Story & Lesson Highlights with Shambi Imari Broome of Columbia Metro

Shambi Imari Broome shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Shambi Imari, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Writing. I’ve been reconnecting with my love for writing poetry and short stories. I’ve had a lot happen to me in the last three years, and I find writing has become not only a creative outlet, but also a form of therapy.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Shambi Imari, a two-time founder, web developer, STEM educator, and advocate. I founded my first company, JMB Designs, LLC, in 2004. It’s a web agency that does website design, maintenance, and Internet marketing for small and startup businesses. In 2015, I founded the nonprofit, Webgyrlz Code, which focuses on giving girls and women superpowers through computer science education.

I have been building my personal brand, concentrating on empowering entrepreneurs living with chronic illnesses to launch and grow successful businesses. I was honored to present a four-part speaker series in partnership with Richland Library in Columbia, South Carolina, “Entrepreneurship and Chronic Illness”. The series allowed me to share my experiences as a business owner since my Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis in 2022, and it created a safe space for professionals to have honest conversations about living with chronic illness while managing the day-to-day of a business.

I am excited for next year. Webgyrlz Code is continuing to grow our high-demand machine learning and AI K-12 program. JMB Designs will be making a significant business model shift after 21 years in business. This change will allow us to service our existing clients and utilize our decades of experience to help other web agencies thrive.

I am a mother with a passion for technology, writing, and art. I’ve been privileged to be featured in TIME and The Wall Street Journal, present 2 TEDx Talks, and speak at WordCamp US in 2023. I’m an advocate for accessible computer science education and believe in being a mentor, sponsor, and cheerleader for others.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
My youngest daughter was about 6 or 7 years old, and she had a panic attack while we were volunteering in our ministry. I remember the chaos of trying to calm her down, stop her from screaming, hoping no one thought something horrible was happening, and possibly calling the police. When we got back inside our vehicle, I remember thinking, “Oh my goodness. She really does have anxiety. All this time, I thought she was making up stomach aches to get out of doing things in public; she was experiencing social anxiety.”

That moment shaped how I view the behaviors of others. I’ve learned to do a better job at seeing people as they truly are, individuals. Just like I can’t expect my younger child to be just ike their older sibling, I can’t lump people together and expect the same behavior because of a few things they have in common.

I have been working hard to meet my children where they are socially and emotionally, and apply that view to those I meet. It’s important to ask questions and truly listen to someone’s story. Don’t judge them based on my life experiences or cultural influences, but learn who they are and meet them where they need to be met so they can flourish at their own pace.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
What true contentment is, and that true happiness doesn’t come from external successes. It was rough to go through cancer surgery and then chemotherapy and still run 2 companies. I remember the day in Spring 2024 when I was cleaning out the office space for Webgyrlz Code. I felt like a failure. At that time, we could no longer maintain the lease payments. With every box I packed, I felt like I was defeated.

I posted about this experience on X. Someone I’ve known for a while in our local business ecosystem gave me a pep talk in their reply and reminded me that I was still alive. That brought me to a moment of reflection. They were so right. I packed up the office. I turned in the keys. I could have died from my cancer, and someone else would have packed up this office.

I’ve learned to be happy with being alive, even with trials I may suffer. My children keep me grounded as I deal with major health challenges because of side effects from chemo. If I complain too much, my youngest will be quick to tell me, “Well, you know what the alternative could be.” My family, my genuine friendships, the beauty of nature, and a good night’s sleep mean so much more to me because I faced the possibility of never enjoying those things again.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Artificial intelligence will eliminate the need for developers and programmers. I believe a shift is happening in the tech world as a result of AI, but there is always a shift when a new technology goes mainstream. My children never used a set of encyclopedias to do research for a school project because they have the Internet. Encyclopedia publishers had to shift their content from book form to digital format. I’m sure those employees had to skill up to be useful with this new way of disseminating information.

I teach kids that humans start the process when it comes to machine learning and AI. I sometimes think we forget that at some point, humans have to be hands-on with AI. Will developers need to learn new programming languages, new platforms, and new technologies? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No.

I started my developer journey with HTML, JavaScript, and Java. I have since worked with PHP, CSS, XML, Twig, TypeScript, React, Node, and other languages and frameworks. AI is going to make it so people have to shift not only how they work, but also what tools and platforms they work with.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Shopping. I would still shop for the necessities of life, but those impulse buys and last-minute DoorDash orders would stop immediately. I would “Marie Kondo” everything I own, and if it doesn’t bring me joy or help me pay my bills, it would be gone.

I would spend my time with my kids, building experiences, and creating memories. Plus, there’s less stuff for people to figure out what to do with when I’m gone.

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