Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Theresa Faleti. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Theresa, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
“…..Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40
My generosity stems from The Most High. Ever since I was a young girl, I had a heart for helping others. I began helping out students with special needs when I was in elementary school, then began serving the homeless community with my mom, and eventually started volunteering with several non-profits as I had gotten older. I was always eager to volunteer because it made my heart happy. But there was one experience that really impacted my life; and that was when I went to Africa to visit family.
I was ten years old and super excited to be visiting a new country and meeting family members for the first time. Throughout our stay, we experienced the lavish life and the not so lavish life. I’m talkin’ five star hotels and luxury houses in a gated community to days later, staying in a small house with dirt roads. From taking hot showers, to going outside to pump cold water from a well so that we could bathe with buckets. From sleeping in peace, to constantly being bit by mosquitos and listening to the rats scratch through the walls. From watching television, to waiting for the generator to start working again. And yet one thing remained the same…….Everyone seemed to be so happy no matter the condition.
I remember watching little boys and girls running around barefoot, happily playing with sticks or balls and wanting my siblings and I to join in. Some had holes in their shoes while others had holes in their clothes, but seemed to not have a care in the world. And that’s when I saw my parents lead by example. They would find different ways to give to those around them, regardless if they were our family members or not. In seeing the gratitude of the individuals they were helping, something began to tug at my heart. They were so grateful for the things we would normally take for granted, and from then on, I knew I wanted to make a difference.
Fast forward to the present. I always find ways to help others, including through dance. On a daily basis, I help women to feel confident and empowered through movement. Also, when I see those who are homeless, I give to them using the money I’ve earned from class, and have hosted dance classes where all the profits went to feeding the homeless. Every so often I host or participate in events that help to benefit the less fortunate. Just a few months ago, I organized a dance fundraiser to help my friend raise money for the fight against period poverty in Trinidad.
In all, I want to have a successful business so that I can help a large multitude of people all over the world! And that is what I believe The Most High placed on this Earth to do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the owner of Afrofeteness LLC- AfroCaribbean Inspired dance fitness that feels like a party. My business went from focusing on dance fitness to also empowering women and teaching individuals how to dance.
I started out as young girl who used to get laughed at for the way that I danced. Thinking that everyone was laughing with me, I would dance at school each day with students surrounding me because my peers would request for me to dance. This would happen on a daily basis until one day my brother pulled me to the side and said “they’re not laughing with you, they’re laughing at you”…. My. Heart. Sank. But I will forever be grateful for that day because that day sparked a new beginning for me. Though I was hurt and embarrassed, I made a promise to myself that I would prove them wrong one day and be the amazing dancer they never thought I could be. From then on, I would go home and practice how to dance for hours each day; imitating the dancers I saw on YouTube until I was able to improve. As time went on, my passion for dance grew more and more along with my dancing abilities.
When I got to college, I was introduced to Zumba and ended up becoming an instructor a few years later. As an instructor, I began to create my own routines and use music that I personally loved. Participants began to notice that this was not your average Zumba class and encouraged me to start my own dance fitness business; thus Afrofeteness was formed!
Friends and family then encouraged me to create several social media accounts under Afrofeteness. So I first created an Instagram account and years later a TikTok account. It initially started off with me posting dance fitness videos and then I began receiving requests for dance tutorials. The more dance tutorials I would post, the more requests would come flooding in. It eventually got to the point where I was teaching women all around the world how to dance. From then I knew I had to shift my brand from just dance fitness to helping women improve their dance skills and empowerment.
My brand was reaching a broader audience because of this shift. I had a story that other women could relate to in someway (whether it was coming from a cultural background where you’re expected to know how to dance, or coming from a family of dancers and being the black sheep, or being teased for not having rhythm). I was not only able to relate to them, but also help them build confidence while on their dance journey. I began receiving messages of how my tutorials and positive messages helped them get through rough times in their life, or helped them to become more confident in their dancing abilities.
With the amount of requests from women wanting to learn from me, I decided to tour different cities, states, and countries. This is how The Afrofeteness Experience began. The Afrofeteness Experience is a mixture of female empowerment activities, dance fitness, a dance workshop, and putting everything that was learned into a choreographed routine. It’s more than just a dance class, but an opportunity to connect with a community of women, in a judgement free zone; while feeling comfortable and proud to embrace your most authentic self with no shame.
The next Afrofeteness Experience locations will take place in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio Texas starting August 20th, Washington D.C. in September, and Seattle, WA and California in November.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence, faith and being intentional are the three most impactful qualities on my journey. Otherwise I would have given up, which is something that most do when it gets too hard.
When we’re at the beginning of our journey it is so easy to give up. Sticking to it is the hardest yet most rewarding part of the journey. Unfortunately, many people do not get very far because we live in this microwave society that wants results instantly. But every journey takes time. Do farmers plant seeds and a few minutes later dig it up because a crop didn’t grow? Do babies give up trying to walk after falling down a couple of times?…..Of coarse not! So what makes you different?
The obstacles in your journey are there to help you to develop into a better person. When we don’t “learn our lesson”, we will find ourselves in a repetitive cycle. “Why does this keep happening to me?”……Does that sound familiar?…… It’s because you haven’t yet learned from that experience and it will continue to happen until you do. On the other hand, sometimes things happen to us for the benefit of others. Our stories or testimonies can create a breakthrough in someone else’s life.
Keep pushing through on your journey no matter what life throws at you and remember your why. Why am I doing this? Is there a problem I want to help solve for others? Is there an impact I want to make? Remembering your purpose will drive you to keep going. And keep the faith!
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:1-3
Every invention, powerful movement, and successful business started out as an idea before it manifested physically. What The Creator puts on the inside of us to achieve is specifically designed for us; from there, it’s our responsibility to see it through.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The biggest area of growth I’ve had in the past 12 months would be my confidence and no longer feeling the need to compare myself to others,
Let’s face it, we’ve all fallen into the comparison trap at some point in our lives. “Wow, she was able to get so many brand deals!” “All of his classes are sold out!” “They have so many more followers than me.” These were the thoughts that would flood my mind on an almost daily basis.
You see, it’s easy to see the advancement of others while you’re at a standstill. I found myself comparing my journey a lot, because things were not happening as fast as I wanted them to.
But after months of reading the Bible and self help books, prayer, and listening to podcasts, I realized that comparing myself to others was only lowering my self-confidence.
We never know how far along someone else is on their journey. We may be at the beginning of ours, while they are years well into their journey. We each have our own obstacles to overcome because they are lessons that we need to learn. So when you really think about it, there’s no point in ever comparing; our journeys are unique to us. We were destined to complete our own specific purpose in this world, and we have our own path that is designed for us. It makes no sense to compare or compete because we’re not all running the same race. Better yet, I should say a marathon.
There could be 1000 of us with the same talents and niche. But our clients, followers, subscribers, or customers will choose us for who we are.
Once I was able to understand that concept, my confidence began to rise and I was able to take on more risks and opportunities that challenged me. I realized I was uniquely and wonderfully made by The Most High and I am the only one who can complete the assignment destined for me.
No matter how long it will take, I will learn from, grow, and enjoy my journey.
