Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayanna Hollomon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ayanna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I thank you for the opportunity to share my story. My passion for speaking began at 2 years old. My older brother was a part of a church program in San Francisco, California and I wanted to be apart of it.
I spoke well for my age because my parents and my siblings did not do baby talk with me and since my Mom taught school that was a plus for my milestones.
So as I mentioned, I was always trying to follow in my brothers footsteps. I basically told my mom ” I want to be on stage. She walked to the program director and said “my baby wants to participate” the director allow me to co- welcome with an 11 year old.
My mom helped me rehearse and to this day I still remember my speech: “we welcome you each parent ,friend and guest ,we hope you will enjoy this program and be truly blessed”. That moment ignited my passion for wanting to speak, perform and be on stage.
As I continued on developing, I participated in speech contests and eventually in my teen, my parents registered me to take acting classes where I got to study under the New York play writer Ed bullins and acting coach Vern Henderson.
So now I’m in theater at that age learning and developing the techniques of theater and performing in African-American plays Oakland California all the way to San Francisco California in the late 80s and 90s.
In high school and college, I had a passion for community service.I participated in nonprofit organizations that were combating the tobacco industry and its effects in low-income communities.
This opportunity to serve required speaking before the City Council Board of Supervisors and various entities that had the power to make legislative change. I spoke with power and passion I knew that this was my gift because I saw the change after speaking and the attention that the powers that be paid when I opened my mouth.
I also was given the opportunity to speak at juvenile hall and high schools about various youth topics I have always had a passion for do youth and I think that has a lot to do with what I did not get when I was in school
High School is also when I knew I was going to have my own talk show. I grew up in an era where talk shows were popular such as The Ricki Lake show Oprah Winfrey show and other shows and I just knew that that was my calling. I never wanted to be the next anyone I wanted to make a name for myself.
Many of my peers agreed that I should. So began the journey of having my own talk show.
I also was given many opportunities to do the welcome at my church in for 4 years in Richmond, California which allowed me to exercise my speaking skills tremendously and I’m very grateful to have had that opportunity.
I was able to work at 1190 am freelancing ,doing radio commercials as well as ,co-hosting a radio show called Crown and Glory, focusing on hair care and dealing with alopecia and various other forms of scalp disorders. I was grateful that the Lord had ordained that to be a part of my journey.
I attended college at Cal State East Bay, in Hayward, California and graduated with a BA in Speech Communications(emphasis on public communications). I chose this specific degree because it allow me to do what I wanted to do ;which was speak on any level and have a career that was lucrative as well as productive.
I knew I needed a degree in order to be taken seriously because that’s the way this world is set up and I didn’t have time to complain about racial and gender injustices. I just knew what I needed to do ; in order to be powerful and super successful.
In 2009 I received a pink slip along with 26 thousand teachers in California which launched me into going into business for myself. Sometimes we look at being laid off or a circumstance that wasn’t in our plans as a setback but it’s really a setup for something far greater.
In 2011, we moved to Texas and by 2013 I started my own business called Sista Good Thing PGW( professional gift work). Within this business there is SGTPGW ART, A TOUCH OF SGT (Lite Decor) and THE SISTA SPEAK SHOW.
In 2017, I launched my podcast called The Sista Speak Podcast a syndicated podcast on Amazon Alexa and Sonos.
Has it been a smooth road?
No it hasn’t been a smooth road and I’m glad because that is where my strength comes from. The character building moments from the trials and tribulations.
One quote that always stuck with me, is “where there’s no struggle there is no strength” Frederick Douglass definitely provided me an extra push for all of my journey to come , along with The book of Psalms and Proverbs.
I experienced extreme colorism once I got to California in the 7th and 8th grade.
the worst thing that can happen when you’re going through puberty is to have your own peers from your own tribe isolate you because of your melanin. And say that you are too dark. There were moments where I did not want to live anymore .I’m so grateful that the Lord rescued me from my own thoughts and allowed me to come out of the cocoon.
I think another struggle is growing up with parents who were born in the 40s with a 30 year age gap between my parents and I, was challenging. Not only were my parents strict, my father was in the military, he retired as a Major .There was little room for error in our home and that’s a lot of pressure when your creative soul it just want to do what brings you joy.
I believe not residing somewhere for a long time in my adolescence affected me, as far as ,creating lasting friendships and familiar memories. I’m a sojourner by nature.
When my father passed away in 2014 time stood still that was the loudest silence I had ever heard. I had to learn how to function through grief and that’s when I discovered the terms: spiritual landfill, narcissism and post traumatic stress. Out of this discovery began the healing from the past to present while being lifted out of the pit.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The SISTA SPEAK Show is where contemporary meets Vision, Sound and Action; a talk show for great minds, that Create,Inspire, Impact and Evolve.
SISTA means spiritual inspiration shared through the arts and spiritual inspiration shared through Ayanna.
My podcast is a one-woman show streamed on 13 platforms.I consider my podcast to be a network with 7 segments that include special guest interviews, live on location reports, in studio interviews and a license to play music. My podcast is monetized with sponsor advertising. I am so grateful for the syndication of my podcast on Amazon Alexa and Sonos that was a huge accomplishment for me.
The segments on my podcast include : THE PLATFORM
THE UPGRADE
COMING TO THE STAGE
THE SUSPENSE FILES
THE CULTURE CLIMATE
THE LAUGH LINE
THE TOUR
The interviews on my podcast are about making the known known on a local,national and international level while providing them the opportunity to reach an international audience opening up the avenue for them to have international commerce.
I have the ability to extract conversation from my special guest while not being too evasive, mixing that with a great sense of humor ,wisdom ,boldness and encouragement.we don’t spill the tea on my podcast we serve refreshing water.
I specialize in highlighting those in the village who are doing amazing things with their time, talent and treasure . My special guests are absolutely amazing and they are from various walks of life and they are on an independent grind that has to be recognized.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is a great place to do what I do because of the people,the space and the spiritual connection that I have and the people have.
There are so many amazing people to interview and to network with.you’d be surprised how many people are using their talents and are actually going forth to pursue them in this city ,it’s a blessing.
The cost of living allows many people to invest in their dreams and pursue their independent hustle.
I see people thriving and I see people making huge waves for Dallas by making great accomplishments in various industries. It is easy to do what you do when you’re in your own lane and when you’re not focused on what’s going on to the left or right of you. Once I arrived to Dallas, I knew I didn’t have to be a whale in a fishbowl anymore.
Pricing:
- Voice over services $200-10,000
Contact Info:
- Email: thesistaspeakshow8617@gmail.com
- Instagram: sgtqueen
- Other: https://www.spreaker.com/user/speaksistaspeak
Image Credit:
Bing image search
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