Every Port a Purpose with Kameelah Howard | Ship's Log #22

"It is a true honor and gift to be able to assist those people at that moment, at that very time. I believe in divine timing... that always will stay with me - knowing how important it is to always stay in gratitude whenever a person is vulnerable with you, because they don't have to be." 

Episode Summary 

Kameelah Howard has spent her entire adult life in service to others - as a Child Protective Specialist on the front lines of Brooklyn, as an international flight attendant navigating chaos at 35,000 feet, and as a licensed massage therapist bringing physical relief and human presence to people facing serious illness. In this episode, she shares what the common thread through all of it has always been: the privilege of being trusted with someone else's vulnerability. 

 Kameelah and Jeanne talk about what it means to truly connect with people - why Kameelah asks "are you calling to vent or for feedback?" before a conversation goes anywhere - and how a toddler's instinct to walk up and down her tired sister's back planted a seed that would take decades to fully bloom. She talks about the friend who let her in at his lowest moment, and what that taught her about what it really means to show up for someone. 

 Kameelah is now pursuing her Master's in Social Work, with her sights set on medical social work. The catalyst? A Beyonce concert, a morphing dress, and a voice that said - you're going to go back to school. And she did. Two Truths and a Lie settles a question she's been fielding her whole life: just how many sevens does one person's birthday actually need? 

Guest Links 

LinkedIn:
http://linkedin.com/in/kameelah-howard-43183015b 

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Transcript

Intro – Meet Kameelah Howard & Her Journey

Jeanne 0:02

Welcome to Project Candor. Today we welcome Kameelah Howard. Kameelah has lived a life rooted in service and connection. She earned her BA in psychology and began her career as a child protective specialist in Brooklyn, supporting vulnerable families. From there, she spent over seven years traveling the world as an international flight attendant before finding her calling as a licensed massage therapist, a role she held for more than a decade, including work supporting clients facing serious illnesses. Currently, Kameelah is pursuing her master's in social work, continuing her commitment to helping others navigate life's challenges with care and compassion. She describes herself as someone who values meaningful relationships and authentic connection. And she believes deeply that we're not meant to do life alone. Kameelah, welcome. I'm so happy to see you again.

Kameelah Howard 0:56

Oh, likewise, likewise. It's been a long time coming with scheduling and all the things or whatever, but I'm very excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Oh, I'm so glad you're here.

Jeanne 1:07

So, what we're gonna do is we're gonna start with some questions and uh then we'll go into our fun game, uh, and then we'll uh talk about how people can get in touch with you. So, are you ready to start with the questions? Absolutely.

A Career Rooted in Service & Connection

Jeanne 1:20

Great. Okay, so I'm gonna get started with a biggie. When you look back at your career path, child protective services, flight attendant, massage therapy, and now social work, what thread connects all of those for you?

Kameelah Howard 1:35

Every single capacity that I think of my lifelong career as working, because I've literally been working since I'm about 14 years old. It's always been uh meaning of service and enhancing other people's lives, and how can I be of service in order to do that? So there's been different ways in order to facilitate these services, like with child protective services, understanding the law, knowing how to be able to affect be an effective change agent in people's lives, tutoring, ensuring that all the children in New York were safe. So even if the allegations were valid or invalid, it was our duty to ensure that these people were protected and that the parents were doing right by their children within means of uh discipline. So uh if there's parenting groups that need to be facilitated, if they need to be removed from the situation temporarily and in placement, all those things had to be done with care and effectiveness. But what I think is one of the most stratifying points is is how they were able to impact me in order for me to be a better person, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and knowing how to be able to communicate effectively. I took on that job when I was about 21 years old, so that was like my first real big girl job. And it taught me so much. And what I would also say was like mainly how to be able to communicate effectively and uh speak with respect and and being able to pace because whenever you're talking about when you talk about people's uh parents and and their children, people are very, very I don't want to say defensive, but it's a very serious subject matter. So knowing how to be able to navigate that and de-escalate uh high tension was uh one of the main things that that I've taken away from that, and moving on to being a flight attendant, again, knowing how to de-escalate, knowing how to read people, knowing how to be of service, but also standing firm on what the FAA requirements were. A lot of people get into the air and they feel as if they're lawless, like

Lessons from Child Protective Services

Kameelah Howard 3:45

but but no, you still have to sit down, like you still need to follow the rules and regulations, but knowing knowing how to be able to say professionally has been a meaningful benefit that I have received with being a flight attendant. And also learning about people culturally, because uh like the majority of my time that I was with Continental Airlines, it was on an international level, so I can only name you the places that I haven't been compared to the places that I have been. So I'm very, very grateful for that experience. And when it comes to massage therapy, I'm a natural healer. And uh so whenever you're dealing with people with chronic illnesses, and knowing that uh that the mind and body is so interconnected, like I could be working on somewhere in your in your shoulders and your scapula area, and you're gonna feel uh a release like in your brain, and you can feel like a tingless sensation in your fingers, and knowing how to be able to do that. I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of a boost to the ego, but it's also something that that I value very deeply. Um, having the honor to be able to work on my parents. I've worked on my dad when he was alive, and that was one thing that that led me to moving into being a massage therapist whenever he was dying of cancer. I was the only one that he had allowed to massage his feet and his legs, get him turned over. And that spoke to me spiritually, and that's whenever I knew it's like, okay, well, now I need to do another career change.

Jeanne 5:17

Wow. Well, I want to poke at that a little bit because all of these things are just amazing. But I see them as just a personal relationship with people that you have, and this is what I love because I love this podcast being because we get personal with people, but child protective services. I'm starting there because I adopted children, and I know you were 21, you said. Yes. And I know a lot of times when I would take my kids to therapy or just even to talk to the social workers, um, they would be really young ones. So you didn't have any children at that point, right?

Kameelah Howard 5:52

No, I did not. And and that was also a barrier that I felt that was challenging because one of the first questions I would get from parents was, but do you have children?

Jeanne 6:03

Yes. I can agree that that would be a question because I ask it many times. It's like, how can you tell me what I'm supposed to do? Because I'm saying these children are waking up with tremendous nightmares. Oh, just do this. I'm like, we already tried that. We already tried that, we already tried that. And they would tell me. And so I go, Do you have children? I'm sorry, go ahead with that.

Kameelah Howard 6:26

No, well, I empathize with that and I understand where where it's coming from because uh most people would have the ideology of, you know, well, you can't really tell me how to navigate this particular situation without having your own interaction and your own personal experience. Where I will say I am the ultimate auntie. I have been an auntie for a very long time. I'm very instrumental in not only my my nieces and nephews' lives, but also in the lives of other people and their children. And then also it's about the education. Not everyone is going to be privy to certain parenting skills or certain things that uh that may or may not benefit. But what I think was most important is having that transparency and honesty and saying, okay, well, no, I do not have children. I understand and I respect your position on that. However, can I offer one, two, three, or ABC in order to alleviate whatever is going on within the household? I may not have all the answers, and that's where you call in your supervisors, you call in your managers,

Life as an International Flight Attendant

Kameelah Howard 7:30

you call in other experts in order to better educate myself in order to be a vehicle of change for whatever is going on within that control. Yeah.

Jeanne 7:39

Yeah, because it's a it it makes me, I mean, I feel bad when when children get taken away from their actual biological parents. But um, I was so amazed at the kids that we had in foster and then adopted that um didn't get fed, didn't get clean clothes, that didn't have a bed to sleep on. So that has to be a very deep and committed job for you because not everybody can handle that. So I give you hats off and kudos for that. The next one, flight attendant. Yeah, you're right. People get up in the air. I was just getting at the hairdresser, I was just listening to somebody talking about flying for free. They got free points or something. Um, and then they they decided they when they flew free, they didn't get their seats together. So a couple people said, Oh, let's change seats so you can all sit together. And that just made the airlines so mad with those people that they didn't feed them the whole flight from like Australia back to US. And I was like, oh my gosh, I see all these videos of flight things that happened. It must have been hairy, hair raising for you to be an attendant.

Kameelah Howard 8:53

That sounds so uh crazy. Inhumane, because think about from the US to Australia, that's at least 20 plus hours, I would say, depending on what part of the US that you're coming from. But either way, let's say on average, that's 24 hours without having any food or water. I would have definitely reported that particular crew, because that just doesn't make any sense. I mean, and people do have the right to be able to do seat changes. I don't see what the problem is with that.

Jeanne 9:27

Um You don't know, but I mean it is just crazy because that had to, you had to have so much patience to just do that because it is a mayhem up in the air sometimes when you're trying to fly, especially international.

Kameelah Howard 9:41

Well, I'll I'll say my very first flight when I was a flight attendant, I was going from New York to Orlando and Orlando, Florida, and um people were were rushing to get on the plane. You see, rush, rush, rush, and they start fighting over overhead bend space. And so it was just like, you can't put your bag next to my back, black. And then they just these two people, called people, just started cursing each other out and fussing and fighting. And the first thing I said to them was just like, well, either way, you're gonna have to work this out. No one owns the particular space over the overhead bin. However, if you're not able to sit down and put your seatbelts on, then we're gonna have to remove the both of you from the plane. And then like you're cursing and fighting in front of the children, you're cursing and fighting in front of grandma and grandpa. Like, I don't know what else is going on, but either you're gonna have to work it out, sit down, keep your mouth, and put your seatbelt on, or you could just go ahead and take those bags from the overhead then and be excellent off.

Jeanne 10:45

Yeah. There's a million stories you could go into. I just know it. We could have a whole podcast on like flight, yeah, things that happen in the airplane.

Kameelah Howard 10:57

But do you know how fast they sat down and and got themselves together? Because it's it's it's because it's really not that serious. I mean, their bad sort of overhead band.

Jeanne 11:06

Yeah, exactly. Well, then you went into massage therapy, which is very cool because that is another personal connection with people. So you you really have um

Stories from the Air – Managing People in Chaos

Jeanne 11:15

really moved yourself through like a definite impact on other people's lives. So I just think that's wonderful. So I have another question. Uh, you spent much of your life in roles that care for others. Where do you think you got that instinct from?

Kameelah Howard 11:33

I would say being the youngest of my family, it has always been an honor to be able to look up to my big sisters. They've paved the way in so many different ways. And there's at least like a 10 plus year gap between us. Uh while my sisters, uh, she was working at Roy Rogers. I'm dating myself. So Roy Rogers is like an Arby's like thing, right? The fast food chicken joint in in New York. And she was really exhausted. She was in high school and she was just like, Oh, D, you know, just um, I'm gonna lay on the floor and I just want you to walk up and down my back. That's it. I was like, okay, well, at the time I'm a little girl, so I'm the perfect size to walk up and down. And of course, at that time, I wasn't sure whatever I was doing, but I knew what I was doing was helping my big sister in a way that she trusted me in order to do that. And I think that that was one of the seeds that's been planted in my core, one of my core memories is uh of knowing how to be able to navigate life, knowing how to positively impact people's lives, and what does it take in order for me to be a better vessel in order to do those things? So I was probably like four, four years old.

Jeanne 12:54

Nice. Yeah. So and the Roy Rogers thing came in because she was standing a lot, I'm guessing, so she hurt a lot. So yeah, I can see how that could impact you and think that boy, this is a good thing to do for people. Yeah, absolutely. So working with people in vulnerable moments just like that one changes you. So how has it shaped how you see people?

Kameelah Howard 13:16

I would say being able to be accepting of however people come in. Some people come in extremely anxious, angry, depressed. A lot of different emotions, especially in in today's climate, you have so many different variables that's going to affect how people interact with each other. So I feel like one of my main superpowers is knowing how to transmute that or understand how I can work around all those things in order for me to be able to get my point across with being able to assist them. Sometimes it can be challenged more challenging than others, but I will say for for the most part, I do have uh a good ability a good ability to be able to read people's energy and um and just being more accepting. Because sometimes, you know, people have very valid reasons for, you know, for their anger or for their depression, and just being able to acknowledge that and affirm it, but then also give them tools to be able to to combat what does all that look like and how can I be able whenever I have a conversation with any of my really good girlfriends and they're venting around something, they call me and they're upset. And it's just like one of my first questions is always meant to be, are you calling to vent or are you calling for feedback?

Jeanne 14:39

Oh, that's a good way to uh that's a good way to start a conversation. I should try that.

Kameelah Howard 14:44

Yeah, it it definitely helps because some because some people, you know, they really don't want you to have the answers. They just want me to get it off their chest. And though and those are valid reasons, but also being able to be of better assistance, I'm working on my ability to be a better listener. I don't retain information as well as I would like to. So I'm working on myself in order to to still up my skills when it comes to interacting with people.

Jeanne 15:10

Well, that's a good answer. Thank you for that. And another question. Yeah. Uh you've done massage work with people facing serious illness. What has that taught you about presence and compassion?

Kameelah Howard 15:24

One of the main things that it's taught me is to always be in gratitude and understand that it's

From Travel to Healing – Becoming a Massage Therapist

Kameelah Howard 15:30

a true honor and gift to be able to assist those people at that moment at the very time. I believe in divine timing. And I had a friend, his name was Ron Booker, and he was um a really big, strong, strapping guy. He used to play bass in my church, and he worked out all the time. He was a vegetarian, he used to, you know, he used to preach to me all the time about, you know, eating healthy and doing all things. And unfortunately, he had um he had gotten cancer real bad. And so he shut his doors, he wasn't allowing anyone to come in and see about him. One of the other parishioners, uh, Khadijah, Khadijah called him and said, Listen, why are we coming over there and we're gonna take care of you? And she was just very like, I'm not taking no for an answer. So once Khadijah opened the door, he allowed herself and myself to come and visit him and to see how the disease had just taken him all the way down. Like he was, you know, really thin and he was frail. And um, you know, I was talking about his levels of pain, and and he was telling me like where it hurts the most. And he was saying it was his lower back and it was in his glute area. Whenever he allowed me the honor to be able to not only turn him over, but to work on his glutes and to work on his lower back and to, you know, and and give him exactly what it was he needed, that memory will always stay with me when knowing how important it is to always stay in gratitude whenever a person is vulnerable with you. Because they don't have to be. And that also shows that level of trust that uh you're going to do the best of your ability to take care of them in that moment and move them forward. So I'm not sure if that was an answer to the question, but Yes, it did.

Jeanne 17:20

It did. I it that got really interpersonal. I could tell you were struggling with how to explain what was going on with your friend because you must have cared about him quite deeply. Absolutely. But um it reminds me of I know you have faith in um God, and that's the washing of feet is kind of like that, a very humbling experience. I always couldn't get that one. I'm still struggling with that one because I don't really like feet that much. So if somebody came in and said, Oh, this would be your humbling experience, uh, wash this person's feet, I I might not be able to do it. So I have to give you a lot of credit for because you see people when they're at their worst. I mean, you know, their body may be emaciated or it may have sores or it may just have things that you know you have to overlook. So, you know, you're quite phenomenal here. I'm I'm learning a lot from you. So you are funny too. Um, you say you don't like small talk. That you are into meaningful relationships and they're vital to you, and that you want a meaningful connection with people. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Kameelah Howard 18:33

I I realize that small talk is whenever you're in the elevator and you're going up a couple of floors, and oh, well, how's the weather and how's the center? Okay, that's appropriate.

Working with Illness, Loss & Human Vulnerability

Kameelah Howard 18:45

But if we're coming into each other's lives for a purpose and a reason, I want to be able to get to okay, well, what is it that I can learn from this person and what are some of the things it is that they're seeking from me? And that takes time and that takes effort, that takes just being able to know yourself enough to know that I'm willing to put forth what it takes in order for that to happen. I understand that uh seasons happen. Some people are gonna be in your life for 2.2 seconds, and then some are gonna be here for for 20, 30, 40 years plus if you're blessed enough to have that. And I just feel like, okay, well, meaningful conversations is gonna go so much further than being able to say, Oh, well, you have a cute dog. I don't have a cute dog, thank you. But like, but where are we going here? Like, I feel like life is just so much bigger, and we have so much to share and so much to give. Why not give it? Why not share it? Right.

Jeanne 19:48

I I still get that. I mean, that's why I love doing this podcast because it's you know, what people don't know about you and me as that you have a sister that I know, and then I think she's a fantastic person. And then you you and I have talked before and we've texted, and you know, but we just met. So virtually, uh, you know, I've learned so much about you, and and now I know that I could call you a friend. But if I didn't know these things about you, it would have just been passing the night, okay, you're her sister, yeah, nice to meet you, whatever. But no, I mean, I want a relationship with you now. And I think that you are hitting on something that people miss because on this show, people have done things that are amazing. And they're not gonna walk a red carpet because you are gifted and massaging cancer patients, but you should. And I and I I think the flight attendant thing, I mean, you might get some awards for that. But the the social worker, the you know, child protective services, what a phenomenal thing that you have been doing. And you, you know, you deserve, you know, to walk on the red carpet for that. And and I'm so thankful that I've gotten to meet you through Beverly.

Kameelah Howard 21:08

Likewise, thank you. I mean, no, I I am truly honored whenever Beverly had presented this whole opportunity to me. I was just like, okay, well, well, what is this about and all kinds of stuff? But then I really started illuminating on, you know, how this could uh help change people's lives. I would hope for the better and for the possible, but I also am illuminating on what my legacy is going to be when I'm no longer here. Great.

Jeanne 21:36

Great.

Kameelah Howard 21:39

You know, facilitate where I personally spiritually would like to go. Because there's so many other like I I still feel as if I'm a baby. Even though I'm gonna turn around, I'm gonna bat my eyes, and I'm gonna be fifty. I still feel like you're the baby of the bunch, though.

Jeanne 21:56

You are.

Kameelah Howard 21:57

Yeah. So um I still feel like I'm a toddler in so many things it is that I that I would like to accomplish before I transcend. So I I would thank you. I thank you in advance for this opportunity. And hopefully, again, people will be edified by this interaction.

Jeanne 22:16

I think so. And, you know, I I used to think that like when I was growing up, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I really just didn't. And I'm like a cat that lands on their feet, you know, because I had a whole bunch of loss in my younger years and I really didn't know what to do. But I knew that a job would work. I needed one of those. And so I just grabbed what I thought I could do. And first it was being in the military, and then after that, project management. But I think people need to hear stories from people that experience things just like you because they might be struggling with what do I want to do with myself? And you presenting here that you have this intensive connection to people where you want to help them, and you can see it through your career so far. And now you're going after your social work degree. So what made you want to do that after all of your other accomplishments?

Kameelah Howard 23:12

Well, so there goes another story. Okay. But I think you'll be able to figure out when you get to the question of the two truths and a lie. So don't give anything away. Oh, I can't give it a well, not yet. We'll get over there in a minute. Okay, so then I'll say that I was in I was at an event and it was a life-changing event, and I had a message that I received.

Jeanne 23:43

And when I received that message during the event, voila That's what sent you into this social work realm. That's a hard degree. A master's is hard to get. It's a big discipline.

Kameelah Howard 23:53

Oh God, yes, yes. And I and I'm doing it online. So just meaning to have the discipline of putting everything in my phone to ensure that I'm doing all of the assignments, being on top of my my student advisor if I have any questions, because I'm always having some type of question or some kind of challenge. But it is rewarding because it is it is keeping me grounded. I'm quite busy. However, by the end of 2027 is whenever I'll whenever the program will be finished. And I'm just so looking forward to

The Power of Presence, Compassion & Trust

Kameelah Howard 24:30

what life is gonna hold for me and how I'm going to continue to be able to, you know, be the best version of myself and what all that looks like.

Jeanne 24:38

So is there a focus in the masters that you're looking at at like a special area?

Kameelah Howard 24:44

Well, I wouldn't say that there's a focus at this point because now I'm I'm going into my my third quarter. So we're gonna be doing field placement very soon. And I'm looking to get into medical social work. I have a couple of connections with uh with some higher-ups in uh Texas Health Hospital, and I'm looking forward to being able to utilize these connections so that I'll be able to be an intern there. I'm looking forward again to to be of service and learning everything it is that that that I needed to learn in order for me to just continuously progress and and what does all that look like?

Jeanne 25:25

You haven't always been from Texas, right? Oh God, no. Yeah, you have no Texas accent. I've waited for you're not drawling drawling out at all.

Kameelah Howard 25:35

No, a month after I was born, I was born in Arkansas and uh and my parents moved to to Staten Island, New York. So they moved in August of 77, and so I spent the majority of my years in in New York. And uh I moved to Dallas in um August of 2020, so so it'll make six years. I moved during the pandemic, which was wild and crazy. Everyone thought it was crazy, and I was just like, well, yeah, you should be used to that.

Jeanne 26:07

Well, this has been fun. So now uh we're gonna transition to uh two truths and a lie. You ready to go? Absolutely. All right, so for those who are new to the podcast, my guest has provided me with three headlines, and they are unexpected stories from her life. So I'm gonna read them out and then I'm gonna guess which one is the lie. So she's not gonna let on which one is the lie, but then at the end after she explains all these stories, then I'll see if I got it right. This episode is sponsored by Rebel 180, the home of brave pivots and fresh starts. Rebel 180 is all about helping you rediscover what's possible when you stop settling and start listening to that little tug inside that says, Life can be different. Whether you're navigating a career shift, dreaming about a new direction, or standing at the crossroads wondering if it's time for your own 180-degree turn, Rebel 180 is a reminder you don't need permission to change your story. And now, as we open the door to our second sponsor, we're stepping into the world of tech. Simple socket print, the lightweight blazing fast label print solution designed for those who need reliability without the bloat. With version 1.5, you get instant printing in milliseconds, fully maintained print sequence, and automatic base 64 decoding all without needing print driver installs. If you're running SQL Server 2016 or newer, SimpleSocket Print 1.5 drops right in and gets to work. Keep your workflow simple, keep your label printing fast with Simple Socket Print. Thank you to our sponsors. All right, so story number one is God spoke to Camila in the middle of a Beyoncé concert.

Where Her Caregiving Instinct Comes From

Jeanne 28:00

This one is gonna be fun. And he kind of alluded to it earlier. Number two, a Mickey Mouse super fan is a toddler. Camila grabbed his tail at Disney on ice and asked, Are you the real Mickey Mouse? I can see you doing that. Most people will say, Are you the real Santa? Uh number three, Camila was born 7777, and she is her mother's seventh child born at 7 a.m. Oh man. That's at least it wasn't 6, 6, 6. Everybody gets all freaked out over 66. Okay. So I'm gonna guess that number two that you didn't grab a skating Mickey Mouse's tail. I'm just gonna say that. I think that's a lie, but I don't know. So I'm gonna turn it over to you now to go over your story. So start with number one.

Kameelah Howard 29:01

Well, yeah, so one of my sisters had gifted me the gift of Beyoncé. She went to a couple of her concerts and she was telling me how awesome it was. And so, like two days later, she emailed me a ticket to see her in Houston. So I, yeah, I was like, say less. I booked my hotel and I get my outfit and everything together. And there was a part of the show where she her dress just started changing and morphing. You know how you have those uh those neon signs that'll do like different elaborate things. So her dress was doing all of this all at one time, and she was singing opera, like she was literally singing opera, and her dress just changing and morphing. It was like Cinderella style, and my mouth is on the floor, and in that moment, God said, You're gonna go back to school. And I said, Okay, and so and maybe like a month or so later, I start doing all my investigative work and uh and landed the opportunity to to attend Walden University, and that's then that's my story. Uh like whenever people say people have life-changing moments at a Beyonce concert, I believe them because it absolutely changed my life. I if you would have asked me two years ago whether I'd be in grad school right now, I'd tell you, oh God, no. But here we are.

Jeanne 30:26

I wonder what that was all about. I don't know. It's she her her lights and her opera got you there, I guess.

Kameelah Howard 30:34

Absolutely. And and I also feel it's it's her artistry, her her dedication to being an artist and putting on such a phenomenal show. I think that she is one of the hardest women, hardest working women that I've ever, you know, witnessed with my own eyes. And so definitely an inspiration on a multitude of levels, you know, to do your due diligence, to work hard at being great with what it is you do in life. So yeah.

Jeanne 31:02

So maybe it could have been that you were standing there thinking how phenomenal that was, and then just thinking, what is my Beyoncé colored outfit with the opera, the beautiful opera? And then you heard gonna go back to school. I don't know. I'm just guessing.

Kameelah Howard 31:22

Yes. Okay, I know we're going off script, but a couple of years ago, I wanted to do a paint and sip for my birthday, and this was like years ago, but this was Beyonce, the divine sanctions. I said, That's wild. Yeah, I was like, yeah.

Jeanne 31:42

She looks very white though.

Kameelah Howard 31:44

I can't know she's very much brown. Oh, even the light.

Jeanne 31:51

Yeah, it's it's a beautiful picture, though. Oh, but that's cool. You did that, huh?

Kameelah Howard 31:58

Yeah, I painted that.

Seeing People Clearly in Difficult Moments

Jeanne 32:00

Nice. Well, thanks for sharing that. All right, so go to the next one. Now don't tell us about two or three, just go ahead and explain them. Make your mouth.

Kameelah Howard 32:08

Okay, so coming up in Staten Island, New York, we had the opportunity of um uh Disney on ice. They they came to town and you know, it was absolutely packed. I remember I was probably what I don't know if anyone can remember when they were like three years old, but life-changing moments they do happen, and and it's just like the excitement. I love, I used to love Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I thought they were fun environment. Oh, and Sesame Street. So so I've I've learned so much in those formative years. And they just kept, you know, skating around, skating around, doing their little tricks and everything. And then I noticed that they just kept getting closer and closer to where we were. And I was just like, oh, I have this burning question. Like, I need to know, like I absolutely need to know whether or not this is the real Mickey Mouse because you've seen so many different kinds. Like I knew that there were some in Florida and and ones in California. Now I didn't know where the all I knew was that those are two different places, they were not the same place. But I just know dream graphics because I'm a kid, but I just knew they weren't the same place. And my thing was I want to know, are you the real one? Which one are you? Are you just you know, are you playing around or are you the real one? So I bent over and I grabbed at the tail and I stopped him and I and I asked those this is a very important question for a child.

Jeanne 33:37

Very important. You didn't trip him up though, you didn't fall on his face or anything like that.

Kameelah Howard 33:42

No, no, no, no. You he stopped and you know, and I asked the question, and then you know, they everybody went on about their way. I mean, they had to get me off the railing. So, what was his answer?

Jeanne 33:55

He said yes. Oh, very nice. So you actually saw the reel making out nice for you. Wow. I bet you were like dreaming about that the rest of the night and the weeks to come.

Kameelah Howard 34:11

Well, who's who's this bold little girl just grabbing it?

Jeanne 34:17

That one's nice. All right, so go on to number three. Were you the seventh child born with all those sevens and everything?

Kameelah Howard 34:25

Yes. So my birthday is July 7th of 77. I am the child, I'm uh I'm the last child of my mother. My mother had given birth to seven children, and I was born at 7 a.m. So whenever I decided it was ready for me to be incarnated, I told God, I want to be special. How can I be special? And then just gave me all these sevens to be special.

Jeanne 34:51

Yeah. That's nice. That's nice. All right. Well, that's a lot of sevens for sure. So uh out of two and three, I thought two was wrong because I didn't think your mom would let you jump over or lean over a rail and grab a tail anyway. Did I get it right or am I wrong?

Kameelah Howard 35:10

Well, you're wrong. Oh which one's the lie? The lie is that I was born at 7 a.m. I am, I have been born, I was born 7777. I am my mother's seventh child, but I was not born at 7 a.m. Oh. Do you know when?

Jeanne 35:28

What time? Oh,

Meaningful Relationships vs Small Talk

Jeanne 35:30

4 52 a.m. Oh, okay. All right, well, that's off of seven, but that's interesting. You do have a lot of sevens. That's fun. Oh, that's fun. You have been such a great guest. I'm so happy you came on. And, you know, I know people, I know you don't really have a formal business right now, but I know people will want to get in touch with you. So I want to provide a way that they can do that. And also, also, you have this fantastic quote that you feel means something to you. And I really loved it when I read it. I don't think I've ever heard that. So can you talk about your quote here from Muhammad Ali?

Kameelah Howard 36:08

Yes, from from the greatest boxer that's ever lived, in my opinion, Muhammad Ali. One of his many quotes was service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. And I wholeheartedly commit and believe in that. Everything doesn't have to be a financial currency. Uh I I think our lives are far more impactful whenever there's a spiritual connection, there is a meaningful connection. Uh, you you can do so many things, you know, for people other than throwing money at it. So to being of service is again an honor and privilege in in my book. And then and doing things with with a full heart and gratitude is what's for foremost important to me.

Jeanne 36:53

That's beautiful. I love it. I really do love that. Um, and you also said that you um really if anybody wanted to reach out to you, because we can see things are gonna unfold from you as you go forward with your degree and whatever you decide to focus on. And I know you had talked about writing a book when we talked earlier. So I I just wait for good things to more good things to come from you. But right now, if anybody wants to get in touch with Camila, they can look at her on LinkedIn. She'd be more than happy to respond to you if you message her. And then you ask for a call to action instead of something for yourself, you ask people to prioritize their mental health. Do you got anything you want to add to that?

Kameelah Howard 37:35

Well, what I think is most important is realizing and recognizing that we are incapable of controlling other people. The only individuals that we have the ability to affect change for the most part is ourselves. So taking care of your mental health is just so paramount. And knowing how to be able to navigate life whenever you know that that there is something that is going on that is negatively affecting you, just being okay with recognizing that and getting the help it is that you need. And there's no, there should be no shame, there shouldn't be any ill or negative uh feelings towards that, because I think it's a sign of strength and resilience and being able to take care of yourself as as most effectively as you can. So checking in with yourself and getting the professional help and tool it is that you need in order for you to be able to have a productive, cohesive, balanced, healthy life.

Jeanne 38:33

That's fantastic. So you have been such a wonderful guest. Thank you so much for being on. And to the people listening, this is from your Admiral of the Unexpected. I hope you join us next episode. And until then, smooth sailing. Bye. Bye. Thank you. Thanks for joining me on Project Candor, where the doors are open, the stories are unexpected, and the treasure is always real. If today's episode made you laugh or think, follow the show and share it with your crew. Otherwise, I might just make you swab the deck. I'm Jeanne Andersen, your Admiral of the Unexpected. See you on the next Voyage.