Yeah...But Are You Listening?!?

I keep telling ya'll my family is as dope as they come!! I've got chefs, world travelers (one of them is one in the same, s/o to my sister/cousin Quay from season 1), a bartender, a few nurses, a few who shape young minds through teaching and even a "Cosmic Energy Oracle" which even sounds awesome! Angelika is a traveling, tarot-card reading, astrology reading, headwrap wearing, homeschooling, Herbal Tea Sipping (and creating), High Key Reiki Healing Cosmic Spiritual Guide. In short, she is all things Cosmic and for episode nine she hung out with me to talk about connections. Now, ya'll know I was born and raised in the church, reading the good book, which means I had questions....is you a witch? Can you make someone fall in love with me? Read my palm, girl! She is not, she can not and she could (in that order lol).  So grab your fav drink and tune in to learn about energy, intuition and how all that still connects her to God.

Affectionally known to those who love her as the unicorn or Ms. Hair for her dope sense of fashion, spontaneous looks and brightly colored wigs, Amber Georges joined me for Episode Eight to talk boobs. Amber is a proud wife and mother of 2, hair stylist and wig phenom. At the young age of 37, with no history of breast cancer in her family, Amber was diagnosed with Her2 Breast Cancer that would ultimately take one of her breasts. She walks me through her ongoing journey with both humor and transparency, while educating me on medical terms in a way I could understand and telling me to never Google a diagnosis! 

Amber's commitment to life and service is pretty amazing as she continues to change lives with her BeautyMe Forever Foundation. She channels her love for everything beauty into service for cancer survivors in the most gentle way. BeautyMe Forever boxes are filled with goodies and can be purchased from Amber directly. Proceeds go to the BeautyMe Forever Cancer Foundation (tune in for all the deets!) 

As Breast Cancer Awareness month comes to an end, I encourage you to check your boobs! I was one of the ones who thought you couldn't get breast cancer unless there was family history, on this day I learned just how wrong that is. I salute every cancer survivor and every warrior who lost their fight. I usually just ask ya'll to listen with an open heart, but today I'm asking you to DO something...please, schedule a mammogram so you can make the rest of your life the best of your life.

Episode seven is just about reflection....taking a moment to acknowledge the strength and transparency shown during the Not Easily Broken Series on Domestic Violence AND bringing ya'll up to date on this journey because babyyyyyy it ain't been easy! My daughter continues to teach me about growth and I continue to push through adversity. Enjoy!

Statistics show it takes a domestic violence victim an average of 7 attempts to leave before they actually do. While I didn't ask previous guests how many attempts it took before they actually left, you've heard from their stories that it wasn't after the first incident. This series has highlighted SO many things including the fact that abuse isn't just a black eye. It's also narcissistic behavior, the need to control or limit, the degrading of your self-esteem, misogyny, threats, the imposition of fear, interrelationship rape and the list goes on. Bottom line, if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't because love shouldn't hurt even when it doesn't work. I've received so much amazing feedback, so much support to pass along to those who've shared, so much love...and I'm grateful to be a vessel.

Ironically we're closing out the series during DV Awareness month. For the season finale I invited my new friend to the mic, Assistant District Attorney, Erika Johnson, a prosecutor with the Durham DA’s Office Special Victims Unit. Erika, a fellow Eagle, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2014 and Juris Doctor in 2017 from NCCU. She is a wife, mom of 2.5 (there's one in the oven) and an advocate for victims of Domestic Violence. She offers a  legal perspective to victim rights, expectations and resources. Erika has seen and done alot and shares some of those experiences with us. Tune in..

The Durham Crisis Response Center helpline is available 24/7 at 919–403–6562 (English) or 919–519–3735 (Español). The service is free and confidential. If you need assistance with a domestic violence protective order, call the Family Justice Center at 919–450–8970. If you are an abuser, help is also available at Pathways to Change. Erika is also helping with a presentation tomorrow (October 7th) at the  Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC).

Alright guys, ya'll have hung in here with me for stories of change, fear, young love, parenthood, strength and power (because there is absolutely power in walking away!) Part 4 with my middle-school friend, Tammy, hit a special place because we were like sisters until after high school. Hearing the pain and fear of judgement in her story was HARD but the conversations we've had since then about how FREE she feels now made it all worth it. There is freedom in sharing your story and opening the doors to something that's held you hostage for so long and I am grateful to be the vessel. Tammy is an entrepreneur, currently living in Atlanta,  and striving to leave a legacy for her babies Jaylen and Santana. 

Tune in, listen with your heart, let's heal together.

Each story of domestic violence can be different. In part one we heard the story of a perfect love that turned into aggression and fear. In part 2 we heard about teenage love ruled by control. In part three, Sydney takes us on a journey that combined perfect love, fear, control and parenthood. Sydney Gongs is 29, a mother of 2 beautiful little girls, an author, a business owner and a survivor. Her affirmations ebook "How I Overcame Depression: 30 Day I Am Challenge" is available on Amazon as a helpful 30 day guide to pulling yourself out of dark spaces. While Sydney's perspective was born out of domestic violence, she encourages anyone coming out of a situation to user her book to find themselves and kickstart their journey to being whole again. Tune in!

To purchase the ebook:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Overcame-Depression-Day-Challenge-ebook/dp/B09BMJKTRC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+i+overcame+depression%3A+30+day+i+am+challenge&qid=1632283090&sr=8-1

Teen dating violence is common. Data from CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicates: Nearly 1 in 11 female and approximately 1 in 14 male high school students report having experienced physical dating violence in the last year. About 1 in 8 female and 1 in 26 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year. 26% of women and 15% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 18. 

Not Easily Broken...Stories of Strength and Survival, a series aimed at increasing Domestic Violence awareness, continues with the story of Lakisha Knox. Kisha, a Durham, NC native, is a wife, mother to a 25 year-old daughter and a 6 year-old son. She is a forever student with a Bachelor and two Masters degrees from NC State, Walden University and North Carolina Central University and is almost finished with her teaching certificate. She turned her love for math into a labor of love and currently teaches 5th grade. Kisha's experience with domestic violence started at the young age of 18 at the hands of her daughter's father. Tune in to hear her story of survival, motherhood and fed-upness.  

If you or anyone you know is in a violent situation and needs resources, please contact:  

https://www.thehotline.org/

https://saving-grace.org/home 

https://nccadv.org/

Love shouldn't hurt but nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. Furthermore, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc. 

Not Easily Broken...Stories of Strength and Survival, a series aimed at increasing Domestic Violence awareness, begins with the story of Juanyetta Jones. Juanyetta Beasley Jones, from Raleigh, NC, has many roles, but the one that fills her bucket the most is being a mom to a clever, comedic, and caring pre-teen son.  She enjoys trying new things, traveling, movies, and challenging herself to grow. Her faith in and relationship with Christ is what keeps her grounded and resilient. While continuing to grow through her experience with Domestic Violence, she chats with me in the most transparent way, opening her life up for us to peek into. 

If you or anyone you know is in a violent situation and needs resources, please see below: 

https://www.thehotline.org/

https://saving-grace.org/home

https://nccadv.org/

We're back ya'll!! It's hard to believe we're in season three already but here we are! Our last episode was on June 30th and I have MISSED you guys. So much has happened personally and professionally and I can't wait to share it with you. Although I haven't talked to you guys in a while, I've been been a busy bee! I've met some dope folks who's stories taught me alot, challenged my thinking and pulled at my heart strings. I'm excited about the lives that will continue to be impacted and the way you guys always impact me :) 

If you're new here, WELCOME! If you're returning, WELCOME BACK! We're still 'round here being authentic and transparent and doing it scared...tune in, I can't wait to hear what you think!

Episode eleven brings season two to a close in the most transparent way. Having y’all on this journey with me has been (and continues to be) AMAZING but it is work to put out quality content I am proud of and with so many moving parts in my current journey, it has become increasingly difficult. So, instead of putting out something I’m less proud of or dragging out the season in the spirit of keeping it going, I’m going to close out this season. In season three we will talk about some things that are super important to me, but in the thoughtful, intentional way I am proud of. I hope you’ll stay tuned 💜