Blair Imani
"Smarter in Seconds"
San Marino, CA USA
"You are yourself and that’s enough."
Career Roadmap
Blair's work combines: Film, Education, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
History, General
Louisiana State University
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Activism has been a lifelong thread for me—at eight years old, I ran a bake sale with my best friend and raised enough money to send 200 girls to school in Mali.
2.
I earned a history degree from Louisiana State University while working unpaid jobs at advocacy organizations like Louisiana Progress and Equality Louisiana.
3.
After graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C., to attend law school, convinced being a civil rights lawyer was how I’d make a difference.
4.
I ended up dropping out of law school after only seven weeks when I realized that it wasn’t actually my calling.
5.
I pivoted back to advocacy and education through jobs at Planned Parenthood and DoSomething.org, helping people take meaningful action.
6.
I started the “Smarter in Seconds” web series in 2020 by combining my love for education, design, and communication.
7.
After going viral basically overnight, I leaned on my community of creators and turned the momentum into a full-time career.
8.
I’m also the bestselling author of “Read This to Get Smarter,” an informational and approachable guide to race, gender, sexual orientation, class, and beyond.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
If I don't have a show on TV, then I'm not successful.
How I responded:
For a long time, I was so caught up on the idea that I wasn't successful if I didn't have a TV show. However, I get millions of views every month on my web show that I have complete control over. That's pretty successful! Sometimes when we see success stories, we can fall into thinking that success only looks one way. But there is no true blueprint for success. You have to define success for yourself. What success looks like to you might not be the same for someone else—and vice versa!
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Having ADHD is seen as a disability by many but I've harnessed it as a superpower for my career. With "Smarter in Seconds," I get to pick a different specialization to hyperfocus on every day to learn about and educate others.
Dropping out of law school and rebuilding my future really affected my mental health. I was pivoting from a version of myself and my future that I had been so convinced of. I learned to work with myself rather than trying to fit myself into a box.