We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mae Monga. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mae below.
Mae, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I overcome imposter syndrome by detaching myself from the work I do. One of my favorite quotes comes from the Bhagavad Gita, paraphrased in English as “Give up attachment to the fruit of all action.” I carry this with me all the time, and from my understanding, it means to do your best and trust your innate values to guide your actions as a vessel for what the universe wants to experience through you. I didn’t ask to be born, but I’m so grateful for the privilege to have the opportunity to develop the gifts I was given and use them to be of service. I try my best to be present with my work, leave things when I feel they should be left, and start and finish things very intentionally when I have that inclination. The most important and hardest part in the end is to not be attached to the outcome of the work, to just learn from it and continue moving forward without letting my ego get wrapped up in “the fruit.” Just staying grounded and confident in the fact that I did the best I could.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m extremely grateful to be the main facilitator of Divine Times Collective (DTC). DTC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating inner-child connecting spaces for all but centering black and black queer individuals from all throughout the African diaspora. Our journey began with free monthly musical jams and workshops, and we’ve since blossomed into hosting our annual Pan-Afro Wisdom Fest (P.O.W. Fest).
What excites me the most about DTC is our commitment to learning from the community and promoting cultural exchange. Through events like P.O.W. Fest, we offer transformative experiences that include nature-centric workshops, childhood games, and creative contributions from local artists.
We are currently focused on organizing our pre-festival events, including a fundraiser concert on Friday, July 26, 6pm at Trans-Pecos celebrating last year’s festival artists. These events lead up to our grand festival on September 8, where attendees can enjoy performances by artists such as Laraaji, Selamawit, Dianna Lopez, and Batalá New York, along with various workshops and activities.
We are currently working on a zine project composed of responses from the community about their inner-child, as well as images from our events over the past few years. We invite you to join us on this journey, whether by answering the questions we’ve shared via an online form, attending our events in person, donating, or spreading the word. Thank you for your support and for being part of our community’s growth and celebration!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I don’t feel qualified to give advice, but so far, the three qualities that have most helped me along this journey have been resilience, adaptability, and community engagement. Resilience helps me move forward every day, knowing that there are many things I don’t know, but what I do know is that I’m a hard worker and will always do my best. This makes me trust in myself that anything that needs to get done will get done. Adaptability helps me in terms of not being afraid to be wrong or to fail and to always learn and pivot when change needs to happen. Community engagement is the core of my work; I am nothing without my community, and the work I do is nothing without community. Coming to a place where I didn’t grow up, the last thing I wanted to do was impose. I’m sure I still am in different ways, so I make sure to learn from everyone around me, but especially the people who have been here longer than me. I want to ensure that the work being done is something useful and something the community actually desires. I’m so thankful to have developed and to continue to develop beautiful relationships with the people in my neighborhood and to have the privilege of bringing people together.
My advice to myself a couple of years ago when I first moved here would have been to make the time to learn more about my community sooner. Although I also trust that everything happens in its right timing (divine timing ;)), and I don’t think myself a couple of years ago even had the mental capacity to properly appreciate the incredibly deep and rich community around me. And I still don’t! But at least I’m more aware of my ignorance and learning everyday. So I would just say that community is everything, and it is the foundation. We should always be curious and trying to learn from each other. As my old neighbors would always say: “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
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?
If you’re interested in partnering or collaborating with us at Divine Times Collective, we’re always open to connecting with like-minded individuals and organizations who share our passion for community, culture, and creativity. We particularly value collaborations with black, queer, and other overall BIPOC-centered initiatives, local businesses, artists, and community organizers who align with our mission of creating spaces for inner-child healing and cultural celebration.
Whether you’re involved in event planning, wellness initiatives, or artistic endeavors, we’d love to hear from you. You can connect with us through our social media channels, email, or by attending one of our upcoming events. Feel free to reach out if you have ideas for partnerships, sponsorships, or if you simply want to join our vibrant community effort.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.divinetimescollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinetimescollective/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@divinetimescollective
Image Credits
Rahel Tebo
Sandra Braverman
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
