If your community doesn’t exist, create it.
Jodianne Beckford intentionally created and designed the first Noire Girls Plant event for her first member — herself. Tapping into her own needs struck a chord with others.
This post is part of the People & Company team’s ongoing research into exceptional communities that are bridging the gaps between us. P&C is a strategy company that helps organizations like Nike, Porsche, Substack and Surfrider make smart bets with their community-building investments.
If you enjoyed this interview, you can learn more about our services and reach out here. We’ve also published a community-building handbook called Get Together: How to build a community with your people. Order your copy here, and subscribe to our podcast “Get Together” for more of the inspiring stories behind today’s thriving communities.
“I kept doing events after that first one. I guess that became my community. Even now saying it out loud, it is very strange. I never thought I could be someone that would be a part of creating a community.”
— Jodianne Beckford
Jodianne created Noire Girls Plants, “from a dark place of feeling numb.” At a low point, she found plants were giving her joy. She searched on Eventbrite and asked around, trying to find a space with others to nerd out and talk about plants with.
When she couldn’t find one, she created her own space. She put up an event and designed it with all the elements she would have wanted — yoga, spoken word, mediation, a plant gift and goodie bag.
People left that first event with more than just goodie bags and time well spent. People had fun and saw each other, as people of color, being vulnerable. They asked, “when’s the next one?” and so Noire Girls Plants began — a community of growers, in aspects of health, prosperity and nature.
On the “Get Together” podcast, we talk with Jodianne about how she created her first event to explore her interests with others and what keeps her going through hard times.
You can listen to the full episode here:
While you’re listening, keep an ear out for three of our favorite insights from Jodianne:
If your community doesn’t exist, create it.
Noire Girls Plant was born out of a Jodianne’s own need for belonging, healing, and a space to nerd out about plants. After searching for an event that filled her needs and not finding one, a friend asked, “why don’t you host an event?”
Although she was convinced no one was going to come, she courageously decided to host it anyways and designed the event of her dreams. “I added everything that I selfishly would want at the event” — yoga, spoken word, mediation, a plant gift and goodie bag to take home. The event sold out with a waitlist. Tapping into her own needs struck a chord with others, helped her create space of belonging for them too.
In our research, a clear theme is that every would-be community leader is afraid that no one will show up to their shared activities. And the truth is that at first, maybe not too many people will. You’ll have to stick with organizing if you want your community to build momentum.
To overcome that fear of getting started, you can’t fake the funk. Spark your community from a personal place, just like Jodianne did. Ask yourself: What’s something you care about enough that you’d do it even if no one else joined? If you want to start a run club, for example, would you go on that run alone, even if no one joined you?
Balancing inclusion and exclusion.
Jodianne advertised her first event specifically to women of color. Not only was the event special because it brought a group of women together that all shared an interest, “it was really special to be in a room full of women that looked like me,” Jodianne shared.
Though centered on women of color, Jodianne kept her doors open to all. Eventually, a white woman and her 10-year-old daughter joined an event. Part of the conversation was centered around the lack of representation of black people being in the wellness space. The young white girl curiously asked questions and proved to Jodianne, “this conversation is definitely necessary because kids don’t even realize that [women of color also] belong in this space.”
A “why” that keeps Jodianne going.
Plants are a metaphor for the personal journey that people go on and share at Noire Girl Plants. For Jodianne, as someone who has experienced anxiety and depression, plants have offered new roots and room for growth. “I felt like I had to do this event for my past self so she could see me now thriving. And even though I’m struggling, I’m still pushing through,” Jodianne shared. “I didn’t want to disappoint the little me.”
Thank you, Jodianne, for your time!
If you want to find Jodianne online and learn more about Noire Girls Plant, head over to her website.
This interview is part of the People & Company team’s ongoing research into exceptional communities that are bridging the gaps between us. P&C is a strategy company that helps organizations like Nike, Porsche, Substack and Surfrider make smart bets with their community-building investments. Learn more about what we do and how we work with organizations.
To hear more of our interviews with people organizers, subscribe to our newsletter and podcast, “Get Together.”
We’ve also written a handbook called Get Together: How to build a community with your people. You can order your copy here.
