We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gevonchai Hudnall-Vogel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gevonchai, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose when I began to do the work to find myself. As I continue to grow, my purpose evolves with me every day. The more I learned about myself, the easier it was to feel where my heart was leading me and the work that had to be done. I knew that I was a mother before I was a woman. Being a mother and having that role allowed me to have some contrast into what being a woman was and how to get there. Through the self-work to understand myself, my purpose became clear. A big theme in my purpose, and I believe I have many of them, is helping people in some way; whether it’s through education, as I used to be an educator, to positive affirmations, which lead me to Ghetto Mantras, or through non-profit work, which is what I do from 9-5, I am here to be of service. I want to be of service and create a sense of belonging with the people who I interact with. This only became clear to me once I took the time to really understand who I was.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Ghetto Mantras challenge you, root for you, and remind you with off-the-cuff mantras that affirm you in real time. We create opportunities for women to reflect and connect through judgment-free experiences and events and offer a carefully curated self-care experience that includes partnerships with over 40 Black-owned businesses nationally.
Ghetto Mantras is special because of our ability to meet our community where they are, and with our products, it’s accessible to their doorstep. Our seasonally-related care packages promote the community as they feature product contributions from our partners as well as original mantras written by myself and a carefully selected collective of creators.
We have received a matching grant from Jrue (Boston Celtics) and Lauren (Olympic Soccer Champion) of the JLH fund. Our crowdfunding campaign is going live on November 8th, 2023. Help us turn $35,000 into $70,000 and transform your wellness journey with us.
Subscribe to our newsletter to join the Ghetto Mantras community and keep up with our events.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
With anything that’s worth having, you have to make a commitment and gain understanding. I was and continue to be committed to understanding what matters to me. Wellness is a pillar of my brand. With that, I needed to commit myself to my wellness by understanding who I was first. Once I was informed of what mattered to me, the next and last piece was to take action. How many times have you heard the phrase faith without work is dead? It is so important that when you commit yourself, you must put the work behind it.
My advice is to spend time reflecting and learning who you are, fall in love with yourself, and understand yourself. There is no one path for anyone. That’s why we’re all very different. So learn your unique ways, your differences that make you special, and use that knowledge to fuel you forward.
One of my favorite affirmations is, “Perfect is not my path. Growth is my path,” so as long as you’re growing, you’re doing fine.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love this question. The foundation of the Ghetto Mantras brand is collaboration. I’ve partnered with over 40 Black-owned businesses and writers to reach my vision of creating a no-barrier-to-entry self-care space. Every year, I look for businesses to partner with to curate a culturally sensitive self-care experience through our self-care packages and in-person experiences. I am looking for people who identify with being your favorite homegirl. I would say these women are or have formally been considered at least medium ghetto because we’re all reformed ghetto girls. If you would like to connect with me, email me at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ghettomantras.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghettomantras/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghettomantras/
Image Credits
All images are courtesy of Ghetto Mantras.
