Meet Celena Seusahai | CEO Tribal Carnival & Carnival Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Celena Seusahai and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Celena, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My life in the last couple years has changed drastically. Managing one of the largest Carnival bands in North America while still maintaining a 9-5 in a hospital, while attending school at one point as well, while still being a 24 year old with a very active social life has not been easy.

I use my 9-5 to fuel my business, now with my business being self sustainable I think about the times when I had to do work for my business on my lunch breaks.. it was so hard balancing both but I always had an open mindset and believed that this was necessary to get my buisness to where it is now.

My friends would always comment on me doing work for my business in class when I attended college, it’s something that no matter what I was doing, my business work had to come a close second to other things that would eventually help my business in the end.

I’ve almost mastered the balance between, work, and social life. Creating boundaries is something I’ve strongly learned. You can work on your business for 24 hours a day but how productive will those 24 hours be? Learning to utilize my time more efficiently has helped tremendously in my work life balance.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My buisness Tribal Carnival is an arts and cultural group based in Toronto, we are the largest mas band in North America with over 3000 participants.

What sets me and my brand apart from others is I have a team of individuals that were born into the carnival atmosphere, we’ve all watched our parents play such vital roles in this industry and now its our turn.

We pride our selves on not just making beautiful carnival costumes and providing a premium service but continuing to keep the culture alive and educating individuals on the essence of carnival.

Is was not easy to get to where I am today, I grew up watching my parents work 18 hour days on our business with me from a young age having to help.

Growing up I didn’t necessarily have a normal teenage life because I was always helping with the business

Now being 24 and running the company I would not change a thing about it.

I’m currently the only female CEO in this industry in north America and the youngest.. this came with challenges.. some people thinking my parents are giving me to much responsibility at a young age.. having to work 10x harder for the respect that others got so easily..
I’m still overcoming these challenges today but I remain my authentic self and let my work speak for itself & it speaks volumes, Our company went from the 4th largest band in north America, to the largest in a 2 years span of me managing the company.

I want the world to see Carnival and its true essence, I’ve had the opportunity travel and share what we do with so many people & I want to continue to educate and spread carnival to others

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Down town Toronto would be the place to go! I personally am still exploring my city, there are so many cool restaurants and activities in the heart of Toronto.

One place I personally love to hang out at is our “mascamp” the mascamp is basically our carnival hub, that’s were we create all the costumes, we have a dj, food and drinks,
It’s technically a work atmosphere but so much better.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my parents. They are the founders of my current business.
They’ve taught me everything I know today & have entrusted me to keep this legacy going

Website: ceethecollection.com

Instagram: @ceeforcarnival

Image Credits
Darren Beckles aka DBVISUALS