S3, Ep. 13: Big Kyle's Little Truffles
Listen to the way this young autistic Black man turned his passion into a small business.
Transcript
Mandi Frantz here welcoming you to my podcast - Find Your Beautiful: Life Through the Eyes of a Christian Disabled Woman.[Upbeat Background Music]
Mandi: It is the last day of February and I have a super sweet treat for today's episode! I'm interviewing Kyle and Valerie Palma from Big Kyle's Little Truffles. This interview is extra special to me for a few reasons. First, I've had the honor of getting to know Kyle and his family for 6 years through my work at KEEN New York. Second, Kyle's motivational story encourages me to continue the work I'm doing in sharing my story of finding my Beautiful. Lastly, Kyle is pushing aside stigmas and breaking down barriers, which will make you want to pursue your passions.
Now, I'll insert my disclaimer that my littles were still awake during the recording of this interview and my cat, Mango, decided to join the conversation for a moment. Do your best to ignore all of this because you don't want to miss this powerful message.
Mandi: Thank you
both so much for being part of my podcast. I'm really excited to have you both.
So let's just start off with telling me a little bit about yourselves.
Valerie Palma: About
Kyle? Well Kyle is 18 years old and, he's six feet five. So he's a big guy and
he weighs about 300 pounds now.
Mandi: Oh my
goodness.
Valerie Palma: And
he loves
Mandi: I remember
Kyle being smaller. Like he's always been kind of this big, big kid, but I
can't even believe he's that grown now.
Valerie Palma: Yeah,
that's right. Because he was with KEEN since the beginning. So. he grew up there and he loves being in the
kitchen. He always has. And always because my husband's always cooking. So he's
always been there looking at all the things his dad does and he assists. And he
knows that if his dad was missing something that he would hurry up and go get
it for him and remind him that he needed to use the cutting board or he needed
to get a cup or something like that. So that's always been an interest.
Mandi: That's
awesome. And tell us a little bit about you too, mom.
Valerie Palma: Well,
um, wow. Where do I start with myself? I work in the entertainment industry and
hospitality industry. I love to travel. So Kyle gets to travel a lot and he
loves to travel as well. So he has a love for airplanes and being in hotels and
going to beaches and sunny places. And, um,
Mandi: I saw you
guys recently went on a trip, right?
Valerie Palma: Yeah.
Yeah. We went to Mexico for his break, the winter break and, He, um, I mean he
just lights up. I mean, long air flights don't bother him. He's very, um, Kyle
is, I'm very blessed to have a child that, um, kinda can adapt to the
circumstances. And it's not always easy for children with disabilities or on
the spectrum. They don't like change or they don't, you know, they want to
stick to their routine. But Kyle is really good about switching up and not
being able to do something when he thought he could do it. As long as he knows
that there's something there there's a possibility that he may get to do it at
a later time. Normally. Um,
Mandi: That's
really great. I know a lot of kids with, um, who have autism really do struggle
with some of those transitions. So that's really great to hear that he. Um, you
know, is able to adapt pretty well.
Valerie Palma: Yeah.
And, um, being a mom with, uh, you know, it's course, it's not something I
expected to have, but it, um, it actually, has opened my eyes to another part
of, of being human and, um, we all are different and, uh, we learn to adjust
and. And I've learned so much by going to his schools and now doing
homeschooling with him. I take my hat
off to the teachers and all the educators who work with children with special
needs and how they have to break down the simplest steps into many, many little
pieces. But once you do that, the child really does understand, and they. And
they get used to doing something and they, they really grow. And it's great to
see that I can actually see how his education growth works because I'm with him
every day.
Mandi: Right!
Yeah. I totally agree with you. I mean,
I think, really across the board, you know, every parent now understands to
some degree what educators have been experiencing for many years, just, you
know, trying to teach our kids at home now. It's, um, it's been quite a unique
time.
Valerie Palma: Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Mandi: So tell me
how you and Kyle came up with Big Kyle's Little Truffles.
Valerie Palma: Well
it started with how, uh, liking to be in cooking. And then he started baking
cookies and at school he had a little baking class with his teachers. And so we
kinda did that, uh, at between home and school. And, his dad was always calling
him big Kyle, big Kyle, big Kyle, big Kyle. And I was like, how could I, and
then, so we made these truffles, just by, but it was a fluke, you know, we
decided to take, um, it's really a non-baking activity and we just enhanced on
it. And we came up with making these little balls and decorating them and
dipping them in chocolate and they look so nice and they taste so good. I said,
you know, Kyle maybe this is something we can do for you and we'll call it.
What should we call it? And his dad walked in and says big Kyle and I was like,
Oh, let's call it Big Kyle's Little Truffles. And it's a kind of a play on
words because he's really this big guy making these little delicate little
treats and they, um, And so that's how it happened. And, um, that was the birth
of Big Kyle's Little Truffles.
Mandi: I love
that, and, you know, working at KEEN, I remember, you know, one of the things
we would always say to our coaches is "Kyle is big, but he is this super
sweet, gentle, giant." Um, so I just think this is such a perfect name for
this business. And how did you decide to take this from being a hobby to
working it more as a business?
Valerie Palma: Well,
um, I kinda stumbled across some articles and I went to some workshops talking
about people with disabilities and adults with autism and how that they really,
they really could, they have skills, they have skills. And, um, one of the
things, um, I learned at one of these workshops I went to is there's always a
teaching moment. And you really kind of, if you can hone on something that they
really gravitate to and just start making all your learning from that one area,
whether it's math or science or reading, you can get more, more learning out of
them and they can get more understanding because they can kind of relate to it.
So I said, why don't I create this business? And, um, and that it becomes an
activity that we could work together with. And I can now have some
communication because having a child that's pretty much non-verbal it's, you
never thought you would yearn to hear the word mommy or daddy or. And we don't
hear that for a long time. I mean, he says it now, but it took years to get
those words to come out. So now we have a little communication going and, and
he's very engaged with this, this, uh, we started five years ago when he was
14. And he did little things and now at this state, He's really engaged in
doing the activity and to putting the truffles together. And he knows how to,
you know, he's just independent and that's what you really want him to grow to,
to be independent and doing things for himself and, and with the ability to
help others. And, so that's been. It's been really a good thing that I, that I
decided to do this. And now I'm seeing more people out there who have autism or
Down's Syndrome or whatever, a disability, it is out there doing their own
business and making a life for themselves. And that's what the goal is, is that
Kyle can have a life for himself.
Mandi: I love
that. I love that so much. And I love also, just what you were saying about
really delving into something that, you know, your child gravitates towards and
using that as the basis for teaching, because, you know, I really believe that
that's kind of something you can take, even with children who don't have
disabilities. I have two younger kids and they, they don't have disabilities
that I'm aware of, but. Uh, I, I see the same thing, you know, I see when
they're interested in something and even adults, when we're interested in
something, we can learn so much and we get excited about it and we absorb
information. So I love that it's something that can really be applied to
anyone, whether they have autism or not. So that's really awesome. So, in what
ways does having autism both enhance the business and you know, what challenges
does autism present for your business?
Valerie Palma: I
think having autism has enhanced Kyle's business by bringing awareness to the
fact that he is more than what his diagnosis is. His business is flourishing because people
are able to see that he has potential outside of his autism. The only challenge
that he's faced with is having, having the business is the inability to really
verbalize his own goals and the process of making his truffles. And I truly
enjoy what he does. And I know he loves what he does. And if he could, in his own words, he would
be able to tell you that he does. Once you mention the word truffle, his whole
face just lights up. He runs to get the ingredients that we need to get
started. If it's stuffing the boxes or putting the truffles in the boxes or
folding the boxes, he's just really ready. He shows up to do the job. And so
that I know it's his way of communicating that he, he loves what he does.
Mandi: I love that
you're so in tune with his communication. I know obviously you being his mom,
you, you would be, but I, I just think it's really wonderful that you can read
all of that from him. So you also know how to just be engaged and help him to
enjoy the business more. So that's really wonderful. I've looked at some of your Instagram posts
and I love that you often use the hashtag black owned business. What is it like having a son and, you know,
if Kyle has any communication around this, just being a multiple minority, both
being African-American and also having a disability in today's society?
Valerie Palma: Yeah,
that is a very good question. And I think in this environment today, it's, it's
almost kind of a blessing because I think now, because of all the things that
are happening in society with, with all these movements, I think that being a
multi minority in these times, because people, people are truly listening. Their
ears are open. Their hearts are open and many people want to change and
understand, start understanding about people who are differently able. And this
is an opportunity for them to learn from Kyle and from Black young, uh, that
he's a Black young man with autism, but he clearly is no different. And he is
an entrepreneur. Just like a typical person would be.
Mandi: Amen to
that! Why do you think that supporting Black owned businesses is an important
part of America's economy and our progress?
Valerie Palma: Well,
I think that Black owned businesses generate a lot of income all around. Supporting Black owned businesses, builds out
our economy as a whole. And people are
more aware that there are a lot of people of color doing incredible things with
products, with services. And, um, this is the time I think this is just the
right time. And by the fact that we've been locked down, people's minds have
been, you know, racing and coming up with alternatives of how to survive.
Mandi: That's so
true. That is so true. And I totally agree with you. And I love the idea of
building up our communities, you know, and that's one of the things that I see
really about, you know, this business that you have with Kyle is just it's so
community based. When I look at the support that you have. Obviously your product
is great. Everyone loves them. My mom, I
sent her a package for her birthday and she loved them. Um, so you have a great
product, but I also think just, you know, Kyle, as a person is really, like you
said, kind of rallying the support and bringing a level of awareness that
people are more attuned to now. So I really just think that you're not just
building up economy, but you're also just building such a strong community that
we really need today. So really appreciate the work that you're both
doing. We have a lot of families who
listen, who have children with disabilities and also a lot of individuals with
disabilities who listen. What advice can you offer families and individuals who
are impacted by disability and are looking for creative ways to connect?
Valerie Palma: First
I would like to let them know they're not alone. Everybody has a purpose,
whether it's a big one or a small one and I think it's important to continue to
see past the disability. These are individuals who are capable of so much more
than we think. Learn about their interests and build on them. Encourage them by
creating opportunities for them to experiment at things that they are
interested in throughout many aspects of their life. Incorporate their
interests into their daily routines. Set goals that are centered around their
interests. Work towards helping them achieve their goals. Share ideas with all
of those who are involved in their lives and network with other parents. Share
ideas and always keep an open mind and be consistent, patient and persistent at
all times, because you never know when you're going to get that aha moment. And
Every little achievement for us as parents. Just the fact that Kyle will now
tell you, "I like truffles," or "I make truffles". It's
like, wow. We know that it's just to hear that. It's like, uh, for, for us,
it's like, It's a big deal. It's a big deal. Every little accomplishment is a
big deal for, for us, uh, as a parent. So it's just to look and see what they
gravitate toward and, um, and just, and just, and, and grab onto those little
pieces and just keep branching out with them as much as you can and incorporate
them in all their learning. And you will get more communication from them.
Whether it's verbally, it could be written, it could be eye contact, all of
those things matter.
Mandi: That is
really so wonderful. Thank you so, so much. Again, I take so much of your
advice and I see it as being applicable to, to anyone, you know, just. Really
that persistence and finding your passion and working towards a goal and
setting goals. I, all of those things are so applicable to everyone. I really
appreciate what you were saying from a parent's perspective and how things that
typically might not seem like a big deal to some people to parents of children
with disabilities, who may have never heard the words, mom or dad, or who have
other kinds of challenges. It's so
important to celebrate the moments, the small moments, because they are big. So
I really appreciate all of that. Does Kyle want to share anything before we
wrap up?
Valerie Palma: Kyle,
would you like to say something to, what would you like to say, Kyle? Tell me.
What do you do? What do you do? Read it. Oh, you make what?
[Kyle speaks in a
near whisper]
Valerie Palma: He makes truffles.
Mandi: I love
that. Thank you so much, Kyle. Really love all the work that you're doing. I am
definitely a big supporter for sure. So I'm actually going to be sending a couple
of giveaways to some of my listeners. So, when they tune in, they'll want to go
over to my social media page because I will be sending some truffles their way
from you guys, so. So people will get a chance.
Valerie Palma: Please,
please. I would love to do, please do that and give, I will support you with
and help you. And the more people know the better for Kyle.
Mandi: Of course,
of course. Well, thank you both so much. I really appreciate your time. I will
definitely keep in touch and definitely good luck with everything that you're
doing.
Valerie Palma: Thank
you. And good luck to you. This is fabulous. This podcast. This is our first.
Mandi: Oh, great.
I'm so honored. I'm so glad. You guys
can follow this business and Kyle and his mom at Big Kyle's Little Truffles and
tell everyone how they can place an order with you.
Valerie Palma: Sure,
sure. They can email their order to Big Kyle at B I G K Y L E capital B capital
K capital L capital T. At gmail.com. We're working on a website but in the
meantime, the emails are answered. And we handle our payments through Zelle pay
and Cash App for now.
Mandi: Wonderful.
So I will put all of that information in the upcoming flyers and graphics. So
be sure to check out my social media at Mandibox Beauty. And I'll also put this
up on my website at mandiboxbeauty.com. So thank you all so much again.
Valerie Palma: Thank
you.
[Bling]
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