Deidra Mayberry

Introduction and Who Is Deidra?

Taryell Simmons: All right, welcome ladies and gentlemen to another episode of Rise Urban Nation. We had some technical difficulties, but I think that's because this episode is about to be hot like fire. Got my friend, my sister, Deidra, in the building today. Where you joining us from?

Deidra Mayberry: Dallas, Texas.

Taryell Simmons: Business is booming in Texas. Everything's big in Texas, even business. So Deidra, instead of the regular "tell me about yourself," I'm gonna go with: who is Deidra?

Deidra Mayberry: Resilient, determined, a support system. I am a sister, a daughter, your homegirl, your ride or die. I am the person that you want in your corner.

Taryell Simmons: I love it. So what are you in the business of?

Deidra Mayberry: Nonprofit, supporting adults with their literacy. It's a huge passion of mine and it is definitely needed. I'm trying to make a space for a forgotten-about population.

From Hiding It to Fixing It

Taryell Simmons: How'd you get into this work?

Deidra Mayberry: Fun fact: I was an adult who was functionally illiterate. Due to my own shame, I wasn't comfortable going to the organizations that were available, because they were all group settings. I had a career, and I was terrified about being exposed. Then one day I just got tired. There's so much greatness within me, but I lacked this essential skill. I had a light bulb moment: I'm working so hard to hide it. What if I work just as hard to fix it? And I realized I wasn't the only one.

Taryell Simmons: I resonate with that. As a kid I grew up with the label of ADD, and they said he can't learn as fast as the other kids. I'd find myself being the class clown, because the curriculum wasn't speaking to me.

Deidra Mayberry: For me, I'd rather get in trouble than be made fun of. And when you hide, it's easy. People with learning differences, as we like to say, are not stupid. They're just missing something, and they have to get creative on how they navigate life with it.

Sharing the Story and Building a Safe Space

Taryell Simmons: So how have you gotten creative with this organization to help people overcome and be successful?

Deidra Mayberry: The first part was not being too ashamed to share. And honestly, I was. I'm just gonna start this nonprofit, no one needs to know my backstory. But a friend who holds me accountable said, "You can't do this work if you're not gonna fully be in it. You need to share your story." I was terrified. We hear don't be the weakest link, but what if you think you are the weakest link? When I shared, it was DMs, phone calls, people saying, "You understand me, I've been waiting for something like this." I had an out-of-body experience: you have been hiding, and these people have been waiting for you. Even doing this podcast feels vulnerable, but I share because I want people with my experience to know there's hope and it's not too late. If you're willing to do the work, you can do it, and you can do it for free.

Deidra Mayberry: Then it's meeting people where they are. We don't care how you got here, through the system, yourself, a troubled youth. We just want to help you fix it. This is a place where you don't have to hide or pretend. And the start is hard, not because the work is hard, but because of the psychological things. So it takes a real level of patience.

Taryell Simmons: Your bravery has created not only a safe space but a brave space. Have you seen results from that?

Deidra Mayberry: Yes, but it looks different. We do discreet, one-on-one tutoring, never a group setting. Because learners now have courage, they're referring family members and best friends. When we first started, we had a brother and sister with different last names. Each was trying to tell the other about the program, and that's when they realized they were in the same exact program with the same tutor. When I ask our adult learners how they found us, about 80% of the time someone in the program told them.

Deidra Mayberry: One adult learner told us, "My husband doesn't know. I need to do it while he's at work." Then at a fundraiser, where you could put your name on the wall or stay anonymous, she wrote her whole name and how much the program was changing her life. I didn't even care about the donation. The same person who was terrified for her husband to know was testifying publicly. I was on cloud nine.

What's Broken in Our School Systems

Taryell Simmons: From your perspective, what needs to change in our school systems to elevate literacy, especially for underserved populations?

Deidra Mayberry: There are so many layers. It starts with class size. With 22 to 30 students, that's a lot for one teacher trying to identify what each child needs, and it's delayed in finding out who's missing things. Second, it's really a partnership with parents. But many are single parents working multiple jobs, or they might be functionally illiterate themselves. They can't provide what they don't have, and there's shame, so it looks like a lack of interest. Third, we try things and don't know if they work until ten years later. Here, we passed students through during COVID. And then we started teaching children how to pass tests and moved away from the basics.

Taryell Simmons: When I did workforce development, I looked at No Child Left Behind, and I think it left some kids behind. The kids who don't wanna go to college and don't test well, where was their place?

Deidra Mayberry: They had the best intention, but people are still reaping the effects. Even I went to college with the support of my dad. I'd come home crying, and he'd say, "Give me your book, come back in two hours," and put it in a language I understood. That was extra work, and it was exhausting. That's where my resilient bone comes in: everyone thinks it's not going to happen, so I need to make it happen. And I was a commuter student, working, squeezing in study time, because my rent needs to be paid.

Taryell Simmons: And then they say you need an internship. When am I gonna have time?

Deidra Mayberry: A non-paid internship at that. Teachers are tired right now, and some honestly shouldn't be teaching. As a teacher, you have such a powerful role. You can build a student up or tear them down.

Who Counts as an Educator

Taryell Simmons: I used to mentor in schools but didn't call myself a teacher, until a teacher told me, "You're an educator too." Do you consider yourself an educator?

Deidra Mayberry: Life is education. Life is the best teacher you can ever have. In low-income communities, a lot wasn't taught. Take money management. I have 12 siblings, and at 18 it was go out there and work, so I fumbled through it. Now I get to teach people: when you're broke, know your bills, when they're due, which have late fees and which have grace periods that won't hit your credit. That's learning, because then you don't stay stuck. It's also opening people's minds to different books. I just read the 50 Cent book, and I've gifted it to like ten people. It's part of our job as a community to educate one another.

Lessons From a First Job

Taryell Simmons: What was your first job?

Deidra Mayberry: Scooping ice cream. And you don't have to read when you're scooping ice cream. I needed a job.

Taryell Simmons: What lesson from that job do you carry today?

Deidra Mayberry: Pushing past my mental limits. So many times we've already written off the business or the relationship because we're not mentally strong. The ice cream was rock hard, and I had to create a system to go fast. When you're mentally strong and you know your why, no matter what obstacle, you'll be able to do it.

Starting Reading to New Heights

Taryell Simmons: What steps helped you build your nonprofit into the success it is today?

Deidra Mayberry: We started in the midst of COVID. I was like, Lord, is this a joke? First, you need a strong why, a passion beyond the dollar. The start is always rough, and if your only end game is financial, it won't work. My why was my story. Literacy was a justice owed to me. It's not something only privileged people have. Everybody deserves that.

Deidra Mayberry: Second, research. I learned starting a nonprofit is like starting a business: you start a business first, then change it to a nonprofit. Legal names, lawyers, it was so much bigger than I thought, so I connected with people who knew. Third, looking at who's already doing it, what's missing and how I can add value. Then the right people. I'm emotional about this work, so my co-founder provides that level-headed, business-driven balance. The right people aren't always family or your BFFs. You need people who aren't yes men, who push you when you're uncomfortable. And stay close to whoever you serve. When you focus on the person and the need, everything else follows.

Taryell Simmons: Let me break that down: know your why, have the right people around you, do your research and add value. And starting a nonprofit is starting a business. It ain't just about handouts and grants.

Deidra Mayberry: And you're using other people's money, so they wanna see everything. Everything's a vote. In your own business, you have more flexibility.

Chasing Failure and Facing Fear

Taryell Simmons: What's one good lesson life has taught you?

Deidra Mayberry: Don't doubt yourself. Since I was 18, and I'm 36 now, I knew I wanted to do this work. My self-doubt and false limiting beliefs kept me just existing for years. I was afraid to fail, afraid to be exposed. But I'm not mad it didn't happen sooner, because I had to go through that to appreciate this space.

Taryell Simmons: What advice would you give someone stuck in limiting beliefs who maybe wants to start a nonprofit like you?

Deidra Mayberry: Write down what's holding you back. Nine out of ten times it's fear. Then go after those things. Chase failure. Either what you fear will happen, or the opposite will. Leave the job, start the business, move to the new city. If you fail, you can come back. I was paralyzed for years, afraid people wouldn't accept me if they knew I had a reading problem. And if you lack something, go get the skill. I ran a marathon: 5K, 10K, 15K, a half, then the full. Every time I finished, I was sobbing. It was bigger than the race. It was me pushing past what I thought I could master, a direct connection to my literacy. So whatever it is, go after it.

Taryell Simmons: Face your fears, Rise Urban Nation. We're gonna re-acronym fear: Face Everything And Rise.

The Future of Adult Literacy and Final Words

Taryell Simmons: What does the future hold?

Deidra Mayberry: We're in Dallas and, because we're virtual, a couple of other states, but Reading to New Heights will be worldwide. Literacy will be a bridge and a continuation, not done once you finish 12th grade. GED and workforce programs are great, but they put a band-aid on it. We'll hit it from the root, so we're not just teaching Deidra to drive a forklift. We're giving her tools to do anything she wants.

Taryell Simmons: What are you working on, and where can people find you?

Deidra Mayberry: We're getting into something with United Way that will help us expand our reach. Find us at readingtonewheights.org, Reading to New Heights on Facebook and LinkedIn, and readingtonew_heights on Instagram, whether you know someone who needs help, want to volunteer or want to donate.

Taryell Simmons: Any last words of wisdom?

Deidra Mayberry: We're all created for something great, so go after whatever that is for you. Nothing you've experienced in life is wasted. Figure out what you're supposed to do with it.

Taryell Simmons: Love it. That's Deidra Mayberry, ladies and gentlemen, on another episode of Rise Urban Nation.