 If you're having too much fun, get on task. We in here trying to build this multi-billion-dollar empire and you want to turn it into a damn Snoop Dogg party. You're trippin'. Don't you see we got serious business in here with us today? This lady got 80 kids she got to look after. She don't want to hear no damn Snoop Dogg talk. You remember the house boy? He don't want to hear no damn part of the animal. You don't play some baby shark? No, before we even do this, give me some daycare music. Let me see what you got over there for the kids. Grace's corner. Yeah, cause you might get, that might be your next gig. You might be booked over there for daycare. Show me you got range. Show me something you can play for the kids. And it better not be sexy red. I saw that video of all the kids at the school singing sexy red. That's what you play for the kids. I see where you going with this. You can put a nice little message in this. I can see it. Like on some Sesame Street vibes. Like, don't get in the car with strangers. That could lead to some danger. Okay. If you're in trouble, say, I don't know this motherfucker on the double. Okay. Yeah, I like that one. Let's give me more bad time music. Jumping in the bed. It's funny. You laugh until your mom comes home and kicks you. All right, stop. No, not for the kids. Let's get back to the serious. All right, man, the black market is over. The black market is over. You might be walking through the black market and them kids just get to run around. Mom, back to this. We got that cover, too. I went and had to call a specialist who runs a daycare, but it don't just stop at the daytime. It's a daycare, but since daylight savings didn't kick in, it's a little nightcare for about an hour because it get dark early. You see what I'm saying? That's what that's what I'm... Hold up, hold up. Wait a minute. We can't start yet. We can't start. I need my sad notes. They what? Throw my shit on the floor. Now, I got all these notes about... I know everything. I'm gonna make sure you don't leave nothing out. This is not for me. This is to make sure you say everything because when I ask for the information, people will be like, hmm, they already know. Like, tell them anyway. They don't know who be watching us at the black market. We got people from South Africa, Australia, a few little... I'm not sure if it's Chinese, but it looked like Chinese in the comments. You know how they got the little Chinese? I don't know if it's Chinese or Japanese or Mandarin or whatever it is. They over there and they watching. So pick your camera, whichever... You know, people are like, this is my good side. I do this side. Pick your camera and let them know exactly who you are and what you got going on today on the black market. Hey, I am Katrina Melton, the proud owner of Gen Two Gems Developmental Learning Center, where I serve six weeks through 12 years of age, as well as my new children's author of The Mighty Meltas versus a sickly, sticky situation. Now, how do you know the baby would be six weeks? Um, the birth certificate. Oh, you had to have the birth certificate. I thought you could just app all the baby like two more weeks. Have people tried to bring their baby that word six weeks to you, you know? They tried, like around three weeks. I could accept them at three weeks. I just feel like they very fragile and they just need to... Require more care, yeah. Yeah, definitely. How did you get into this industry and start with the kids? Um, since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be somebody's boss. Just, you know, a teacher. That's the most honest answer I have ever heard. Um, I have an older brother and a younger brother, so I typically told them what to do. They was my students while I kinda ran what I ran. Sir, how do you deal with this? She still tells me what to do and I'm older than she is. Really? Really? Who you bringing with you today? My husband. He's the back person up to all of this. Like, he does everything under the scenes. Like, he don't like to be in front. He does everything you tell him to do. Pretty much. He does a good job at it, though. No, that's dope, man. How do you deal with having a bossy lady? I feel like it's a lot of dudes that would love to hear that part. Nah, it's teamwork. You know, she's the vision that I make manifest. That makes sense. That's good. That's the best part about having a team is playing your part. And you say shit, that's your role. You want it. I'll do the other shit. You're a smart man. I just picked up some game from there, right there. So, yeah, six weeks to five years old? 12. 12? Mm-hmm. Oh, you see, that's the market right there. They usually make you go to school at five, but... It's after school, so we have an after-school program as well as a summer camp program. See how I parlayed that in there? Mm-hmm. So tell me about the book. Um, so The Mighty Meltins vs. The Stinkly Situation, it's about pretty much a superhero family that fights this virus that corrupts their city. The book came about... I actually went on vacation with my dad for the very first time. So I moved from Chicago to North Carolina because we had a rough... We was pretty much living in an abandoned building. Damn. Yeah. So we ended up moving to Greensboro for a better life. My dad, of course, wasn't around as he should have been. But during this time, we... He decided to come down and actually visit us, and we took him to the beach. And the Lord just pretty much brought upon me, like, you work with children, you know, make a book that talks about COVID to teach the children, you know, why they're not in school, and, you know, what is happening, you know, right now. So I was like, okay, I hear you, Lord. He was like, use your family inside the book as superheroes because our black children is not able to see a family that is married, number one. And I worked for the school system for seven years, and they look upon custodians. And I just want to bring a different field to the book, you know, dad. They don't see dad in the house cooking, so I want the show because he's the cook inside the house. So I just want to bring a lot of that into the book. I end up getting kind of discouraged when it came to the book. So I was like, I don't want to make it seem like I'm kind of like just making COVID kind of... Because people was dying during this time. So I'm just like, how COVID got, you know, involved with, you know what I'm saying, that the bed kind of, it was a bed type thing. So I was like, should I put a bed in the book? It was just a lot of things I was just kind of dealing with, you know, in my mind. So I actually put down a book. Trying to make light of a serious situation. Exactly. So I was just like, you know, maybe I just put it down and I just kind of left it alone for a while. Then I actually went to one of your shows, 85 South Tour. Yes. Inspiring greatness. Yes. So we do. The greats watch us. So this time, we actually had VIP tickets. And you was actually talking about your DJ, DJ Rich, and how he's the digital creator and how he, you know, got the Roche Motel. So I was like, oh, okay, digital creator. So you gave all his information, his Instagram and things of that nature. So I reached out to him and was like, I got this children's book and I would love for you to illustrate it. And he was like immediate, yes. And I say, this has got to be a scam. This cannot be him. So I asked him to FaceTime me and we started collabing. DJ Rich, I'll be here right quick, man. I just want people to see you right quick. Just so they know. Yes. This is our official tour, DJ. DJ filthy Rich. How you doing, man? He ain't even mic'd up. No, I ain't mic'd up. It's all right. My voice will carry me. Exactly, man. What did you think when she hit you and laid the idea out? I thought it was cool because COVID was crazy. This was still around the time where it was still hitting everybody. Right. I just like to work. I like to create it. So she was like, I want to create this. I'm like, all right, cool. So she was nervous. She was nervous. She was like, I don't know. And then we started going back and forth. And then when I really just like the concept, bro, you know, we got kids. Yeah. I'm like, my kids really only know COVID from getting it. And then what we see on the news. And I just like to take on it's a black family, superheroes. So we actually brought Jeff in too. Shout out to Jeff. Yeah. Because it was just a lot of work. And I'm like, man, I need Jeff to come on in. We made it happen, man. I'm proud of you for coming. See, I'm glad that you came on. And you told that story. Because when people come up, he'll tell you. They'll be like, hey, man, I'm thinking of, and I give them the resources or the contacts to the person who I know would be able to better facilitate that, you know what I mean? And then they don't follow up. I'm like, well, don't waste people time. Why do you want me to do all the work? Like the follow-up, that's really important in business, man, especially when you reach out like that. And then like you said, they reach out. You're not expecting it. They're like, oh, it's got to be fake. They reach back out. Like, shit, take advantage of it. And I'm glad that you did. And now you get to see the final product. Yes. Yeah. That's dope. So when I actually picked back up the book, I ended up with COVID. I had COVID pneumonia. I'm doping pneumonia in my lungs. And I already have autoimmune disease, which is lupus, and stage three kidney disease. I mean, I was pregnant with my son. Damn. So when I called it, they immediately rushed me. I actually stopped breathing in my sleep, and he woke me up because I went to the doctor, but they sent me home just like a regular person and was like, you just got to go home and rest. You got to go home and heal. So I'm just like, OK, that night I stopped breathing. So when they took me to the hospital, I went into ICU. I was one machine away from the ventilator. And I'm just like, Lord, I do not want to go on the ventilator. Like, I'm pregnant. And I literally felt death coming upon me. So he pretty much healed me from that. And during recovery, I actually finished the book. I was in recovery for 15 days, and the Lord just was giving me everything that I needed to finish the book with. Let me ask you this. Like, you are pregnant, COVID, double pneumonia. It's like, they already, like, not really giving you a treatment for it. They thought I was going to die. You know what I'm saying? Because like, you're pregnant, and then that limits what they can do in a whole other way. So like, what was your journey like, just mentally fighting back and not giving up? And like you're saying, just drawing strength from inside yourself that you didn't even know you had? It was God. Because that was my first time I was on my death bed. When I got diagnosed with lupus, I was going through it. I was pretty much losing my breath. I didn't have breath. So mentally, I've been through so much health-wise. And I know God brought me through it. Just was kind of one of those things is, if I die, I just die. But at the same time, I know He got great out here for me. And I serve too many kids and too many families that are low income to where it's not my time yet. So I just continue to pray to Him and just say, look, you know what you want me to do? You're going to get me through it? And if I have to be your testimony through this? Because I know it's not for me. It's for the people that I serve. And that's the mentality that I had. But during this time, I actually was looking at the day care building that I wanted. We was looking at this building for four years. The lady ended up giving me the opportunity, but she took the opportunity back. So I brought all this day care stuff to have to put in storage. But before I ended up getting sick, I had to print on that building. I was like, look, if this for me, let it be for me, don't let no man stop it. That's when I ended up with COVID and all that stuff happened. She called me when I was in recovery and was like, hey, you could go ahead and rent the building from me. I was in a wheelchair when I left out the hospital on about 60% to 70% of oxygen rolling the inside of papers to be the proud owner of the business that's inside of that building. So. It's a powerful testimony. Somebody's watching this right now that's battling health, needing to hear something, needing to hear some encouraging words. What would you say to them? Just keep fighting. Whatever you're going through doesn't have you just battling it. So you don't have lupus or you don't have heart disease or anything like that. You just battling it. I always sold God to heal me from my health issues. After COVID, I ended up with heart disease. And I'm just like, Lord, one thing I want to ask him is how much more can I take? Because he showed you how much more you could take. He won't give you more than you can handle. Exactly. So I was praying for a heal. I'm just like, Lord, heal me, heal me, heal me. And my prayer for healing kind of turned into Lord, even though I'm dealing with this, don't let it look like that. I'm dealing with this. It just let me be able to live a healthy life going through the sicknesses that I'm currently still dealing with. And having a good husband by my side really just intensified the fight that I have. I was going to ask you this. As a man, we don't deal with that outward emotion too much. And then to see the woman you love battling and you just having to watch and feeling helpless and praying and all that. What did you draw your strength from? What kept you from... Likewise, God. We have four children and I was tasked with the responsibility while she was sick. Everything was on me. His strength was perfect in my time of weakness. So, you know... What did it show you about the man you are, head of household, head of the family? Did you realize how much shit you had to be done even though you... I'm going to be real. As a man, I didn't have a figure, per se. So, I knew what I experienced. I didn't want my children to experience. So, I was like, you know what? Muscle up. Do what I got to do. It created a strong bond between me and my children also having to go through that. So, as a man, you got to do what you got to do. Yeah, yeah. What's it been like when you recovered, like you said, getting back to... to the normalcy, getting back to the family and seeing... I know you was proud to see that he held it down while you was going through that. What was that experience like for you? Because it's... Like you said, you're coming back from ICU. So, it's your world, but everything's changed now. What was it like for you? It was hard because, like I said, I mean, at this point I still couldn't breathe. Right. So, even though I wanted to do, I couldn't do. So, when he left the household, my oldest daughter was there to kind of say, Mom, you know, I got it, I got it. But she was always there. Even when she was younger, you know, when I was battling Lupus, you know, even like when... Because he ended up having a truck drive. Like, he did truck driving at night, or he did something that night when he was gone from the house, you know, to make additional money. And my daughter had to pick up my son because I had another son during that time. She was like, she had to pick him up because I couldn't do it. So, doing that time to where I was recovering, it was more so I kept trying to... Because I'm gonna go all the time. I don't have time to think because I'm living on the go all the time. So, just having that time to really sit down and think it was hard because so many things was coming through my head and so much... So, it was really me just being able to just sit there and be taken care of. That's what was gonna be my next question. Proud of themselves on being able to deal with so much and be so strong like they're proud of the strength that they have. Was it hard for you to ask for help or let people help you? Yeah, definitely. You know, even with him being my husband, like he said, you know, I'm just kind of... You the boss. You gotta tell me to pipe down. Right. Because, I mean, that's just how I grew up. You know, grown-up homeless, grown-up and poverty, you don't have a choice but to be strong. In nobody's case, see your weakness because you would never know what I'm going through. Even if I have a dollar in my pocket, you wouldn't know because I'm gonna walk around with a smile and just nod my head type thing. Um... But now, I got to the place where I have to learn to just let people do it. Like, right now, I had anxiety coming down here because I'm leaving 80 kids in the hands of a naked worker. Transporting, dealing with families, you know, they could do it. It's just me not being there to see it and continue to micromanage. It was hard. But they've been calling me and saying, we got it, building out on fire. You could just have a good time. So, I'm just like, okay. So, I learned how to kind of do that time that it taught me to just let people take care of you. Yeah. You got it. You know, the type that they got it. When you say you got four kids, when you... You don't work that man so hard you forgot to go on them. But I'm saying, were you, um... surprised to see the new roles that the kids stepped up and did, their responsibilities and getting that, you know what I mean, like going to bed and getting that, you know what I mean, getting into that routine with, you know, that place that you just used to be in there and seeing that since you weren't there, they stepped up and did that thing. Yeah, my kids was kind of always like that. They do what they want to do anyway sometimes, but they're very helpful. Um, because, like I said, I've been dealing with my health for a while now. So, like my son, he's just like, Mom, you need something to drink? You know, you want me to give, you know, my brother a bath? And I'm just like, it's okay, you know, kind of, I got this type thing. So, my kids, they are aware of what I go through and what I deal with. So, they are prone to just want to help and they know when I'm down in the economy, he's my little preacher. He's like, Mom, you want to take off your socks? I'm a tight boy. I'm good. So, I kind of knew he was going to hold it down and be able to manage the family without me because we do it together. What I like he has and what he like I have. He just took on everything that I had and just made sure that he held it down while I was recovering. Somebody watching this right now, saying, man, I love her story. Her spirit, she's so tough. She's so resilient. I would love to have a conversation with her or bring my kids to a daycare or how can they get in touch with you? You could find me on Facebook and Instagram at Trina Bean as well as Gmail at inner voice publishing 23. What would you say to the women, to the audience who may have an idea just like you want to pull their book off? What would you say to them? I kind of used that quote from Dr. Martin Luther King. You know, you see a staircase but you got to take that first step. You got to have faith. You know, if you just had that vision in your head, even if you just, if you put it on paper, if you don't take the step, you just never know where it will get you. So, just take the step. It pretty much push you back when you don't. So, if you take the step then you see the outcome. You see what I couldn't tell them though? Exactly. You can't. It had to happen. I'm looking forward to more books out of the collection. I hope you keep it going. I hope this is number one. Yes, it's number one. Come on, man. So, yeah, let's keep it going. Let's get to 100. Work the shit out of them. Call us. I think independent. Came up with a publisher name. I'm supporting that 1,000%. Yes. Well, don't, don't stop. Keep going. Ladies and gentlemen, make sure you hit the social media, the website. Support this lady, get her book. She take care of 80 babies out here. That's the future. That could be 80 presidents that you got in there. Or 80 secretaries of states or 80 doctors. We don't know whatever resources that we can provide for you and get you access to through our networks. Please let us know. Because the children are the future. They gonna take care of us when we are old and decrepit. So, I love your story. I appreciate y'all stopping through here. Please don't let this be the last time that we see y'all over here on the black market. All right. Well, look here. Let me let them know. The black market wide open, right now. And that's how we live it.