Guest Rosie Louissaint: Navigating Life's Crossroads

Well, hey, everybody. Welcome to Made for Monday. This is Justin, and I'm so glad that you guys are tuned in with us this morning. Today we have a very special guest, a friend of mine. Her name is Rosemary Lewis, Saint and so I'm so excited for you to meet her, to engage with her. Doing amazing work in Atlanta, amazing work when she was out here in the Bay. But you'll hear a story. Remember, you were Made for Mondays. Mondays don't own you, you own your Mondays. And I'm super excited for you to meet her today. So welcome to Made for Mondays. Give me one second.

Foreign.

So I'm so glad. So I have a special guest here. I want to do a little short series on emerging leaders. And so you're going to meet a couple of people who I believe embody in picture what the future is. And the future being something that's so close to us. You guys have heard on our podcast we talk about trends and trend spotting and seeing what's not in 2030, right. And seeing how 55% of the world's wealth is going to be female. The future is in South Africa. And so the great leaders that we have out in our world. And so I want to introduce you to some that God has allowed me to cross paths with. And today you guys get to meet Rosemary Louis. Rosemary is a junior at Spelman Shout Out HBCU in Atlanta doing amazing work. And she's an English and pre law major and she's also a Delta Shout Out. Delta. I see the red. So I had red on today too, before my wife comes and gets me, but I see the red and so, but I want to help me. Welcome to the podcast and welcome to the podcast. Rosemary. Rosie, I'm gonna call you Rosie. Rosie, how are you?

Good, how are you? Thank you for having me.

Wonderful. No, I'm doing good. I'm so glad you're here. Rosie, introduce yourself to the people to the Made for Monday's crew. Like, who are you?

So me. So I am, like Pastor Justin said, a junior at Spelman College in London, Georgia. I grew up in Vallejo, California, Bay Area all my life, born and raised. I'm an only child, so that whole dynamic in itself was a different experience than my friends who had siblings and all that. But I really grew up in a loving family, a cultured environment and community. I want to still attend, but my home church is Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and got a lot of my values and understandings of just life there that really carried with me to college and beyond. So I so now at college I'm studying English pre law in hopes to become an attorney in the future and have been just, you know, trying to enjoy my young adult years as well as make connections and make the best out of what I'm doing.

So Rosie, as you're in school and you're saying make the best of like your young adult years, how were you setting yourself up for the future? So you mentioned becoming an attorney. I'm sure there's a lot of other things in that. So how are you setting up, setting yourself up now for what you know is inevitable for your future?

So my biggest thing is I'm really trying to be intentional about what I put my time towards. I think that's really important. And that for me is like academically, spiritually, mentally. Because in this generation now, at least for like students who are my age, there's so many distractions. There's so many things that you could be doing to throw you off, but being intentional about, okay, I'm going to put my time towards studying right now or I'm going to put my time towards reading the word or just different things, making sure I'm just intentional about that and not just saying it and not following through. Because I think those practices now of doing that are habits that will help me in the future. And being intentional just with everything I do because I think that's important to your path and that you stick, you stay on the same path and get to the places that you want to get in a timely manner and that everything's not, you know, based off of what you want. It's really God's plan, but just so you can have that work on your end, that you're doing the right thing. If you stay on path and be intentional is really important to me.

That's so real that intentionality. One of the things I speak a lot about on Made for Mondays is mental and emotional well being. So what are ways that you would suggest to someone who's just like you on the other side of this podcast, whether they're listening or watching on YouTube, that how they can take care of themselves and be intentional about making sure they're okay to be in the world they're wanting to change?

I would say for me, I usually check in with myself a lot and say no, I'm always a person that says yes to everything. Oh yeah, I'll do it. Or I'm volunteered a lot, so I really don't have a choice. But you know, I'm always doing something and I say no, I'm like, today is going to be a day where I just relax. If I feel overwhelmed by doing anything, I'll go out my dorm, we have a lot of like greenery areas. I'll go take a walk, tune everything out, have that space, that time with me. So I would just say prioritizing your self care, saying no and just saying okay, I have to live with myself. I'm the only one that can really truly take care of myself. So I'm going to, you know, respond and act accordingly based on how I feel. So if you're not having those good days, take it upon yourself to say no, I'm going to not do this today. I'm going to rest, I'm going to just. You know, that even goes back to the being intentional, like say no. Relax. Because at the end of the day you can't give out of like pour out of an empty cup.

That's so real. You know, I used to say all the time that no is a complete sentence.

Yes.

And that came as an act of like liberation for myself years ago where I, I understand I had the yes syndrome too. And it was just yes, yes, yes. Until I realized like I, there was a time when I was in college actually and I mean Rosie, I was, I was working, doing marketing for three different organizations and I would try to be at three different places, places literally at once. And then it wasn't until I dropped the ball or like, you know what? No is a complete sentence. And yeah, it's amazing how much more you can gain from your no than the world tells you you gain from your yes. Right? Because saying yes, saying, saying no to the right thing is saying yes to saying no to the wrong thing. Saying yes to the right thing. That's awesome. If you.

What?

What? So if you were to have a conversation with your 12 year old self today and you showed up at Starbucks and you at 12 years old walked in, what would you tell 12 year old Rosie?

Let me see. 12 year old Rosie was probably where I was in seventh grade. Middle school, I think. Well, that was it. That was a time I would not want to go back to middle school. I'm so glad I'm done with that. But I would definitely say don't try to figure everything out because you're gonna drive yourself crazy doing so because you're only 12. When I was 12, it was just, I was just like, oh, this needs to be this way. Just thinking I'm gonna have everything planned out that I know you think and I haven't even lived life yet. Don't try to figure everything out because you will drive yourself crazy. You won't get an answer. And it's okay. Just relax, you know, because things will get harder. So enjoy now. Because once things start rolling and you get older to where you have real responsibilities, there's no going back. Because I always tell my mom my joke. I'm like, adulting is ghetto. She was like, I know it is. I'm like, yeah, it's. And I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. So I'm excited about that. But I would say I want a.

T shirt that says adulting is ghetto.

That's all I'm gonna. Yeah, I need to get one because this is so bad. But it's not bad. You have to just, like I said, be intentional. Find the fun in life. Like choose joy. I remember you actually told me that one time. You have to like, choose it. And also, nothing is wrong with you. You're just set apart. Because I've experienced different things at 12 where I'd be like, oh, why don't I fit in? Why is this that? Or I would. Since I was raised in the church and I had a different belief system and it was just, I would always think to God, oh, why aren't things working for me right now? Why aren't all the boys aren't talking to me, but they're talking to her? Like, just little things. And it's like God's like, I already have something planned for you. It's like you're. Something's different. You need to just wait. And I didn't really truly understand that. So I would just say nothing is wrong. Just it's for a reason. You're set apart. Just keep doing what you're supposed to do.

That's so real. You know, that's a lesson, Rosie, that, that's so powerful that I think even, you know, I just turned 35, I'm getting way too close to 40. But as I'm learning that lesson too, that's so real that waiting is so annoying, right? Like, it's just, it's annoying and. But that jealousy bug will bite you. So that's so real. I always, I love asking that question about 12 year old self because it just speaks to a moment in our lives that either, you know, we were, we were growing. Like you were growing no matter what, your body was changing, your mind was changing, you were evolving, you were with other people who were all growing too. And as we are in the world right where we are now, especially for you in college, in the work field. Anyone who's listening now, you're back to where you were when you were 12, when everyone's body was changing, you couldn't name it. Now you're growing and everyone's trying to grow and yeah, that's awesome. That'd be a fun conversation. Do you think you would listen to yourself?

I, I probably would listen and be like, yeah, yeah, like I get it. And it would not apply it because I, I can remember myself at 12. I was very like, let me just see. Like, let me. Yeah, they said that. But let me see if that's actually right, you know, because in that grade I was just saying middle school was like, you say you're growing, you're exploring, so you're like, okay, I think I know what she's talking about. She's older. If I would have listened, it would have been just because I was older and I was like, oh, she probably knows what she's talking about. But I'm still going to try this too and learn from it and have to do what she said. But I don't know.

That's funny.

It's crazy when you get older and then you look back, you don't even remember who you really were. At 12 you kind of, it's like very vague. It's very vague. But I was definitely more, I would say outgoing, more like risk taker. I've calmed down since then, but yeah.

Yeah, that's funny, that's funny. I, I think about that too. I'm like, I'm like, if 12 year old me were to walk in and I said something, I'm like, would 12 year old me go home? No. 12 year old me would play Xbox. Yeah. And be like, ugh, what are these college kids trying to tell me how to live again?

Right?

Amazing that advice applied. Could do something. So speaking of that, Rosie, what's the best advice you're giving yourself right now?

Can I give two? Because I think they play.

Yeah, how many ever you want?

Yeah. Okay. One is. And my dad always tells me this and he's had his own experience with this. So whenever I think of it I'm like, okay, I think my dad. But man's rejection is God's protection. And I truly think that is so, like, so real. And that applies to anything in life. Whatever man rejects you or with anything, if you're doing something with your job, with school or anything, that literally could be God protecting you because most of the time it'll all work out in the end or you'll see. Okay, well, I'm glad I dodged that bullet. And it goes into my next one of a scripture, John 13 and 7, where it says, you do not realize now what I'm doing, but later you'll understand. And that's such a full circle moment for me because there's a lot of things in life, it happens in the moment. You have no clue, like, why is this happening? What. And then maybe we won't ever know, even in our lifetime why, but it'll all make sense in the end. And there are situations where, like that next week, something will happen. You like, oh, God. Like, okay, he. I. I get it. Like, it makes sense. Like an aha moment. So that has really been my advice for myself right now. Going through the times where, like, you apply to internships and you don't get it, or you talk to certain group of friends, you're going through different, you know, groups and things aren't working. You're like, okay, God, why is this? I thought this was, like, actually good. And, you know, you have to wait. And God's like, you're not going to understand now, but just trust me and just keep going because you'll understand later. So that's what's been helping me keep going and stay the course. Because being right now as a young adult, college is hard. It's hard. And it's not even the academic part. Like, the academic part. I'm good. I think I'm managing. It's like the life part with the college in the academic. That's been a lot. So just, you know, thinking about that and keeping that center of, like, man's. Man's rejection is God's protection. And that you'll. You'll find out later, like, just trust God's plan and he'll work it out has been my grounding advice. All right, now listen.

There is going to be a moment, an unpaid advertisement to shout out the wisdom of Rosemond. We have to, like that. I'm adding that in. This would be an unpaid advertisement that your father has kept me in so many moments.

He needs to write a book.

Like, oh, my God.

Know his story coming to America. So I told him, I said, you need to write a book. Like, no, no. I said, we can get somebody to help you to write a book because you have, like, a whole story. So I've been trying to tell him, so.

Oh, my God. Now that I know that it's a rap we're tough with. Yeah, no, I want to his story and just who he is. And I tell him all the time. I said, like, I just, I feel safe when, when Deacon Rosemont is around. Yeah. Just. That's, that's, that's, that's absolutely wonderful. Rosie, thank you so much for joining us. I made for Mondays and I'm so glad you're in with us today. If someone wanted to connect with you, follow along your story, follow along with you. Where could they find you?

So you can find me on Instagram at underscore. R O S I E xoxo Underscore. Underscore. Don't laugh at me. I made that in early high school, but I can't change it. So that's what I have. And also on Facebook, just Rosie Louise Saint L O U I S S A I N T And I'm on Facebook as well.

Wonderful. You know, I'm gonna tell you this since I'm on here, we're talking about emails in high school. I just found this email that I had from. I was on Yahoo. It tells you how old I am. And, and it was Big boy, for real. Underscore 77 as my football number. But. And the for real was number four. So underscore77@yahoo.com because my mom used to call me big boy and I'm the for real big boy. And I'm like, what was I thinking?

Oh, hype. And then I hate the one the apps where you can't change it, you just have to use it.

Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah. Facebook did that to me because I used to be. I used to be Justin. Do what it do, Lester. And I'm so glad God delivered me. Yeah. So no judgment, Rosie. No judgment. Made for Monday. Let's give it up for Rosie, whether you're in the comments. So you guys are online on Spotify, itunes. So grateful Rosie, thank you for joining us. Listen, made for Monday's crew. We will see you next week right here where we have another amazing guest from the bay. Her name is Donya Conley. I think you guys will enjoy that conversation as well. Thank you to Rosie and I look forward. Remember that you were made for Mondays. Mondays I'm on you. You own your Mondays now. Go and win today because you already have the victory. Have a good one.