The early Summer of 2020 was an interesting time for me and many others in this world. Early days of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Lots of uncertainty, confusion, loss, and even chaos in many parts of the world. In my own ecosystem, my community and I were grieving the loss of a man’s life in Minnesota at the hands of law enforcement officers. Police officers whose duty is to “protect and serve” our communities. A video of his murder circulated widely across media outlets and the Internet. Looking back now, I’m still unsettled by how relentlessly the footage was replayed. The constant circulation of such a horrific loss of life began to feel like a public spectacle, which only deepened the weight of what I was trying to process. As I was processing George Floyd’s murder, I was reminded of some “deferred feelings” that arose rapidly from the killing of Breonna Taylor earlier that year (March 13, 2020).

I was overwhelmed with sadness. I was embarrassed. Embarrassed because we still treat others [to the extreme of savagery] so poorly based on the conditions and perceptions that collectively form our outlook of them. That embarrassment eventually evolved into anger that influenced me to the point of distrusting others and questioning their intentions as they engaged me in my own life. My life, at the time, was defined by my profession. So my reaction to this tragedy showed up in full force at work.

June 2020, I wrote a poem titled “Black Lives Matter — A Poem For The CEO I Once Met”. It was a call to action to our executive team to be engaged and make investments in our community to help prevent tragedies like this from happening. It was a plea to do our part with what we can control and influence. The narrative of the poem was centered on my own experience of fortune, privilege, and favor. Despite being a person of African descent in a world that conditions and correlates racial identity to livelihood, I turned out just fine. I wanted my colleagues with more power, connection, and influence to help the world. To pay it forward with the purpose of making our society a better place for everyone.

A lot happened during this time period. Mainly, good things. I received a lot of support and opportunities to create change. Resources were deployed, people were engaged, and work streams commenced to re-imagine the world we wanted to be proud of living in. The marathon continues…

Later that Summer, during a 1:1, my manager asked me if I knew what emotional intelligence was. I was caught off guard by the inquiry:

I replied, “Yes, why do you ask?”

She responds, “There is an executive leadership coach I want to introduce to you that specializes in EI that I think you would benefit from.”

I was taken aback and a little confused by her recommendation. What was she trying to tell me? I had made a lot of noise in the organization advocating for our company to invest in society. I did not want to experience another tragic murder at the hands of those who are supposed to protect us. I know she had good intentions but I did not think she had a good feel for who I am.

I was familiar with Dr. Daniel Goleman’s work. A close friend of mine had introduced me to the term and concept in 2016 at a dinner party she hosted for a group of our friends. Dr. Goleman’s framework is broken down into four domains:

Self-Awareness — feelings of self are known and there is an understanding of how mood affects your actions.

Self-Management — feelings are regulated. When things get hard, you stay calm and in control.

Social-Awareness — empathy. You feel and care for other people’s thoughts and feelings.

Relationship management — the ability to communicate effectively, build trust, and resolve conflict.

I have been described by many, strangers and loved ones alike, to be self-aware, focused, empathetic, and intense. I don’t receive the description of intense as offensive, hurtful, nor disrespectful. I accept it as their best way to articulate the emotional capacity I possess and [try my best to] shine on this world. My ancestors were also intense in the way they navigated through their lives. In my experience, Habesha (Eritrean & Ethiopian) people are very proud of wearing their heart on their sleeve. Have you ever witnessed Habesha people debate? It’s a beautiful [yet crazy] song and dance of expressions that involves tone fluctuations, pitch changes, and body language movement that you could probably find at a NYC Broadway musical. They see life in color and do their best trying to paint those colors for us.

The emotional expressions of our lineage have resulted in such beautiful contributions to society in music, art, architecture, agriculture, infrastructure, food, beverage (coffee was born in Ethiopia), and culture. I believe all of humanity’s greatest creations come from the collaboration of our free-willed spirit and Divine intervention. Without emotion, there is no creativity. The absence of creativity is a world I never want to exist in.

Reflecting on it, I believe my manager was doing her best to protect me from how I may have been perceived within our organization. She may not have thought I lost control, but rather saw someone who needed an outlet from what sometimes feels like multiple lifetimes of stress and trauma. I still believe my personal conviction was justified, but the way that conviction was received mattered. It is the responsibility of the messenger to code the message in a way that allows the receiver to effectively decode and understand what is being communicated. My professional experience taught me many lessons in navigating difficult situations. I learned the importance of regulating how I felt in order to deliver the message and achieve my objectives. The most successful people are often the most resourceful; I believe emotionally intelligent people are super resourceful.

There is a difference between emotional regulation and emotional suppression. Let’s say you get into a disagreement with a friend about what TV show is the all-time best, the Sopranos or Breaking Bad. The conversation begins to escalate, you feel the tension rising between you and your friend. You sense anger coming from your friend because he does not feel heard nor understood. Instead of trying to convince the friend of why Tony Soprano outshines Walter White, you acknowledge the point of divergence to your friend and recommend going for a walk to grab some ice cream. That’s a very intelligent and thoughtful approach to emotional regulation. An example of emotional suppression would be if you shut down and initiated the silent treatment because your friend cannot recognize that Dr. Melfi played a more influential role on Tony’s character arc than Jesse Pinkman did on Heisenberg.

It’s one thing to keep the peace; it’s another to become avoidant. Knowing the difference empowers us to be better in our interpersonal relationships and connections. Whether it’s dealing with the weight of the world or aging parents, emotional intelligence gives us the power to successfully navigate through these challenges. There are [and will continue to be] times when speaking up and expressing self will disrupt the peace. And that’s okay when awareness is active, calmness is flowing, and the intention is rooted in solution.

As a leader of two companies, I have a duty to carry the mantle of emotional intelligence as a role model for others, especially my team. It’s critical to have a genuine ambition to get to know and understand the people I work with. It is difficult to be understood when you don’t seek understanding of others. Big feelings can be had. It’s how we repurpose that energy to create something beautiful, something that can be collectively loved, valued, and appreciated. I also understand that my emotions do not exist in a vacuum. The same intensity that can inspire confidence, urgency, and creativity can also overwhelm others if not managed with care. Leadership requires me to be aware not only of what I feel, but what my feelings create in the people around me. My ancestors provided me with a bank of emotional vocabulary and expression that is ingrained in the DNA of my leadership.

When I think about YenYa, I want our customers, clients, and employees to feel the hospitable care and warmth that defines Habesha culture. I dream of friendships forged and communities developed on the foundation of joy and passion they feel when they interact with the brand and our products. I believe it starts with love, empathy, and a desire to make the world a better place than how we found it. A selfless spirit of kindness and excitement for the life we get to live. For people to feel the safety of being their whole self, without fear of harm or judgment. It’s a fine balance of empathy with accountability. These are the things I think deeply about as we build our company and solidify our culture.

What excites me most is the opportunity to pass along those intense emotions I inherited from my ancestors through my own creative acts. My Son will be the biggest beneficiary of this as I raise him through the world we navigate through. He will also be my greatest teacher as he helps guide me through how he interacts with me. When it is all said and done, my ancestors will be proud of me for what we were able to create, together.

HONDO

A Dreamer From Cali

I’m finishing up an amazing 4-mile run on the beautiful scenic coast of Salvador de Bahia. I pass Praia do Farol da Barra and make the turn at the lighthouse towards Praia do Porto da Barra (one of the greatest beaches I have ever visited in my life).

I hit my distance marker.

I’m pumped!

It had been some time since I had run more than a couple miles. I start walking to decompress, catch my breath, come back to my body, and reflect on the thoughts I had during the run. After every workout, I always express gratitude to God for the ability to move my body.

Right as I was beginning my prayer, it felt like the world stopped for what felt like a few hours.

Seriously, it felt like I was frozen in time.

This moment I was having is still very hard for me to describe but the best way I can frame it is it felt like I was having a dream while still wide awake and functioning. I have heard people in my past describe this experience as an epiphany, a cosmic download, an intuitive insight, a psychic transmission, and even a clairvoyant revelation.

I simply understand this to be a Divine intervention.

It did not last for more than 5 minutes but, my goodness, I imagine this is how Neo felt in the movie The Matrix when he came out of the training module and tells Morpheus:

“I know Kung Fu.”

I come back to reality, basking in the beautiful Bohemian sun. I was still recovering from what felt like a “bad break up” from my career. I was going through a lot of changes in life…and I mean, A LOT OF CHANGES. Looking back on it now, I was being protected, redirected towards honing in on my gifts, and recalibrating how I would use my talents. At the time, I was not reeling in pain and suffering like I had been the previous few years. I was in a fragile state of recovery. This was my second time in Brasil; my second time in Salvador. God knew bringing me back here would help clear my mind, body, and spirit and lead to the reassembly of Humpty Dumpty.

The run feels more like a metaphor for grounding my existence, relinquishing control, surrendering to the unknown, and trusting God’s plan, whatever it is. That moment, I was reminded how cool it is that we get to experience life and how grateful I am that it felt good in that moment. I am now passing Forte de Santa Maria where I get a glimpse of some kids diving off the cliffs into the warm Brazilian Bay of All Saints water. I smile at the thought of the thrill of freedom they were experiencing.

Suddenly, I get a text message from my very close friend, Henock (someone I consider as the “big brother I never had”), with the words:

YenYa.

I asked him to send me a voice note of the pronunciation.

YEN-YAH.

Me: What does that mean?

Henock: It means “ours” in Amharic.

That was it. That was the message I was experiencing. That was the mission I was receiving during the Divine intervention. Build something that is OURS.

In the summer of 2022, shortly after I left my career behind, I had tormented myself to the point of depression with the desire and ambition to have a product of my own. I have been very blessed and fortunate to have experienced what I did working for PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Diageo. Some of the things I got to lead and be a part of are lifetime dreams for some people. I am so grateful for the time I spent and how it shaped the man I am today.

However, I had no equity, no ownership, nor a legacy of sustenance from those experiences I could have for myself and my family. This does not mean I would never work for someone or some big company ever again (I still happily work with my clients in building successful plans and creating innovative strategies for their big brands and companies). I simply wanted something I could build and pass on to my Son that would create value for him for generations to come. Something that he and I could be proud of because it came from our heritage.

Something we could identify with. Something that is ours.

My workout is complete. My brain at the moment felt electrified. The Sun felt so good and the endorphins were hittin’. I needed to replenish myself. I stop at our local market, about a ½ block from my apartment, to grab some fresh coconut water. As I wait for the clerk to sharpen his machete to cut and prepare the coconut, I run into the cafe next door to grab a cup of coffee. And that’s when it all came together.

Coffee. Ethiopia. Ethiopian coffee. Wait a minute, THAT’S OURS!

I return to Los Angeles in December 2024. I immediately began building what I now recognize as the foundation for YenYa Specialty Ethiopian Coffee. I worked diligently on product development, recipe testing, and market research. This continued all through 2025 while I was continuing to expand and scale the work my team and I were doing at AMBESA Agency (AMBESA is a full-service creative and consulting firm I founded in 2022). I had the right pieces but I was not sure how I wanted to launch YenYa into the world.

Quality is something I value in any product. I want to ensure YenYa creates the highest-quality products for our customers to enjoy. I would meet with potential supply chain partners and they would always want to resort to using extracts or chemical replacements. There had to be a way I could get these developed products into the world. This is when I really started thinking deeply about the importance of infrastructure.

The thoughts I had about something of my own resurfaced as I shifted away from product development and market fit. This began a new workstream of ideas to create a framework that would eventually become the backbone of the products we want to develop with Ethiopian coffee through OUR creativity and influence.

January 2026.

I arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Addis is such an extraordinary town. Culturally, it reminds me a lot of New York City. High energy, people moving around in different directions on all kinds of missions, a hustler’s creed keeping people inspired, and havens of peaceful cafes and restaurants all throughout the city. I am so fascinated with the cafe culture of Addis Ababa.

The care, hospitable nature, and kindness shown by the establishments embraced my spirit. It only feels right to reciprocate these feelings to others and create friendship. When I came back from Addis, that experience shaped me and how I wanted YenYa to feel for others:

Heritage. Quality. Experience.

Hospitality. Friendship. Kindness. Community.

Love. Ours.

For The Love Of Ours.

When I came back to America in February 2026, I made the decision to pursue launching YenYa as a coffee company first. Our first goal is to open a roaster and provide quality coffee beans, sourced directly from the birthplace of coffee, and tell the story of this beautiful plant and how it has come to be one of the most popular beverages in the world.

From there, we will evolve and grow, as any living being with ambition and passion does. I guarantee that because we have some really cool products developed that I want people to experience.

This is the infrastructure we build on.

Today, Release 001 from Sidama, Ethiopia is available on yenya.co.

And I’m so freakin’ happy that it is!

“The only limitations you’ll ever have are those you place upon yourself.”

- Poe Mans Dream (His Vice) by Kendrick Lamar ft. GLC

HONDO

A Dreamer From Cali

The distractions I subjected myself to were fueled by the indulgence of an insatiable appetite of trips, activities, adventures, and consumption of material belongings. I was waiting for the “perfect” idea or opportunity to transition away with ease. I now recognize that ambition of perfection was a false sense of control being masked as a way to ease the anxiety that comes from venturing into the unknown. A blanket of comfort cut and sewn from the threads of fear & terror of what the future could be. This illusion of perfection inhibited me from taking action. The urge to be perfect was really telling me that I lacked a plan I trusted and that I was expecting certainty before taking action.

I once had a job as a category manager where I was responsible for data analytics and business reporting. I remember sitting in on a pitch with this syndicated data company that had got the attention of our executives for this revolutionary proprietary product that had the ability to predict the company’s future business performance. All they needed to build this prediction model was the historic sales performance data set for the last 20 years to create this custom, foolproof algorithm that would pinpoint the company’s future sales and market share performance within a certain margin error. “Predictive Analytics” was the wave and everyone wanted this crystal ball that could tell the future. It seemed perfect. The thing I could never get my head around is how did the data set take into consideration the present day investments, strategic actions implemented into the business, culture shifts in consumer behavior, and macro economic factors into account of their prediction model? It didn’t. The model was limited to historic data and projecting information on the future based on its calculation of trends. Our dependence on a predictive model began to suffocate the organization’s creativity, innovation, and thought leadership. It was just another tool to falsely seek and validate perfection in decision making. This, ultimately, hindered the business performance.

I ended up leaving the company but I do know the contract for that syndicated data company did not last long enough for anyone to effectively test their model’s accuracy. I’m fascinated by leaps and bounds people engage in to eliminate risk from decision making. My principle for decision making is “there are no losses, only wins, learnings, and growth”. If it all works out, it’s a whole lot of joy and happiness. If it does not, it’s a lesson that builds wisdom and better prepares us with experience. Sure, we all want to make informed decisions that guide us in the right direction but very rarely is there a situation where reward cannot be received without risk.

As I have grown older, I recognize how important it is to become comfortable with the possibility of failure. How can we really know what success should feel like if we don’t? The aesthetics of media have built an intrinsic pressure on us to rise to the occasion and perform flawlessly. We engage in stories and narratives of successful journeys, the trial and error that was endured to get there. It is important to not get caught up in the vanity of success without recognizing the strife that came along with it. An obsession with perfection does not honor the setbacks, struggles, and repetition that led to successful outcomes. Matter fact, the more we obsess with perfection, the more it hinders our ability to plan and execute action. The more we indulge in perfection, the more fear of imperfect results arise. Fear can inform us, but very few good things happen when we allow it to govern us. Sometimes, we feel this desire to be perfect is because our plan needs work to anchor the vision. The reality is perfectionism grows when we expect the plan to remove uncertainty.

One way to view creativity is as an exercise in reverse engineering. We imagine something that has not yet come to fruition, then work backward to determine how to bring it to life. The pressure to perfect something before it has even been born can create enough internal conflict to make us abandon it altogether. In Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act: A Way Of Being, he shares, “When you believe the work before you is the single piece that will forever define you, it’s difficult to let go. The urge for perfection is overwhelming. It’s too much. We are frozen, and sometimes end up convincing ourselves that discarding the entire work is the only way to move forward.” This is where planning becomes critical in the journey. Vision allows us to see what could exist, while a plan gives us the steps to begin creating it. Vision reveals the destination. Planning creates movement toward it.

I have no desire to ever live in a state of inaction rooted in fear ever again. I have learned that planning is key and relinquishing control to the end result of my work, especially creatively, usually turns out to be my best outcome.

Live → Learn → Plan → Act → Grow → Repeat

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“‘Victory Lap’, even the title [of the album]. It’s the accumulation of trial and error, that’s what I represent. Trial and error.” - Nipsey Hussle

I had been dreading this photoshoot for YenYa. I needed brand content for the website and social media, but I kept thinking about everything I did not have: the ideal space, the perfect backdrop, a full production crew, props, a set stylist, etc. Eventually, I stopped thinking about what was missing and started working with what I had. What I had was more than enough.

I reminded myself of who I am. I have been shooting photography for almost 30 years. I have a great eye for lighting. I am resourceful and creative. I know what success looks and feels like.

This was the setup. The photographs below were the result.

HONDO

A Dreamer from Cali

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Why didn’t I just pay someone to do this? Isn’t my time valuable? Absolutely (my time is mad valuable, fam). But how can I effectively teach and coach someone how to be exceptional at this if I have never experienced running a packaged goods supply chain system. It would be pretty difficult for me to develop a benchmark understanding an effective system without hands-on experience.

More on YenYa another day. I’m excited to share OUR heritage, the exceptional quality, and experience that is Ethiopian coffee. You can sign up for our newsletter and be notified of the launch of our website at https://yenya.co.

I have been thinking very deeply about what it means to be successful and the work it takes to embark on the journey. To set the table, I define success as a constant commitment to be the best version of *insert noun here*. There are many characteristics and traits that can be listed to expand on this definition but for now, I am focusing on the importance of education, development, and the practice of one’s craft.

Generally speaking, a master of craft is one who is continuously nurturing and developing their talents. A friend of mine is a very talented, award-winning singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. Everyday, he dedicates a couple hours a day to feed his craft. As a songwriter, he commits to writing 2 to 3 bars a day. Sometimes, those bars turn into verses and even songs. As a singer, he cares for his voice by vocalizing notes and harmonies throughout the day. Sometimes, the vocal training turns into a recorded studio session. As a filmmaker, he studies colors, lighting effects, and tests different types of equipment. Sometimes, that turns into a music video for his social media channel.

Feeding the craft is an act of care, no different than how we nourish our body with food, water, & exercise. A master of craft is someone who is always nourishing their talents. The late, great Kobe Bryant coined this practice as “The Mamba Mentality”. A person with this kind of commitment will always find themselves on a journey of success.

The modern day architecture of our societal lifestyle, especially in the United States, has put so much pressure on our time to the point we must constantly find ways to create efficiencies and take shortcuts to conquer the multitude of roles we (sometimes are forced) play on a daily. These shortcuts and efficiencies have become acts of survival.

I’m not sounding an alarm nor inciting panic, one must do what they have to do, I get it. I am, however, bringing awareness to the opportunity we have to choose how we construct and create our lives. I believe if we focus on investing in the time today to feed our talents and mastering our craft, the time spent will pay dividends and will yield returns in perpetuity.

For me, as an entrepreneur who is in the midst of building two start-up companies within 4 years, I am choosing to take the time of learning, understanding, and building the different aspects of my businesses. Why? Because those builds, even the smallest, add up and create momentum that eventually transforms into growth. When practiced consistently (and with a little favor), the growth becomes exponential.

This approach will keep me on the journey of success that I never desire to wander off from again.

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?" - John Wooden

HONDO

A Dreamer from Cali