9. Purple Coach Conversations’ interview with April Caldwell, CEO and Founder of FayVen and US Military Veteran, and Aaron Caldwell, CEO and Founder of FayVen, Life Coach, and US Military Veteran.

This week we’re joined by April and Aaron Caldwell. April served 10 years in the US Air Force as a dental laboratory technician, then received a MBA in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations while working as a supervisor for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. She also works as an Action Zone Director of Ecosystem Development, and as the Co-Founder and CEO of FayVen®.

Aaron is a man of many talents, where some of his past experiences have included serving in the US Army. He is currently a Realtor Sales Associate at CENTURY 21®, Co-Founder & CEO of FayVen®, a Professional Life and Business Coach, Youth Mentor, and Bunker Labs Ambassador. He is also LEAN/Six Sigma Green Belt certified.

After years of dealing with the bureaucratic red tape of government work, April decided to leave her career behind and start a small business of her own. She and her husband Aaron went all-in on a crazy idea that popped into her head. They then created FayVen®, which gives small businesses a platform to sell, and connects them with their customers.

In this episode we cover a wide and very interesting range of topics, including the below:

Their experiences of serving in the US military as a Black man and serving in the US Air Force as a White woman. We look the different challenges and advantages they faced, based on race and gender.
April candidly speaks about what she defines as white privilege and how she speaks about it to her friends and family.
Aaron makes an insightful argument about how people choose not to see discrimination and racism because it suits them, while giving a comparison that will leave you with food for thought.
We discuss how Black people can also feel uncomfortable when talking about race and racism- and in what circumstances they choose to avoid talking about it completely.
How parents with children of colour are having different conversations about the police than parents of White children.
The importance of creating an environment that allows for people not to be judged for getting things wrong but instead allows growth through re-learning.