Retire StrongHER with Devora Ascott Black

This season has been so rewarding for me, ISAA Retire Strong, and I hope for you as well. We have had some incredible guests and clients on to share their personal stories of setbacks and triumphs. We discussed finances through every stage of life and highlighted the urgency of a sound financial plan for all women.

I hope you have learned a few golden nuggets to help you build a brighter financial future for yourself and your family, despite what may come. Remember, even though the season has ended, I am your partner in wealth, health, and retirement. Do not hesitate to schedule a free appointment with me from my website (www.isaaretirestrong.com) or reach out on social media @ISAARetireStrong when you need advice, guidance, or just a little encouragement. I am here to support you through your financial journey.

Thank you for making this season even better than the last, and as always, I am rooting for you!

Today Shayla Herndon-Edmunds is joining us for a beautiful conversation on how mindfulness can help you step into your power in your finances and beyond.

Shayla is a wellness professional who works in talent management, equity & inclusion, and as a personal care coach and healer. She moves through all aspects of her life with an infectious spirit of grace and intentionality, reshaping the stories of her past into fuel for success.

Shayla and I sit down to discuss how we all can remove fear from our present to achieve authentic happiness as we climb our way to the top. Join us in this discussion of money stories, our past, our fears, and healing.

It has been a slow road for women in the workforce, and we are not yet at a place where we have equal opportunity and pay. On top of that, women bear a disproportionate amount of the home and family caregiving responsibilities which consume so much time and mental labor that women are often overlooked or pass up advancement opportunities that could fuel their retirement goals and dreams.

Today we are talking frankly about some of this with a good friend, Beverly Fisher Penn, who has navigated a varied career starting as a frontline supervisor at RJR Tobacco Company. Beverly is now an Access center manager for Primary Care, Internal Medicine, and Ancillary Teams. Her path was not straightforward, but she paved her own way by relying on her wits and skill, work ethic, and network support. Beverly has so much to share so tune in to learn how she got the most out of her career.

Today we are taking a look at how the kids are doing it! I am thrilled to host my son and daughter-in-law, Barrington and Deja Transou, to discuss love, marriage, and money.

They got married in March 2020 right before the pandemic brought the world to a halt. They are over a year in now and reflecting on how they are handling their finances as a couple and planning for their future and let me tell you millennials do it differently!

Take some time to tune in and learn how the younger people are managing their finances in a vastly different time than some of us started in.

It is graduation season and moms everywhere are preparing to say goodbye to their children as they head to college or move out to start that new job.

Congratulations to you as a mother for getting them there! This new stage in your life is overflowing with opportunities for you. There will be grief but there is also room for great joy, fulfillment, and growth.

It is all about you for the first time in a long time and there are a few things I would recommend you do to start this next chapter with a bang!

Join me this week and let's talk about what this second act has in store for us.

Nearly 70 million Americans have a side hustle to help make ends meet or to bolster their savings. Many of them will turn their side hustles as their primary source of income because of job loss to some point in their lives. Maybe you are finding yourself at this same crossroads.

Are you HER?

Today Nishaka Proctor, of Events by Nishaka, is joining us to discuss her story of entrepreneurship. She shares how she leveraged her work experience, skills, education, and aesthetic to flip her unpaid side hustle into a thriving business that consistently outperforms her sales goals. Becoming an entrepreneur is not easy, but Nishaka, myself, and millions of other entrepreneurs out there will tell you it is so worth it!

Join us this week for some encouragement and guidance on your journey to ownership!

My clients are women of various ages and in different stages of life, but there are some commonalities I see. Many women find themselves in my office after they have been through a storm.

While I am passionate about helping every woman that walks through my door, I also wish that more of us sought financial and retirement planning before we are in trouble.

Today, I have one message to get across to you. You have the power to dictate and change your outcome, but first, you have to permit yourself to move forward! You hold the power, sis. It's time to start thinking about your future and make moves toward it.

This week, Apostle Gloria Samuels is joining me in a discussion on widowhood.

When I set out to create a podcast on this topic I knew I needed a guest who could share all the dimensions of this stage in a woman's life. I could not think of a better person to share their story with such honesty, grace, humor, and wit than Apostle Gloria.

Gloria Samuels spent 35 light-filled years married to her best friend, Philomen Samuels. They built a life and family together with their 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. They also spent their 35 years together building a ministry based on youth, women, family, and spreading the love of God.

Apostle Gloria is sharing her story of widowhood and the impact it made on her family, her finances, and her future. Join us in this gentle but powerful conversation about life after loss on Retire StrongHer!

Today I am telling you Karen's story. Karen is a young woman, just finishing college and preparing for the next chapter of her life. She wants to start on a good foot by getting help with her finances to avoid some of the situations she sees women in her family dealing with as they reach retirement age. Karen isn't alone. Unfortunately, too many women start preparing for retirement too late to build the funds they want or neglect to prepare. That is the image of retirement that too many young women see and internalize, but we shouldn't accept this. Women can have solid and enjoyable retirements. We have to start planning!

Today we are joined by Dr. Sydney Richardson, an educator, author, and business owner who specializes in helping women successfully transition careers and coaching leaders and teams. Dr. Richardson and I share a passion for helping women propel themselves into lives they love, and we had so much fun talking about women, our careers, our lives, and how they all come together. Women face so many challenges that the workplace has not yet evolved to accommodate. The typical pathways to leadership roles and barometers for success are not always conducive to the intense work women do to balance family life with work, but that does not mean it isn't possible. A fulfilling career is within reach! Join us this week for a discussion filled with professional advice, personal anecdotes, and conversation on the reality of building the career you want as a woman.