We recently connected with Veronica N. Chapman and have shared our conversation below.
Veronica, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I am super fortunate to have grown up in a family/community in which I was free to communicate my thoughts and ideas. Many people discount the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of children, but I believe growing up in community with people who honor the humanity of children truly helps develop their confidence and self-esteem. Consequently I have always had the courage to act on my ideas despite any fear of failure, because I trusted that I was capable of achieving my goals, and I always knew that regardless of my success or failure, I was better for trying. Along my life’s journey I am confident that continuing to exercise this muscle of pursuing my ideas and goals will lead to something great.
Additionally, I only keep relationships that are founded in mutual respect and love. These types of relationships can both help maintain and improve one’s confidence and self-esteem.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am the founder of Boxxout Enterprises where I design creative solutions for social change. My process typically starts when I experience a challenge first-hand. For example, years ago when I conducted engaging educational workshops with Black teenagers in various afterschool programs, I often found myself wishing that many of the teens believed in themselves more. Their brilliance was undeniable, but my communicating that wasn’t enough. They needed to believe it for themselves.
Consequently, my desire to help instill confidence in children at an earlier age inspired me to start publishing children’s books. My books make children -and even some adults- believe in themselves, and they have inspired thousands of people thus far.
My experience as a children’s book author introduced me to the power of representation, as the data shows that when Black children see themselves represented in books and other media, it helps improve their self-esteem. Acting on my idea to publish children’s books lead me to founding a platform that makes it easier to discover Black children’s books, BlackBabyBooks.com; a global celebration called Black Children’s Book Week; and the Black Children’s Book Museum housed in the Metaverse. All of these actions have made a lasting impact, and I look forward to doing even more.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey are curiosity, bravery, and being tech savvy.
Being curious forces you to ask and answer the question, “What will it take to accomplish my goal?”
Being brave forces you to go for it event if the answer is intimidating.
And being tech savvy makes you ask and answer the question, “What technology exists already that can make my process more efficient, and what’s required less daunting?”
These three things have truly been the most impactful thus far.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I am feeling overwhelmed I honor myself by honoring my humanity and full understanding that I will not always have the right answers, the energy to act on ideas, nor the solutions for all the matters of my heart.
I give myself a lot of grace. I slow down. I dance. I read books for fun. I listen to music. I hang out with loved ones. I take a break from the world. And I don’t apologize for any of it.
I recommend that we all find the source(s) of what overwhelms us and figure out our capacity to influence it. If we are in relationships that overwhelm us, we can be honest with ourselves; set better boundaries; or let them go. If the tragedies of the world overwhelm us we can do what we can so we honor our power to act, and support others who are doing what we don’t have the capacity to do. Assess. Act. Release. Or sometimes you rest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.boxxout.com/
