Today we’d like to introduce you to Yanatha Desouvre.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the young age of seven, I taught myself to read music and wrote a lot, especially poetry. Despite being raised in some poor conditions, in the midst of 80’s crack/cocaine in New York, surviving a barbershop shooting at 9 years; then moving to Philadelphia two years later. In Philadelphia in 90’s, where I walked through a potpourri of crack bottles on my way to school every day, I was and still am enriched with a culturally rich Haitian community in New York, Philadelphia and now in south Florida from West Palm Beach to Miami. The death of my godfather and uncle, Daniel Coulanges, who died of HIV AIDS in April 1989 at the mere age of 28 years old and then shortly thereafter, my grandfather Antoine Coulanges died the month we moved into Philadelphia, made that New York Philadelphia transition a traumatic one for me. I am the third of five children. My grandparents had ten children, so I have cousins scattered around the world.
My parents also made sure we surrounded by the arts, especially music. Somehow someway she scrounged funds to pay for piano lessons. Our parents always told us that, “An education is something, that once you have no one can take it away from you.” I was the first in my generation to earn a college degree. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree at Drexel University in Business Administration with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Marketing. Later, in south Florida, I earned my MBA in Marketing in Mass Communication and Media Management at Lynn University.
For years while working a 9-5 I managed musical artist from producers, hip hop artists, and r&b singers. That experience put me in a position to be a part of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science chapters, both in Philadelphia and Florida Chapters. My artists have been featured in All Hip Hop.com, performed at the Spring Fling at the University of Pennsylvania and much more. When I was a personal manager to many musical artists, my purpose and my goals were to encourage them to understand the business side of the music business. I don’t believe there should be such a thing as a starving artist.
When I moved to south Florida, I had trouble sleeping so I started writing non-stop. My writings became my dreams and nightmares. I would post some of what I wrote on MySpace blogs. I didn’t realize the impact my writing made until one of my blog subscribers, and now one of my artistic brothers, Jason Fleurant asked, “When is the book coming out?” I never thought about writing. But, with some words of encouragement, I saw the value in sharing my written work with the world. Starting in 2006, and for the next ten years, I independently published several books and audiobooks from of poetry, like Walk Through this Journey, an #1 Amazon best-selling children’s book I co-wrote with my oldest daughter, titled Big Sister, Little Sister, available in English, French, Spanish and Haitian Creole, a college textbook titled An Essential Guide to Windows 10, to my latest novel that pays homage to Wyclef Jean’s 20 year discography and honors timeless Haitian proverbs that I launched at 10,000 feet, skydiving with the book cover of Revelations: Roads to Redemptiontaped to my chest. The Goodman Chronicles series has been described as, “James Bond meets Idris Elba’s Luther mixed with Mission Impossible, X-Men and a dash of Haitian hot sauce” They say, “Sky’s the Limit.” As a Marketing professor, I took an unorthodox approach a promoting, ‘launching’ Revelations: Road to Redemption.
Yet, it wasn’t until April 2016, when I received a life altering package in the mail. It was a moment that I call: From Paris to Miami with Love.
Please tell us about Writer – Authorpreneur – Professor – Entrepreneur – Coach.
I do a few things. I am a marketing professor at Miami Dade College, that I find great in. I teach two courses: Principles of Marketing and Marketing in a Digital World. When I am not training in technology at the University of Miami, I make sure quality time is spent with the family.
What I am most proud of was setting up about 10-12 computers for the non-for- profit organization Foundation Hope for Haiti. The computers were shipped to an Education Center that was damaged during the devastating earthquake that happened on January 12, 2010.
In addition to setting up the computers for the center in Haiti, another moment I’m proud of was having an Amazon #1 best-selling book that I co-authored with my daughter when she was five. That paperback was number one and the eBook was number five in the sibling category on Amazon.com
The next thing, I’m beyond proud of, is the World’ s Finest project from Paris to Miami with Love. Back in April 2016, my uncle world renowned Haitian classical guitarist Amos Coulanges told there was a video recording his baby brother, my late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges performing on his guitar. My late uncle/godfather Daniel whom I spoke about earlier who died of HIV/AIDS on April 30th, 1989 only two years before Magic Johnson made his announcement. Uncle Amos shipped me the VHS footage converted DVD from Paris to Miami with love and I started crying. I am humbled and excited that we were able to bring to life my late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges‘s music we discovered existed back in April 2016.
After a series of ongoing crowdfunding events, I was able to raise enough money to produce, manufacture and get my late uncle’s music mastered. On April 16, 2019, 30 years after Daniel performed 18 songs at a college in Staten Island, New York, the World’s Finest: Live in New York album will be released on iTunes Music, Google Play, Spotify and anywhere else one enjoys listening to music. The World’s Finest is an album 30 years in the making with a profound message of hope and love. I am also recording and releasing a multigenerational duet with my late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges of Jacques Brel’s Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me) where I’ll be playing the piano, and my late uncle the guitar like Natalie Cole performed with her father Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable.’
If you were to ask anyone that has seen or known Yanatha for over ten years, I believe, they would say I’m known for being fearless and consistent. I don’t let failing at things stop me from moving forward. What sets me apart from others, is my tenacity, the mindset of continuous improvement. I encourage us all to fail forward on our various journeys to success.
I don’t believe in luck. I subscribe to the notion of preparation and faith. My faith has prepared me and continues to prepare for what has been, and what is to come. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Preparing, perseverance, along with persistence are key to the success of any kind. Also, I am blessed beyond belief for the support I’ve had and continue to have from my family, close friends, and colleagues. They have coached, mentored, and provide me some of the most impactful constructive feedback, guidance, and words of wisdom anyone can ask for. Success also comes with support. We only fail in this life when we fail to uplift one another. In this life, we need one another more than we realize.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yanatha.com
- Email: bookyanatha@gmail.com
- Instagram: @goodmanchronicles
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aspire2inspirenow
- Twitter: @yanatha
- Other: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/world-s-finest-daniel-coulanges-live-in-ny-xvi#/
Image Credit:
Farrah Sharpe, Felipe Rivas
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
