You may have seen our Queen Bee series on our Instagram where we highlight BIPOC creatives, entrepreneurs and all around movers and shakers. Our mission is to enrich peoples experience of the world by empowering and sharing their stories. This weeks Queen Bee is Dominique Drakeford, a leader in environmental education, ethical and community advocacy. See below for a Q&A with her:
In your words, what does it mean to be a queen bee? Being a Queen Bee means being a catalyst towards building community. It means that I have a responsibility to help build an ecosystem that spreads far beyond me. I really see the queen bee as part of a regenerative system that helps to build meaningful bridges of intuitive expression, education and healing.
What’s your time management trick with owning a business and co-hosting a podcast? Organized chaos! I am very diligent about writing out daily task lists with weekly, monthly and quarterly goals - however I'm also super fluid. That might be the Cali in me. I like to set intentions and check boxes off my list but I'm also reactive to the energy of the day and try to be open to waves of possibility. I have to have a balance of being diligent and organized while also free flowing with the universe.
Who are some “queen bees” that inspire you? They are the everyday educators, activist, community organizers, coaches, etc who have been doing the work in communities or against corrupt systems. They are local leaders within homes and villages that are rarely on social media and have wings that span beyond the naked eye.
With everything going on in the world today, how are you able to unwind and make time for yourself? - I'm very intentional about integrating balance into my life on a daily basis and not waiting until I explode ... or implode. I move my body frequently by either gardening, dancing cycling and I ground myself just as frequently with journaling or meditation. I also truly just believe in the beautiful of living life and being spontaneous - it actually helps with unwinding tremendously. I also find connecting with community is - community care and connection - is healing.
If you could create your own “Queen Bee” playlist, which of your top 3 favorite artists would be on it? - Whitney Houston, Missey Elliott & Charlie Wilson
What’s your morning routine? Showing the universe gratitude in some way and then honestly it varies - I'll stretch, journal, go straight to my backyard garden, light some sage and drink some lime water, etc. The point of my morning routine is to start my day on a positive note and to re-ground myself in my purpose and that looks different everyday.
What motivates you? My ancestors and young Black kids from targeted communities who literally are the future of sustainability
What’s your quarantine guilty pleasure? LOL - My finance just teased me about this - watching reruns of different TV series - right now I'm on Pose but previously it was The Walking Dead and Parent Hood.
Thanks for following along, the queen bee we want and need in our lives right now. Find more on Dominique here