In the words of Autumn Joi, “You need a personality to be a Personality”. She labels her profession using the words radio personality, but to know her is to know that this is an understatement. In the extraordinary thirty minutes that I was blessed with her energy, she gave me a crash course on what is needed to get closer to your dreams.
I was immediately intrigued by Autumn Joi because of her drive to reach her goal. When asked what draws her to continue, she explained that she is consistently rebranding herself and thinking outside of the box. She loves to be the center of attention and receives a different type of motivation when she is in front of crowds. Her vibe is contagious and she demands the spotlight. That spotlight has followed her from her birth home of Prince George’s County, Maryland to New York, all the way to Miami, back up to Delaware, and down the coast to Raleigh where she has been shining her light for three years now.
Autumn Joi made a power move as a single mother and relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina. She found herself in a city alone with no support and no one to take care of her child while attempting to schedule gigs. Never making excuses, Autumn only took engagements where she could bring her child along. Her hunger for success outweighed any hurdle that she was up against.
She recalls a time in her journey where she bought a one-way ticket to Miami just to accept an intern with 99 Jamz. She even faced homelessness in order to gain network opportunities. During the moments where she had to “figure it out”, she never complained because she knew everything would eventually get her to the platform she wanted.
Over her career, she has interviewed a number of people. One person that she expresses “fed her soul” was Mo’Nique. Mo’Nique is a well-known comedian and actress. Autumn Joi expressed how she admires Monique for sharing knowledge with other black women. She hopes of one day interviewing Beyonce’. She describes the encounter by saying they will be “sitting around a fire with our cocktails, just really mom to mom.. ya know getting to the nitty-gritty, getting the Houston, Texas out of her.”
The future of Autumn Joi, as she envisions, will lead to her own syndicated morning radio show, an increase in acting roles, and of course millions of dollars. Knowing this chase can be stressful, she suggests block off an hour or two for meditation. Be sure to take time out to reflect, pray, and always set reminders she adds.
Her advice to breaking into the industry is to intern. Get into that environment and soak up as much information as you can. Be available and ask how you can be of assistance to them. “You are not going to get paid for everything that you do,” Autumn Joi explains. She reminds us to be grateful for each opportunity. Social media is a tool she frequently uses. In association with her views of networking being an important key factor, she advises if you use social media properly it will work in your favor, and continue to push your brand.
She is currently “Your Midday Love” on K 97.5 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The ‘Autumn Joi Live Show’ can be heard Mon-Sat 10am to 3pm on K97.5. Follow her on social media: @autumnjoilive .