Adulting 101. A podcast on everything they NEVER taught us in school.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many of us not only emotionally or financially but also mentally. With lockdowns, not being able to see or hug your friends and loved ones, working from home etc. On this episode of Adulting 101 I speak to Psychiatrist, Dr. Kristen-Robinson Barrett who shares with us ways to cope during locks down, how to manage working from home with your kids and significant other and the importance of self-care.

We have all struggled in one way or the other during this pandemic and there is no shame in asking for help when you need it. At the end of the conversation with Dr. Robinson-Barrett I felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel and I was also reminded that I'm not alone in how I feel and that we are all in this together.

Reach out to your friends and family, to your co workers who have not seen in a long time if you are working from home. If you're working from home remember to take breaks, stretch, walk outside and feel the sun on your skin. Remember self care, taking those small moments for yourself, it could be as simple as drinking a cup of chamomile tea at the end of the day. 

You can connect with Dr. Robinson-Barrett on Instagram
You can connect with me on Instagram and share your feedback on this episode and also how you have been coping during the pandemic. 

On the second episode in the Pivoting Series, I interview Marc Chin, DJ of the world-renowned sound Coppershot. Marc Chin's ultimate goal is to bring happiness to people and he surely accomplishes that each times he plays at an event.

In 2020 when COVID-19 hit, Marc made the decision to pivot to real estate. With the support of his family it has been a great transition for him. In the interview Marc also speaks about his mental health during the period and how he dealt with it. His passion for brining happiness to people through music translated to his new role, where he is able to provide people with the security of a new home.

According to Marc the show must go on and we should always strive to be a better version of ourselves each and every day. 

Connect with Marc on Instagram

Connect with me on Instagram or email me at [email protected]

Covid-19 has hit certain industries such as the tourism industry in the Caribbean hard. Persons working in this industry have either lost their jobs or are working and only receiving a percentage of their salary.

In this episode we hear from Kimberly Martin, Assistant Learning and Development Manager at a well known hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica. When Covid-19 hit Jamaica, she had to make a decision to either sit on her hands or find a way to make some extra money. Not only did she have her day to day bills to pay but she also started the process of purchasing a home. Not only was she affected but her spouse who also works in the hotel industry was also affected. They came together to form the MCM Group ( MCM Events Stylist, Merge Creative Media).

The major take away from this episode is that whatever you put your mind to do you can do it. No matter what is happening in your surroundings (pandemic, naysayers ) etc. you can still accomplish your goals.

You can find Kimberly on Instagram as well as her Website

You can find me on Instagram

Many of us are living in areas that are under a stay at home order, bars and restaurants are closed, and many of us are also working form home. The introverts among us are OK but extroverts and persons who like to be outside are not so OK.

On this episode Nicolette Richardson, Curator of The Grown Up Millennial shares with us some very useful tips we can use to help us survive this period. In her blog post #Quarantined: coping in isolation [COVID-19] she shares a number of resources we can use.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did, Nicolette brought hope to our conversation, and lets us know that all things good or bad must come to an end.

Share this episode with your friends and family members who may also need these resources to help them through this period.

Connect with Nicolette:
The Grown Up Millennial
Instagram

Connect with Me:
Instagram

On this episode of Adulting 101, I speak to my very good friend Allison Harvey all about parenting. Allison is a nurse and is married with two kids Madison (4) and Skylar (2).

We speak about, being prepared for kids, child birth, discipline, her style vs her husband's style of parenting among other things. She also shares what shes learnt so far being a parent of 2, as well as some tips and tricks that shes trying out. 

Allison shares that parenting is a journey and everyone's journey is different. What works for you may not work for someone else. Everyone will also want to share what they think is a best practice, but only you and your child knows what's best for both of you. So settle in and enjoy the ride. 

It was so nice we had to do it twice!

On episode 4 of the podcast I featured Kenishia Mais from Thriving Dollars, and the episode was a hit. On this episode we dive into holiday spending and all the things that usually make us go broke during this time of the year, but also how we can come out on top during the new year. 

Kenishia shares with us in a way that we can all understand how we can set up our spending plan aka budget, how to use cash instead of the plastic and some budget friendly gift ideas. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

Remember to share this episode with others. Also share the love by leaving a review and rating on how much you enjoyed the episode.

Connect with Kenishia:
Instagram
Website
Facebook

Connect with Me:
Instagram

In the last episode of the Masters Series I speak with Shikha Lachmandas, Senior Consultant, Talent Acquisition at Scotibank Digital Factory in Toronto Canada who completed her MBA at McMaster Univerity, Degroote School of Business.

During the interview Shikha speaks about the Decision Making Matrix which is a tool persons can use to help them make decisions such as doing a masters or any decision at all in life. She also shared that if someone is considering to do their masters they are to consider the following:

Is it going to drive my career?
Is it going to help me gain the skills that I currently don't have?
Is the financial and mental burden going to be worth it?

Doing this masters series for me was truly an eye opener and I got my questions answered and so much more. I hope if you had a similar question that you gained some insight as well.
If you enjoyed this series please share it with your friends and family who may be considering to do their masters as well. Subscribe as well so you never miss as episode.

Connect with me:
[email protected]
Instagram

Connect with Shikha
LinkedIn

In this new episode of the Masters Series I interview Paige Jackson who completed her masters in Communication for Social Behavior Change with Distinction. She recently presented her thesis on Communication Channels Influence on Parental Attitudes Towards Nutrition of Children with Disabilities at the 64th Annual CARPHA Health Research Conference in Trinidad. 

While doing her masters she was also the President for the Rotaract Club of St.Andrew and working in a full time job, in the interview Paige shares that it was her determination to finish the program that took her through those difficult periods.

Thinking of doing your master? Paige expresses as the other persons I've interviewed that if you have no WHY then there is no purpose. The consistent theme of having a WHY rings loudly in the episodes thus far.

Loving the series? Share with your friends and family, leave a comment and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Connect with me:
[email protected]
Instagram

In the second episode of the Masters Series I speak to Laura Calabrese (LC), Science Teacher who is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Educational Leadership. LC has two kids, a husband, works and goes to school full time.

This episode is for anyone with a family or has a reason why they think pursuing a masters may seem to be hard because the situation is not "right". LC shares that the perfect time to get it done is now because the situation will never be right.

If you are enjoying these episodes be sure to subscribe so you will never miss a new episode and be sure to share with your friends and family.

Connect with Me:
[email protected]
Instagram

As I continue to grow in my career, I'm haunted by the question of; Should I get my masters? To help me answer this question I have enlisted the help of a few of my friends who have either gone through the process or are currently going through it.

My first guest is Gareth Burrowes, Head of Product and Growth at The Tech Connection in Boston, Massachusetts. Gareth received a dual masters in Computer Science as well as an MBA. During this interview Gareth brought up a key point of WHY are you considering to do your masters. If it is just to learn something new then in this day and age of technology we can learn anything we want online without having to spend so much money to do so.  We must therefore consider the following:  are you doing it for a promotion, to aid in migration (moving to another country) or to help you move along on your career path.

This interview is the first in the series, I hope at the end of the series your questions and mine are answered and we have a clearer picture as to whether or not we should go ahead with this step.

Connect with me:
[email protected]
Instagram

Connect with Gareth:
The Tech Connection
Instagram