We were lucky to catch up with Marquise Richards recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marquise, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?
I grew up in Reading, PA. I grew up in poverty and in a multicultural city. I do believe that growing up with very little allowed me to view the world as a place that could be better. I knew what it meant to experience some of the worst parts of the world as a kid, but not really know how to conceptualize it. I did know that we had to relinquish ego very quickly. I knew that each of my friends were going through their own unique struggles, but we knew to lean on one another when push came to shove. Going across the street and asking for sugar was one of the biggest things that I remember growing up and having to do. It taught me that people were still kind.
Now, growing up in a multicultural space, it gave me insight to so many different types of people. I grew up with Haitians, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Mexicans, Asians, Mennonites, Undocumented Peoples, and Black Americans. We all had different experiences that would ultimately impact how we moved through school, personal, and professional life. To know each of these different people meant that I had learned to adapt to different cultures growing up and understanding that different homes had different norms. This made me a curious child and one that loved to learn about the different ethnicities around the world.
I had no choice but to develop empathy for the people that I grew up with, the people that I loved, and the world that I would ultimately get to know. I take that into life as a podcaster, an educator, a mentor, and activist. I believe that my hope in humanity and a politic rooted in love and community is so important as we move throughout this world.
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 am the host of the “Keepin’ It a Bean” podcast. This is a show that brings together culture and conversation over coffee. I explore topics around politics, pop culture, Black masculinity, and social justice issues. I wanted to create a world that allowed people to be their most authentic selves on camera and share my love of coffee or tea. I have created the set to feel like a table at a coffee shop where you can see bits and pieces of things that make me who I am, whether that is the coffee that I am drinking, a book that I’m currently reading in the background, or music artists. I also have had some of my best conversations in a coffee shop and would find myself lost in conversation for hours with some of my closest friends. My current goal is to get myself partnered with a Black-Owned coffee brand to sponsor the show for this year, so I can start building up some more of the business side of the show. I have people coming on who want to be part of the team, so I want to ensure that I can start throwing some money their way.
This space is particularly special, because I have been able to bring on so many Black men to simply discuss life. I believe that storytelling is one of the purest forms to build empathy for someone that you barely know. So to hear Black men and Black people actively discuss how they have dealt with their masculinity, dealt with shame, and simply what brings them joy…. it is something extremely special for them to trust me with their emotions. I tend to bring on close friends who are willing to be on camera and keep it a bean with the audience. Some episodes could get heavy, some episodes are simply fun to witness. This show is finally a space that I am so excited to have, because I get to remain authentic and have several conversations on topics that I am particularly interested in.
Outside of the podcast, please make sure to check out my event that I throw with Balmour and Cody Jones called “Due Diligence.” It is a live music event that brings together analysis and live music. Our biggest goal is to get people encouraged to become active consumers of culture, art, and music again through this music series. We interview local artists and dissect a single body of work. It is a pride and joy that we have and hope to continue growing into other cities with so much untapped talent.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Lead With Inquiry. I believe that we live in a world that is extremely judgmental and quick to jump on an oversimplification of any narrative. I have learned to simply listen, reserve judgment, and allow a person to explain themselves. This has helped me with any potential confusion or assumptions that I have made about people. It takes time and it is an active skill, but when you get there, it’s a great tool in personal life and professional life.
2. Lean Into Your Community. This world is tough and leaning into my community has saved me more than anyone would ever know. I struggled a lot – especially as a Black man — to simply ask for help. I carried a lot of shame around it, but once I was able to ask my friends for help, then they simply thanked me for not suffering in silence. Practice with small things and then when life gets to be too much, then know who you can tap into. Be honest about your needs and you will be surprised at how many people will want to show up for you.
3. Relinquish Control. I am a Virgo who needs to know the outcome of everything. This means that I would calculate every single move and if there were any chance that I would fail, then I would not go forth with it. I would overthink and try to predict outcomes instead of simply doing. Start that show, stop putting off that thing you need to do, and just do it. I learned that there is so much beauty in letting things fall into place how they should and you live life a bit happier when you are not pre-determining outcomes for things and people.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I believe that it’s better go in on our strengths… when you have the capacity to do so. I added that last part, because not everyone has a team or people willing to help them in their creative journey. I was so used to working on my own (and being scared to ask for help), so I was producer, director, videographer, on-air host, editor, social media manager, and audio engineer for my show. I understand that my strongest point is producing and hosting, but I had to take on a larger role, because I didn’t have the team. However, when you are able to find those people around you that make your primary job easier, then you employ them to do what they’re best at.
I have been working on “Keepin’ It a Bean” and wanting to ensure that this was as successful as possible, but I had simply tweeted about everything I have been doing, and someone reached out asking if I needed anyone to handle the camera. Now, my show is produced in 4K and I can focus on simply hosting instead of observing the clock for the show. I’m so thankful for Julian (@ThePastorJul) for coming on and assisting me. Now, I have Daniel coming on to assist in engineering my audio and my production assistant Cavon helping out with the show as well. This was important because each person is in a space to offer their expertise and be in a space of learning as well. I cannot wait to watch this team expand into something great.
So I believe learning each piece of the content creation space has developed me into a better leader, but I know where I shine and my team allows me to do that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/marquisedavon
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marquiserichards/
- Twitter: twitter.com/marquisedavon
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@marquisedavonproductions
- Other: linktr.ee/marquisedavon
Image Credits
Blaxz Alexander Cody Jones Ayoo Kanon Rashiid Coleman
