Fawn Weaver: A Woman's Self-Made Journey from Motown to Small Town

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Your stories are some of our favorites and today Robbie brings us the story of fallen weaver peers phone tell us her story. My father was one of the original Motown hip makers. There are always Motown folks in the house. Everywhere you turn there were gold and platinum records and and billboard that now distracts the top 100 top 200, they used to track producers in the nation, and who had the most hits and and I remember looking at one of the placards when dangling my dad was the number two producer in the nation. The irony is that we always have around.

We were not a part of it. The year that I was born 1976 my father decided not to sign another contract with Berry Gordy and Motown not not for any reason that you might hear out there in regard to Barry's contracts and 360 deals and all the rest that stuff my father was one of very few number of those in the very very beginning that Nate always maintained his master truly wise just he felt as though he had been called to ministry and away from the music business. So if you can imagine that the year that I was born my mother and father had this massive home on the top of a hill in Hollywood Hills and all the celebrities would come to their home, he throw these huge parties and all the rest of that and then he decides.

I am going to not sign another contract I've been called by God, God will make a way for everything. Meanwhile, he doesn't have money coming yet so you have two people who decided all right.

God called us were going to leave all the money that we have been making. We still have all these bills.

We still have this lifestyle we still have these fancy cars and so date it was an interesting time because if you can imagine the amount of stress that they were then under because you've got all these bills you have all these people that are looking at you as being this wealthy family. But meanwhile, you don't really have gas for your car and they had this store at the bottom of the hill called country Mart.

They had a grocery tab there where they would get all their groceries and put it in the book and then they would pay at the end of the month and going in and so they did that for several months after this transition and and finally the store owner said to my dad one day. Hey Frank, I notice you not paid your bill in a while and so my parents had to figure out all right. We we feel like we've been called by God to minister to the people that are in the industry where we used to be. We don't have the money to pay for basic necessities, and this was the life I was both and so they sold their home in Hollywood Hills.

They moved to Pasadena and so we grew up in this beautiful home with people that we had all this money, but then we didn't really have furniture and we didn't basic dove at that. I remember learning for the first time that we actually technically on paper had money because we were, we would go to school every day.

We have like these terrible lunches with nothing good and I wanted to get food like all the other kids and they had like these lunch cards where they got all of the best foods every day and so I went back to my mom and I said hey you know the kid they get these great lunches we have these terrible lunches. If we don't have money. Can I just get those lunches and my mom said we can't because we make too much money for that. Like we don't have any money so that that was my at-bat was my upbringing of absolute confusion. I look back at that formed every aspect of how I live how I do business of my marriage of every part of it because I require quality every person, no matter your background, no matter your race, no matter how much money came from, or have every body is equal and that is how I treat everyone there is no delineation for me and I think the more I live the more I realize that that's a gift because a lot of people count themselves out, meaning they will not go for a job where they won't start the business or they won't bet on themselves because they have these fears that I simply do not have. It was an odd situation to be in where people in the outsider looking at us like yeah those lessons have a lot of money, but inside were doing flips and cartwheels in this massive size living room because there's really nothing in it but a piano mandate you know in a plug-in TV. It's funny because I am. I am utterly unimpressed with people in general, including myself, and I think that's because of the way that I grew up like I don't II have been in the room with sitting president of the United States and I call them by their first name and my husband. He's a bit supposed to call them present so-and-so, but I'm not wired that way because I grew up with uncle Stephen. Okay, I did not grow up in such a way where I saw people on levels every body to me was equal and my father had this amazing gift of treating the president the same exact way as he treated a janitor and so I have taken that with me and so I don't show any more respect for a person that is at the top did I do that at the bottom which very much so confuses people at the top. I think I'm sure it does on Weaver dad Frank Wilson for Cherrywood Motown records and just suddenly drops the hammer and says were living for God and so much for the material world will figure it all out but it gave her a tremendous sense that you have nothing to fear.

My goodness, the greatest gift you can give a kid to take away irrational fear to disease actually can paralyze all of us and what gift Doug could give her daughter treat presidents and janitors the same more of this remarkable voice on Weaver story on our American stores view of the great American stories we tell him love America like we do, risking you to become a part of the all American stories from.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease stories in the story of phone Weaver fatherhood left music in the street after having a successful producing career Motown records that he and his wife go into ministry.

Vaughn was thrown into the confusion because her family appeared to have money, but of course really didn't. However, the lessons you learned, particularly about the quality they stick with her to this day we returned the font to hear about what it's like to be the kid of a minister (my father when he was alive but I still tease my mother that we were his their pastors, guinea pigs, and oh so pretty much because they came from being an entertainment industry with wild parties and sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll and all the rest of that step and then you commented this southern activist type of situation like that of all of the denominations to choose Plato southern Baptist absolutely would not listen to anybody unless unless you can actually make the argument to me as to why what you are saying is correct or why what you are saying I should do. I would not do it and so I had authoritative parents who said what you should do it because I said to doing the work for me and need you to tell me the thinking behind why you're telling me to do what you're doing.

So needless to say I bumped heads with my parents more than a little bit and it really came to a head when I was 15 years old and I left and I left home and I moved in with some folks that were in the projects and area in Watts called Jordan Downs. So there sort of two projects main projects.

One was home of the Great St., Crips, which is where I was and then across the way was Nickerson Gardens, home of the bounty Hunter blood and so I 15 years old. Move into this environment. Not really knowing anything about it, only knowing that these kids in high school.

They had parents let them do whatever they want and I wanted freedom wanted to make my own decision so I move into the hood and realize very quickly number one hood had a lot of cockroaches I've never seen this before, but the second thing was, I realize very quickly how I did not and I did not fit in it for couple of reasons, one of which might my grandmother is from Germany. My grandfather was fighting in World War II and she was stationed in Germany. My grandmother is a blonde haired, blue-eyed woman growing up under Hitler's Regine who does not see things the way that Hitler saw them obviously because she fell in love with my grandfather.

She couldn't speak English.

He couldn't speak German and the entire time they were alive.

Neither one of them could explain how in the world.

They got together when neither one spoke the other's language. And so they got married they had my mother and my mother's very fair skin as as a result of that relationship so that I am not fair skin, but I've got a bright green eyes and light colored hair and and so when I moved into Jordan Downs. I didn't realize I look different, but I was at a concert at in the projects one day and literally the guy from stage is rapid and I'm enjoying and he looks me dead in the eyes with all these people around and he says we have a halfbreed in the house. I didn't even know what halfbreed was and I'm looking around in everyone's looking at me and it was a very pivotal moment for me at because I realized okay. I don't II don't fit in, and I did not realize I didn't fit in. So I'm in an environment where I'm surrounded by African-Americans realize they didn't see me as fully African-American and that was an interesting lesson so I go from there and I go at night I stay with another person who I met through school similar situation and and then she had a abusive boyfriend who came over with a knife one day's work out and I moved at the age of 17, almost about to be 18 into a home called children of the night but I didn't fit in there either because children of the night is specifically a homeless shelter for people who were prostitutes and people been trafficked and things of that nature. And so I'm in this environment because it's the only place that had a bed for me and rather than go back home where I would, you know, go toe to toe with my parents. I really wanted to set out on a life of my own so I made that decision, but children of the night. When you turn 18, you must move and so as soon as I turned 18 I moved to a place called covenant House which is an amazing organization for kids who are 18 and older who find themselves homeless.

For whatever reason there's no judgment so were all in this this location covenant house and they had a program where it set up we go out every day and you look for job and you come back and if you get a job they hold your money for you. Basically a savings account to allow you to save for your own place which I absolutely loved. There were two things that I discovered while being at covenant House number one. The current theme of I didn't fit in and I did not seem to be the same as the people around me and I learned that on my first day of being there. We all had to go out and look for jobs and so we all went out to look for jobs.

We came back and we sat around the swift campfire and this I mean this is a small organization. This is over hundred kids that are 18 to I say early 20s were all sitting around at least 100 of us and everyone is talking about their challenges of getting a job that day and how they were able to get a job that day and I literally sat silent and the reason I sat silent as I went out to get a job and I came back with four and the second thing that I discovered is in my relationship with money.

I didn't care about other than to have the ability to have, to be able to be free and to have my own place and things of that nature. So I saved up money very quickly and was able to move out because every day I went to multiple jobs and I saved my money and I went out I was able to get my own place and to begin living my own life but that was my road through my teenage eat there my teenage years and then I started my own company after saving money and working multiple jobs, rather than going and working for someone else. I realize so far have not been like everyone else.

I've been a leader in every single situation. I've been in since I was a kid. I think this is the way I'm wired. And so I started a PR and special events firm and not surprising because of the circles that I was in when I did special events. There was usually some type of celebrity involved in it and so in that regard. I definitely had a a head start in that. I also the my office was actually my father's office in Pasadena. He wasn't using it and it was just one of the vacant office I said hey I want to start a business get you're not using this office. Can I pick and I take it over from my old company and so that is that is what I did and that's how I began. I was quite young and like most young people you don't know what you're doing and so you're going to fail a few times before you actually get it right in that instance I hired I think I got 10 people working for me before I was like 20 is absolutely absurd and so I 5.I've learned how to do things better to say the least. Leaving home so early and having to really spend for myself. It gave me a I think it underscored the confidence that I already had and I don't think that that would've happened if I had gone the normal route of staying at home until I was 18 or 17 and going to college and four years in college and in going that path. I don't think that the way that I look at life. My optimism in looking at everything and saying no matter how difficult things are, they can absolutely get better and they will get better and I know this because I've been there and so having that background, I think, allows me to be husband refers to me or when he's describing to meet other people he'll refer to me as unflappable and I think that that comes from that upbringing and everything that I saw once I left you been listening to phone unflappable.

Indeed, my goodness, to delete home at the age to experience what she experienced to do it well just to do it when we come back.

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Remember big lose like you he's on meds to 800 768, 98 guys. Are you getting up multiple times a night to use the bathroom. Are you planning your life around bathroom breaks as we get older so to our prospects and that can mean urinary problems that affect our sleep and quality of life.

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The conclusion of phone Weavers story on our American stories. He was born to motel loyalty left home at an early age realize she was different and not just different but didn't fit in anywhere. By the age of 20 having forged an identity over own. She decided to owner on company that's so impressive meeting payroll at the age of 20 is been an investor and business owner ever since your shoes to tell us about her career. I think that failure is is an incredible teacher. Now don't get me wrong I think success is a better teacher. However, I do believe that there are certain lessons that those who fail early on on my phone. The very first picture that is on there if you open up my album says fail harder and I have this true belief that if you wake up every single day and you give every day.

Your all and you are not afraid to fail what you're able to achieve this remarkable and I wake up and end folks will look at the way that I do things and and think that I am fearless, which is which is not true that's not accurate.

I am not fearless. I simply do not allow fear to dictate what I do and do not do every morning when I wake up I am very clear about why I am here and to have that purpose driven life is one of the greatest gifts I think any of us are given. If we really lean into that so for me, I would say the failure of my first company. The failure of my second company. The failure of my third company and I never stopped trying until I found the space that worked for me. The irony of it all. Every single thing that I did that I failed in is what I am using now it is what has allowed for my company. Now, in the way that I do things for us to grow so quickly for us to be the fastest-growing independent American whiskey brand in US history does not just happen that is literally everything that I learned from every failure is now working all together to create success and I think that that's the way that it works.

The PR and special events business what the beauty is is that every every business, every brand that I've ever invested in that I've ever run strategy for I use PR as the number one way to Talk about the brand. I will not sell something I do not absolutely believe it. And so the ability to share the story behind a brand is something that I honed back then and it is something that I rely on now my second company was called city of David, and it was a Christian clothing company and it was really me putting my heart on on my where it was one of those things where I had an idea and it was a great idea, but I did not put together a plan to roll it out.

I put together a plan to basically do the product line but I didn't put together the plan to roll it out and it's very similar to my PR and special events firm is I knew how to do it. I knew what I was doing but I didn't put together a plan to actually succeed and to know what could the overhead be that I could afford versus taking on 10 employees right out the gate and so with each of these things.

It's not that the ideal would not of been a successful idea that I did not take the time to put together all of the pieces that would've been required to succeed. My third was an investment in a fine dining restaurant. Everything was clicking on all cylinders on that particular one. But what I discovered on that one and on another investment that I have made is you can't really invest in a product or a type work. You have to invest in the person and if the person if that founder that you're investing in is not 100% ready then the business will and after years of backing other people's time for change for the phone wanted it not on a vacation that was meant to be a step away from work phone came across the story of Nathan nearest green former slave who was the first black master distiller in the US first master distiller's close friend, a man named Jack Daniels and since discovering on clerestory she's begun book secured movie rights started the fastest-growing and most awarded new American whiskey brand in United States history much more that I have. I have always intentionally had my name in the background in the background like nonexistent and the one thing that the nearest team week. They laugh at it.

It's a constant conversation as me trying to get to the background again this is a brand that when I split I found it the second person I hired was a spokesperson I was never ever ever wanted to be in the forefront, will he send out the press releases.

No one would speak to the spokesperson.

Everyone wanted to talk to the founder so it thrust me into a space that I never really wanted to be and I actually still don't want to be an one of the things that I discovered early on in this process because initially I put so much weight to the book and the movie and thinking that's the way it needed to be told that was what was important and then I went with nearest his family to go see hidden figures.

It was absolutely phenomenal. We sat there we cried, we laughed, we cheered we jeered it we did all of that and then when we left out we were in the lobby of the theater and I remember telling Pierce's descendent I said this is how the movie has to be so we leave and were so excited and I actually secured the agents the same agency who wrapped both the book for hidden figures and put together the deal for the failed however a couple months after I remember trying to remember the name of the people that are Tapia Spencer Jarosz EP Henson and Janelle Monet played those were the three stars and I absolutely could not remember the name of the people who they were playing, so you have an entire film that swept the world and everybody was learning about these three women and it was just an incredible film and yet I could name any of the people, the stars played the challenge with entertainment at this time. In this day and age is it replaced very easily.

So what is the story of today.

Couple years now nobody's gonna remember who that person wasn't going to be replaced with other entertainment and what we realized is the reason why Jack Daniel Jim Beam Johnny Walker.

The reason why were still talking about all those guises were still drinking from bottles with their names on it. That's where we shifted and we began to pit from the book in the movie having as great of significance were still going to do it but it is obviously this is kind of taken a little bit of attention, but what we realized very early on is is the legacy of near screen would not live in a book or movie. It will be there but that's not where will when were looking at people still knowing and talking about him and his legacy. 200 years from now the only way it could happen is if his bottle sitting right next to Jim Johnny and Jack mostly to phone we story what a remarkable voice with a distinctive journey not fitting in coming out on her own failing learning from failure and applying it all to a big move in her life from the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles will place called Lynchburg Genesee. She started over whiskey company and my goodness, uncle, mirrors, premium whiskey on waivers story remarkable story in American dream lived beautifully on L American store for 10 years. Verizon is provided technology curriculum and connectivity. Students like Christopher Christopher always loved creating thing so we learn about the Verizon innovative learning program will making things move like paper models move with engines and will make you like robust in his confidence in himself.

Like I couldn't have written the greatest story get the full story learning.com just around the corner of it all read the material level in a family-friendly section of modern outside air conversation that overhauled the offense don't make your home phone, functional and fabulous in-store Ashley.com today need life insurance but have diabetes, high blood pressure or unexciting meds. If you're a 50-year-old male even Porky or with type II diabetes.

$1 million of life insurance may only cost you about 200 bucks a month for affordable term life insurance called term provider and speak with Big Blue hundred 700 6890 800-700-6898 or visit Big Blue.com. Remember big lose like you these on meds to 800 768, 98