Trendsetter Tuesday: A Conversation With Dr. Brandi Baldwin

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin, CEO of Millennial Ventures, has made a massive effort to help companies and industry professionals thrive in their work environments. 

Dr. Baldwin was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter by Meetings Today for her efforts to develop cutting edge strategies that foster equitable and thriving company cultures.

Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with this Trendsetter to hear her story and learn more about what it means to make a difference. 

[Related: The 2024 Meetings Trendsetters Paving New Paths in the Events Industry]

Listen:

 

Transcript: 

Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by AI program Otter.ai and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.

Taylor Smith
Hello, and welcome to this Meetings Today Podcast. I'm Taylor Smith, destinations and features content developer for Meetings Today, and I'm back with another exciting podcast celebrating our Meetings Trendsetters class of 2024.

Every year, Meetings Today selects 20 Trendsetters whose unique contributions to the meetings and events industry make them stand out. We receive dozens of nominations from across the industry, and the editorial team compiles our own list of standout professionals that we've connected with over the course of the year. So the process of narrowing down 100 names to 20 is one we definitely don't take lightly.

But those 20 names were recently revealed in our July/August issue and online at MeetingsToday.com and on that list appears Dr. Brandi Baldwin, CEO of Millennial Ventures, who, especially this past year, has made a massive effort to help companies and industry professionals thrive in their work environments. Dr. Brandi leads an award-winning startup focused on education and workforce innovation. She collaborates with forward thinking global companies like Google, Fast Company and Salesforce to develop cutting-edge strategies that foster equitable and thriving company cultures. Dr. Brandi is also a sought-after speaker and former Wharton Business School lecturer. She has earned accolades including Philadelphia's Most Influential African Americans and the Business Journal's 40 Under 40.

We are thrilled to spotlight Dr. Brandi Baldwin as one of our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, and I'm even more thrilled to say that she's here with us today to share her journey. So, thank you so much for joining me, Dr. Brandi.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. And I'm a Trendsetter now!

Taylor Smith
Yes, which I am so excited to just kind of hear about how you got there, and that's what I want to start our conversation with today, is just having you introduce yourself and tell us about your history in the meetings industry, as well as your entrepreneurial journey.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Sure! So, you know, over the last 15 years, I've been a full-time entrepreneur and really focused on helping organizations create amazing cultures that make people want to stay and perform their best. And I think particularly in the... I mean, any organization, you know, nowadays when you are supporting the development of your employees or your stakeholders, your constituents, there may be events, there may be meetings that happen, and anything that you do is an extension of the core.

And so, from some of my work, I was invited, actually, to join the executive committee of an organization called Tourism Diversity Matters. I previously worked for them on a board at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and so... really had an opportunity to engage with so many different key stakeholders in the meetings, hospitality and tourism industry. And it's been an amazing journey of engaging, primarily with leaders, who are saying, "How do we do what we do in a more inclusive way, in a way that's an extension of our values and help us create that game plan?" And I've been right there at the forefront doing that.

And so at Millennial Ventures... One of the things that is hilarious, you know, is they say, "Dr. Brandi herself, you know, has sort of turned into a brand separate but adjacent to what we're doing." And so I'm so grateful to have those opportunities. And yeah, I've been one of those advocates and supporters that is able to have an impact on the industry, and I'm grateful for that.

Taylor Smith
What inspired you to start your own company, and what has your experience been like as CEO of Millennial Ventures?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
So a lot of people do not know this story. But I was in grad school getting my master's in organizational development, learning about how to support organizations through organizational change. And I went to my advisor so boldly right before graduation, as he was checking in with all of us to figure out, what are we going to do next? And I said, "I'm going to be a consultant. I'm going to be a corporate consultant, you know, because workplaces need to be better!" 

And he pretty much laughed at me and said, "You are too young. You haven't even worked, you know, for 10 years. So how are you going to go into an organization and help them do that?" Now, at the time, the model was a lot different than it is now. What you did was you worked for 30, 40 years, you retired, then you became a consultant. And so he said, "One thing that you can do is you can do a great presentation. You're a great communicator. How about you start by picking one topic that you're passionate about, that you have some expertise in. And do professional development workshops. So I took his advice and started kind of working on it. My feelings were a little hurt. I can't I can't lie and say they weren't. But I was like, well, he doesn't see my vision. And what actually launched me into entrepreneurship was when my oldest daughter was born. So I went back to work per usual. She was born with some health challenges, and when I went to my employer to ask for maybe extended leave or an adjusted schedule to be able to take care of some of those things through some surgeries, they pretty much said no. And so I literally had an option, which is, you know, I had no one to watch my child. No daycare center would take her because of what she needed. So I thought, Okay, now is the time. This must be the signal for you to jump out. Yeah. I went back to my advisor's advice. Found a professional development workshop, which was all about conflict management. My favorite topic how to handle and manage conflict well, and that was the start of my entrepreneurial journey. And for me, one of the things that has come full circle is that I've always been an advocate for professionals in any workplace and workspace to be treated well. And what started my career as an entrepreneur, that my proverbial getting pushed out of the nest was a moment where I really felt let down by that professional and corporate space that I dedicated so much life to. But now, 15 years later, my daughter actually will be 16 in a couple of months. I'm here. I'm a Trendsetter. You know, so grateful, so grateful for the learning opportunities.

Taylor Smith 
And I do kind of want to get into how you became a Trendsetter by talking about the successes of Millennial Ventures. What are some accomplishments you're proud of and stats you're responsible for, clients you've got on your roster that were a big win for you, anything like that that just, you know, these last15 years have helped you with?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
So this is what I'll say, you know. Let's talk about from 2020, to now. So we are all familiar with this sort of resurgence of DEI and diversity and inclusion and corporate spaces that has always been around, but maybe never been in the forefront, in the way that has been in the last five years or so and so literally, you know, we know an unfortunate incident happened out in the community that kind of was the catalyst for a lot of organizations to self reflect on their practices of diversity and inclusion. I promise you, within two weeks of everything happening, my phone was literally ring off the hook, like literally my phone, I mean, my email, my inbox, yep. And at the time with Millennial Ventures, we were focused on, you know, some other projects, startups, things we were working on, pre pandemic, of course, we did a lot of travel consulting, things like that. Because of the amount of requests that came in, looking for quote, unquote, Dr. Brandi to help with consulting, I realized that I would have to step away, really from being the CEO of Millennial Ventures, but I wouldn't be able to have the capacity to do that. So I went back to the team. I said, Look, my inbox is flooded with all of this DEI stuff, which was at the time, maybe 10% of the type of consulting that I personally did. I said, How about we launch a DEI firm? And they were like, what you know, right now, in the middle of the pandemic, you want to start a new company? And I was like, why not? You know it maybe it's for six months, right? Maybe for nine months, but I can't do this as an individual, so we have to figure out how to scale. And literally, in three weeks, we got the ideas together, we put the website out, we got all of our SOPs, our standard operating, operating procedures, we filed our LLC with the state and launched a diversity equity inclusion firm, you know, as with Millennial Ventures being our parent company with 45 advisors and consultants, and we hit the ground. It was like, whoa. So fast. So yeah. Now here's the thing, especially to anyone listening who is entrepreneurial, or even a traditional nine to five, or who has been thinking about, you know, entrepreneurship, especially with recession, and everyone needs to be able to, I think, earn more when they need to. But this is why I wanted to highlight this, because for someone like me with a PhD, you know, that's I'm a professional student, right? I did all the school I did. I'm like the school context is where I was trained, and so, but however, being successful as a student is not how you are successful as an entrepreneur. And so what we do when you're Uber smart like me, you over research, you over. Thank you over this, and that was probably one of our just most fun seasons as a company, because we were moving quickly. We didn't have time to overthink. The Marketplace said we need this thing, and we put it out, and was successful. And in that first six months, I think that firm made more money in half of the year, because, remember, the first half everything had shut down from the pandemic. So a lot of our businesses closed, actually, the first half of that year, but that second half of that year, we made more than we had made in the whole previous year, combined with our companies, just by answering the call. And I think part of it was just going for it, going for it. So that's one of the successes, I would say, that has helped, you know, just for people to know about Millennial Ventures, and myself as an entrepreneur, it was amazing. And I'm keeping some of that same chutzpah, you know, and Moxie, and you know, with us moving forward, we knew, we proved to ourselves we could do it in that three weeks. So moving forward now, we do everything quicker, faster and more efficiently. So that was pretty fun, fun time for us.

Taylor Smith
And it, you know, shows that the risk can be worth the reward.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Absolutely, and here's the thing, you perceive everything to be a risk. When you overthink it and when you do it, you're like, Oh my gosh. You know, you can pivot as the risks, quote, unquote risks appear so super fun times.

Taylor Smith
What were some times that maybe weren't as fun? Did you experience anything like that in starting like throughout your entrepreneurial journey, I think a lot of people get nervous that they're going to fail and that they'll come across challenges or obstacles that they don't know how to address. So how, if you found yourself in this position? One, how did you overcome it? And what did you learn from things like that?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Well, you know, I think it's related to the story I gave about being a professional student. You know, I'm being over overly schooled. We are trained that you don't turn the paper in until it's perfect. We are trained that before you do anything, you have to do extensive research. You know, all of the things that are really counter intuitive, but you have to throw it out the window. In entrepreneurship, it's better to, instead of spending six months doing your business plan where all the data is old by the time you have it buttoned up, hey, go out there to the people and say, Hey, would you buy this? Would you you know? So I would say early on, one of the biggest learning moments that I had as an entrepreneur, that that contributed to my failure was not understanding the different context, and I was applying what I knew to be to make me successful as a student to the business world, it just didn't work. Now, truth be told, as an entrepreneur, and any bonafide entrepreneurs, will be in the amen corner, as my aunts would say, as they hear me say, this is you will have more failures than wins. The wins are far and few between, but they're they've come just at the right time to help you to keep going. For me, launching into entrepreneurship with a child born with medical challenges, my first child. You know, I just started my PhD program. When I launched into entrepreneurship, I actually started the program pregnant. They were like, What's wrong with her? Like, why is she walking in the class? Like, this, is this like a specialty program that they have for, like, youth? And I was like, No, you know, I'm gonna finish this. It really was a challenge. So one of the things I would say, though it's a roller coaster ride, but as an entrepreneur, there's something about the riskiness the unknown, and like you mentioned, the problem solving. You don't know how great of a problem solver you are until all the problems come so you have to exercise resilience. Build that muscle. You know, you can't become resilient without trials and tribulations. So that's been the biggest thing. And I cannot believe. I would have never guessed if that 1516, years later, I would still be here because my boss and I don't know why I'm getting emotional right now, but because my boss would not approve me to be able to have an adjusted schedule so I could take care of my child, that was one of those moments where I felt horrible, and it launched me into one of the greatest experiences of my life being an entrepreneur. So yeah, in retrospect, all of the failures are great after the fact. Yeah, it feels right. You it just sucks, and you cry it out, you know, when it happens. But man, what an interesting profession to be in, to be an entrepreneur. Or where everything is on? Yeah, it's crazy. I could talk about it for for hours, but yeah, I would just say the biggest failure would be that transition. You know, we all whether we're nine to fivers or not, you have to know when to pivot. Yeah, when to pivot. And that, for me, was something that helped me back in the beginning.

Taylor Smith
Change is scary. Change is scary. 

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
It really is, but it's necessary. You know, there's a quote that I love, change is the essence of life, be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.

Taylor Smith
Said so beautifully.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Yeah, listen that, that one little phrase that's literally what we all experience. Yeah?

Taylor Smith
So shifting gears a little bit. You recently appeared as a guest on Courtney Stanley's Dare to Interrupt podcast to talk about pulling back the curtain on toxic leadership, addressing a serious situation you found yourself in earlier this year where you needed to not only speak up for yourself, but an entire community of industry professionals that were affected by a toxic workplace environment without getting into specifics. Can you tell our listeners what that experience was like for you and how you found the courage to do what you did and the confidence to go about what you did without knowing what the outcome would be?

[Related: Shedding Light on the Darkness: Pulling Back the Curtain on Toxic Leadership]

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Wow. Great question. So you know, one of the things that I think professionals right now need to get clear on is what their values are. We can complain about these toxic bosses, these toxic workplaces, the the lack of value that people put on us, but one of the things that I had to do once I noticed a pattern of dysfunctional, unprofessional, toxic behavior within this organization was say, Well, what's what value do I have, even if others are treating me as if I'm less than what do I believe about myself and my contributions? And once I sat and kind of had that personal conversation for myself. I was at the point of no return to say, you gotta speak up, you know. And it's one of those moments you ever had, a moment like Golly. I wish I could get out of this. I just want, and I'll be honest, I I literally planned. My plan was to bow out gracefully and say, You know what? You win, some you lose, some, some people, you know, just move on. I'm going to just dust the the feet, the dust off of my feet, and I'm going to smile and move forward. And what really tipped the scales was me checking in something in my spirit. Just said, check in with another colleague and just just check in with them. I didn't mention anything about what I was experiencing, but I asked them, how's everything? And that one question of just genuinely checking in and saying, How are you doing? How's everything here, the person shared almost an identical spirit experience to what I was experiencing. And after that, that conversation, I pretty much said you would not believe that you have summed up my experience, and I haven't even spoken to you, you know, outside of maybe a zoom call with 10 other people on it, you know, meeting, I haven't spoken to you in months, like privately about anything. That's when I said, You know what? We have to speak up. And so one of the things that came out of that, number one, in retrospect, you know, things are very scary on the front end, my thought process was all about my brand, my role, my title. I don't want to ruffle feathers. I don't want to be the one known to ruffle feathers. You know, my reputation. I just kept thinking, you know, these individuals are well known within the industry. They're powerful individuals. They've done great work you cannot take, you know, away great work that people do. But you can do great work and have a horrible character. Yeah, you can do great work and burn a lot of bridges. You can do great work and be psychologically and emotionally abusive. And once I got to that understanding that one doesn't discount the other, you know, I had to come up with a strategy and a plan to say, what the heck am I going to do? So I went through communication channels, did my due diligence to make sure, to kind of map out right now everything that I experienced. I asked one person, the individual I'm talking about, what happened she knew of another woman. That person knew of another woman, and by the end of the first week, there were 10 individuals that I knew one week, just by me checking in with the one person that I didn't even know, they texted me back saying, Hi, I'm reaching out to you because I heard you're going to be speaking up about this, and I want to share my story. It was the most bizarre. I couldn't make this. Up if I try, I was like, what? Like, I went to sleep on a Friday and I woke up on a Monday, and my whole world is, like, upside down.

Taylor Smith
When did I sign up for this?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
When did I sign up? Because what happened to bow out gracefully and go on about my business like, that's what it was. And one of the things that were so impactful about that experience were the conversations that myself and these other young ladies have, some that are still anonymous to this day, and I check in with them, we check in with each other, but I promise you, we cried together behind the scenes. Pete, I mean, the conversations, if I had the recordings, we could turn it into a Lifetime movie, okay? Like, not even Hallmark, we need a lifetime okay? So in retrospect, you know, checking in with all of the women who share their stories, or who offer their stories, even if you know they didn't want to be identified in in exposing this sort of toxic environment. Everyone's doing great. They're feeling stronger than ever. They're feeling powerful. You know, it took some time, and I think I got a lot of smoke like being in the front, you're the one that gets a lot. So it honestly took me about three months to once everything kind of, quote, unquote, settled to catch my breath, because, number one, I wasn't planning this. It wasn't like a coup, you know, like we're going to get together an overthrow. It wasn't. It was so organic and unexpected, and I didn't realize how much emotional fortitude I was using. You know, you ever had something happen, and then you like, you could take a breath.

Taylor Smith
You realize you're holding you're breath.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Yeah, and you don't even realize that's what it was. I didn't realize it, and once I let it out, I was just like, whoa. I need a moment. So I'm so grateful for hundreds, hundreds. I did a LinkedIn post that got over 100,000 views. What you like? Who does that? I and I wasn't doing it for attention, and in my inbox was flooded. It took me weeks to respond to every single woman, 90 99% women and men who shared their personal testimony with me. And what was the most uncomfortable and awkward part of all of it were people saying, You are my hero. You know you are this, you are that. And I was gonna I feel so small, beaten, battered and bruised by this Emotionally, I just felt so I had to build myself really back up mentally and psychologically. But what it helped me understand is where we all want to be. We want to work, we want to put our best foot forward, but we want to do it in environments that are conducive for our mental well being, you know, and where we feel valued, and that's a common thread for all of us. So that's what I would say, as kind of that experience, how it went down, some of the behind the scenes, and I'm so grateful that I had the courage that I didn't feel like I had at the time, to just be a spark. You'll be surprised what one little action talk about butterfly effect. Okay, that's what that experience was, and I believe that the tourism, hospitality meetings industry, and the reverberation specifically there are, have been felt and are going to continue to be felt in a positive way. I'll end with this on on this topic, we have to give grace as well. People make mistakes, right? They make missteps. Organizations, you know, they have opportunities to change, and sometimes they don't, until something like this happens. And so I always, you know, like to say it, it's tough, it it hurts, but it's not a us versus them. It's how can we get our houses in order, you know? So you know, my motivations for kind of speaking up, and even the other women that were involved were really to put up a mirror and say, if you didn't see it when we gave a whisper and you didn't see it when we when we did level two and level three, maybe you'll get it now, and unfortunately, when organizations take too long to act for whatever reason, there are negative consequences that they have to deal with. But I'm so grateful for the leaders that even in the 11th hour, finally did the right thing, and they deserve some kudos for that, even if it may have been when their back was against the wall. Yeah,

Taylor Smith
yeah. I think listening to that story and that whole experience the way you were able to ground yourself when you needed to, but let yourself feel you know, like others were with. You up when you needed to take a break too. That shows your strength, and that's one of the reasons why you're a Trendsetter this year, because you you are studying trends that you know maybe people wouldn't think about when when you consider like when you first hear the word Trendsetter, but it it goes that deep, and I think that's something that needs to be recognized as well.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
I received that. I received that I'm grateful, you know, I'm so grateful, and you're absolutely right. It's something that Hindsight is 2020 and you sometimes can't figure out what's happening when it's happening. But on the back end, it all comes together, you know? So when you when we're trying to foster positive company cultures, it doesn't always look like what we think it does. Sometimes it means shining a light in some dark places and holding people accountable. And if anybody's going to do it's going to be me, that is my personality, though I'm a little, you know, I'm that person. I'm the excuse me, I'm sorry. You know, Can I say something? I'm her.

Taylor Smith
So we need you guys, we need people like you to show others that it's okay to do that too, right? Yeah, takes one person like you said the butterfly effect just to to spark a new conversation. Yeah? So you know that's why keep raising your hand.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Yes. Yes, yep.

Taylor Smith
So Trendsetters is a common term that we use in our industry, but in your own words, how would you define a Trendsetter and what are some of those qualities that that trend setters have?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
I actually love this question. So there's a phrase that I say, and that I have, and it's particularly, you know, I use it in the context of women, but I I call it rare, not relevant, that we need to start embracing our rare, you know, where we grow up. And at least for me, my schooling experience and my high school experience was, how do I fit in? I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, even though I did, I was one of those kids, like, Who is she? Where? Who are her parents right now? Because she is like, so extra all the time. And when I think about Trendsetter, that's what I think of rare. You know, things that are rare have a heightened value. When you're rare, you're not trying to fit in, you're trying to fit out, you know, be, be outside of and against the grain, but with a purpose. And so I think that even when I saw Trendsetters, you know, it's that new idea, it's that new concept, it's that new way of living and thinking and being. And I think that we're in a place, in a time, right now in history, where we need more Trendsetters that are on purpose. Trendsetters for good. You can be the word Trendsetter isn't positive in and of itself. People are setting trends that are very negative, right? People are setting trends that are not productive, and helping us as humans and humanity to move forward to the best versions of ourselves. And so I love what you all do every year, and you curate the list. I looked at everyone that was selected. I looked at their bios and their backgrounds. And it's really about being on purpose. You know, individually, if we all do our part, we can do so much together. And so I love that you all are really highlighting the spirit of trend setting. And you no one needs a specific award or honor to set their own micro trend, you know, to do their little part. And so in that sense, I love, I love the idea because I typically kind of loathe certain like, labels, like, you're this, you're that, because I'm like, I feel so inadequate, you know, not at not because I have low self esteem, but because there's so much more right that I feel like I want to do and that I need to do and that I'm called to do. But man, when you're able to honor Trendsetters that are making a true impact in their sphere of influence. You ground that terminology in something so positive and so you all are just doing a great job of kind of setting that tone. And you know, saying, hey, let's, let's, let's walk and march to the beat of our own drum, you know, let's do something that's maybe off center, but off center in just the best way, you know. And, and I love it, anything that is unique, that is promoting difference and diversity, and, you know, not being like everything else I'm down for. So that's what trend setting means to me. Be rare, not relevant, and it's in alignment with some of my values as well.

Taylor Smith
Yeah, I love that, because if you're rare too, you can't be replaced.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Listen, there's only one, you know, it's just the thing about. Being rare and embracing your own individual rare is that there is no other competition. You know, at one point I had to psychologize myself because I've struggled with imposter syndrome. When I first started, you know, people were saying, oh my gosh, you're a doctor. When I graduated from my PhD program, I couldn't even say doctor. I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't call me Doctor. You know, I didn't feel like it when I stepped into entrepreneurship, they kept saying like, Oh, you're a CEO. No, no, no, not a CEO of a company. I'm just like a business owner. It's scary to embrace those titles, to embrace those titles, but when you understand that it's okay to embrace your next level of rare what's different for you, then you can settle into those things in not a pretentious sort of way, because that's what I was trying to do. I didn't want to be like, Oh yes, I'm Doctor, you know, I'm a CEO, you know. But you do it in a way that says, You know what I am, you know. And at the time, entrepreneurship wasn't all the craze as it was right now. You know, so sometimes when we're trying something new for us, it can be challenging, but that notion of being your own personal Trendsetter, start your own micro movement is something that I so love about this honor and everything that you all are doing. So I'm glad to be a part of it.

Taylor Smith
We're glad to have you be a part of it. What was your initial reaction like when you found out you were a Trendsetter? Was it? Did you find it hard to embrace that title at first, too? Or, how did you know? How did you react to that?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Okay, literally. I literally, read the email and I jumped up. I was like, I literally, I jumped up. My devil started doing my my happy dance. I was like, then I read the rest of it, because I didn't. I just read like, the first, like two lines, you know, congratulations, you'd be like. I was like, Whoa. You know, you know why, especially in the, you know, this meetings and events industry, with everything that happened earlier this year, I was like, You know what? God is so good? Like, that was, that's just me. I'm a god girl. You know, I'm unapologetic about that, but I just I'm so humbled. I'm so freaking humbled. Anytime I get any type of acknowledgement, I get emails from people that say, Thank you for it's something so basic. They're like, Oh my gosh, thank you so much. And I'm like, oh yes, I'm having an impact. You know what I mean? So there no one has to know my name all ever you know what I mean. That's not a prerequisite for life that someone has to know. So I'm so grateful anytime you know, some people, they they're waiting for that big thing. It's this, it's everything, every day that comes across that makes me just be like, ah, you know, me. So I was hype. I was super hyped. Then I read the logistics and the rest of everything else to figure out exactly what is this. And it was so such a happy moment. And I keep things like that to myself. I just marinate, you know, I think I may have treated myself to like a special dessert that night, like I'm gonna before I tell my team. And so, yeah, I'm every, every i It never gets old. It never gets old to bet on yourself, to put yourself out there when you're scared to, you know, be an entrepreneur, have a voice. Be a quote, unquote speaker. You know, all the things we do and to get acknowledged back is like, whoa. I know what I mean. Yeah, it was, it was super cool.

Taylor Smith
I got a really nice email yesterday, just from someone I connected with a few months ago after they read one of the stories I wrote for the magazine and just something like that. It's like, I don't need to show that to anyone, but knowing I made someone happy, knowing that they read what I wrote and felt the urge to reach out and say, Hey, really loved it. Thanks for doing this. That alone, to me, is so much more important than another, you know, title or designation, or, yeah, whatever it is after your title, right? Like you just, you want to know that people appreciate you for even the small things. And the small things almost matter more than anything else.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
They do. And the thing is, if you're anything like me, which it sounds like, and all, you know, I'm sure many people we we're working. We have our heads down. We are working day, and we're not like working, clock watching, working. Did I get an acknowledgement? Working? You know, we're just doing the thing, we're planting, the seeds, we're watering, we're just doing then, like, every once in a while, I was like, you get that, you reap what you sow, you get that back. And it's like it makes you feel warm and fuzzy, like they love me. They really, you know, not because you need the validation, right? But it's the cherry on top, because you're already working in your purpose. So I totally resonate with that, like those type of moments and messages. It's just like, yes, yeah. Live on another day.

Taylor Smith
You called yourself a God girl. I love that term. Never heard it before, but I think that I'm going to steal that from you. But one thing I really appreciated about the bio that you shared with the Meetings Today team for our Trendsetter story is what you say at the very end, which is, even with all your accomplishments, you believe that your Christian faith is what truly guides you to your success and reminds you every day that you were put on this earth to make an impact. Can you share with our listeners today how you turn to your faith to stay grounded and inspire and motivate yourself to keep going?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
So one of the things that I mentioned it at the top of our conversation today was values, you know, and that's what I get from my faith. Is my values, you know, what the the world will tell us who we are, the world and social media and the media will tell you what your value is. You know, I lived an entire life, and I grew up, you know, Christian, going to church, but, but really, I was biblically illiterate and right, and didn't really know, and so I went through this phase where I became this overachiever. I'm getting straight A's, I'm in the Student Government. I'm the Student Government President, I'm running track, I'm in the orchestra. I'm doing all of these things. Why? Because I'm trying to achieve because I don't know who I am. I'm trying to feel a sense of value from all of these worldly things. I get the bachelors, I get the Masters, I get the PhD. I graduate with a doctor before the age of 30. Everyone is impressed by me, but myself. And so I had to, I was like, Why is this not working? The world says those things are matter, those things but my value. But I still feel kind of like whack, like I just feel something's missing, something's missing. And when I went back and said, let me start from scratch here. Let me go back to my faith. Let me then my identity before an accolade, before I'm a Trendsetter before anything, I'm already high value, you know, I'm all i Why? Because I made in God's image. And so once I, you know, went through the process of understanding that, you know, the way my worldview is, is that I was born kind of in an upside down world, so all of what I knew to be truth was actually opposite. My degrees do not add value my you know that? This is why I'm able to treat people, whether you're, you know, you don't have housing, or whether you you're the janitor or you're the CEO, I'm not impressed. Part of that is and you're going to get the same amount of value that part of that value system is why I was able to push through with the situation you were talking about. Because I don't care really what your title is. I could care less. I'm dealing with you on a value based, on a character basis. So that has been, and I'll be honest, you know, full transparency, I have, I've had people years ago that said, you know, when you show up corporate, you know, you can't mention anything about your faith. You know, we don't, we don't do politics, we don't do religion. You know, when you show up this, when you make sure that you you know you gotta, you know. And then at one point I said, I'm just gonna do it. And then whoever's uncomfortable can just not invite me. How about let's try that, you know? And yeah, whoa, that's so bold. Like, that's not bold. It's just in align with my values. So it's been just such a great journey of and it keeps me very humble to know one of the central tenets of, you know, Christianity is really being servants to others, serving somebody else, wash someone else's feet, you know, all of those cool things. So my children and the Lord keep me very humble, and it helps me understand that every day that I wake up, sure, maybe a new opportunity to kind of live again and and do more, but quite frankly, it's one less opportunity. I'm getting one step closer every day that I wake up. All of us are I'm getting one step closer to my grave. And so while that may be depressing to others, it motivates me, understanding that I have a God given purpose, you know, to be doing things, you know, that I believe are for the greater good, yeah, and the time to do it. So thank you for even calling that out. And we're in a time in the professional arena where we're talking about diversity, right? We're talking about inclusion, and so I love that we're able to have those conversations. And a lot of times people, I actually was talking to someone the other day, and she's, she calls herself a former Christian. She's like, I'm a former Christian, you know, she knows I'm a god girl. We were just having such a great conversation. And one of the things I was thinking was, you know, in this new space of being open to diversity of backgrounds and beliefs and things of that nature, you know, we always have to. To learn and engage with people and build relationships one on one. You know, someone can call themselves a husband and be abusive. Someone can call themselves an athlete and be not athletic. You know, someone can call themselves a Christian and not have Christian values on display, where they may seem that they have hatred or something else, and so it's important for us to get to know individuals and not block opportunities to learn from people who have differences and accept that, you know, and it's been a great journey, growing in my faith, but also growing and learning so much about others, you know, through my career.

Taylor Smith
What's next for Dr. Brandi.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
This is the hardest question of everything. Taylor,

Taylor Smith
No, I know. I'm sorry! It's okay to not have an answer.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
I have an answer. The problem is, it's too much that's next. So this is what I will say. Um, Millennial Ventures. Is a parent company. It's an umbrella. We are my our new platform that's an extension of my professional platform now is that we are taking on the enemies of our future. I've been working for the last couple of years of thinking about what are the things that can negatively impact us as professionals. We've done the work, we've gone to school. You know, we play by the rules, and I'll be darned if a recession or some economic downturn is going to negatively impact us to the point where we can't recover. And so what we're working on at Millennial Ventures is how we can help take on the enemies of our future, one being mental wellness, especially, right? We we can't work our best if our mind is not right. So that's one area that we have. A cool project launching soon. Anyone can go to Millennial Ventures.co, to kind of get the status on that project. You'll know it when you see it there. Another thing is, is going to be leadership. I believe we are in a leadership crisis right now in the entire world, but our workspaces in particular. And so we're really striving right now to launch the new generation of leader, a leadership development company for today's professionals who say, I want to advocate for positive workspaces. I want to make sure that I'm a catalyst for positive company cultures. And so we're launching that called the futures leadership network. So those two things I think, are very big on my list, uh, among others. And specifically for, do you know, in terms of business, for Doctor brandy, specifically, I will be using my voice. Y'all gonna be tired of me. You hear me? Listen. Don't touch me with a good time now that I bounce back from this situation earlier, I really understand that some of the things I think in my head on a daily basis, some things that I do behind the scenes, I need to be more forthright and share them, because it is going to be an inspiration. And so I'm tackling workplace toxicity head on for the next couple of months, and I'm bringing an army of people with me to help them in their healing process, and just so grateful to even be able to share a little bit of that on this platform today.

Taylor Smith
I am excited about everything you just said, so please keep me in the loop, especially that leadership one that just please need that right now.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Don't worry, I got you covered. We'll get you I'm going to comp your your membership. We have a VIP membership there. They cost. But I'll send you the link and we'll on this on the house.

Taylor Smith
What is one piece of advice that you want to leave our listeners with today? Maybe they are looking to become a Trendsetter themselves, or just looking to find their own value on the inside.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
What I will say is more of a word of encouragement. I feel like right now, in the atmosphere, you know, there's so much uncertainty there. People are fearful about the future. People there's anxiety. I feel like starting to bubble up there. But I do believe that people are feeling discontent with where they are. They know that they want something new, something different, something on the horizon, but and maybe some of them even know kind of maybe what that could be, but they're maybe don't have the confidence to take that step. So I just want to give a word of encouragement for people to say, go ahead and do it. If, if you're not going to do if there's any time in history, this is going to be we only have a short window these next couple of years to go ahead and and do it. Don't overthink it like this is the time to branch out. Branch out of your own norm, your own habits, like for that group and it, you've been marinating on it for a year. You've been thinking about it and mulling it over and writing notes about it. And you know what I mean for that group? It's go time. It's period you need to execute on whatever it is. Let the chips fall where they may. But that that's a word of encourage. Judgment. For those groups, I just want to, kind of, like give them a boost, you know who you are. And then for the other group, I would just say, you know, keep going. Keep going. If there's anyone that just feels like you you're defeated, you want to give up the gas prices, then there's, there's always something, you know, you got to keep going. And they have to kind of get that umph back, um, and sometimes that may mean stepping back to be able to propel themselves forward. You know, saying no to some things, doing a little bit more self care. But for the folks that are weary, that are tired, you know, that are just feeling like, whoo, man, I cannot handle it all. They have to kind of hit a reset, but they're going to have to keep going. There isn't going to be too much rest time. You know, these next couple of years, we're going to have to be on high alert. We're working on something called endangered Industries at Millennial Ventures as well that we're launching soon to keep track of industries that will be going extinct. So we need to be nimble. We need to be quick. We need to be able to pivot. And if you're tired, psychologically or physically, you won't be able to do that when you think about the.com era. And I'm not going to go on a tangent, but I'm going to just loop this in. And I was, like, three years too young, right? I was like, Man, I missed it. Um, but there were some people that they understood what was happening and they took advantage of it. There are trends like this over and over in our history. This is another time, because of technology, because of AI, because of so many mega trends. They call it, that are happening. We are at a level the playing field, moment, right? And so I just want to encourage those folks that are feeling like, look, I don't been through two, three recessions, you know, I this. I try my best Listen, lock in one more time and keep and keep going, because this is about to be an unfortunate, you know, unfortunate for many, but also a great opportunity for those that are locked in on those changes so that they can pivot and secure their professional future. So tap definitely for anyone listening, if that resonates with you, you know, tap in with me on LinkedIn, because I will be helping. You know, it's like modern day. Noah, y'all better get in this boat. You better get in the arc. Doctor, Brandy I built. We're going to navigate through these storms one way or another, and I have a clear vision on on that. And so I want to encourage people, if they've been feeling like any of those two groups, to tap in, get connected with with me, and I can connect you with what we're doing, the resources there. Yeah, that's what I'll say. Say to that,

Taylor Smith
Yeah. And you answered my last question, which was, how can our audience stay connected with you?

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
I think the fun right now is happening on LinkedIn. If you want a connection, yeah, if you want to, you know, sample some content and have access to be able to DM me and things like that. Join me on LinkedIn. Just Google my government name, you will find me on doctorbrandi.com. That's the hub for anything millennial venture, social media. It'll all be there, perfect.

Taylor Smith
Well, I'll make sure to link to them too, so our audience knows where to find you awesome. Those were all my questions. Doctor brandy, did you have anything else that you wanted to talk about before I set you free this afternoon,

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
I do. I want to talk about how awesome Taylor Smith and the entire Meetings Today team is. Let's talk about that. I honor you all. Shout out to what you are doing. This has been a just great experience. Um, just everyone who I encounter at Meetings Today, I'm like, can I be an honorary? What can I do to be a part of the team?

Taylor Smith
You, as a Trendsetter, you are.

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Okay, good. Y'all heard it here first. You heard it here first. So, but no, just kudos to you. Your writing, everything you're doing we're watching. Keep going strong, you know, keep at it and and, yeah, just keep doing great work.

Taylor Smith
I'll take your advice and run with that awesome. Great for joining me. Dr. Brandi. I appreciate it. 

Dr. Brandi Baldwin
Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Taylor Smith
That was Dr. Brandi Baldwin, CEO of Millennial Ventures and one of our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters. Once again, I'm Taylor Smith, destinations and features content developer for Meetings Today. And I want to thank you all for joining us for this special Meetings Today Podcast. If you're interested in listening to more of our podcasts, visit us at MeetingsToday.com. And thank you again for listening.

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