Meet Daisah Riley of Hustle & Soul

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daisah Riley.

Daisah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been a people-person with a lot to say. Since college, I’ve explored this in several ways from having a blog to curating and hosting events. While I loved the experiences being a creative in this capacity has brought me, I felt like I was allowing my fears and perfectionism to put me in a box. I had so much more to say, and give, and create than I was doing in those roles. I felt stuck. But the Sagittarius in me wasn’t having that! So I got a mic, locked myself in a room for 48 hours and learned everything I could about planning and recording a podcast that spoke to my identity as a creative, Black, female, 20-something. Now we’re here.

Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but nothing good comes easy — right? I think my biggest struggle was what I was consuming online, how much of it I was consuming, and how I allowed it to control my narrative. I think social media is a great thing, but we’ve completely rewired our brains. That’s facts. Social Media has empowered us to be the Entrepreneurs we once admired from afar and create the future we want for ourselves. That is AMAZING. But on the other hand — we’ve kind of adopted this mentality that we have to monetize our skills, talents, and passions…cause why not? Everyone else is doing it.

While we tend to see most creatives as having Type B personalities, I am the complete opposite! I’m so Type A. I love metrics. I love numbers. And if you’re familiar with the Enneagram, I’m a Type three. We tend to measure our life by our goals, accomplishments, and quantifying everything. Well, this took the fun out of podcasting for me. Hustle & Soul is a space for honest conversations on wellness, pop culture, and everything we as Black women experience living at this intersection while navigating our 20s. These conversations are only effective when they are authentic. Authenticity creates depth. And I couldn’t do that trying to make my platform look like everyone else’s around me.

I found myself trying to duplicate what was successful for others because…well…metrics. Last summer I found myself starting a Self-Care Summer Series on the show after several traumatic events. But I had to have a come to Jesus moment with myself. Daisah — you aren’t creating from a REAL space. And until you do, your voice won’t have the impact that it could. In that moment, I decided to take a break to live. To get back to me. And now, I’m preparing to relaunch Hustle & Soul this month — my way.

Tell us more about your work.
Hustle & Soul is a growing lifestyle and wellness platform for us, by us. I host a podcast, dinner parties, and retreats for women who look like me. My goal is to create safe spaces for conversations on the intricacies of navigating life as a Black woman, in her 20-somethings. Topics include: therapy, healing past sexual assault and abuse, working in corporate while Black, entrepreneurship, dating and relationships, spirituality, and so much more. We’re all just figuring it out, and it can get lonely in doing so. Community is at the center of this platform, and that’s what makes Hustle & Soul so unique. The sisterhood I’ve been able to cultivate with women from so many walks of life through this platform will always be my guide.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I definitely see the podcast industry blowing up even more than it has over the last year. Spotify recently bought Anchor and Gimlet, two podcasting networks. I think soon we’ll see more media dollars being spent on ad placements on shows, and more influencers gaining popularity from the audio world, rather than just YouTube and Instagram.

Contact Info:

• Email: workwithdaisah@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/hustle.soul

Image Credit:
Jaida Brinkley

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