Mahogany Momology's Podcast

Season 3, Episode 11: Coping During Covid Times Daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has been stressful for people. The need for natural human interaction has abruptly halted with mandates to immediately shelter in place for an unforeseen amount of time. Our lives have shifted. We’re having varied, valid emotions in adults and children. We’re discussing feelings and coping during COVID-19 with our returning guest momologist Sh’Niqua Alford. 1st Episode Appearance: Season 1, Episode 2: How Abuse Affects Black Moms and Our Children About Restoring Serenity Counseling Center, PLLC Sh'Niqua Alford is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Texas (license #41470).  She holds a Master of Social Work - University of Texas at Arlington and in 2005 recieved her Bachelor of Social Work - Texas Christian University.  Over the past 13 years, Sh'Niqua has worked in a variety of social work/clinical settings: Supporting and mentoring pregnant/parenting teenagers to overcome barriers and achieve succes

Season 3, Episode 10: The Wild Wild Web Topic: The current state of sheltering-in-place has forced the use technology more than ever for economic stability (as weak as it is now), social/mental well-being and educational tools for society. Sadly, we’re hearing of hackers displaying explicit images and expressing racist rhetoric within Zoom calls or kid Youtube videos. This behavior of harassment may affect adults as much as it does children, with cyber bullying and cyber crimes on the rise. Today, we will discuss cyberbullying and cyber crimes during COVID-19 with our returning guest momologist, Dr. Alicia Makaye.     Guest Momologist: Alicia Makaye, PhD. Alicia is a returning guest and VP of GXA.  Episode where we met Alicia: Season 2 | EP29: Mompreneur Spotlight Resources: https://www.stopbullying.gov/   Mallory’s Story: https://www.foxnews.com/health/cyberbullying-all-american-little-girl-suicide   Unintended Consequence of COVID-19: https://phys.org/news/2020-03-unintended-consequence-covid-cyberbullyin

Topic: There is a growing number of African-American women who have become pioneers in the country’s burgeoning cannabis industry. More and more black women are becoming marijuana entrepreneurs, creating dispensaries, launching CBD product lines and selling edible cannabis products and weed-themed merchandise (Source: NewsOne) However, we know that marijuana policies disportionaly affect black and brown communities. How do ‘budding entrepreneurs’ of color gain traction and notably recognition when the odds are against us. Let’s discuss this with our guest momologist, Whitney Beatty, CEO of The Apothecarry Brands, INC. Guest Momologist: Whitney Beatty, CEO of The Apothecarry Brands, INC. Apothecarry Brands CEO Whitney Beatty is a successful entertainment industry executive turned cannabis storage designer that’s spearheading her quickly growing start-up. After meeting so many like minded cannabis users, who lamented about a lack of good storage system, worried about securing buds away from kids and pets and wh

Topic: Menopause affects all women regardless of race or socioeconomic background.  However, recent studies have shown that the experience of menopause is different among different racial groups.  African Americans have more estrogen related symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, urine leakage) than all the other ethnic groups.  Additionally, African Americans are less likely to have somatic symptoms (headaches, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, stiffness and soreness in joints) than all other ethnic groups. Unfortunately, when it comes time for menopause, you're also likely to have more intense symptoms than your white peers. We will talk, in-depth of the change of life with our guest Momologist, Dr. Tiffany Woodus   References: https://news.yale.edu/2005/04/26/menopause-and-african-american-women https://www.verywellhealth.com/menopause-worse-for-african-american-women-3522485 https://sacobserver.com/2015/02/black-women-endure-menopause-longest/ http://www.blackwomenshealthproject.org/aam

Topic:  Rashida Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, and most recent Tiffany Haddish are some of the notable African American Jewish celebrities. We can theorize that their celebrity status makes the transition easier to acclimate than non celebrities. We will discuss the path of being a Black Jewish mom in society with out guest momologist, Aviva Brown.  Guest Momologist: Aviva Brown and her children converted to Judaism in 2017, but during the preceding years of Jewish study, she noticed a lack of racial diversity among Jewish children’s literature.  In late 2018, Aviva read a quote by author Beverly Cleary: If you don’t see the book you want on the shelf, write it. She’s been named North Carolina’s Mother of the Year 2020 by American Mothers, Inc.!⁣ Aviva currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, two cats, and four wild animals who sometimes pretend they’re well-mannered children.  When she’s not writing, editing, or reading diverse children’s books, she can be found hiding from housework (no one’s actually

Topic: On this podcast, we’ve been talking about the American Black motherhood experience. But what’s the journey like aboard? Do they experience racism? Colorism? Educational disparities. We will discuss The Black Motherhood Experience abroad with our guest momologist, Kearie Dee of Woke Mommy Chatter. Woke Mommy Chatter: https://wokemommychatter.com/ Merch Merch!   We have finally launched our retail line of Mahogany Mom Merch!  Be a conversation starter with the Continue the Conversation Mug and the This Is Motherhood T-Shirt.  Shop today at www.mahoganymomology.com Produced By: Greenville Ave. Recording Studio Continue the Discussion, Download, Subscribe, Rate, Like, Follow Us, and Share on: Website: www.mahoganymomology.com Twitter: @MMomology Insta: @mahoganymomology FB: @MahoganyMomology FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mahoganymomologist

Topic:  Recently, the city of Lancaster ISD sued a board member for a conflict of interest for being an advocate to children with special needs. This discussion leads to the question, shouldn’t our school board be advocating for children’s best interest, with our guest momologist, Carolyn Morris.    Merch Merch!   We have finally launched our retail line of Mahogany Mom Merch!  Be a conversation starter with the Continue the Conversation Mug and the This Is Motherhood T-Shirt.  Shop today at www.mahoganymomology.com Produced By: Greenville Ave. Recording Studio Continue the Discussion, Download, Subscribe, Rate, Like, Follow Us, and Share on: Website: www.mahoganymomology.com Twitter: @MMomology Insta: @mahoganymomology FB: @MahoganyMomology FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mahoganymomologist

Season 3, Episode 4: Coping with Grief The emotional trauma brought on by the death of a close family member is often accompanied by varied emotional responses. Adults have difficulty processing death, but how do we have a healthy and successful discussion about death to their offspring?  We will discuss how to talk to your children about death with our Guest Momologist, Kymberly Akpowowo.  Guest Momologist: Kymberly is a xennial blogger, advocate, and licensed social worker with experience in mental health, community administration, and advocacy.  She is multi-passionate about health-related topics, politics, poverty, and women’s empowerment just to name a few. Her main focus is supporting youth, their parents, and other youth-focused organizations in the transition from adolescence to adulthood and helping other social workers utilize their current skills and abilities to social work differently. Through her podcast, Unlearned, she has made it her personal agenda to keep the uninformed informed about all t

Season 3, Episode 3: Communal Living Mel and Tash discuss what appears to be a rising trend in living "Communal Living".  With the cost of living on the rise and salaries staying flat could this be the way you and your family live? Episode Sponsor: SetFocus Academics Moms! Is your child struggling in the areas of Math and Science? Does your child want that additional boost in math scores for a better ACT, PSAT, or SAT score? Let SetFocus Academics help you! Owned and operated by a Master’s degree engineer, individualized tutoring is provided for primary, junior high, and high school students. Subjects include Algebra, Calculus, Trigonometry, Physics and Chemistry. They even offer teletutoring, giving you the benefit of learning in the comfort of your home. Help improve your child’s confidence in the STEM subjects by scheduling an appointment on FaceBook at SetFocus Academics or contact them at: setfocusacademics@gmail.com Resources: https://time.com/intentional-communities/ https://aljeffery.com/looking-forw

Season 3, Episode 2: Relationships and Finances Seventy percent of black women are the primary or sole financial breadwinner, but yet are not confident about our finances. Kids definitely take up the finances, but should we be living in a constant hamster wheel/robbing Peter to pay Paul lifestyle? What do we have to do to get better, more confident at obtaining financial freedom? What does your financial snapshot look like in 2020? As some may have lived behind the philosophy of “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours”, does it bring a successful financial plan for our partners? What if you were brought up differently? Can we (the black woman) collectively say we have the financial confidence to pay, save, and invest? Let’s break it down…. Mahogany Mom of the Week: Want to give a shout out to one of our FB Group Momologist Asia Christa Atkinson.  She is a single mom and working on her graduate degree. We are praying for your success and keeping Aries in our prayers.  We love you sis! This Episode is Sp

Season 3, Episode 1: Food Desert Solutions Food deserts tend to be more populated by low-income residents, who are not as attractive a market for large supermarkets, and have reduced mobility. Food deserts lack suppliers of fresh protein sources such as poultry, fish and meat, along with fresh fruit and vegetables, instead, relying on convenience stores, which provide processed and sugar- and fat-laden foods, which are known contributors to the United States' obesity epidemic. We are discussing the gap to accessible health food options within our community with our guest Momologist Teasha Fridia. Guest Momologist: Teasha Fridia is the co-owner and co-founder of The Mini Farmers Market, Inc.  The Mini Farmers Market has been working collectively in our community for the past 13 years encouraging community members to pool their resources; allowing produce to be purchased bulk and brought back to our neighborhoods which are known food deserts.  Along with co- owner Suzette Muhammad, we have recently obtained 501

This episode is brought to you by LACH.  Decluttering #momlife is what they do at LACH!  LACH is an online marketplace for mothers to buy and sell preloved maternity and children's items.LACH is more than just a marketplace. On the site or on the app, mothers can connect and share the joys of parenting. In this Mompreneur Spotlight we will be chatting with Founder, Kimberly Davis on how and why she created LACH.   Website: www.thisislach.com Instagram: @thisislach | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LACHLLC/   Guest Momologist Bio: Kimberly Davis is mother of two with a passion for saving money and the environment. After giving birth to her daughter Lena in 2016, she suddenly had a stroke. While recovering, she knew she wanted to make a difference in this world and never take life for granted again. When the idea for LACH came to her (an easy way to buy or sell preloved maternity and childrens items) She wanted to make it into a reality and create a useful space online for moms like herself. Mahogany Momolog

This episode is brought to you by GXA.  GXA is an IT Solutions provider that builds stronger businesses and stronger communities. GXA prides itself on giving back to the underprivileged, not only within the community, but internationally.  We have the pleasure to continue the discussion about IT awareness and diversity with co-founder, Dr. Alicia Makaye. GXA: https://gxait.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gxait LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gxa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GXAIT About Dr. Alicia Makaye Dr. Alicia Makaye is a philanthropist, entrepreneur and co-founder of GXA (she is the “A” in GXA). GXA is an IT Solutions provider that helps other businesses take command and control of their IT. She is an U.S. Airforce Veteran and a graduate of U.T. Dallas with a Ph.D. in Public affairs. Dr. Makaye is an alumni of Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses entrepreneurship program (cohort 10). Most recently Dr. Makaye was recognized by Dallas Business Journal as a 2019 Minority Business Leader

Topic:  The Family Friendly Schools Act will create a first-of-its-kind pilot program to give schools resources to stay open during the entire work day throughout the school year and to invest over $1 billion in enriching summer learning programs – all without forcing teachers to work longer hours or for less pay. Introduced by Sen. Kamala Harris (D)-California and presidential candidate during her campaign, grants will be provided to 500 “family friendly schools” for before school, after school, and summer enrichment.  Mel and Tash will break down the Act providing pros and cons.   Mahogany Momologist of the Week:  Congrats to Thasunda Brown Duckett who was appointed to the Nike Board of Directors.  Duckett, CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, is executive sponsor of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways program which is directed toward helping black Americans achieve economic success through wealth, education and careers. When not being a boss in the corporate and community streets her and her husband Richar

Season 2, Episode 27: What You Didn't Know About Private School. Finding the right educational pathway for your child can be daunting. Private school vs. public vs. charter--what’s best for our children? Whatever your thoughts are on the state of our educational system, we’ll discuss a fraction of it---what you didn’t know about private schools with our guest momologist, Dara Tilghman.  Guest Momologist: Dara Tilghman Founder of Dallas Fort Worth Private Education.  DFWPE was founded to help parents find schools and other resources for their children. To learn more about our services or to ask for help finding a school, they are on facebook and we will have the links in the show notes.  Originally from DC by way of California she has dived herself in all things private education in Dallas. When not working she spends time with her husband Carl and ensuring Chloe and Tre are enjoying life to the fullest.  Resources: Dallas Fort Worth Private Education Website: DFWPrivateEdu.com Phone: 214.325.8704 Email: info

Topic: Teaching your child justice while you fight injustice Recent news once again is showing the challenges of living in America. #BlackLivesMatter. The untimely deaths of Bothan Jean and Atatiana Jefferson, both in their 20’s & both killed by police officers, has sparked outrage in the investigation process when its one of their own. As black parents, we’ve felt that conversations about race and race relations occur far too young for the mind to even process….or so do adults think. How do we, as black adults, not only teach these lessons to our children, when we struggle with our own challenges with the justice system? Today, we will dive into teaching your child justice while you fight injustice   Mahogany Momologist of the Week: Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, was recently installed as the Elizabeth City State University’s 12th Chief Executive Office and 7th Chancellor.  Dr. Dixon holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Relations from NC State University, a master’s degree in Speech Communication

Mahogany Moms of the Week: This Momologist of the Week is Dr. Raissa Ferron. This wife, and mother of two is an Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework within the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering. Her accolades are too much to mention for our hour-long podcast, but prominent notables include being the first African-American woman to earn tenure in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Engineering News Record 2016’s Top 20 under 40, and American Concrete Institute (ACI) Young Member for Professional Achievement Award in 2018. Dr Ferron is an avid supporter of mentoring children, especially young girls, into STEM fields. Angel Frazier.  This mom of 4 whips many hairstyles back in sassy shape.  We commend her for keeping us all on our toes by constantly changing her look and elevating ours too. Resources:  8 ways you may be encouraging your child to be a bully (https://www.wa

Topic: Living Your Authentic Self Financially Can we talk finances and money management?!? As a mom, I always feel like I’m ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’. This becomes a bit challenging as a budding entrepreneur. The constant shift our finances may leave one to wonder if this entrepreneur journey is right for them. Only one in 10 African Americans work with a financial professional compared with one in four white Americans, according to the 2015-2016 African American Financial Experience Prudential report said. I get it-- we don’t want everybody to know our financial business. It leaves us open and vulnerable to criticism in how we should be handing our life….not that we should be having that line of thinking. With such a taboo topic (especially in the African American community), we will discuss the factors contributing to the lack of financial confidence in daily living and our small business, with Dorinda Walker.   About Dorinda Walker: Dorinda Walker is an acclaimed author of the book “Protected by Purpose”

Mahogany Mom of the Week: Our Mahogany Mom this week is K.Rashard. She owns the only black woman owned trucking school in Texas called @On Track Truck Driving School LLC Where to Find Us Next: The Motivated Mom Retreat on September 21 at the Omni Mandalay in Irving, TX: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-motivated-mom-retreat-registration-54248269033 If you would like to consider Private education for your child and not sure about the ins and outs or even how diversity plays a part join us and many other families at the 2nd Annual Families of Color Conference on October 20 in  DFW.  https://dfwprivateedu.com/focc/ Topic: Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of wel

Season 2, Episode 23: The Rejuvenated Mom During the motherhood journey, we often complain that we are “lost’. Our time and energy are consumed with the wellbeing and care or our children and significant others. Previous guest has expressed that once that motherhood journey transitions to empty nesting or even content/stabilization, the idea of self-preservation is new/daunting/familiar/unfamiliar phenomena. Hence, the concept of reinvention comes to play. How can we continuously preserve this idea throughout our motherhood journey? If we have partners, should we be thinking about this affects them in our relationship with caring for ourselves? Guest Momologist: LaToyia Dennis. La Toyia is an author, speaker, and event producer around help moms create strategies for success to live a healthy life of purpose.  Latoyia Dennis is a mom, wife, speaker, author, early childhood education advocate, parent enthusiast and master motivator. With more than 15 years of experience in development, strategic planning and no