Meet Jeanette Brown | Hostess with the Mostest

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeanette Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeanette, what do you attribute your success to?
The undercurrent to every stage I step on is loving people. As a spoken word artist and show host, I am in front of real people in real time. And I want what I do to mean something. People are important, and I want to leave a legacy of uplift in my wake. Every person that I interact with has their own baggage they bring to the table. We are all broken. I try to speak light to that brokenness. I try to speak value into each individual. I try to build bridges where there are fences and dialogue where there is dissent. I think my stages are successful because I truly try to care about the community. Those venues become living rooms. The stages become a place where artists bare their souls. Respect is given no matter who we are or where we stand. We are family. My brand is all about making people feel loved, accepted, heard, and seen. I want my audience to leave feeling better than when they arrived. I want them to feel like they were a part of something. One of the moments that stand out most to me is when a long time audience member returned after a long hiatus away. They pulled me aside following the open mic show and said something that hits me to this day. “I finally ended an abusive relationship that kept me away from everything I loved. I don’t quite even know who I am anymore. But tonight, tonight I remembered what home felt like.” That is what success looks like to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a spoken word artist and show runner. So much of my art is setting the stage, setting the tone, for other creatives to shine and flourish at my open mic shows and writing workshops. I love what I get to create. I get to foster first time performers, encouraging them to face their fears. I get to witness stars being born before my eyes as they leave the entire room breathless. I get the honor of supplying a platform to process for victims of abuse, addiction, trauma, abandonment and so much more that life unfolds. Building these events was not an easy task. There was no shortcut to creating this artistic community. But I learned that consistency is everything. I learned that relationships are incredibly important. And I learned not to hold so tightly to what I’ve created. Everything that has been built has a purpose. It is a home, a refuge, a place of belonging.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Palm Beach County. There is so much to experience. We would have to see the sunrise at Lake Worth Beach, and then go to Benny’s on the Beach for breakfast. The Norton Museum for a bit of culture (and air conditioning), followed by an afternoon stroll through Northwood. We would walk the waterfront on Clematis and see some live music at Rosemary Square. And to end it all, the highlight of the trip would be to attend one of my open mic shows at a Common Grounds Brew & Roastery.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The stages I create would be nothing without the community. I have audience members who have been a part of open mic shows and events since day one. The venues that have been the homes for my shows, whether for one night or for years. Three in particular are Harold’s Coffee Lounge, The Brewhouse Gallery, and Common Grounds Brew & Roastery. And there are the superstars that have been a part of my team along the way. Mike Clark, Daniel Fortune, Nick Murray, and Justin Olive have been instrumental in seeing my shows unfold into what they are today.

Instagram: @JeanetteandherStages
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeanetteandherstages

Image Credits
Imani Givertz