“I’ve always had a “plan B,” but there are so many others who weren’t prepared for their lives to change in such a way [during the pandemic].”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: One of my biggest passions in life is helping others. I’m a licensed financial advisor. I love what I do simply because I’m able to educate my potential clients on ways to create generational wealth for themselves and their families.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a very close-knit family. Education and religion were two things that were at the top list of importance. I’m grateful for all the lessons learned because it helped me to become a better person and who I am today.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: 2020 was a huge wake-up call for me, and I’m sure for a lot more families as well. I was laid off from my job of 15 years. Luckily for me, I’ve always had a “plan B,” but there are so many others who weren’t prepared for their lives to change in such a way. My advice would be to never solely depend on one stream of income. Keep multiple streams coming in in order to keep your family afloat.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Being a woman, I think, is about being strong. It’s about continuing to move forward in all of life’s endeavors. I definitely have to keep a positive mindset and stay 100% committed to making all my life dreams a reality. I have two daughters that look up to me, and I want them to grow up stronger and better than I am. I love to see my ladies succeed! There was once a time when women were told we couldn’t do certain jobs or we couldn’t make a certain amount of money, but look at us now! Kudos Ladies! Let’s keep it up! God Bless.
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“Never give up on your dreams and, more importantly, never give up on you. You are worthy of all things great!”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: My name is Jeanette Applewhaite, and I am the proud owner of PinkTeeBag.com! I started my business shortly after I married my husband eleven years ago. While planning our wedding, I created everything from the ceremony floral arrangements to the bridal bouquets. After I revealed our wedding photos to family and friends, I was hired to decorate and coordinate celebrations. However, I later discovered that I was not only talented with floral arrangements, but I am I also talented in crafting as a whole. Crafting feeds my inner happiness and my soul. I founded Pink Tee Bag in 2018 with the goal of creating positive quotes on tee shirts for the entire family. In 2019, I launched my Carrie Nail Polish line, which I have dedicated to my late mother Carrie C. Bailey. Carrie Nail Polish was developed to pay homage to my mother and our bond of painting our nails together when I was a little girl. Pink Tee Bag is now the home of custom apparel, home décor, Carrie Nail Polish, and…new to the Pink Tee Bag family is…Serene Scents! Hand-poured, soy candles. Pink Tee Bag will also be paying homage to my late father, Wallace Jerome Sudler, in the Spring of 2021 with the Wallace J. Collection–a men’s jewelry line! My passion has always been being a great mother to my two children, Kayla (age 22), and Sean Jr. (age 13), as well as being a great wife to my husband, Sean Sr., and our fur baby, Daisy (5 year old Yorkshire terrier). My passion is also to bring positive vibes and great energy to anyone who is in my presence. I am a strong believer in sprinkling kindness around like its confetti!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: As a child, I can recall my mother being very creative; I was in awe of my mother’s creativity. She would take old phone books and sculpt them into different abstract shapes to decorate the house. Whenever there was a holiday or birthday, she would always create phenomenal centerpieces or focal points on the dining room table. My parents raised me to be very family-oriented. We enjoyed family traditions like baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and staying up until midnight to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, by my 22nd birthday, both of my parents had passed away. Although I miss them dearly, my husband and I raise our children with the same values and morals that we received from our parents. As for my creative side, I owe this to my mother. I consider myself to be a creative because I am not boxed into one avenue of creativity. While running my business, I am constantly thinking of ways to enhance products and give my customers an experience rather than a purchase. I’ve built my website, pinkteebag.com, to represent a welcoming feeling of comfort and happiness while shopping.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I would like others to know that, even when the odds are against you, you are still destined for greatness. I lost both of my parents at a very young age. However, everything that they taught me, I’ve used as a foundation for my success. I constantly think about the morals and values that they both instilled in me and I use that as motivation to keep striving for greatness. Never give up on your dreams and, more importantly, never give up on you. You are worthy of all things great! Also, never allow negative energy to determine your outcome in life. As you put good out into the world, the good will come back to you in ways that you couldn’t imagine! And last, be your own cheerleader. Never get caught up in likes or comments on social media; you have to be your own driving force to your success.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism, to me, is to include all people regardless of their gender. I was in education for 17 years; I have held the roles of assistant teacher, teacher, and education coordinator. Currently, I am a family crisis therapist in my state. I have met people of all walks of life, and I pride myself in the respectful relationships that I have gained over the years. I find it imperative to treat all people as an equal; we are all humans who have struggled at some point in our lives. However, as I stated earlier, I tend to sprinkle kindness around like glitter in the hopes that it will make a difference in the way that we treat each other.
“I think my journey and passion was guided not only by myself, but through the past events of my ancestors.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: My name is Uʻilani Macabio. I am from the Island of Hawaiʻi. I was born and raised on this island my whole life. I am a mother of two boys, a 14-year-old [boy], and 5-year-old [boy]. Naturally, my interest is my Hawaiian culture. Being raised on this island, I was always immersed with the natural beauty of this island and the ocean as well as my culture. Therefore, my passion and interest comes from my foundation for the love of my land, culture, history, and language. I am currently a teacher at Honokaʻa High and Intermediate School, and I teach social studies and Hawaiian language. I find so much joy and pleasure in supporting my community with knowledge and helping raise the next generation to also love the language and culture of Hawaiʻi. I also support my students through social-emotional learning through the Foundations of Aloha. My goal is to support my community with problem solvers, effective communications, and community contributors that understand who they are, love their environment, and are willing to support.
I also have been gardening and supporting small farms on the Hāmākua and Kohala Coast on the Hawaiʻi Island. It has been enriching to ground myself in the land and to continue that positive reciprocal relationship to land. I also have been promoting self-healing with plant-based CBG and CBD products to support the mind and body. Hemp extract is so important for humans to operate at the best optimal level, and [being able] to use and promoting the products brings so much happiness to know that people are on the positive journey to feeling good and operating at the best level possible. I also dance hula for Hālau Nā KĪpuʻupuʻi in Waimea, Kohala. Hula has connected me to my culture, it allows me to share my ancestors’ stories and knowledge, and it awakens my spirituality. I paddle canoe with Kawaihae canoe club. My coach, Uncle Manny Vicent, has taught me so much as an athlete and as a person. Paddling has been a family sport for over 10 generations. Lastly, my family and I are surfers, fishermen and fisherwomen. The things we do in the ocean bring us together and continues the family knowledge and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, my passion comes from my upbringing. I am forever grateful for my parents, my ancestors, the land and ocean of Hawaiʻi, and all my teachers and mentors for always being there and supporting me.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a small little town called Kalaoa in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Life was so fun. I had family always around me. My cousins and I would play in the rivers, bushes, and trees. We would stay out all day and come home for dinner. We would drink water from springs and water hoes. Later, in high school, I was a surfer girl always at the beach or in the farm. I started to value education in my high school years because I started to make connections from my Hawaiian culture to the things I was learning in school. Subjects like math, science, and history I could always find a connection someway or somehow to my Hawaiian culture. I graduated from Pāhoa High School. I want to say I am so blessed with my upbringing; I would say I am lucky. I went to college and got my bachelor’s degree in anthropology and minor in Hawaiian studies at UH Hilo. I then got my master’s in education at Grand Canyon University. I want to say there has been so many teachers, mentors, and friends that I have made [who have] helped me become the person I am today. During my time at UH Hilo, I have been in so many great programs. One was Wahi Kupuna internship with Huliauapaʻa, and PIPES, who allowed me to learn and practice cultural resource management as a Hawaiian and a Hawaiian practitioner. I think this was such a pivotal moment not only in my life, but for archaeology in Hawaiʻi. Where it was a shift in perspective of how archaeology in Hawai’i should be conducted in a Hawaiian perspective and methods, where it is less invasive to the cultural sites and cultural remains. Also, during that time, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher to promote more students to be the new innovators, shifters, and movers in Hawaiʻi.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I think my journey and passion was guided not only by myself, but through the past events of my ancestors. There is so much of why I do and believe what I believe in is because of the rich Hawaiian culture I live in, but also because of the stories of my ancestors continues to live within me. Meaning, I am the product of the story, and my children and grandchildren will continue the story as well. If I could leave something valuable, it would be to be the person, the story that your children or grandchildren can learn, value, and use in their future.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: I think feminism is a new or Western terminology. I never felt less than or unequal to [men]. Women here can say, do, and make big movements, and it’s not a big thing. I think a lot of women that came before might have done something to make things so much easier for us. However, because around 1820s and 1830s, the Hawaiian Kingdom adopted the European style of ruling; that’s when a lot change happened, and now, women are identified as less, invalid, even to our royal queens and princesses. Although these women lived in a new Hawai’i, they still carried on their duties. Most if it would be considered heroic or would be consider a feminist movement.
One of the events was the Kūʻē petition, where both women and men went around each island in Hawai’i asking them to sign this a petition to be against the illegal annexation of Hawai’i. At the time, only men with land could vote. However, these women went so that all voice is valid. Another example is of princess Kai’ulani. Her story is widely known. Her mission [was] to share the story of her people throughout some of the United States. She did it during a time of man-driven world. Soon after, President Grover Cleveland sent James Blunt to investigate about the illegal happenings in Hawaii done by the provisional government. Therefore, women today and before me are risk-takers and go-getters. Therefore, feminism is new because we have nothing to fight for besides just voice our thoughts and do what we need to do, and we get it done.
Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?
A: Hawaii is my home, and I hope it will continue to be the home of my future grandchildren for many generations. Our culture is living and thriving, and some people might not know that. However, please learn the history and culture of any place, and I know there will be value to gain from it.
“I think if I started training just to get abs, I would have stopped after 2 weeks.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about self improvement. My motto in life is, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” This has been so evident in my life since I decided to take my health and fitness seriously. As I started exercising, I saw myself getting stronger and fitter, and when I would reach a new personal best on an exercise, I would ask myself, “What else am I capable of?” This made me want to take risks and try new things in other areas of my life, including my career and relationships. I got out of a toxic relationship and made so many new friends. I also made the leap to become self-employed as a personal trainer helping other women and showing them what can happen when you decide to improve your health and fitness.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I moved a lot when I was young, moving between my mum in Zimbabwe and my dad in Scotland. I finally settled in Aberdeen, Scotland, at the age of 8. I went to school there and did a year of civil and structural engineering at Aberdeen University, but I realized it wasn’t the course for me, so I dropped out and, shortly after, moved to Manchester where I launched a fashion App, but sadly, [I] couldn’t get funding to grow the business, so I got a job. At this time, I was in a bad relationship and wasn’t happy with my career either so I started reading about personal development.
I just wanted to feel better about myself, so I decided I would do something every day that would make me proud of myself. I knew that if I wanted to stay consistent with it, I needed to make it so easy for myself so that I couldn’t make excuses. So, I started running for just 10 minutes a day. Fast forward 6 months later, I was doing 30 minutes plus a day with some rest days here and there. I then made a decision to join the gym, and 5 years later, I’ve never looked back and never will! Health and fitness is part of my life; it made me a better person.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I think one thing that made me stick to exercising regularly and ultimately transforming my whole life is that I focused on something deeper than the physical. I think if I started training just to get abs, I would have stopped after 2 weeks. I just want to help other women realize what limitless potential lies within them only if they dedicate to improving themselves: physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: To me, feminism means equality for all people regardless of gender, sexuality, or background. It means women supporting one another and empowering each other in an effort to achieve this goal of equality together.
“Success is not about money. It’s about fulfilling the little things that make you YOU.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I love to learn new things every day, but what I am most passionate about is creativity. I am Cha Consul, and I graduated in visual communication arts from a small province in the Philippines. I graduated in 2019, and I worked in corporate companies as a graphic artist but never felt satisfied with it. As young as 20 years old, I knew the career path I’d been taking was not for me. So, I started a part-time job as a freelancer while working on my 9–5 job.
I slowly felt I that was in the right place, and before I knew it, my little studio called Risseia was born! Now, I work as a freelance book illustrator and brand designer for female entrepreneurs. I am now working on a children’s book illustration project that will be released this 2020 worldwide!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a very traditional and cultured family. My parents are religious and strict, but despite that, they were hard-working. I never really got that trait though. I used to be a slacker when I was in high school. I never got to be a top student and almost failed in every college application. I love making art though. It was like my sanctuary even when I was a little girl. My parents wanted me to be an architect, yet the only thing I achieved during that time was disappointing them.
When I luckily passed one college application, I took an art course instead of the one they wanted me to take. I was planning to shift on architecture after one year, but I guess the artist in me got in the way. I continued being an art student and I grew fond of it. I loved how art made me motivated to learn. Before long, I was acing all of my subjects! I was one of the top students in class without realizing it, and slowly, I am finding what I am truly capable of.
I graduated last year in 2019 and started working on a famous cosmetic brand as a graphic artist. While I was really having fun with it, living in a third-world country became hard. My salary was minimum wage and I had to travel 6 hours a day to get to my work. It was a crazy experience and I realized it wasn’t worth it. I decided to resign in less than a month knowing of the situation. In between those days, I kept thinking of what could happen if I become a freelancer instead. Well, my anxious self discouraged me.
Fast forward, I successfully worked at another company, but I decided to become a part-time freelancer. I never realized how exciting it was to work for other brands and challenge myself to execute a great design! I worked secretly on my freelancing projects when my boss wasn’t around. My mother wasn’t also supportive of the idea of me working as a full-time freelancer, so I knew I had to prove something to her.
It was the pandemic when my career changed its course miraculously. Despite the horrible events happening, it helped me become stronger and made me more self-reliant! My current company wouldn’t let me work from home, so I decided to try freelancing as a temporary ‘full-time’ job. It was then when I realized the vast opportunities waiting for me outside my day job, I worked harder and made my mom realize that this path is helping me release my true potential. Before I knew it, I took the biggest risk and resigned again to become my own boss. To be honest, my partner Jupert, was the one who really inspired me to take this risk. He was so supportive, and I’m glad I could rely on him every day.
Now, my parents are the proudest, and I realized that all the things that happened were all there for a reason. I am blessed with all these projects I am handling right now and I can’t wait to learn more in the next coming years! I believe that when you want something, you just have to trust yourself and the process!
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Some people might not support you right away, even your loved ones might not support you, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up. We tend to feel discouraged when someone disagrees with us. Honestly, not everyone should matter to you. Analyze those people who are valuable to you and focus on them instead. It’s okay to prove yourself to others who are important to you, but know that you should prioritize how to prove yourself wrong. Anyway, our greatest enemy is ourselves.
It won’t be an easy process, but if you believe in yourself enough, your true potential will automatically shine! Trust your process, and as long as you love what you are doing, that is enough reason for you to keep going. So, quit that job you hate, start doing what you love, risk for freedom, risk for happiness…risk for yourself.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism for me is about fighting for equal rights. Most people think that Feminism is just about us fighting on how women are more superior to men, but I think we need to voice out what the true meaning of this advocacy is. It’s not about who is better or who is more valuable; it’s about learning to respect each other’s potential and lifting each other up no matter who you are!
Q: Is there anything else you would like the readers to know?
A: I’d like to use this platform to simply encourage anyone out there who is struggling with their careers. I know a lot of people who aren’t happy with what they are doing right now. I hope you find the strength to finally choose what you really love to do. For once, don’t think about the money and don’t think about what others might think; just think about how content you will become if you love the path you are taking. I believe that money will run after you when you are doing what you love. I hope you get excited to wake up one day because the dream you’ve always wanted to do is already happening. Success is not about money. It’s about fulfilling the little things that make you YOU.
I am Charisse Consul, a 22 year old Filipina illustrator and designer who is the founder of Risseia Studio. I chose this career for myself and to help others fulfill their dream career with my skills & services. I hope this interview inspired you. Talk to you again soon!
The Woman Wednesday Blog 