Start Within w/Coach Colette

Did you know that women of color have the highest rates of maternal deaths in the developed world? Even in New York City alone, the mortality rate is around 12 times higher for black women as it is for white women, and four times higher, on average, nationally. Black women also are 60% more likely to experience hypertensive disorders like pre-eclampsia, and are more likely to die from as a result.

These symptoms are exacerbated by an inescapable atmosphere of societal and systemic racism that can include the dismissal by physicians of their legitimate concerns and symptoms, the pre-conceived notions that black women are more likely to be single mothers, or the false belief that they are somehow better at dealing with pain.

In this episode of Let’s Talk LIVE, Coach Colette sits down with Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo from African Health Now, and Anthonia Akitunde of Mater Mea.  The three dive deeper into the real challenges facing black women at the intersection of maternity, motherhood, and career. The guests also discuss their founder’s journeys, and how they make time in their hectic schedules for rest, relaxation and self-care.

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African Health Now provides free postpartum "maternity go boxes" that include the necessary health and hygiene supplies to support mothers and their newborns during their first weeks. Mater Mea helps black moms live their best lives, featuring real motherhood stories and expert advice on everything from managing the work-life juggle, to finding a midwife, to handling microaggressions at work.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

In this week's Financial Fridays, we continue our focus on Women's History Month, with an eye towards female pioneers in health and wellness. Sarah Loguen Fraser was an African-American female doctor, one of only 115 in the nation in the 1890's. In 1876, she became the first woman to gain an MD from Syracuse University College of Medicine, the second in New York, and the first to graduate from a co educational medical school. Frazier became the fourth African-American female doctor in the United States, and the first female doctor in the Dominican Republic. 

What's really interesting is that her childhood home in Syracuse was an important stopping point on the Underground Railroad. Growing up in this house allowed Frazier to gain experience helping and treating illnesses that people had suffered as a result of their slavery or their escape. She was one of the first female doctors to specialize in obstetrics and pediatrics, and was a mentor to black midwives. Throughout her career. Loguen Frazier educated black midwives to integrate modern medical knowledge into their traditional routines. 

In addition to providing insight into Frazier's medical career, Coach Colette also shares tips to help you get a good night's rest, in honor of this being Sleep Awareness Week. These are unsettling times -- and we want to support you as much as we can. In that light, Sukhtej offers some guidance for money management in light of market turbulence and COVID-19.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Did you know that the term "Woman Computer" was once a job title? Given that March is National Women's History Month, we have set the intention to share accomplishments of dynamic women pioneers across various industries. In this week's Financial Fridays episode, we're focusing on women in STEM and honoring Katherine Johnson. 

You may know that on February 24, 2020, Katherine Johnson passed away at age 101. She was one of the first African-American graduates at West Virginia University. In 1953, she started working at NASA's precursor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Johnson joined West Computing, which was a segregated unit of African-American women computers. For her computations on America's first human spaceflight project, Freedom 7, Johnson became the first African-American woman to have her name on a technical paper issued by NASA's Langley Research Center. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her many contributions to STEM and the country as a whole, despite segregation by racism and sexism.

In addition to Suki's tip to ride the wave of market volatility, you'll also hear Coach Colette share a tribute and a personal anecdote about James Lipton. Lipton passed away on March 2, 2020. He was a writer, lyricist, actor, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Do your actions align with your values? In a busy life it is often hard to keep on top of our consumption and old habits and when it comes to being environmentally conscious or sustainable, it is difficult to know where to start. New York State has recently implemented its plastic bag ban, aiming to reduce the 23 billion plastic bags used state-wide every year and highlighting the shift away from a disposable mindset.

In this episode of Coach Chat, Amer Jandali joins Coach Colette in an impromptu recording session at the Centre for Social Innovation to discuss all the important decisions and ‘micro-moves’ that lead his entrepreneurial journey to where it is today. Amer is the founder of Future Meets Present, an environmental project that helps design products and systems to help reduce consumption and waste. He is also the designer and founder of the Braceletote; a remarkably ingenious way of never forgetting your shopping bags!

You’ll hear how he pivoted from a life of late nights as a DJ in New Mexico, to his degree in Design for Social Innovation and on to his work at CSI. He sheds light on the shift he felt after watching a documentary on plastic waste and the important roles that we can all have as individuals in the environmental and sustainability social movement.

The two also discuss the challenges facing solopreneurs in New York City and ways to combat the need for external and internal validation and the importance of regular introspection. Amer shares what motivates him to work harder, remain grounded and what helps him stay in flow.

If you want to learn more about Amer’s work you can find it on his website, or if you have a social innovation you wish to build, why not try a day at CSI for free!

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

We often approach life from a scarcity mindset, feeling like we don't have enough time. What would you do if you had an extra day off? Maybe you could go on an exciting adventure? Or perhaps take the day off for some special self-care rituals? 

Well, tomorrow is Leap Day! The day that comes along every four years where we add an extra 24 hours to our calendar and keep our clocks aligned with the Earth's position in the solar system. It's also a good point to stop and think about the kinds of things you would do if you had more time. Or, maybe you're one of the lucky 5 million people who will celebrate their birthday tomorrow! 

In this episode of Financial Fridays, Coach Colette gives us some Leap Day facts and Suki is back with a tip about volatile markets.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

What stories do you find inspiring? Maybe they are those of pioneers, unsung heroes or people overcoming great adversity?

In this episode, Coach Colette dives into the history of Dr. Myra Adele Logan, an incredible black female physician and surgeon who was the first woman to perform open heart surgery! During the 1960s, she also researched the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. She developed X-ray processes that allowed tumors to be discovered earlier.

While Black History Month is a month to celebrate the countless contributions African Americans have made, it's important to remember these stories in our daily lives. There is still so much we can learn from sharing the accomplishments of our heroes and she-roes. 

Also, Suki is back with another great website suggestion.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Happy love week! 

Whether you celebrate Gal-entines Day or something a little more traditional, this week is all about spreading the love!  But before we do, it's important for us to start within. In this week's episode, Coach Colette digs a little deeper into the foundations of love and all things self-love and self-worth. How do you go about practicing self-love? Can you identify one thing you love about yourself?

Open up those heart chakras, it's time to deepen your own connection with yourself to radiate your values, your worth and your love! Plus, Suki shares a tip to get you thinking about the value of investing in your partner and relationship.

If you'd like to be part of our Let's Talk live podcast event on February 18th in NYC, click here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

How do you respond to a challenge or negative feedback? Are you resilient, and able to pivot? Or do you tend to pack it in and move on to something else? In this episode of Coach Chat, Coach Colette talks with Suzanne Sinatra, the Founder and CEO of Private Packs. Private Packs is a discreet, wearable, and sustainable product that helps women to soothe vulva pain and ease genital discomfort. You'll learn how she dealt with rejection, and combated taboos about women's sexual health -- all while creating a product that empowers women.

The two discuss how Suzanne previously juggled a nine-to-five day job, while at the same time developed an innovative personal wellness product to promote women's comfort and intimate healing. Suzanne shares all of the pivots and iterations of going from an idea, to an MVP, to bringing on a product designer, all the way up to her first crowdfunding campaign. 

And, if you can imagine, you'll hear how Suzanne did all of this while fighting and, eventually, beating stage 3 breast cancer! She offers her "lessons learned" about the importance of listening to your body, and letting things "marinate" to gain clarity, when navigating the busy solopreneur journey. 

If you’d like to support Suzanne, and get your own set of Private Packs, visit her IndieGoGo campaign HERE.

Tickets are also still available for our Let's Talk LIVE podcast event on February 18th in NYC. You can save your seat HERE.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer in women? It affects one in three of us and takes a woman's life almost once every minute. There are also a lot of misconceptions around heart disease in women because we don't show a lot of the same symptoms as men. Education and knowing the signs are important in shaping women's heart health, especially in communities of color. 

Today is Go Red For Women Day, a campaign aimed at raising awareness and support and to improve heart health in women. So in today's episode, Colette is discussing all things relating to the heart - the center of all things physical and spiritual in your body. You'll also hear from Suki about a great app to help with banking. 

If you'd like to be part of our Let's Talk live podcast event on February 18th in NYC, click here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Have you taken time this month to reflect, look back, and then dream about the future? For millennia, we’ve been using January as a time to reflect on the year just passed and look into what the future holds for us. Ancient Greek mythology saw Janus (January) as a God who watched over gates, doorways, periods of transition and passages of time.

As we enter the lunar new year, and say goodbye to January, how are you feeling about your intentions for 2020? Sometimes, these purposeful journeys we are on can be challenging and it is important to understand how we feel and what we do when these challenges come along. How do you sit in the energy of uncertainty? Have you given yourself the space to think and dream and reflect? In this week’s Financial Fridays, Coach Colette reflects on a month of transition and the difficulties of starting a new year. Also, Suhky wants to know when was the last time you met with your financial adviser?

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.