Cool Soror with Rashan Ali

It’s a VERY special edition of the Cool Soror Podcast with Alpha Kappa Alpha’s own Aeshia Devore Branch. She founded Pretty Girls Sweat In an effort to support former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to help solve the obesity epidemic in the US. She and her team have been amazingly successful strides in establishing collegiate chapters across the United States and so much more including the inaugural Pretty Girls Sweat Fest!

The Pretty Girls Sweat Fest will take place in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Freight Depot on September 16th from 12pm-4pm! It will be hosted by our very own, Rashan Ali! Participants are in for a treat so grab your squad for the ultimate Sweat Sisterhood fitness festival. Register to receive exclusive access to elite trainers from around the city. With heart-pumping workouts coupled with the dopest female DJs – you'll get a first class ticket to your favorite fitness trends and hit songs. When you’re not sweating it out, you can refresh at our hydration station, savor garden filled with deliciously healthy food trucks, a beauty bar, and complimentary swag.

Guess what?! We’ve got something special for our Cool Soror listeners! Enter promo code: COOLSOROR and receive 50% off registration! Registration link below. We hope to see you there!

www.prettygirlssweat.com/pgsf

Nzinga Shaw joins the Cool Soror Podcast today. A Cool Soror of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, she is currently the senior vice president of community and concurrently works as the chief diversity & inclusion officer in the Atlanta Hawks & Philips Arena organization. She is the first person to hold the CDIO position in the National Basketball Association and for all 122 North American professional sports teams. Shaw serves as a member of the Executive Committee and provides guidance to the leadership team in an effort to engender inclusion in every facet of the business.

She has developed a strategy to embed equity in all programmatic activities, governance and daily administration of the organization. She is focused on building a foundation that will advance this strategy as a core component of the Atlanta Hawks brand, and to drive the business. This initiative extends to fans, customers, community partners and to every employee within the workforce.

Prior to joining the Atlanta Hawks, Shaw has been at the forefront of leading organizational change through diversity. She served as senior vice president of diversity & inclusion at Edelman, the world’s largest and most profitable public relations/integrated marketing agency. Shaw also worked as a human resources practitioner at ESSENCE Magazine, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, and the National Football League.

Recently, Shaw was appointed by the NBA to serve on the Global Inclusion Council. The GIC provides strategic guidance and serve as a catalyst for the league-wide diversity and inclusion strategy, drives an inclusive and innovative culture and increases the economic value of the NBA League office and teams. This is “Diversity Defined.”

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The Cool Soror Podcast welcomes Kito Johorri, a cool soror of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Kito is an internationally renowned Self-Mastery Specialist, thought leader to geniuses, energetically charged speaker, author and educator.

She earned her four year B.S. degree in Chemistry from Florida A&M University. While earning her degree, Kito’s talents in the performing arts gifted her with the opportunity to tour throughout the U.S. and overseas, performing with the Ghostown Djs earning a gold record for the hit song, “My Boo.”

Her deeply rooted love for people and education took her from the laboratory to the classroom, where she discovered that she spent a great deal of energy empowering her students to tap into their natural gifts and talents, as well as- properly apply that knowledge. Kito developed a special interest in leadership due to the lack of proper mentors in her life, which lead her to blindly navigate through some of life’s most difficult CHALLENGES. These challenges include sexual abuse physical abuse and emotional abuse, self-esteem and identity issues, corporate bullying, and even fighting for her equal rights as a woman.

Her innate spirit of resilience and optimism combined with her talents as a visionary, gave her the ability to see beyond current conditions and evolve, in-spite of those major life altering events. Her curiosity for solutions led her into in-depth studies in science, spirituality, personal growth and self-development. Therein lies and lives the “CREATIVE ANALYTIC” and she is just that.

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The Cool Bruh feature has showcased so many amazing men doing incredible work. Rayford Davis, an Alpha man, in no exception. This thought leader, educational advocate and all around tenacious business man embraces ambition and execution like no other.

A native of Decatur, GA, Rayford is an honors graduate from the Westminster Schools, a magna cum laude recipient of a BS in Chemical Engineering-Materials from Florida A&M University, and a graduate in the top 10% of his class at Harvard Business School.

Rayford has gained an extensive amount of knowledge in non-profit, corporate and higher education settings. His latest and most passionate venture, Exception-Ally. Exception-ALLY is a powerful technology that gives parents an affordable ally to ensure their voice is heard in the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) process.

He leads a team of education technology entrepreneurs, who provide digital solutions to help parents of children with special needs ensure their children have the highest quality of life. The initial product supports parents, as they navigate special education in public schools. (ExceptionALLY is a member of the Flashpoint Accelerator at Georgia Institute of Technology and the NewSchools Venture Fund Ignite Challenge.)

Exception-Ally is groundbreaking and unique technology that keeps the consumers, children and parents, first. Rayford Davis and his team have something special that will change the scope and approach to this specialized education.

www.exception-ally.com

Dr. Joy Beckwith joins the Cool Soror Podcast today. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Dr. Joy is on a mission to help her people around the world find their authentic selves. She set out on a quest to make that happen!

A Thomasville, Georgia native, she knew she wanted to attend Spelman College in Atlanta. After massive research and applications, she received scholarships to cover the cost of her entire undergraduate college experience. A double major in psychology and biology, Dr. Joy did not immediately become clear as to what her path would be until much later. She knew, however, that her path was and is to help people “retrain their brains.”

This starts with knowing who we truly are. She believes that we often go through life not knowing who we are and the reason in which we are here. We often operate day-by-day being content with simply maintaining our careers, families and social lives. She identifies this as driving versus thriving. During this episode, Dr. Joy takes a deeper look into the difference.

In what could possibly be a mini therapy session, she shares with us the power it takes to change our situation and the beauty in knowing ourselves. She believes that knowing ourselves is the highest form of intelligence and the therapeutic journey of self-discovery is one of the smartest decisions we can make.

She has found the formula that has transformed lives and it all starts with that power: the power of thought.

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Periscope: DrJoy

Que Latham joins the Cool Soror Podcast as our Cool Bruh feature of the week. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and a graduate of Florida State University, Que spent the majority of his life in Miami, Florida.

After many years of corporate accounting, his life changed in an instant when he was let go from his last job. Subsequently, his alter-ego character, Ms. Funky Dineva Ross was born. Known for his candid and often brash take on celebrity gossip, Funky Dineva, the character and his corresponding blog site are both wildly popular.

There comes a time however, in all of our lives when we are ready for a change. That change has come for Que. Effortlessly articulate and intriguingly intelligent, Que is now one of the co-hosts on Sister Circle - a daily, live talkshow that our host, Rashan Ali is a part of as well.

He is looking forward to not only giving a fresh perspective from a male point of view, but using this opportunity to further his long term goals. He knew it was important to transition his career.

Make no mistake though, Funky Dineva is still thriving. But Que is new to many of his fans and what a blessing he will be to those who already know him and those who will meet him for the first time. Ladies and Gentlemen, “Introducing Que Latham!”

TW: @msfunkydineva IG: @msfunkydineva

www.funkydineva.com

In today's political and racial climate, we thought it was best to replay our Cool Bruh episode with James "Jay" Bailey. You won't be disappointed. "Build As We Climb" is a must listen.

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Tomisha Brock is a Cool Soror of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc and the Band Director for Clark Atlanta University. An accomplished educator, she has led superior instrumental and vocal ensembles on the public school level in Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. She received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Virginia State University in 2005 and a Master of Music Education degree from Norfolk State University in 2011, and has completed additional coursework at Capella University (2012). She is currently pursuing her PhD in Music Education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, with an anticipated completion date of December 2017.

Prior to her appointment at Clark Atlanta University, Ms. Brock served as Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Mississippi Valley State University. She is one of five female band directors in the country and she is determined to grow the CAU to the highest of ranks. "And she shall lead the band."

FB: Tomisha Brock

Nicole D. Smith joins the Cool Soror Podcast. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, she is the Owner of spa810 Atlantic Station in Atlanta, GA. She has one of the first franchise locations in the state and has plans to expand to three locations in metro area.

With 20 years of comprehensive experience in various industries, including Accenture, AT&T and General Electric, Nicole established herself as a leader. In 2016, Nicole left corporate America and became a franchise owner of spa810. She has been very passionate about spa810, and is excited to begin developing the spa810 brand in Atlanta. Her ambition is to become the best spa810 franchise in the country.

With this desire, she knows she has to truly touch the people and she is doing just that! She decided to offer 81 Massages for 81 educators for just $8.10!! Yes!!! She is so enamored of the teaching profession, even recalling the teacher that helped her get straight A’s for the first time she was in elementary school. Nicole says it’s the ultimate give back!

She understands how to run a business and is the only African American woman in the Spa 810 franchise concept. Nicole understands that sets her apart, but it makes her unique at the same time. Unique begets beautiful opportunities and this opportunity for educators to feel special, will be one for the books.

Twitter: @spa810astation IG: @spa810astation

DJ LV joins the Cool Soror Podcast as our Cool Bruh Feature of the week. A member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., LV has a rich story on fatherhood that truly hits the core.

As a father, a visionary, and an advocate for strong families, he founded Cool Dads Rock in response to the support he received from friends and family who admired the relationship he built with his own son. The organization began as a hashtag he used to encourage another father who was going through a custody battle when he lent his support with a simple, #cooldadsrock.

Known to most as “DJ LV", the founder of Cool Dads Rock is an authority on cool. As a DJ, he has performed with artists such as Robin Thicke, Ne-Yo, Usher, A Tribe Called Quest, and Sting. He has entertained guests at events for NASCAR, Turner Broadcasting, Coca Cola, Conan O’Brien, BMW, NBA All-Star weekend and the NCAA Final Four just to name a few. However, his favorite “gig” is as a father. It was through his excitement and love for his son that he realized he wanted to do something to promote and honor that same enthusiasm in other men.

This year marks the 5th annual “Cool Dads Rock” Soapbox Derby competition. This events allows children and their fathers to come together to conceptualize, design and execute their own soapbox for this awesome cause. LV says it’s an allotted time for fathers to spend with their children from idea to race. What an amazing concept! But what else would you expect from such a COOL DAD?

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Twitter: @CoolDadsRock FB: CoolDadsRock IG: @CoolDadsRock