coach conversations

A Model, a Singer, and an Entrepreneur on Being the Only Woman of Color in the Room

Photo: Courtesy of Coach

For the third installment of Coach’s monthly Youtube series, Coach Conversations, entrepreneur, author, and lawyer Meena Harris gets together with model Paloma Elsesser and Mayalsian singer-songwriter Yuna. In the video, which goes live today at 9 a.m. ET, the three discuss the importance of intersectional representation and how they maintain power in male-dominated settings. They also reveal their new quarantine hobbies and the advice they would give their 8-year-old selves.

The series debuted back in January with a conversation that featured author, former monk, and purpose coach Jay Shetty alongside the legendary Jennifer Lopez. In February, the second episode included actor Michael B. Jordan, editor-in-chief of the Cut Lindsay Peoples Wagner, and rapper Cordae. This month’s episode is pegged to Women’s History Month.

The Cut spoke to Yuna about her experience as a Muslim- and Asian-identifying woman in the music industry. “You only really see strong Asian women in finance, or technology or film maybe. But then you have me, this girl who’s in music,” says Yuna. “In a lot of cases, when people don’t really know about me and try to write a narrative of my story, I don’t really like it because they don’t walk in my shoes. It’s important to tell your story before someone else tells it for you.”

For her, it’s always a positive experience to talk about intersectionality with other women who recognize its role in their lives. “Sitting in meetings with all men, and you’re the only woman of color or you’re the only woman there — you know that they’ve gone through it before too,” Yuna told the Cut. “I’m like, You’re my people; you get what I do. It’s so important to have these conversations with other women.”

Enjoy the full episode for yourself below.

A Model, a Singer, and an Entrepreneur on Intersectionality