The She-Compass Show

Women have countless stories of having to pay a price for motherhood. All-star athlete Serena Williams lost her number-1 ranking upon returning to professional tennis after delivering her daughter. Olympic swimmer and 2006 silver-medalist Sarah Storey said she faced a "minefield" of pressure to return quickly to training in order to avoid losing her funding. And The New York Times says college-educated career women choosing motherhood during childbearing years face a future reduction in income—a drop of about 55 percent compared to men once they reach age 45.

What can we women do now for ourselves and each other to ease the cost of motherhood? Key topics of discussion include:

– The gender pay gap/commentary on article from "The New York Times" (1:10)

– Life as a working mother (2:45)

– Teenage pregnancy (3:42)

– The price career women pay when choosing to become mothers (including commentary on Serena Williams losing her pregnancy) (5:53)

– Why it's important not to judge other women who choose motherhood or a child-free life (9:57)

– Motherhood means different things to different people (14:41)

– How women can empower young girls, single women, and mothers by making kindness a priority (15:21)

– What is tocophobia? How does it affect women's reproductive choices? (16:47)

– The dangers of childbirth (17:59)

– Roe V. Wade in the current political climate: a personal story (18:38)

– The importance of making reproductive decisions that align with who you are (22:12)

– What does motherhood look like for women who grew up without a mother? (23:40)

– Mothering the world's children (27:42)

Have comments or want to be on the show? Submit your written or audio (via link) comments to our "Contact Us" page at SheCompass, and/or leave us a review. We welcome your feedback!

In late 2018, Baltimore, MD resident and good samaritan Jacqueline Smith was murdered as she made her way home one evening with her husband Keith and young daughter. Just as Smith was nearing her destination, she and Keith were approached by a man and woman holding a sign, asking for food for their baby.

At the urging of his wife who desperately wanted to help the impoverished couple, Keith Smith rolled down the front car windows to offer assistance. That's when the woman stabbed Jacqueline Smith to death and robbed her of her personal items. In a press conference asking for help in finding the murderer of his wife, Smith shared his grief as he urged people to be careful when approached by panhandlers on the street, saying, "The last thing I thought is that they would take my wife's life."

In a world where the war on kindness is ever present, how do women decide when it's safe to extend generosity without compromising safety? We'll layout safe-giving techniques, how to use your sixth sense to help identify danger, and how to be a warrior for kindness without putting yourself in harm's way.

Want more inspiration? Follow us at She-Compass and don't miss our one-on-one podcast interviews at SheCompassTV.

After 40-plus years of friendship, Oprah and Gayle King seem to have a definition of friendship that's far and above what most people will ever experience. But many of us are craving a sisterhood that includes the same kind of devotion and understanding these two women have for one another. As women, are we forever relegated to relationships filtered through emotional baggage, lack of empathy, or the constant need to compete with other women--even those we call our friends? Let's chat about what it really takes to boost our female friendships to Oprah-and-Gayle status. Includes a nod to Stedman Graham and what he's doing to positively influence female relationships.

Have a question, comment, or want to be on the show? Send us a note to [email protected], or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to us and we'll try to include it in an upcoming show! You can also connect with us via our website SheCompass.

And don't miss our one-on-one video interviews on SheCompassTV!

Today's women are capable of achieving anything, yet our success is often still measured by how well we fit certain beauty standards. Regardless of our accomplishments, our physicality takes precedence over who we are as people.

Join us for a conversation about the importance of creating our own definitions of beauty, why we alone are the best experts on how to achieve our health and weight-loss goals, and how we are empowered when we treat fitness as a journey rather than a destination. Includes a chat about the lovely Tess Holliday, founder of Eff Your Beauty Standards and an excerpt from the book Finding Our She-Compass.

For more information, connect with us at SheCompass.

You can also watch our She-Compass TV video podcasts on YouTube.

Social media users are doing whatever it takes to "go viral." Whether it's a daring stunt that ends in tragedy, the morning-noon-and-night posting of an influencer-wanna-be, or the keyboard warrior whose only desire is to troll positive messages, the craving for online followers drives some to extremes.

Are we sacrificing too much of who we are to gain attention on social media? Join us for a discussion on ways to use social media to our advantage without losing ourselves and our peace of mind.

Want more inspiring words on how to live a life of smooth sailing? Get your copy now of Finding Our She-Compass: 15 Life Lessons for Women Voyaging Toward Restoration, Reconstruction, and Renewal

You can also connect with us at SheCompass or watch our podcast videos on YouTube.

The Black Tax is a burden that's been laid on African-Americans for generations. In addition to its general definition of Blacks needing to work twice as hard as Whites to gain equal recognition, The Black Tax is also the unwritten obligation laid upon certain members of the African-American community: that any African-American person reaching a level of financial success surpassing that of the black majority is expected to use her newly-gained revenue, resources, and assets to support others in the community, even if that support costs her everything.

It's an albatross that many African-Americans carry, and there are countless stories of the emotional and financial toll the Black Tax has taken on successful African-Americans.

Join us for a conversation about why it's time to end The Black Tax, how black women and men can soar to success without compromise, and what people of all communities can gain from the undoing of the Black Tax. Includes commentary from Trevor Noah and Oprah Winfrey.

The Thanksgiving Day passing of Oprah Winfrey's mother Vernita Lee is making many of us reflect on the experience of losing a loved one on our special day. When we lose a loved one on a birthday or holiday, the meaning of that day forever changes. It will come around every year, and while it may come with loving memories of those we love, it will bring with it also sadness, loss, and heartache.

Yet as far-fetched as it seems at the time of loss, those of us who have lost someone dear to us know that with time the grief gets easier to bear. The feelings of loss may never go away, but as we adjust to life without the physical presence of our loved one, we come to accept the new reality and learn to move forward with our lives as they are.

Join us for a discussion on what steps you can take now and in the future to survive the death of a loved one on a special day, the importance of forgiving and healing before our passing, and what we can do to make sure future holidays, birthdays, and special family occasions aren't marred by overwhelming grief.

Enjoy this 30-second podcast promo all about The She-Compass Show!

In the culmination of a feud that's been brewing for over a year, rap queens Cardi B and Nicki Minaj finally came to blows this September when an alleged unlike of a Tweet about Cardi B's mothering skills made headlines. Minaj later tweeted it was time to "focus on the positive" and "stop this nonsense"—when Cardi B shared that tweet on her timeline many believed the two women were finally ending one of the most infamous conflicts in the rap game.

But have these members of rap royalty truly buried the hatchet? Join us for a chat about female rivalries, sisters in the rap game, and what it takes for women to "go high" when others "go low."

This week, former First Lady Michelle Obama released her Amazon bestseller "Becoming." In her book, she shares what it was like to experience feelings of self-doubt during her tenure in the White House. In this episode, we'll explore what we can do to overcome feelings of self-doubt and squash negative thoughts that rob us of our personal power. We'll hear from Mrs. Obama, and also delve into the lessons two characters from "Finding Our She-Compass" can teach us about embracing self-worth and knowing we are worthy of anything to which we aspire.