I interviewed Dommartini (Martini) Salien, Sr., who is a KIPP NYC Educator, Author of A Life Worthy of Death, Creator/Host of Shaken, Not Stirred, Founder & Mentor at Nakuona Mentorship LLC, and Combat Veteran. Nakuona means "I see you" in Swahili. Martini is awe-inspiring and one of the most authentic humans and teachers I have met. He shares his dedication to teaching and how he left teaching just for a bit last year only to realize the corporate world was not for him and his heart is truly in education. He gives so much to his students, and shares wisdom and joy with them. He wrote a book, started a podcast, and founded an education non-profit that fosters and cultivates black and brown youth at the same time he went back into teaching. He is a father and shares this "I translate my fatherhood into my practice." Martini is the ultimate mentor!

Dommartini Salien, Sr.’s LinkedIn

Dommartini’s website-Shaken Not Stirred Podcast and A Life Worthy of Death BookShaken, Not Stirred Podcast

Some awesome quotes from Martini:

“I translate my fatherhood into my practice”

“I heard my student’s question and I wanted to go deeper. He asked me ‘Why are there black and white people? What really happened?’ I looked into that, and he came back to discuss it with me. I directed him to a book called When the World was Black and told him this book will change your life. His mind wanted to make some kind of connection with his reality. I wanted to illuminate his mind.”

“We are supposed to teach kids how to think, not what to think.”

“I almost shed a tear. I just impacted a human’s life in a way I probably will never know. But my hope and intent behind it was that his mind expanded beyond his immediate reality of what he is living in and what is not making sense around him.”