YOU Better!

So many people have the experience of feeling like they are in the wrong profession. But they stick it out for years even when that work environment is so bad it feels like it’s going to break them. We have gotten so used to sacrificing our selves in the name of survival, that it is hard to even imagine what another kind of existence could look like.

This episode's guest, Sukie Jefferson, is someone who allowed herself to pursue another way. Sukie and I share the experience of both being young Black women who left corporate jobs to launch our own businesses.  Her company is called Suki’s candle company and she’s a new kind of leader.  I call her the soulful CEO.  In this interview conversation Suki takes us inside the experience of how her life changed when -in an act of self-love- she made space for and listened to the messages from inside herself and allowed them to guide her decisions. And let me tell you this…Suki is not continuing on with business as usual. 

Find Sukie Online:

• Sukie's Candle Co. Website
• Sukies Candle Co. on Instagram (@sukiescandleco) 

Shop book recommendations from this episode:

• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
• The Alchemist
• Caste: The Origins of our Discontents
• You can support the podcast by checking out more books in my Bookshop store. YOU Better Bookshop

Book Kiesha at https://kieshagarrison.co

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

Given that most YOU Better! episodes will involve interviews with other people about their life stories, it's only fair that Kiesha  start with a bit of sharing about herself as well. So, for Episode 1, she's starting with “Why.” She then highlights some of her motivation for creating this show and the joy that teenage Kiesha would feel about her using her gift for gab in this way.  And finally, she discusses feelings of urgency to “give herself” a show and her commitment to you for the type of reflective and care-filled space she intends for this to be.

Find Kiesha online:

• Website: https://kieshagarrison.co
• Instagram: (@kiesha_garrison) 

Shop book recommendations from this episode:

• Misfits: A Personal Manifesto a book by Michaela Coel (bookshop.org)
• Beyond the Gender Binary a book by Alok Vaid-Menon and Ashley Lukashevsky (bookshop.org)
• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action a book by Simon Sinek (bookshop.org)

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.ted.com/talks/thandiwe_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing_myself
• Kick Doors Open (with Gina Yashere) - Episode 25 | Professional Troublemaker (simplecast.com)
• Side Effects of Owning Your Platform (with KevOnStage) - Small Doses with Amanda Seales (getpodcast.com)

If you are feeling generous and want to support:

•  Cash App
• Venmo

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org

In this introduction, Kiesha shares what the podcast is about and what you can expect from the weekly episodes.

Write to theyoubetterpodcast  at gmail.com to submit a question for the show. 

Follow Kiesha on Instagram at @kiesha_garrison

To book Kiesha to speak or host a conversation, visit https://kieshagarrison.co

To connect with host Kiesha B. Free, visit kiesha.org