? That's not really shown in the limelight, because what happened was people weren't able to go to theaters, right, so a lot of those films that were going to get released ended up getting released in streaming, and so we just said, well, there's, there's a lot of films that are kind of getting put on the back burner, that aren't getting the love and getting the opportunities, and so that kind of it kind of where we got like the idea from Mommy 2. And then the name actually means more for me and you. Oh, okay, and so it's more opportunities for filmmakers. The me is actually us in between the two, so the me is us sitting on the couch, kind of, with you because we actually hand curate all of the content that you see.

Speaker 1:

So we don't use algorithms, we don't use things that will predict what a person thinks they need to watch, like, there's a lot of times where people they just don't know what they want to watch, or they get onto an app and they're just like man, I've seen everything.

Speaker 1:

There's because the algorithm has only presented what they're seeing, and so we just wanted to do something different and expose people to content that they never knew existed, never knew they loved. And then the two being you in Latin and being a little more universal was the person in the chair, the person that was actually using the app, and we wanted to give more opportunities for the two, or the you, to experience that content. And so that's kind of the beginning stages of what momi2 started, as it then developed into becoming more about, um, independent filmmakers and helping them get a start somewhere. Um, because a lot of other platforms, when they get a film put on there, um, they'll just be on there. They don't have marketing dollars, they don't have this opportunity that a lot of big budget films do, and so we partner with them to bring on a film, say exclusively for 90 days or so, and give them a little love on social media podcasts, movie reviews, things like that to then bring a little bit more light to their film, and so that kind of trickled in and then eventually turned into how can we help the next generation of filmmakers, and we started a film festival for college students, and so we're going into our third year this year.

Speaker 1:

Last year we had 69 films represented from 38 different colleges and universities and we will now be hopefully growing that this year and making it even bigger, but giving these students an opportunity not just to make a film or be part of another film festival, but to actually be on a streaming service, to have their films be seen by more and more people and hopefully, even if it just gives one student a year, the next opportunity for them to be like um, to make their next film or get connected with the next person that that will lead them down, you know, hopefully be a successful filmmaker. We're doing everything right. At that point we're very happy with what we're doing. Um, or we will be happy with what we're doing. Last year we actually had a filmmaker from ringling college win this award called the producer's pick, and I'm very excited about this. But he actually gets to develop his short film as more of a proof of concept and we're developing it into a feature film and he gets to direct it as well.

Speaker 1:

Wow and so that's another thing that we're building off of to hopefully utilize the app to also make an impact in these filmmakers' lives.

Speaker 3:

I love it. I love it.

Speaker 1:

utilize the app to also make an impact in these filmmakers lives. Yeah, so, continually going back to the, the root of the name of more for me and you, um, we're doing that with the app, we're doing that with the filmmakers and the film festival and hopefully with this podcast as well. So giving opportunities for more opportunities not that you need them, but more opportunities for Afro Unicorn to just even if it inspires one additional person. That's what we're here to do.

Speaker 3:

So any last thoughts as far as we're on here, no, I just appreciate you having me, I appreciate you breaking down the meaning, the why behind the business. Because that's important as business owners, just don't just do it just to do it Like there has to be a reason of why we're doing the. Because that's important as business owners, just don't just do it just to do it Like there has to be a reason of why we're doing the things that we're doing and hopefully it's led by impacting others and definitely that's what you're doing, that's what I'm doing and that's how reason why the universe keeps bringing us together and can Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Um, for those that don't know as much about Afro Unicorn, that have made it this far in the episode, where can we find Afro Unicorn?

Speaker 3:

You can find Afro Unicorn at Afro Unicorn dot com and most of your major retailers. Follow me please. I got April showers where you'll be inspired over and over again, so follow me there on Instagram and Instagram Afrounicorns. Afriunicorn underscore official.

Speaker 1:

Love it.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, and thank you so much for being here, taking the time. I know you're a very, very busy woman, so really appreciate you just coming down into the pod and sharing your life, sharing about who you are and how you got to the point of creating Afriunicorn. And thank you for choosing a movie that's just so inspiring.

Speaker 3:

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for spending your time with us today on the More For Me and you podcast. If you've made it to the end, we appreciate you. Now go do us a quick favor. Please like, comment and share this episode and, before you go, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode with the incredible guests we have coming up. You, so you never miss an episode with the incredible guests we have coming up. You can also follow us at at MoMeTooPodcast, on Instagram and on TikTok. Oh and for your next movie night, check out the MoMeToo app. It's free and packed with amazing movies and shows you've probably never seen. Until next time, take care, stay safe and we'll see you in the pod.

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Bryan Louzil

Host