Leslie Brown, who joined us for episodes 2 and 4, returns to the podcast. This time, our resident mental health professional takes on a topic about which she is very passionate--self-care. Leslie helps kick off the new sound of the Eddie Francis Podcast Show which now focuses more on the impact of identity and value. The counseling professional talks about what self-care is, what threatens self-care, a prominent figure's self-care victory, and the importance of balance in our lives.

Black Greek Success

Roland and Bethany Criswell share "Coleman Love." The bond between Omega Psi Phi fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta sorority is named for Prof. Frank Coleman, an Omega founder who married, Edna Brown Coleman, one of the founders of Delta. Not only are they life partners but the Criswells are founders of the Coston Criswell Group.

Because I celebrate the role that Black Greek life has played in my life, I invited the Criswells to join me to talk about how their organizations are part of their success journey.

In 2011, I was fortunate enough to win an award from the Press Club of New Orleans because of an amazing woman. I had the privilege of interviewing Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza who talked about hiding for 91 days in a cramped bathroom with seven other women to avoid being murdered. It's an interview that I will treasure the rest of my days because of Immaculee's grace in describing what was easily the biggest nightmare of her life. 

This powerful interview, which won Best Radio Entertainment Feature, was recorded when I was the co-producer of the award-winning "Sunday Journal" radio show on WYLD-FM in New Orleans. At the time, Immaculee was preparing to visit the city for a retreat to deliver her message about the power of forgiveness. Enjoy.

I was pleased to have author, speaker, life coach, and podcaster extraordinaire Joel Boggess on the Eddie Francis Podcast Show. The host of the "ReLaunch" podcast shared the remarkable story of his recovery after a 30-foot fall from a bridge at five-years-old to becoming a fitness instructor and martial artist. The man is a legit inspiration.

Check out these credentials. He is the number one best-selling author of "Finding Your Voice". Joel has also been a contributor to Success.com, The Huffington Post, and Inc. "ReLaunch" has been recognized as:

The 2014 and 2015 Most Inspirational and Best Overall podcast by the Podcasters' Paradise awards,

One of the top 20 business podcasts of 2015 by Inc, and

One of the top five podcasts for inspiration by The Huffington Post.

For a taste of one of Joel's most moving interviews, check out his chat with Dr. Grace Stephens, the first African American woman to serve as chancellor of MacCormac College.

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

Halima and I had to have Bivian "Sonny" Lee, III on the podcast. He is the founder of Son of a Saint, a mentoring organization named as a tribute to Sonny's dad, late New Orleans Saints player Bivian "Sonny" Lee, Jr. Having lost his father when he was only three-years-old, Sonny saw the need to create an organization that provides guidance to young black males between the ages of nine and 13. Son of a Saint serves young men whose fathers have either passed away or have been incarcerated. The organization's work has been featured on CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera America, and Sonny earned a BET Award in 2015 for his work.

Halima wanted to get an idea of what motivates Sonny, why Son of a Saint is important, and what it takes to maintain the organization. Beyond mentoring from a diverse group of men, Son of a Saint provides mental health services, field trips, and other activities such as horseback riding. We even learn that there may be Son of a Texan in Houston and Son of a Cowboy in Dallas!

The real pleasure of having Sonny on the podcast, however, is what he and I have in common. We both graduated from St. Augustine High School and were both included on New Orleans Magazine's "30 People to Watch" list. I am even prouder that I am part of the St. Aug alumni chapter (DFW) that provided funding to pay the tuition of two Son of a Saint mentees.

Mildred "The Money Doctor" Dillon, C.P.A. is a friend who I interviewed many times during my radio days so I figured I would invite her to join me on the podcast. Changing lives one money envelope at a time, Mildred talks about simple ways we can stretch our dollars and her book Take This Job and Love It! Start Living the Life of Your Dreams with Just a Paycheck!.

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

In the spirit of Black Philanthropy Month, Halima and I continue our conversation about giving in the black community. Here, she gives her thoughts on how black organizations and institutions can be great stewards of donations and volunteering. Halima also talks about the advice she would give philanthropists as we revisit the spirit of Michael Jordan's donations.

More of Halima's thoughts on philanthropy:

"More than a moral imperative: Giving to get power and influence a righteous act of self-help" The Huffington Post

"Black Philanthropy: Causes That Matter for Black Lives" Black Enterprise

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS

August is Black Philanthropy Month so we thought about a philanthropist whose donations made waves in July and August 2016--Michael Jordan. Some folks seem pretty vocal about the merits of his $1 million donations each to the International Association of the Chiefs of Police's Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They have especially questioned his $5 million donation to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Well, dang, whose donation is it, anyway???

That's why it's cool to have an expert like Halima Leak Francis! In part one, she gives great insight about understanding how philanthropists give and what it means to give strategically.

By the way, check out more about fundraising and philanthropy on Halima's "Write to Bear Alms" segment and my interview with her for "The HBCU Lifestyle Podcast":

001 | 'Write to Bear Alms' with Halima

004 | Mental Health Benefits of Giving

006 | Understanding Black Philanthropy

008 | Causes That Will Impact Society

010 | Giving Cancer a Workout

013 | Halima's Philanthropic Field Trip

015 | Why Halima Isn't a 'Make It Rain' Fundraiser

017 | Charitable Giving, the Career That Gives Back

019 | It's All Love for Binta Brown

HL 028 | Fundraising Tips for (HBCU) Alumni Associations

For most of my adult life, I was a hater. Hate to admit it but I was. This is my confession.

It's one of the coolest interviews I have ever had the pleasure of conducting. In 2010, I interviewed artist Voice Monet for the "Sunday Journal" Success Series segment. The smooth MC is the daughter of actor Lance Nichols whose throwback interview I featured for Episode 5 of the podcast. By the way, her new EP "Black Maria" will drop September 2016.