Stay A While

“Follow the path of peace when we think about unhealthy relationships, not only with others, but within ourselves. Some of us have toxic beliefs about ourselves, limiting thoughts, and self sabotaging behaviors... Allowing yourself to really believe that you deserve the peace and kind of giving yourself permission to have a life that's full of it.” - Davia Roberts


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! Ice Cube once said, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself” and while the song was a bop in the 90s, it still begs the question, “How often do we actually check ourselves?” Do we have the tools we need to recognize when we’re being less than loving? When we’re being petty? Do we know how to course-correct? And then, what about our boundaries? If others don’t know how to check themselves, how do we set proper boundaries to maintain our peace of mind and forward movement? Well, of course we’re not just posing questions. We have Davia Roberts, licensed professional therapist at the table and we’re serving up some real talk on recognizing and navigating toxic behavior because nobody likes a Petty Betty.

In 2020, the weight of our personal lives seeped into our careers more than ever. Some companies took note and made a commitment to integrating mental health and wellness into company culture. I’ve had the pleasure to partner with companies like ServiceNow, Fidelity Investments, and Lululemon to develop therapeutic programming to support the mental health and wellbeing of their staff members.

As a mental health consultant, I cultivate space for professionals to process their feelings and develop new tools for coping. Employees often share how they feel valued when leadership is willing to invest in their wellbeing. Plus, leadership notes the boost in morale. In 2021, I hope more companies become wellness-minded and I’d love to help more companies make the transition. - Davia Roberts



In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 04:16] Take a Seat at the Stay A While Table
[04:17 - 10:52] Food Is Love, Therapeutic, and Nourishing
[10:53 - 23:21] Identifying the What and the Who: Behavior, Abuse, and Relationships
[23:22 - 36:55] The Intentional Call to Action - Paving the Path to Maturity
[36:56 - 48:34] Becoming the Most Important Person in Your Life
[48:35 - 52:56] Closing Segment

Key Quotes


“If we don't communicate what those things [boundaries] are, we're going to continue to be in a toxic relationship, because we're both contributing to this pattern of frustration, not having healthy boundaries or healthy communication... It's important to figure out or just start with the question, one, ‘What's really bothering me in this situation?’, ‘What do I need to communicate as far as my hurt?’, and ‘What do I need to communicate for my boundary or my need moving forward so we can have a healthy relationship?’ And lastly, if that doesn't change, what am I willing to do about it?” - Davia Roberts

“When you don't recognize that the environment that nurtured you, and, you know, formed you into the adult that you are, if you're not able to see the dynamics of that, the behavior you're learning is just going to carry over into your adult life, and into your relationships. And until you're able to see that for yourself, then you're not going to make the changes necessary to become an adult, and to be mature. ” - Davia Roberts

“Yes, it is easier said than done. But I'm like, if you want something to be different, imagine or just revisit the discomfort you had when people use those same techniques on you, when someone you cared about didn't speak to you for weeks, when you didn't know what you did wrong, but you could feel the discontent and the strain in the relationship, even though you wanted to fix it.” - Davia Roberts

“Love definitely does not intentionally hurt. And if you have hurt someone and you love them, then you want to resolve that because love should feel good." - Tommi Vincent

“When we love people, and we make a decision to love them well, that means that we can have heavy conversations knowing that both of us have good intentions for one another because there's an understood love there.” - Davia Roberts



Connect with Davia Roberts
Instagram: https://instagram.com/justdavia

Learn more about Davia’s practice, The Carrier Bradley Agency
Website: https://www.carrierbradley.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/carrierbradley_



Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“Sometimes, the support doesn't come from the universe, from our husbands, from whoever, because you didn't ask them.” - Elayne Fluker


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! Aren’t you tired of doing it all by yourself? You’ve carried the whole team on your back for too long - whether that team is your family, your work, or others’ problems - and it’s time to put it all down. On this episode, Elayne Fluker host of Support Is Sexy Podcast drops by to share some pointers on letting go of the Superwoman cape. You don’t need it because it is wearing you OUT, sis! Take some notes and remember you deserve to be supported.


Workshop Facilitator, Speaker and Leadership Development Consultant for corporations, organizations and professional women. Creates engaging workshops that shift the mindsets of professional women around the stigma of asking for support and empower them to effectively make "empowered asks" to achieve for success, fulfillment and work-life harmony. Companies get actionable solutions for creating a more supportive and psychologically safe work culture.

➜ Speaker at the UN, LinkedIn, Columbia, NYU, Spelman College, Howard University, the Women Presidents' Organization, Essence Fest, National Urban League and more

➜ Facilitated 200+ in-person workshops in the U.S., Spain, South Africa and Morocco and virtually online, including leadership development and DEI workshops for global firms and Fortune 50 companies

➜ Interviewed and coached more than 500+ women around the world about challenges they encounter when asking for support.

➜ Featured on "Today" show, "Nightline," "Extra," CNN, VH1, BET, Sirius XM and in Forbes, Essence, and 100+ podcasts

➜ Author of the book, “Get Over ‘I Got It” published by HarperCollins Leadership

Specializes in topics related to: Professional women, Women leaders within organizations, Black women.





In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 05:05] It Is Alright to Take the Cape Off
[05:06 - 10:06] Food and Happiness: Building Long Lasting Memories
[10:07 - 31:18] “I Got It” Syndrome - Why We Struggle to Ask For Support
[31:19 - 41:48] The 5 Rs: How to Make an Empowered Ask
[41:49 - 51:06] Crafting the Safe Environment for Vulnerability Warriors
[51:07 - 56:13] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“Pause for a second and take a deep breath and say, ‘Am I really creating space for support in my life?’ And sometimes, usually, the answer is no. And it might not be something that is deliberate or conscious. It might be just because you're moving so fast.” - Elayne Fluker

“Sometimes, ask isn't ‘I need support’. Sometimes the ask is ‘I need space,’ or ‘I need time,’ or ‘I need rest’.” - Elayne Fluker


Connect with Elayne Fluker
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Over-Got-Superwoman-Remember/dp/1400213797
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/support-is-sexy-podcast-with-elayne-fluker-interviews/id1129580395


Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“I think it just comes back to leading with love. If we can self determine and define what we really think it means to love and be loving, then when we meet the opposition, it's not as difficult to know how to manage.” - Shauna K

Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! If we do it right, stepping out on faith extends to every area of our lives. Including our career paths and workplaces. We often look to our jobs for stability and security so it can be scary to trust that all our needs will be met when we’re being led to do the unthinkable in our career. But does it have to be scary? And what does it cost us to follow the safe path? Today’s guest, life design expert Shauna K has some inspirational life lessons that will light a fire of faith in you so strong, fear will have nothing else to do but fade away. Come on and meet us at the table for this feast!

Shauna K is a brand cultivator, consultant to visionary people, and creative communication specialist from Baltimore, Maryland. With over 13-years under her entrepreneurial belt, she is known as the brand-building Maven, and has become a sought-after expert in the area of social media strategy and leveraging the art of personal brand building.

Over the past 14 years, Shauna has used her unique approach to brand building to help countless entrepreneurs and business owners hone in on their message, clarify their goals and vision, and continue to build meaningful lives centered on things they feel called to do.


[00:01 - 10:41] Getting to Know Shauna K
[10:42 - 21:15] Faith in the Workplace
[21:16 - 31:13] How to Grow in Your Faith in Every Circumstance
[31:14 - 43:41] How to Find What You Are Called to Do
[43:42 - 49:19] What Makes You Love Monday?
[49:20 - 52:06] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“Personally, faith has been the absolute difference maker in everything that I've ever done in life.” - Tommi Vincent

“You're here for a reason. There's something only you can do. And I can show you the path to carve that out.” - Shauna K.

“I'm not here to judge you. I don't care what you do, honestly, my job and the only thing I can control in this life is myself. I literally can't make anyone do anything else. So if I operate in love, maybe that shows you something, maybe it doesn't, but that's not my job.” - Shauna K.

“What are my internal practices that I can implement at any time to help recenter refocus. remember who I am, remember how far I've come, remember who I belong to, so that I don't revert?” - Shauna K


Connect with Shauna
Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshaunak
Website: https://theshaunak.com
Podcast: https://instagram.com/lovemondaypodcast


Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“The truth and honesty that comes with saying, ‘I'm struggling, or I need help, or I want to be better. So this is what I'm going to commit to.’ It is so powerful, but it takes a lot of courage.” - Mori Taheripour


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! Whether we are problem-solving a family issue, negotiating a salary, or going back and forth with ourselves in our own minds - we all are constantly figuring out what it means to advocate or negotiate for ourselves. Sometimes it’s easy, other times we’d rather just avoid it. But what if there was a simple way of looking at self-advocacy that if practiced over time could ease all our fears and help us to not only stand up for ourselves but also connect with others more genuinely? Speaker, educator, entrepreneur, and author of Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly, Mori Taheripour takes a seat at the table today to discuss exactly what it means to be a self-advocate and to negotiate without fear.

Mori Taheripour is a globally recognized executive, highly sought-after speaker and negotiation expert who has worked with some of the most iconic sports leagues and Fortune 100 corporations over the past twenty years. She teaches Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she is a eight-time recipient of awards for excellence in teaching.

Top business publications and media outlets, including ESPN, Forbes, INC, and NPR have featured Mori's work. She is also a contributor to sports discussions on Wharton Business Daily on SiriusXM. Her current and past clients include Goldman Sachs Foundation, Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), National Football League (NFL), The Timberland Company, United Parcel Service (UPS), Wasserman, Wells Fargo, and the White House Fellows Program.

Mori is a member of the Board of Directors for USA Track and Field (USATF), a member of the Board of Trustees of the Women's Sports Foundation, and an Advisory Board Member of the Sports Leadership & Administration Undergraduate Degree Program at UMass, Boston​.

Mori earned her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University, her M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Mori's first book, Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly, was published by Penguin Random House.




In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 02:38] The Power of Negotiation in Our Lives - Advocate For Yourself
[02:39 - 12:44] Mori Taheripour On Food and Healing
[12:45 - 23:48] The Constant Internal Battle to Show Up with Authenticity
[23:49 - 34:41] You’re Not Making it If You’re Faking it
[34:42 - 54:45] It Takes Courage and Honesty to Figure it Out
[54:46 - 57:31] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“I allow myself to be my whole self. And, and that's not necessarily easy for I think women to do, especially because we do feel that judgment, and then that judgment is something we sort of hold ourselves to as well.” - Mori Taheripour

“If you can't make things better for you first, then how are you going to do it for them?” - Mori Taheripour

“You can't be that profoundly strong advocate that you need to be for yourself when you don't really even believe that you're sort of pretending it.” - Mori Taheripour

“Honoring that process and season of our life, I think, is so important because if we don't honor it, then we'll just rush through it. And we'll miss the parts that matter the most that ultimately play such a huge role.” - Tommi Vincent



Connect with Mori Taheripour
Website: www.moritaheripour.com
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Yourself-Connection-Negotiate-Fearlessly/dp/052554030X


Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“One of the things just for me personally: The ability to maintain my joy is recognizing that everything is not a crisis.” - Tommi Vincent

Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! It’s always so hard to remain joyful and optimistic when life gets so difficult and when it seems nothing is going our way. Now more than ever, especially that the pandemic is still ongoing and everything seems hanging in the air, finding ways to stay grounded and joyful is more important than they’ve ever been. And understanding exactly where our joy comes from is paramount.

In this episode, Diahann Billings-Burford shares how she remains rooted and joyous even in the hard times and how looking within is often the best answer to life’s hard questions. Diahann is a nationally recognized change agent. As the Chief Executive Officer of the RISE (Ross Initiative on Sports Equality), the nation’s leading sports organization improving race relations and fighting for social justice, she consistently directs her efforts to engage the sports industry to affect change.


In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 10:47] Getting to Know Diahann
[10:48 - 24:00] Not Everything is a Crisis
[24:01 - 36:35] How to Maintain Joy in Time of Crisis
[36:36 - 39:32] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“It’s gonna be okay. You’re perfectly fine. We are sitting here all together, all alive, all eating. We’re good.” - Diahann Billings-Burford

“The most important part of this Christian walk is choice.” - Diahann Billings-Burford

“Someone else can’t make the choice for you. You have to make the choice for yourself.” - Diahann Billings-Burford



Connect with Diahann
Website: www.risetowin.org
LinkedIn: @diahann-billings-burford-ab030885
Facebook: diahann.billingsburford



Connect with Me!
Follow us on Instagram @stayawhileshow
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media
https://www.instagram.com/skaibluemedia

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE
https://www.instagram.com/stichiz

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“If you know that you're not a person who's easily irritated, and you find yourself becoming easily irritated, that might be a definite sign that you are out of mental alignment. If the things that normally bring you joy, you're no longer interested in, you might be out of mental alignment. If you feel it in your body, then you might be out of mental alignment.” - Dr. Dominique Broussard


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! If you’re tired of feeling worn out, stressed, and like you’re stuck in the same sick mental and emotional rut, this episode is for you! Licensed psychologist Dr. Dominique Broussard aka “Dr. Dom” has some immediately actionable tools to help all of us speak up and out for our mental and emotional health. Whether you’re 25 or 75, right now is always the best time to learn how to give yourself what you need. For some of us it might be taking inventory of how much sleep we’re getting (or not). For others it may be checking in on our spiritual practice. Dr. Dom breaks down her top three strategies for ensuring alignment and exactly what we need to find our voice and speak up for our mental health.

More affectionately known as, Dr. Dom, I was born and raised in New Orleans. I received a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and a Master's degree in Community Counseling from The University of Georgia. My Bachelor's degree is in Psychology from Loyola University New Orleans. My career has focused on providing therapy and teaching at college campuses in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and California. While I am unapologetically here to provide care for Black people, I use a culturally responsive approach to make clients from any background feel welcome. When I am not seeing clients through my private practice, you may find me working with college students at the University of San Francisco or creating space for Black women through my co-hosted podcast, Cultivating H.E.R. Space. My loves (in no particular order): reading good books, my family, friends, podcasting, traveling, Peloton workouts, and wine.



In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 02:41] The Key Ingredients to Embracing your True, Authentic Self
[02:42 - 17:27] Introducing Dr. Dominique Broussard
[17:28 - 38:35] Getting Into Mental Alignment to Be at Our 100%
[38:36 - 54:12] Being in Tune With Yourself to Recognize the Signs
[54:13 - 56:25] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“When we sleep, when we rest, that's our brain, our mind's opportunity to reset and restore.” - Dr. Dominique Broussard

“More importantly, when you get enough sleep, when you have enough rest, you're able to show up in all of the spaces that need you with a clear mind.” - Dr. Dominique Broussard

“Having that moment to be still really allows yourself that time to process all the thoughts that you might be having. It allows you to clear some of those thoughts. It allows you to get in tune with what you really need in those moments of quiet in those moments of stillness. ” - Dr. Dominique Broussard

“If you're not truly in tune with yourself, and you're in that focus of being on the grind, then you might not notice it.” - Dr. Dominique Broussard

“When you learn to say no to other people, it also, on the flip side, teaches you to seek consent from other people...so that you can honor other people's boundaries as well.” - Dr. Dominique Broussard


Connect with Dr. Dominique Broussard
Podcast: Cultivating H.E.R. Space
Website: www.drdominiquebroussard.com




Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

The table is set. Stay A While is back. Are you ready?

In season one, we prepared the table full of fellowship and affirmation, in season two, we're serving more soul food from an array of women whose voices are powerful and authentic.
Put your bags down and pull up a seat. You are listening to stay awhile. The podcast with TommI Vincent.

“In my opinion, there's no such thing as failure. Everything is a blessing. And everything is a learning experience. And if you look at everything in that lens, then whatever blessing and lesson that you can take from that experience, you can utilize it as additional fuel in order to move in the correct path.” - Topeka K. Sam


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! Imposter syndrome. Anxiety. Fear of growth. We have all faced opposition, within ourselves, at some point in our lives. Second-guessing yourself is the hallmark of an identity crisis. So how do you overcome self-doubt, and breakthrough to putting it all on the line to bet on yourself? Today's guest, Topeka K. Sam, takes her seat at the table to help us to tap into the queen within all of us.

Topeka K. Sam is the Founder and Executive Director of The Ladies of Hope Ministries
– The LOHM – whose mission is to help disenfranchised and marginalized women and
girls transition back into society through resources and access to high-quality
education, entrepreneurship, spiritual empowerment, advocacy and housing. She is
also the co-founder of Hope House NYC - a safe housing space for women and
girls. Topeka serves on the board of directors for Grassroots Leadership and is now
the first formerly incarcerated person on the board of The Marshall Project.

She is a Beyond the Bars 2015 Fellow and a 2016 Justice-In-Education Scholar both from
Columbia University, a 2017 Soros Justice Advocacy Fellow working on Probation and
Parole Accountability, a 2018 Unlocked Futures Inaugural Cohort Member, 2018
Opportunity Agenda Communications Institute Fellow, Director of #Dignity Campaign
for #cut50, Host of “The Topeka K. Sam Show” on SiriusXM UrbanView Channel 126
Sundays 9am est., and has recently signed a development deal as Executive
Producer for a scripted and unscripted series inspired by her fight to change the
many problems that plague female incarceration with 44 Blue Productions.

Topeka has been featured in Vogue, SalonTV, Vice, New York Times. She has been
featured in Glamour Magazine and Black Enterprise for being “The Black Woman
behind the video that led to the Trump Clemency of Alice Johnson.” She has spoken
at the 2018 United States of the Woman Conference, 2018 Women in the World
Conference, 2018 White House Prison Reform Summit and is a TedxMidAtlantic
Superheros Presenter.

She has worked and continues to work selflessly and relentlessly in her fight for the
dignity, decriminalization and decarceration of women and girls. Topeka has
accomplished this and more since her release from Federal Prison May 2015.




In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 04:15] Serving Up Self Care and Mental Wellness
[04:16 - 12:08] Getting to Know Topeka K. Sam
[12:09 - 25:31] Step Out of Fear and Reject World Worthiness
[25:32 - 42:14] Break Away from the Prison of Our Own Minds
[42:15 - 49:15] Closing Segment


Key Quotes


“When we're little girls who haven't gone through that healing process, we become grown women who are still living in that. And it just hurts, like it breaks my heart.” - Topeka K. Sam

“There are times that we just don't know, because we're not exposed. But I also know because we are creatures of God, the Divine, the Creator, that there is something inevitable in our spirit that will tell us what feels good and what does not feel good, what feels right and what feels wrong. And that's when you smoke about fear. It's to decide whether or not you want to continually live in that mess.” - Topeka K. Sam

“But if you know leaving with nothing will be better than staying with whatever you have been, that is your strength and you use your point, those obstacles as stepping stones and not barriers.”- Topeka K. Sam


Connect with Topeka K. Sam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/topekaksam
Website: https://thelohm.org/


Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“That's the hard conversation because you got to be vulnerable enough and humble enough to say, there's something more there's something I can do better. Maybe I missed it.” - Melissa Dawn Simkins


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! The hardest conversation to have is a truthful one with yourself. The truth helps and we must be willing to go there to get where we desire to go. Once you have mastered being honest with yourself, external communications come easy. Guest Melissa Dawn-Simkins takes her seat at the table to help us get real with the most important person in our life, ourselves.

Melissa Dawn Simkins, affectionately known as "The First Lady of Personal Branding," is a pioneer in personal brand leadership with a proven track record of advising Fortune 100 organizations, CEOs, C-suite executives and influencers. She is a sought-after strategist on how to lead change in the face of adversity. As a mother, wife and leader she resets the standard to define a new success paradigm called "whole life leadership" focused on purpose-driven work and well-being. Relevance and readiness are core to her approach as she gives insight around future-ready talent development, whole life leadership and brand leadership innovation.

She is CEO of Velvet Suite® (www.velvetsuite.com) an award-winning leadership innovation firm advancing the future of profit through people. She is the Founder of The She-Suite®, the female-focused platform of Velvet Suite on a mission to break the outdated paradigm of work by empowering working women to boldly design a career and life with purpose (theshesuite.com). The She-Suite Brand Leadership Institute (BLI), is the only online leadership readiness platform community with proven results to ready, retain and advance all women and women of color who work for large enterprises.


In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 02:35] Serving Up Some Truth: Being Honest with Yourself
[02:36 - 07:31] Introducing Melissa Dawn Simkins’ Thoughts on Food
[07:32 - 27:44] The Toughest Conversation to Have: Are You Being Truthful to Yourself?
[27:45 - 35:55] Becoming Better Communicators for Ourselves and Others
[35:56 - 40:47] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“The toughest conversation to have is the truthful one that is necessary for us to have with ourselves in order for us to shed anything in our life that is prohibiting us from becoming everything that God created us to be.” - Tommi Vincent

“There's the saying, ‘The truth hurts.’ And I believe quite the opposite, ‘The truth helps.’ And when we're able to be truthful with ourselves, we are laying a foundation for some serious healing, some serious development.” - Tommi Vincent

“It starts with embracing being different and not only embracing being different, but the perspective that difference is valuable. Difference adds more value.” - Melissa Dawn Simkins

“It is work, even all of that grace, the loving on you, that's work. Because it's not something that comes a lot of times intuitively… We're quick to critique ourselves with each other, but loving on yourself, that's work.” - Melissa Dawn Simkins


Connect with Melissa Dawn Simkins
Website: https://www.melissadawnsimkins.com/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Brand-Me-Make-Your-Mark/dp/1514409399




Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

LEAVE A REVIEW + and SHARE this episode with someone who wants food for the soul, and the key ingredients to embracing their true, authentic self. Listen to previous episodes on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

“This is your time, this is where you get to choose your path. And loving myself is the only way. Anything that isn't supporting me loving myself is in the way.” - Mahogany L. Browne


Welcome to Stay a While with Tommi Vincent! Even though we’re all on a journey, too often we live with only the destination in mind. Yet, it’s the trials and experiences of the journey that shape us into who we are and will become. We cannot take them for granted. So how do you open yourself up to learning the lessons of your experiences, without guilt, to discover, accept and own who you were destined to be? Today’s guest, Mahogany L. Browne joins us at the table to share what it took for her to find her voice, and make sure it's heard.


Mahogany L. Browne was born in Oakland, California but has been based in Brooklyn,
NY for over 15 years. A strong, black woman, Browne is unapologetic in her work as a
poet, author, and activist. She uses her personal experience with addiction, racism,
sexism, and oppression to inspire her own brand of shameless, authentic work.
In the beginning, encouragement was elusive for Browne. During a high school honors English class, she was told not to write poetry, and dropped out the next semester.

Finding the strength to persevere, the young poet went on to graduate from the MFA
Writing and Activism program at Pratt Institute. Browne’s talent and personal struggles
have proved to make her success today proof of her undeniable persistence.

Browne has been featured in the PBS NewsHour segment, Brief But Spectacular,
reading her poem “Black Girl Magic” about the struggles facing African-American
women and girls in modern society. She has been featured in HBO’s Brave New Voices
as the artistic director at Urban Word NYC. She is the publisher of Penmanship Books,
curator of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Friday Night Slam, founder of the Women Writers of Color Reading Room, and the director of Black Lives Matter at Pratt Institute.

A Cave Canem fellow and Agnes Gund Fund Recipient, Browne has published several
poetry collections and books, including Black Girl Magic, Kissing Caskets, Redbone,
and Dear Twitter: Love Letters Hashed Out Online. She has also released five LPs,
including a live album, Sheroshima. Her poetry has appeared in Pluck, The Manhattanville Review, Muzzle, among others.



In this episode we cover

[00:01 - 05:30] A Three Course Meal Serving Up!
[05:31 - 13:56] All About Mahogany L. Browne
[13:57 - 29:52] Choose Your Path and Stop Rejecting Yourself
[29:53 - 50:28] Getting into the Headspace to Reflect our Soul
[50:29 - 51:25] Food for the Soul on Self-Worth and Comfort
[51:26 - 55:08] Closing Segment

Key Quotes

“By myself, I was like, this is the life here. We are young, black, alive and free right now in this time, and we get to dictate what the sound of tomorrow is, of course, I'm alive.” - Mahogany L. Browne

“You need just to remind yourself to stay on your path and not forget your own self in that journey.” - Mahogany L. Browne

“You get lost in life. Life starts doing you versus you doing life. And so the ability to come into this space where I'm alive, once you get there, once you recognize where you've been, and where you are now, you will never go back.” - Tommi Vincent

“Internalize their inability to see my trueness. And in their inability to see me, I have to come back around...And I remember who the hell I am. But nah, I've survived so much. If you can't see it, you're in the way. You're not supposed to be here. You are taking up space.” - Mahogany L. Browne




Connect with Mahogany L. Browne
Instagram: instagram.com/mobrowne
Website: https://mobrowne.com/index.html
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Chlorine-Sky-Mahogany-L-Browne/dp/0593176391




Connect with Me!
You can reach Tommi on Instagram @cheftommiv
Visit https://vincentcountry.com and get connected with us on Vincent Country’s Instagram @vincentcountry

This episode was Produced By: Tommi Vincent, Tanner Vincent, and Skai Blue Media

Music By: Stichiz - Big T. Music /Roj&TwinkiE

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