Meet YaNi Davis

We were lucky to catch up with YaNi Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

YaNi , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I was a teenager when I realized, my friends were not coming to my dad’s church for service and wanted no parts of the tradition of it all but they did love God and did want to be connected to community. I was only 14 when I knew my words could be a catalyst for change and transformation as a vessel of peace, love and wholeness for my family and friends.

Imagine this, a short tom boy from Queens, New York, living near where they filmed the movie Belly. I was oblivious to so much that was going on around me because I was dedicated to making music and sharing it all around New York on the Underground Holy Hip Hop scene. I was immersed in the culture of not only Hip Hop but also gospel house, I would travel around New York in a bow tie and chucks speaking, sharing music and spoken word in all kinds of churches. My mother, the first lady of the church and born on an island to a Bishop father, was mortified at first but some 20 years later, she is my biggest support and encouragement! And my dad too!

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 like to break it down like this! I am a coach, creative and community leader. It helps me make sense of my life to mySelf and also to those that I share the mission and vision with. I am the founder of The Peace People’s Movement and it’s 501c3 component, My SupaNatural life. The Peace People’s Movement is all about leading people to deeper places of peace and wholeness via authentic living. My SupaNatural LIfe is dedicated to wholistic communal care for people with disabilities and their systems of support.

As a coach, I am preparing to launch The Vibration Cohort for musicians/artists needing to get their new projects out. So many times artists can not find the balance between everyday life enough to get their creations to the world. This cohort will take people on a 3 month journey to shift the vibration of the planet with their voices and musical offerings. I recently graduated with a Master of Professional Studies (Business of Art and Design) Entrepreneurship from Maryland Institue College of Art. It is time to support my “Peace People” in activating their gifts more and more in this life!

As a creative, I am preparing to share my new music with the world, with an EP entitled, Black-N-Openhearted. It is a project that chronicles my healing journey as I navigated End Stage Renal Failure. A few years a go, I collapsed while filming a commercial to launch ESPNW, was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with Kidney Failure. It was the most devastating yet transformational moment of my life. I received a kidney transplant in 2018 and my life has never been the same. I know the true meaning of lovingkindness! Black-N-Openhearted is a tribute to mySelf for rising from the ashes, to the communities that have loved me back to wholeness, dedicated to “Peace People and “Wholly Ones” and the global village that desperately needs more peace and love! Oh, the second book of poetry is coming soon too!

As a community leader I am activating more programing and events around the country for The Peace People’s Movement and My SupaNatural Life. They will start in the Atlanta area starting this summer and I am Supa excited about it all. I finally feel like i have the “people power” and strategic plans I need to make all of this happen. You can expect events focused on HipHop, Healing and Wholeness on The Peace People side and events focused on wholisitic communal care on the MSNL side! Its about to be a WHOLE person summer!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The 3 qualities/skills that have been vital in my development have been: authenticity, integrity and love.

Authenticity is defined as the quality of being real or true. I love that definition and it also means to me, living as one’s Self and in a wholly way. Wholly meaning fully and completely, Doing the work to live authentically has led to me being deemed a rebel in some spaces and a leader in others. I have used my words wisely to make it so what people experience on the outside is a reflection of how I feel on the inside. Living a life that is real and true leaves so much room for expansiveness, transformation, change and growth.

Integrity is defined as the, quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. The state of being whole and undivided. Doing the work of living with integrity started many years ago when I made commitment to not lie to myself or to others. I then made decisions around how I wanted to show up in the world in terms of my morals and ethics. Our society is so full of half truths and poor character, I knew I wanted to live differently. Making these choses as a teen/adolescent led me to seminary where I lived into my reality as a Christian Womanist. I am a multi-faith spiritual leader that built a foundation on being honest and whole. It has led to an entire movement being built.

Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. I also view Love as an action word with the thought that if I love someone, I will act on the love that I have for them. As a Preacher’s Kid growing up, I was surrounded by a village that loved on me and nurtured me in so many ways. I have been making efforts to spread that love around the country and world for very many years. There’s a hymn we used to sing at my dad’s church, Love Lifted Me, that I sing til this day.

To my folks that are early in their spiritual or leadership journey, I would say strive for excellence with grace. All of these values, I presented are works in progress after many years of intentional living. I would say start with loving yourself with how you eat, think and BE in the world and the rest will come naturally. Never be afraid to hire a coach, therapist, mentor or spiritual leader to join you on your journey. Love is on your side!

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

Currently, I have been diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease aka Kidney Failure and have been placed back on dialysis. I was diagnosed back in December 2016 when I was filming a commercial for ESPNW in Atlanta, Georgia. I received a kidney transplant from my donor Mariah in October 2018. I am now dealing with my transplanted kidney failing. This is normal for transplanted kidneys due to the immune system fighting against the foreign kidney. It is also normal that kidneys have a lifespan in people’s bodies once transplanted. I have faith I will have a new living donor sooner than later so I won’t experience some of the challenges I face now. I am grateful that I know the process and am receiving excellent care and dialysis treatments through Emory University Hospitla.

My family, friends and Peace People are coming through for me and wrapping me in care!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

IG: @qlickphotography

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