Episode Five

Kenetia (00:01.837) Hi, I’m Kenetia Lee, and welcome to Celebrate & Chill, the podcast where we dive into the art, business, and magic of creating unforgettable moments. As the founder and CEO of PopUP CleanUP, I’ve worked behind the scenes of some of the most high-energy events across the country, which is how I met Bianca Lynn Hammonds, our guest on today’s show. She is so much more than a creator and a producer of events; she is a life coach, a fellow podcaster, and, above all, a delightful and inspiring human being. This podcast is about celebrating the work we do in events while sharing ideas, strategies, and stories to help you elevate your craft. So grab a drink, whether it’s coffee, tea, or whatever you chill with, and let’s explore how some small, intentional efforts can make a massive impact on the planet, on people, and on the events that we bring to life. Welcome to Celebrate & Chill. Welcome, Bianca Lynn. How are you today?

Bianca Lynn (01:04.12) Thank you so much. My gosh, I am doing great. Thank you so, so much for that lovely intro. Thank you for having me as a guest and for thinking of me. I’m starting my day off with this, being on your podcast, so I feel really great. I’m like, okay, this is going to be a good day. I love it.

Kenetia (01:24.249) Absolutely. Absolutely. So, as I mentioned before, you and I met at an event. I knew the moment that I met you, I was like, “Wow, I’m so inspired by just being chosen as one of your vendors to work with you.” The energy you brought was just amazing, and it put everything on a good foot. I thought, you know what?

Bianca Lynn (01:43.366) Wow.

Kenetia (01:53.109) No matter what, we’re going to do our best, everything’s going to flow, and I have a person that I can walk through this with. That’s—I imagine—how you make all of your guests, vendors, and clients feel. So, it was an honor. I just want to say that.

Bianca Lynn (02:11.608) Wow. Thank you.

Kenetia (02:15.241) And, yeah, you’re welcome. So, to start us off, I’d love to know how did you get started in the events slash producing events industry? How did you get started in this whole thing?

Bianca Lynn (02:30.194) It was really interesting. There are two things that come to my mind. First, hearing what you just said about when you met me, that just means the world to me because that project was my first project that I had after getting laid off. I got laid off in 2023, and it was about a year and a half later when we were doing those events when I met you. Coming back into that world, having not had a job and applying to all these places—by the time that that came around, I was so wobbly with my confidence. I felt confident, but I was just like, “My gosh, can I do this?” Because not hearing from companies, not being able to get something from your network, I really was like, “Maybe I’m not as friendly as I thought I was, or maybe I’m not as good at this as I think I am.” So, to hear you immediately say that and give me that confirmation feels amazing. So, first, I want to thank you for that. But it’s interesting because with this question, I got into events at a job that I started in 2015 because I had went through my first layoff then, and my background is in television. I went to school for broadcast journalism. When I graduated college, I got an internship at A&E, the television network. Then I went to work at Katie Couric’s daytime live talk show, and I was an associate producer on a murder show for the Investigation Discovery network. Then I got to VH1, and I was working in programming and development, and I was just like, “This is so cool. I get to be a part of figuring out”—I was at the time working on the Love & Hip Hop franchise, and then there was another show called Black Ink Crew—so just kind of identifying what the next regions that we should bring these franchises to were. I was so excited. And then I got laid off, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, what am I supposed to do? This was such a dream.” I went to school in Virginia, Hampton University, even though I’m from New Jersey. So,

Kenetia (04:40.377) Okay.

Bianca Lynn (04:42.647) I had always thought, “Man, even though I loved my experience in Virginia, I lived literally 25 minutes away from the city. Maybe I didn’t have enough contacts of, you know, being so close from New Jersey to New York to finding work”—all of the thoughts that come to your mind when you get laid off. But at the time, and I’ve always been an adaptable person, I was like, “Well, maybe I should start looking at jobs online because I’m recognizing that people are really making a lot of money from YouTube, and Instagram, and Twitter, and those digital platforms.” And I had minored in marketing, so I was like, “Well, let me kind of look at marketing jobs.” And I would apply. I’m very much a creature of habit. If I know the product, if I know this, I’m going to work for that, or I’m going to apply to work there. So, I had applied to work for this magazine called Complex.

Kenetia (05:16.15) Absolutely.

Bianca Lynn (05:37.966) But they were doing a lot of things online, and I applied for a job called—it was like on the promo team—it was like a producer on the promo team. So I applied. I got the job. And when I was talking to my manager, he was explaining to me all the different things that you can do for a digital company. As long as you kind of have a videographer there and you can do a video recap and it’ll live online, like, the world was kind of endless. And so I was able to do events that would happen at nightclubs, maybe promoting a new TV show. I’ve done events in stores to promote a new product. I’ve done large-scale block parties, and all of this was under branded content. And so with the branded content,

Kenetia (06:28.217) Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (06:31.307) these brands give you money. So I was able to do events at all these different scales versus the money that you have when you’re doing original content where you’re spending your money—you’re not spending someone else’s money. So I did documentaries, photo shoots, videos, all of those things. And then I was able to be on the team to launch ComplexCon, which is now—is it nine years? When did we launch that?

Kenetia (06:58.593) Yes. Yes.

Bianca Lynn (06:59.213) 2016, yeah, so that was the largest event that I did. And so many of us on that team, that was our first trade show. So we were all confident that we can do events, but something of that nature was crazy. But I’m so grateful for that job. I was there from 2015 until 2018, and it was like bootcamp.

Kenetia (07:14.487) Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (07:24.843) Because joining Complex before it reached 1 million subscribers was really amazing to see them meet such a successful goal. But then that really put that brand on the map. So many people wanted to work with us. And again, as long as we can make a video and put it up on the website, and working in the branded content space under sales, they’re not going to turn any money down. So it really put me—I traveled across the country.

Kenetia (07:48.803) That’s right.

Bianca Lynn (07:52.962) I had to travel to London for work. It was really amazing. But then I had shifted out of events to do some original content because I’m just adaptable. And no matter what, I love storytelling, whether it is through an event experience or content that you’re watching or if it’s a photo shoot. And so I’m just someone who kind of goes here and there since I know that the skills are transferable.

Kenetia (08:17.997) That’s amazing. Wow. So you’ve said so much in such a little amount of time, and so I kind of want to unpack a lot of that because one of the things that I’m so excited that, you know, in doing my research around you and what you inspire or want to inspire in others, I started to look at, like, what is—what does—like, how many people of color are literally in the background of entertainment and events? And so when I hear you speaking and you telling us your story about how adaptable you are and then how many different ways in which you’ve applied yourself, it really does—it’s a teachable moment for a lot of people that I don’t think they’ll actually get. So, I want to actually break it down for people, if you don’t mind, because I think this is really key to help inspire others and also invite more people that don’t know about coming into the fold and being on the other side of entertainment into it. So with that, I’d like to say or ask you,

Bianca Lynn (09:19.553) No, I don’t.

Kenetia (09:43.511) you know, aside from that first person that said to you, “Hey, Bianca, there’s so many things that you could do,” right, when you were going for that first job, were there other people along the way that you were kind of taking a look at and seeing, you know, like, “Wait, that’s a possibility. Maybe I want to go do this?” Is that something that along your journey that you’ve experienced, like just jumping in, then seeing something else that was possible for you?

Bianca Lynn (10:21.559) That’s such a great question. I don’t think so. I really don’t think that there was anyone. Definitely, I’ve always had support from my family. I think maybe my mom comes to mind. When I was a little girl, my mom put me into modeling and commercials. And so, naturally, just putting myself out there and trying new things, that is something that I’ll do. I’m just kind of like, “Why not?” I’m a “why not” kind of person. And so, my mom had always allowed the decision, though, to be on me. So when it was coming to doing more commercials or missing school, I wanted to go to school. So my mom was like, “Okay, then you don’t have to do commercials.” And in school I did—I was in my high school musicals, and I was on the public speaking and debate team. So there was always some kind of creative outlet that I just naturally kind of gravitate towards. And I’m also someone who looks at things and I like ease, or I like—I don’t like to think twice about something. So even when I was going to choose what college I would attend, I went on a college tour. I observe. I look to see what all the options are, and then I just pick which one stood out the most to me or felt like, “Okay, this lights me up.” And that was Hampton. And that’s the same way that I kind of navigate my career. I just kind of go with what I feel. And then usually once I go that route, then when I’m within the space, then I can see and I can identify who would be my ally or who or what not to be. Like, “I don’t really like this experience. How can I learn from this? Or what is this experience teaching me?” And that kind of informs me. But I’ve always been blessed to have amazing friendships at work, and those friendships really just kind of helped me to stay afloat and to stay in a positive mindset. But I don’t think I’ve ever kind of looked at, like, “This is like the possibilities,” not until I started doing my own podcast. Yeah, and then I’m like, “Wow. Now I’m hearing all of the ways that people do things.” But it always kind of goes back to God and just being like, because sometimes things are a little bit hard for me to understand the path, right? So it’s like, “Wow, they did it this way. Okay, God, can you show me how to do it this way?” Like, I just see that the opportunities are endless, but I think it’s more so of like God’s direction than anyone else.

Kenetia (12:32.439) Okay, that’s exciting.

Kenetia (12:42.595) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (13:02.969) Ooh, I love it. Okay, that’s awesome. Yeah, that’s very interesting. I feel you on that. I think that, you know, everyone’s path in life is so unique. I think it’s kind of strange in a way how, you know, society in general pushes us to, you know, you’re going to go through kindergarten, then you’re going to graduate from eighth grade, then you’re going to go into high school. And then it’s like they open up the world to you like, “Okay, now here’s a smorgasbord of life. Which way do you want to go?” And if you find your adaptability, I think, as you’re growing up and you try a lot of different things, which I think is also something that I got from your story when you were telling us how you kind of navigated and got started, is like you just tried a bunch of stuff. And

Bianca Lynn (14:01.485) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (14:02.015) as you were saying, you know, yes, God was leading the way, but you also felt and tapped into yourself, right? And what felt comfortable. “Ooh, I’m not sure that I like this at all. And how can I do this differently because I’m not trying to have this teachable moment again?” That’s all. That’s that’s golden. Honestly, if nobody took anything else away from this whole interview but those words right there, I think

Bianca Lynn (14:12.811) Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (14:24.865) you

Kenetia (14:28.193) we’d have a lot happier people in the world not trying to be something other than the way that life is moving and guiding and directing them. Learn from those experiences and keep it pushing. If it doesn’t work, okay, try something else or try it differently. There’s nothing really sad about the moment except for that you said it’s sad, right?

Bianca Lynn (14:44.173) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (14:56.927) Yeah, like that.

Kenetia (14:58.039) So you mentioned previously that you were laid off—your first time laid off. I have been—that’s a very nice word, “laid off.” I was fired. I was fired. I think I was like, I don’t know, fresh out of college, and I had a consulting job, and I remember getting fired. And it was like—it was such a shocking

Bianca Lynn (15:22.613) Hard.

Kenetia (15:24.153) and jarring experience that I was just like, “Wait, I didn’t even understand what happened or who I was going to be or what I was going to do.” Tell us a little bit more about your first time of going through that process of being let go. What did you come away with after you left?

Bianca Lynn (15:47.28) Wow. It was so devastating to me. My goodness, because when I was working in television, when I was working at the Katie Couric show, that show was canceled, so we knew at the end of the season we were done. And I had gotten a new job two weeks before the last day. I think we may have completed filming, but it was like very close to the end, and I put in my two weeks’ notice. And the executive producer of the show told me that I was not a team player because I wasn’t staying until the end, and that she would make it so that I wouldn’t find another job in the industry. And that was like—yeah, that was very like

Kenetia (16:32.887) Wow. She’s trying to blackball you, like even at the very beginning. What? Okay.

Bianca Lynn (16:39.819) Yes, and I was just like, “That’s when I knew I did not want to do live television anymore.” I’m like, “Okay, this is not for me, because that’s crazy.” Finding my—the job from that job was the murder show job. Then to getting to VH1, finding two jobs on my own after having that feedback from someone that I respected—you know, someone who was a really high position. I was like so proud of myself, and I was just like, “Okay, I made it.” So then to get laid off. And the week before the layoff, there was like, maybe the Senior Vice President of Programming Development came to New York and had dinner with the team and was just like, “I love this team. You all are so great.” And I didn’t—I wasn’t reading between any lines. I had no idea. So it was like, “Wait, last Thursday, she said she loved all of us. Wednesday, I’m getting laid off?” Like, hum. It was just very, very hard. And I just

Kenetia (17:34.935) Right.

Bianca Lynn (17:39.95) I took a lot of what that woman said to me of like, “See, you know, maybe there was something that she saw in you.” I was in such a different head space back in 2015. I can say this now, but I didn’t have the best self-esteem, and I had a lot of anxiety. So I just that was really, when I think back at that time, it was that. I was like, “Oh man, like maybe what they said was true,” because it was a challenge in that job. I experienced a lot of microaggressions, not in the VH1 job, but in that ABC job, that Katie job. So I was just trying my best to kind of have a good summer. I think I got laid off in March. No, I think it was six months. It was October 2014 I got laid off.

Kenetia (18:16.473) Hmm. Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (18:31.745) And then I didn’t start working until—was it June 2015, May 2015? So I, yeah, so I just spent some time just looking around and opening up my horizons, right? That’s when I was like, “Okay, let me take the digital space a little bit more seriously, and how could I just kind of reapply myself?” So I think that would be the biggest takeaways from that time.

Kenetia (18:36.761) Wow, yep.

Kenetia (18:58.175) Okay. Yeah. And then as you were moving in between getting laid off and then finding your next job, you know, like, emotionally, a lot of roller coasters. How and or can you tell us, like, when did you start life coaching? Or was it something that you decided, like, “I need life coaching because I don’t know what’s happening around this whole crazy industry?” What was your pathway into that?

Bianca Lynn (19:32.014) Okay, so I have a really great friend. Her name is Allen. She started life coaching in 2014. We got out of college in 2011, and she knew automatically she did not want to be in the corporate space. So she started coaching, and whenever she would do workshops and things like that, I would always attend. She would always be like, “Okay, Bianca, I know you’ve done this workshop three times, but you always contribute, so I need you to join this one time. Once you start asking questions or answering questions, everybody else will follow.” So I’m like, “Sure, I got you, no problem, no problem.” So I always kind of had some inkling and knowing of coaching, but it wasn’t until 2020 when my friend Allen—because she’s a teacher at the school that I actually got certified at. And when you are a student, you have to have like pro bono hours, like practice hours with people so that you can prove that you put in the time and the work in order to pass your test. Like, there are all these requirements. So she connected me with someone that was taking her class, and she ended up becoming my life coach. Her name is Manaba. I love her. So I’ve been working with her since 2020. And so we were going through all of my goals and all the things. And then when I got laid off in 2023, I definitely needed life coaching because at that

Kenetia (20:43.289) Nice.

Bianca Lynn (20:57.837) I had a job—I was working at Spotify, and I was making dream money, doing dream things. I wanted financial freedom—the first person in my family to graduate college—and I wanted to invest in all these things. Thank you. And then I lost my job, and I didn’t realize how much of my identity was wrapped around the workplace, and because it just came from all these things that I would do, like,

Kenetia (21:11.321) Congratulations.

Kenetia (21:21.72) Okay.

Bianca Lynn (21:25.277) “Man, I’m so used to leading a team, and, you know, hosting this meeting.” Now all this stuff is taken away. How do I deem myself productive, or how do I contribute? So it was a lot that was going on mentally. And at the end of 2023 is when I decided I wanted to do life coaching. A, I always really enjoyed those workshops and the classes and the conversations that I have with my own life coach. B, naturally saying affirmations and encouraging people. Like, I’ve been doing that for years. So I’m like, “Okay.” And then also once I lost my job, I just immediately started sharing everything that I was going through. I don’t know why. I can be a little TMI kind of girl. I am easy to talk to, right? But, but, but like sharing what I was going through and feeling on LinkedIn,

Kenetia (22:15.449) You are! You are!

Bianca Lynn (22:24.213) I don’t know what prompted me to really be visible. I just knew it was massive layoffs in the industry, so somebody had to feel what I was feeling, and I didn’t really know who to talk to about it. So I just started sharing. And then people started asking me questions. “How are you going through this? How are you navigating these negative thoughts?” And then also naturally on LinkedIn, people would just ask me about my career journey as well. So I’m like, if people are naturally coming to me about these things, I want to be able to really have some kind of certification or some kind of official something behind me so that while I’m talking to people, I’m not just sounding like this girl on the internet that—and sometimes you could be just that girl or that guy on the internet and you have—as it says—no shade or anything. But for me, that’s just part of my personality. I like efficiency.

Kenetia (23:10.947) That’s right. That’s right.

Bianca Lynn (23:21.983) And that’s probably why I’m a producer and my career background. And so that’s why I got the certification so that when people do talk to me or ask me certain things, I feel equipped and I really enjoy it. And it’s been amazing to, in hindsight, look back at that time of losing my job, because having everything stripped away from me, watching my savings be depleted, really having to start at ground zero at a time where I’m seeing a lot of my peers—I’m 35—so a lot of my peers were like, now they’re getting that senior-level position. Now they’re getting highlighted by Billboard and Forbes, and like, I should be next. And not only are my peers getting this career success, a lot of my peers are married or they have children, and I don’t have those things.

Kenetia (23:22.371) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (24:04.985) Hmm.

Kenetia (24:08.952) Yeah.

Bianca Lynn (24:18.967) So it was really, really hard to kind of grip with like, “Dang, God, I don’t have any of these things. I can’t even get one thing. Like I’ve been working really hard.” And, but I, one thing that I gained from it all was self-esteem, self-confidence that I honestly, without losing my job and it taking me so long to find work and putting myself out there with the vulnerability, if that didn’t happen, I would not have known just how low self-esteem I had or like just like the true assessment of where I was because I was wrapping it all around my job title or the money that I made. And now to really have built new foundations of who I am, what I find to be valuable, having moments of rest. Like, all that time in between, I had to rest. So now it’s very important to me. If I feel overwhelmed, I have to take a step back. I need five minutes.

Kenetia (24:27.545) Hmm.

Kenetia (24:52.866) Yeah.

Kenetia (24:59.437) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (25:13.4) Right.

Bianca Lynn (25:19.349) I have to take this phone call. Like, I’ve had better boundaries. So all of it was definitely meant to be. Even though I’m still rebuilding all of those things, like the foundation I know is so much more secure and set that I feel—I pray God will give me a little grace and kind of can ease up on this. But for when the things go again, ’cause you know, life’s about cycles, I feel like I would be able to

Kenetia (25:39.747) Yeah. It is.

Bianca Lynn (25:48.063) navigate it much more confidently, even though I know that sometimes the stormy seasons last a long time.

Kenetia (25:56.333) Yeah, no, without a doubt. I mean, literally, like Celebrate & Chill. Like, it’s celebrating your wins when they happen and, you know, being in those moments fully. And then also when it’s time to chill, literally, to assess, you know, remind yourself, like, what are the lessons that I learned here? Where do I actually want to go? Because where you’ve been is not necessarily

Bianca Lynn (26:01.505) Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (26:13.174) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (26:24.599) where you want to go or where you want to be or in the same capacity that you were before. So I do believe the Celebrate and Chill are, like, intertwined in a way. And sometimes life calls for a lot of celebration and a lot of like assessment and reevaluation of where you are. You can, girl, it’s all a journey. And honestly, at the end of the day,

Bianca Lynn (26:49.013) Yeah.

Kenetia (26:52.577) it’s all about the experiences that you’ve had, right? So thank you so much for sharing that because I think a lot of times when people see successful people—and by all means, you know, we can judge ourselves by the money in our account, the job titles, all the things, right? We can judge ourselves by those things. At the end of the day, though, it really is about how did you ride the waves of your life, and what are the experiences that you’ve come away with at the, you know, on your deathbed, right? It’s like, “I lived a pretty good life. And it was all worth it in the end.”I think a lot of people don’t consider that the low times is really where you’re actually building muscle and coming out looking like the winner.

Bianca Lynn (27:27.243) Mm-hmm.

Bianca Lynn (27:32.126) Yeah.

Kenetia (27:48.025) And people think like, “But you’re successful.” Yeah, it took me 10 years to get here. It took me 10 years of just putting in what I knew was necessary to make things happen. So I appreciate you sharing that, and I think that’s really inspiring for others because life is life, and life is going to life as it does. And so being able to

Bianca Lynn (27:53.846) Yeah.

Bianca Lynn (28:12.279) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (28:16.578) hear that sometimes makes a huge difference for everyone. So thank you. Why don’t you tell us, since you do have so many experiences, what are some of the most bizarre event experiences that you’ve had? Like, bizarre, like, off the wall, like, “Wait, that—not sure what—where’d that come from?”

Bianca Lynn (28:21.601) Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bianca Lynn (28:38.317) Hmm. Bizarre event experience. Hmm. Well, two things.

Kenetia (28:45.687) And I don’t care from what angle, right? Yeah.

Bianca Lynn (28:49.293) Okay, two things come to my mind. There was this project that I had to do a five-city block party for this brand, and I don’t know if it’s bizarre, but it’s just what comes to my mind quickly. So, first, it happened in Chicago, where it was supposed to be the first event, and we were

Kenetia (29:06.297) Perfect.

Bianca Lynn (29:14.231) talking with all of the teams. The brand put us in touch—because it was for a liquor brand—they put us in touch with their regional teams to get the liquor and work with this person to get the permit. And everything was going so smoothly until the day before. It was Thursday; Friday I was flying to Chicago. The event was Saturday. That Thursday, we got notified that our permit was not approved because the performer—this was in Hyde Park in Chicago.

Kenetia (29:44.215) I know it well.

Bianca Lynn (29:46.124) The performer was Twista, and they were like, “Twista is like, he basically would incite violence in Hyde Park.” And I’m like, “Twista in Hyde Park?” But later it came to find out. So I had to—I still flew to Chicago. We tried to make it work because it was the first, like, the launch event, so it was a lot of pressure and a lot of things, like, internally, like, “Well, how did this happen?” and all the things. But it turns out that

Kenetia (29:48.803) Okay.

Kenetia (29:58.305) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bianca Lynn (30:16.001) the person that the brand had connected us with to kind of be our Chicago liaison, they do a year, an annual event with him, and so he thought we were coming to take his business. So he sabotaged us.

Kenetia (30:32.825) Okay.

Bianca Lynn (30:38.583) Yes, afterwards, I called him because I’m like, “What’s up?” Because I am a sweet person, but I can also be sharp. I will also be very direct. When things are in the moment, I just cut through it like, “What’s going on?” I just—I can’t think of all of the fluff. I try to be mindful of my delivery because ever since I was a child, that’s always been feedback. Because naturally I’m like, “Ha ha ha ha ha.” And then I’ll just be like, “But when you said you were going to do that, you didn’t do it, why didn’t you do it? Why’d you lie?” And then people are like, “What? Why would you say that? You lie.” Like, it just takes people—I don’t know what it is. I’ll always be working on it.

Kenetia (30:38.583) You are. You can. That’s right.

Kenetia (31:05.153) Right.

Bianca Lynn (31:14.893) I’m late.

Kenetia (31:16.273) Yeah, it’s not a bad characteristic. I’m going to tell you it’s a great characteristic, especially when you’re dealing with people on the fly like all the time. Let’s be real.

Bianca Lynn (31:19.603) Yeah, I’m like, I have, yeah, I got to her stuff going on. So I called the guy like, “What’s going on? Like, like, tell me what’s really happening here. Like, I’m not going to,” because he was a black guy, and a lot of people who had—he had been corresponding to was a white person. So sometimes in working in the corporate space, they deal with things a little bit differently than we deal with things. And he wasn’t really trying to give her the reals. I called him like, “I’m not—don’t have time for this. Like, I’m not Jennifer. What happened?” And he’s like, “You think like, you’re just going to come over here with this New York stuff, like this isn’t New York, this is Chicago, tell me all that stuff.” I’m like, “Sir, I’m from New Jersey, so I’m not even coming to you with nothing from New York.” It was—it, and at that time, I had to learn a lot about scaling back, because I’m like, “Let him know how I feel. Like, are you kidding me right now? Do you not know all this stuff?” Nevertheless.

Kenetia (31:42.606) Yes.

Kenetia (32:13.719) Right.

Bianca Lynn (32:14.903) So that I would say was bizarre that they gave us the excuse that Twista was an issue for Hyde Park, like he’s dangerous. Yeah. No, so that was it. Yeah, I’m like, “Huh?” Twista hadn’t even come out with any new music at that time, to be honest. So that was strange. And then it just taught me a lot about regional teams and

Kenetia (32:24.097) Right, no, it doesn’t even make sense. You were like, “Wait, make it make sense, because this don’t make sense.”

Bianca Lynn (32:43.905) politics, because when you do events that are outside, because it was like a block party type of event, you have to be involved with the community. There are a lot of community meetings that you have to attend, and you want to get the community on your side. So that was just really strange. And then I would say the second one, it was still a part of that series, but it happened in New York, and this wasn’t necessarily bizarre, but something happened to where I was driving this U-Haul truck trying to get the

Kenetia (32:52.345) Hmm.

Bianca Lynn (33:13.229) like somebody delivered some chairs that were not correct or I didn’t realize it was my error. And I was just like, “I have to fix it.” So I get into this U-Haul. I’m so overwhelmed. It’s so big. I don’t usually drive huge cars. At the time I had a Volkswagen Beetle. So it was just like trying to look at the mirrors, and I’m like, I bring an intern with me, and we go, we get it solved, and I’m freaking out. All these cars are beeping behind me, and I’m about to cry, and I’m like, “I’m so sorry,” crying to this intern. “I’m overwhelmed, but this was my problem.” Yeah, me and my friends—I have a really good friend from that job—we look back at that, and we laugh at it all the time. “I can’t believe you drove that U-Haul across a bridge to try to solve the problem. We could have just called the rental company and they would have delivered…”

Kenetia (33:27.095) No.

Bianca Lynn (33:38.39) All these cars are beeping behind me, and I’m about to cry, and I’m like, “I’m so sorry,” crying to this intern. “I’m overwhelmed, but this was my problem.” Yeah, me and my friends—I have a really good friend from that job—we look back at that, and we laugh at it all the time. “I can’t believe you drove that U-Haul across a bridge to try to solve the problem. We could have just called the rental company, and they would have delivered it to us,” but…

Kenetia (34:04.061) Yeah, like, yeah, I get it. And when you’re in the moment, in times like that, it’s like you have to act. You’re like, “I just need to act.” And no matter how rational or irrational the action is, it just feels like at least something is getting done. You know what I mean? So I completely understand you. Thank you.

Bianca Lynn (34:13.793) Yeah.

Bianca Lynn (34:21.453) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes. And I was like 26 years old, so I also like… Yeah.

Kenetia (34:28.865) Yeah, you were fearless. You were fearless. That’s amazing. So you said that you are originally from Jersey. So how did you get—because right now you’re out in California, or are you back in Jersey?

Bianca Lynn (34:35.511) That’s what it is.

Bianca Lynn (34:42.261) Mm-hmm. Nope, I’m in LA. So I was working at a job called, excuse me, I was working at a network called Fuse. It’s a television network. And I actually started that job after I left Complex because they were looking for someone to manage their digital content studio, all of their YouTube content. And so I was like, “Okay, I would really love kind of a break from doing everything that’s so brand-centric to work on some original content for this company. I love music, and I thought, okay, I’m working back at a television network, but now in the digital space.” This is like a great combination of what my career had been like up until then. And then they ended up closing the New York office down, and they were like, “Hey, Bianca, we’re going to close this New York office in six weeks. You could either—there’s an option to relocate to LA and keep your position, or you know, by this date, this is your last day.” And so, like I mentioned, I don’t have any children. I’m not married. And so I was like, “Well,” and it was so funny because around that time, I was trying to move out of my studio apartment. I lived in this apartment building, but on the ground floor was like the basement. It had like project heat. It was so hot in there. It wasn’t the projects, but it was project heat. And I’m like, “I need to get out of here.”

Kenetia (34:45.494) Uh-huh.

Kenetia (34:51.609) Okay, yep.

Kenetia (35:59.609) Right. Yeah, I get it.

Bianca Lynn (36:07.085) “Lord, I just would love a one-bedroom apartment. Like I’m tired of the studio, especially when you want to cook.” It was just too much. So I’m like, “God, where should I move? Should I stay in Elizabeth? Should I move to the county over? Like, I don’t know.” And the door opened to move to California within those like three or four weeks where I was heavily praying about it. So I’m like, “Okay, I guess this is where I’m supposed to go.” So I relocated here in June 2019. And then that was really great. And then once 2020 hit, everything started to shift and change. I’ve had a few different jobs, and I’m still here. I have prayed about it when I was laid off, like, “Okay, God, am I supposed to go back home? What are the type of jobs you want me to apply to?” And I would apply to jobs on the East Coast, but they wouldn’t work out. I would go home to visit, and I just said, my spirit was like, because I would get so wrapped up in everyone else’s life, I just felt like I didn’t have an anchor. And I’m like, “Well, this work that God had been putting me through in this layoff has been about building foundations and anchoring myself in him and like really seeing where I overextend. And when I go home, all that goes out the window. So I’m like, ‘Uh-uh, it’s not time. It’s not time yet.’” And so I’m still here.

Kenetia (36:10.828) Right.

Kenetia (37:06.595) Okay.

Kenetia (37:24.249) I love it. I’ve been in LA quite a long time now, probably since 2002. So yeah, and it was literally by the grace of God that I got to LA. And now I feel like I’m in a different, you know, space around it. And I’m in the same mindset as you. It’s like, where I’m moved to go, it’ll be shown to me. So

Bianca Lynn (37:34.112) Wow.

Bianca Lynn (37:51.969) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (37:52.185) it’s always a good way to flow when, if you don’t know, then rest assured the universe and God is going to work that out for you at some point. So tell us a little bit about your podcast because I have a feeling that that’s something that you’re consistently working on and building. So tell us about it. I already know the title, but why don’t you tell us yourself?

Bianca Lynn (38:16.276) My gosh. I love, love, love my podcast. I actually have two. I have What’s Mine is Mine, and that is a podcast where I interview people about our career journeys because it’s all about what’s for me is for me. What’s mine is mine. What’s yours is yours. Hearing the way that people have navigated things, hearing how they find success across all these different industries, it is so inspiring to me. It’s so encouraging. And because a lot of people would ask me about my path, I’m like, “Hmm, well, when I hear what they’re interested in or what they’re going through, I’m like, this, I can tell you, but I actually know someone else that may be more helpful.” So I just feel like that was kind of like me doing my community service work of like, here are resources and something to just inspire others. And at the time when it all was happening, I started that podcast right before I lost my job because it was a conversation that I just naturally have amongst my peers. Like, “What are we doing? What are our goals? What’s next? How do we get here?” And I launched that podcast June 2nd, 2023, and I got laid off June 5th, 2023.

Kenetia (38:31.907) Mm.

Kenetia (39:02.702) Yeah.

Kenetia (39:35.093) Wow, okay.

Bianca Lynn (39:46.434) So yeah. So once I got laid off, I’m like, “Okay, well, this is something I do have to work on,” because my process is I will record like the six or seven episodes—however many episodes I have in the season—I record those first, and then I edit it. So I was editing in real time and posting it. So it gave me something to do. Having had a lot of those conversations before the layoff, it was like pouring into me because it also takes me like a week to edit. So it was like consistent hearing how God was showing up for others and hearing that there are all these different paths and like, “Stay the course.”

Kenetia (40:20.664) Yes.

Bianca Lynn (40:43.435) And then my other podcast is called Walk It Like I Talk It with Bianca Lynn. That one is personal development. I actually started that podcast February 2023 because before I got laid off, I was in a role where it was all creative. And then they shut down that department and put me in a role that was more customer service, where I would talk to people who had podcasts and asked them basically, did they have any issues uploading their podcast onto the Spotify platform? And if they did, I would have to put a ticket request in for them. So it was like, “What?” This was the first time I realized that I gave all of my creative control to my job, and it was okay because I love to help others. So I’m naturally going to a job and contributing to a team—that’s exciting to me. If you, even with you, you reached out and said, “Hey, I would love for you to be a guest on my podcast. You know, you’re building your own platform.” “Sure. Like, I love to help you, however I can support. Like, it’s a no-brainer to me.” So once all of that creativity was taken away, I’m like, “My gosh, well, what can I do?” And because I like ease and because I have affirmations all around me, I’m like, “Doing a podcast is so easy, it’s so simple,” at least that affirmations one. I literally record straight into my phone, and I just upload it from my phone. I say my affirmations, you know, “I am wonderful. I’m an irresistible magnet for all that belongs to me by divine right.” Here you go. Post it, right? So just to get in the process of creating and sharing. And I didn’t give myself a lot of pressure for how the podcast cover needed to look and the background sound and how long it would be. It was just getting the emotion, like building that consistency. And now two and a half years later, Walk It Like I Talk It has changed in so many ways. Like the way I say the affirmations, what it is that I’m talking about. Sometimes I read books that were really powerful for me in terms of changing my mindset and doing all the things.

Kenetia (41:00.301) Hmm.

Kenetia (41:04.141) Mm-hmm.

Kenetia (41:53.687) Yes.

Kenetia (42:02.467) Good.

Kenetia (42:23.193) Okay.

Bianca Lynn (42:26.189) And then What’s Mine is Mine is just, that’s always going to stay. Like I love those conversations. So I, even though it’s a lot, my Instagram is Busy Bianca, and I made it that years ago. And I’m like, I sometimes I’m like, I need to change it to Yacht Life Bianca, you know, I just want to be on a boat. I find it. Yeah. Yeah. I think, yeah, you know, I’m like, because these podcasts are like conversations that I naturally have. It feels easier to be able to incorporate it. And because it’s mine and it’s not for anyone else, all of the pressures for success in like episode numbers, I don’t have that. So if there is a season or a time in my life where I don’t put that many episodes out, fine. But as long as I haven’t stopped completely, then I’m on track.

Kenetia (42:37.293) Go!

Kenetia (42:45.101) Right, right. Projection, right? Projection. I feel you on that.

Kenetia (43:12.131) Okay.

Celebrate & Chill: Quick-Fire Questions

Kenetia (43:22.083) I love it. That’s wonderful. Okay, so we have 10 minutes to go. I have some crazy, just little stupid, or not so stupid, but they’re just like little questions that I think at the end of each of the podcasts, I’d like to ask. What is some of your favorite or what is one of your favorite event foods?

Bianca Lynn (43:43.734) One of my favorite event foods would probably be chicken tenders. They’re just quick to grab. They’ll fill you up. People eat cold chicken. It’s one thing to eat cold chicken off the bone than just eating a cold chicken tender. So I’m like, if it’s been sitting, I can grab it and go.

Kenetia (43:45.208) Yeah.

Kenetia (43:56.089) I love it. Yep. Okay, great. If you like when you or if you, you know, I don’t know if you are on any carnival rides or if you go to carnivals or festivals or anything like that, but what is one of your favorite like carnival or theme park rides to go on?

Bianca Lynn (44:24.107) The fastest one and the most scariest one. And I love to sit in the front. A few months ago—yes—a few months ago, I went to Six Flags. It’s not far from my house. I went by myself. I got the FastPass. And because I was alone, it was—I went on, I think if there’s like 13 thrill rides, I went on 12 out of them. I don’t like to do the pendulum swing. Don’t have me swinging all around, no. Everything else, I’m here for, and I was in the front of so many rides, smiling, looking for the cameras. It’s so fun.

Kenetia (44:26.137) Yeah.

Kenetia (44:30.168) What?

Kenetia (44:35.542) Uh-huh.

Kenetia (44:55.691) Okay, I love it. I love it. Okay. And if you were to create your most favorite, I don’t know, brand to do an event for, like, what would it be? Or, or if you—okay, so I’m going to say it differently. Is there a brand that you wish that you could create an event for and why?

Bianca Lynn (45:30.625) Right now, there’s no one that comes to mind because for a long time, I wanted to work with Amazon Music, and that is—I have a contract with them right now, so I’m working with them. Because I love music, and those are my favorite. Like, I will go to concerts all the time. I’ll be by myself at a concert. So working in the music space where I don’t have to necessarily do the content, where I can be on the ground and like hear the music and see the people really enjoy the moment, like that’s what comes to mind. So I think like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Yeah.

Kenetia (45:34.157) Okay.

Kenetia (46:05.109) I love it. I love it. Absolutely. Okay. Close to the last one. What advice would you give to someone coming up in the events industry world, like coming from where you are right now?

Bianca Lynn (46:21.015) Have fun. Just have fun. It’s not about the egos. It’s about the fans’ experience. And if you are having fun, and if that’s the energy that you’re putting into it, that’s the energy that they will feel and will gravitate to and contribute to making it such a memorable moment. I think like, yes, we put a lot of stress on ourselves to make sure that it’s perfect and safe and clean and all of the things. So there’s going to be moments where you’re stressed. But when you, when you take a step back, it’s like, “I’m stressed out at this Big Sean concert. Like this is still really fun,” you know? So have fun with it. If it’s not fun, then don’t do it.

Kenetia (46:29.081) Mmm.

Kenetia (46:52.045) Wait, what?

Kenetia (47:02.488) Right.

Kenetia (47:06.229) I love it. Yeah. Well, I do know that event producers attribute the stress of an event producer to that of a firefighter. So it’s stressful. It’s stressful, right? And I do get like, you, you are looking to make the your client happy, make the audience experience happy. You know, like there’s all this buildup for you because you know what it is that went into it to have that work. And so honestly, what is it that you do in the moment when things are on freaking fire to really center yourself and let yourself know like it will be okay?

Bianca Lynn (48:01.582) Well, I’m going to be honest, immediately I start sweating and I start pacing back and forth. I probably start texting and, “Okay, this is what’s going on. I need to call someone.” But lately I’ve been—I give myself all the grace in the space. And then I take a minute and I’m like, “Okay, breathe, just breathe. Go outside, take a deep breath in, deep breath out. What is the plan?” And I try to be resourceful. Like being single, I have to make all the choices. I don’t want to make all the choices. And this—this laid-off moment really showed me I got to rely on God. I got to rely. If there’s no one else around me, no job, whatever, put it, give it to God. And learning and doing that, I’m making sure to do that in my daily life and with others, right? So if something’s happening, and I’m going to be honest, I’m going to be very transparent, especially in the moment of stress. I’m going to say, “I don’t like this. I don’t know what to do. Can you talk to this person?” I’m going to give you all the context. I may tell you too much information. I’m just putting it all out there because I’m literally trying to figure it out in real time. I think things through. I talk things out loud or think things out loud, and that’s it. I breathe, I try to connect with someone. I’m very honest about it. And they’ll let me know. And then I think whoever it is I’m talking to, they’ll start to hear me kind of coming down, and maybe that’s when I’ll apologize or be like, “Okay, thank you so much,” like, you know, whatever the case may be. And then that’s it.

Kenetia (49:34.601) That was amazing. So honestly, my heart to your heart, you are a wonderful human being. Again, pleasure to have connected with you. I also think that you’re a Leo. Am I correct in thinking that? Or Sagittarius.

Bianca Lynn (49:43.757) Thank you.

Bianca Lynn (49:51.219) No, I’m a Sagittarius.

Kenetia (49:53.219) That’s what it is. Is it Sagittarius? Because I remember there was something about our suns that connected me to you. My mom’s a Sagittarius, and I’m a Leo. So I have a special affinity for Sagittarius is, like, period. So thank you, thank you, thank you for all your insight and wonderful energy. I know for sure, wherever you go in your career, you’re going to be successful.

Bianca Lynn (50:04.755) Okay, that’s higher.

Bianca Lynn (50:10.292) Yes.

Bianca Lynn (50:22.903) Thank you.

Kenetia (50:22.969) in every which way as you keep yourself centered and what is easy and what feels good to you. You literally cannot go wrong. So from my heart to yours, thank you for being here. And for the rest of you all, thank you for tuning into this episode of Celebrate & Chill. I hope you’re walking away with some new insights and fresh ideas and maybe even a little—I think a lot—of inspiration from Bianca to make your next event not just memorable, but meaningful. Remember, it’s the small intentional efforts that add up to big, giant impacts on your guests, on your team, and even on the planet. Have a wonderful day.

Bianca Lynn (51:15.297) Thank you, bye!

Kenetia (51:16.301) Thanks, Bianca. Take care.