Creative Wave Movement

The phrase, I do believe, is rendered speechless. That was the feeling I had after realizing that my work as a 31-year-old entrepreneur had met the same resilient, brilliant and determined spirit in that of a 17-year-old creative on a mission. Her name, Madison MacGregor: full of faith and fire for a generation that she herself is a part of, standing also as founder of TribeZ: the movement set to inspire them.

Appropriately pronounced ‘tribes’, TribeZ the Movement is the extension of the organization’s founder and personal mantra she firmly prescribes to for Generation Z: “… to connect, create and collaborate on things that matter to us, and things that will change the world.”

Image courtesy of TribeZ the Movement | Madison MacGregor, founder of TribeZ the Movement.

With nothing short of the inter-webs to connect us, CreativeWave Movement sat down to understand the message and mission of this young agent of change. As we grazed through kind conversation and introductions, we examined the fruits of passion and persistence, stirred up our calls to action and realized this very reality: it is never too early, nor too late to start moving toward your dreams. Here is our conversation:

CreativeWave Movement: I’ve interviewed a director of film, professional surfers, world-renown photographers, artists and you are- by far- the youngest, which is exciting and a testament to the fact that, it doesn’t matter what age [you are]. If this mission moves you, you move.

Madison MacGregor: It’s quite an an honor, and it’s also so great to be able to collaborate with people that are just as passionate as I am! (laughs) It doesn’t matter the age, like you said. I’ve connected with people older than me and younger than me. It’s really amazing how like-minded people find each other. So, it’s really amazing to talk to a like-minded person like yourself, Lindsey.

CWM: Yes! Absolutely. So, TribeZ… tell us what that is and where that began for you.

MM: It began, probably about a year or two ago. I had just left competitive dancing, which I was doing for about 10 years. And that was my life, my identity. After leaving that, I went through a period of where I didn’t really know who I was, and I didn’t have a purpose- it was a very tough time for myself. And in this time, I looked around and noticed that a lot of kids my age and people older than me were kind of going through the same thing. There were a lot of people that were purposeless, and a lot of people that were confused. I kind of created TribeZ for myself, to kind of give  myself something empowering to do- to leave something for my generation…. that really inspired me to create it.

CWM: Yes.

MM: I actually got the name from a book I read.

CWM: Yes! And I was going to say, the name… the name hits you. Talk to us about the name really quickly.

MM: (laughs) Yes, so the name came from a book I read by Seth Godin. I was inspired by that book. It talked about how we need to choose to lead and to choose ourselves; not wait for someone to lead us, and to be our own leaders.

CWM: You know it’s amazing: what you said about feeling lost on purpose. It’s amazing how, when encountering that dual reality of, ‘I’m doing this, but feeling lost’…. there is this void that isn’t filled. You can be 46 or 26, and you can feel without purpose. Out of that very need came the desire to have something of purpose for you; your own journey. That leads me into our next topic of conversation: when our own trials and difficulties, or the mess, becomes the message. When did TribeZ translate from passion into mission, having the potential to empower others? Or maybe it’s still happening…

“… to connect, create and collaborate on things that matter to us and things that will change the world.” -Madison MacGregor

MM: Yeah… I don’t feel like it’s been ‘a moment’. I feel like it’s been a gradual build of things. I sometimes get private messages from kids in my generation- It’s just amazing. You just don’t know who’s out there, and who’s going through what you did. To know that, ‘…because I watched that video… because I read that post- I feel better know… I will go out and take action, because I am inspired by what you did’… Those moments for me make me realize that it’s so much bigger than one person. And she inspired me too!

CWM: Yes! And it’s going to grow, because the need is there. Isn’t it amazing: the relationship of how they’re inspired by us, then we are inspired by them? Tell us, the core of TribeZ… now that we have some great context… tell us the mission of TribeZ.

MM: The mission of TribeZ is to create an awareness for GenZ’s to impact their future and the future of the world, and to inspire them to take action; that what they do matters…

CWM: Yes.

MM: … that their existence here matters; and to inspire them to go out and make a difference in their lives; and in turn, make a difference in other people’s lives. I think the best way to do that is through collaboration and connection and creating things that matter. I think that is what will change the world. There are so many people I know that are so talented, that procrastinate or are scared.

CWM: Again, it’s a message that reaches beyond the scope of Generation Z. It is a broad spectrum of individuals. It’s a message [that dispels the] thinking that we have to have everything perfect to pursue our dreams: ‘I don’t have the connections yet; or I don’t have the website yet; or I don’t have the capital yet.’ How do you think that anyone- but particularly coming from Generation Z… speaking to that person right now- [who] feels like, ‘I’m not enough’ or ‘I don’t have enough,’ gets past that? Share with us how you get past that.

Madison on the set of the Disney Channel show, “Backstage.”

MM: Yeah, I’ve totally been there. There’s a thing that Tony Robbins says: “It’s not about the resources, it’s about the resourcefulness.” And nowadays, especially, just use what [you've] got. You are your greatest resource. It’s also realizing [that] it doesn’t need to be perfect, and that it will naturally evolve. Just starting puts you on track to where you want to go. It’s not about being perfect.

CWM: Right. You know, it’s funny: people think that something may happen over night; but the base, the foundation, of that [includes] 15 years of seeds sown in tears, a lot hard work, and a lot of prayers- hearing the word ‘no’ a lot. I think it’s fascinating that you gave a glimpse into what was challenging for you. Talk to us- if you don’t mind- about what was hard for you in recognizing the burning passion to get [TribeZ] out: what was hard about getting there? What were some fears you faced? Talk to us about that.

MM: I love that you asked me that, because I don’t feel a lot of people talk about that. When I started TribesZ…. I think [that] it was very intimidating and overwhelming; thinking that, ‘Oh my gosh, it has to be this huge thing, and it has to start there.’ And the reason I thought that was because there wasn’t a lot of transparency that I saw out there. You see the end result of what people have done, you don’t see [all] that has gone into it. That was one big fear: the [reality] of just how big this movement was… and the potential.

CWM: Yes.

MM: I think a challenge was definitely a fear of not being perfect; The fear of, “What if it fails?” The fear of, “I put this thing out there, and nobody gets it?” 

CWM: Right.

MM: That was definitely hard.

CWM: Yes, I think we all face those fears at some point. I know I have. I really believe that transparency in how we’re ‘getting through’ is key for others to face their own fears. I think one of the last few questions I’d like to ask is: for you, what are some resources that you need for it to grow and move in the space it needs to move? When you think about the future of TribeZ, what do you see?

Madison and other cast members of “Backstage”, a show depicting the lives of performing arts students in pursuit of their dreams.

MM: I’ve definitely thought about that. I’m collaborating with one of the choreographers from our show, ‘Backstage‘- [a Disney Channel show about the life of teenage performing arts students pursuing their dreams in the entertainment industry]-’ JJ Moore. She’s creating this holistic dance workshop with some of the cast, and I’m’ going to be speaking about TribeZ there… So that’s kind of like the first mini, little thing (laughs).. that I’ve been able [to do] to bring TribeZ to the physical space: to be, physically, with my generation: speaking with them and collaborating. Eventually, I’d also like to speak at schools and have programs at schools and create together. I definitively want to bring TribeZ beyond the computer screen.

“The ones willing to play their part.”

CWM: … making it more tangible. There’s definitely more to come from TribeZ. I sense that this is the answer to spoken and unspoken prayers. More to come from you and this movement, most definitely.

 –CWM–