Daily Inspiration: Meet Joya Rankins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joya Rankins.

Hi Joya, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

God will always make a way even when you don’t know the road. Growing up I knew that I wanted to help people and travel. Now how I was going to do these two things I was completely unsure of, but eventually, I found myself centering all of my work around them unintentionally. At a young age, I was Involved in volunteering at camps, soup, kitchens, and any other work that involved children and giving back. After graduating from San Diego State University, I joined a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the youth with a commitment of teaching for two years and living in New Orleans, Louisiana. My family is from New Orleans so I was very familiar with the city, but this experience was nothing like before. The gift of teaching is one they can’t be taught, you genuinely have to love, support, care for the students as if they were your own, and this made me feel as if I had completed some of my mission by helping educate the youth. I taught ninth grade English and ended up staying at the school for four years as my students begged me to stay until graduation because they felt like teachers up and leave which I really did understand so I didn’t want to let them down. Once my students graduated, I decided to move back home to Los Angeles to explore different industries that I was interested in and use my gifts in other ways. I found my next career working in entertainment at a talent agency as an assistant in the personal appearance and comedy touring department. Dedicated to growing within the company, I quickly excelled within my 2 and a half years working there to an agent. My job consisted of helping clients book jobs and with that God blessed me with travel. I was able to travel to many states and countries all while working with amazing people from all over. I loved connecting with new folks and getting to know them through these shared experiences. It felt good to know that I was able to provide a form of support to people who wanted to spread their talents and passions. Working in the industry can be such a scary and fulfilling place that you really have to take it one day at a time and enjoy those moments. My silver lining of it all was a community I created called In the Know: The Rising Network built to help people in the industry find genuine connections and build their network with like minded creatives. Shout out to my team! Soon after leaving the agency, I joined the wonderful world of production which I love. I can truly say that nothing can be ran without the production team. As of now, I’m looking into my voice acting career and figuring out where God is taking me, one day at a time. Life is meant to be enjoyed and sometimes we take it for granted. Work hard but not to the point where you will drive yourself to the ground. Remain faithful and the Lord will provide according to his plans.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were many challenges along the way, with many lessons to be learned. When you are your own light, there will always be people that try to dim it but you have to remain true to yourself. The best way I learned to overcome them was truly reflect on my actions and how I can move forward to becoming a better Joya. As far as my business goes, we all know that with business comes financial hardship. The main goal was to create opportunities for people by hosting free events so there would never be a reason for folks to feel as if they couldn’t attend or build their own brand. God has provided ways for ITK to continue to have free events so I always look for ways to partner and help build up not only my business, but other businesses as well which has been very successful so far throughout this journey. Sometimes I have to take the negative and turn it into a positive to make the most of a blessing in disguise.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In the Know: The Rising Network was born merely out of curiosity and my love for connection. Everything started as I tried to find a way to connect with more people within the entertainment industry. I found myself struggling to find a place where there were like-minded people who wanted to create and build their own legacy within. As I continued to find such people, I attended events labeled as networking events which I discovered they were more like parties and I needed more than just a place to party. Shortly after that, I realized that the people I wanted to connect with were actually right in front of me but we just needed a place to connect. I would email hundreds of assistants and coordinators day-to-day, but all I knew was their name and never a face. So then I thought to myself, how can I meet these people in a space that feels comfortable for both parties while also gaining a chance to build more than just a working relationship, which led me to think that others may feel the same way. No one wants to feel the pressure of meeting someone they’ve only emailed and never met, forcing them to carry on conversations that they may not be interested in. I wanted to create a space for people to feel free and converse intentionally with other like-minded individuals who are trying to make a name for themselves within the business. I wanted people to fellowship with others who they may never come across, a way for them to expand their Rolodex, a way for them to build meaningful connections whether it became friends or business. I merely just wanted to be a dot connector but with people and the best way I knew how was to organize my own mixers. I curated a wonderful team of women and asked them to help me make it possible as we were all from different backgrounds and had different hobbies that still centered around the industry. We’ve had plenty of successful mixers which have led to opening doors and opportunities for people to build connections that may have helped their career or even long lasting friendships. Through creating this community, people have developed long term relationships and found their people within their community. I’m hoping to expand more and help others grow in their personal and professional lives to reach their potential of achieving their heart’s desires through genuine connectivity.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I give all my credit to God, my mom, and my family, without any of them I definitely would not be here as their support has propelled me through this journey. I can’t forget about my real friends either who have supported my crazy antics, loud voice and vibrant energy. I love you all! Most importantly, remain faithful to the Lord as he is the reason why I breathe and continue to be blessed. Thank you Jesus for your amazing blessings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://intheknowtrn.com/?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwKiO3RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpwWesSVAWZP11I5lOuBqtUcud1ROMLGu1v1g9Jr3NnArsIyR8xN-torh8sJe_aem_66SmYNhRaUBpT7b5QLJvfQ
• Instagram: @joya.rankins and @intheknow.trn
• Facebook: In The Know: The Rising Network
• Other: https://linktr.ee/intheknow.trn?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwKiO5tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpwWesSVAWZP11I5lOuBqtUcud1ROMLGu1v1g9Jr3NnArsIyR8xN-torh8sJe_aem_66SmYNhRaUBpT7b5QLJvfQ