What does it really mean to build meaningful connections across generations? Diving into the heart of this question is Alexis Phillip, a multi-talented individual whose life story spans from Washington, D.C., to Tampa, Florida, and is filled with passion for fashion, music, and deep familial bonds. She shares her insightful perspectives on intergenerational relationships, especially the unique wisdom passed down from grandmothers. Alexis explores the art of truly listening, the power of observation, navigating the complexities of faith in today’s world, and understanding the different ways individuals connect and communicate. From navigating cultural shifts to the vital importance of self-care, Alexis provides practical advice and shares her experiences in a way that resonates with listeners of all ages.
Music courtesy of Dealer’s Choice Sound Recordings, Inc.
Music artist: djezi
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Alexis Phillip: Bridging Intergenerational Relationships With Wisdom And Grace
Leading With Clarity, Not Assumptions
We had an awesome treat where we spoke with Alexis Phillip. Alexis is a daughter, a niece, a sister, a fashionista, a shoe girl, and a music lover. We spent a lot of time talking about listening and intergenerational relationships between women, finally, grandmas. Angela, tell me about your grandma.
I was blessed to know both of my grandmothers on my mother’s side and my father’s side.
That’s great.
That is a blessing. You don’t realize it until you get to this age to know that there are a lot of people that didn’t necessarily grow up with their grandmothers or may not have had the best experiences, but I had spent more time with my mother’s mother. During the summers, my mom was a school teacher. We would go to Pennsylvania, where my grandmother lived and worked. She was a domestic. I just remember her just always being so overjoyed in seeing me.
That’s such the best feeling as a kid where someone is waiting to see you.
It was like I hung the moon. She was always so happy. I remember playing jacks on her front doorstep, her cooking. She cooked mac and cheese from scratch. She cooked squash.
Squash casserole?
Not the casserole, almost everything but the breadcrumbs and all that. It was just sauteed, fried, whatever, and grease, baking pads, all of that good stuff. I just remember when I learned to drive, how she would comment even in front of my mom that I was a better driver than my mother, and my mother was an excellent driver.
That’s a mother-daughter stuff, though.
There’s probably some of those issues. It’s just how it is, a blessing to have some pour into you who thinks that you hung the moon. It wasn’t because of any accomplishments. I don’t ever remember her asking me about my grades or how I was doing in school. I’m sure she cared, but it was just joy in speaking to me, and I could make her laugh, and we could sit and have tea. I used to call her a teetotaler. I thought that was the name for somebody who loved tea, but you have taught me that means somebody who doesn’t drink. She is just a tea aficionado, I guess, or a tea connoisseur. I’ve tried my best to be like you and her, but I still do my coffee in the morning.
I drink both, equal opportunity.
I would drink tea with her and then a little milk. Just lovely. I just realized how important it is to appreciate your elders when you have them. How about you?
I’m blessed as an only child to be able to choose my family. Some people have been sticky, shall we say. The Osborn family is definitely one of those families. I am an honorary Osborn. The matriarch, in my opinion, for that family is Willie Mae Osborn, who is Jessica’s grandmother. Our guest, Alexis Phillip, is her great-granddaughter. The thing that I learned from grandma, whom I call Miss Willie Mae Osborn grandma, is love.
It is love that is inexhaustible. There is always more love for more people. It is readily available and always present. I am forever grateful to Grandma for extending her home and her heart, and her family to me. I’m from Englewood, I’m the only child. I was way across the country in DC, and 1317 Hamilton was always open. When you get to choose your grandma, you look up grandma in the dictionary, it will be Mrs. Willie Mae Osborn.
We love to hear the story from Alexis’s mouth to our ears and now to your ears, and all that she had in terms of advice as a millennial, as a woman of faith, and just giving advice to us, and how to be supporters of women who are coming behind us. Without further ado, here is Alexis.
Boy, are we in for a treat. We have on the show one of our favorite people, a friend of the show, we have Alexis Phillip. She is a sister. She is a daughter. She is a niece, a fashionista, a music lover, world traveler. We just want to welcome Alexis. Welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me, even considering me. That’s such a blessing. I appreciate the invite.
You were on the short list.
You were at the very beginning.
I appreciate it nonetheless.
We’d like to start off, Alexis. You’re very near and dear to my heart only because I’ve heard so many good things about you from your aunt Sylvia and your aunt Jessica. I pretty much have not met an Alexis that I don’t like. My own daughter is Alexis, so it’s near and dear to my heart. We just usually like to start off just being nosy, like how did your journey begin? How did you start? What did you want to do when you were growing up? What was life like when you were growing up?
Aunties always want to be in your business.
Alexis’ Journey: Dreams, Wisdom, And Navigating Generational Gaps
I know. They’re like, “What’s the tea?” What did I want to be when I grew up? I wanted to be, I believe, one of my first answers was either a doctor, a firefighter, or even a policeman, and a caregiver. It was always something, back to the community in some capacity. Those things tend to shift as life tended to shift. I enjoy certain connections, getting as much wisdom as I can or information I can about someone’s past. Like, how did you get to where you are? What are some takeaways? I like indulging in those types of conversations, especially now that I’m older with my aunties. The conversation is much more open than it would be when we were younger.
It’s because you’ve grown now.
Yes, I’m grown now, but there is still a respect out there. There are still some things where I’m like, I don’t know if I can say, but I can appreciate and I can still communicate in a way where it’s not a line being crossed of disrespect.
That’s a lot of maturity that I hear. For a couple of things, knowing how to navigate with it sounds like probably different generations and what people think are acceptable, because there is a notion now that you should be able to say whatever you want to say and not sugarcoat things. I think that sometimes get the information that you want from a generation that has a certain way of communicating, you sometimes have to navigate in their realm. Meeting them where they are. I think that’s maturity, I would have to say. I like hearing that.
Sometimes, even knowing, I might test the waters because there’s always a time where, like, I know I’m younger in certain conversations or I might be older in certain conversations. I do try to respect people where they are, as far as how I was raised. I’m not going to indulge in certain conversations. I do still believe in age-appropriate conversations. I’m not going to talk to you like my peer, but I will be real in the conversation of like, “I can talk to you about this and then other things. You might need to seek help, not seek help.” The conversation or might bring in mom, or I might bring in someone else who can not communicate, but be able to articulate in a way where they see or I’m trying to figure out what I’m trying to say.
I think one of the beautiful things about I think our relationship is that you’re able to be authentic with me. It helps me to be able to listen to hear a younger perspective and, honestly, to just be in touch with what’s happening now. You’re right, we have to be able to communicate throughout the generations. We have younger people in our lives. Certainly, we still have elders in our lives, and how do we all not necessarily speak the same language but have the same level of respect and understanding? That’s what I think is important, and you did a great job of that.
Thank you for saying that, because I was trying to say that.
We’re all here to help each other out in the conversation.
Sylvia tells me you are a middle child. I’ve had experience being an only child, and I have my two girls. I know what that dynamic is like, but I’m not familiar with what it’s like to be an obviously the norms, what I’ve heard. What was your experience like growing up as a middle child, and how did that shape you?
Being the middle child is very funny. As you get around other people who are saying that they are middle children, we all have the same story where the oldest will be like the manager. All hands on deck with everybody.
That is the show.
Yeah. The youngest get all the attention while we fade into the background. When one of the other, like the oldest or the youngest, is out of the picture, some would say it’s some type of elective or say they’re off somewhere, then they start bringing all the attention on us, and we’re overly stimulated really fast.
“Where’d all that come from?”
Like, “I’ve been self-sufficient for so long. What is happening?”
I let the record show that here at the show, we had you being the middle child first in the middle of the siblings. Just so that you are aware. I think of you, Lex, as a Washingtonian, but I know you finished high school in Tampa. What does being a Washingtonian mean to you?
Sylvia, I have to say, growing up in Texas, if you said Washingtonian, I’m thinking you mean Washington state. You’re talking about DC.
Absolutely not.
Not everybody knows.
What It Means To Be A Washingtonian: Community And Care
I guess I was definitely born in Washington, DC. I went to elementary school and parts of my middle school in DC. At one point, I went to a Maryland school, but I went right back to my DC school, and then from there transitioned to Tampa. It is okay. It has changed so much, but it’s still love. Like you can tell someone who’s definitely been born and raised like you can just point them out. You can, of course, audible in the way that we speak, the way we talk, but also in the way that they care. The care is different. It’s going to be different variations. To someone on the outside looking in, it might look like it is mean or even aggressive, but sometimes it’s not necessarily mean or aggressive. It’s just assertive to us.
Can you give us an example?
I can give an example. There were some times when I was younger, because I could only speak when I was young. Now that I’m an adult, I speak for myself, but that’s a different story. When I was younger, there were a lot of strangers. The time is different. I was young, I was able to walk freely. I could go to this corner store, I could go to the park. I didn’t need supervision per se because everybody knew everybody. If you act out of line, the house phone was ringing. Even I am pre-cell phone, some people are not, but I’m pre-cell phone.
Got it.
Our readers are pre-cell phone.
Good. Just to have the relation, like I am pre-cell phone, but the reputation was very serious. To bring it to a point, oftentimes if there wasn’t an adult in the room, the neighbors would speak on our behalf, whether they knew us or not. They would treat us like we were their children, whether they knew us or not. I know the shift in community has changed a lot now that I’m an adult, but that’s how I remember growing up.
It’s almost like that is in my heart, that should be the definition of community. Not just the area that you live in, but the people who care enough about you. Even though they may not be a part of your family, they can still speak up on your behalf or address you and call you out if you are not behaving accordingly. There’s a fine line now of how much you say in which, and I think there’s so much that we just don’t say now.
In trying not to offend. I’m like, there are ways that you can communicate where it’s not offensive. Especially, I feel like I don’t have any children, but the way I’ve been raised and the way I’m even contributing to my friends and how they raise, we are all on one accord as far as like, “No, I would want to know. If my child is out of line, correct them.” That’s just us because that was our upbringing. There are a lot of people on the outskirts who have not witness that, and if they take constructive criticism as a personal attack and I’m not here to attack you, but I am here to correct something that could be a problem later on down the line.
There are ways that you can communicate where it's not offensive. Share on XYou felt like you got a lot of that when you were growing up?
Absolutely. I needed to be checked. I wasn’t a bad kid, but I was mouthy. I was sassy. I’ve talked back. That correction, I can only give high regards to my grandparents, my mother, and the neighbors, most definitely. My neighbors, even though we weren’t kin, were family. I have some really good girlfriends who we don’t talk every day. We haven’t even spoken this year. We’re going to talk on their birthday, but they were corrected just as much as we were corrected, and so they know.
Senior Year Culture Shock: Adapting And Observing
Along those lines, and maybe just in terms of growing up, let’s go to your high school year when you were a senior in high school. Let’s get into that. What is there any advice would you give yourself at this point? Knowing what life was like then, knowing how you were then, what advice would you give yourself?
The dynamic was very different.
Can I ask what year did you graduate from high school?
You are aging me.
I’m just asking the question.
In this reader, you’re still a baby.
- I graduated from high school in 2010. What molded me or shaped me? I’m going to be very honest. It was a culture shock to go from Washington, DC, to the outskirts of Tampa. I lived specifically in Valrico. I went from being a majority to a minority, and that was just a very big culture shock to me
That was your senior year. Did you move during your senior year of high school?
I moved right before high school. I moved to my eighth grade year. Middle school and then transitioned. It felt like, what’s a good example?
A whole new planet.
It felt like it wasn’t a graphic, no. It felt like maybe High School Musical.
For me, I liked High School Musical, so you got it. You may have to preface that a little bit.
I wasn’t. I was a camp rocker.
I like that one, too. I guess any musical. Maybe that’s not a good reference for me.
It had a lot of great things. I had a lot of things to offer. I think when it came to like the community that I was used to to go from a different community and learning the politics of that and how to operate in that, that was very different.
What did you learn then, because certainly, navigating those waters in Valrico versus navigating them in the district is very different. What skill sets did you pick up? In particular, how do you use them now?
I definitely use them now. I am very observant. Before I speak, because some people are open and some people are not. I know I can be weird too, so you know how you gradually give your friends like, “This is what my little knack of weird.” I gradually open that up, but the skillset I will say is that I am observant, and being observant, I listen, I have to hear what you’re saying. Even in the silence, I need to see how you move.
I like that.
Grandma’s Legacy: The Silent Warrior And Faith
Alexis, you’ve been lucky enough to have both your maternal grandparents, grandmother and grandfather, to the big O and to the general, Ms. Carolyn Osborn, as well as your maternal great-grandmother. Not very many people are able to say that they were reared and spent a great time with their grandparents or their great-grandparents. Can you please talk about your great-grandmother? I call her grandma, Mrs. Willie Mae Osborn.
I know her as Grandma from all the stories.
I’m sure she’s talked about. Great grandma. She definitely was a big help in raising me. My parents had various jobs. One worked for the government. The other one was a trainer part-time. What else did he do? He sold sneakers. Their schedule was off. My mom mostly worked.
Swing shift my whole life, as far as I know.
She was a night owl. She worked the night shift. Worked the night shift. Grandma would definitely watch us all the time, and then we would spend most of the weekends with my parents. I spent most of the weekends with my parents, but my great grandma, she was a teacher. From the stories that I’ve heard, it was no hesitation and assist in us. She wanted to be there. She wanted to assist us in our education. She wanted to make sure that we had all that we needed. Also, my grandma is a different type of worrier.
What do you mean by that?
She would worry, but she was quieter in her worry.
Did you know that? Did she keep it to herself?
As I got older, I understood. I was able to decipher certain things. You know how people have little nuances. I was able to see the difference and like, “She’s worried. She’s stepping in and she’s offering help.”
You know, people who are warriors who wear it on their shirt or on their sleeve. Can you describe how that affects you? How did that type of worry affected you? Was it a benefit or an issue?
It was a benefit. I think it was a benefit. I think because the errors were so different. She wasn’t worried in the fact of like our safety. No, she was worried about she watched the news often. She would be worried, like she would hear the city stories, city Chronicles, and just wanted to be a protector. She didn’t have any daughters, but we were her daughters.
She was your dad’s mother.
My great-grandmother was my grandfather. I call them all grandma. It gets tricky in the conversation when you’re trying to figure out “Who are you talking about?”
I know it’s the tone. I remember being with you all during Thanksgiving, and the tone is different. I would know which grandma we were talking about. That was always.
That’s very true.
I appreciate that point that you brought up about the silent warrior. I think from that aspect, as a child, I don’t know. I mean, I certainly wouldn’t advocate that we as adults keep things away from others, but from children, there are certain sermons you remember growing up. One of them was that we have to recognize the watts that our kids can handle. I’m so bad in terms of wattage, but you don’t put a 100-watt light bulb into it at 25 capacity because they can only handle so much. Some things you just have to keep away so that they can still thrive and not be burdened down by the burdens that we have is what it sounds like. I know that your great-grandmother was a woman of faith, so I’m sure a lot of that she took to her source.
Literally, I can attest. She prayed every morning and every night. In her free time, she read the Bible. As she got older and started transitioning, where she didn’t have the ability to get up as quickly, she got close to Alexa. I don’t want to trigger any words, but yes, as she got close to it, and we would just have a conversation like, “Alexa, please turn on the Daily Bread.”
I love that.
You have dance parties. She wouldn’t dance as much, but she’d move her arms.
Did she pick the music?
Yeah, she loved music. She loved music.
Understanding Women In Their Late 20s/Early 30s
Shifting gears a little bit, Alexis, what do you think that people our age or your auntie’s age misunderstand about women? I think in particular in their late 20s, early 30s? What I want to get at is I want us to be able to better communicate and have a better understanding so that we can have a better sense of community.
I think it’s the assumption, and I’ll say maybe on both parties.
What are we assuming now?
There’s an assumption on both sides.
Be a little girl, people sometimes. I try to get out of that tone.
There are that there are moments of yes. That’s the assumption, but they lived it, so they’re not hearing it, or it’s a miscommunication somewhere, but I feel like it could all be ironed out with communication and not assuming that the story and vice versa. That’s all I can say, because that’s the biggest thing, just be open to. You might have heard a variation of the story, but that might not be the same outcome as somebody else’s story. That’s both parties.
Just be open. You might have heard a variation of the story, but that might not be the same outcome as somebody else's story. That's both parties. Share on XThat’s something I have learned as an adult and through many life events, and just life in general is that be open to what someone else has experienced in your presence. I may have said something, and I know I didn’t mean it the way somebody accepted it, but that’s their real version of what happened. If it was hurtful, then there is value in acknowledging what you’ve said, whether it’s positive or negative, but let’s just leave the negative situation, acknowledging how that affected them and apologizing for that, but not making an excuse even though you interpreted it that way. No, it’s just how it was received, and you’ve got to grow from that.
That big piece is being open, definitely communication. As I said, it would be ironed out a lot, but some people are not open, and some people are very closed. Once you hurt their feelings, honestly, they shut you off. They shut you out. They’re like, “I’m good on you. I write you off.” There are instances, we tend to my peers. If there’s an incident where they wrote somebody off, I do give people the benefit of it all, but I try to hear where you are. Sometimes it’s not even why we got to where we are. Sometimes it’s all the things in the background that you don’t know. There’s always this way, and I’m this way. We’re not mixing well.
Do you find that the part about people not being open is more of a generational thing, or it’s in both sides and both generations?
I’m seeing it more in the generations after me, but I can see it on both sides. I have seen it in both sides. There takes good, not everybody’s good at mediating. Being able to interpret somebody’s feelings and articulate it in a way that someone else is understanding, like, “This is why.” That’s where sisterhood comes in. If there’s somebody that knows somebody’s character, who can interpret what happened, the stuff can get ironed out.
That’s lovely. That’s a beautiful concept. That is definitely the definition of sisterhood, being able to accept others and communicate.
Workplace Dynamics: Learning Styles And Communication Boundaries
Let’s shift this to the work world as far as how mid-career women can better support early career women, because certainly we know that communication is integral to that, but have there been some work scenarios where you’re like, “This is just a generation misunderstanding?”
I feel like everybody doesn’t have the same learning style.
Tell me more. What do you mean by learning style?
Don’t misquote me. There are people that learn audible. There are some people that learn visual. There are some people that learn, I forgot the last one or the other two.
You said it, it’s like by doing it.
Yeah. I tell everybody, and then you might have a mixture. They need to see it and do it, or they need to hear it and then see it. Learning someone’s style can definitely benefit you in different ways, but that takes time. That takes getting to know the person or getting to understand them. Sometimes at the workplace, you’re not there to get to know them. You’re there to do the job. I think being able to communicate effectively, like “I’m good.”
Learning someone's style can definitely benefit you in different ways, but that takes time. That takes getting to know the person or getting to understand them. Share on XSometimes it’s like one of those where it’s like, “Let’s huddle up. I’m good at this. What are you good at?” Just trying to find people’s strengths. Can you show me so I can learn how to do this? The meetings are important, where you can schedule and see how we are going to get this done. What do we need to do to get this? What do we need to meet to get this done?
I love it. My favorite mode of communication is email, or you may TMS me, but please do not text me because I just want to set the boundary that I’m not answering all these various ways that you can contact me.
You’re saying this is the best way, this is the best method to reach me.
Otherwise, I might be annoyed.
The boundaries.
I’m shifting the question. What happens when the person who emails is that’s not their strength? Their strength is communicating over the phone.
I like that. You can call me.
We have some of those who don’t even like doing that.
I love it. I’m hearing what you’re saying, if you were going to say they would prefer the TMS me, then I have to take a deep breath and figure out when it’s best for me to respond because when you see the TMS thing, it triggers that, “You need to instantly reply to.”
It is a trigger.
I’m like, “No, I’m working on something else. I’m not going to respond to this TMS situation.” Also, I have to learn how to, “We’re in 2025. This is a method in which we communicate. Can you be a little more flexible and less triggered?”
That’s what I heard from both of you is being flexible. I learned that from a great friend of mine who’s a generation or a decade younger than me. I count her as a great friend, but she loves to text. In the beginning, I was like, “I just want to call.” The people that like to text, your calls go to voicemail, and then they’ll text you late. You just learn.
I do voice notes.
That’s a new one. I was open and accepting, and flexible.
The first few times.
I continue to call, but because I valued the friendship and recognized that it was her level of comfort. Again, I wanted to communicate that I accepted that part. It’s not everybody. What I got from the two of you is what you said last, Sylvia is being flexible. In a work environment, and particularly if you’re a leader, then, yeah, you may have to set boundaries. You can still be somewhat flexible, but I’m certainly unfortunate, Alexis, and Sylvia’s camp in terms of email TMS, texting, and having all of the forms for one person. Yeah, that’s too much.
I agree. I will say I don’t give all. I don’t make it that accessible. I do believe in boundaries, and if you’re one of my good girlfriends, you’ve got all the means of communication. If you are, I’m getting to know you or your close colleague, like you said, email TMS, I’m going to give you my word number.
There you go. We’ll start there.
We’re starting there and gradually go to the other means.
That leads me to the next question in terms of how you navigate work, family, and relationships all together.
Work, family. Let me start with what I don’t have. I don’t have a relationship. The focus has been on me and navigating, so we said, friendships, family, and work. I’m really close with my family.
Say hello to the Osborn family.
Yeah, we’re close. Some people think, “You all plan this?” “No, we’re just showing up.”
Let me say something, you all genuinely like and love each other. You do not merely tolerate each other or get together just because this is what we’re supposed to do. It’s always love, and that love is infectious. I think of that as a reflection of Ms. Willie Mae Osborn, and she’s called Grandma. There was always space at her table for me and for other people.
Since her living here, we’ve become the new grandma house. I think everybody is trying to be the grandma house, which is great. Could I work from home? I like seeing the different scenery, but I love spending time with my people and their habitat. I love that.
Remembering Grandma: Stories And Videos
Just briefly back to your grandma, I heard so many stories and actually some beautiful videos. Her celebration of life was a year ago.
Birth certificates were a little different. Her birth certificate says one thing, she says another. We’re putting a dash in between. 102, 103.
Either way, a century.
A very long time. It was a blessing. As she got older, of course, she was not grandma. She became one of my girlfriends. I’m like, “What are we doing today, grandma?” When I say go in there, I would go in her room and I would offer something, a smile, a song, a dance, something that we would do when we were little, of course, but we’re going to modernize it. I have a lot of memories of doing all types of things. We did puppet shows for my grandma. We were learning to read. She was teaching us to read.
She listened to us struggle while we were reading. She wasn’t shy to throw us outside. We lived across the street from a playground. I don’t know what they’re called now, but she knew the person that was in charge of the recreation center. He talked her language. I got them. Okay. We did a lot of arts and crafts. I can definitely play a lot of love, respect, and homage to my great grandma because she’s the one that implemented in us our childhood. Like, “You’re going to do this, but while you’re doing this, you’re going to get to know the Lord.”
We at some point will be grandmothers, and Sylvia, my proxy for sure, for all of our children that are in our posse or our tribe. I know that you had a beautiful experience, but in terms of what advice you would give to those of us who are going to be in that role, in that position one day? Maybe just a couple of pointers that you think were valuable in terms of communication with your grandkids.
Correction is needed, we see it right now, and examples, I don’t know, the generation is younger than me. You can tell that they got a lot of emotion. How they let it out, I don’t necessarily agree with. I think those moments where my grandmother sat us down and just had conversations and or correcting and or having us think a little bit deeper.
I think critical thinking has been lost in some of like I won’t say that I don’t want to blame the education system, because that’s not what I think. I do think it is lacking outside of maybe the education system, maybe at home, I don’t know. You can see it’s definitely evident in different ways. I think that some of the takeaways, sitting down, having a conversation, being open-minded to the conversation, even if it’s so uncomfortable. I think having those uncomfortable conversations with love.
Now that’s a change from the norm from some of us in terms of how we grew up.
Children are seen, not heard. Being able to have a conversation in a safe space and listening.
Safe space is subjective. I think there’s a presence lacking, and I cannot say where it would lie, but it’s felt. I just hope that whoever the child latches on to, whether it’s just the mom or their friends, that they’re not seeking the wrong information, because they’re also getting a lot of information on these phones. When phones were coming up, you were able to control it. Parental control was a big thing. It’s too free. It’s too open. Some other information, now you have to take some of it with a grain of salt.
Safe space is subjective. Share on XYou can speak in emojis now. I’m just saying younger middle schoolers have this whole language, and I’m like, “What are you saying?” Let’s shift gears a little bit. Let’s talk about opportunity. Certainly, how do you know when to make the next leap to the next opportunity?
I am a believer of God. After having conversations and praying on it, and I’m really big on feelings, too. That’s another thing.
Is that like your gut? Is that that small voice within, the spirit within? When you say feels, what do you mean?
More like gut feeling. Sometimes it’s just going like you said, a leap of faith. Just asking and being prayerful and in my prayer saying, “No matter the outcome, just walk with me. Please carry me. Please protect me.” There’s always a learning experience in whether it’s right or wrong. I hope that in my right, even if it is wrong, that I’m protected, that I’m covered.
Musical Soul: Drake, Kendrick, And Finding Your Soundtrack
Very good. Love that. Shifting gears to music, because I know that if your grandmother loved music, you have to have the same. I was growing up so close to her. If your soul had a soundtrack, what three songs would be on it?
If my soul had a soundtrack. One of them would be Whitney Houston? Now I’m trying to figure out that the song is on the Preacher’s Wife album.
Is that I will always love you?
No, it’s not that one. It’s more of like, I cannot even think of the words. We’re going to skip her. We’re going to skip that one. That’s one of them.
There are so many in Whitney that you could probably pick from.
It’s one of the songs from Whitney Houston’s Preacher’s Wife album. I’ll circle back when I can think of it. Another one would be, there are so many great songs.
I’m going to switch gears. I’m going to give you an easier one. In terms of your playlist. Give me 2 or 3 of the top songs.
Three of the top songs. It’s going to be Beyonce.
Cowboy Carter?
It’s that girl. I’m that girl. Excuse me. Another one is Drake’s NOKIA. It’s usually something Drake. We usually just slide Drake in there.
No Kendrick?
That means Kendrick is not in your top three.
Kendrick isn’t one. He’s in my he’s in my numbers. He’s in my numbers. He’s not necessarily my top three, because that’s a different emotion that I’m evoking.
Got it.
Drake is more fun and we’re coming in the summer and playful and light. How do we describe Drake?
I listen to a lot of his older stuff, and I listen to the new stuff too. Drake is going to be a little bit more reformed in his anger.
Interesting.
Whereas Kendrick is more direct and less poppy, I would call it.
I would describe Kendrick, you could tell there’s a shift. I feel like he is the best example I can give as far as an analogy goes. He is a T-pop. He’s very steamy. He has a lot to say. If you keep him on that eye too long, he’s going to explode. He’s going to scream a whistle.
What Drake is like a pot of just simmering water on love?
He’s going to simmer. I feel like we had to compare the two. I feel like they’re on the same way, they’re just on opposite ends.
We’re going to acknowledge to the readers that may be in one camp or the other, or those of us who appreciate both, that you are appreciating both.
I am.
I know. I hear that. I just want to make sure that our readers hear that in our comments. I am a fan. I’m a fan of both.
If I’m going to be very honest, I do listen to Drake more than I listen to Kendrick, and it’s not because Kendrick doesn’t have great things to say, because he does. It’s just he’s going to talk more about the world, and I love that. I need more of like, get me through the day-to-day, because the world is already harsh. I’m already looking at it in the news. I’m already looking at it outside. I go on a bus, do you know what I mean?
Self-Care And Oral Hygiene: Unconventional Wellness Wisdom
Self-care. We’re going to get you out of here. We always ask about people’s self-care regimes. Please share with our readers. What’s your self-care regime?
I am a believer. I’m a believer in getting your feet done. It was a wise woman. It was a wise woman who had worked. I don’t know her job, but she was on her feet and she talked about it. She said, “You take care of your feet, then you’ll be able to walk as long as you can.” That stuck with me. I also saw her feet. I was like, “Understood. You’re trying to get me a gym here.” I can appreciate that. Where it’s like, that stuck with me. I’m going to take care of my feet. Your face and your teeth. I’m a really big person of like, your oral hygiene is very important. Don’t be afraid of the dentist.
That’s a good one.
Your health as well.
That’s what we say. I’m at my big age. There are a lot of men that are afraid, I don’t know if they’re afraid, but I’ve noticed that they don’t like to floss. I told them plaque is one of the big indicators.
They like to kiss. Can I say that on the show? Is kissing allowed on the show, Angela?
What did you say?
Kiss. They don’t like to floss, but they like to kiss.
They don’t like to do these things, but you need to do the other thing.
I feel like that’s something you shouldn’t admit.
They do. They do so in confidence.
I feel like you should never admit that.
Take care of yourself. I love doing face shoes. I love going to get pedicures, and I love getting shoes. I try to get some good supportive shoes. Somebody for you to go shop with.
I’m sure you’ve already been. Very good. Love all of those things. I think you’re the first person to acknowledge the importance of taking care of your teeth. That’s the thing. That is definitely self-care. It’s a healthy habit, as you mentioned. We do talk about health on the show. I do have to admit, your generation, I think, is so much better at taking care of the whole body.
Thank you.
Without apology, and not saying you’re going to wait until you get older to do these things. I think that’s good.
Thank you on behalf of everybody.
You take it.
Alexis Phillip, how can our readers follow you? Where can they find you online?
I just made my TikTok available. You can find me on TikTok, and you can find me on Instagram. I believe both names are Lovelyl3xx.
I like it. Very nice. We are so grateful to have you. Thank you. We need all voices on our show. We need all stories, I think, so that we can all adequately support each other. Thank you for being so honest, open, and vulnerable.
Again, I want to say thank you for inviting me on your show. It’s an honor.
Excited to have you. Thank you very much for just showing up here.
No problem. If you need me to come back, go ahead. Just send the invite. I’ll be back.
Sounds good. You will have an open invitation, my dear.
Thank you.
May you be well.
You too.
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Pearls Of Wisdom: Post-Interview Reflections
Sylvia, that was such a lovely interview with Miss Alexis Phillip. She had so many things that we could share as our pearls. I know you’ve got a long list. I am going to just start off by saying it was interesting. I was able to reflect on one of the first ones she mentioned, open-minded. I went back to episode three, which happened to be an interview with another Alexis. Alexis Walker. She’s generation Z. Now, here we are full circle at episode 35 with the millennial.
35 episodes, Angela. I think we should pat ourselves on our back for 35 episodes.
It’s just a blur, but it’s been so much fun. So much that I have taken away so far, but both of them, the theme was the same when we asked them, how can we, as an older generation of women who want to support younger women coming behind us, whether it’s in life skills in general, in the workplace, in friendship, just in sisterhood, it was a common theme for both of just to remain open-minded.
We tend to put people in boxes or judge them based on what we accept as the norm, or how we were trained, or taught to believe or think. When we do that, when we continue to judge others, then it means your mind is close to the possibilities or the new norms that are out there. You can either choose to live the remainder of your life close to that and not be accepting, and therefore maybe not of much value.
We lose the ability to create a connection. We all want to be in community. In order to be in community, we have to be able to listen.
That’s it. That’s part of it. I’m going to add to that. Listen, but also be kind. I think there’s a way of sharing your experience, and even when you think that others, if they would just listen to you, you may be able to help. There’s a way of saying things in kindness without being, for lack of a better word, unkind or reprimanding. Again, sometimes that shuts their door to being able to hear you. They had that saying, open-minded. It’s always a good reminder. The silent warrior that she talked about when she was speaking of her grandmother.
Do you silently worry?
All the time. You have to find a balance of when to share your worries, and my relationship is who am I sharing my worries with, if I’m worried about my kids. It’s not all valuable when you just tell them everything that you’re worried about. I’m going to tell you the way I catch myself is how my mom can tell me that I’m worried about you. I have told her, “Mom, that it doesn’t help me when you say that.” As a mother, it just sometimes comes out. I get it. It’s not always helpful because I don’t want you to worry. There are some things in life that just happen, and I have to go through it, and having your love and support is more valuable than knowing that you’re worried about me.
How do you balance the worry but not imparting fear on your daughters? B I think of I had a classmate and her mom was always palpably afraid, and in my humble opinion, and I think that can be translated into, maybe I shouldn’t do X, Y, or Z. How do you navigate that?
Prayer.
Prayer, I like that.
The things that are not in my control it’s prayer. It starts every single morning, and my kids are probably who I lift up the most. My entire family, but the things that are out of my control and prayer, and faith. The faith in what we try to teach and instill in the house when they were here, and the faith that they have that part of us is with them, or God with them. Again, just staying open to whatever they bring me. I feel like as we have continued to grow through as they’re both young adults, I feel like both of them feel pretty open to sharing concerns. Knowing that, it gives you some relief and knowing that there’s not something lurking out there that they’re going to do or some danger.
They’re hiding, or you’re unaware.
Yeah, because I know their thought process and what’s going on. I don’t know how else to answer that. I don’t know that there’s a true balance there.
Good to share. Alexis mentioned her prayer, and you mentioned prayer is how you navigate the silent worrying, and her prayer was “No matter the outcome, please, I’m going to put in the word, Lord protect me.” That’s exactly what you’re saying. I like that you’re covered. You pray and have faith.
How about you? I’ve got more, but we probably need to finish the segment. What else?
I think one other thing that I’ll bring up is how important family is to Alexis and how she really enjoys spending time with her family, and those are her people. I think that is beautiful. We all should be so blessed as to have people. I count you as one of my people and the rest of the girls from the game plan. If you got people and prayer, you’re good.
Love that. That was so much fun. I love just sharing between the generations. The theme is just staying open to all things that are going on because everybody is encountering life, but in different stages. If we can stay open even though it may seem that their life shouldn’t be so difficult because they’re young and they haven’t experienced all that we’ve experienced, it’s still they’re experiencing it through a different set of glasses, almost. It’s a completely different world.
Their life is still life-ing too. I mean, we say that all the time, life is life-ing. Their lives are life-ing. What I love about having conversations with people, my niece’s age, your daughter’s age, is that we learn so much from them. Simple things for me, whether it’s beauty tips about like lashes and how to do contour. We use this website for clothing. Auntie Sylvia, this is a good place for you to go. I learned so much, and just even the lingo and the latest music. We had a great conversation about Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and I’m squarely in the Kendrick camp. Although I like Drake, there are so many places, avenues where we can walk together and learn and listen and be present.
I’ll just add to that part that, along with the thing that you’re talking about is they’re very much more attuned to their emotions. You can either look at that from a positive aspect or a negative. I tend to look at it from a positive. No matter how you’re coping or dealing, or expressing, at least they are open to acknowledging the different emotions. As my daughter says, “Her EQ is very high.” I love that. I learned from them in that aspect.
In our episode 34 with Dr. Sullivan, she talked about how feelings, and then we can create language from those feelings. It’s important.
Very good. Thank you again, Sylvia. It’s been another great episode. To our readers, we truly appreciate you coming along with us for the ride. We ask that you continue to subscribe, like, listen, and please share with us any ideas that you have or thoughts. We are always listening and would love to respond.
Feel free to reach out to us at BossLeapPodcast.com. That’s BossLeapPodcast.com.
Until we meet again, may you be well.
May you be well.
Important Links
- Alexis Phillip on Instagram
- Alexis Phillip on TikTok
- Unleashing Your Very Own Moxy – Past episode – Episode Three
- Writing Must Have A Sense Of Joy: On Black Feminist Narratives And Liberation With Prof. Mecca Jamilah Sullivan – Past episode – Episode Thirty-Four
- Dr. Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
About Alexis Phillip
Alexis Phillip roots stretches far and wide. He father, is an immigrant from Grenada, that moved to New York when he was a preschooler. Her mother was born and raised in New Jersey and during their college career, her parents met on the illustrious hills of The Howard University, created a beautiful family of five. Alexis is the middle child, born in Washington, D.C. raised in D.C., Maryland and Florida, where she later moved in with her grandparents finishing her educational career.
Alexis always had a natural curiosity of people and their thought processes, whether in hearing stories of a person’s upbringing or something that impacted them in a way that changed the trajectory, especially a powerful moment of self-worth. In Alexis adolescence, she was encouraged to be bold and to understand the power of never apologizing for their presence. Growing up she was always involved in some church or community-based elective, where she learned the importance of making connections with people. Alexis is a firm believer of not looking like what you’re going through and her motto has been her wanting you to leave better than you came. Her passions have been giving back to the community, education, fashion and traveling.
Since moving back the D.C. metropolitan area, she wants to continue giving back to the community, educate others on things she has learned and pay things forward to both the generations before her and behind her.