We’re looking forward to introducing you to Rae Lashea. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Rae, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
All three of those components are essential for success but I think integrity is most important because it is the strand that will hold all other things together if it remains unwavering. One can learn and unlearn things, one can reenergize when feeling low, but integrity has to remain solid and steeped in the values one says they uphold. It shouldn’t ebb and flow but instead remain consistent during good times and challenging ones.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
A native of Brooklyn, New York with Trinidadian, Native American, and African-American roots, I have built a career that bridges cultures, genres, and mediums. My work spans literature, film, education, and consulting, all informed by my academic background in sociology, anthropology, pre-med, education, and extensive world travel. At the heart of my creative ventures is Rae Lashea, Inc., a boutique multimedia consulting and production company that offers a range of services including writing, editing, film production, and creative consulting.
I am the author of several books, including the novel Hot Tea and Mercy, which follows the life of a brilliant yet emotionally burdened psychiatrist navigating both personal and professional challenges. I have also written the inspirational 52 Weeks of MIRACLES, and a children’s book titled You Are a Star. Currently, I am working on publishing a new children’s book, Raya’s Heart, which I also plan to adapt into an animated film.
I recently became involved in screenwriting and film production, a challenging yet rewarding field. I am in the pre-production phase of a screenplay adaptation of Hot Tea and Mercy. I have produced and directed the short film, Filly, and co-developed a travel mini-series called Beaches and Breweries. Another major project, the hilarious and smart RomCom movie, ‘We’re Not Married?’ can now be found streaming on Tubi. Please watch and tell others to watch it too!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
Both of my parents taught me a great deal about work and work ethic, but especially my father. He was fifty years old when I was born and he had already been a mailman for the United States Postal Service for seventeen years, working the Brownsville neighborhood out of the Bristol Street Post Office. His beat was rough by virtue of the neighborhood and its surrounding housing projects, and the job was made tougher by the diabetes he had been fighting for most of his life. Although he enjoyed his New York City route, never missing a day of work, arriving Monday through Saturday at 6am daily, and walking the streets with his mail cart regardless of rain, hail, sleet or snow, it didn’t come without a price. He spent every evening soaking his feet in a daisy foot saver with warm water and iodine to ease the pain and soothe the cuts. He retired at the age of sixty-six after thirty-three years of service. My father had ten children, and fourteen grandchildren when he passed away in 2005, at the age of seventy-four. He was consistent and loyal to his family, friends and professional commitments and through him I learned about hard work, reliability, punctuality, accountability, ownership, responsibility, compassion, kindness, ‘stick-withit-ness’, and pride.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
I leaned in. I leaned into the pain or the fear. I have a saying about being happily miserable. Sometimes we have to embrace in order to face. When I was seven years old, I was scared of the dark. I was often awake late at night while everyone else was asleep. My mom left the kitchen light on all night to minimize the fear, but one night I decided to get over it. I turned off the kitchen light and froze, in darkness. Then I made myself move. I walked all through the apartment, shaking and terrified. I stayed close to the walls and went back and forth until I felt comfortable enough moving away from them – slowly, steadily; then a little more, and a little more until I was walking confidently around our place without being scared. Then something amazing happened. I could see… in the dark. Before that, I was relying on what I knew about where everything was to avoid bumping into furniture and clearing corners. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see what was in front of me and maneuver through the darkness just as well as if the light was on. So inevitably, what helped overcome the fear was leaning into it and believing in myself.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
What you see is what you get with me, publicly and privately. I am boisterous and joyful. I am positive in situations while simultaneously pointing out deficiencies. It often seems like I’m complaining, but I really just see what could be better. I am meticulous in detail while also focusing on the big picture, so I often move fast without getting caught up in the minutia. I am not your average human. I developed quite an edge having grown up in Brooklyn, but also a sophistication that comes from years of education, travel, and self-reflection. I am not afraid to speak my mind and don’t really care who disagrees. I am honest, a rarity these days, and I believe in fact over fiction, reality over fantasy, and happiness over misery. I am also very hard on myself and therefore often hard on others. I am fair and balanced. No one can accuse me of playing favorites or not living up to the standards and expectations that I set for others. I don’t front, I don’t floss, I don’t fake. I am real and what you see is what you get, inside, outside, on social media and in print.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I am at peace on or near a beach.
I am at peace reading a good book.
I am most at peace reading a good book on or near a beach.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raelashea.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raelashea/#
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raelashea
- Twitter: https://x.com/rachelblaze
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rae+lashea
Image Credits
Candace Martin
Nelson Miller
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
