In My Shoes Stories from Women of Color

Dr. Erin King-Mullins said she had trouble finding the support and information she needed after becoming a new mom during the pandemic. As she recovered from preeclampsia, struggled with breast feeding and how to keep her newborn safe during a pandemic, she found that finding the information in one place was a challenge.

So she created Corona Mamas - a website full of great information for moms in all stages of motherhood, from self-care to emotional support to great recipes for breastfeeding moms, you can find it all.

Listen to her share her story and why she thought it was important to start this movement.

Learn more about Corona Mamas: https://corona-mamas.com

Listen to adoptive mom Collette Eltzroth and her three children talk about the stares, crazy comments and requests for ID as they live their lives. Collette is Black, her son is White and she has two daughters, one White and one Black.

She says the questions some people ask leave you scratching your head and wondering if they have ever heard the word adoption. Her children say they were aware in elementary school that for their friends and even some adults, the life they saw as normal was anything but to others.

It's a powerful story as we get the perspective of not only an adoptive mom but three great kids whose lives have been forever changed by adoption.

It's National Adoption Awareness Month! Listen as my husband and I talk about our journey and how he felt when I told him (while we were dating) that I didn't think having a child biologically was in the cards for me and that I didn't want to try any infertility treatment, I just wanted to adopt.

We talk about it all from how the suspicions about my infertility were confirmed after a great deal of pain led me to see my doctor and the doctor's visit we both had to make to convince my doctor adoption was all I needed - in order for me to get the relief I needed.

After the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha WI, Melissa Statz's students in Burlington, WI began to talk about the protests that followed. They lived about 30 minutes away from Kenosha and many had family there.

Melissa, a social studies teacher, thought it was a good time to talk about racism, Black Lives Matter and why so many people were hurt and upset. What happened hours after she taught the lesson to her fourth grade class was more than she ever expected.

Listen to her tell her story.

Meet Keia Jones-Baldwin, a foster parent and adoptive mom. Listen to her tell her family's story of accusations, questions and strange looks as they raise their children, particularly their youngest son who is White.

Keia and her family have had to answer multiple questions about whether or not they kidnapped him or if she is her son's nanny. It's a powerful discussion about race, adoption and the hurdles we still have to deal with in society when all a family wants to do is love a child.

Gazmine "GG" Mason is a powerhouse and inspiration to young Black girls everywhere who may want to breakthrough in a sport or industry where there are few people who look that they do.

GG talks with In My Shoes about her career as a pro-bowler, what it's like to see very few people who look like her in the sport. She discusses how she got started, what she hopes to achieve and why she believes the sport sometimes doesn't get the respect it deserves.

Learn about GG and what she stands for and her initiatives Black Girls Can Bowl 2 and Got Game.

https://www.facebook.com/bgcb2/

https://www.gotgame10.com/our-story

https://www.gazminemason.com/

Listen to three women talk about their love of shooting, the gun range and why they decided that this was something they are truly passionate about. Find out what happens when people find out that one of my guests owns a gun range and is a pastor. And what happened the very first time another guest picked up a rifle.

And listen to ya girl (ME) talk about my decision to get my concealed weapons permit and my first time at the shooting range. It's a fascinating conversation about these women specifically and the number of women of color in general who are deciding to exercise their right to bear arms.

Follow my guests on Instagram and Facebook:

Joy Allen

• Website: www.e3personaldefense.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/e3personaldefense
• Facebook: facebook.com/e3personaldefense

Monique Clark

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LionessDefenseFirearmsTrainingLLC/

Instagram: instagram.com/lionessdefensefirearmstraining

Dr. Maya Warren loves all things ice cream. She has studied the science behind it, she eats, sleeps and lives it. And she may be the only African American ice cream scientist in the United States. And she is a winner of the Amazing Race!

Listen to her story, find out when she realized ice cream was her passion and what she is working on now.

It's a really fun interview, and just the pick me up we all need right now.

*NOTE: this interview was recorded a few weeks ago hence the reference to the U.S. Open. Enjoy!

Follow Dr. Warren at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFuXUoojhb6/?igshid=1poekkepl76ud

Ice Cream for Change: https://www.icecreamforchange.org

It's my girls ya'll, back for a very important discussion. We are talking about what I am calling Battle Fatigue. It seems like almost everyday there is a new incident of racism and hate speak against people of color.

I feel tired, drained and some days it's hard to be optimistic. In short, I feel like I am doing battle. So, I wanted to know if I was alone in how I'm feeling and invited my tribe to chime in. We are all feeling the strain, trying to keep it together while dealing with the racism that people are so proudly putting on display.

You've met my girls before but just in case:

Ginain Grayes: https://cookprayslay.com/

Maureen Greene-James: https://mgjspeaks.com/

Amber Davis: https://www.designsbylynne.com/

Hear from the founders of the Black and Missing Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated

to finding the missing family members of people of color.

This is an important conversation about what we need to do if a loved one ever goes missing. Find

out why so many young people of color (under the age of 18) go missing without an Amber Alert.

Learn more about the services the organization offers families and what we can all do to help.

http://www.blackandmissinginc.com/