Being Whole with Dr. Cassandra LeClair

Today on the Being Whole podcast, we have Dominique Davison! Dominique brings passion, thoughtfulness and a sense of humor to her role as Marketing Manager at Stages, in Houston. With more than five years of varied experience, she offers an innovative approach to traditional marketing. Before joining Stages, Dominique assisted in special events and digital marketing for Houston’s Theater District where she was a part of the theater in Juvenile Detention Centers workshop. Dominique Davison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in Mass Communications from Texas State University. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling or patiently waiting for Rihanna to drop her seventh album. ⭐️Reserve your seat for the masterclass on 11/30 by clicking here:⭐️ https://www.subscribepage.com/novemberboundariesmasterclass TAKEAWAYS 1. You may find that you need to set boundaries and let go when it comes to friendships from previous chapters in order to claim your worth and step into the next version of you. 2. When your dream doesn’t quite feel as if it’s unfolding how you envision, a leap of faith in a slight pivot truly brings you to where you’re destined to be and what you’re destined to do. 3. When you have pride in what you’re doing, you’re able to step into your role in a different way with passionate energy. 4. Theaters are such a foundational aspect to society in many cities and people like Domonique are out trying to fix the standard to make these spaces more inclusive to the black and brown communities. 5. Once you step up and start advocating for yourself and your worth, you open up opportunities for immense growth in your life. 6. Choosing yourself and deciding to create a boundary while also knowing that the people who benefited from you NOT having that boundary will most likely be the ones that are the most upset. Remember that how someone reacts to your boundaries is none of your business, that’s on them. 7. If you’re choosing not to change something, we are choosing to accept it. Take a look in your life and try to be honest with WHY you are making decisions. 8. Everything isn’t about you. Everyone is leading busy lives and it’s so important (but very hard) to stop taking everything personally in order to live a life where you are responsive and not reactive.

Today on the Being Whole podcast, we have Dominique Davison! Dominique brings passion, thoughtfulness and a sense of humor to her role as Marketing Manager at Stages, in Houston. With more than five years of varied experience, she offers an innovative approach to traditional marketing. Before joining Stages, Dominique assisted in special events and digital marketing for Houston’s Theater District where she was a part of the theater in Juvenile Detention Centers workshop. Dominique Davison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in Mass Communications from Texas State University. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling or patiently waiting for Rihanna to drop her seventh album. ⭐️Reserve your seat for the masterclass on 11/30 by clicking here:⭐️ https://www.subscribepage.com/novemberboundariesmasterclass TAKEAWAYS 1. You may find that you need to set boundaries and let go when it comes to friendships from previous chapters in order to claim your worth and step into the next version of you. 2. When your dream doesn’t quite feel as if it’s unfolding how you envision, a leap of faith in a slight pivot truly brings you to where you’re destined to be and what you’re destined to do. 3. When you have pride in what you’re doing, you’re able to step into your role in a different way with passionate energy. 4. Theaters are such a foundational aspect to society in many cities and people like Domonique are out trying to fix the standard to make these spaces more inclusive to the black and brown communities. 5. Once you step up and start advocating for yourself and your worth, you open up opportunities for immense growth in your life. 6. Choosing yourself and deciding to create a boundary while also knowing that the people who benefited from you NOT having that boundary will most likely be the ones that are the most upset. Remember that how someone reacts to your boundaries is none of your business, that’s on them. 7. If you’re choosing not to change something, we are choosing to accept it. Take a look in your life and try to be honest with WHY you are making decisions. 8. Everything isn’t about you. Everyone is leading busy lives and it’s so important (but very hard) to stop taking everything personally in order to live a life where you are responsive and not reactive.

Susannah (Susie) Bannon is an award-winning teacher, scholar, and public servant. Susie has a BA in Communication Studies (2012) from the University of Houston-Downtown, an MA in Communication Studies (2014) from Texas State University, and a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research examines the complex interplay between rhetoric and carcerality and has been published in Essays in Virtual Dark Tourism, The St. Louis University Public Law Review, and Captured Words/Free Thoughts. Susie advocates for prison abolition and higher education in prisons at the local and national level, and in 2017 she co-founded the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network.

I wanted to take a moment and let you know that I created a guide to emotional intelligence, which is something to help you understand your emotions and learn how to regulate them!

It’s totally free and I can’t wait for you to check it out.

https://www.subscribepage.com/emotionalintelligenceguidedrleclair

Here are a few of my takeaways from today with Susie.

1. All it takes is one person who believes in your future that unlocks everything for you and you may find yourself curious about a path you may have never considered.

2. It’s important as a collective to think of everyone as a human and remove the stigma of labels. Once a human is labeled something in a negative light, it takes away their humanness.

3. After being incarcerated, it can be nearly impossible for humans to volunteer or get a job and are often not even given a fair shake with employers simply tossing their applications without even considering them for the position.

4. Punitive consequences are not nearly as effective as social support and programs to really offer an alternative new leaf for humans that have been incarcerated.

5. There are things every day that can bring you back to your traumatic moments of the past, but it’s about looking at those layers and healing from it. There may be new triggers that arise, but choosing to lean in and learn how to heal yourself is so incredibly important in order to take your power back.

6. Journaling can be a really beautiful way to be able to name your feelings or experiences. From there, you can truly start to open up and heal.

7. In helping others by sharing your experiences and traumas, you are also in a way healing yourself.

8. Each person has their own lived experiences, so let’s take a step back and look at someone KNOWING that they’ve had their own journey and try to have more empathy for them.

Susie’s links:

Instagram: @elsooz

Twitter: @susannahbannon

Cassandra on Instagram:

@drcassandraleclair

Susannah (Susie) Bannon is an award-winning teacher, scholar, and public servant. Susie has a BA in Communication Studies (2012) from the University of Houston-Downtown, an MA in Communication Studies (2014) from Texas State University, and a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research examines the complex interplay between rhetoric and carcerality and has been published in Essays in Virtual Dark Tourism, The St. Louis University Public Law Review, and Captured Words/Free Thoughts. Susie advocates for prison abolition and higher education in prisons at the local and national level, and in 2017 she co-founded the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network.

I wanted to take a moment and let you know that I created a guide to emotional intelligence, which is something to help you understand your emotions and learn how to regulate them!

It’s totally free and I can’t wait for you to check it out.

https://www.subscribepage.com/emotionalintelligenceguidedrleclair

Here are a few of my takeaways from today with Susie.

1. All it takes is one person who believes in your future that unlocks everything for you and you may find yourself curious about a path you may have never considered.

2. It’s important as a collective to think of everyone as a human and remove the stigma of labels. Once a human is labeled something in a negative light, it takes away their humanness.

3. After being incarcerated, it can be nearly impossible for humans to volunteer or get a job and are often not even given a fair shake with employers simply tossing their applications without even considering them for the position.

4. Punitive consequences are not nearly as effective as social support and programs to really offer an alternative new leaf for humans that have been incarcerated.

5. There are things every day that can bring you back to your traumatic moments of the past, but it’s about looking at those layers and healing from it. There may be new triggers that arise, but choosing to lean in and learn how to heal yourself is so incredibly important in order to take your power back.

6. Journaling can be a really beautiful way to be able to name your feelings or experiences. From there, you can truly start to open up and heal.

7. In helping others by sharing your experiences and traumas, you are also in a way healing yourself.

8. Each person has their own lived experiences, so let’s take a step back and look at someone KNOWING that they’ve had their own journey and try to have more empathy for them.

Susie’s links:

Instagram: @elsooz

Twitter: @susannahbannon

Cassandra on Instagram:

@drcassandraleclair

In today’s episode, Cassandra shows up for a solo episode and gets really vulnerable.

She peels the layers back and gets uncomfortable with you. It’s a great reminder to all of us to keep showing up and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone so we can collectively evolve and become better.

This podcast is to show you the tools we have within us and how to effectively use them.

Thank you so much for listening today, I hope you’ve loved this solo episode.

In today’s episode, Cassandra shows up for a solo episode and gets really vulnerable.

She peels the layers back and gets uncomfortable with you. It’s a great reminder to all of us to keep showing up and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone so we can collectively evolve and become better.

This podcast is to show you the tools we have within us and how to effectively use them.

Thank you so much for listening today, I hope you’ve loved this solo episode.

Tracey Nefford is the Training and Development Manager for Schlitterbahn New Braunfels and Galveston. Tracey and his husband Derek live in New Braunfels, Texas.  Tracey’s passions are team building, spending time with family/dogs, and gardening.  Using personal experiences and the journey that comes with being a leader, Tracey dives deeper into small town Texas, the loneliness of being a leader, and how to ground yourself when your world can’t seem to stop spinning. You can contact Tracey on LinkedIn or through instagram.

Grab your Emotional Intelligence Freebie here

https://www.subscribepage.com/emotionalintelligenceguidedrleclair

My takeaways from today’s episode

1- Detaching from all you’ve known and exploring a new chapter in life is sometimes the perfect way to learn to live in your own skin and be confident in who you truly are as you are on the journey of self discovery.

2-Many people who did awful things many years ago may have matured and evolved to no longer harbor such strong feelings towards you in present day.

3-In living your life authentically and true to yourself and what you really enjoy in life, you find true happiness and success without worrying about outside expectations or opinions.

4-Remembering the low or perceived challenging times can help you to feel strength moving forward. “If we can make it through the Caesar salad chapter, we can make it through anything!”

5-When you are isolated with people who care and support you, it opens up such a beautiful opportunity for you to grow together and strengthen your relationship.

6-As a leader, nurture your employees or downline to either be skilled enough to do YOUR job or go off and do something incredible down the road. Having sincere intentions but knowing that many will move on eventually is a beautiful foundation.

7-In work and friendship, it can sometimes feel like a revolving door and it can feel lonely to know that others will not always be a lifelong connection. It takes a lot of strength to pour love into others while also letting them evolve and venture away from what you had together.

8-In the slow moments between chaos, be intentional with allowing yourself to slow down and take an aerial view of your days while finding hobbies to keep moving forward in having a purpose (like Tracey with making salsa and gardening).

9-Be mindful of where you FEEL your feelings in your body. Identify where it is and take the steps to ground yourself. Doing this consistently, you’ll start to notice patterns that arise and be quicker to pull out your tools to center yourself again.

10-Having rhythms to decompress is really helpful, like walking aimlessly through Target sipping coffee, taking laps in a park watching TikToks or sitting on a paddle board in the river playing on your phone. Allowing yourself to just kind of “check out” and quiet the noise from life around you and just being entertained is a great way to reset.

Tracey Nefford is the Training and Development Manager for Schlitterbahn New Braunfels and Galveston. Tracey and his husband Derek live in New Braunfels, Texas.  Tracey’s passions are team building, spending time with family/dogs, and gardening.  Using personal experiences and the journey that comes with being a leader, Tracey dives deeper into small town Texas, the loneliness of being a leader, and how to ground yourself when your world can’t seem to stop spinning. You can contact Tracey on LinkedIn or through instagram.

Grab your Emotional Intelligence Freebie here

https://www.subscribepage.com/emotionalintelligenceguidedrleclair

My takeaways from today’s episode

1- Detaching from all you’ve known and exploring a new chapter in life is sometimes the perfect way to learn to live in your own skin and be confident in who you truly are as you are on the journey of self discovery.

2-Many people who did awful things many years ago may have matured and evolved to no longer harbor such strong feelings towards you in present day.

3-In living your life authentically and true to yourself and what you really enjoy in life, you find true happiness and success without worrying about outside expectations or opinions.

4-Remembering the low or perceived challenging times can help you to feel strength moving forward. “If we can make it through the Caesar salad chapter, we can make it through anything!”

5-When you are isolated with people who care and support you, it opens up such a beautiful opportunity for you to grow together and strengthen your relationship.

6-As a leader, nurture your employees or downline to either be skilled enough to do YOUR job or go off and do something incredible down the road. Having sincere intentions but knowing that many will move on eventually is a beautiful foundation.

7-In work and friendship, it can sometimes feel like a revolving door and it can feel lonely to know that others will not always be a lifelong connection. It takes a lot of strength to pour love into others while also letting them evolve and venture away from what you had together.

8-In the slow moments between chaos, be intentional with allowing yourself to slow down and take an aerial view of your days while finding hobbies to keep moving forward in having a purpose (like Tracey with making salsa and gardening).

9-Be mindful of where you FEEL your feelings in your body. Identify where it is and take the steps to ground yourself. Doing this consistently, you’ll start to notice patterns that arise and be quicker to pull out your tools to center yourself again.

10-Having rhythms to decompress is really helpful, like walking aimlessly through Target sipping coffee, taking laps in a park watching TikToks or sitting on a paddle board in the river playing on your phone. Allowing yourself to just kind of “check out” and quiet the noise from life around you and just being entertained is a great way to reset.

Colonel Matthew T. Good is a native of Texas. He went to Texas A & M University where he joined the Corps of Cadets where he excelled in scholastics and leadership training. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, where he has been an active duty officer for the last 26 years.

As a Marine, Matt has garnered many accolades and has led troops in combat during several deployments. He is highly respected and is currently serving as a Marine liaison to the US Senate.

Matt is not defined by his Marine Corps activities. He is an avid long distance runner and enjoys hiking the countryside with his wife and four kids. He is a world traveler, amateur archaeologist, writer and a true Renaissance man.

A few takeaways from my conversation with Matt Good

1- Be vulnerable about what you don’t know and lean into collaboration to grow.

2- Trust is not immediate, it is earned by showing you care in those little moments that build over time.

3- Even if an organization has failures, it’s really about coming together and believing that leading with vulnerability, trust and mutual respect is a winning approach.

4- Sitting down regularly in a safe space with others that have these shared beliefs or foundations can really keep your mental health strong whether you are stateside or abroad in the service.

5- Even when you lose your cool, be honest with those around you to let them know that your emotions may not actually be in result of what they did but something that is completely separate from them.

6-  If you’re not intentional, your career will continue to take and take until you realize you’ve got nothing left to give and nothing left for yourself to live a comfortable life.

7- It’s important to realize what is truly important to us and being mindful about what can wait until a later time. In being self aware in these two areas is how we can truly find a balance in our lives.

8- We are feeling beings who also think. Deliberately managing the water in your cup is important to be a person you feel proud to be. 

Follow Dr. Cassandra LeClair on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/drcassandraleclair

Colonel Matthew T. Good is a native of Texas. He went to Texas A & M University where he joined the Corps of Cadets where he excelled in scholastics and leadership training. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, where he has been an active duty officer for the last 26 years.

As a Marine, Matt has garnered many accolades and has led troops in combat during several deployments. He is highly respected and is currently serving as a Marine liaison to the US Senate.

Matt is not defined by his Marine Corps activities. He is an avid long distance runner and enjoys hiking the countryside with his wife and four kids. He is a world traveler, amateur archaeologist, writer and a true Renaissance man.

A few takeaways from my conversation with Matt Good

1- Be vulnerable about what you don’t know and lean into collaboration to grow.

2- Trust is not immediate, it is earned by showing you care in those little moments that build over time.

3- Even if an organization has failures, it’s really about coming together and believing that leading with vulnerability, trust and mutual respect is a winning approach.

4- Sitting down regularly in a safe space with others that have these shared beliefs or foundations can really keep your mental health strong whether you are stateside or abroad in the service.

5- Even when you lose your cool, be honest with those around you to let them know that your emotions may not actually be in result of what they did but something that is completely separate from them.

6-  If you’re not intentional, your career will continue to take and take until you realize you’ve got nothing left to give and nothing left for yourself to live a comfortable life.

7- It’s important to realize what is truly important to us and being mindful about what can wait until a later time. In being self aware in these two areas is how we can truly find a balance in our lives.

8- We are feeling beings who also think. Deliberately managing the water in your cup is important to be a person you feel proud to be. 

Follow Dr. Cassandra LeClair on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/drcassandraleclair