♪ opening music ♪ ♪ Beryl>> Hello, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Welcome to Palmetto Scene.

In tonight's episode, we celebrate Women's History Month as we visit with some uniquely talented females in our state, including a young entrepreneur and a fabled sports woman.

First up, the ladies of FarmASis, founded in 2016 by Bonita Clemons, this unique group has three goals, to work collectively as Black women to promote health and wellness by getting back to nature and to spur economic growth in the community.

Bonita Clemons>> FarmASis is a movement.

It's a play on words, you know, a pharmacist dispenses medicine, right?

So we dispense food as medicine.

And we call each other sis, if you don't know the name of an African American woman, you'll say, sis, so we just put it together.

We farm and we're sisters, hence FarmASis, because Blue Hills.

So it got started a long time ago when a farmer told me that I was the one and I said I'm the one to do what?

He said to get this information out.

There's something going on with the food.

It's not as healthy as it used to be, and we need to grow our own.

So fast forward a few years, I became so interested in food and eating local and because I was learning about what was going on with the food...chain supply, I was like...It's not healthy.

I started hanging with farmers, and one day, I guess the bug bit me, and I started wanting to grow and helping out farmers, but what I noticed was that I didn't see a lot of females.

I saw a lot of men.

The females that I saw were the wives of the husbands and so I wanted to see more women in the game.

I wanted African American women who were interested in growing their own food.

But I also wanted artists I wanted drummers.

I wanted dancers, so I wanted to create an entire community.

Sadia Pollard>> Now I'm just learning how to take what I learned through school and my own experiences and kind of sum it up into a really short program that takes folks from never putting in a seed in the ground and not understanding much about growing food and growing flowers to feeling really confident that they can grow anything in their backyard.

Bonita>> Each class we have an agenda.

We have three three goals or three pillars, collective work, health and wellness, economic development, and then we have a moment when we do some type of physical activity.

Then we'll talk we'll have classroom time, we'll talk about the soil and talk about again...a lot of talk about soil because that's the first thing you have to get right when you want to grow.

Sadia Pollard>> I just wanted y'all to see when we talk about the different particle sizes, what you can see at your own home.

I'm guessing for Columbia a lot of people have sand but you might have clay.

So people get that file... Carmen Tisdale>> I mean, I never thought that I would be growing beets because I never even liked beets.

So, but rutabagas, pumpkin and we just cross all boundaries with with food with growing things and just trying things, and trial and error.

Some things didn't make it.

Some things did, and it was interesting to see, when I started growing my own food, I knew where it came from, and I knew the work that I put into it.

So it was like more of a deeper love for the foods.

Bonita Clemons>> Nature.

That's where your health is, part of your health.

So, you want a strong immune system.

So you want to be in the sun.

You want to touch the soil.

>> So, today we are having an opportunity to finally get our hands dirty, get into the soil, and we are actually mixing our soil with some base potted soil and then some nutrients adding - are being added out there to the soil.

So we're putting our soil in growing bags so that each of us have 10 of them, and we're going to choose our seeds and hopefully plant a couple of seeds today.

♪ >> I want people to know that working in groups, working as a community is a better way to live.

I mean growing up I grew up in community.

Food heals us.

I mean I have many stories about, you know how what you eat affects how you feel, how you act we have to take care of the plants just like we take care of our bodies.

You got to give it water.

It has to have sunlight.

It has to have good food.

I have a standing date every Tuesday.

We're at the corner.

I'm at the corner of Sumter and Laurel and we feed those who would like a meal.

When I first started coming.

The only food that we had were meats.

So I started bringing fresh salads, and then other vegetables, and they loved it.

Today we have green beans.

We have corn.

We have sweet potatoes, and we have yams.

So again, it's a really, really holistic and complete meal, now.

I put a lot of interests and attention on eating as much local as possible because I strongly feel that everything we need to sustain ourselves and to eat.

We can do it in South Carolina.

You can buy a pack of cucumber seeds for $2.69 and you can have enough cucumbers to feed a really entire community.

Mr. Harris>> Most people are surprised when they are little kids that a seed that small will produce 100 pound watermelon.

I have grown up to 100 pounds.

Bonita Clemons>> I call myself an expert at watermelon planting, but Mr. Harris really is, but he allows me - he and his wife allows me to come each year and learn, And so today I'll be seeding trays, and so they've already been sanitized.

So I'll put soil in these.

And I'll mix the soil up a little bit.

And then a few months, a month or so, they'll be ready to transplant into the ground.

Right now, we're so dependent on other countries, other states, climate that we have.

We can grow year round.

Every single person in this world want good health and wealth from growing your own food helps to have those two things that everybody in the world wants.

Beryl>> Brittney Brackett is standing by to share with us the latest update from that very inspiring young entrepreneur, Gabby Goodwin.

>> Thanks Beryl.

Most young girls spend their days on the phone, doing hair or chasing friends around the playground.

But at the age of seven, this extraordinary young lady began her journey towards becoming the state's most promising young entrepreneur.

Gabrielle "Gabby">> Hi, everybody, hi!

My name is Gabby Goodwin.

I am the CEO of Confidence, and the inventor of Gabby Bows.

They have two faces so you can see the design both ways, and have teeth and craters to trap the hair.

Gabby and her mom Rozalynn began designing what are now known as Gabby Bows, seven years ago after a frustrated Gabby insisted that the pair should make a bow that works.

From there, the mother daughter duo began experimenting with different hair accessories before settling on their own design and beginning their entrepreneurial adventure.

Gabby>> I didn't really know what entrepreneurship was, but I did know that I wanted to inspire people, and I saw this as a way to do that, so I literally nagged my mom every single day about these barrettes, and I was like Mom, are we going to make my bows today?

Are we going to think about an idea today?

We'd be grocery shopping, Are my bows going to be sold in this grocery store?

So I was super excited to not only come up with the idea, but also help other girls not get in trouble like I did, me not getting in trouble as well.

So, two years of, you know, trying to figure out how to create the product, at first, drawing it out, finding manufacturers and engineers, we started the business when I was seven, two years later, and we've been in business for seven years.

I won the South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015, and then I went on to, you know, win Black Enterprise Teenprepreneur of the year in 2018.

I am still the youngest to ever receive that award and for me, it was super surreal.

You know, you're in front of the Governor's mansion, in front of all of these people, and I was one, the only girl that was awarded that year, and then also I was the only second grader in the midst of, you know, four other high school boys, so being the little one in such a, you know, in a group of such big people, I was able to really show or really say to myself that I can really do something in this you know field, and I am able to do things that other people dream to do, but I'm able to, you know, pave the way for them, and so I was super excited to win the award.

It's still really close to my heart.

I'm excited or honored to be a young entrepreneur of my state, so that was really, I guess, one of the biggest awards that I've received, especially at the beginning, that helped me show that I can dream big and go for my goals.

Desiree>> It's an all hands on deck family affair, as Dad, little brother Michael, and even Grandma pitch in to ensure the company's success.

Gabby>> Family is a really big part of my business, especially when we were thinking about the idea to now, I mean, they've spent retirement money.

They've taken loans out.

They've done a lot to make sure that my dream is...achieved, especially as my mom - or my mom - was definitely a big part of that, because as her only daughter, she wanted me to show, or she wanted to show me that as a girl, I can dream big and go for my dreams.

I was able to gain that confidence in myself through my parents pushing me out of my comfort zone.

One of the most rewarding things that Mike and I have been able to witness is just see her confidence grow, you know, not just the growth of the business, but her confidence grow.

Our brand is Confidence, and our brand is all about confidence, all about family, the entire 360 experience, helping moms, dads, and their girls be able to cherish that precious time together, and we're able to demonstrate that because we do this business as a family.

<Mike> Well, I'm just exploding with pride, ...you know.

I'm a little surprised that she's a 14 year old.

I thought she was going to be like six forever, but yeah, you know, what parents desire is to equip their kids with the tools that they need to be successful in the world, and to be able to be successful long after I'm gone, so I think that she is a good steward of the lessons that me and my wife have tried to teach her.

Gabby>> I've heard a lot.

Rejection has been, you know, seven years, and I've heard, you know, no's all the time, but me being able to push through those, and still go through those rejections and those obstacles and come out with a successful business like this is definitely something that I will want girls to take away with.

Also, there's a quote that I actually came up with, which is "'no' is just an abbreviation for 'next opportunity'" I went from a young shy girl, to now a teenager who is really confident, and is doing amazing things in her business.

So keep believing in yourself, and keep being passionate about what you're doing.

If you become passionate about it, then other people will become passionate with you.

That's how you grow fans, supporters, followers, so keep going, keep believing in yourself, and always dream big.

♪ Brittney Brackett>> We're here today at the Confidence headquarters with none other than the incredible Miss Gabby Goodwin, entrepreneurial mogul.

Young lady, how old are you?

Gabby>> I'm 15 years old.

>> 15 years old.

>> Yes, ma'am.

Brittney>>... you have this wall of confidence in your lobby.

What does this business mean to you?

And how do you display it on this wall in such a beautiful way that tells a story, Gabby>> alright, my business means everything to me.

I mean, it shaped who I am today, as a person.

I mean, I started this business off really shy, really timid, didn't want to talk to anybody, and now as I've grown in entrepreneurship, I've been able to grow in my confidence.

I've been able to speak to people, and I've just been able to inspire other girls, which is exactly what I wanted to do, and why I nagged my mom 24/7 about creating these barrettes.

This wall right here means a lot as well, because these are some of our girl bosses from our Mommy and Me Entrepreneurship Academy, and they have their own business selling our products.

So we're able to help them learn skills that they can use, whether they go off and work for somebody else in the future or be with you.

Gabby>> Right!

Brittney>> So, we are here in your headquarters.

But I also want to know about the partnership that you have with Gayle King, and Marcus from the Prophet.

Tell!

Tell!

Tell!

Gabby>> Yes, I was invited to be on Marcus Lemonis' new podcast "One Hundred Percent".

And I just thought it was just a way for me to you know, spread my business, get my name out there and also, you know, talk to him because he's a big name in the business industry, and so we got into the conversation of just pitching and I just out of the blue just pitched in front of him.

and he was just telling me different pointers on how I can, you know, enhance my pitch and things like that, but usually he brings on special guests for each of his podcast guests as a special celebrity and mine was Gayle King, and so during that pitch, she was also there.

And he was so moved by my pitch and how I kind of just enhanced it in about two, three minutes.

And he was like I want to invest in you.

So I ended up with a $150,000 dollar investment from Marcus and then Ms. Gayle also added on $50,000.

So it totaled into a $200,000 investment that I'm just really super excited for and grateful for.

I mean, we don't really have that much support, especially as a minority owned business.

>> Right.

>> So being able to have that support from you know, two big people is just really amazing.

Brittney>> Well, I am beyond excited.

I want to see what you got back here.

Show me the good stuff.

>> So right here is our fulfillment center.

So we used to fill all of our orders out of our home for about six or seven years.

So we finally have a room, where we're able to fulfill orders, whether that's on our website, Amazon, or just any other wholesale opportunity, and it's just a really nice space to be able to do work that used to be, you know, kind of bombarding our household.

So this is our fulfillment room, which is run by my grandma.

So right here is our Confidence salon.

So we not only wanted to make sure that we are providing products that helps families through wash day, but we also wanted to remove the stress from wash day by providing it.

So we're able to have girls get their hair done here at our Confidence headquarters, and here you see a little girl getting her hair done right now.

So precious.

But again, we wanted to make sure that girls can see the entire experience, They're not only getting their hair done and feeling confident in themselves, but also they're able to see the behind the scenes of the business, all of the inventory that we have.

If I'm doing an interview like right now, they're able to see the behind the scenes of what's going on.

Just being able to have a full experience, a full Confidence experience, as we like to call it, but this is something that we've been wanting to do, and we're so glad that we're able to open our salon and also our own retail store where people can come and buy our products as well.

Brittney>> Well, I know I'm going to be buying some products and I'm going to make my appointment.

You heard it here from Gabby.

This has been great.

Back to you in the studio, Beryl.

Beryl>> Thanks for the update, Gabby and Brittney.

What great news, and now continuing our celebration of Women's History Month and March Madness.

We'll revisit the story of Beth Bass.

From the quaint town of Hartsville, South Carolina to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, the magical journey of Beth Beth is a great example of how the small town values of hard work and determination, reap big time rewards in today's modern society.

Announcer>> She was the CEO of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association for 15 years.

(applause) She assisted with the WBCA's effort to launch the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

(applause) She received the President's Award from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport.

(applause) She received the award for honor from ETSU in 1998, which is given to alumni with outstanding accomplishment.

Ladies and gentlemen 2019 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Beth Bass.

(applause) ♪ Beth Bass>> Hartsville, South Carolina is a special place obviously I'm very, I'm very partial to it.

Some of the people I met there and grew up with, I stayed very much in touch, touch with.

I always love to go back.

I used to always kind of be embarrassed where I was from because with my accent, my first job was up at Converse in Boston, So you can imagine the grief I got.

And I said They asked, where you're from and I said, you know, kind of apologetically.

I'm from a small town.

You never heard of it.

But it was about an hour and a half inland from Myrtle Beach because everybody knows what Myrtle Beach is.

And he says, Don't you ever apologize for being from a small town.

He says small towns, thank God for small towns or there wouldn't be any real people in the world.

♪ Back when I came along, we didn't even have a middle school.

Junior High.

Of course we couldn't play that wasn't legal.

But we could practice with the team.

Phyllis>> I was a senior and Beth was a seventh grader.

And so Beth would literally run from the junior high school, which was, I don't know if it's about a mile or so away.

And we had to do warm ups back then, you know, the seniors, you know, we don't like doing all that stuff.

Here comes Beth Bass running in the front door.

She just keeps running.

We said, look at that little kid, you know, and we knew that at that point that she had something and she was going to be great.

♪ Beth>> Got to talk about Pat Hewitt, right?

And so I was down at the other end on the floor there at the old gym, red and black and saw her walking up to me, and that those eyes, and that stride, and you can just feel the energy and the charisma and the authority.

And she came up to me, What's your name?

I went Beth Bass, you know, and she said, Well, you stick with me, I'll make you a superstar.

And I meant like, right there was like, lightning struck me and just somebody who's going to believe in me and teach me as much as I could hold.

Pat>> I just knew she had true grit.

She'd be a great player.

You know, she's self driven.

You don't have to motivate Beth.

She's motivated.

She really is.

She always wants to get better.

She sets goals.

You know, I used to ask my players every day.

What are you What are you doing here today?

What's your purpose?

What are you trying to improve on?

Every day, you should be able to tell me something that you're working on to get better at.

I didn't have to tell Beth.

She was self motivated.

She was self driven.

I knew it was coming.

It had to be, you know, that she would be a Hall of Famer, and so when she called and told me, I was elated.

I mean, I just cried.

And I was just so excited for her and I thought how befitting that it's come full circle.

And she's always given back to basketball you know, she first started with Converse, then went to Nike, and then WBCA hired her as executive director.

And then she retired and Adidas said, uh umm.

And then for this to come at the top of all of that is just icing on the cake.

(highway sounds) Beth>> This is my favorite part of my little bungalow here in Atlanta, Georgia, because it makes me feel like I'm in Hartsville, South Carolina.

But I've got all my best buds.

We've got my Hartsville High Red Fox here.

I got a gator fan.

I don't know how that happened.

I've got an Arizona Wildcat fan.

They get to come.

And this is my favorite.

♪ You know, Pat Summitt.

Dr. Jay, when you ask people, what makes them so good at something you're like, That's it, you know, and that, Pat, you make sure you know, the custodian, you make sure you know, the loading dock person.

You know, you make sure you know the academic advisor, that's going to save you.

I mean, like, everybody's important, it takes all and everybody's just as important the next person.

And she was, Pat was extremely humble.

Like I said, never played for her, but we just had a special relationship, and she just kind of took me in to her little tribe.

Not a day goes by I don't think about her.

♪ I was with a group of great friends, when I got the call that I was going in.

You have to keep it quiet until it's announced.

So it was really like a ride, just hearing from people.

...I'm not on Facebook.

I'm supposed to be on LinkedIn.

It just all blew up.

You know, it was just like I haven't heard from in years.

And that was really fun, and Pat Summitt said it so well.

I might not get the numbers, right, But yeah, I've won eight national championships.

I won 1038 games 18, SEC titles, whatever, she says but what I remember are the people's faces and smiles that were there with me on the journey, you know, and that's how I felt like, like, I was kind of like in a...shouldn't say a funk, but it's just kind of like surreal, because you're so busy, and you want to see everybody.

So now when I look back through the all the pictures and hear from people, everybody was having a great time.

>> I don't think Hartsville even understands and I didn't understand until I came.

What a big deal this is.

I mean, we have somebody from Hartsville, South Carolina who's in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, and we've spent the weekend here at the Hall of Fame.

You know, we all thought we knew Beth and we all knew that she was a contributor.

We all knew that she cared about her community.

She cares about her country.

But until we came here this weekend and saw what these other people saw in her and the other things that she's achieved, I don't even think we understood what a big deal this was.

So for Hartsville, South Carolina, this is a big deal.

♪ (background speaking) >> If there's a little Beth Bass out there in Hartsville, South Carolina, what would I tell her?

I would tell her the sky's the limit, and just surround yourself with good people, good friends, good influencers and mentors, and listen to them, but also listen to that small voice inside of yourself that you know that you can do it.

♪ Beryl>> For more stories about our state and more details on those stories you've just seen, do visit our website at Palmettoscene.org, and of course, don't forget to follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SCETV #PalmettoScene.

For all of us here at Palmetto Scene, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Good night, and thanks for watching.

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