Bybreen Samuels

Full transcript: Bybreen Samuels on London Real

1:07 This is London Real, I am Brian Rose. My guest today is Bybreen Samuels, recent graduate of our Broadcast Yourself accelerator. Welcome. Thank you very much, happy to be here. Tell me about you. Where are you from, what do you do? Right, so I was born in London to Jamaican parents who are politically very savvy. Born in Chelsea, grew up in London, have really resided in London, although I’ve travelled quite a bit.

1:42 Political parents, because my name is very unusual. It’s Bybreen Charlayne Samuels. My parents created Charlayne; I’m named after Charlayne Hunter-Gault. She’s a very famous African American correspondent and she went to the University of Georgia in 1961. My parents, being political, said if we have a girl, albeit two years later, we’re gonna call her Charlayne.

2:03 And the incredible thing was, I went to Barack Obama’s first inauguration and she was everywhere, because she is now this very famous African American that lives between Africa and America. I’m named after this woman, so that’s my name.

2:22 Where am I on my journey? I’m 54, happily 54, rocking my greys, and really pivoting into this new world. It is essential for me that I bring together the different aspects of who I am. So in my old life I developed nonprofit organisations from a biz dev point of view, I’ve done lots of grassroots campaigns, but where I am now, I’m using this world of astrology, software engineering.

2:47 So I’m a rookie software engineer and teaching myself JavaScript. Every morning I duke it out with JavaScript. I’m on the cusp of building a product. I also write, and I’m the host of The Smart Years podcast. And I want to hear more about this. Why did you decide now was the time to start broadcasting yourself?

3:04 A variety of reasons, because communication and writing and sharing messages and connecting with people are sort of central to who I am. And when I came across Broadcast Yourself, it just felt like things aligned. So yes, I’m talking astrologically, but also intuitively, it was… this was the right medium to enable me to do what I need to do, because I’m a multipotentialite, meaning I’ve got interest specialisms in different areas.

3:36 This was a really good vehicle, I could see, to wrap everything within it so that I’ve got this holistic identity. My London Real… you, so you kind of been merged into my consciousness. I can’t give you the date or the time, but you know, you’re on YouTube, and I don’t know, there was a couple of episodes, the ones that really stood out, Nigel Benn and Dan Hardy.

4:09 But I’d seen you before, but they were the two episodes that made me sit up. Why? Because it was men emoting in a way that I’d never seen before. So it was refreshing, because invariably, you know, women either talked about men and who we think they are, and men may or may not talk about men, but to see men talking publicly and in a way whereby their emotions were being unfurled, it was a real beautiful thing to see.

4:39 So for Dan Hardy, I’d never heard of Dan Hardy, but here’s this martial artist. So you’ve got this image of who martial artists are. I mean, I did martial arts way back in the day, but you know, there’s this stereotype, and then here was this man saying, well yeah, I can beat up people, but that’s not really a worthy thing to be doing with my life. And I thought that was very profound, because he’s still relatively quite young.

4:54 Nigel Benn was exquisite insofar as you were, you know, asking him a range of questions and I could just see he was eager to say, yeah, I know I’ve been that person, but now this person. And once he tapped into that narrative, he just… it was beautiful to see him emote in that way and to be held in a way where he could do that safely. So that’s how you emerged in my consciousness.

5:25 And then I used to see these snippets of people saying, oh, this London Real, and you know, you’d show some of the workshops, and it was just this sense of, I don’t know, it’s a feeling, it’s like one day I’m gonna be part of that community. And so real cautious love came up and everything aligned. Wow, that’s a great story. I still remember that Nigel Benn conversation. Oh, it was, it was.

5:42 And most people don’t know that I literally had a faceoff with him before that interview started, where he was probably a quarter inch from my face. I started to crack a smile and he yelled, he said, “No smiling in a faceoff!” Like, he was really aggressive with me, and that was my introduction to Nigel Benn. And then two and a half hours later, you know, I had my hand on his knee and I just… I mean, just powerful. So powerful, I still get shivers.

6:08 So I’m glad you watched that, and thank you. And Dan Hardy as well, I had two conversations with him, both very powerful, and I remember him saying that. That is very profound for a young man, he’s young, a young talented fighter, to say, yeah, okay, but is this really the best thing to do with my life? I don’t hear that from fighters, or anyone. Yeah, very much, very true.

6:33 So, all right, you pull the trigger and you get dropped into this crazy Facebook private group. I’m asking you to upload video and to show up twice a week to my live calls. There’s this accountability doc, 150 people from around the world. That first week, like, for you… I was not thrown by that. I know for some people they were. For me, I was excited. I think I even emailed you back ASAP.

7:04 I was like, I can’t wait to get started, because I could see actually I’ve got this wealth of experience, and it’s disparate, it’s disconnected, but there’s profundity and depth to it. And I thought, actually, I like connecting, I like sharing messages, I like learning and educating and, like, speaking, but this is a medium that enables me to get a message out there in a way that satisfies me and satisfies others.

7:28 So the accountability doc was the accountability doc, and I wasn’t thrown by it. So I was like, okay, I’m into a new world, and I was excited to explore it. What did you struggle with, if anything, on the course? Right. Zoom, Zoom at times, insofar as I remember Chris’s initial video about it, so that I can let’s work at mizune, and sometimes it would just run for quite some time, it’s okay, this is great.

8:03 And then sometimes it would cut out, my laptop would get hot, it would cut in the middle of a conversation. So in the early days, you know, even now interviewing, I just think, okay, I may have half an hour. So I kind of prepped my guests that we might cut out, and if we do, don’t worry, you know, we’ll get back in. So technically, even though I’m into technology, that was… was it challenging? More of an irritation.

8:30 I didn’t find it a struggle in terms of reaching out to people, because the premise of what I’m exploring is bringing visibility to older women, those between the ages of 40 and 65. For a number of women in that category, there’s a sense of, they feel invisible. I don’t tend to feel like that, but I recognise what my personality is about, but I recognise that there are so many people.

8:56 I used to be a Buddhist, so I had a very strong Buddhist practice for 12 years, and I’m just thinking within that community, although that is about finding self and finding identity, there were a lot of women who kept saying, you know, I feel invisible, I don’t feel seen in society. So I think, you know, that’s a powerful message.

9:20 The idea came to me at least 11, 12 years ago, when I put on an exhibition around older people. Tried to monetise it, it wasn’t really going anywhere, I didn’t understand business models then. I got this opportunity to be a Winston Churchill Fellow. Somebody said, oh, have you seen this? And there was a category for the Third Age. I thought, right, I’m gonna go for that.

9:36 So I went for it and I was one of 100 people selected from across the country, and I thought, brilliant, I am now going to have this sense of the conversation around what does it mean to be an older person in society, but actually looking at it from a contrasting point of view. So I went to China, I was in Beijing and Shanghai for a couple of months, had an amazing time on so many different levels.

10:00 And so that gave me a deeper insight in terms of how older people are positioned within society. I’m from an immigrant background, so the way older people are treated in the Caribbean is very different from the UK or America, because there is a strong focus on a youth-centric… you know, everything’s young, everybody’s young, and actually the young people are going to get old one day. So that gave me really deep insight. So I was selected, one of 100 people from across the country, went and had an amazing time.

10:33 Tell me about your podcast, and what were the highlights? Ah, The Smart Years. So The Smart Years focuses on women between 40 and 65. As I said, the premise is about bringing visibility to this cohort, because they have so much wisdom, knowledge, talents, that they could be living for at least another 30, 40, even 50 years, and what does that mean once we get past the “quotes” retirement?

11:00 So what I’m doing is fusing the different aspects of myself. So it’s about bringing astrological personal development together with technology and biz dev. It’s this kind of triumvirate of approaches to help women of that category so they can become the queen of their own reinvention, and who knows, they might be the emotionally intelligent game changers of the future. So that’s the premise, that’s who I’m addressing.

11:29 I like that. My garnish, like I’ve said, why, and highlights from maybe some of your conversations, or the reception, or what was the big kind of wow? Launch day. I loved launch day, I can’t wait to get to launch day. So what I did, over about two days, two and a half days, I literally went one-on-one with about 800 people.

12:00 And so literally on launch day, Facebook tried to shut me down twice. It’s like, you shouldn’t be doing this. All right, hell, you know, I’ve got to be doing this. My laptop nearly caught on fire, but I thought, I have to be out there with my message, and I literally went one-on-one. So that’s been brilliant, A, in terms of reconnecting with old friends. So some of it was on Facebook, so I went Facebook, LinkedIn, and about 200 people on my YouTube channel, and I loved that.

12:24 And so from that, you know, people have come forward. I’ve even sold a product, so I’m really excited about that. In terms of the conversations and the feedback, so conversations have been exquisite, and it’s a blend between… some have been more rolling, insofar as exploring. So there was my first conversation with Kim Crayton around diversity and inclusion in tech.

12:49 Her mum tweeted and said, wow, what a brilliant conversation. So I was like, really humbled, because, you know, by the one who knows her the best. So that was very flattering. She even said this is one of the best conversations I’ve ever had, because I got to showcase different parts of who I am as a person. You know, she’s not just this campaigner. But how I met her was that on Twitter there’s this woman crying.

13:15 I’m thinking, why is this woman on Twitter, why is she crying? So that piqued my interest, and I clicked, and it was like I was looking at myself 25 years ago, because I was involved in a very high-profile legal campaign, and I know what it means to stand up and be counted for something, and to raise your head above the parapet and say, step out into the world and say, I’m leading this, or I’m so incensed by this injustice, I’m gonna do something about it. And so that was an exquisite conversation.

13:45 Then there was a mother and son, the dynamic duo. He’s a 12-year-old boy who’s lighting up the tech world. He’s got Tourette’s, and he says this is a blessing and not a curse. He was a keynote speaker at Red Hat’s International Tech Summit about three weeks ago. Sensational. So he teaches children in his local area how to code. They’ve got their code onto the International Space Station. He’s taught 200 children in Bangladesh.

14:10 You know, he did a crowdfunding campaign, so him and his parents, but it’s his mum who tends to go with him to these, you know, conferences and stuff. Brilliant, brilliant. You know, here’s a 12-year-old boy from South London, him and his mum are revolutionising tech education for young people. Really powerful.

14:41 Another conversation I had was with Jason Fleming. It was about astrology. So, you know, some people don’t know much about astrology: what have we got here now? Literally, sometimes when I say to people I’m an astrologer, or that’s one of my identities, I literally see their eyes rolling and thinking, what do we have here? But that was brilliant, because, Jason, it was great to have a detailed conversation with an astrologer insofar as illuminating the path of astrology as a personal development tool.

15:07 So what we did was we explored astrology, but then we set it in the context of the corporate psyche, because my audience of women, who might be trying to get into the tech world, and what does that entail? She could be really bored, she could be in a cubicle, hates her job, but she’s got an idea and wants to use technology. She could be a mom or a grandmother who wants to really connect with her children using technology.

15:29 Or she could be a woman who’s rocking her grey hair, she doesn’t have children, but she wants to know what smart knickers are, and what’s a smart fridge, and how can I order my next, you know, shopping. So what we did was we juxtaposed astrology as a personal development tool and exploring the corporate psyche. They say they want this when they’re looking for employees, but what does it really mean? So we used astrology to peel back some of the layers.

15:59 And in fact, that’s been the most watched episode. Wow. It’s the most watched episode, which is like a testament. Great. Yeah, really great. And then what we did was that we took the planet Uranus. We looked at it in terms of how a woman, if she were to look at her birth chart, or a man, anybody who were to look at their birth chart and to identify something that makes them unique, you would look, you know, at Uranus as a planet, and we explored what that could mean. Yeah, it’s powerful.

16:33 So I’m loving the conversations. So some of them, as I say, are rolling, some are quite tactical, how-to guides, and I want this blend of some tactics. And it’s, you know, the one I’m due to release is about the Internet of Things. You know, what is the Internet of Things? If you’re really into technology, you’ll know what the Internet of Things means, but if you’re a woman in Trelawny in Jamaica, what’s the Internet of Things?

17:00 But actually, how could I connect with the Internet of Things? Or she’s a woman in Rochdale on a council estate and she’s trying to raise up her life and she wants to use technology. How could the Internet of Things help her grow her life? So it’s this wonderful blend. And the people I interview could be right across the age spectrum, because I believe in this intergenerational connection. You know, we’re not going to learn when we’re within our silos, and that’s what I’m trying to break through with The Smart Years.

17:23 It’s this interconnectivity. So the person I interviewed on Wednesday was 25, you know, and he’s really into AI, so I thought, great, I’ll have Elliot on the show. Okay, yes, so it’s a mix. Talk to me about the community, the people in your groups and the people inside. What are they like, and what’s it like to see them? It was wonderful to see them yesterday.

17:47 So in terms of my crew, lovely group. Even from the first conversation that we had after your first live call, we had our first live call, and there was this real camaraderie, even though we don’t know each other, but there was a sense, it was a great vibe, there was a nice energy to it. So I’ve really enjoyed my group. We’re obviously different, different people bring in different things to it.

18:09 So yeah, I’m really looking forward to exploring my relationships with them further. But to see them in the flesh, so Aloofa, I thought was really short, and I walk in here, he’s really tall. It was like, oh my goodness, he’s really tall. And then Sasha, she and I have had conversations, you know, she’s now moved to Phoenix, so it’s great, it’s lovely.

18:35 And what are you gonna do in the next 12 months? What does this thing look like? Where are you going? Going to enjoy these brilliant conversations. And to attract… people I interview are a mix, so they could be completely unknown, the rookie who nobody knows but they’ve got something to contribute, as well as they could be very well known. So I’m looking for that blend, so I want to have this wonderful blend of those types of people. That’s one.

19:09 Two, I’m looking at The Smart Years as a hub where women from around the world, who are within the age group of 40 to 65, who want to get their groove on, see The Smart Years as a home that facilitates their own queen of reinvention. I also will be hosting some sort of event. Definitely I want to have my first event within the first year.

19:35 And more sales. It’s brilliant, you know, a week after launching, so this woman bought my book, she’s literally paying now for an astrological consultation, and then I put together a coaching program, so she’s going to consider that. So it’s like, this is brilliant, you know. And are you doing a lot more of that? Oh yes. Because they want more of your energy. Yeah.

19:59 So that’s what I want to do. You know, just be present to my own life, that’s really important. It’s not just, you know, give, give, giving. It’s great, but I need to imbibe as well. So it’s about how I grow my own life, and in growing my own life, how I share that with other people, and I love it. So yes, there are the three kind of core things.

20:21 And I’d love to be travelling the world, that’s my raison d’être. I want to go to every country in the world before I leave it, and The Smart Years could be one way to facilitate that, as well as doing online conversation. So I want to go offline. Okay, yeah. And how is Bybreen different? If we went out to the street and bumped into the woman who didn’t take this course, how is she different than you?

20:52 Well, I think the Bybreen before the course understood running in her own lane. You know, I’m a firm believer of run in your own lane, whatever that looks like. Bring juxtaposition to your world, you know, bring these disparate elements together. So post-BY is the celebration of that, because it’s a way whereby Bybreen understood that and was doing that in disparate ways. Post-BY, there’s a vehicle that enables her to do that, so I can just continue hitting the ground running.

21:24 This seems like a really natural thing for you. I loved it. Your whole life. I love this, I really have. Final question: for anyone watching who is considering this course, but just on the edge, doesn’t know if they should do it, if it’ll help them, what would you say? Take yourself seriously, but be light with it, and in that exploration between lightness and seriousness, ask yourself the question, you know, what do you think you need in order to facilitate the next phase of your life?

22:06 And if you’ve got a message that you want to convey to other people, have some understanding of that. But this course will enable people to ground, to concretise what it is, the version of what they’ve got in their head, but then to move it into action. And the brilliant thing about BY that speaks to my natural DNA is like, enough talking now, let’s get to it. I like that. You know, you can talk and pontificate and you keep talking. Let’s get to it now.

22:39 So BY, it’s a brilliant way to get to it, but then after eight weeks you’ve got something tangible, you’ve got a viable entity, you’ve got a product that then can build into a business. So for that reason alone, you know, if you want to explore yourself, expand your life, grow into who you’re meant to be, then BY would be a brilliant way to facilitate that.

23:02 Look, your energy is obviously infectious. I’m so glad you’re broadcasting, and, okay, you know, I’m excited too. It’s amazing, this is definitely your medium, and I can’t wait to see where you’re going to take this thing. I love the fact that even though it’s targeted at a specific demo, you’re bringing in lots of other generations, because that might not be obvious to everybody, and it is obvious to me. I love your niche, and I love how you take a group of people who you wouldn’t associate with technology and put that into the niche.

23:36 I mean, I’d love to see what you’re doing in the astrology part. And again, you know, I’m a huge fan of going niche down. Yeah. And I love how you’re doing that, because if you didn’t have the astrology part in there, it might be too general, but now it’s yours, no more, like your first name, nobody can own your space or your name, and that’s what I love, and that’s why you’re gonna be successful. Thank you so much.

23:53 Welcome to the family. It’s great having you as a part of this London Real community. The next 12 months you’ve got all this extra accountability with your group, and you’re a big leader as well in your group, as you know. And so yeah, you’ve got an amazing network. Really looking forward to what you’re doing. Thank you. As we say in London Real, it’s about the journey. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you here.

24:18 Thank you for watching Nigel, watching Dan. All right. I tell everybody, those two episodes, go do it. Well, thank you for joining us on this, all right, and for your future. Thank you. Thanks.