It is baby season around here! I have so many friends who either just had a baby or are about to have a baby. For many that is a joyous time filled with preparation and celebration, but so of us, especially Black women, this time comes with a ting of concern of will we make it. I know there have been several data points floating out there about Black maternity but I want to bring up a couple that absolutely scare the shit out of me. 

1.     Statistics show that Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy related death than white women. What’s worse is the CDC claims three out of five of pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented.

2.     Underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease are leading causes of maternal death. Also Black women often develop preeclampsia and therefore have an approximately 1.7-fold higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease later in life. 

3.     Data shows that Black women often aren’t believed when they say they’re in pain, and much of that is due to discrimination bias in the health care industry

4.     Not only are Black mothers at risk while giving birth… so are our children. Black infants in America are twice as likely to dies before their first birthday as white infants 

5.     Postpartum depression is debilitating and affects roughly 10%-20% of women who give birth. Black moms, however, are less likely to get the help they need. A study by the National institute of Health found that 8% of white women received treatment for their postpartum depression compared to 4% of Black women. 

We have all heard of the stories of Serena William’s struggling to get a doctor to take her post birth concerns seriously, even though she knew her body and knew something was going wrong. We have seen news stories of an otherwise healthy Black woman dying after giving birth and leaving behind a confused and mourning husband with a new child. And if you are anything like me that is terrifying. As my husband and I begin to think about discuss starting a family, it wasn’t just about what happens at the hospital but how to set us up for success before and after. We began looking at Mid-wives and doulas and realized that there are not a lot of options if you are looking for a Black doula/midwife when resources are not an issue. What happens to those who might not be in a service area where doulas or midwives? 

Meet  this week’s guest, Cessilye Smith, founder and Executive Director of Abide Women’s Health Service in Southern Dallas. Cessilye prides herself on living in the gray and working through the messiness that life has to offer. Over the years she has witnessed the devastating impact of systemic failures in healthcare, housing & economics have had on the human condition. Having the ability to see the overlap in these structures has given her the drive to pursue justice in a way that brings unlikely people together. Cessilye's passion for Black women and for her community.

I do want to warn you all before I intro today’s guest that we will be talking about our previous relationships with food and our battle with eating disorders during college.

Things no one ever told me before I went to college. 

1.     Toilet paper is expensive.

2.     That you get your mother’s hips sometime around your junior year with zero warning. 

I am excited to have Becca Morgan as the guest for this episode. Becca and I met as freshmen at Hendrix College and have enjoyed watching each other’s journey through social media as we individually navigate adulthood. She is rounding out her 3rd year as an Assistant Athletic Trainer at Ole Miss with women’s volleyball team and is currently pursuing her doctorate in nutrition.  So yes, she is a badass. 

Becca grew up dancing and started dancing competitively in elementary school. Her fitness journey truly began in college and as she was met with a lot of obstacles and challenges. Through graduate school to now, she has grown and evolved into someone embracing a self-love journey and hoping to lead and inspire others to do the same.

I know you are probably wondering why a successful SEC athletic trainer working on her doctoral degree in Nutrition on a podcast about imposter syndrome.  Well, as I said before, no one can escape imposter syndrome – it’s something that everyone faces.

Now, let’s dive into the interview. 

This week’s guest is one of the best hidden gems in Montreal. I stumbled upon her and her store when I was in Montreal for my sister’s hen party, and one of the. Best decisions I made the whole time I was there was skipping out on one of the hen party activities to go shopping at her boutique. Yasmine is exactly who the fashion industry needs more of. Her boutique, Boutique Lustre is a safe of beautiful, durable, practical clothing for women of all sizes. But as a five-foot woman, who have been curvy since grade school her boutique holds a special place in my heart for her thoughtful decisions and custom sizing options. But her boutique is so much more than that, it is a network of like women empowering one another and working toward creating change. This year is the 15th anniversary of Boutique Lustre opening their doors, and here is too many more years

Now, let’s dive into the interview. 

This week’s guest is one of my very first mentors, my college advisory, someone I look up to and a friend. Dr. Leslie Zorwick! Dr. Zorwick is currently a psychology professor at Hendrix College where she has previously chaired the Psychology department, the campus committee on diversity and dialogue, and the campus advisory board for education and the prevention of sexual assault.  Dr. Zorwick teaches social psychology with a focus on stereotyping, prejudice reduction, identity and belonging. I mean she is one of the reasons why I am such a giant nerd when it comes to these topics and try my hardest to share my personal stories! But I mean she get even cooler. Her work goes beyond the classroom to research with student on prejudice reduction and the development of empathy and she focuses her personal research on the social benefits of debate and advocacy training. Also, one more golden nugget she has also served as an expert witness in two federal discrimination trails speaking about the benefits of diverse and inclusive educational settings. Not only is Dr. Zorwick an amazing educator and advocate, but she is an amazing mom of 2 beautiful and smart little girls who she is raising to be as badass as she is. 

I am beyond excited to have dr. Zorwick as the first guest of the second season because I realized though the stories from last season were inspirational, we never got into the discussion about what is Imposter Syndrome, Dr. Zorwick is going to fill in that gap, but she is going to do so much more. Dr. Zorwick is truly an example of how imposter syndrome seeps into every aspect of our lives and how sometimes the best thing you can do is just lean in. 

Welcome back to ‘Am I Qualified to Do This’ a podcast for anyone who has ever asked themselves ‘am I qualified to do this?’ I am your host, Cathryn Kelly, studier of imposter syndrome and constant asker of the question Am I Qualified to Do this, including right now as I record and edit this podcast. 

I am not gonna lie, I was so close to not having an episode this week. The tension in the country was just weighing heavy on me and my anxiety and imposter syndrome was making me feel like I was honestly not qualified to hold the conversations I so desperately wanted to hold. 

But when listening back through the interviews I realized that I have one guest’s whose episode could not wait any longer to be put out to the public

This week my guest is super timely with the looming election and racial unrest in our country. Juany Torres is the proud oldest daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first generation American. She was born and raised in the south side of San Antonio, Texas and attended Stanford University on a full scholarship by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Juany worked at the White House as part of the Domestic Policy Council under President Obama before joining Google Inc. After her time in the bay area, Juany served as the Nevada Deputy Digital Director for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign before returning back to San Antonio and focusing on increasing civic engagement in her home state of Texas.  Juany served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Ron Nirenberg for Mayor and served in his office before helping her Stanford peer Lina Hidalgo run for Harris County Judge in Houston, Texas. In 2019 Juany began pursuing her Masters in Public Affairs at the University of Texas' LBJ School. Most recently, Juany was selected as the inaugural public policy fellow for WTS Heart of Texas Chapter and Mayor Adler's office. In her role, she is focused on increasing equity and opportunity through transportation policy. But Jauny is so much more than her impressive resume, she is a community leader not only in San Antonio but nationally and is a true inspiration who seek to lend their voice to their community. 

I know you are wondering what an amazing activist like Juany is doing on a podcast about imposter syndrome. Well, as I said before, no one can escape imposter syndrome – it’s something that everyone faces.

Now, let’s dive into the interview. 

This week’s guest is m college roommate, Megan Barker. This amazing human being can be seen in films like Killing Kat and Maybe Tonight, TV shows like Quarantine Leap and Before we Go, but to me she is my favorite Say Yes to the Dress and House Hunters International buddy, and a bad ass in so many ways. 

Right after our final semester at Hendrix College, Megan packed up her SUV and headed to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.  Megan had always being leading lady material throughout our time at Hendrix, it has been absolutely amazing to watch her take LA by storm! 

I know you are probably wondering why is a successful actress on a podcast about imposter syndrome. Well, as I said before, no one can escape imposter syndrome – it’s something that everyone faces. 

Now, let’s dive into the interview. 

I am so excited about this week’s guest. She is a best-selling author, podcast host, and amazing career coach! She is a champion of women in male dominated fields, a negotiation guru, and simply an amazing human being. 

Let me introduce you all to Jacqueline Twillie. Jacqueline is the Founder and CEO of ZeroGap, a company focusing on helping women in male dominated fields find their confidence, clarity, and leadership.   She is also the host of the Winning Season podcast, which focuses on tools and strategies that help women enhance their leadership blueprint and embrace their power to be effective in work and life. 

I had the honor of meeting Jacqueline thanks to my last job when we hosted an event for young professional women on negotiation. From the first time I met Jaqueline, her energy and dedication to helping women was contagious! I am happy to have built a wonderful friendship and coaching relationship with her! 

I know you are probably wondering why a two-time best-selling author, podcast host, and career coach is on a podcast about imposter syndrome. Well, as I said before, no one can escape imposter syndrome – it’s something that everyone faces.

This week's guest makes me wish I was back and college with the same knowledge that I have now. Though I wouldn't trade my path for any other, I wish I had the knowledge to just enjoy the ride instead of stress about the future while I was in college.

Let me introduce you all to Christian. Christian is a third-year Marketing student at the University of Texas at Dallas. While being a full-time student, she also is a thought-provoking leader in her own right. With the successful podcast, Sis, Let'sLet's Get Into It, Christian invites listeners in for transparent and authentic conversations on what she, as a black woman, has to deal with on a daily basis, with topics often centered around college, anxiety, discipline, and her faith. She is also a member of the Dallas Young

Women'sWomen's Advisory Council at the Texas Women'sWomen's Foundation, where she, along with 15 other bright women of color, formulate ideas and strategies to benefit the young women of Dallas County. Christian pours her heart into advocacy and promotes the idea of showing up for yourself regardless of what everyone else is doing. Christian hopes to continue to create safe spaces for black women to feel supported by growing her podcast and providing support and mentorship to young women in her vicinity. Christian is an ambitious, goal-oriented young professional I want to be when I grow up.

Holy shit! It’s episode 1! 

We have officially launched! Before I introduce my first guest I want to go ahead and just say this has been the hardest labor of love I have experienced. Imposter syndrome kicked my ass for several months before I could even begin to record these episodes. So big shout out to my friends and mentors who kept me going! 

I am personally so excited for my first guest. She is an amazing writer, singer, and activist! I am beyond honored to have come across this beautiful soul three almost four years ago, and we just kept running into each other. I finally stopped silently following her on social and spoke real words to her, and it has been one of the best things I’ve done. 

Let me introduce you to Stephanie Drenka. Founder and Editor in Chief of Visible Magazine, a magazine elevating the voices and work of those from underrepresented communities whose voices are often overlooked by traditional media outlets, and Communications Director for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, an organization that is a community-driven vehicle for change to transform the community and eventually the country. 

Hearing all these accolades and accomplishments you are probably wondering why Stephanie is a guest on a podcast about imposter syndrome. But that’s the thing everyone faces imposter syndrome. So, let’s dig in and find out how she turned her no into a hell yes!