Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Desormeaux & Tess Lacroix.
Hi Anne & Tess, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Conversations related to our experiences in melanated bodies have always been at the core of who we are. Whenever we would get together, we would inevitably find ourselves going on a tangent about melanated joy, love, and pain. It felt fitting when the opportunity presented itself last year to come together and record some of those conversations. We had both left corporate jobs and were seeking more fulfilling opportunities and thus “Melanated Movement” was born. We gotour mics, a recording platform and got to work.
We’ve been able to welcome people into our space to talk about the different crises and issues and how they affect our society. We have been fortunate enough to lead important conversations with people in our communities who make a difference and speak on how they are making an impact. We are grateful to those who have taken the time to speak with us: from local educators to mental health professionals, artists and creatives who shared their experiences while being truly vulnerable with us.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
With any new venture comes a learning curve. The technology involved in creating and producing a podcast as self-funded and self-provided individuals had and continues to bring its challenges. Figuring out the platform to use so that we provide our listeners with the best sound quality while working with a strict budget required us to be smart as we are just starting out. We also joke all the time that we are the vulnerable podcast because we admittedly have struggled with the great amount of vulnerability that comes with what we are trying to do: facing media scrutiny while publicly wearing our hearts on our sleeves.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We’re professionals and students engaging in and creating safe spaces for pertinent conversations about lived experiences. Together we have Military, Social Work, Corporate, and Municipality work experience. What sets us apart is the way our collection of experiences complements each other to help us carry these discussions forward while we welcome friends from our separate fields of work to come and share their expertise with us.
How do you think about happiness?
We recently had a guest on our podcast, a mental health professional who really shifted our thinking when it comes to defining happiness. It has never been a simple answer and knowing now that happiness is not the goal but rather authenticity to ourselves and our core values, we are honing in on what fulfills us. We love to question systems and institutions but also enjoy laughing at ourselves and spending time with our loved ones. Tess’s fur baby, Siri is the podcast’s mascot and loves to be in the room when we record. Collectively, we are big foodies and tacos will always be key to our happiness! [Anne] Specifically for me, I enjoy spending time with my son, Jeremiah. He lights up my world.
He reminds me that my happiness already exists. I see it in his face everyday.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-u5zfe-10d7659
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanatedmovementpodcast
- Other: https://linktr.ee/MelanatedMovement
Image Credits
Photos were taken and edited by CCYVISUALS. (For distinction, Anne has locs and Tess has curly natural hair.)
