Name: Melissa L. Jones
Occupation: FoodTalksDC Content Creator + Edible Activist Podcast Host
City: Washington D.C. Metro Area
Superpower: My Joy
I love my job because…it illuminates my soul, brings me joy, and captures black food achievements, history and culture!
My dream is to….become the Oprah of food and agriculture, documenting over 10,000 stories of black and brown people in the food and farming space.
I made it this far in my career because…it was divine and I am deeply passionate about what I do.
My honest thoughts on balancing a love life and career are…(laughs), let’s see. Your partner needs to be secure in his/her life first. If this is not present, then you can forget about any type of balance or relationship for that matter. And to that note, I do not believe in balance honestly. I believe in managing priorities. If my love life is a priority, then I need to make room for it, same with my career. Make time, not excuses.
The last time I felt like giving up on my dreams was…a second ago. It’s an everyday battle. I have a quote on my vision board from Oprah that states, “every one of us is looking for the same thing – we want to know that we matter.” Does my work matter? Does anyone care? This is the struggle that I battle with a lot, but I am so committed to my work that I am going to do it regardless. I am not waiting for any “big breaks.” This is purpose-driven work for me.
The last time I cried was…three days ago. As you get older, reality starts to set in. I need to cry at least once a month anyway – great way to release.
I get through my darkest moments by...finding my joy. Joy can be at the health food store, a smoothie, bumping to Solange, and just being thankful.
The last time I looked in the mirror for self-reflection & self-evaluation was…everyday. I make it a point to look in the mirror every day and appreciate my flaws and bad-assness (laughs).
Self-love is important because…if you are unable to love yourself, no one else will. Knowing that you are uniquely designed is love and that DNA cannot be replicated.
Three things no one knows about me…in another life I want to be a DJ, only tried coffee once in my life, and I won the lottery in my dream before.
My three most memorable career moments were…starting my events business in 2009, successfully executing a kickstarter campaign in 2018, and starting my new media company this year.
I feel (unbothered) about the pressure women feel nowadays to look “perfect” on social media…
The best advice I ever received came from Grandma Catherine Simmons and it was…”keep trying, you got to do that.”
My future goals are…learn Spanish, meet Oprah, and buy land.
People with good vibes can find me at...(@foodtalksdc and on iTunes or Spotify for The Edible Activist Podcast)