If you could go back and talk to your 18-year-old self, would you tell her to switch her college major and choose a different career path?

If there’s a dream in your heart to do more or to take a different path but you think you’re too old, or too far into your current career, this episode of the Crowned Opulence Podcast is for you.

Courageous or self-sabotaging or just crazy? Meet Anehcefe Avery, our guest on the podcast this week. 

Anehcefe didn’t bother to have a chat-in-hindsight with her younger self. She just went for it, leaving behind her 10-year marketing career and two business degrees, to enroll in nursing school, and pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse. 

Did I mention that she did this while being a devoted wife, and mother to three precocious little girls?

Anehcefe’s story will blow your mind and encourage you to revisit that old dream you have buried in the back of your mind because you’re too old, too busy, too far into your current career. 

If you have a dream in your heart to do more or to take a different path, this episode will inspire you to take the leap… or at least open your mind to the possibility that you can still live the life you’ve dreamt of… even if it’s a little painful at first and you have to endure some bumps in the road or make some sacrifices. 

Anehcefe and I talk about:  

• Discovering your passion and pursuing your dreams
• Making a plan for what you want to achieve
• Getting past the mental blocks and all the reasons why you shouldn’t
• The importance of having a support system
• Persevering in the face of the challenges that inevitably arise

As you can imagine, this dramatic change in career trajectory is not an easy one. But according to Anehcefe, it’s absolutely worth it. Learn how she did it and how you too can live the life of opulence that you desire, despite your age or whatever other obstacles you perceive. 

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Have a mimosa that you want to have featured or a conversation that you want to hear about on the show let me know at https://www.crownedopulencepodcast.com/

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

What I’m drinking in this episode: Blood Orange Mimosa

• Champagne
• Blood orange juice
• Lemonade

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Pressuring black women to dismiss how we feel downplays our experiences. For the longest time, black women have been carrying the burden of traumatic experiences from childhood into adulthood, and from generation to generation. Yet we are always expected to be resilient and survive in silence. It is high time we stopped ignoring how tasking it is to be a black woman. It’s not that we are indignant, we are exhausted!

Yes, we are survivors, but does this mean we have to be constantly at war to prove that we are strong? Every day seems like we must be prepared for a fight. As a result, our warrior mindset makes it difficult for us to lower our defense. This leaves me asking, who will protect the black woman?

On this episode of the Crowned Opulence podcast, Latoya Johnson-Foster, a licensed professional counselor based in Chicago joins us to talk about the black superwoman syndrome and how it distinguishes black women from other races. She also shares why there’s a need for the black woman to stand up for herself and create an environment where she can thrive.

In this episode we discuss:

• How women are expected to wear different hats at different times and still function normally.
• Causes of increased anxiety cases among black women.
• Her new book: I Am Not Your Superwoman 
• Why the conversations around being a superwoman are coming out now
• How the black superwoman syndrome shows up in our day to day life
• Why it is impossible for the black woman to be 100% present in one space and the toll it takes on our mental and emotional health
• How to prioritize self - and not feel guilty about it - even when generationally we have neither seen nor practiced it
• How to create and maintain healthy boundaries and be unapologetic about them
• How the men in our lives can step up to support us
• And so much more!

Connect with Latoya:

• Website: www.latoyajfoster.com
• Instagram: @latoya_thecounselor
• LinkedIn: Latoya Foster, MA, LPC, NCC
• Email: [email protected]
• Latoya’s Books: I Got This!: 30-day Tips for Black Women with Anxiety or Depression
•  I Am Not Your Superwoman

Mimosa Special: 

• Cranberry Orange Mimosa
• Champagne
• Cranberry juice
• Orange juice

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Have a mimosa that you want to have featured or a conversation that you want to hear about on the show let me know at https://www.crownedopulencepodcast.com/

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

Did you know that the rate in which black women are being incarcerated is increasing?

Have you ever considered what it’s like for an incarcerated woman on her period? 

Or whether incarcerated pregnant women are handcuffed during delivery? 

I didn’t either… until I sat down for a chat with Amber-Rose Howard for this week’s episode of the Crowned Opulence Podcast, which blew my mind.

At 18 years old, Amber-Rose faced the possibility of 27 years in prison. As we chat, Amber Rose shares her own experience with incarceration and the work she’s doing as the Executive Director of a coalition of grassroots organizations working to reduce incarcerations and shift state and local spending from policing and corrections. 

We talk about:

1. The increasing (and disproportionate) rate at which women of color are being incarcerated in America
2. Seeing inmates as human beings deserving of dignity
3. The inequities of cash bail
4. How women and girls’ end up being prosecuted for trying to survive horrific circumstances
5. The importance of rehabilitation to reduce recidivism
6. How we can help push prison reform as a community (Hint: VOTE!)

It’s an eye-opening conversation about social justice that you don’t want to miss. Queens help our sister-queens rise. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand the plight of our incarcerated sisters and be empowered to help. 

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence podcast on your favorite podcast app. 

Connect with Amber-Rose Howard:

[email protected]

https://www.curbprisonspending.org/

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Have a mimosa that you want to have featured or a conversation that you want to hear about on the show let me know at https://www.crownedopulencepodcast.com/

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Mimosa Special

Christmas Morning Mimosa 

●       Champagne

●       Orange juice

●       Amaretto

●       Grenadine

Support the show

If you’ve ever struggled with your health and fitness, or maybe you’re just coming to terms with the fifteen pounds that came from “nowhere” during the COVID-19 lockdown, this episode is for you. 

Queens come in all shapes and sizes.  We’re not all meant to be, or want to be a size 0 but we should all cherish our beautiful bodies by caring for them with nourishing food and lots of movement. 

If our health is our wealth and we are on the path to living our most opulent lives, then taking care of our health must be a priority. We as women are notorious for allowing life’s responsibilities - children and family, careers etc - take attention away from our health and self-care needs. But as the saying goes, we must put on our own oxygen mask before we help others with theirs. 

On this episode of the Crowned Opulence podcast, my cousin, fitness instructor and owner of Ellavate Wellness, Ella Gambles joins us to talk about health and fitness. Ella uses her knowledge and experience to empower us to make good choices so that we can achieve our health and fitness goals. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Ella’s secret weapon for overcoming cravings and overeating
• The 80/20 rule for managing your diet without feeling deprived
• Drinking alcohol and losing weight… possible?
• Enjoying holiday feasts without going overboard
• Understanding health markers like BMI in context
• Differences between a crash diet and a lifestyle change
• Health and fitness goal setting
• The importance of accountability and community in reaching your health and fitness goals
• And much, much more.

Connect with Ella:

• https://www.instagram.com/ellavatewellness/
• https://www.instagram.com/getrightgams/
• elevate [email protected]

What I’m Drinking: 

Apple Mimosa

• Champagne
• Vodka
• Sour apple schnapps
• Triple Sec 

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Have a mimosa that you want to have featured or a conversation that you want to hear about on the show let me know at https://www.crownedopulencepodcast.com/

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

This is part 2 of a 2-part series on a silent struggle many women face: infertility. So if you haven’t caught part 1 yet, go back and listen to part 1 before continuing to part 2. 

Our guest on the show is the host of the Infertility and Me Podcast, Monique Farook. In part 1, Monique shared about her experience trying to get pregnant naturally without success, her subsequent infertility diagnosis, its impact on her life, self-esteem and relationship with her husband. 

We continue our conversation with Monique, discussing:

1. Fertility treatment options for women like in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and egg freezing 
2. The importance of educating people of color on infertility and available treatments
3. The exclusionary pricing of treatment options and how insurance can help
4. The importance of having a support network

Monique and I both share which treatments we’ve done and our experiences with them. 

Mix yourself another Champagne Screw and join the conversation on the Crowned Opulence podcast. Available on your favorite podcast app. 

Champagne Screw

• Champagne
• Orange Juice
• Vodka

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Have a mimosa that you want to have featured or a conversation that you want to hear about on the show let me know at https://www.crownedopulencepodcast.com

To check with Monique check her out https://www.infertilityandmepodcast.com/ or follow her on Instagram 

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

“So when are you going to give your mother some grandkids?” your well-meaning aunt asks good-naturedly at Thanksgiving dinner. Every. Single. Year. 

You take a deep breath, trying to suppress the longing the question stirs inside your heart, plaster on a smile that you hope seems genuine and reply, “All in good time, Auntie,” and quickly try to change the subject or extract yourself from the conversation. 

As we head into the holiday season with extended family gatherings, the question may become more frequent, a painful reminder of your longing to become a momma.

As a little girl, eventual motherhood was a given. I took care of my precious doll collection as gently as my mom cared for me… the occasional stern look and grounding when they “stepped out of line” included.

I knew that one day, the tea parties with my doll-daughters would turn into a reality with a real flesh-and-blood “mini-me”. 

Back then I couldn’t fathom being 39 years old with no mini-me. Yet it is a reality that many women silently face today. Many of us hurt in silence, blaming themselves for something we have no control over. 

Infertility. It has destroyed many a woman’s confidence, marriage, and relationship. 

This week on the Crowned Opulence podcast, we are joined by Monique Farook, host of the Infertility and Me Podcast. Monique shares with us:

1. Her experience trying to get pregnant naturally
2. Her infertility diagnosis
3. How the diagnosis affected her self-esteem and her marriage
4. Fertility treatment options, their costs, and their success rates

This episode is dedicated to all my Queens who are on the journey to opulence despite the challenges. We’ve split the conversation into two parts but it’s so good I know you’ll want to listen to it in one go. 

Mimosa Special:

Monique is sipping herbal tea but I invite you to join me for a champagne screw. There is always something for us to celebrate, even in the face of disappointment. 

Champagne Screw

• Champagne
• Orange Juice
• Vodka

Tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.  Have a mimosa that you want to have featured or a conversation that you want to hear about on the show let me know at https://www.crownedopulencepodcast.com/

To check with Monique check her out https://www.infertilityandmepodcast.com/ or follow her on Instagram 

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

“You’re bougie.” Have you ever been on the receiving end of this statement?
Or perhaps you’ve made this statement to your friend. 

I’ve been called the “bougie” friend for as long as I could remember.... And I didn’t like it. It sounded like a backhanded compliment. 

Then I learnt what it meant. And I began to own it. Yeah, I’m the “bougie friend”. I got it from my momma. Her friends used to accuse her of “trying to sound white” just because she spoke standard English, which of course she was a stickler with me.

Speaking of my momma, this week we celebrate our first mother-daughter episode on the Crowned Opulence Podcast. I’m joined by my Mommy, Janette Carter, and my fellow podcaster-friend Joi Disroe and her adult daughter, Turquoise. 

We’re redefining “bougie” and wearing the label with all our “bougie” attitude. 

We talk about:

1. The original meaning of “bougie”
2. The pretentious or wannabe connotations associated with “bouginess” in black culture
3. How we are choosing to define “bougie” in our lives as goal-getting, dream-chasing queens and encouraging our fellow queens to embrace their “bougie” aspirations. 

This week’s Mimosa Special

Strawberry Lemonade Mimosa

• Champagne
• Strawberry lemonade juice

Mix yourself a mimosa, tell a fellow “bougie” friend and tune in to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app. 

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

Have you ever noticed how much more difficult it is for adults to make new friends than kids?

As kids, if we met some random child on the playground, they were our friend. But as we grew into our middle school and high school years, we become more selective of who we claim into our friend circle, and as adults, even more so!

My girlfriends and I have known each other for almost two decades! #NoNewFriends (just kidding). 

We can’t be together to celebrate my birthday this year (Thanks ‘Rona! *eyeroll*) but of course you know I’m going to find a way to celebrate all month long. My friendship with these queens have survived college drama, marriages, pregnancy and birth, health scares, divorces, cross-country moves and more so ‘Rona ain’t nothing!

This week on the Crowned Opulence podcast, they join me to talk friendships. There is just something special about the bonds we share with these sisters, the ones we got to pick but our friendships aren’t without their challenges. Tune in as we talk about:

• The importance of friendship in our various life seasons
• Allowing ourselves to be truly vulnerable with our girlfriends
• Appreciating the different seasons friendships experience
• Is this relationship for a reason, season or lifetime?
• Our expectations of our friendships
• Extending grace to our friends when they don’t live up to our expectations
• And a whole lot more

Mix your mimosa and listen to the Crowned Opulence Podcast on your favorite podcast app. 

This week’s Mimosa Special

Grand Mimosa

• Grand Marnier
• Champagne
• Orange juice

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

It’s my birthday, Queens! The Rona might have turned 2020 upside down but thank God, I’m still here and I’m ready to celebrate ALL MONTH LONG! 

To kick off my birth month celebrations, I had brunch with my fave girls. Thanks to Rona, we hadn’t all been together in person in almost a year… so you know we had a lot of catching up to do. 

Naturally, we had a blast, sipping on our mimosas, gushing over each other’s outfits and hairstyles, catching up and talking about everything girlfriends talk about when they get together. 

This week on the Crowned Opulence podcast, I share our conversation with you. 

We’re talking about:

• Men (This one’s a given, right? We’ll be 80 and still talking about something Brian did or how Kevin still has swag with his cane. Lol.)
• Dating in a pandemic
• Vulnerability in relationships
• Submission in relationships
• How we’ve grown over the past year and what we’ve learnt
• The scariest part of dating
• Sex over 35

It’s the kind of conversation that makes you remember that friends truly are the family that you get to choose. And there is no therapy like girl-talk therapy.

Grab your own mimosa and come join us. 

Quotes:

“You can’t make a man feel comfortable in his own skin, just like he can’t make you feel comfortable in your skin.” ~ Stephanie Wilson

“When a man shows you he’s not ready emotionally, spiritually, financially, etc. then you have to disconnect instead of continuing to give.” ~ Stephanie Wilson

“Let your intentions be known up front.” ~ Kenisha Solomon

“Submit means to cover, it doesn’t mean you are a doormat” ~ Kenisha Solomon

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss an episode.  I’ll see you next week.

Support the show

Have you ever been friend-zoned, or told, “You’re an amazing friend, but you suck as a
girlfriend?” This week on the Crowned Opulence Podcast my BFF, LaToya Lawrence joins me
to share her journey from thinking like a man and being told that exact thing, to changing her
mindset, embracing her femininity and ultimately meeting and marrying her real-life Prince
Charming.

And like any good fairytale, Toya’s journey to meeting and marrying her Prince Charming was
filled with hard knocks, difficult lessons, a pivotal moment when she made a decision to do
things differently and going through the process of changing her mindset as a result. 

You want to tune in to this conversation if you’ve ever wrestled with things like:

• Submission
• Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and asking for help
• Making your man feel needed
• Knowing when to speak up and when to let things slide
• Showing appreciation 

What we’re drinking: Mimosa colada

• Ingredients:
• Champagne
• Malibu Rum
• Pineapple Juice

Quotes:

• “Every man need to feel needed too” LaToya Lawrence
• “I pick and chose my battles. That minute stuff I don't care about.” LaToya Lawrence
• “We are used to being leaders. We are leaders at work. We are leaders at church. We don't have to be leaders at home. It takes the weight off of you. You don't have to be the leader of everything.” LaToya Lawrence
• “Men like praise too, just like we do”  LaToya Lawrence

Enjoy the show? 

I’d love to invite you to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast.  It will help others like you find the show and be a part of these necessary conversations.  I can’t do it without you: leave a review on the Apple podcast here.

Support the show