How Staying Present Helps This Futurist Put Change In Focus.

Whether it’s helping her Fortune 500 clients prepare for the future or keeping her family’ imaginations flowing during a pandemic, stealing dawn gives Tiana B. Holt the clarity to rise above the chaos.

Ready to embrace the day. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt

Tiana B. Holt describes herself as one-part futurist, one-part evangelist, one-part therapist. Her clients, mostly C-level execs from the likes of American Express, Coca-Cola, Allergan and Tracfone, would say she’s a fortune teller. Not in the mystic sense but that by helping companies see the forces influencing their future, they can plan and profit from change rather than be rendered obsolete by it. Beyond the business world, uncertainty and change are an anxiety ridden pairing for even the most steely of us. But Tiana stays level-headed and clear by preparing for her day.

It’s not so much that Tiana’s a morning person, as she is a numbers person. Using a morning strategy that involves the lucky number eleven and a few mind games gets her up in the pre-dawn hours. It didn’t come easy. She admits there are many days she. just wants to lie in bed, but her morning rituals always give her back more present, purposeful and creative days.

“On a normal day, I rise around 5:15 am but if I’m working on a big global project, I’ll often set an alarm for 3:35 or 4:07 am, says Holt. “It’s a mind game I play with myself to start each day with gratitude. My birthday is 11.11, so anytime I can set a time where the digits add up to 11, it’s a prompt to say, “I have another day on this earth and should be grateful for that”.

As a Principal. at Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, the. daily mantra is “If you knew everything about tomorrow, what would you do differently today?.” While she can’t disclose talk about current futurist work, past examples include helping a home improvement company get ahead of the millennial rental economy and paving the way for a refreshment company to extend into relaxation hydration based on early detection of the sleep crisis.

A true multi-hyphenate, she also runs Got Grits, a company that brings together her creative interest in design with inclusive business strategy. Add to that a full-time job as co-CEO of the “Holt M-Pire”, the term she and her husband, Michael, and sons, Maxson and Maddox, lovingly use for their Brooklyn household and rooftop farm, more recently doubling as homeschool and office.

While she misses the space and movement that her pre-COVID commutes and global travel provided, she embraced the challenge of the new 24/7 work/life/school pace creatively.

She sat down with The Lark to give us an inspiring view of how she reclaims the rhythm of her day, reinvented her space, what mindful productivity means and her predictions for the future of self-care.

Tiana at the Cape Floral Kingdom, Table Mountain, South Africa. Bonus of global clients. Always build in time to explore the natural wonders of our earth. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

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Morning Diary

It starts with slow mornings for Tiana, but from there on it’s all about having the will and the way to remix the everyday routine, create windows of time when there is no free time to be found, and spot fun for the taking.

Tiana’s Brooklyn rooftop offers magical light sunrise through sunset. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

Morning meaning: Peace.

Stealing time: When I wake up at 5:15 I’m stealing time for myself. It’s that time before the rest of the world is awake…it’s precious. Nothing is expected of you, nothing is needed from you, nothing is holding you. You have to guard it. Your time can get stolen as the day goes on.

No snooze: The more I’m snoozing or the more I lie there, that’s just taking away from the time I’ve carved up for myself. It’s more motivating to get up.

First things first: The first thing I do is go outside to get that sip of fresh air. It wakes up my senses. It’s that breath before you jump in. I typically stay outside between 30 to 40 minutes…much shorter in the winter. It’s the days that you see the sun peak out with all it’s beautiful colors that triggered me to become a morning person. Why would I want to miss that?

Meditation at my pace: I really like the Headspace app, because I can vary the duration of time based on what each day allows.

Group Gratitude: Once I’ve had a chance to meditate and pray, I jot down two or three bullets in my gratitude journal. It’s a new practice that I’m exploring with my tribe of college roommates. One of them suggested that we start this gratitude journal together because it’s really easy. when friends get together, to spend a lot of time complaining. Sometimes it’s in jest and sometimes it’s just needed catharsis, but wanted to balance it out with things that are positive.

It only takes 90 seconds. Everyone can make time for 90 seconds. I find that I’m able to do that after this sip of fresh air; little meditation and prayer whether it’s a 5-minute meditation and prayer or if it’s a 40-minute one, the rest of the day comes a little bit easier.

Accelerate the positive: This gratitude ritual is a real pep in the step. The day in, day out grind and chaos weigh you down. Finding sparks that put you back on a positive path are really good. I j feel like I’m more able to take on what new chaos each day is going to bring, because it’s always going to be something. It reminds me of what is most positive. Thinking about something that I’m grateful for, brings me back to myself.

Spreading the gratitude love with a home school exercise for. her sons Maxson and Maddox. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

The world starts buzzing: Before my house of men starts to arise and the work email alerts start pinging and text messages start buzzing, I start into some hydration. I love caffeine, but it just does not love me back. I’m too jittery. So I cut some mint from the garden and steep it. I like to put it in a clear mug and see the color change while it’s releasing. Then I fill in the diffusers with blend of lavender-lemongrass. All of this only takes. a few minutes. You put a couple of things in your journal. Cut the mint. Go down the stairs. Put on a tea kettle. Fill up the diffuser. Then I can tackle the email to make sure nothing has imploded from the night before.

Rooftop spoils. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

Stimulate the senses: I’ve designed my morning ritual around waking up each sense. You have the smell. You have the sight. You can feel when the sun just starts to warm your skin a little bit; a little tickle. of the breeze, then you can watch the colors change. I’ve been using the same clear mug over and over to the point where all the letters have rubbed off. I just like to see the transformation then I’m okay. Now, I can pick up my phone and look at what has blown up.

Stimulating the senses is part of the job. Tiana at the Color Factory. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

Segue to the day: After that, the day comes hard and fast — a little morning tea, diffuser and then boom! My oldest son is usually awake, and we do some quick watering in the garden. Then, it’s waking up my youngest. He’s a night owl, just like his dad. It feels like a daily wrestling match. It’s basically getting people fed and dressed. At this point, it’s just triage. Once they’re up, fed, dressed, productive, then I can redirect my energy at work and I’ll sometimes have something to eat.

Self-care? My shower, face cleansing, body lotioning ritual really doesn’t happen until everyone is productive. That’s when my mind shifts into work mode, blocking out what needs to happen and getting into the day’s “to-do” list. My thinking time is in the shower. For a long while, the time after the shower involved subway rides from Brooklyn into Manhattan or Uber ride to La Guardia or JFK. That’s what it used to be, and now, it involves the short walk to the makeshift home office wearing my Yoda slippers.

Creating boundaries: It’s challenging to not have the same markers. “Flip. I’m on this train. Flip. I’m into that train now.” Having to jostle, juggle and ping back and forth has been more difficult because I want to switch into work mode. Perfect example — we’re on the call and a wonderful, little interloper decides to join our conversation and show all zoom attendees his stuffy llama’s red pajamas. So, that lack of separation just means I need to create stronger and clearer boundaries so that I can stay focused.

Giving a talk on some favorite topics: Food, Future Trends & Predictive Analytics. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

100% focused in the moment: Focus is big for me now. How can I be present on the thing that I’m doing now vs. having my mind in five other things. It’s not productive time. The reason everyone asks me, “How on earth do you do all the things that you’re doing?” is because I’m using every moment with a focus and intention. If I can get full utility out of that band of time on that intention, then I can get it all done. When I’m kind of half in and out of everything, then nothing is getting done well.

The soundtrack of preparation: Preparation is what arms me. If there’s a day I don’t have that preparation, I see the rest of the day just crumpling into a ball in the corner. Music really helps me. It really sets the rhythm of my day.

It started in business school taking 4-hour exams. To keep from getting distracted from other’s. clicking keyboards, I listened to music based on time stamps. If I had three hours left, I’d put on Wynton Marsalis, Blood on the Field. I knew that once the music hit one of my favorite tracks, Freedom Is in the Trying, it’s a 15-minute warning to start double checking my work. Instead of a timer that creates angst, the cadence of the music would tell me when to speed up or that I had the freedom to slow down.

Melting into the drain: I know how many songs I can listen to in the shower. I just melt myself down the drain. Music sets me on a good rhythm and keeps that pace going for the day. It’s my own metronome. If I keep on working at that pace, then I’ll be done. You don’t have to get stressed. You don’t have to be worried. You don’t have to be frustrated. It’s about cadence and pace, not dancing on the table. Lately, I’ve been listening a lot to Kamasi Washington’s, Dinner Party for work mode.

Time for Alvin Ailey with family. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

Silver linings: The positive thing about COVID is being there for the everyday moments that I would miss. Unexpected little joys, quirks or funny things that you notice around your house or can experience with your family. Something as simple as using a twister mat for yoga and cracking yourself up about it. That wouldn’t have happened necessarily before quarantine because everyone was moving so fast and so furious in different ways and places that there —were a lot of things you just didn’t see.

No return to normal: I don’t think we’re going back to how things were. We’re going to create different ways forward. Maybe that’s a professional hazard of a person who’s always looking at cultural shifts.

Democratization of self-care: The term itself invokes so much imagery that feels out of reach; that feels really elite that doesn’t seem accessible. We’re looking at these massive shifts and tech-enabled solutions that create new access to self-care. I can use Headspace versus going to a place where I pay a fee to be in a beautiful environment that lets me meditate. Now, you just use your phone. There’s The Difference where a person can find on-demand, connected therapy. The iONA app is matching marginalized communities with licensed therapy. I think this is going to accelerate because Corona has jshowed us how important it is to use this time as a metamorphosis versus solely a time to hide out from the world.

Self-care defined: I would define self-care as putting yourself back on the list. For me, it’s really been around unapologetically carving out time for me to be the best version of myself, and then I can be a better version of myself for others.

Inspiring creativity: My parents always told me that God made us with two ears and one mouth; we should use them in that same proportion. The big part is listening more than I talk. What is the problem to be solved? What is the opportunity to be seized? How can a view of what the world is going to look like next help lead the client to where they want to go? If we don’t understand and listen, we can talk about things that are interesting but not necessarily relevant.

A morning mantra written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

Mindfulness defined: The word “intention” is what resonates. Whether I’m setting intention for what the next 2 hours looks like or what the next 5 minutes looks like. I think it means to be purposeful.

Three hats: I describe my job as three hats. I need to be a futurist to look forward at exogenous forces, demographic shifts that are changing in the world. I need to be an evangelist to bring people along that journey. It’s less around ‘How can I be the smartest person in the room and more about creating that awakening so that they believe it and can make it real?” I need to be part therapist to enable our partners and their teams to execute with excellence and precision.

The future of productivity? Before it was about maximizing utility at the sake of all else — for growth’s sake — whether it was good or bad. We’ve seen the effects of that over the past decade, and that’s why people have tried to reclaim parts of their life — their time, their power.

That “reclaim” word is something that’s very powerful and truly resonates whether it’s being used in political circles or personal lives. More people are thinking about the outcome to achieve and what gets you there versus being on the hamster wheel. People can sit in an office behind a computer for untold hours a day because that’s required face time to show “Look, I’m working”. But maybe the same outcome could be achieved in a really focused three hours without distraction. Then what does that free up? I think the challenge now is that we have to find balance because when everyone’s working, living, eating and breathing at home, how do you turn it off? How do you make yourself step away? I often struggle with that.

Time is how you use it: I think we’re going into a place where it will be less regimented in terms of schedule. You have to know what your own rhythms are. When your mind is at its best to focus on the task at hand and build your life and your schedule around that as much as you can. Then, you can look at output. Then you can look at what goals you’re trying to achieve. We want to be in the world where we stop saying, “I would love to do that if I had more time.” Time is time. It’s really just how we use it.

The family that gardens together: Everyone laughs because for most of my life I have not been able to keep a. single plant alive. But for the past two years, our family has been growing an urban garden on our roof — a blend of hydroponic tower with also, traditional planters and soil. It gives us this shared purpose. It’s this thing we’re creating together. It is our place of peace. It is mostly food items because it’s so great to be able to have yummy treats that you actually created. It’s given us so much more than helping to refill our refrigerator and our bellies. We are discovering things through nature even if nature is just a small square footprint, on the roof of a Brooklyn building.

Support system: My husband. He’s really a great sounding ear who tells me the truth even when I don’t want to hear it; a person who doesn’t try to solve my problems for me but will listen to me and help me come to the right decision. My tribe of girlfriends — strong and deep. I draw a lot of strength in those kinds of relationships because there’s a lot of support without judgment. There’s all laughter and usually lots of wine.

Tiana with husband Michael. Photo courtesy of Tiana B. Holt.

Community care: Right now I’m focused on women shelters. We do work to get the supplies they need, especially around kids books and toys. And anything involving mentorship with younger women. I have learned so much from people who have come before me, so connecting with , “Here’s some of the lessons that I’ve learned and here’s where I’ve gone way wrong.” Take from. what serves you and discard the rest. It all comes back to the same things.

Tiana B. Holt is a global futurist who helps Fortune 500 companies identify what’s coming next and build actionable plans to monetize the collective foresight. Heralded for her skill in identifying social, demographic, economic and political trends long before mainstream media recognizes them, Tiana brings both client-side experience with Procter & Gamble and service-side experience with WPP & Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve. Tiana completed her MBA at Harvard Business School and graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School BBA program. In her other interests, she is a former professional African and modern dancer / choreographer / costume designer and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her own M-Pire made up of her husband, Michael and sons, Maxson and Maddox.

Lark Files

Morning ritual: breath, meditate, gratitude, wake up the senses.

Morning meditation: prayers and Headspace.

Breakfast: yogurt with berries from the garden and some granola — my favorite. If you grow them, they taste better.

Exercise of choice: African dance and kick boxing.

Essential oil Rx: a diffuser with lemongrass and lavender, sprays for our sheets, the scents in our cleaning products. Most things I put on my body and in our house are driven through essential oils so it kind of emanates throughout the house as like a little cloak of calm.

Happy place: our roof deck.

Chill time: a bountiful glass of cabernet.

Mindful shelfie: the lavender lemongrass essential oil combo; a thick buttery body lotion balm; a mask with oatmeal, turmeric and olive oil; a sunscreen that doesn’t leave a dull veil on my deep chocolate face

Personal passions: Dance. Interior and fashion design. Back when I was in the Giwayen Mata dance company, I helped design our costumes. It was a fun way to express myself. Now I love interior design, taking awkward and complicated spaces that just don’t seem like they would work, and finding a way to make something feel organic and beautiful. I simple love creating in all forms.

Best advice: The best advice I ever received was from my mother who told me you can have it all. You just have to define what “all” is.