ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

James Loy 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast by the hosts and guests may or may not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of ºÚÁÏÉçÇø.

Student 

I'm a senior. I'm about to graduate, and I've done a lot of cool things in college.

Student 

I never thought that I was gonna be an intramural curler. I never thought that I was gonna be the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø body president.

Student 

These four years have been the biggest amount of growth I've seen in my entire life.

Student 

It's not just about the academics, but like, what kind of person you turn into, which is super cool.

Maggie 

It's really, really easy, especially in college to fall into that mindset of, like, just doing what everyone else does, because it seems like an established norm when you get here

Valandria 

yes

Maggie 

When in actuality, like college is all about individualism, finding out who you are on your own terms, instead of doing what everyone else does.

Valandria 

 I agree.

Maggie 

You know

Valandria 

 1,000%

Maggie 

Well, and that's something that we're gonna get into. We have a very, very special episode for today, a very special guest for the first time on major insight. We are featuring a recent alum of ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. So my first question is, who are you?

Valandria 

So my name is Valandria Smith Lash. I'm the founder and CEO of Coarse Culture um and who else am I? A daughter, a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø and alumni. You know, like the list goes on, but I am proud to say that I run, I am leading the first ºÚÁÏÉçÇø run startup to ever be headquarters on campus. So I'd say that I am a, what's the word... trailblazer,

Maggie 

Absolutely. So can you kind of just give us a rundown of what you did here at Miami before you started Coarse Culture?

Valandria 

Yeah. So when I attended Miami, I was a speech pathology and audiology major with a dance minor, which has nothing to do with anything. It was kind of just like between, like my current career, my major and my minor. It was just literally me feeding the different passions that I had.

Maggie 

So when you were here at Miami, you were speech pathology, audiology major, and now you run Coarse Culture the rundown. What is Coarse Culture? What's your goal as a business? What's your brand? What do you do?

Valandria 

Coarse Culture is a personal care brand that specializes in whipped shea butter products. And to set the record straight, like we are a personal care brand for people who have skin that's not specific to any sort of niche. You know, I feel like often we kind of get placed in a niche just because it is an identity that I share and one that my mom shares as well, just because, like we are both women of color and so usually, between that and the fact that my friends who are usually promoting the products and things like that are also people of color, it kind of gets misconstrued. They're like, oh, this is only for people of color, which is not true. Everybody can butter up Shea butter is the fatty extract of the shea nut tree, and it's like, found in a lot of different conditioners and lotions and things like that. But, most people don't check what they're putting on their body or in their body, so they have no idea that they are quite familiar with shea butter. They just have not ever read the bottle.

Maggie 

Yeah

Valandria 

And the company didn't officially become like what it is today until my junior year of college, and then it was kind of a labor of love turned happy accident turned really, really profitable business.

Maggie 

So you are about to finish your undergrad, you are a full time ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. While you're here, what did that balance look like as a business owner, as a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø? What did that balance look like for you? It's a pretty unique situation.

Valandria 

Yeah, so for a minute it looked like me running around like a chicken with their head cut off, you know, like it was crazy because I but it ended up being less crazy when I figured out how to truly, like, use my calendar and like, be more specific and intentional about my time

Maggie 

Absolutely

Valandria 

So everything was always school first.

Maggie 

Absolutely

Valandria 

Everything was always school first because, you know, I had a really unique opportunity being an Evan scholar. So making sure that I did what I had to do to get that degree was paramount.

Maggie 

Yeah

Valandria 

And then, when I had spare time, I was working diligently on my company, which ended up being every day because I made time.

Maggie 

Yeah

Valandria 

And then, it started becoming really fun.

Maggie 

Yeah

Valandria 

You know, to work on my company. So I would like be doing like, software and like, you know, trying to figure out like how to work Shopify or Wix or something like that. And I won't, I won't, I won't lie to you guys. Like, there are definitely been times where I was in class and I was creating a Canva flyer, and I should have been paying attention. But sometimes, you know, being creative, like, just called to me more.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

So the balance was really interesting. I will say I think my social life took a little bit of a hit. But by then, since I was, like, in my junior year going to senior year, I had a pretty good idea of, like, what my core circle was. So, like, it didn't really matter if I didn't go uptown every weekend.

Maggie 

Yeah. So how would you say your experience of college... how would you say that shaped the career you have today, the person you are? How do you take all those experiences in college and translate them to who you are today?

Valandria 

Honestly, learning the different habits to avoid and the ones to encourage has, like, been a really, really, really big thing.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

Like the structure my day is or like, the flow of it, is completely different, depending on, like, when I wake up, if I exercise or not, like, if I, you know, put my phone down at some point, if I, like, go to bed when I told myself I was gonna go to bed. You know...

Maggie 

So hard

Valandria 

All of that. Yes.

Maggie 

It is so hard.

Valandria 

Yes, it is really hard. It's really hard to, like, follow a schedule and, like, be disciplined and committed, but like, once you do it, you start seeing those results. It's like, I have to have this now, and it, like, starts to be, like, a craving. Because, like, for me, like, it made me crave the results that I was getting, like, after I realized, like, okay, like, I'm doing good, I'm being disciplined, I'm I'm exercising, I'm, like, filling out my paperwork. I'm, you know, doing my homework, everything's fine. Like, I'm seeing my grades go up. I'm seeing, you know, people starting to recognize me more for my company, brand awareness, blah, blah, blah. Like...

Maggie 

Yeah

Valandria 

I'm, like, this feels amazing.

Maggie 

So in talking to you, before we came in to record, you talked a lot about how you feel that college ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs today aren't necessarily taking advantage of the very, very wide breadth of resources that they have available to them while they're at school. So if you had to say something to current ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs, prospective ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs about taking advantage of those resources, what would you say to them?

Valandria 

I would tell them that they really need to get clear on what they like. You know, because I feel like everyone talks about like, yeah, like college is when you do a lot of you're growing, but I feel like it's too many people that like walk away from college and don't even have a clue. So that would be my advice, is to figure out what you like, because once you figure out what you like, you can find little sections of that, or little slices of that across the university, like, regardless of your major, like, like, even you, for example, right? Like you're, you're not a journalism major, are you? And here we are in a podcast. Look at you taking advantage of the fact that, like this is a resource, something that you're interested in that has nothing to do with your major, that if you decide, you know after college that you want to do something with, you can, because you have that foundation. Yeah, you were able to say, Hey, I'm Maggie. I like this, you know, I I find joy in interviewing people or podcasts or, you know, so on and so forth. So I was hoping to get really clear about what they like, because if you don't, then I could not imagine going to school, being sleepy, juggling classes, friendships, relationships, like dealing with homesickness for a piece of paper that I may or may not owe a bunch of money for, you know, and now that I'm done, I have no idea what I like or what direction I want to go in.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

I could not imagine, like, not knowing anything about what I would like to do.

Valandria 

Yeah.

Valandria 

When there's so much opportunity to explore. Like, you know, like college, like, how I think of it is, college is, like this Mini World, you know, it's very nice because it's all consolidated into one little, one little region.

Maggie 

Our bubble.

Valandria 

Yes, yes. And a lot of people just don't do the research. I would say to too, like, try to figure out A, what they like, or B, where is it?

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

We have, like, what, 200 300 clubs or something like that. Like

Maggie 

I think we have over 500 or over 600 ºÚÁÏÉçÇø organizations currently operating.

Valandria 

Yeah. Yes, yes. And things could be like, so, so, so niche down that, like, we have grill club. We have people that like, like, there's a club for people who like to grill. We are all going to come together this one space and talk about spices and grill meat. Like, that's very specific, but it's what someone loves to do. You know, like the Miami dropouts, like, I'm so impressed with them, too. You know, some ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs are like, we want to jump out of a plane.

Maggie 

Have you ever wanted to jump out of a plane? Let's make a club about it.

Valandria 

Let's do it, and we're gonna find some funding to get us to jump out of a plane, you know? So that is why I advocate so much for ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs to like, leverage their time in college, just because you will never have this much access to like, play around and figure out what you like.

Maggie 

Yeah

Valandria 

You know, to figure out what you like and to explore. We got dance classes. There's ice skating, rock climbing, like,

Maggie 

I'm in the ice skating class. It's one of my favorite classes I've ever taken.

Valandria 

Yeah, and it's, and it's just like, like, what we were saying earlier about college ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs leaning so far into those stereotypes and thinking about like, you know, like, there's one definition of fun.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

And it looks like the the party culture, the hookup culture, or whatever. But no one's thinking about like, yeah, like, actually...

Maggie 

maybe my version of fun on a Friday is going to the grill club.

Valandria 

Yeah, maybe I want to go grill a steak on a Friday.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

You know, like, or crochet in a circle, or go watch birds. I love it. There's like insect what is it?

Maggie 

Etymology Club

Valandria 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're like insect inspectors, like, they, you know, so, or coloring um like, it's just,

Maggie 

It's true. I think there's nothing more important when it comes to figuring out what you want to do than just finding out what brings you joy and what makes you happy. Like, are you happy doing this and are you passionate about it? Like, yeah, you know. And there's no timeline on when that moment has to happen, you know, in college. Like these, three years, four years, five years, however long it it is for you, it's your time. Run it on your own time. Like for me, that moment was, was last fall, when I first started out taking GIS classes. Like that was my moment of, wow, I love doing this, and it's one of my favorite things, and I have fun doing it, and it's important work, and I could make a difference with this. Like, it is truly all about finding those moments that are, like, kind of those little click moments, you know. And it doesn't have to happen inside a classroom.

Valandria 

It doesn't,

Maggie 

You know. Like you can find your passion through other things. If it's the grill club, it's the grill club. If you find passion and happiness and something that you want to do, because you go to grill club I love that for you.

Valandria 

Yeah.

Maggie 

Run with it. Like I take it and turn it into something like and it is true what you said about college being one of the only places where you can do that because, hey, you're paying to be here.

Valandria 

Yeah.

Maggie 

Or someone is paying for you to be here.

Valandria 

Yeah.

Maggie 

One thing that I think I will carry with me, not just throughout the rest of college, but for the rest of my life, is my freshman year RA. Um at one point when she was talking about, you know, the events that RA's have in the hall. You know, as an RA, it's really hard to get people to come to them. But she said, not just for RA events in your hall, but anything that happens on campus, every opportunity that you turn down or don't go to is a giant pile of money that you're burning.

Valandria 

Yeah.

Maggie 

It is so important to take advantage of the resources and the opportunities that are here for you at college, because I would say about nine times out of 10 they are provided for free. Your tuition money is what's paying for it. They're accessible, and they could make a real difference in your college experience, not even just at college, but after college, like, even if you have never networked in your life, go to the career fairs. Even if you've never attended a professional panel before, go to the professional panel that your department is holding. Like it is so important to take advantage of those opportunities, even if you might have no idea what you're walking into, just to say, I did it, I got the experience, I'll be better prepared for next time.

Valandria 

Yeah, it's really important to try.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

For me, I was like, you've got to be kidding me if you think that I'm not gonna try all this stuff. And, you know, do what I can and network and things like that. And that's how we were able to become the first ºÚÁÏÉçÇø run startup on campus. Like that wasn't a thought, you know, but, but what that took was for me to go and say, like, hey, this is what I'm doing. This is my idea. This is the direction I want to go in, you know, this is and then someone saying, You know what? I really admire that, like, how passionate you are. And that's the other thing too. I would tell college ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs, like, people invest in the person.

Maggie 

Yes.

Valandria 

You know, like, it's about the person. So if this person can see, like, okay, like, there's proof of passion in this individual, you know, I'm willing to take a baton, I'm willing to provide them with some money, or give them a scholarship, or, yeah, give them a grant to go overseas, or, you know, take them on, even though they don't have any experience in the field.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

And I really do think that's what makes a difference, which is why it's so important to try stuff, do stuff, you know, figure it out while you're here.

Maggie 

As kind of a wrap up on everything we've talked about, from what it looks like to run a small business while you're actively an undergrad ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, taking advantage of all the resources you have at college, finding passion in what you do and your drive and why you do the thing. If you could go back to freshman year and see yourself and say something to her, maybe give her a piece of advice, like, what would you say?

Valandria 

I would tell her that her plan is cute. That's what I would say. Yeah, because I was it, I was really big on like, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do this, and I'll take this pause of a gap year at this place, because I'm going to get accepted, and then I'll do this, and I'll do this and I'll just have this, and none of that happened.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

Like, you couldn't tell me, like, when I was a freshman, I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna go to grad school and, you know, I'm gonna get, you know, this degree and this, this and this, or whatever. But you cannot have paid me to believe that I was gonna walk away from a full-ride doctor degree in my senior year to pursue running my company. You couldn't have paid me to like believe that that was gonna happen.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

So, if I were to go back and say something to my freshman year self, I would tell her that her plan is cute and that she shouldn't rely so heavy on that, because nothing goes according to your plan.

Maggie 

Absolutely.

Valandria 

You know, like, it's not gonna be, it's not gonna be what you think. I would just, I would sort of emphasize that theme, because, you know, like, I feel like, when you're a future person, talk to the past person, you can't tell them too much, because it'll influence the future.

Maggie 

You're gonna mess with the timeline. We can't do that.

Valandria 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you got to be vague, you know. So I would just be like, Yeah, girl. Like, your plan is cute, but it's not gonna go that way.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

And then I would also tell her to keep climbing,

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

You know, like, keep going. Because there are definitely some days where I was like, oh, this is hard. I don't want to do this. Like, oh gosh, get me out. Because, yeah, cuz, then it is literally when people be, like, someone introduced me as the CEO, of Coarse, Culture one day, and I was like, oh, oh, goodness like, this is real. Whoa, yeah. And then...

Maggie 

Wait, I I am the CEO.

Valandria 

I am. I am. That is me. That is so, so crazy. So then I would like, try to get her to, like, sort of understand that, like, the process of becoming is a process. Yeah, you know, just because, like, I used to feel like, oh, like, I don't, that's not really me. And then people be like, Oh, come do this, come do that. And I'm like, guys, I'm just a girl. I don't know. I don't know

Maggie 

I am just a girl.

Valandria 

I don't know what you guys want me to do. And then I would go, I would go in there, and it'll be fine. So just tell her to keep climbing. I'll tell her not focus so much on things going exactly according to plan.

Maggie 

Yeah.

Valandria 

And I would tell her to trust the process and just be. A lot be coming. That's what I would tell her. imposter syndrome is crazy.

Maggie 

O my gosh,

Valandria 

Yeah.

Maggie 

Now, if I had $1 for every time my plan changed since starting college, I'd have a lot of dollars.

Valandria 

Yeah

Maggie 

Could probably pay for a few people's tuition.

Valandria 

That's hilarious.

Maggie 

Nothing is ever gonna stay the same as what you think it will and being comfortable with change that is one of the most important things when it comes to being at college and succeeding as a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. Valandria, thank you so much for coming on the podcast to talk to us about your experiences your business, if people want to find you on your socials or your business, where can they look?

Valandria 

Thank you for having me if they want to find me on my social my Instagram handle is my first name, Valandria with an extra A, and then our company name is Coarse dot Culture, and it's Coarse with a a, not course like school like,

Maggie 

Coarse, like coarse,

Valandria 

 Coarse like coarse

Maggie 

You can't see it but I'm like imitating,

Valandria 

Yeah

Maggie 

feeling a certain texture.

Valandria 

Yes, coarse as in coarse hair and like, paying homage to, like, the lineage of the take care culture of me being a black woman, you know, that I grew up with, that's kind of where the that's where the name came from.

Maggie 

Yeah. Thank you so much.

Valandria 

 Thanks so much for having me.

Maggie 

Of course, Valandria Smith Lash is a recent graduate of ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, where she studied Speech Pathology and Audiology. She is also the founder of Coarse Culture, a personal skincare company based at the Lee and Rosemary Fisher Innovation College at Elm where she also works with a team of ºÚÁÏÉçÇø ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs who work in production, marketing, sales and operations.