Every Step

I was working on another story to post here when I got side-tracked by an interview I did with the incomparable Teresa Goines, founder and CEO of Old Skool Cafe - a jazz-themed supper club run and staffed entirely by formerly incarcerated and at-risk youth in San Francisco.

In going over the transcript (I'm in the very early stages of working on a book), I realized Teresa sets out a path that is a road map for what I'm aspiring to help others understand: we are all capable of leading from where we are with what we have.

How did she go from thinking something to doing something? From seeing a problem to being part of the solution? Teresa talks about the small steps she took, without knowing the outcome, that built upon each other and eventually led to a platform where kids could know their value, gain economic freedom, use their voice, and break the cycle of incarceration for their own children.

Seeing gold in others and supporting what’s already there is at the heart of everything Teresa does. It’s not always been easy – there were moments where the task felt too big, the change too small, the work impossible. But faith and love strengthened her belief that kids could thrive and have the life they were meant to have if she just kept moving forward.

Teresa leaves us with a call to action: don’t ignore the pricks in your heart. Take steps, be curious, try something – even if it’s messy, even if you don’t feel qualified – because every step will help you take the next step.

Here's the full interview if you want to listen to this incredible woman yourself.

Better yet, go have an excellent meal at Old Skool Cafe in San Francisco (fantastic vegetarian and gluten free options by the way)!

(And I highly recommend her 5 tips on what she wished she had known before becoming a CEO - sage advice for us all!)

❤️‍🔥