SoundBalming with Dr. LaMarr Darnell Shields

Family and togetherness are key themes for the holidays. That can make the holidays awfully difficult for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.  My father passed away a few weeks before the holidays.  We still shared stories, ate large meals, visited with family, even sang some songs—but it was all pretty subdued.

Although grief is nearly universal, it expresses itself in many different ways, and sometimes resembles significant depression. Frequent crying spells, depressed mood, sleep disturbances, and loss of appetite are frequent during the bereavement process.

Internationally recognized author, speaker, and global female empowerment expert, Janice Ferebee joined me in the SoundBalming studio to discuss grief and loss during the holiday season. She also discussed  her global mission empower girls and women around the world to claim their rights, advance their education, and unlock their boundless potential. 

https://www.janiceferebee.com

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Maurissa Stone Bass is a social artrepreneur, change strategist, management consultant, facilitator, motivational speaker, executive coach, and community development professional. She sat down with me today to talk about why people of color need safe spaces. And how valuing and protecting areas for people of color (POC) is not just a kind thing that white people can do to help us feel better. She feels supporting these spaces is crucial to the resistance of oppression. She also opened about how she copes with adversity in her own life. 

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In his latest book, Lessons I Learned from Drinking: Life Principles Gained through Investing in Spirits, Timothy Fields reflects on some of his most memorable drinking adventures over the last 20 years. This book is not just about drinking; instead it's about life and the many challenges it contentiously presents and how to combat them to live a better, more carefree, and peaceful life! 

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I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the country telling folks about the history of soul food. Along the way, I learned a sure-fire way to bring an energetic audience into a stunned silence. I tell them that “vegan” is the hottest trend in soul food. Many African Americans have gnashed their teeth (some have even wailed) after hearing this news. Why? Because vegan cuisine, with its lack of animal products (dairy, lard and meat) is so completely at odds with what the food they grew up eating in their parents’ or grandparents’ kitchen. No fried chicken or catfish? Greens without any ham hocks? No macaroni and cheese? Yes, they have a point, but when one takes a peek further back into African American culinary history, one comes away with a surprising conclusion. The words “vegan” and “soul food” actually can belong in the same sentence, and Greg Brown does a great job of explaining it.

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As a society, we learn about the world and advance our well being through science and engineering. The United States may be known around the world for its higher education, but compared to many other leading and steadily emerging countries, we lack a strong focus on educating scientists and engineers. One significant reason that we have fallen behind is that we do not encourage our female students to pursue career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Dr. K. Renee Horton believes this needs to change, as the lack of women in STEM will continue to plague our country until all students, regardless of sex, have adequate opportunities to explore math and science throughout elementary, middle and high school. As a NASA trained engineer, she is on a mission to help minority girls get excited about a future in STEM careers.

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Marriage takes work. This is especially true when you literally work with your spouse. Having your partner at your side all day at work and then for the rest of the night at home isn’t for everyone, but for married entrepreneurs, Kim and Tim, they couldn’t see life any other way.

Kim and Tim Lewis, the Co-Founders of Curl Mix, which was featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank shares their story of young romance, failed business, and bouncing back to be a force to be reckoned with. Learn how Kim started Curl Mix alongside her husband, how she became a self-taught freelance photographer, and what she learned in the process.

She and her husband/co-founder Tim have gone from mixing small batches of their clean beauty product for curly hair in their South Side kitchen to moving into a small business incubator on the city’s Near West Side.

Employing a staff of 25, Kim and Tim get to help people feed their families and pay their mortgages. It’s the satisfaction of providing opportunities for others that keeps them going. And the love they have for one another that is at the heart of this story.

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Dr. Ericka Njeri Elion is an emerging spiritual and cultural leader, as well the Creator and President of the Miriam House, who understands the need to define and respond to the generational spiritual consequences of racism, victimization, marginalization, and isolation experienced by people of African descent, specifically serving as scholar-activists in ministry.
She joins me in the BalmShelter to offer practical steps on how to "unlock the creative genius" she believes lives inside all of us. 

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Are you overwhelmed with life’s changes? Have you gone through a divorce? Wanted to give up? Had a baby? Changed jobs? Switched careers? In this up and close interview, former Ebony Fashion Fair Commentator and model turned psychotherapist and media personality known for her transparent, practical style of communicating and teaching, Dr. Jada Jackson, talks about how to manage life’s losses and common transitions by reframing negative thought processes. Dr. Jada will help get you refocused and back on track! As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Jada shares how she struggled with life’s transitions and emerged to living a life of contentment, peace, and massive success. 

Jada has worked as a consultant and counseling psychology professional for the NBA/NBPA Health Education Program, Major League Baseball Association, L’Oreal USA, Disney, Walmart, MSNBC Universal, Fox News, WE TV, The Weather Channel and a host of professional athletes and entertainers.

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Soul music legend Donny Hathaway, who is name-checked among a list of famous suicides— a man who often refused to take the prescribed medication that was meant to help control the debilitating symptoms of his paranoid schizophrenia takes center stage in Washington, DC.’s Mosaic Theater’s scintillating musical drama Twisted Melodies.

Kelvin Roston, Jr., who wrote Twisted Melodies and grew up in St. Louis just like Donny Hathaway,  joins me in the BalmShelter to discuss this breathtaking solo performance for which words are really insufficient to describe its emotional impact. 

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I recently had a chance to chat with entrepreneur and real estate expert Christian Ross. If she looks and sounds familiar to you, she either sold you your home or you’ve seen her on an episode of HGTV’s “House Hunters.” With more than 10 years’ experience as an international realtor, the TV personality specializes in luxury properties in Atlanta, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.

She is one of Atlanta's most respected and recognized top-selling brokers whose success has flourished into an international client base expanding through Europe, South America, Israel, Canada and Australia

During this interview,  Christian shares some of the juicy wisdom she has picked up on her road to success as a real-estate investor, entrepreneur,  innovator, and business owner.

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