Nurah Speaks

Let’s create a lifestyle for ourselves that supports good physical and financial health.  This way, if we live in a state of readiness, we will be better prepared when life’s next disaster strikes.

Healthwise-

Don’t smoke, drink and abuse drugs. Eat nutritiously. Practice fasting. Get plenty of exercise, at least 20 minutes daily.

Financially-

Create a rainy day fund and stash it in a high interest savings account.  Set up recurring deposits.

Consider what you wish you had now. Greater savings?  Self employment?  Home based business?  Better health.  Survival kit?  Write it down and in this moment of forced stillness, consider what you can begin to do to make this your reality.

In the episode, I share briefly how my lifestyle of 20 plus years has helped me to be prepared for straiter times as a tenuous food supply and economic instability.  The links below can explain more on the benefits of navy beans and eating one meal a day as is customary in my culture and religion.  

https://www.top8homeremedies.com/health-benefits/17-health-benefits-of-navy-beans/

https://www.lifetimedaily.com/navy-bean-nutrition-facts/

“Eat a single meal a day, no matter what anyone says. If your doctor says that you should eat more than one meal a day, ignore him with a smile and eat only once a day. If he tells you he eats three meals a day, tell him that his length of life is about the same as his patients. Then, tell the doctor to try eating one meal a day.

The more idle our stomachs are, the longer they will last. The more we tax our stomach, the

sooner it ears out.” From How To Eat To Live Book 1 https://www.amazon.com/How-Eat-Live-Book-1-ebook/dp/B005IT99FA

https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

We are in unprecedented times.

•World Wide Pandemic

•National Crises

•State of Emergency

•Social distancing

•Executive Orders

•Mandatory Curfews

In all of this confusion and uncertainty, I want my Nurah Speaks family to know that, "I am in this with you!"  And I believe that by being smart, safe and informed-we can keep our sanity as this crises passes.

In this episode, I share tips to help you protect your physical and emotional wellness and that of your loved ones. Think of all those times that you didn't have time to do what you wanted or needed to do…

•Start that home project

•Start that new book

•Master new recipes

•Get your exercise in

•Spend time loving on your spouse and children

To help maintain your spirits- rise early, get dressed and do your hair. Just because you may be stuck inside, do not neglect attending to your personal care and grooming.  It also is not ideal to spend all day in the clothes that you slept in.

While you may not need to put on your business suit, you can still put on something that looks great on you. How we appear to ourselves is connected to how we feel about ourselves.

However, if for some reason we must leave our homes...

•Use protective gear: gloves, masks

•Follow guidelines from your state and local officials

•Vigorously wash hands often and for at least 20 seconds

•Use hand sanitizer when washing is not possible

•Maintain a safe distance from others

•At all possible, sanitize packaged items brought into the house, especially items for the pantry and refrigerator

In closing, use these general tips:

•Eat to Live

•Maintain a full tank of gas

•Have some emergency cash on your person

•Stay up to date with news from 'legitimate' sources

•TURN IT OFF-once you are adequately informed, shut it down!

Holding vigil, watching all of the latest news reports can increase anxiety in an already difficult time. Protect your physical and mental wellbeing by moderating what and how much we consume.

I pray this episode helps to steady you and yours in this difficult time.

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

As the saying goes - “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”

No matter how progressive one thinks himself to be, it is not truly proven until he or she works collectively in group operations with others.

Organizational Success requires commitment, sacrifice, humility and maturity. Organizational success requires us to grow beyond seeing our people as economic opportunities and mature into the actual service of our people that creates long term activity and success.

Last weekend I spend time visiting an organization in Chicago, incorporated 33 years ago by three men. The Coalition for Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad was founded by Brothers Munir Muhammad, Shahid Muslim and Halif Muhammad.

At their 33rd Founders’ Day celebration, it was their first without Brother Munir Muhammad who departed this life last year. Yet despite the loss of this charismatic leader, the organization continues to move forward in service of their long ago established guiding principles. Therefore, the remaining co-founders and the current members continue to work with vigilance in service to those principles.

This is organizational success.

It is good that so many of our people are entering business and enterprise. Entrepreneurship is good. But unlike those who suck the economic blood of our people in urban centers wherein we dominate in numbers, we must see our people for more than the economic opportunity that we are. We must look to the needs of our community and work diligently and collective in service of those needs.

The shop owners in our communities often do not live in our communities. They receive our economic wealth through our consumption and spending and bring those resources to their own organizations and communities in service of themselves.

We cannot change the condition of our communities alone as individuals. We must work collectively.

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

In Episode 110 I share with listeners what I think is so great about podcasts.

For one, podcasting democratizes media and the ability to communicate to a broad base.  Podcasting makes communication accessible even to those without deep corporate backing.  It lends opportunity for everyone-not just those mainstreamed to the top of the charts.  And it allows alternative voices a platform to be heard.

Another thing that is great bit about podcasting is that it is inexpensive.  There are free hosting platforms and the only equipment you really need to start is a smartphone.  You do not need to invest big dollars to make a worthwhile project.

Something else that I love about podcasting is the huge variety in shows and topics!  There are podcasts about news, politics and crime and justice.  There are non fiction works that are like television shows (minus the visual input).  There are shows on or by entertainers.  There are podcasts for used car salesmen, thrift store lovers, butterflies, home buying, financial literacy, religion, bikes, travel and in any of these topics you could even find sub topics.  There are limited running shows and shows 700-1000 episodes deep.  And if there is a topic that you cannot find that interests you-you can create the show and build a virtual community with others who share your interests.

Here are some podcasts that I really enjoy (listed in no particular order) although you know my favorite two shows are the ones I produce, Nurah Speaks and Lead Teach & Style!

Nothing But Elijah - CROE Radio (blogtalkradio.com)

Happy Black Woman - Rosetta Thurman

Behind the Brilliance - Lisa Nicole Bell

Side Hustle Pro - Nicalia Matthews Okome

Redefining Wealth - Patrice Washington

Trailblazers Fm - Stephen A. Hart

Know Thy Self Radio - Yosef Ben Asiel

Brown Ambition - Mandy Woodruff and Tiffany Aliche 'The Budgetnista'

Broke-ish- Amber and Erica

Business Shet- Mimi G.

The Confidence Factor - Carol Sankar

Snap Judgement - Glynn Washington, WNYC

In The Dark-APM network

Fresh Air - Terry Gross

How I Built This -Guy Raz

The Drop Out - ABC News

The Clark Howard Show - Clark Howard

Earhustle - Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods/ Radiotopia

Dr. Death & Over My Dead Body - Wondery network

Just the Tip from Your Podcast Performance Coach - Tim Wolhberg

Money Talk with Tiff - Tiffany Grant

Support Is Sexy with Elayne Fluker

Buy Black Podcast - Gerald Jones

School of Greatness - Lewis Howes

Impact Theory - Tom Bilyeu

Terms - Airship/Wondery

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Here to discuss vision health and more is this week’s guest Dr. Sandra West.  Dr. West is an optometrist having 27 years of practice. She also happens to be my own doctor.

I met Dr. West several years ago when I scheduled a routine vision exam and to my surprise and delight the doctor was a Black woman.  Interestingly enough, when I attended a business conference in New Orleans several months later, we found ourselves meeting again as attendees of the same conference. We talk a little about that in this episode.

I asked Dr. West to be a guest on the show not because she is my personal doctor but because of what I knew she would offer Nurah Speaks listeners.  Not only does Dr. West teach us when we should begin vision checks, but also what our doctors are checking for and some of the latest technology aiding optometrists today.  Additionally she shares insights into her own childhood, how she was raised by dynamic parents and what parents can do to prepare children for future success.  Dr. West is an advocate for STEM and vocational training and she is a motivational speaker. 

This was an informative and inspiring conversation for me and I hope it will be for you too,

Follow Dr. West on Instagram @sandrawest_speaks. You can email her at [email protected].

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Several months ago I came across an article titled, ‘Black Women Can No Longer Afford To Save Broken Black Men.’

Now you ‘know’ this is something I had to discuss on Nurah Speaks!

Not only do I find that some Black women have a misplaced 'savior' complex, but often we assign responsibility to men for many of our own ill advised choices.

For example:

•Who decided we are supposed to save or capable of saving any man?

•If a man is broken, why are we entering a relationship with him?

•Why would we give a man our resources, time and even our bodies if they’ve demonstrated no commitment and worthiness?

These questions must be raised in a discussion such as this that condemn broken black men and sanctify the black women who get involved with them.

That said, this episode is not meant as a ridicule of the sister who penned the article. However, I believe that we must be cautious of the messages funneled to us, as well as the intent and potential hazards of those messages.

The article appeared in an online publication for African American women that purports to provide information on a variety of topics including relationship advice. However, writings as these labeled advisory are actually divisive and unconstructive. In this episode I share my take on the conversation and where our responsibility lies.

After listening to this episode be sure to read the article for yourself.  I’d be interested in your thoughts so be sure to share them.  https://madamenoire.com/1087680/black-women-can-no-longer-afford-to-save-broken-black-men/

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener comments or questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

This episode was inspired by actual events.  Several months ago, I saw a black mother curse out and slap her teen son in public for absolutely no reason other than her own gratification.  I describe the incident in this episode and another that was captured on cell phone video that went viral in late 2019.

The brutish language and treatment we mothers render to our black boys is shaping the men they will eventually become.  We often seem to forget that our children are people like us who are deserving of respect, compassion and love.

They will grow to be adults required to function in the world.  So we must ask ourselves, is our mothering preparing them to function as:

•Confident and Compassionate Men

•Timid and Insecure Men

or

•Brutal and Bullying Men?

We must find the patience, admiration and love required to shape our sons to grow into great men.  

The original video mentioned in the episode has been removed from YouTube.  However, you can use the following link to view the video on the Tommy Sotomayor News Raw show with his commentary at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PODehvdICDQ.

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Pictured from the back. Lewd poses in sexually suggestive photos.

Deceptive messaging is encouraging our young women to believe their power lies in their sex appeal when attraction is naturally occurring with no significant effort on our part.  It is already installed in the human nature.

But the real and genuine power is in the ability to influence peace or war, create harmony or strife, generate love or hatred and in general shape the future.  

We help our young women cheat themselves of their great potential when we teach them to misdirect their value.

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

In an era popular with youth task forces and social programs serving ‘at risk’ youth, we must ask what we can do to head off delinquent behaviors in our young people.

In this episode, I suggest that ‘Family Is The Best Social Program’ and I have research that I share to support this assertion. The research indicates that, “Children born to unmarried mothers generally receive lower human capital investments because the contractual partnership between the parents is less stable, and sometimes nonexistent (**Becker, 1981).”

In other words, we increase the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes for our children when we do not anchor them in families to provide them the needed moral, social and economic supports. Frankly, we cannot reasonably expect to make a healthy community when a large segment of our children are conceived by people who neither parent likes or desires to create a family with.

Families are the beginning of life lessons that cultivate us to interact within our broader community and nation. So if we are diminishing the value of family, we diminish the possibility for our community.

And as the Black community is diminishing the value of traditional family, our youth are still seeking the natural structure and balance that a family provides. Therefore, some youth are finding their family in gangs. Some are finding their family in pimps and traffickers. Some are finding their family in drugs. And some are finding their family in prison.

We just cannot get around basic needs. Children need to know that they belong.  Children need to know that they are valued. We cannot continue ignoring their inherent needs and wonder why youth are delinquent after we’ve deprived them of a solid foundation.

We do not need another government funded program as much as we need strong families.

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

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To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

References:

**https://phys.org/news/2010-07-crime-linked-out-of-wedlock-births.html

**https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/8031/1/MPRA_paper_8031.pdf

I am joined this week by Sister Aquila Ali.  Aquila is a member of the Coalition for Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad (CROE) and is an integral part of their media production team.  Unfortunately for black women in media, the bar has been set very low in terms of image and content.  However Aquila continues to endure as an example of character and integrity

In this conversation, Aquila chronicles her journey in becoming a member of CROE and a student of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, her role within the media production team and she shares what she believes black women must understand about the root of our confidence.  

You are going to enjoy this conversation and it will surely enlighten listeners to the unexplored prominence that women have in the Nation of Islam.  

To learn more about CROE and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad visit CROE.org.

Make sure you watch and subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC--UCt5LqFF3IW5fLn5lH2g and follow on facebook @CROETV.

Email your inquiries to [email protected]

You can view CROETV streaming live every Wednesday at 6pm(cst) and every Sunday 2pm(cst).

If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to [email protected].  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link.

Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook,

Twitter and Instagram.

To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email [email protected]

Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!