Friendship-West Women's Tea 2025

29:51 So just, okay, full disclosure, I am a member of Bedside Baptist and Friendship West Baptist Church. I was tuned in last week. The word was amazing. It was word on the street. I know the title and everything. I got word on the street today, too. Toya, I'm so proud of you. Thank you so much for that beautiful, beautiful, beautiful introduction. So Sister Haynes told me, she said, we've got Toya Magruder. She's going to introduce you. I was like, okay, I remember my students well, and I haven't gotten to old yet where I can't remember names. I don't know no Toya Magruder, but they went to Dillard, but okay, maybe when I see her, I don't know. Lord, I saw Toya Swift.

30:42 It's not Toya Magruder. She was a bad girl, okay, but she was doing it. She was amazing. So I am so, so not surprised that you are here, that you have, that you've brought some young women with you. Yes, I'm not surprised because this is what you were doing while you were on campus. And it's beautiful to see you now in this space. So thank you. Yes, let's give my, give my, give our next generation of leader a hand. So thank you, Sister Haynes, for this invitation. You've met some of my family. I got more people in the room, though. My best friend is here. Erica, stand please, and her family. They are here with me. My best friend. I am from Minden, Louisiana, even though, yes. I got Minden family in the room. So Michelle and Marva, who are members here, are from my dear hometown, which is about three hours going east on I-20.

31:39 So it is great. I've got one of my mentees showing up to surprise me today. Stand up, Kandasia. An aspiring Power Five athletic director fundraiser, about to get the doctorate, all the things, y'all. Amazing young lady that I've had the opportunity to mentor. So thank you for showing up and surprising me today. And then I got Dillard. Dillard, Dillard, where you at? Ah! All right. My Dillard family is in the house. So thank you to all of the lovely women who have done the work to put on such an amazing event. I love your explanation about this being resistance. We are in a critical time where resistance is required. It's required. And I remember a sermon my mama used to do talking about we will not bow down. You remember that mama? We will not bow down.

32:40 This is our time. So thank you again. I will get to my lovely message, what I believe the Lord has prepared for you today. Now, I have to set the stage so I can make sure you understand where we're going. Do I have any people who love the Olympics? Okay, we got people who love the Olympics And do you like track and field? Yes. All right. Y'all my people. All right. So now, let me paint a picture for you. A sprint relay race. The stadium is filled with cheering fans, the tension in the air, as four runners prepare to pass a single baton around the track. Now, what makes the difference between victory and defeat? It's not just speed.

33:36 It's the exchange. In track, we call it the blind exchange. That critical moment when one runner must pass the baton to another without looking back. And the receiver must reach back without seeing, trusting only, they hear.

34:02 Okay. The success of that exchange depends on one critical skill. Listening. Mm-hmm. The receiver must listen intently for their teammates' footsteps. and verbal cues. Too early, thank you so much. I'm so sorry y'all.

34:29 Too early or too late and the baton drops, but perfect timing and they accelerate toward victory. Our theme scripture Judges 5 and 7 tells us, village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. Excuse me. Deborah understood the power of the exchange. She listened to God and to her people and became the perfect relay point between divine wisdom and a nation in need of direction. Like that crucial moment in a relay race, Deborah knew when to reach back and when to move forward. Today I want to talk about what bold leadership truly means through the lens of this blind exchange that happens in our lives and it happens in our leadership journeys. Just as Deborah arose as a mother in Israel, each of us must learn to listen for the right moment to receive the baton and pass it on to the next generation. Now let me set the stage for you. I've spent over 25 years in higher education. I've worked on college campuses and I've mostly worked with young people when they're in their transition from youth to younger adulthood. Toya of course is an example of that. And I'll tell you one of the number one or two questions that I often get from young people as they're now on campus mom and daddy not around they looking for them a new church family that's what I was doing I called past at home like what church I need to go to here trying to figure out where they need to go but what here's the cure the

36:35 two questions how did you know Dr. Kiki or coach Kiki depends on when they met me? What was the right way to go? How did you know? And then when did you know it? When did it make sense to you? And my answer initially was, y'all, I really don't know. I don't know at what point.

36:55 So I began to reflect on my experiences that are now included in my new book, Blazing Your Own Trail. It explores key moments throughout my personal journey to success. Now, I've been in charge, So I have a milestone coming up. I will make 50 in a couple of weeks. Praise God. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Now, I've been in charge of my career since I was 25 years old.

37:26 Since 25. So 23, I would say, 25 out of my 28 years, I've learned a lot about leadership. A lot. And I'm excited to share that with you today. my perspective on what bold leadership looks like as we seek to level up and educate generations. So in 2003 I was facing a tough time. I was at a turning point. I had been the head coach of a college athletic program for two years. It was my first time being exposed to other careers in athletics though. I knew about the coaching but I didn't know about the athletic director. Now I was a a student athlete, so there was an athletic director always around. That was somebody in charge. I never had a chance to see them. And the ones that were present mostly were white males. So during my matriculation as a young student athlete, I never really saw myself as leading an athletic program because I did not see a version of me in those roles. That didn't happen until I I got my first head coaching job, and the guy who hired me left within six months.

38:38 There were four programs, and I was the head coach of three of them. So naturally, let's just be logical here. If I'm in charge of three out of the four programs, don't you think I should be that lead director? Yes. Okay, logic, yes. So our logic, two plus two equals four. Okay, we're there. Well, they didn't quite see it that way because I was 25 years old. Yeah, we're going to get to that. Well, fast forward to 2003. And that was the first moment where I had this, hmm, maybe I could be athletic director. And then I put it back to the back because at this point I want to be the best coach in America. I'm going to be the next Dawn. Well, yeah, the next Dawn, stay lit. You know, that's where I was. But there was a seed that had been planted in my mind that maybe that's something I could do one day, especially since I'm over three out of the four programs.

39:36 So now, 2003, I'm faced with a, I got to figure out what I want to do and where do I want to go. So I remember that thought, hmm, I could be athletic director. Maybe I should get back in school and start working on a Ph.D. So I decided to go back to University of New Orleans where I got my undergraduate degree and start a doctoral program. Now during this particular time of exploration I was thinking well maybe I could also work in student affairs like I mean there are some other things I could do maybe not just be an athletic director but maybe I could be a dean of students maybe I could do student activities. It was a time for me to explore and really think about what what did God want for me next? So I remembered that people always ask me for advice. And I like giving advice because I like to talk. So I said, well, maybe I'll start with the counseling program.

40:40 I should be a counselor because people need people to tell them what to do. So I thought. So I get into the program. I'm in my first semester. I'm in my coursework. I'm in a class that's working on techniques for counseling. So in the process, the professor says, first rule of counseling is you never tell people what to do. I said, excuse me?

41:13 Excuse me, sir? What do you mean? We don't tell people what to do. You don't tell people what to do. It's a fundamental rule. You don't tell people what to do. Here are some things you can think about. So we're going to ask questions. And what you want to be is a mirror. And he's giving me all of this stuff. And I'm sitting in the room like, sir, I lead and direct and tell people what to do. We are not in alignment. So in this moment, I decided, I said, God, I don't think I'm in alignment. I think we need to consider a different direction because my particular skill set and gifts are not necessarily in line with this particular program. So I decided, I think I want to go in a different direction. I think I should be in higher education administration. That's where the school administrators are, the superintendents, the people that tell people what to do and strategize.

42:13 Yeah, that's where I need to be. Now, this brings me to my first point of four. So I got four points. I ain't going to keep it long. I know I do this in the Baptist church. I grew up Baptist. I'm going to give you four points and we're going to go home, okay? Bold leadership requires self-awareness. Bold leadership, take your notes, come on. Y'all know how we're supposed to do. Bold leadership requires self-awareness. Now Deborah understood her role clearly. As both a prophetess and a judge, she knew her strengths. She didn't try to be something she wasn't. She didn't lead the army by herself, but she wisely partnered with Barack. she recognized her gift was in spiritual insight and judicial wisdom. Similarly, when I realized counseling wasn't aligned with my natural talents, I had to make that same honest assessment. In my book I introduced what I like to call is the AAA method to help people determine a course of action when you are uncertain, when you don't know which way to go. And so the first A is to assess. It's to analyze and to take in information that helps you understand what the expectations look like. So this is what I'm doing. When he's telling me I got to do it, I was like, yeah, that's just not, that just don't work. I'm assessing it. I already know it's not going to work out, y'all. Step two is to acknowledge what areas are or not in alignment. As I just, as I just shared with you, I'm acknowledging, hmm, nope, not going to work. And then three is then making the adjustment. It's after you have the information you need, take an immediate action. And I'm going to put a point there, immediate action. I immediately went and talked to my advisor. I already know. Like, I was going to finish out that semester, but I was in a different program the second semester. Immediate action.

44:13 You can't wait and take forever. We know what we know. We just don't move on what we know. One of the things I am really wanting to do, especially with young women, The beauty for me personally, I had rooms like this. My church was like this. I had people who were always directing and telling me, yep, sit that way. Nope, don't walk away. All the things that Sister Hayes said, I had people in my life doing that. I've been speaking since all in. See these young people that came up here? I was doing that. See, I can do this because I've been doing this. I was a head coach at 25 because people have been putting me in front of people all my life. Like there were these things that I was learning. But the point of the matter is you have to take immediate action and you have to have confidence. And Sister Haynes talked about that. Well, as now I'm all outside on my own, I have to know. And there's an inner knowing. There's the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. We talk about it. It's in us and it's directing us. But do we listen to it?

45:14 And do we allow it to guide our actions? So when I say AAA, we've got to assess, acknowledge, and adjust and it's got to be immediate action. I knew immediately what I needed to do. Finish out the semester and move. Deborah assessed the situation in Israel, acknowledged the challenges, and adjusted her approach by partnering with Barack while still maintaining her leadership role. She did deny her gifts or try to be someone she wasn't. Take a moment now to consider what areas of your life might need assessment right now. Think about it. Where might you need to acknowledge misalignment and adjust your course? Just for reflection. Self-awareness helps us understand who we are and what gifts we bring to the table. But once we know ourselves, we also still need direction.

46:15 So fast forward to the second semester now. I'm on track now. I'm where I'm supposed to be. Now this particular year was the only year of my career that I was not working in college athletics. I was working in the dorm at the time. And again, as I share with you, I was in this period of transition. I'm being reflective. I'm asking God, what do you want me to do?

46:39 What do you want me to do? I need to know where you want me to go. And there are various paths that were available to me based on the gifts that he had given me. But what I wanted to be was in the one that he wanted me to be in. And that required us to take the time to reflect. So now, I know I'm supposed to be in the administration program, but God, do you want me to work back in athletics? Or do you want me to do student affairs? We'll see. So that next semester, Dillard University hired a good friend, and I would like to call her a mentor to me, Dr. Robin Martin. She was the first black woman athletic director that was hired at Dillard. I remember her being in the Jet Magazine. Do we even have Jet anymore?

47:30 V-Jet. And you understand. She was in the Jet magazine. I pick up the phone to call her to tell her, Girl, y'all know how we do. I'm so proud of you. I said if I ever got back into athletics, I think I would want to be an athletic director. Now, y'all, that conversation turned into her, well, tell me what you've been doing the last few years. So I explained to her that I had been the head coach of basketball and cheer and track and I told her all the stuff I was doing. She was like, well, why don't you come to work with me? And I'm kind of like, but I'm working on my PhD. I don't know if I should do that. So we're going back and forth. She had offered me the cheer job, eventually wound up offering me the assistant coaching job. And so I had a decision to make. I said, well, God, in 2003, when you put this vision in my mind, I said, if I ever got back in athletics, I would want to be an athletic director, which is one of the reasons why, as I reflected to make the step back to New Orleans and start the PhD program, is so I could be prepared as a black. But since there weren't very many black women, we always know we have to have everything. You got to have PhD, master's, however many certifications, plus some, just to interview. Not to get the job. Even though we're more than qualified to do the job without it. But I was going to have to do all this stuff. So part of that step was, okay, I'm here.

48:56 I'm doing the program. I believe I'm in alignment with where you want me to go. But now I'm being asked to consider hopping back here. I said I wanted to be an athletic director. I envisioned that and I could actually work with another woman finally I could get a chance to see up close and personal and be like an apprentice with her and I could learn from her is this what you will have for me after prayer and a little supplication he said yes I want you to take that opportunity so I said I I had peace in my spirit I said God said it's time to move I'm moving so I I accept the job and I'm excited because I'm working for a black woman who is proud. She's amazing. And she wanted to pour into me. She saw talent in me. And I was very excited about that opportunity. Now, let me give you a quick timeline.

49:50 So I started October 2004 with her. Met my husband April 2004. We got engaged July 2004. He lost his father July 2005. 2005. We met April 2005. Engaged June 2005. He lost his father July 2005. Katrina washed away his home and everything we know in August 2005. I lost my job from Dillard University October 31st 2005. We got married November 2005 and I am sitting in my room crying and upset because I don't understand why God put me back over here because I asked you God I prayed about this and you told me to come over here and I did what you see I did what you say But here's my second point.

50:52 Bowl leadership requires vision, and I'll tell you why. Roll around to October 2006, I was rehired to Dillard University as the athletic director and head women's basketball coach at the age of 31. But the second point says that bold leadership requires that we have vision. If I hadn't had that little seed planted there, and if I hadn't had a vision and been able to see Dr. Robin, would I have made the right choice? Who knows? The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29 and 18 that where there is no vision, the people perish. Deborah had extraordinary vision. She could see what others couldn't. While the people of Israel were oppressed and fearful, she envisioned victory and freedom. She conveyed God's battle plan with such clarity and conviction that Barack refused to go without her. He was like, I hear what you're saying, but I ain't going without you. That's what bold leadership looks like. Seeing beyond current circumstances to a better future. When I had the vision to become an athletic director in 2000, as I shared, it guided my decisions from that point. I was remembering the vision he gave me and then I was lining it up against what was happening at the time and what decisions were being presented to me. Deborah's vision guided Israel to victory. She saw beyond the 20 years of oppression under Javan to a future where Israel would be free. She didn't just react to circumstances, she proactively moved toward the vision God had given her. I invite you just for a moment to close your eyes and to envision your future five years from now.

52:43 What do you see? What do you feel? What impact are you making? Where are you leading? Having vision gives us clarity about where we're going, but sometimes obstacles arise that test our resolve. Now, can you imagine, as I shared with you, 31 years old at an institution of higher learning and everybody older than you. I got a title. I'm in charge. 31 years old 31 years old but remember 25 I was in bold leadership third point doesn't have age limit I'm gonna say that again because I felt like my mic went out bold leadership doesn't have an age limit or a gender preference.

54:01 Hear what I say. Deborah broke every conventional expectation in ancient Israel. In a deeply patriarchal society, she arose as a mother in Israel, using her feminine identity not as a limitation, but as a source of strength. She didn't apologize for being a woman in leadership. she embraced it. And the scripture doesn't focus on her age as much, but it does focus on her wisdom and courage. Just as I faced some of that skepticism at 31 years old, rebuilding an athletics program, Deborah faced a culture that didn't expect women to lead armies or nations. She made the strategy, y'all, if you read the scripture. God gave it to her, and then she told them what to do so they could go execute. I'm just saying. Deborah faced a culture that didn't expect women to lead armies and nations, yet she did exactly that with unwavering confidence.

55:02 And I mean, I just feel like it's something that has to be said. Our elders who are here who were honored, they weren't asking for no permission. Yeah, they didn't ask for no permission. told them what to do and they went with the courage of all the ancestors and God and we're here now. That's how that happened. That's how it's always happened. And as Sister Haynes shared, when we tell those stories and when you know those stories, it's not so hard to be 25 or 31 and leave because I knew all the women who had done that for me. I watched them and they trained me to do so. I'm doing literally exactly what they said I was gonna do. Literally. Yeah, Kiki, have her read the scripture. Go visit the church and just get randomly called out by the pastor. Yeah, get up to accept the welcome. I ain't even know I ain't even, I feel like Mr. Brown from Tyler Parrishaw. Y'all put me on program? You did that call, Brooke?

56:08 Ephesians! Hey, look, I would get up there and show out too, because I had to show out. I mean, listen, we were taught to show out. I was like, well, I may not know what to say, but I get up there and, you know, we said, the Lord is blessing me right now. He woke me up this morning and started me on my way. Food on my table, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet. Oh Lord. Hey listen, we were taught how to show out. You just copied somebody in the church who you know knew how to do it until you figured out what to say. Until eventually you know what to say and the words become your own and you're like, Lord, look at our baby right there.

57:02 Okay, I digress. But y'all know what I'm talking about. In my book, I chronicle my personal leadership journey going all the way back to the fifth grade. The Bible has many instances of young men and women who were called to lead. My mama told me I was Joseph. If you know the story of Joseph, then you can understand what it is. I'm just manifesting what I was told I was going to be. That was Esther for such a time as this. And then there's Kiki Baker boys.

57:42 I just feel like, and you know, I remember these things. Okay, this is spirit talking. I remember growing up in church, and there were scriptures, and we had to memorize scriptures. I don't know if y'all remember. Y'all still teach them to memorize all those scriptures? We used to have to memorize all those scriptures, trusting the God with all your heart, leading not to your own standard. All our ways and not until he will direct your path. And we say it just like that with no meaning, no feeling. But they always said, it's gonna come a time in your life. There's gonna come a time in your life and it's gonna mean something to you. And I got away from home and now I'm meeting all new people, new ways, and I'm trying to figure out, well, that ain't the way we do it at my church. That ain't the way I was raised and trying to figure out where to go, what to do.

58:37 And then all those scriptures start to come back to you. And at some point, you have your own testimony. It's not just about what David did. It ain't just about what Esther did. It ain't about what God did for all them people.

58:58 But it's what God did for me. I could go in on that right there, but I'm going to let it go. You can just go look at my website and you will understand. Kiki got a book, her own book, her own testimony. And when I am having moments of doubt, I can literally look back last week and be like, oh, he did that right there? I got to keep going. And that's what we want our babies to get to at some point. Last Sunday you had Jasmine Crockett and Tameka Mallory. They been leading all their life too. So, we can lead it like 15 working in the National Action Network. Like what? We've been doing this. Right. Age. Bold leadership doesn't have an age limit, young people, or a gender preference. Don't let nobody else tell you nothing different.

59:59 If God called you, there is nobody, mom, dad, grandma, pastor, nobody can tell you different. If God called you, he is the authority. like Deborah, they didn't wait until they were old enough to make a difference. There is no such thing. You can make a difference right now. And the way y'all stepped up here and honored our elders, you already on your way. Now, we're almost at the end of this. Now, while being a young woman shouldn't limit our leadership, these factors often impact how others receive our message. This is where our final principle becomes crucial. Now, as I assume the leadership role of both athletic director and head coach, I found myself in between two generations, or maybe three, that I was being rejected by all three of them.

1:01:00 My players resented me because I was always telling them what to do. Coach, you all listen to me. I'm in charge is what I said. Then I'm trying to get the head coaches that I'm working with. I didn't hire initially the head coaches I was working with, so that was one challenge. But even as I was hiring people, they still older than me, and they looking at me like, what can you tell me? What God told me to tell you, that's all. And then working with people across campus, kind of like the same thing. It was like I was a little young whippersnapper on the block, and I'm trying to get in, and I have something to say. I'm passionate about it. But nobody's listening.

1:01:40 I was being rejected on all fronts. However, there's a bright light. There was one group that I was having success with at the time. And that group was called the Blue Crew. You remember Blue Crew? The Blue Crew was a student organization that had asked me to serve as their advisor. Remember the person that liked to tell people what to do. They were interested in fostering school spirit by working with the athletics department. My relationship with that group was a little different. What was different? I'm so glad you asked. Trust. They sought me out and valued my thoughts. Mutual respect. Since the organization was created by them, I wasn't an expert. nor was I in charge despite the fact that I was the oldest person there. We had developed a relationship built on trust and mutual respect for one another and the diverse experiences and perspectives we all brought to the table. Trust and mutual respect were fostered by one key characteristic and I would argue that this characteristic is the most important characteristic of bold leadership. My final and fourth point, bold leadership requires that we listen.

1:03:14 Remember that relay race I told you about? What I didn't tell you was that I learned this lesson the hard way. In my senior year of high school, I was the anchor in a critical relay race. When it came time for the exchange, instead of listening and trusting, I looked back, I dropped the baton, and we lost the race. That moment taught me a powerful lesson about trust and listening that I didn't fully appreciate until years later when working with the Blue Crew. Just as in a relay race where the exchange zone is the most critical part of the race, leadership happens in the exchange, the space where we truly listened to each other. The blue crew sought me out because they trusted that I would listen.

1:04:11 They knew I would honor their vision as I offered guidance. This is what Deborah did under the palm tree. She created an exchange zone where people felt heard. The scriptures don't tell us she was the fastest or the strongest. They tell us she made herself available to listen. What made Deborah an exceptional leader was her ability to listen both to God and to the people she served. The scripture tells us she would sit under the palm of Deborah and the Israelites would come to her for judgment. She created a space where people felt heard. She listened to God's direction first, then to the needs of her people. This balance of divine guidance and human connection made her leadership transformative. Similarly, when I learned to truly listen to the Blue Crew, our relationship was solid. And what they say right now, we listen, but we don't judge.

1:05:21 for my social media people. The difference between this group and every other group was my willingness to listen. Because I wasn't listening to the people trying to talk to me either. If I wouldn't listen, I might have figured it out faster. I was immediately transported back to that first semester of my doctoral program in those counseling courses. Remembering the methods that I was taught in effective listening and learning how to ask the right questions as a way to help clients become self-aware and empowered to own the only power we truly have in this world, and that is the power of our choice. Our youth and young adults don't only need us to guide them and give them good instruction, but they also need us to listen to them and see the world from a different perspective, a different lens. They need us to help them become more self-aware so they can develop the confidence to walk boldly in their purpose blazing their own trail. And I'm gonna give you an example so y'all know everything I learned about social media the students taught me that.

1:06:52 2008, I'm on a college campus. The students got a whole network on social media and the grown people are like, what? So what would happen was they'd be over at the office, Coach Kiki, because at that time I hadn't gotten my doctorate, Coach Kiki, we need a Twitter account for the Athletics Department. Twitter, what is Twitter?

1:07:19 Twitter, everybody's there and they're trying to explain and I'm trying to understand. I don't even understand what this is. Like, no, we need to write a press release. Can I send out? They was like, it takes too long. I was like, okay, well, can you show me? Can you set it up then? Because at this point, I clearly wasn't an expert. So the transformation at the time that we experienced for helping the department get in alignment with the 21st century was by 18 to 23-year-olds, 21-year-olds, who understood it and were allowed to lead. I was not the expert because I was the oldest, because I was in charge and I had a title. we need to listen to our young people youth and young adults this is for you we want you to blaze your trail there's not one person in my life that I never believed had my they were a hundred ten toes down as they say now they were ten toes down for me But here's the thing.

1:08:32 You need the experience and wisdom of your elders to navigate the many obstacles that will appear on that trail. Hear me when I say you need the wisdom. It's not optional. You need the wisdom. We need you to listen to us too. Yes. That's why I said, see, it's both ways. We got to listen to them, but yes. We got to listen to them. They got to listen to us. That's how we share the stories. That's how we learn. I'm conscious because people were telling me the stories of those who had gone before.

1:09:26 So I knew. Even if I strayed away at some point. You know, I ain't talking about that right now, but you know, we all straight at some point. But I always had those stories. But if we as adults decide we shut them off, then you don't even get a chance to tell your story. Right, right.

1:09:46 And that's where we are. Because we done decided, we done made our mind that it's my way or the highway. But there are other ways. Four plus five is nine, so it's one plus eight, two plus seven, three plus six, zero plus nine. Oh, it's a lot of ways to get to the goal. Why it got to be your way, old people? And I'm old, so that's me too.

1:10:11 Why has always got to be our way? Why? I'm just asking for the young people in the room. Why can't we do something different? Why can't we see a different way? If your intention is for them to be in charge and take care of you, wouldn't you want to help assist with them learning how to do that? When you want them under your watchful eyes so you can guide them versus them going to other people who don't mean them no harm? How that's gonna happen if you decide you ain't gotta hear nothing they gotta say? and I'm saying that because the church oh I love us but Lord Jesus we mean good we mean good but we've been very much it's top down and you don't get to have no opinion but we need them to speak out because you want them to have an opinion but they can't learn how to formulate the opinion because they can't speak Thank you.

1:11:15 We just got to think logically about this. And I'm tired now. Like, who I'm passing the baton to? I'm ready to pass the baton now. I'm ready to be an elder and be they partner in crime. Yes, go over there and do that. What you need me to do? You need me to tell the other people to get in? That's where I'm trying to be with the young people right now. Who you need me to get in? You need me to move that other person out the way who ain't helping? That's kind of the way I'm trying to be. I don't want to be working until I'm 70. What I want to do is I want to be able to help the next generation take their next step. They got the energy. They got everything they need. They got strength. They have courage. They ain't scared.

1:12:08 They ain't compromised. I've been in the system too long. I'm trying to get my retirement. I'm trying to get my retirement. I can't make these people mad. Like I gotta, I gotta toe the line. But the kids, like they ain't got no retirement yet. They kinda don't really care almost sometimes, but there's a place for that. There was no civil rights movement without people who was out there in the street just basically saying, nah, we ain't having that. That put they selves on the line, went to jail. Those were young people. They were 18 to 21 years old. And I have a PhD and I get to do what I want to do, fly where I want to fly, live the way I want to live because some young people decided we weren't taking it and we was willing to die for it. That's the stories I was told.

1:13:05 I'm bringing it to an end. Before I close, I'd like you to reflect on your own leadership journey. Think about the batons that have been passed to you and the ones that you are preparing to pass on. As we prepare to pass the baton to the next generation, we must remember that bold leadership isn't just about running our own race well. It's about ensuring a smooth exchange. Debra's leadership created 40 years of peace because she understood that principle. She listened to God's direction and to the needs of her people, creating a perfect exchange that empowered others to run their race as well. Debra's leadership changed the course of all of Israel's history, and that's the power of leadership. It creates lasting impact across generations. As Deborah rose as a mother in Israel, each of us can arise as mothers and father in our communities, not just biological parents, but nurturers and guides and mentors and aunties and nanas who help the next generation find their way. As we continue to level up, remember bold leadership requires self-awareness, it requires vision, it doesn't have an age limit or gender preference, and it requires that we listen.

1:14:30 In the spirit of Deborah, let us continue to develop our faith, stay true to our focus, and move forward with momentum. But most importantly, let us listen for the footsteps behind us for the voice calling us forward for the perfect moment to reach back and receive the wisdom of those who came before and to pass on what we've learned to those who will carry it forward.