The Road to Speaking at WCUS (feat. Femi Lewis and Maestro Stevens)

Allie:
Welcome to the Underrepresented in Tech podcast, hosted by Michelle Frechette and Allie Nimmons. Underrepresented in Tech is a free database built with the goal of helping people find new opportunities in WordPress and tech overall.

Michelle:
Hi Allie.

Allie:
Hi Michelle.

Michelle:
I’m excited because we have guests today.

Allie:
Yay. We have two guests. Have we had two guests in one episode before?

Michelle:
I don’t think so.

Allie:
I think we usually only have one.

Michelle:
[inaudible] in tech.

Allie:
Yeah, historic.

Michelle:
Very much so. It’s like almost a third of the Brady Bunch screen or something like that.

Allie:
Yeah.

Michelle:
But I’m excited because you and I talk a lot about, obviously we talk about representation, why representation matters. We also talk a lot about speaking at events and WordCamp and things like that, and we’ve actually been giving out a lot of instruction and guidance on how to make events like that, a more balanced speaker lineup. And I’m excited because today we have two underrepresented speakers from WordCamp US, which is next week with us today, who agreed to be with us. So I’m going to let them introduce themselves, but tell us a little bit about who they are, what they’re doing, and especially what their topic is at WordCamp US, what they’re doing there. I’m going to go ladies first, and I’m going to go with Femi Lewis. Femi, thank you for joining us. If you could tell us a little bit about yourself, that’d be great.

Femi:
Sure. Thank you so much for having me. I’m Femi Lewis. I’m the owner of Femi Writes. I’m a content strategist and content creator for service-based entrepreneurs. What I really do is I help entrepreneurs who really want to market their business, really unpack their target audience and what I call their special sauce. So what makes you special and unique as a business owner, and then how do you then share that with your target audience in a way that’s meaningful for both of you and create a strategy and a plan of action in terms of creating your online presence?
So at WordCamp US, I will be delivering a workshop, I think it’s like 90 minutes. I’m excited and scared, called Make It Plain: AI and the Content Creation Process. And the reason why I came up with this idea was I remember being at work in Phoenix and I was at a workshop that talked about AI and there were three other people who had similar businesses to me sitting near me saying, “This is going to kill us,” all of these things. And up until that point, I really hadn’t honestly paid that much attention to AI. I’m dope and I’m a badass and no machine can ever get in my way. I’m that person.

Michelle:
I love it.

Femi:
So I got to start unpacking AI and what it can do for business owners and if I could be somebody that could support that process. So I started tapping into different entrepreneurs that I knew and was like, “Hey, why don’t we start looking at AI together and we could see some ways that you could use it in your business to help you work smarter not harder?” And so I came up with a couple of things. I don’t know if they’re necessarily that much different than other people that have come up with things, but I have come up with my own ways of helping people unpack this process. And yeah, I’m sharing it and I’m excited.

Michelle:
That’s great. And AI is a hot topic lately, so I’m going to guess that workshop is going to be fully loaded with tons of attendees. So congratulations on speaking there. I’m going to ask Maestro Stevens, if you would introduce yourself please.

Maestro:
Thank you, Michelle. Appreciate that. Yes. My name is Maestro Stevens. As Michelle just said, I am the founder of The Iconic Expressions. We are a branding and web agency, so we have a lot of similarity to Femi and what she does, and that was pretty nice. I would say right now I’m focused on helping WordPressers get a better chance or a fair chance at simplifying their development process.
So I created, launched a template shop last year looking to relaunch this WordPress template shop this year, and I’m excited for that. And I am speaking at WordCamp US this year very gratefully and honorably. So it’s one of those funny situations where I would say I was on the bench and I was just ready to go in the game and my name was called and I got the opportunity. So it is for Black Press, which is a community sub-community group in WordPress that really helps a lot of BIPOC WordPress users and people get, like my mission, get a fair chance and a leg up in WordPress. And I’m speaking with a few people on a panel, Ray, Destiny and George, I’m not going to give out their whole last names and I can put them out there, but they’re on the website so y’all can check it out. Find them.

Michelle:
Yep, exactly.

Maestro:
Saying y’all can find them. Y’all can them, they there. I’m speaking with this wonderful group and we’re going to be a team and really help share and amplify Black Press and that’s literally what the title is. It’s Black Press Amplifying Black Press. So I look forward to being there and I’m grateful for having the opportunity to speak.

Michelle:
I am so excited to see both of you on the lineup. When the lineup first came out, I am an organizer for WordCamp US, but that’s not team I’m on. So I got to see the lineup when everybody in the world got to see the lineup and I texted Allie and Naisha and I was like, “I’m crying real tears. I’m so happy this lineup is so balanced.”

Allie:
I hadn’t seen it until Michelle texted it to me and I stopped everything I was doing and I was scrolling through looking at all of these faces, and I ran over to my husband and I was like, “Do you see how few white males are on this list? How cool is this?” It made me so happy.

Michelle:
There’s minorities, there’s disabled people. This list is so well-rounded.

Allie:
And it was also one of the things that I found about that list is being a “active” community member for the past few years, you start to see a lot of faces over and over people who speak on a very regular basis. And it is also a very good mix of people I’ve seen speaking a hundred times before and people that I’ve never even heard their names before, which I think is incredibly fair and useful to give first time speakers that opportunity to hopefully apply to speak more in the future, which I love. I think that’s so exciting.

Michelle:
I’ve always said I love applying to speak, but I would gladly give up my spot for somebody who is also an underrepresented person and who hasn’t had the same opportunities to speak that I have. That’s great. I’ll always apply so that there’s at least one more woman in the mix, but if there’s other people better qualified and who need a chance to be on the stage, take my spot. I’m all about that. It’s super exciting. It’s just really exciting.

Allie:
I’m curious, both of you, what your experiences are like with speaking at events. I think we’ve established this as both of your first times speaking at WordCamp US. Have you had experience speaking at other WordCamp or meetups or just any other types of events?

Femi:
Yeah, so I guess I’ll go first. So I have done workshop facilitation in the past on a local level. I’m here in New York, I’m in the Bronx. And so there are a number of small… Are you from the Bronx too?

Allie:
So I’m from Yonkers, but my mom worked at the Bronx and we spent a lot of time in the Bronx. So yeah.

Femi:
There is an organization called Bronx Collab, which is a co-working space, but it’s also a real community space. And so I’ve done workshops there. I’ve done things with WE NYC as an invited workshop person. And then this year I was like, you know what? I want to just start putting myself out more. And I looked up on WordCamp because the first time I ever went to WordCamp was in New York, and I was just really amazed at the number of speakers that were there. This was 2019, so it was the last WordCamp for a while. But I was just amazed by the number of speakers and that these were just everyday people. It wasn’t some big influencer. It was everyday business owners, experts that have a love for craft, have a love for WordPress, and they want to share what they know with other people. And I remember being there and saying, “I should apply to that.”
And then the pandemic happened and wash, or that is inaccessible. So flash forward to 2023. I just applied to WordCamp Phoenix. Like, “They’re not going to…” But they did. And so I went to Phoenix and I spoke there and I spoke at Montclair. And last week, I spoke at the meetup, Michelle’s meetup, in Rochester. So I’m kind of making the circuit and seeing where this goes.

Allie:
Yeah, you’re a veteran at this point. You’ve got it.

Femi:
Oh, thank you.

Maestro:
I guess similar to Femi’s, not the same story, but there’s a lot of parallels once again. So I started my speaking, I would say journey just a few years back per se. I really wasn’t into the speaking circuit at all. I was more just into the running the business and doing the services and delivering things. But then I just got that bug and I tried to apply. So congratulations that you got into the Phoenix because when I applied for it, I didn’t get into any of the stuff. And so I almost gave up for a second there.
But it was pretty cool that a year later after trying to apply, for example, to WordCamp US last year didn’t work out and a year later, here we are. But within this time I made a promise to myself I was going to start doing and applying to public speaking, but I started off with doing the WordPress meetup groups, like doing those just as the soft runners, if you will, just get my chops up and just get my practice in.
And then I took over the northeast Ohio WordCamp and my actual first, I guess public speaking in front of WordCamp people or WordPress people was a party, throw a virtual party for WordCamp. So after I got out of being nervous for that, I started trying a couple other things and applying for other things. But I’ve done here in Cleveland, Ohio, I got an opportunity last year to do Future Land, which is a big conference. It’s supposed to be AfroTech, but AfroTech didn’t want to come. And that’s another story. And then I just came back from a couple months ago from WordCamp Europe, which was another blessing. So just having that opportunity to speak there and get that experience is probably something I can use for this next one coming up.
But before that, I got another warmup. Wasn’t necessarily Michelle’s WordCamp, but Michelle was really a part of it in many ways and got me there for the Buffalo. So I used that as an opportunity to really being learned. This is my home, this is a community. That was the first physical WordCamp I ever actually performed at to be 100% honest. Joe. He got me into some virtual ones, WordCamp Clarita. So shout-outs to Joe. I got to give people some shout-outs. The Michelle’s and Joe’s out there are very rare. So he got me a start. Michelle got me a start for my first physical WordCamp because she brought that to my attention. And so I’m here now. So sorry for a long, long story, but I wanted to give those shout-outs.

Michelle:
We like the stories. Absolutely. And I’ve been so blessed to be at the places where y’all have spoken and be able to hear you. And I think my story, you and I bumped into each other no less than 20 times in Europe. We kept in the same path and that stuff. And Femi, I’ve been at the same WordCamps you have this year as far as Montclair and Phoenix. So it’s just been exciting to watch you guys get into it and be like, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to own that stage and I’m going to get out there, put my name out there and get selected.” It’s been a delight. I’m just been so excited for both of you. Oh, and my story. You spoke this year. You spoke at my meetup as well. You spoke for the Rochester meetup and you were-

Maestro:
The Rochester meetup.

Michelle:
Think he spoke at the Caden’s Amplify event too, online this year. So you’ve been everywhere.

Maestro:
Yeah, I did speak at that. I didn’t want to add more on top of it, but I’m just trying to be where I can be.

Michelle:
Absolutely.

Allie:
Yeah, it’s fantastic. Speaking is such a fantastic way to become more engaged in the community and get your name out there, get your face out there. I miss speaking so much, mostly because I love people coming up to me after with thoughts or questions or just starting a conversation that would not have ordinarily happened. So yeah, I’m really glad that both of you are speaking so much and getting that exposure. My advice would be keep a list somewhere of all the things you’ve spoken at and if the talk gets uploaded online to WordPress TV or YouTube or anywhere, keep a link to that as well with it. Because I recently had to go back and try to list all the things I spoke at and I was just like, I remember some, but I’m probably missing some. And it was really frustrating. So make sure y’all keep a resume, a portfolio of your speaking experience for future reference.

Michelle:
And if you do see it online, download a copy for yourself because if anything happens to somebody’s YouTube channel or whatever, then you have a copy of that for yourself to be able to use in other places as well. So Allie, you must have questions too. I’m curious about the process. So applying for WordCamp and waiting and waiting and waiting to hear is that nerve wracking thing. How did you find the whole process to be for WordCamp US versus other places you’ve spoken and other things? And did you do what I do when I get invited to speak somewhere like this kind of thing? When you first open the email, tell us a little bit about the process.

Maestro:
It is a crazy process. I don’t know if Femi, you wanted to take it, but I definitely was going to say it’s a nervous process. But AI to your point though, I’m glad you dropped some gems earlier. AI has helped eliminate a lot of the nervousness of the process of applying because they ask a lot of questions, which rightfully so. You got to filter out, make sure it’s worth it. But I start to use AI now. Before I didn’t use AI, and when I first applied to the first WordCamp, I took a, I don’t want to say a lazy approach, but I didn’t do as best as I could and shout-outs to Wistina. She had a virtual meet with me, and I mean, Wistina held no punches, which I loved, I needed that. And from there, I mean the process got smoother from there.
So if I can give anybody feedback, get somebody to review what you did and how you applied to see what you did wrong, and Wistina definitely gave me some really good feedback. And then the next time I got it right, and I would’ve never gotten to where I have gotten, if it wasn’t for Wistina’s guidance, it was real hard feedback. Not saying it wasn’t mean or critical, but it was real like, “Yo, you need to step it up. This is WordCamp we’re talking about here.”

Femi:
I mean it’s casual, but it’s not casual. We still want meat and potatoes if you eat meat and potatoes. So I guess what was my process? So I was talking to, I’m part of a business collective of other women, and I was talking to the woman that leads it and I was like, “Yeah, I think I’m just going to apply for WordCamp Phoenix.” And she is the one who invited me to do a workshop with WE NYC, which is through New York City Business Solutions. So she facilitates the workshop, she invited me to be a guest and deliver five brainstorming activities to do before you start your content strategy.
So I had come up with a list of things that I could potentially apply for at WordCamp Phoenix, and she was like, “why are you reinventing the wheel? You just did this other workshop with me. It was the bomb. Lead with that presentation, lead with that proposal. If you want to propose to other ones, go ahead. But I’m telling you, that’s the one.”
So I applied, I did send in because they give you the option of sending in three topics. So I sent all three, and of course, the one that I had already done was the one that was chosen, which was a good thing because work smarter, not harder. And so I did that same one again at WordCamp Montclair. And I just felt like if I’m applying for WordCamp US, do I really want to apply using the same exact workshop that I had done two other times? And could I stretch myself and kind of test the waters more and provide a case study for people in how to use AI effectively in their content creation process? And to think about it as in a different way other than this is going to take over my business.
So that’s what I did. I still applied with that previous workshop, but I added the AI one and one other one, and I’ve decided since then, the other one that I have proposed now three times that nobody has chosen that tells me that it’s not that good of a topic idea. So these two right now are my signature topic ideas for that reason.

Allie:
That’s awesome. I love all of those stories and these stories are so important for other people to hear from both of you who we haven’t said out loud, but both of you are people of color. If people are listening and have not looked at the [inaudible] picture, you’re both people of color. And I remember when I started going to events in 2017, not really seeing any people of color up on stage speaking, particularly Black people. I was going to WordCamp Miami a lot, so we had a lot of Latin Spanish-speaking folks. But it took me a really long time to see anyone who looked like me up on that stage. Have y’all experienced that? Have you seen anyone up there speaking that you’re like, “Wow, I identify with them, I feel inspired by them.” What’s been your experience as an audience member seeing other people of color up there speaking?

Femi:
So I think when I went to Workcamp New York in 2019, I think what made me feel like in the back of my mind so many years ago now, that this was something that I could do was that it was something that was accessible. So I remember not seeing very many Black people on the stage, but the fact that there were young people, there was a girl… I shouldn’t call her a girl, she was younger than me. A young woman who was an influencer that was doing a workshop, an older woman who was given a workshop, people in between, and people were just getting up and speaking.
That let me know that it was possible. This was not something that I felt like I had to invest in a makeup artist and get a whole new outfit for that. This was something all I needed to do was share my craft. However, I will say there is strength in numbers. So when I spoke at WordCamp and I saw there was another Black man who was doing a panel that did give me a sense of relief that there was a sense of diversity there.

Maestro:
So for instance, I just came back from Black Tech Week in Cincinnati, Ohio, and that was the first time before the Future Land, but Black Tech Week has been doing it for a while now I’ve heard. And so it was the first time for me seeing like, yo, this is real. There’s really, I might be a part of a community called Black Press, but there’s actually a Black Tech Week shoot, they might take over a whole month. I mean, it is happening out here. So it was a blessing to be able to see that and see Issa Rae on stage.
That was one of the first, and I used to follow Issa Rae back when she was doing Awkward Black Girl series. That was my joint back then. I was a nerd. It might be awkward for me to admit that, but that was my show. And it was one of them shows where it only drops once a month, so you really got to wait for that joint for the next one. But I’m saying this to say, to see it all come from full circle 10 years later, 15 years later, and to see this person on stage, that was inspiring.
But as far as WordPress is concerned, I don’t really see, seen a lot of BIPOC or Black or brown people on stage. And it was concerning for me. So that’s what inspired me to even become one of the people that one of these little kids can see and say, “Hey, I see him do it.” And whether they call me Maestro or Mr. Stevens, I’ll take both, but just show some love, show some respect, little ones, because doing this for y’all, because it’s just one situations where I want to see more, I hope to see more. The most I see is when I’m watching YouTube videos and things like that. So maybe I’m not out enough, but more specifically for WordPress.
Allie, to your point, I do think it’s a problem. And to bring it back full circle, that’s the reason why, and I shout out to you and I’m grateful for you for sending me the shirt to even represent in Europe, because the truth is, I repped that joint when we were at the social and people were looking at me and they were asking me, “What is this? What does this mean? And who are…” And then they had no idea I was speaking on that stage. And then when that came, it came back full circle. Then realized that I was the only Black American who was at WordCamp Europe. It was just adding, everything was compiling. I felt the pressure like I’ve never felt before.
So I just want to say that it was great to have that opportunity, but I don’t see a lot of us. And so Femi, when you say what you said and then to see us on there, it is very inspiring. So that was my story, seeing Issa Rae about a month back on stage, and they come full circle. I’m like, yeah, “I can do this too.”

Femi:
And I will say, I think that us taking the stage, I hope that it makes… Because we are present at these events, whether we are volunteers or in the audience, I hope that seeing us on the stage and others like us will prompt others to say, “I need to step up my game and speak too.” Because there are a lot of us that have tons of talents, but we’re not sharing that for whatever reason. So it’s time to break out the box and not just be present, but be a presence.

Michelle:
Yeah. That’s one of the things that we talk about on this podcast is we say all the time representation matters and it’s easy for people in the majority and in places of power, whether the numbers are there or not. The power majority to say, “I don’t understand why you keep saying that. Everybody’s invited.” Right? But you have just given us stories of seeing other people and it inspiring you, and now that you two are helping inspire others, I’m sure to say, “I can do it too.”
And it’s why representation matters. And it has always boggled with my mind. When the White tech bros, we have a sticker for that, Allie will tell you about later, say, “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Everybody’s invited. Anybody could speak. It’s about the quality of the people.” And that’s another story altogether. We’ll have to talk about that another day.
Yeah. Anyway, we talk all the time though about representation mattering, and it does, and you all are living proof that it does, and I appreciate both of you so much in being willing to put yourselves out there, apply to speak, and then literally put yourself on the stage.

Femi:
And I appreciate you too. I knew nothing about Black Press and I work in Phoenix. You just stopped me, was like, “Are on Black Press?” And I was like, “No, I don’t even know what that is, sis.” You were like, “I’m going to send you a Slack invite.” Yeah. So I appreciate that, and all of the spaces that have opened up within WordPress to support us absolutely is important.

Allie:
Absolutely. Alrighty. Thank you both so much for being on the show with us and talking with us. These are fantastic stories to be able to put out into the WordPress space and into the world in general, so people can understand an experience that they have not experienced. It’s super important.

Femi:
Absolutely. Thank you.

Allie:
So I will be putting in our show notes, links to both of your websites, both of your social medias, both of your talks at WordCamp US, and definitely a link back to Black Press if anyone who is listening does not know about it, so you can go get some more information.

Femi:
Sounds good.

Maestro:
Cool.

Michelle:
Thank you.

Allie:
You. All right, we’ll talk to you next week.

Femi:
All right, thanks so much. Bye.

Allie:
This episode was sponsored by the following companies, The Blogsmith. The Blogsmith is a holistic content marketing agency for B2B technology brands that creates data-driven content with a great reader experience. Visit TheBlogsmith.com to learn more. Thank you so much to our sponsors for this episode. If you’re interested in sponsoring an episode using our database, or just want to say hi, go to underrepresentedintech.com.
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