Today we’d like to introduce you to Djessica Bonzil.
Djessica, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
From the day we are born people are already instilling their hopes and dreams into us. They ask us the same question which I’m going to be referring to as “the question.” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” they say. “The question” weighs heavy on us because it’s asked before we even get the chance to know ourselves. From pre-K to college “the question” creeps up on us over and over. As a first-generation student, raised in a strict traditional Haitian household, there was only one answer that was valid to “the question”…well I take that back…three valid answers. Either you’re a nurse, doctor, or lawyer.
Ever since I was a child, I always had a natural curiosity for life, art and music. Ironically, I struggled throughout my educational life but always loved learning. I loved singing, talking, designing clothes, writing poetry and business. Because I had so many passions, each time “the question” would arise it would be a different answer each time. It changed from psychologist to fashion designer to audio engineer, to the list goes on…I had no idea how people possibly choose one thing.
In college, I discovered that one of my talents was public speaking and I had the gift of bringing people together and understanding unique perspectives. I always loved talking to people about my passions and listening to their stories about theirs. That is when my podcast Serenade Radio was birthed. I finally decided that my dream is to be a radio personality and figured the best way to do that was to start my own. So I did.
I finally started recording my podcast around February 2017 at 19 years old. It started on my iPhone 6 with a cracked screen. I invited my friends to the library to record or go to events and ask if I could interview artists live and then I’d upload them to SoundCloud. Over time, I kept being consistent and I grew a little Sound Cloud family that would constantly listen and support. I had no idea the ins and outs of podcasting but I knew that I loved it and I wanted to use my gift of conversations to uplift people. Each week I would invite a new guest to the show. We’ve discussed topics such as navigating your twenties, building self-esteem, financial literacy, relationship issues and much more.
This year we have made so many milestones. We created a Serenade Radio Instagram about six months ago and it’s already received almost 600 followers. I went from recording on my phone to record in an actual radio station! My show is sponsored by 98.5 the Wire, Onhilltopmedia, OC Designz, and Selfless Music Group. I now have an amazing co-host Ephraim Duronville and a wonderful producer Jae Fortune has helped contributed to Serenade Radio abundantly. It wasn’t easy taking the risk to follow my dreams but it was rewarding.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. At the end of 2017, I was able to raise enough money to buy my laptop and microphone to do my show but one day I received a call from my sister that my laptop was leaking. When I came home, I found my laptop oozing green liquid and wouldn’t turn on. All of my mixes and episodes were on that laptop and I lost them all. I was so deeply discouraged that I stopped doing my show for almost a year.
This was one clear example, however, throughout my journey, I had many hardships including discouragement from people close to me, self-doubt, depression and I’ve been unemployed numerous times. No matter what happened, I believed in my vision.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Serenade Radio is a personal development podcast that specializes in teaching young people who come from marginalized communities how to love themselves and accomplish their goals. We are known for teaching leadership, self-sufficiency, mental health and spiritual health in our community.
What I am most proud of as a company is seeing the leaders in our community that I look up to reach out to me to congratulate me on my show and request to collaborate. What sets us apart from others is that we have invited people on the show that are neighborhood heroes. Our guests are people that have impacted our community in massive ways and we provide them a platform to share their unique stories and advice with us. We welcome people from all walks of life and cover a variety of topics; no two episodes are ever the same.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as the process of accomplishing what you intend to accomplish… and being happy while doing it.
Here are markers for success:
1. You have to have a clear goal. You will get lost every time if you don’t know you’re destination.
2. You have to have a plan for that goal. Write down the steps you will take to get there.
3. The most difficult step is you have to follow through with the plan and be consistent. If you are doing something constantly there’s no way you won’t improve.
4. You have to fail. If you aren’t failing you aren’t aiming high enough. Failure and mistakes are where the lessons are and build character.
5. As I previously stated, success is a process. So the last criteria are enjoying the process. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, how will you truly succeed at it? You won’t have the willpower to overcome obstacles if you don’t think your goal is truly worth it.
Contact Info:
- Email: radioserenade@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serenaderadio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serenaderadio1/
Image Credit:
@Qwiththecamera
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