IN THIS WEEK'S SUPER SOUL
ORIGINAL SHORT... KIDADA
JONES SAYS SHE'S BEEN A "FULL-
TIME STUDENT OF HER INNER SELF"
SINCE CHILDHOOD. (Kidada at 10
years old) This video will give you six
examples you might consider doing when you
get bored. KIDADA DREAMED OF
ONE DAY CREATING WHAT SHE
CALLS A "CLASSROOM OF THE
HEART"... WHERE STUDENTS
LEARN HOW TO PROCESS WHAT
THEY FEEL ON THE INSIDE, BUT
RARELY DISCUSS. AS PART OF HER
VISION, KIDADA HAS WRITTEN A
NEW BOOK SHE TITLED, "SCHOOL OF
AWAKE." HER INTENTION IS TO
HELP A NEW GENERATION OF
YOUNG GIRLS UNDERSTAND WHAT
IT MEANS TO DISCOVER THEIR OWN
AUTHENTIC POWER AND KNOW THE
UNIVERSAL TRUTH: THAT WE ARE
ALL CONNECTED. KIDADA: This was
something that really needed and wanted to
come out of me and demanded to come out of
me and created circumstances in my life so
that I had absolutely no choice but to sit and
write this book. KIDADA
IS A DAUGHTER TO QUINCY
JONES OF ONE OF THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL COMPOSERS AND
ARRANGERS IN MUSIC HISTORY.
HER MOTHER IS 60'S ICON - MOD
SQUAD STAR, ACTRESS PEGGY
LIPTON. KIDADA'S YOUNGER
SISTER IS ACTRESS, WRITER AND
PRODUCER, RASHIDA JONES.
KIDADA: I came from a very warm family,
very close family, very loving, very
supportive. I did grow up in a spiritual
household. I think both of my parents have
really strong foundations Spirituality had
always been a really big part of my life since I
was about 8 or 9 years old. AS A LITTLE
GIRL, KIDADA SAYS SHE NEVER
FELT SHE FIT IN AT SCHOOL...
KIDADA: I started school when I was like 2
years old and I probably started a little bit too
early. But I had at the time like traditional
learning disabilities like I wasn't the best
speller. I wasn't so great at math. And I just
kind of had my own unique thing going on
and I didn't have that many teachers that really
understood me. BY THE TIME SHE
REACHED HIGH SCHOOL, KIDADA
HAD BEEN HELD BACK TWICE,
AND EXPELLED FROM EIGHT
SCHOOLS... SHE KNEW IN HER
HEART THE EDUCATION
SHE REALLY CRAVED WAS TO
BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO
NAVIGATE THE WORLD AROUND
HER. KIDADA: When I was about 9 years
old I knew that I would write a book that was
going to be helpful for young girls. I think
there is a lot of different ways to define
success for a girl and I used to dream about
what it would be like if there was like a school
that I could go to that was like life
school. Like what would life school be like.
And I would do videotapes of myself
pretending to be the teacher and write little
curriculums out. (Kidada at 10 years old)
Now we'll go into the first demonstration of
what to do when you are bored. Watch
closely and you might learn something.
KIDADA: hi girls! GIRLS: hi! KIDADA:
Thanks for coming! ON A
SPRING AFTERNOON WE INVITED A
GROUP OF GIRLS TO EXPERIENCE
KIDADA'S "SCHOOL OF AWAKE."
GIRLS: Thank you. KIDADA: You're
welcome. KIDADA: The first thing we're
going to do is the Me, Myself and I Portrait.
Think of who you are on the inside and when
you look through these magazines, find some
words and images that you like, that connect
to you. You can use pens, stickers, whatever it
is that you want. But you're making a self-
portrait and it can look like whatever you want.
IN CLASS, KIDADA, OR "MISS K"
TO THE GIRLS,
OFFERS TEACHABLE MOMENTS THROUGH
CONVERSATION...
Kidada: Whoa I had those the other day.
CRAFTS AND RECIPES.
Kidada: I've got three nature shots.
Who needs a little nature?
KIDADA: I think this generation is much
more confident and capable than we give them
credit for. I think they just need a little bit of
a reminder and a little bit of a guidance just
remember to visit that space more often. AT
THE CORE OF SCHOOL OF AWAKE,
KIDADA TEACHES THE GIRLS THE
IMPORTANCE OF STAYING TRUE TO
YOUR INNER SELF, AN IDEA SHE
DESCRIBES AS THE HEARTSTAR.
KIDADA: The heart star is--it's our soul's
GPS, it's our intuition, it's the little voice that
we ignore sometimes. It's that knowing center
that is there to guide us and it's like I like to
call it home base and like the baseball
diamond because it's where we should all start
off and where we should all finish our day is
with our heart star. It's our best friend.
KIDADA: Deep breath in, and a deep breath
out. Feel a little tense. Little aggravated?
Keep breathing. KIDADA: I think
breathing is so deeply connected to staying
centered because I think that's the gate from
the world that we live in on the outside to the
world that exists inside of us on the inside.
Not only is it the most critical thing that our
bodies can do to survive but it's connected to
the central nervous system so it puts us in the
parasympathetic state and it just reminds us
how to be present and to be still and be
physically present in our bodies. ALANI:
when I was closing my eyes and kind of in a
different place it kind of felt like I was like in
a whole new world and it kind of took me
back and I was kind of more calm and just
relaxed than I was before. BILLY: Some of
the biggest struggles I face in everyday life is
probably just trying to balance everything and
just this constant feeling that I need to fix
everything. KIDADA: Closing your eyes and
taking that time out for yourself and having a
visual create a visualization with breathing is
very effective for calming anxiety which I
think a lot of those girls have to deal with.
LAUREN: I am caring. I am sweet. I am
funny. I am strong. KIDADA: The
affirmation flags are inspired by the whole act
of writing and starting a sentence with "I
am." ALANI: I am beautiful. I am
powerful. KIDADA: When you write that
down, when you say it, any time you do
something that is repetitive, those cells are
listening, your body is listening and you're
going to respond to that. ISABELLA: I am a
warrior. ALAYSIA: I'm the boss. NOA: I
am spot-on. JAYLA: I am brave.
BILLIE: I am confident. I am beautiful.
KIDADA:I am is a really powerful statement
and whatever you choose to put behind those
two words is going to create your reality.
JESSICA: I am helpful. I am kind. I am
pretty. And I am strong. CLASS ENDED
WITH A LOVE LETTER EACH GIRL
WROTE TO THEMSELVES. ALAYSIA:
"Dear Alaysia, I love you so much and you
know yourself like the back of your hand.
NOAH: I love
you because you are smart, creative,
thoughtful, funny, and so many more great
things. KIDADA: Writing a love letter to
yourself is really about looking in the mirror
and talking to yourself and appreciating all the
incredible things about you. ALANI: I love
how you take pride in what you love. I love
how you stand up for people who are in in
need of a friend. LAUREN: I am very happy
with who I am. I am an amazing person and I
am an amazing friend. Love, me."
KIDADA: I really wanted the girls to learn -
how loveable they are and to really take the
time out to look at all the different traits that
they have, that they offer, and to appreciate
them and to respect themselves.
ISABELLA: I love me. Love, me.
(Kidada at 10 years old) I hope my lovely
video has helped you. This one was called
"Don't Be Bored". My next one will be called
"Safety for Kids". KIDADA: I have
fulfilled something that was really something
that I wanted to do since I was a little girl. You
just don't have to be a straight A student to be
a great being in the world. That being a great
being in the world really comes from things
that come from the inside and learning about
who you are as a person and loving who are.
ALAYSIA: It's okay to make mistakes and
that you can try new things if you've never
tried them before BILLIE: I'm just so
thankful and grateful to even have been here
today. JESSICA: I just feel safer. I feel calm
and I feel like I could change the world.