Grown and Growing Podcast

In this bite-sized episode, I’m checking-in to wish you a happy new year, share my intention for 2024, and let you know what’s in store for January!Like. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

At 43 years old, Devine Overton @welltrainedhair, decided it was time to follow her passion: healthy hair! Now as a licensed cosmetologist she’s making plans to pivot from her career as a financial analyst for the FAA. We talk about her decision to do what she loves…and about all things HAIR. Relaxers. Braids not being a protective style (huh?). Is healthy hair genetic? We discuss a lot. About My Guest:Devine Overton has been a full-time financial analyst for FAA for 20+ years and recently pivoted into cosmetology in the Washington DC Metro.  Devine owns and operates Well Trained Hair, a healthy hair-conscious brand devoted to helping women of color proudly embrace their hair, whether chemically straight or natural, by implementing simple, healthy hair practices. Like. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

If you've been feeling stuck, this is your sign that it's time to do something about it.  Whether it's your career, relationship, or personal development, you owe it to yourself  to get UNSTUCK.My guest this week, certified professional coach, Daniela de la Piedra, specialized in helping people transition to a more fulfilled life. Life will sometimes get you stuck. You owe it to yourself not to stay there too long. About My Guest:Daniela de la Piedra is an attorney and Certified Professional Coach. For 13 years, Daniela represented low-income seniors in Washington, DC in public benefits and Social Security cases at Legal Counsel for the Elderly, an affiliate of AARP. At the height of the pandemic, Daniela left her legal career and launched Everyday Daniela Professional Coaching Services. Daniela is a helper at heart and now runs a coaching practice dedicated to helping busy professionals take positive and sustainable action to create a more joyful and fulfilling life. Daniela works with private 1:1 clients and presents trainings and workshops to companies and organizations.Daniela received coach training through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). She is trained in the proprietary Core Energy Coaching methodology, which empowers people to dig deeply, honestly, and objectively into their energy and unconscious thought patterns, to assess who they are, and who they want to become, at any given moment. Daniela helps her clients establish and achieve new goals, raise their level of awareness, and open up to new possibilities. The result is sustainable, long-lasting transformation. Daniela holds a BA from the University of Virginia, a JD from American University, Washington College of Law, and a MPA from George Mason University. She also holds a Certified Professional Coach Certification from iPEC. She lives in Gaithersburg, MD with her husband and two young children.Website: www.everydaydaniela.comInstagram: @everydaydanielacoachingLinkedIn: Daniela de la PiedraLike. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

While student loans are easy to get, they aren’t easy to understand or easy to pay off. It doesn’t help that interest rates keep the balance growing despite consistent payments.It is predatory and unfair. Natalie Jean-Baptiste (@slaystudentloandebt), a wellness advocate and student loan relief attorney, who got her start by getting her own $120,000 in student loans discharged in bankruptcy. Today, she helps other borrowers manage and eliminate their student loans.We talk about bankruptcy, the new loan repayment programs, loan forgiveness, and one-time account adjustments, and so much more. About My Guest:Natalie Jean-Baptiste is a financial wellness advocate who works with student loan borrowers to manage and eliminate debt. Prior to launching her consumer bankruptcy practice, Natalie worked for many years in the music industry where she handled various contracts for superstar acts like Alicia Keys & Janet Jackson. Her personal struggle with student loan debt led her to become a bankruptcy attorney. After nearly a decade in private practice, Natalie joined The Legal Aid Society as a Staff Attorney where she represents low-income New Yorkers burdened with debt. Natalie is committed to economic empowerment and advocacy for student loan borrowers. She has had a lot of success with discharging student debt in bankruptcy, which is notoriously difficult to do.  Natalie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University, where she majored in Communication and Media Studies and minored in Business Administration, and her J.D. from New York Law School.  When she’s not advocating for student loan borrowers, Natalie enjoys event planning, the beach, matcha lattes, 90s R&B, traveling and spending time with friends and family. Connect with Natalie:Website: slaystudentloandebt.comLinkedIn: Natalie Jean-BaptisteInstagram: @slaystudentloandebtLike. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

I share a few key life experiences that shaped my perceptions and philosophies about money. Share how my money management style has evolved, leading me to feel the most comfortable, confident, and secure with money than I’ve ever been in my life.  Like. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

We live in a chaotic world. That’s why I feel it’s the perfect time to have my next guest, Celine Kheir @celine_kheir_, on the pod to talk about how we can relieve ourselves of overthinking, procrastination and anxiety. Celine takes us through her journey and shares techniques on how she achieved a calm mind, which is detailed fully in her book “How to Calm Your Mind: The Ultimate Guide to Overcome Overthinking, Procrastination and Anxiety.” About My Guest:Celine Kheir is the founder of Celine Kheir Life Coaching, the author of How to Calm Your Mind and Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Life, and an advocate of female empowerment through self-care. In the past, Celine was trapped in a cycle of overthinking, procrastination, and anxiety. As an overthinker, she was obsessed with planning every detail of her life. Procrastination prevented her from carrying out her plans and when plans failed, anxiety and depression took over. The sheer weight of her anxiety caused her heart to pound and made it hard to breathe. Celine explored various tools and techniques to start calming her mind and took back control of her life. By taking what she has learned from her personal life and combining it with her professional training and qualifications, Celine wants other women to gain the same empowerment as they discover the root causes of their chaotic minds, reveal their inner strengths, find inner peace, and lead a fulfilling life.Connect with  Celine Kheir:https://www.celinekheir.com/pages/homeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/celine_kheir_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091482481916Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/281194654001257Buy book: How to Calm Your Mind: The Ultimate Guide to Overcome Overthinking, Procrastination and AnxietyLike. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

The way life is setup, sometimes it can feel like you spend all of your time reacting to what life throws at you - instead of building the life that you want. It is difficult, but entirely possible to design your life on your terms. It involves vision, persistence and the ability to pivot. My guest, Yadira Santana-Dowling @myintentionaljoy has handcrafted a life that she loves, despite the challenges. We talk about how she has done it, and provide inspiration and some practical steps for you to do it too.About My Guest:Yadira Santana-Dowling, M.A.Yadira is a Director of Strategy & DEI, well versed in the areas of branding and strategic communications, having led strategies for almost 20 years for clients such as: AARP, The Lincoln Motor Company, Dunkin’ Donuts, Walgreens, SCJohnson, Verizon & Buick.  Winning awards and recognition for her work, most recently having won an Effie Award for having developed strategies for AARP’s Multicultural Response to COVID-19, she has provided expert analysis and consultation for various national and global brands.She is passionate about building meaningful relationships between brands and people, and has extensive expertise in the US Hispanic and Urban markets. Yadira is the author of "The Four Day Creative Brief" and an effective communicator with affinity for training, developing talent and passionate about diversifying minds and places.Having earned her bachelor of science in organizational behavior management from the Miami University of Ohio, a master’s degree in strategic planning from the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, and most recently teaching at the Miami Ad School in Punta Cana, DR, her keen insight and understanding help broaden her ability to teach from experience in an easy and approachable way.A native of the Dominican Republic, Yadira resides in Miramar, FL while doing the work she is most proud of - raising her three children: Josiah, Joshua and Eden, alongside her husband Elvin.Interested in crafting your own life of intentional joy? Sign up to be the first to know when her new guided journal “Journey to Joy” launches later this month. Like. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

This week, I’m making the case for quitting…anything. That  job. That friendship. That relationship. That diet.Some things are not worth “toughing it out.”I break it down in this episode.Like. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

This week, #GrownAndGrowingPodcast welcomes S e x Therapist and Pleasure Coach, ChantaBlue (nj_sextherapist).I started this podcast for women who are interested in evolving, discovering more about themselves, and becoming freer in all aspects of life. It’ couldn’t be ‘grown and growing’ without conversations about sexuality, intimacy and pleasure.There are so many layers to this subject, and we start to peel some of those layers back in this conversation with Chanta.About My GuestChanta Blue is an author, speaker and certified s e x therapist. She specializes in working with women of color, and people in romantic relationships who are interested in improving their self-esteem, experiencing sexual difficulties, premarital counseling, and exploring BDSM/kink and consensual non-monogamous relationship styles. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Therapeutic Services at Blue Counseling & Wellness Center, a nutrition and mental health wellness center aimed at empowering, educating, supporting, and guiding those who are looking to transform their lives. She has been featured and worked with several brands including Well + Good, XONecole, Shape, Bustle and Netflix. Connect with Chanta:IG: @NJ_SexTherapistIG: @BlueWellnessCtrNJFB: Blue Counseling & Wellness CenterFB: Chanta Blue, LCSW, CSTWebsites:www.BlueWellnessCenter.combit.ly/forcoloredgirlsbookChanta's Recommendations:fetlife.comLove's Not Color Blind: Race and Representation in Polyamorous and Other Alternative CommunitiesPlaying Well with Others: Your Field Guide to Discovering, Exploring and Navigating the Kink, Leather and BDSM CommunitiesThe Color of Kink: Black Women, BDSM, and PornographyLike. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com

Confidence.  It’s a trait that I’ve pondered over so many times in my life. I’ve read books on it. Took trainings on it. Talked about it in therapy. Prayed about it.In this episode, I’m breaking down what I believe are the three layers of confidence, and how we can tap into each layer individually or collectively to get through any stage of life. Like. Follow. Share. Website: grownandgrowingpodcast.comFacebook: @GrownandgrowingpodcastInstagram: @GrownandgrowingpodcastYouTube: Grown and Growing PodcastEmail: grown.growingpodcast@gmail.com