Today we are talking about Emotional Intelligence, or EQ. Emotional Intelligence is a person’s ability to be aware of, to control, and to express their emotions and manage interpersonal relationships. I interviewed Brittney-Nichole Connor-Savarda, founder of Catalyst 4 Change and Generation EQ, to deep dive into how developing your EQ can change your life for the better.

In improving their emotional intelligence, people improve their relationships, their performance in school and at work, and their lives in general. Higher EQ also correlates to higher salaries, which we get into in the episode.

As we do in all our episodes in the Grown Up Guide, Brittney shares her own journey in overcoming low emotional intelligence. She is so bright and knowledgeable and professional; you wouldn’t believe the transformation she underwent to get here. I know her story will resonate with you and empower you to take strides to build healthy relationships and mindfulness, starting with the relationship you have with yourself.

Learn more about and connect with Brittney:

In this episode you’ll learn…

Connect with the Grown Up Guide!

This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series on Tax Accounting! The federal deadline for filing your taxes has been extended to July 15th this year due to the pandemic. For this series, I interview my friend and former classmate Leslie Jefferson, a Certified Public Accountant (aka CPA) based in North Carolina.

Here are the questions and time stamps:

1. Do I have to file taxes? – 4:30

2. What’s the difference between getting a W-2 and getting a 1099? – 6:40

3. What income do I not have to report? – 10:57

4. Do I have to file state taxes if I file federal taxes? – 15:34

5. Is it good to get a refund? – 18:55

6. I started a side business. What are my options for filing taxes? - 26:42

7. What can I deduct as business expenses? And what do I need to hold on to to prove that? – 31:48

8. How long do I need to hold onto receipts/documentation? 37:23

9. What are other ways I can lower my tax bill? (Deductions for Student loan interest, self-employed health insurance; credits for children, education; update your W-4 each year) – 42:21

10. Do I need to keep my medical bills and donation receipts for potential deductions? – 53:17

11. If I’m married, do I have to file taxes with my spouse? – 54:58

12. What is a dependent and how do I know if I am or have one? – 57:46

13. What would flag the IRS to audit you? – 01:03:29

14. Additional thoughts and advice on filing taxes and choosing a good CPA – 01:06:55

This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on Tax Accounting! The federal deadline for filing your taxes has been extended to July 15th this year due to the pandemic. For this series, I interview my friend and former classmate Leslie Jefferson, a Certified Public Accountant (aka CPA) based in North Carolina. In episode one, I’ll introduce Leslie and we’ll cover the basics of what it’s like to work with a CPA, what to look for in a CPA, and the very basics of filing your taxes. Then in part 2 in this series, Leslie and I cover all of the most commonly asked tax questions. These episodes are long but they are jam packed with value!

In this episode, Leslie also talks about her journey to becoming a CPA, which involved some of the feelings we all have about pursuing our calling:

We’ve all had these thoughts at some point, and Leslie shares how she overcame them then and continues to work on curbing those thoughts now. As a friendly reminder to all of you, my beautiful listeners, you are exactly where you need to be right now. No two paths are the same. Your path will be as unique as you are, and YOU are one in a million.

You can reach Leslie on Twitter @lbjefferson13 or on Instagram @lbj.cpa.

It is our obligation as human beings to fight for the rights of all humans, and right now we are focusing on how we can fight for and elevate our Black community. I believe that you can still learn and grow, but you have to make the choice right now to do so. Black people will continue to die if you don’t make the choice to make a different choice. I hope that you will join me today in learning more. As citizens, content creators, business owners, employees, leaders, parents, neighbors, family, we can do better. We have to do better.

NAACP “We Are Done Dying” Campaign: https://naacp.org/campaigns/we-are-done-dying/

Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1

Black Maternal Mortality: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/u-s-finally-has-better-maternal-mortality-data-black-mothers-n1125896

“13 Black Maternal Health - Why Black Women Are 3-4 Times More Likely to Die During Childbirth Than White Women & How One Group Has Taken Action” - Birth Story Podcast - Heidi Campbell - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/13-black-maternal-health-why-black-women-are-3-4-times/id1450663573?i=1000434688968

“The Color of Coronavirus: COVID-19 Deaths By Race & Ethnicity in the U.S.” by APM Research Lab, May 27th, 2020. https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: African American Health - https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aahealth/index.html

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

In this episode, Elizabeth and I discuss the ups and downs of post-grad life, the difference between body positivity and body respect, Jillian Michaels’ controversial comments on Lizzo’s body, and my own experience with my body changing for the short time I was pregnant in January and February. (We had a miscarriage at the end of February, more on that in another episode one day :)

Learn more about Southern Smash, a program under the Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness, at https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/southern-smash/.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Davis Conway, Senior Sales Manager at Spiracle Media, to talk about how to put yourself out there and how to cope with rejection, which will inevitably come every so often (or extremely often) when you’re brave enough to step outside your comfort zone. Davis gives tactical advice on networking tips, how to cool down when a loss at work stings, and why you should be intentional when you’re interacting with every person you meet.

Connect with Davis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davis-conway-02358b49/

Learn more about Americorps: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps

Read “The Ride of a Lifetime” by Robert (Bob) Iger: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PF6XTD8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

First and Foremost, I hope you are all staying safe and sane during this crazy time. I know there are mixed thoughts about pursuing personal and professional development right now, or trying to maintain a sense of “normal” when there’s nothing normal about what’s going on. I wanted to frame this episode, even though it was recorded wayyyyyy before the outbreak got crazy, as a way to revisit the goals you set on January 1st and change course to accommodate some of the things you might be learning about yourself during this time. I wish you all the very best right now.

Jessica Lackey - https://www.jessicalackey.com/

Quarterly Planning Session - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quarterly-goal-reboot-tickets-93807301163

Follow Jessica on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jessicalackey_coach/

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-lackey/

Books Mentioned:

“The One Thing” by Gary Keller

“The Four Tendencies” by Gretchen Rubin

In today’s episode, I sat down with Illa Jones, a Registered Dietician based in Raleigh, North Carolina, to discuss everyday nutrition tips, how to make vegetables taste good, and whether organic foods are actually any better than their less expensive counterparts. Illa also breaks down common nutrition misconceptions, the difference between a nutritionist and a registered dietician, and so much more in this episode!

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, please reach out to the National Eating Disorder Association Helpline by dialing 800-931-2237, or texting “NEDA” to 741741.

Read more about Illa at https://www.illajones.com/.

Follow Illa on Instagram for weekly “What I Eat In a Day” content: https://www.instagram.com/illajones/

Subscribe to Illa on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm7JOMtNJ1nNr7ukSqJOkCw

Plate Method: http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2015/adm/diabetes-plate-method/what-is-the-plate-method.html

NEDA Helpline: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline