The Playbook Podcast

Gabrielle Anderson on Mental Health, High-Stakes Sports & Her Journey to Entrepreneurship

February 15, 2024 Charlene Green & Allison Mathews Season 1 Episode 3

When the relentless pursuit of success meets the wall of mental health, even the most formidable athletes are put to the test. Enter Gabrielle Anderson, Harvard sophomore, Division I athlete, and custom shoe designer, who joins us on Second Shift Playbook to share her story of balancing high-stakes sports with the demands of academia. Together with Dr. Allison Mathews and Dr. Charlene Green, we honor her achievements and tackle the often-taboo subject of mental well-being in student-athletes, drawing inspiration from Serena Williams' candid dialogue about her personal struggles.

A winning team is more than just a collection of talent; it's a sanctuary from toxicity and a cradle for support, as Gabby's time at IMG Academy amidst a global pandemic proved. Our conversation veers into the mechanics of creating a non-toxic culture, both in sports and in life, with insights on the importance of 'Table Talks' and the role they play in ensuring a healthy competitive spirit. We also uncover the strength found in teammate bonds that extend beyond the playing field, revealing personal coping mechanisms for adversity and how these athletes navigate the high pressure to perform.

As we wrap up with our champion guest, we journey through self-care rituals that include everything from Asian TV dramas to an unwavering skincare routine, proving that relaxation and organization can be as simple as tapping into the Notes app. We reflect on the books that stir our hearts and the courage to lead in business, celebrating the rise of female entrepreneurs. This episode is an ode to the holistic health of those who dare to excel, and a heartfelt thank you to Gabrielle Anderson for sharing the playbook to her success.

Allison Mathews:

Welcome to Second Shift Playbook, the essential podcast for women navigating the dual demands of professional careers and home responsibilities. This show is dedicated to the millions of women who've had to make the tough choice between their careers and caring for their families, and to those who strive daily to balance both. In a world where women, especially women of color, in high stress fields like the medical sector and academia, face the daunting challenge of the Second Shift at home, we're here to offer support, guidance and empowerment. Our mission is to shine a light on the stories of resilience and determination, to discuss the policies and changes needed to support women fully and to explore how we can all contribute to a more equitable society. Each episode features conversations with trailblazing women like Tia Williams, the bestselling author and beauty editor at Tom Ford, lily Pantisarpe, an innovative account executive at Disney, pamela Price, the dedicated deputy director of Paul Mingilliad, and Michelle Geathers, the visionary chief diversity officer and head of corporate social responsibility at Visa. These remarkable women share their journeys, the obstacles they've overcome and their strategies for managing the complex interplay of work and home life.

Allison Mathews:

Second Shift Playbook isn't just a podcast. It's a movement towards creating a world where women don't have to choose between their careers and their families. As a PhD in sociology, public health researcher and entrepreneur, I have a deep understanding of stigma and discrimination, emotional intelligence, social psychology and stress management. I have dedicated my career to advocating for marginalized communities to access resources and am now committed to advocating for women to become financially independent and fully empowered to navigate life's challenges. Join us as we delve into the realities, the struggles and the victories of working women everywhere. Together, we can redefine what it means to work and live in harmony, supporting one another through the challenges of the Second Shift. Welcome to Second Shift Playbook.

Allison Mathews:

Welcome everyone to Second Shift Playbook. Second Shift Playbook is a podcast that provides professional women with advice and insights on how to succeed in the workplace and achieve work-life balance. I am Dr Allison Matthews, I'm a sociologist and I like to call myself a serial entrepreneur. I love music and all things supporting women and equity and all of that good stuff, and I'm here joined with my business partner and friend, dr Charlene Green. Why don't you introduce yourself.

Charlene Green:

Yes, I'm Charlene Green. I am an anesthesiologist board certified anesthesiologist who cares about empowerment of women and cares about the future generation of young people, particularly focusing on health, equity and climate change. I think we want to make the world a better place for those coming behind us, and that's who I am.

Allison Mathews:

Awesome. So today we are joined by Gabrielle Anderson. Gabrielle Anderson is a division one athlete who has spent a lot of time on the basketball court, and she does more than play sports she is an artist. She owns her own custom shoe company, groove Seedy by Gaby, and she also has had some amazing early projects with a WNBA legend, sue Bird. She lists her design for Sue Bird as one of her favorite projects, and she's also designed shoes for the NFL's MyCleat, mycos, nike's DIY with Kye Campaign and several NBA stars. Gabby welcome, yes, thank you. Happy to be here. Thanks for having me. You know, and the one thing I forgot, which is the most amazing part, is that you're a sophomore in college, at Harvard University, so that's amazing that you've accomplished so much at such a young age.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Thank you, Thank you.

Allison Mathews:

Charlene, what's going on in the news, oh?

Charlene Green:

my gosh. There's so much going on in the news. We could talk about many, many things, but since we have Gabrielle on today, I just, you know, had, just before we got started, as always, mentioned to her how we really appreciate the hard work that all athletes are doing, particularly female athletes. It's such hard work. Gabrielle, if I can mention this, knows my son from ICB and they did some amazing work there about advocating for students. Gabrielle may can elaborate on that if she uses to, but I saw how athletes they work so hard and they they get up early in the morning, they practice sometimes two to three times a day and they have to do strengthening and conditioning, but then they also have to be students and they have to perform academically. Many times they'll weigh a lot. We don't understand how they can get all this work done and have sanity. So today we want to just talk about mental health. I mean, I think they're the mental health crisis in this country. Sometimes we forget about students. We forget that they have to work about, they have to worry about their academics, their family life, their financial life and, just you know, being a part of a team and just being overwhelmed at time, forget about sleep and eating. So we just wanted to talk to Gabrielle a little bit about what's happening in the news recently, with just some of the what I thought was amazing that in November 2003.

Charlene Green:

One of my favorite goats of all times, Serena Williams, said "I am not okay, that's okay. That's okay to be not okay. No one is okay every single day. If you're not okay today, I'm with you, there's always tomorrow. Love you. What I love most about Serena Williams and her sister Venus is that they care about athletes. They really want to show that vulnerability about who they are so they can help people in real time and the next generation of athletes. I wanted to see what your thoughts were about that, gabby. I really respect the Venus sisters. I've had the opportunity of meeting Venus once, seeing Serena at a distance when they played tennis at the Green Brass long time ago, but they're true champions and they work really hard. What do you think about that?

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, I absolutely love the Williams sisters. They are amazing. Serena is definitely one of my idols. I love how powerful she is. But when it comes to mental health, especially in women's sports, I think it has been a really big thing, especially for black women in sports. I mean, you've definitely seen all the gymnasts Serena Williams had to take a step back, Naomi Osaka took a step back, Gabby Douglas, I mean Simone Biles. You see all these women at the peak of their game and as soon as they start getting amazing, they've all had to take steps back just because of the mental health and how they've been treated throughout their career.

Gabrielle Anderson:

I think one thing that should really be emphasized is just taking care of yourself and understanding that athletes are still people. I think a lot of times, as a woman, when you compete, people are very apt to nitpick how you look. That's one thing that's really hard. I mean, you're out there, you're competing, you're doing the things you're supposed to do and people are worried about if your hair is out of place. It gets crazy out there. But I think for anyone going into sports or who is feeling that negativity in sports, it's very good to have a support system around you who is going to uplift you, no matter what, because people are going to talk, no matter who you are. I mean, serena Williams has proved multiple times that she is the goat. She is that girl. But there's still going to be haters and they're going to have negative things to say. But it's because you have those people around you who have lifted you and know that they're going to tell you the truth. I think that's really helpful.

Charlene Green:

I was just going to mention. First of all, I'm going to let Allison talk a little bit about hair. I was sharing with her about my hair Allison, you share what your thoughts are and that I'll mention something about hair.

Allison Mathews:

Yeah, no, I was just thinking. There's so much pressure, especially for athletes, it's like a requirement that you have to make statements to the press and that you have to say and if you say anything wrong then that could be used against you. You're supposed to be seen as a perfect person. I could just but constantly being picked at and almost gas lit by the media. If you didn't do well or something happened in your game, then they're going to gas. Like how do you feel about that? It's like that's just a lot to deal with to be in the public eye like that.

Charlene Green:

So just resonating with what you just said, I was going to mention something that's really profound. What we're all about here at the Second Shield Playbook is how can we empower women to have a better lifestyle in the future and have a better life than we did. One of the things that was passed by the federal government in 2022 was the Crown Act, which basically prohibits a discrimination of people teasing you about your hair, and I mentioned Simone Bowes. I remember how hurtful it was when people she was amazing at one of the Olympics not the previous one and they would talk about her hair.

Charlene Green:

And, as black women, we know that when we're competing and we're exercising, that we don't have a hairstylist or other people to help us. We're trying to perform to the utmost, particularly as an athlete like yourself, as a Vision One athlete and as an Olympian which hopefully maybe you'll be on the Olympian team one day that you're not worried about your hair. You're worried about performing at the utmost excellence of your skill set and have people just focus on something who probably can't even play the sport. It's pretty interesting, I think. So I remember that to this day about how Simone Bowes, the reports were about her hair. Are you kidding me? The goat of gymnastics hair is almost like you remember, are we talking about practice. We're talking about practice, practice practice like this Practice Practice.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Practice, practice. I completely agree. I think it's even apparent in women's basketball. I mean, you see a lot of the girls. They would talk so bad and say that basketball was such a manly sport and they would just get all of women's basketball. So I mean we started rolling our shorts. Girls got long eyelashes I keep my nails done throughout the season long hair I think it's just one of those things that you feel like you have to play into the typical standard, especially because they're already trying to downplay your greatness. So sometimes you put on a little bit of an extra show, which is hard.

Charlene Green:

It is really hard yes, but yeah, I just think that focusing on mental health is really important.

Allison Mathews:

Yes, so what are some of the challenges that you face as a business owner and as a professional asset? Have you overcome them?

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, for me, number one is always time management. I feel like I do a lot. I mean, I'm in college, I go to school, I have practice, you have to get your extra workouts in, and then I also have to be able to maintain my business. So meet orders, paint, find time to do mockups, things of that nature. So sometimes I can feel a little overwhelmed. But luckily for me, I chose the perfect place for me. I talked to my coach, I talked to my teachers. Sometimes I like to take classes that will not only expand my knowledge but also expand my business. So sometimes they go hand in hand and I'll be working on a project for class that I can also just transfer over into my business. So that's always nice.

Charlene Green:

Right and I was going to say so what if my teacher is a professional asset? I think that's a key part of my relationship with my. You know was a soccer athlete in college and I remember talking to one of my roommates and was saying that there are some people that are non regular, non regular athletic people or something like that NARCs, right?

Charlene Green:

I didn't know what you were saying. Narcs, I'm a NARC, right, non athletic, regular people, and I think what's important about that is it's just so hard to navigate that whole lifestyle and work life balance and getting sleep. How do you get your sleep, gabby?

Gabrielle Anderson:

Most of the time you have a schedule for. I have a schedule for my date and I try to stick to it the best I can. Some nights I don't get that much sleep, but I try to keep a pretty consistent amount of hours for my entire week. See if I have a game coming up. Gotta get my sleep when I'm out of play.

Allison Mathews:

So how did you get into starting your business? Can you tell us the story of that?

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, it's actually a pretty simple story. I was quite bored over COVID and I've always done art, so I was in my room just trying out new art stuff, because that's all I had time to do. There was nothing else going on. I wasn't really going anywhere. One of my friends actually KK Brands. She plays for Notre Dame. She asked me to customize her some shoes so she will forever be my first client and I basically customized her some shoes and from there she was like you gotta make an Instagram page. You're really good at this. You should really try it out. You can make some quick cash. And I was like, okay, we'll see. So I made an Instagram page and then I started getting orders and orders and I was like, oh, this is getting serious. I told my mom about it and thus graffiti by Gabby was created, and ever since then we've kept the ball rolling.

Charlene Green:

Now, Gabby, was that at IMG or was that at your home school a long time ago?

Gabrielle Anderson:

o That was at my home school. That was right before I went to IMG, because I went to IMG due to COVID.

Charlene Green:

And then, when you got to IMG, you were still on lockdown.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yes, we were still stuck in the dorms, but it was really different. Don't let them fool you. Img. Lockdown is not like regular lockdown. We were at the pool having pool parties.

Charlene Green:

Yes, I saw that and I saw that how you guys had all these I call it the DMZ zone where you could get food and go out there and get your food and things like that. So it was a little different. And at IMG you guys had the little huts and things like that at the pool. Oh what, what awesome way to live.

Charlene Green:

And what I wanted to ask you about is this coming from my heart, so when I was in training as an anesthesiologist, sometimes you're one on one, you're, I would, what you would consider your coaches. Going back to the mental health part, if you have great coaches or if you have great support teams, that can affect your mental health too, because if you have people that are not as supportive and is one on one and no one ever sees that, could you talk a little bit about how how other athletes can handle that in other schools and how you have handled that, because it's hard sometimes when you're not with as supportive people at times.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, coaching is a very hard one when it comes to sports. Ever since they opened up the portal, you see a lot of athletes transferring schools jumping out because I mean, some of these coaches are just crazy. It can be very hard because a lot of times I think when coaches are coaching, they're more focused on winning the game and not so much as focused on how that's affecting their players. It can be hard. I've had my fair share of bad coaches and tough coaching. Oh God, what advice do I give?

Gabrielle Anderson:

I think I think one thing that is very big that if you don't have the best coach or if your coach is not the person before you, you have to have good teammates or whoever else is playing. Just work with you. You have to have a good backbone because, at the end of the day, if I have a bad practice and coaches really getting on to me, my teammates are going to be the people to pick me up, because, at the end of the day, you're not always hearing that negativity or feeling that negative vibe, or that negative vibe is also being combated with the positive energy. Your teammates are probably your second line of defense.

Allison Mathews:

Yeah, you got it. I think it's really important, like maintaining a team is really like important for life, right, like knowing how to communicate, how to support each other, how to back each other up, how to be transparent. So we're actually just.

Allison Mathews:

We just started reading this book, Charlene and I, called Tribal Leadership, and it talks about how, in a company cause like, right now you're already in a formal team, right, but as you get older, I feel like adults have to constantly navigate and try to find their teams and create teams, especially in business.

Allison Mathews:

And this Tribal Leadership book talks about how in some work environments, it can be really toxic and the leader, say, the coach or the boss, is someone who is all about, or even if the culture of the company is all about uplifting people who just see themselves as important and see themselves as the expert, but they're not really there for the team, then it can create a toxic culture, cause you end up undermining each other and like, and it creates more stress and it's actually less productive and things like that. And so the Tribal Leadership book talks about like practices on like identifying what you have in common as a team, what your common values are, to kind of orient you, to make you more cohesive and to see what you have in common with other people on your team, so that you can have each other's back rather than trying to compete against each other. So I just feel like that's so important.

Gabrielle Anderson:

That's what you mentioned that I actually have read. In one of my classes they gave us like a little excerpt. It might be from that book, but it explains exactly what you're saying. And my team actually incorporate this thing called Table Talks. So every Wednesday we have like exercises to build and understand each other more Cause. Like at the end of the day you are competing for minutes but no one's ever upset at your other teammate when they're doing well. So I think that's huge yeah.

Charlene Green:

And I think what's really important to Gabby is you don't mind if I call you Gabby, that's what Clay over there. Oh, no, that's I go by Gabby, yeah, yes. So I think what's interesting too is I think what Alice and I are mentioning is that bond that you have with women that's gonna support like what you're saying your teammates. The relationship you're building now with your teammates may be lifelong, right, and you've got to support each other in real time. You've got to have that friendship where, even if you don't particularly like somebody or anything like that, you have to support them and always do the right thing. If you see them going through a struggle, you have to help them.

Charlene Green:

If you, you can't have silences where people aren't reporting bad things. That may happen, because together you're much stronger. But when you do silos, that's when the problems start really happening. So I encourage you and all your teammates to always, you know, talk to each other and do the table talks and understand that. But interestingly, as a NARP, you all, as a division one athletes, are so much higher level of the stages than most people because you work at an exceptional level of excellence that most people never attain and that's why you get the hate or mentality sometimes because people know they can't attain your level of skill set and excellence, so all they can do is pick on the petty things. And so I say that you have to figure out a coping mechanism and that's why we develop, you know, seconds Should Playbook. How do we help women and students and everybody else figure out the coping mechanisms that can help them live through adversities and circumstances on a daily basis? So I think that's really important.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, one thing my mom has definitely helped me with when it comes to just dealing in everyday life, because you do have situations where you are looking for a specific validation I mean, everyone has those Understanding that certain people aren't your source.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Me personally, I believe in God, so God is always my source. So even when things are going negatively or someone might be pushing off their own insecurities onto me, I understand that they are not my source. I don't need their validation in this certain thing, because they may be feeling some type of way, which is why they're saying these things to me or why they're coming at me very harshly, but I have to understand that my energy is not coming from them. So then, finally telling me I did a good job is not going to uplift me in a different way than anybody else. I understand that what I do is for me and that, at the end of the day, as long as I'm comfortable with myself and that I have a good relationship with God, that I'm continuing to push through those barriers and move through life the best way that I can. Wow, I love that, love it.

Allison Mathews:

What are some of the things that you do to take care of yourself? To take care of myself.

Gabrielle Anderson:

I love Asian TV dramas, so whenever I'm feeling like I've spent a lot of time giving my energy other places and not to myself, I'll sit down and I will watch an episode. So you have to read the subtitles, so it requires my full attention, but it makes me feel very comfortable. I do my skincare Every day. I do my skincare and that is to take care of myself. I take my time. I wash my face, I go through all of my products. Something else I paint for myself? Yeah, yeah, what's your skincare routine?

Allison Mathews:

Give us a tip, okay. Skincare routine.

Gabrielle Anderson:

I have this facial wash that I was given by my dermatologist that I still use to this day. They gave it to me like middle school and I still use it to this day. And then I have this serum. It's like a protective wait, I think I have it here. It's like this ordinary protective layer serum that I use. Put that on my face, I do my little thing, then I do my moisturizer and then I put like a little bit of face primer on and that's a good skincare routine. And then other days it changes. Sometimes I ice my face in the mornings. That's a good way to start your day off and, gavin, we always have to use sunscreen.

Charlene Green:

Sunscreen I have, so that's my day facial moisturizer.

Gabrielle Anderson:

It has sunscreen in it. Thank you for sharing that. Awesome.

Charlene Green:

I wanted to ask you about just to piggyback on what Allison mentioned about what are some of the tools, apps you use to help you get through your day, and that type of thing.

Gabrielle Anderson:

This is going to sound really crazy, but my notes app. I'm addicted to my notes app. I put everything in my notes app. You'll tell me something. I'll be like hold on one second, yeah, notes, put in my notes app and I just have all these notes full of different things. I have something for work Because I feel like I'm always moving and I'll go and people will tell me things and I know what I'm doing. People will tell me things and I know myself I'm going to forget it, but my notes app all the time and I check my notes app so often that I never end up forgetting that I put in there, wow.

Charlene Green:

That's awesome. That's awesome. What's your favorite book that you've read in your whole life?

Gabrielle Anderson:

My favorite book that I've read in my whole life. Okay, there's this book, ugly Love, called Colleen Hoover, by Colleen Hoover, and it made me cry so much and I wasn't ready for the ending. It's probably one of my favorite books only because, like emotionally, it took me just through the trenches and I don't think I was expecting that from that book. I also love the coldest one ever Great book.

Charlene Green:

Yeah, wow, wow, awesome, awesome, allison.

Allison Mathews:

Oh, I was. You know, you mentioned the cold, the cold bath, or whatever like with your face.

Allison Mathews:

This is also a tip, for that's useful for mental health as well, like if people are dealing with anxiety or like a really, really they're panicking or experiencing some type of depression or something that's like a cute, an acute episode. That is a trick that people use. Or if they dealt with from trauma or something like that, they will splash their face with really cold water or they're submerged themselves in an ice bath or put their hand in the freezer to connect them, to like shock their brain and to shift their brain from that negative experience, that negative feeling, to something else, to have a sensation. That actually shifts their brain from that negative experience and it re-regulates their nervous system and downregulates it and calms them down. So I just I loved it. You do it for your face, but it also has mental health support techniques as well.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, I started icing my face last year after I toured my ACL. So I toured my ACL last January. I was going through a rough time and somebody suggested it to me and I started doing it and I funny enough, I was also about to compete in the pageant. So it ended up being a great skincare routine and it also just helped me with my part space.

Charlene Green:

That's awesome. And you know one of the things and I guess we're focusing a lot on mental health because it's on my mind a lot lately because of my lived experience working in a hospital and seeing so many North Carolinians and Americans just suffer from all socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities. You know my training in medical school. You know I had the privilege of having psychoanalytical, psychoanalytical Psychiatrists and Psychiatrists you know poured into me and worked with me in a program that I participated in in medical school called PAT, combined Accelerative Program, psychiatry. Long story about it.

Charlene Green:

I was selected to be in this program and it has helped me tremendously in life and I think that everybody should welcome if they ever need help mental health help with the psychologist, psychiatrist or some type of provider, it is okay to ask for help. And I just want to say that on this podcast that student athletes particularly should have that, that that forum in their schools, that if they ever need someone to talk to besides their coaches because coaches are not trained in mental health as much as a psychiatrist or psychologist that you should be able to have that and it should not be taken lightly. So I'm going to be an advocate of that for students Awesome.

Allison Mathews:

I was wondering, also, just circling back to your business, what, what plans do you have for growth? And also just like, how do you manage the business? I think you know some, some people. It's amazing that you just started from an idea, from the ID account, and then now you're growing, gotten some, some major clientele. Like, what's that process for you as far as managing your business?

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yeah, I'll answer the growth question first. I just started a school supply line called Brilliant Authentic Black. We'll be having some major drops coming in February, super excited for that. As far as how I manage it, by mom's big help, she is my second in command, she's my momager, she's my everything, so she really helps stay on top of things. She loves crunch numbers and be a businesswoman, but pretty much it's a lot of communicating with her staying on top of things.

Gabrielle Anderson:

It actually was not as crazy as I thought it was going to be, especially because all of the art runs straight through me. So I just get to focus on creating wonderful art and as long as I stay on top of that, the business part flows very smoothly. I just did oh, I just did six gates for US figure skating because they have national championships, and that was probably very hectic because I have to do one in such a short period of time, and I feel like that's been the only time where I was like, oh my gosh, like well, I have a whole business, I don't have enough time to do all this stuff. But no, as long as I stay on top of the painting, it flows very easily.

Charlene Green:

And one of the things that Dr Matthews and I were talking about before you came on is that we were just we love to support women businesses, and so I mentioned to her that offline in the next several months or a year, whenever you have time, we want to be one of your customers and we want you to help design something for second shift with our logo and with bling, bling shoes, and we're going to support you and we want to support you on our podcast and then our website too, and so maybe in May or something, or in the fall when we have one about in person events, again, we'll be wearing your shoes If you have time. If you have time, just do that. But we'll talk about that offline, because it's all about supporting each other, because there's no Superman or superwoman coming for businesses. We have to help each other and support each other, particularly of such exceptional entrepreneurs like yourself.

Charlene Green:

I agree, 100% agree, we're already thinking about the logo, I want to play with the, with the beads. What do you call them?

Allison Mathews:

not beads, but he wants them, but dad. I don't know if that's outside of your like. I know you paint, but yeah.

Gabrielle Anderson:

I got a kid, I'm ready.

Allison Mathews:

We can pull it together.

Charlene Green:

Yeah, awesome. I was just going to say I'm just, I'm just happy to have had the privilege to know of you, gabby. You know, through the sun clay he's highly of you and you are just an exceptional person, entrepreneur, student and we didn't talk about Harvard as much, but I know you're doing well there and I hope that you love it, and because there's some amazing students at Harvard that I know that you're bonding with and having a great time.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yes, most definitely Clay's awesome. Thank you, Love Clay. Great people Awesome.

Allison Mathews:

Well, so grateful that you have joined us on this podcast today. We're just going to wrap up and encourage our listeners to follow you, gabby, that you can find Gabby at graffitibygabbycom, and we encourage you all to support her new line of school supply products that has dropped on her website. And just thank you so much for joining us. And Gabby, what is?

Charlene Green:

school supplies. Tell us a little bit about the school supplies so that everybody can, when it drops, they can be ready to free order.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Yes, really authentic and black is my brain child. It is a school supply line catered towards young black children. It is complete original artwork done by myself and basically the idea behind it was to give us more representation in the school supply line, because when you go to Walmart or you go to any big stores and you're looking for backpacks, most of the times you're very limited in the characters you see on those bags. Whenever I have looked for someone of my complexity on bags, it's often maybe a Disney character Like Doc McStuffins. Other times you're limited to nothing or they do not fit my proper age group. So I really wanted my school supply line to show proper representation of our community and also uplift children to be all three billion, authentic and black, no matter what space they step in, because that is important in having success.

Charlene Green:

So, allison, is that something that we could have our website or follow or have a following that she could put that information so that people can see that we're doing a launch Gabby February 3rd, for Seconds of Playbook? So this is the first time we're actually really launching our business, so we definitely will support you, however you choose to do that, in our bandwidth and our networks.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Okay, february 3rd, the day after my birthday. Okay, aquarius, aquarius, yes, yes, yes awesome.

Charlene Green:

Well, thank you so much, gabby. We appreciate that and we hope that you continue with your facial routine, your beginning and strengthening, as my son would say, with keeping your body strong, but more so, just that mental health that is needed with your table talks with all of your athletic friends. Thank you, all right, thank you.

Gabrielle Anderson:

Bye, bye, thank you, bye bye, bye you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you you.