I See What You Mean with April Kae

Are you struggling with burnout—because you haven’t cultivated healthy boundaries?Today we're joined by Minaa B, a wellness coach, therapist, writer, and mental health educator, regularly featured in Ebony, Vogue, and Bustle. Minaa highlights the importance of recognizing your limitations and describes why it’s crucial to incorporate your feelings into your creative work.01:05 • The Person Behind The Bio07:40 • How To Set Boundaries19:50 • Key Questions For Creatives23:00 • Finding Social Media Balance34:26 • Ways To Deal With Pushback43:45 • Emotions Enhance CreativityCW: 01:05-07:40 discusses suicide and depressionFollow Minaa on IG: @minaa_bFollow "I See What You Mean": @aprilspodcastMeet the team!Host + Producer: @aprilkae.nyc Editor + Copy Writer: @jalena.nyc

This week, Shehab (Isis) Awad joins us to discuss the power of gratitude, manifestation, and mindfulness. Shehab is an independent curator and writer based in New York City. He/she highlights queer and marginalized practices, and her/his writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including the Brooklyn Rail and ArtAsiaPacific Magazine. Shehab is also the Founding Director of Executive Care, a non-profit launching in Spring 2022 that aims to end artist exploitation.01:10 • Fueling Creativity09:20 • No More Struggling Artists20:49 • Growing From Discomfort28:45 • Keeping Your Haters Close35:32 • Manifestation And Magic 41:02 • You Are Not Your Trauma47:39 • Resources All Artists Need54:28 • It's Important To Be GraciousFollow Shehab on IG: @shehabebeFollow "I See What You Mean": @aprilspodcastMeet the team!Host + Producer: @aprilkae.nycMarketing Manager: @niaraimanii Editor + Copy Writer: @jalena.nyc

Do you have to speak loudly to speak up?This week, we're joined by Marco Pave, a hip-hop artist, advocate, and independent label owner. Marco has shared the stage with artists including Mobb Deep, Waka Flocka, Young Dolph, and now he's here to talk about the importance of recognizing your power and influence—and why you should redefine what success means to you.01:12 • Learn To Love Your Forward08:44 • Advice To Find Your Purpose11:54 • Dangers Of External Validation20:46 • Speak Up Without Shouting30:57 • How To Feel Seen And Heard41:00 • Strategies To Get Out Of A RutFollow Marco on IG: @kingofmarcoFollow "I See What You Mean": @aprilspodcastHost: @aprilkae.nyc

Highlighting life-changing experiences and their impact on the creative process, I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Jessica Zucker, psychologist, author, and creator of #IHadAMiscarriage.In this episode, we dive deeper into Dr. Jessica Zucker’s personal journey and the importance of sharing your story. As Jessica mentions, "Sharing our stories allows us to understand that vulnerability is being human, and being human means that we are flawed. And we can be loved and find joy in all of that."04:34 • Reflecting On Trauma10:50 • Using Writing To Find Purpose14:10 • How Therapy Boosts Creativity19:46 • External And Internal Pressure28:50 • Silence-Stigma-Shame Cycle41:04 • Why You Must Share Your StoryFollow Jessica on IG: @IHadAMiscarriageFollow "I See What You Mean": @aprilspodcastHost: @aprilkae.nyc

Chatting about career, food, music, and finding hobbies, today we dive into the importance of recognizing all of your facets.Joined by Nikita Richardson we cover the ins and outs of career and personal life balance. Nikita is also an all-around passionate creative who continually inspires those around her to not be defined by one narrative.01:15 • Meet Nikita08:00 • Cultivating Community11:13 • Love of Music20:50 • Being a “Jack of All Trades”30:27 • Constructive Criticism33:17 • Importance of Speaking Up40:27 • Getting A Hobby46:51 • Finding The Right CollaboratorsFollow Nikita on IG: @nomnomnikitaFollow "I See What You Mean": @aprilspodcastHost: @aprilkae.nyc

To kick off Season 2 we’re diving into the artistic process, the challenges of social media, and redefining work and success.Today we’re joined by Nikki Kae, a costume designer, fine artist, and musician specializing in Afrofuturist queer stories and style. Nikki is also my actual, blood sister—so, there’s no holding back when it comes to our conversation!05:52 • Why It's Important To Have Options13:02 • Redefining ‘Work’ And ’Success'24:18 • The Instagram Dilemma30:29 • Music, Stage Fright, And Perfectionism34:00 • Comparing Austin To New York City43:51 • Steps To Take When You Feel Uninspired.Follow Nikki on IG: @cockroach.princessKeep up with Imanigold: @imanigold.nycFollow "I See What You Mean": @aprilspodcastHost: @aprilkae.nyc

On this week’s episode, you’ll learn... •   How to be more creative when times are tough •   What it means to be "a limited resource" and how to deal with it •   Mikayla’s game-changing advice on setting (and achieving!) goalsI couldn’t think of a better person to end 2020 with than Mikayla Martinez. She is a wellness coach, helping people build new habits, let go of diet culture, and achieve their goals. Mikayla is also the founder of Unmastered Co., where she guides millennial women in cultivating their own version of what wellness means to them. With her partner Alvin by her side, she is mother to a 7-year-old named Kayden and a little baby named Kai.  

This is an exciting one—Yasmin Almo is the first person I’m interviewing for the podcast, who isn't already a good friend.Join Yasmin and me as we discuss how they learned humility in jail, the importance of honest and loving communication, and what makes ants so beautiful. They also share their secret for getting past self-criticism and releasing art into the world. If you’ve ever struggled to share your work, find inspiration, or build a loving community, this one's for you. I wanted to bring on an illustrator or some other kind of visual artist, and came across Yasmin on the site of my modeling agency, WeSpeak. I was instantly captivated by their bold yet flirty design and illustration style. I reached out to our agent to connect me with Yasmin, without knowing much about them beyond their artwork. As I began to learn more about Yasmin to prepare for this interview, I became enamored with their work, philosophy, and style.Yasmin is a queer Syrian and Armenian-American illustrator, designer, and outspoken advocate for individuality and self-expression through sexuality, art, and gender exploration. They grew up in a multicultural immigrant family—their father, a mathematician and linguist, and their mother, a pianist and art teacher. They credit this upbringing as hugely influential in their work.Their art has been featured in countless exhibitions from New York City to Seattle, and their creative clients include 10 Summers Records, Future, Shabazz Palaces, Eileen Fisher, and Glamour Girl Magazine. They are also a model, collaborating with the likes of Calvin Klein, CHANGE, and ID Magazine. And in 2019, they were a cast member on MTV's Real World: Atlanta.

After interviewing six different creatives—a supermodel, a podcast host, a makeup artist, a musician, a mental health influencer, and an Instagram coach—it feels like the right time to give you a chance to get to know me a little bit better.So, I’ve asked my bestie, Maay Brice, to interview me! You might remember Maay from the bonus episode I released before officially kicking off the podcast. We counted down our “top five songs to get through an emotional rough patch.” If you didn’t get a chance to listen to the episode, definitely check it out.Besides being my best friend, Maay is a yoga instructor, the Imanigold mind-body specialist, founder of “Literary Cinema,” and a genius on all things related to early childhood development and education.I hope you enjoy learning about the journey I’ve been on as I’ve grown into who I am today and worked to live a meaningful, creative life.

Jera was born and raised in New York City, studied Fine Art in LA, and worked as a graphic designer in LA, Boston, and New York City. In 2015, living in New York, she was miserable after five soul-sucking years in a job her heart just wasn't in. She needed a change. Jera poured herself into social media, fitness, and SoulCycle, built up a formidable Instagram following—and promptly left the graphic design job to focus on her newfound passions. She hasn't looked back since.At the beginning of 2020, Jera founded the Social Media Saloon, a wildly successful 12-week coaching program to help small business owners thrive on Instagram and beyond.Join us to learn Jera's secrets to a successful career pivot, and the many other game-changing lessons she learned along the way. Listen now! 

When she was just ten years old, Kelly U. began struggling with disordered eating. Since then, she’s been on a stunning journey of recovery—and she has shared that journey with the world all along the way. From winning the Miss Friendship Ambassador Pageant to founding The Warrior Collective—a jewelry line promoting self-love—Kelly has continually beaten the odds by putting creativity and healing first.She is an Instagrammer and Youtuber collaborating with organizations and companies like Aerie, Dove, and the National Eating Disorder Association. Kelly is also a research coordinator specializing in childhood development, bringing her mental health mission to academia.On this episode of I See What You Mean, Kelly gets brutally honest about balancing creative work with an intense day job, the challenges of loving a flawed family, and why she stayed in a toxic relationship for over six years. 

// Content Warning: This episode contains descriptive discussion of sexual assault, overdose, and domestic violence. // Kady Rain has been making music since she was a child, but in 2014 her career really took off after she left an abusive relationship that nearly cost her her life.Since then, the resilient Kady Rain has released countless hits, including “RAD Moves,” NPR’s 2018 Song of the Summer. She has performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival and named Austin’s Next Megastar by multiple publications, all while advocating for feminist and LGBTQIA+ causes.Join us as Kady gets brutally honest about the experiences that changed the game for her, allowing her to become the powerful person she is today. She opens up about everything from being the baddest straight-A student you’ve ever met, to the horrific ten days she spent in the hospital that changed her life.Tune in to learn how this technicolor, big-hearted songbird discovered her true potential.

This week, we’re joined by Tai Ceme. Tai is a makeup artist and entrepreneur based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work as a makeup artist has been featured in Office Magazine, Preme Magazine, Vogue Italia, Hypebae, and more. She is also the founder of Tai-Lite—a cosmetic company focusing on skincare based clean makeup—formulated for everyone and made with deep skin tones in mind.Tai and I met a few months back on set shooting for Universal Standard. She was doing makeup and I was modeling. Since then, they’ve brought us both back multiple times, and we’ve become fast friends—talking about everything from race to religion to our existential crises during my time in her makeup chair. I was thrilled when she agreed to be on the show. 

Chinae is one of those people who possess an endless well of creativity—and more importantly, the courage to share that creativity with the world every single day. Where do all of her fresh ideas come from? How does she avoid getting burnt out? What is her approach to overcoming fear and sharing her work with the world on such a consistent basis?I talk with Chinae about all this and more as we explore her journey from growing up with a single mom in Texas, to building a successful marketing career in New York City, and finally getting fired from that marketing job—catapulting her into a wildly successful multi-faceted career.Chinae is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and the host of advice and lifestyle podcast “Press Send.” Really though, she’s a world-changer, igniting real conversations to support people in being their best selves. You certainly don’t want to miss her game-changing advice on this week’s episode!

The premiere episode of I See What You Mean features Khrystyana, a model and activist originally from North East Siberia. Her early years as a model were tough. After immigrating to the United States as a teenager, she moved around the country from Hawaii to California to New York City, trying to find a market that would embrace her. In 2016 she hit a low point, sleeping on couches, taking any work she could get, and in a deep depression.And that’s when things began to turn around. Khrystyana started to open up about her struggles more on social media and caught the eye of the America’s Next Top Model casting team. Around that time, Khrystyana launched the Real Catwalk, runway events hosted in public places around the world showcasing diverse bodies and identities.Since making her mark with America’s Next Top Model and the Real Catwalk, Khrystyana’s career as a model and activist continues to flourish. Today, she works with companies and organizations worldwide, hosting international empowerment events, publishing editorials, and inspiring millions. Most recently, Khrystyana became the November 2020 Playboy Playmate.