Today we’d like to introduce you to Joi’ Weathers.
Joi’, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Wow, we’re getting right to it I see. ‘Joi Has Questions’ came to be because I was having an early-life crisis and mentally running on ‘E’. Simply put I felt like Simba just out in the wilderness dodging my destiny. My whole life, I had been told that I should have my own TV show or that I was funny but I didn’t have the strength to believe it. True, I’d always had a way with words but I didn’t think I had anything to add to the worldwide scene, so I reserved my commentary for mainly friends and family.
However, in the summer of 2016, I was burnt out. I was tired of working for agencies that thought I was too opinionated and I was tired of producing things I didn’t truly believe in. I felt like a fraud and I didn’t have an outlet to channel my frustrations. It wasn’t until one hot summer day, encouraged by my cousin, that I did my first video.
Literally, ‘Joi Has Questions’ was the first thing that came to mind and as soon as I said it, I knew that was what I was going to go by. It was the embodiment of who I had always been. I was raised in a household where if you wanted to know ANYTHING you looked it up and you did research – no one just gave you the answer! In looking back, the reason I am so opinionated is because of this training. I knew I could have had a way easier time just being a lifestyle brand and promoting other companies (and mind you there is NOTHING wrong with that, I know plenty of people cashing out every month) but I wanted a brand where people felt empowered to ask the hard questions about life, race relations, their self- worth, etc.
So, once a day, I would go into the conference room of my old job and I would record a video about whatever had gone on for the day. My following grew because people were attracted not just to my wit but to the message I was projecting, which was to “celebrate their blackness and be encouraged to share their own story.” Eventually, I grew tired of being asked when I was going to extend my videos, so I added my podcast, and then dropped my blog site, so I could have a permanent place for my opinions to live.
That hot summer day in my cousin’s room was the turning point for me and it was the best decision I’ve ever made because I finally stopped running from my destiny. I climbed Pride Rock so to speak and roared.
Has it been a smooth road?
This road has been harder than a cheap frontal that won’t fit correctly. In the middle of developing my brand and trying to figure out who I wanted to represent in the public space – I lost my job. Now, you can hate a gig but a paycheck is still a paycheck and I didn’t have one. I spent a few months in limbo, but then I was hired by another ad agency, so I thought I was in the clear to develop ‘JHQ’ without any limitations.
WRONG!
That job only further solidified the need for me to take my social media commentary more seriously because it was an environment that wanted to package Diversity and Inclusion as some sort of DIY project. So, here I was again feeling trapped and as if that wasn’t enough conflict in my life- my daddy passed. Oh and then, the next job I had let me go. Fun times, right? I was so depressed I took six months off and found myself on the verge of a breakdown. Yet again, it was my tribe that uplifted me and let me know that I was going to make it through.
Once more I picked up my phone and I revamped ‘Joi Has Questions’. In a lot of ways, I feel having something to focus on in the midst of feeling so heartbroken made my endeavor more than just another snarky rant. If for only a few seconds it was my way to not only work on my own destiny, but it was a way to honor my father as well. I knew every time I posted something or went on a networking excursion, I was making him proud because I was doing what made me happy and that’s all he ever wanted for me.
Along the way, I have encountered fighting through my own depression and anxiety and having to push through my own insecurities. I always wanted my brand to reflect my journey and my perspective as a millennial woman of color, so there have been times where my opinion was met with hateful rebuttals, but through it all, ain’t no one on this earth going to make me shut up.
I am finding that when I get out of my own way the universe opens up to me and I am thankful to impact people’s lives. That is a blessing that only adversity and struggle can provide. When life is good it is easy to smile, but when you are at your lowest is when you find what you truly are made of. That’s what life’s challenges have done for me. The pressure has turned me into a diamond and I am better because of it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Joi Has Questions – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a blog and brand and what sets you apart from others.
‘Joi Has Questions’ is me, and I am here… we are one and the same. As a blogger, my brand is based on the following pillars: celebrating blackness, empowering people to share their story, being witty and entertaining, and most importantly making people critically think.
It is so apparent that we live in polarizing times and my form of activism is to highlight those who represent the forgotten and to champion the marginalized. I was not put on this planet to be average and I want others to know that they are magic too.
I don’t care if you don’t agree with my opinion, I seek to have a safe space where we all can discuss those differences and walk away with a better understanding of one another’s perspectives. As a podcaster, I interview fellow change-agents as a way to inspire others, through tangible examples, that their dreams can be fulfilled.
On my blog, I write from my personal experiences as a way to bridge how world events are affecting myself and people who look like me, and ultimately it’s a way to allow my followers into my life.
If I had to say what I am most proud of it is having such a vast Rolodex of accomplished friends to call up and interview and I feel that’s a testament to surround myself around people who are positive and want to make an impact on our community. I could care less about clout all my friends are poppin’ and they all have a story worth sharing!
When I think about what sets me apart, I am reminded about one of my favorite mantras, “I may not be the prettiest, nor the smartest, not the fastest, but when it comes to my ambition, I am unmatched.” I work myself into the dirt if it’s something I believe in and it comes down to my dream, I will not rest until I see it come true. That’s how everyone I was raised around carried themselves and that is what I do today.
“I’m a Weathers, we work hard.”
My validation is found everytime someone posts about my brand and says how it’s helped them… that’s what makes it all worthwhile. When my friends suggest me for different opportunities whether it be this one (thanks, Shawn) or other speaking engagements, that is what pushes me forward and I love it!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the essence of Chicago. She is this beautiful, dirty, grinding, hustling, raw, sophisticated, loud, brash, uninhibited, loving, talented, crooked, hopeful, tell-it-like-it-is entity. She takes a life of her own and she holds no punches. She’s a hypocrite but a lovable one. She is the best relationship I’ve ever had and she is more than a geographical location. She is the home of Mild Sauce, Jesse Owens breathed her air, Ida B. Wells, fought against white supremacy with the power of her pen here. Nat King Cole, John H. Johnson, auntie Michelle Obama, my daddy, and countless others came from her streets.
One is not simply born in Chicago, they are chosen and there is no place like it anywhere on the earth. Chicagoans are known for this almost illogical love of this city and for me there is no greater compliment than for someone to say, ‘Joi’ you so Chicago.’
You damn right I am!
The thing that hurts me about my city is how she eats her own. Chicago is not a forgiving place and either you get up or make something of yourself or you will NOT make it. I heard a quote from the mother of a fallen gun victim where she said, “we’re from Chicago, we’re ALL gang affiliated.” Where’s the lie? Even if we’ve never claimed a set, I bet we know them! We know what colors to wear where, and what to do and what not to do depending on what part of the city we’re in.
This is what hurts because it screams of disparities and lack of resources and systematic issues that have never been resolved. It takes away from all the beauty and amazingness of Chicago and it causes there to be two dualities and it is not fair at all. This is what I am fighting to correct. I want this dual existence to end because Chicago is so much more than the incorrect media portrayal attached to her.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joihasquestions.com
- Phone: 773.331.6304
- Email: joihasquestions@gmail.com
- Instagram: Joihasquestions
- Facebook: Joihasquestions
- Twitter: Joihasquestions
Image Credit:
Hair: Renaye Barrett
MUA: Emily Umunna
Photography: Shawn Gadley
Styling: Keanon Kyles
Artistic Direction: Keanon Kyles
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
