Meet Magda Desir | Multipotentialite & Marketing Strategist

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

Hi Magda, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Authenticity. It took me a while to understand that word and what it means to me. It is easy to look up this word and learn the definition. I even went deep into the the etymological meaning of the word.

For me, it was more about how I show up as myself for myself. As I’m learning about myself, my brand and what I want my success to look like, I’m realizing that the more I look at myself in the mirror and see Magda for who Magda is, I fall in love with her daily. I’m flawed, yet beautiful. I pride myself in having integrity and being a woman of my word. I pride myself in showing up as authentic as I can. That’s important to me. And I think I show that across my socials and amongst those that know me personally.

Bottom line, my success lies in my release in not giving a f*ck about what people think about me or what I’m doing. My success lies in living and hopefully being an inspiration to those that I come across on a daily basis.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a multipassionate creative & digital project specialist.I have many interests. Two things can be true at once.

I have a knack for telling stories & talking to people from different paths in life. I am not going to lie, I’m not the best at telling mine but I know how to get people to talk and how to ask the right questions. However, here’s my story.

I’m Haitian-American. First-generation. Born and raised in Chicago. Since I was a child, I’ve been on TV & the radio. I’ve had my own TV show (host, produced and curated it), co-hosted a radio show with two other Haitian-Americans growing up. The Haitian community in Chicago knows me very well because they tuned into my show every Sunday night at 9pm on Channel 21. I dabbled in it on & off during my 20s and completely walked away from hosting my own show until 2021.

I walked away due to the negative comments & feedback from the Haitian community when I started to talk about my own personal experience growing up in the Haitian culture on my TV show. I talked about how my parents were abusive verbally, physically, emotionally, & spiritually. I’m not going to lie, it messed with my self-esteem and confidence. The gaslighting was unbearable and I didn’t have much support from family so I left it alone completely.

When I did that, I told myself, well since I was on TV and the radio, how about I start working behind the scenes and understand how the marketing, sales, commercial production, etc. work. I started my professional career at a small media planning & buying company in the suburbs of IL then worked my way into radio. I’ve always wanted to work in Marketing because I was fascinated on how brands and people can tell a story using different types of media outlets and creative strategies. I honestly thought that the route I was taking was it. I’m headed into media buying and planning and I’m going work my way into Marketing.

I did that. I worked at WBBM-AM and WGN Radio Chicago. I tried to get into Marketing at both of these companies, however, I was told Marketing would be “too hard for me to understand”. It didn’t matter to me because one monkey ain’t gone stop this show. I kept hearing about impressions and reach so I googled it and stumbled upon & taught myself social media marketing. I took on some clients around the start of the pandemic. Even though things were moving for me and I finally got to where I wanted to be, but deep down I wanted to pick up the mic again. So I did. In 2021, I started my podcast Unloaded & Uncovered w/Magda Desir.

While working with clients and podcasting, I knew I’ve found what I wanted to do – Marketing. Or so I thought. Throughout the pandemic, I was networking and researching various marketing networking hubs to learn more about Marketing. I ran into my mentor Tia Cummings-Hopkins. Tia helped me defined my marketing goals and what I wanted to do. She ended up at a FinTech company and referred me and with her help, I secured a position as a Demand Generation Marketing Manager. High key, I was like ninja we made it! I’m going to learn more, be a bomb ass marketer, learn about branding, storytelling and how to get creative with it!

While I was doing all of this, I was recording my episodes and posting here and there on the low. Very few people knew about it. But I wanted to get my story out. I wanted to talk about the things that intrigued me and what I was thinking. I didn’t necessarily have a plan in place or a strategy in place, I just wanted to talk. Imposter syndrome debilitated me so bad that again, I stopped recording for a while and focused on work and enhancing my skillset.

Life was whooping my a** late into 2023. I was battling childhood trauma, I lost everything and having to start from scratch again. I literally was like I can’t do this anymore. I wanted to end my life. I needed an outlet or I would have went insane! Deep down, I kept going. I told myself f-it, I’m going to pick up the mic again and I’m not going to stop.

From August 2023 to present day, I recorded & released an episode weekly. One day I said I need to talk to people. I want to talk to people and learn about their stories & how they overcame their pain, trauma, and how they turned it into power. I wanted to get better at storytelling and really hone in on my marketing skills. I signed up for an email list to have my podcast released in their newsletter for people to come on and talk. My podcast was released in that newsletter during the week of Christmas 2023. 24-48 hours later, I had over 60+ submissions of people wanting to come on my podcast and they didn’t even know who I was. People are still adding their information on my google spreadsheet to this day.

I had goals of being an award-winning Marketer. This entire time I’m thinking I’m going to get recognition for Marketing. Nope. God said that’s cute what you’re doing, however, I’m about to show you who tf I am.

If I had not picked up my mic again and had not submitted my podcast to that newsletter, I don’t know what I would be doing today.

I believe my mission and purpose in life was to stick to my creativity and passion to connect with others and tell their stories too. We all have sh*t going on in our lives. I think those that are brave and vulnerable enough to tell their story are able to give others who read about it strength to keep going.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d take them to RockSteady ATL for afro-caribbean cuisine because I’m Haitian and they are going to get some Caribbean food. Depending on the day we go to RockSteady, we head upstairs to vibe to some Soca, Afrobeats or Haitian Music. During the day, we can hit the Beltline and get some food at Ponce, Buena Vida or head down the street to Politan Row. I’d then take them to Andretti for some indoor kart racing and games. More than likely, I’d hit up the IG page @blackgirlsguideatl for other events happening in ATL.

Since I’m from Chicago, I have to give you some spots to checkout! If they are coming during the summer, there’s so many festivals to check out! Depending on the week they come, we can hit up The Delta for some deep southern cooking (food is amazing), hit up a rooftop for the city views. It can be either LondonHouse, Cerise Rooftop, Offshore (it’s at Navy Pier), or the Godfrey. You really can’t go wrong with either option. There’s always a party or something going on so we might hop on IG to check out @wehateclubs to see what’s going on in the city. Maybe during the week, we would hit up a few speakeasies like Dorian to sip and listen to live jazz or The Drifter or Blind Barber.

Both cities have their own flair, but I’m biased and from Chicago and can’t nobody beat our skyline during the day and at night!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I want to shoutout myself. My growth has been amazing to say the least. I was told recently that I don’t give myself enough credit on my personal, spiritual and emotional growth so moving forward, I will make sure to celebrate & give myself a shoutout for evolving and being ME!

Second, I’d love to shoutout my Haitian ancestors and God. They have been fighting battles I know nothing about. They have watched over me, guided my steps, given me discernment when I needed it the most and looked out for your girl! They are the real MVPs!

Third, I’d love to shoutout my Temple Orisha Ile Ifa family! This will not make sense to anyone but it will make sense to them once they read it: To the rooster! I found my spiritual family. They are amazing individuals. They are loving, kind, funny, creative, business owners, entrepreneurs, they LOVE GOD – my spiritual gangsters! They love me for ME! And I love them for THEM!

Fourth, I want to shoutout my family, friends and Mr. Azaka Ajanaku who was a pillar in my media days growing up. He saw something in me that I didn’t see until recently (hindsight is always 20/20). He knew I was meant for something greater than what I could ever imagine and I thank him for pushing me to host and interview people, even when I didn’t want to. Thank you!

Fifth, I want to shoutout my mentor Tia Cummings-Hopkins! She’s an extraordinary black woman who is dominating the Marketing world. Y’all, go google her. She has opened my eyes and made me realize that there’s nothing better than being an inexorable black woman who loves reaching back and helping other black woman excel in their careers. She has shown me that helping others will never stop my blessings.

Last but certainly not least, I want to shoutout all my guests that I have had on my podcast, Unloaded & Uncovered w/Magda Desir so far this year. They have given me so many gems and insights on spirituality, mindset, growth, patience, love, kindness, business, and turning their pain into power. Each guest I have had has left an impression on my heart and in my life. I have learned so much from their resilience and tenacity that I know for a fact life is going to get better moving forward.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magdadesir_/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@magdadesir_