There are many ways to describe life: It’s a journey, a voyage, a process of discovery, or a marathon. However one defines it, it’s going to have its ups and downs, challenges and obstacles, opportunities and celebrations. What it takes to reach the finish line is all about perception and setting goals.
For serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, producer/director— and marathon runner — Temeko Richardson knows that goal setting is imperative with any endeavor and in any arena. “I think people believe in life there is an end game. In reality, at the end of one finish, you’re actually starting a new course to get to another finish line. You always need to have objectives or goals to do something bigger and better because it’s never over. Life doesn’t end until it’s really the end.”
For Temeko, that approach lends itself to every facet of life. Goals come in all shapes and sizes. Some goals are to just have fun. Other goals are more intense and require greater input and energy. Basically, it’s about how to overcome an immediate obstacle in order to get to the final goal or objective — and how do you do that? How do you train your mind to do that? How do you overcome a long-distance challenge in order to reach your final goal?
“You have to have a mindset for that. Basically, it’s all about making mental adjustments. You have to use mental adjustments to not only appreciate the good parts within challenges and goals, but to also be able to handle the bad parts as well. It’s about understanding there’s always a bigger picture, a more expansive vision, and always understanding there is more beyond the end game.”
In a general sense, she’s found that in life so much of what people do is based on doing things that are relatable to others, relatable to some societal mechanism rather than being focused on their purpose in life. She has seen that lead to a lack of authenticity because sometimes the purpose being pursued has nothing to do with who we really are.
“What I’ve always tried to do is see the bigger picture in terms of how I can help people. It’s not just about being successful, having degrees, and having money. Instead, it’s about what you do with the resources once you get them. Sometimes, the reach is more important to touch and connect with people you ordinarily wouldn’t relate to, other than just through your innate humanity.”
The striving to relate to and connect with the vicissitudes and experiences of life is a primary focus for Temeko in business especially with the movies and documentaries she’s involved in.
“I create content, film, and series, for more than just entertainment. Once you entertain people, they laugh, and then what? They go on about their life. But if you make content in such a way that it’s inspiring enough for people to want to help themselves and others, problems get solved. In one of the premieres of my last feature, At the Cross, people were excited about a renewed perspective on the church, forgiveness, and their relationship with God. In the upcoming series, I Am Him, it’s imperative to highlight issues that create uncomfortable conversations in male circles to reduce the stigma around mental health and hopefully encourage someone to get help when life feels overbearing. From that perspective, I think it’s a greater feat and a greater victory in terms of doing that type of content production.”
This also relates to Temeko’s philanthropic endeavors and focuses on needs not being addressed completely in the political, societal, and corporate landscape. She wants to shine a light on issues — such as DEI, aging, mental health, poverty, and homelessness — that in the past have created disconnection and division, and that have taken the humanity and humanness out of people’s attitudes and beliefs towards each other.
In her work, Temeko wants to reach across generations, to help us remember that no matter what field a person is in, they’re still human beings not to be dismissed or discarded because of their profession, gender, race, or age. It’s also remembering that no one is an island; we need support systems through shared stories and life experiences.
Life is like a marathon, and there are plenty of times we believe we can’t reach the finish line. Temeko advocates that you don’t want to try to sprint through the marathon, lose your stamina, and not be able to finish.
“And that’s just like life. You’ll have another chance to run a marathon, but you won’t get another chance to run this course called life. Focus on what you can do and have big dreams. Act on your dreams and the finish line of realizing them.”
