I've Been Thinking...

A mistake was made in the introduction, in naming Soyini as the Founder of City Safe Partners. She is the owner.

A conversation with Founder and Business Designer, Nagela Dales about the journey to not grow her start-up but support the start-up journey of other founders. Join us for a conversation with Nagela, a first-generation Caribbean founder and Brooklyn girl who leads with curiosity and uses humor as a tool for real connection. Her ability to use imagination for healing, liberation, and community intimacy is to be admired. She is a designer and strategist dedicated to building things designed to reallocate time, social, financial, and health wealth to Black and Brown people in their everyday lives. She is a strong advocate for the dignity of the work, ideas, creative expressions, innovations, and opportunities of Black and Brown people here in America and throughout the diaspora.

Learn more about Dr. Taniqua Miller's Boundless Midlife™ Burnout Recovery Program

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About Taniqua Miller, MD

Dr. Taniqua Miller received her undergraduate degree in psychology at Yale University. After completing her medical degree at Harvard Medical School, she completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. As a 1st generation college graduate and physician, she is a committed educator and advocate for underrepresented medical students and physician trainees. She has been recognized by the Emory School of Medicine and the Association of Professors in Gynecology and Obstetrics for her teaching excellence and innovative curriculum development. After 14 years of practice, Dr. Miller took a step back from clinical care to center herself and her journey of burnout. She tells her own story of professional burnout to empower other women over 40 to live a boundless midlife. She is a wife, mother of three children, and the founder of TaniquaMD, an educational platform for women in midlife. In her spare time, she loves to sleep, visit the beach, and hang out on the couch with her family.

Just in time for Liver Cancer Awareness Month, we interview Donna R. Cryer, JD Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Global Liver Institute. GLI is the only patient-driven liver health nonprofit operating across the US, EU, and the UK. GLI convenes the NASH, Liver Cancer and Pediatric and Rare Liver Disease Councils, as well as the Liver Action Network, collectively more than 200 organizations. In the episode we chat with Mrs. Cryer about how she has channeled her personal experience as a patient with inflammatory bowel disease and a liver transplant recipient into professional advocacy across a career in law, policy, consulting, public relations, clinical trial recruitment, and nonprofit management. At GLI, Mrs. Cryer has raised more than $10 million for liver health initiatives. Among her many accomplishments with GLI, she developed a program featured by the White House on Solving Organ Shortage/Transplantation. She has launched numerous other successful programs at GLI, including the Cure Campaign, Advanced Advocacy Academy (A3), Liver Matters Blog, Liver Matters Health Policy Memo, the NASH Council, the Liver Cancers Council, and the Pediatric and Rare Liver Diseases Council.

With tech layoffs and job offers being rescinded, all against the backdrop of an impending recession and a never-ending pandemic, career anxiety is at an all-time high. We're talking all about professional anxiety, career fear, and work worry with Clinical Psychologist, Author, and Content Creator Dr. Jessica Borushok, Ph.D., C.Psych. Dr. Jessica helps busy minds get unstuck, out of their own way, and back to their best selves. Through one-on-one work in private practice and her popular course, Busy Mind Reboot: 30 Days to Your Best Self, Dr. Jessica has helped hundreds of productive procrastinators, overwhelmed high-achievers, recovering perfectionists, and self-proclaimed "control freaks" transform their relationship with their thoughts and optimize their world. As an award-winning author and recognized expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dr. Jessica has co-authored numerous books and self-growth tools, including The ACT Deck. She has been featured in The List TV, Art of Charm Podcast, Thrive Global, and The Good Men Project. Follow Dr. Jessica at any one of the links below. Therapy: https://www.busymindreboot.com Website: https://www.busymindpsychologist.com instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theacttherapist tiktok: @theacttherapist youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU32xZFYYe0D2CQD9g4AawA

One of my favorite guests to date, Tia Fowlkes joins the podcast to share how she navigates bringing her authentic self to every space she occupies. Tia is a recent Computer Science graduate of Michigan State University. While her minor was in business, she entered the tech industry to explore her passion for customer satisfaction and fostering a culture of diversity & inclusion. Tia joined Google in February 2021 as program manager for the Beta Testing team within Google Hardware. As a Detroit native, she spends her free time making websites, sewing, and raising her french bulldog, Zeus! Tia is also a freelance website designer who helps students and professionals improve their resumé by transferring it to their personal website. She also helps small businesses that are looking to establish their website before an upcoming launch. You can receive a free consultation at www.tialeefowlkes.com.

Season 2, Episode 2 brings a conversation about Black Female Artistic Vision with artist Stephanie Gowdy also known as Alyrical. She is a visual artist born and raised in South Florida. As an artist, Alyrical works with acrylic on canvas along with mixed media graphite and charcoal on paper for portraits. Despite her many struggles in life such as being diagnosed with epilepsy, divorce, and literally losing sight, and becoming legally blind Alyrical continues to use her inner vision to live out her purpose. Alyrical's vision is that art can be for everyone, using it to not only create awareness for multiple topics but bring society together. One of her favorite bible verses is Proverbs 29:18 "where here is no vision people perish." Alyrical refuses to allow her life setbacks, health issues, or the loss of her sight to stop her from sharing her vision and inspiring others to follow their dreams. Website: www.alyrical.com IG: @alyrical

We sit down for a candid conversation with CEO and Founder of The Boreland Group Inc., JENNEFER WITTER

Jennefer Witter is the chief executive officer and founder of The Boreland Group Inc. (TBG – www.theborelandgroup.com), an 18-year-old boutique public relations firm headquartered in New York City. The agency specializes in women-led and minority-owned businesses as well as grassroots non-profits. It was selected by TheStreet.com as one of five national, Black-owned businesses “making a buzz”. Jennefer was named one of the nation’s “10 most successful black CEOS and entrepreneurs” by MadameNoire Magazine, and her company was recently recognized as one of 12 black-owned businesses to be “loved by its community and beyond” by ThriveGlobal (https://tinyurl.com/y7k4a6hw).

Jennefer is an active public speaker, with presentations to military, trade and academic organizations on implicit bias; gender-based workplace conversation; and public relations, communication and professional growth topics. Venues include TedX Albany: The Pentagon; The Brookings Institution; Pennsylvania Conference for Women; the Virginia Business Conference; The Sea Service Leadership Association’s Annual Symposium; Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Program; The Durst Corporation; Ellevate Network; Columbia University; American University and Fordham University. Jennefer was the keynote speaker at Brown Brothers Harriman’s “Women’s Summit” and Women in Cable Telecommunications DC/Baltimore Chapter. She is a featured speaker with Never Stop Learning, a boutique speakers bureau.

Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Quick Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed,” published by HarperCollins. She has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, the Associated Press, TheStreet.com, Bloomberg Radio, MarketWatch Radio Network and WJLA. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, Medium, HuffPost and numerous small business publications. Previously, she was the public relations expert for Inc.com TV and a contributor to AOL Small Business.

Jennefer is a passionate advocate for women in the workplace. She is an active member of Ellevate Network, a global networking organization for professional women, and serves on the advisory board for Women inPower, a 92nd Street Y-led venture that seeks to support and promote senior-level professional women to C-level positions. She is a mentor to many women in various professional fields.

Jennefer was formerly a vice president at Ketchum, an award-winning global communications firm. There, she launched a sub-practice that generated one million dollars in revenue in its first year. She represented numerous corporations from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, including IBM and FedEx.

Jennefer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications (Print Journalism) from New York City’s Fordham University. While at Fordham, she worked at WFUV Radio, which was then student-run. She produced and hosted the weekly black public affairs program, “Out Front.” Jennefer received a Regents Diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the country’s premier STEM schools, graduating with an A average.

When we chose November 7, 2020 as the date to have this panel discussion, Lessons Learned, I knew we would be post-election and that it would inform a conversation with fellow Women of Color. What I did not anticipate is that just a few hours before recording, we would find out that we would be living through the knowledge that the First Woman of Color would be named to Vice President-elect.

With a global pandemic, massive changes in the dialogue around race and equality, and industry on the verge of collapse, 2020 brought many painful inflection points for many. For Bryetta Calloway, Actress, Singer, Producer, and Storyteller, it also gave birth to a podcast, I've Been Thinking..., that would be a place of painful, fun, cathartic, and necessary conversations. With these conversations spanning issues such as arts and advocacy, diversity in theatre and Hollywood, and how to navigate an ever-shifting global economy, she has built a tribe of amazing Black and Brown voices that are engaging, exciting, and empowering. With less than two months left in what is a historically painful year, she is bringing together a group of Black and Brown women who have challenged her, inspired her, and encouraged her. This FREE event is a must-attend for anyone looking to attach language to the lessons this year has brought and, more importantly, to share how these lessons, painful, powerful, and positive, will inform the way we show up in 2021.

Listen to a very special episode featuring:

Artist and Founder of Jalloh Studios, Mariama Jalloh

Actress and Founder of Black Girls Do Theater, Renee Harrison

Actress, Brennyn Lark

Actress, Ashley Versher, and

Actress and Activist, Nikita Chaudhry

Maggie Bera is an NYC-based actress with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Texas State University. Regionally she's performed at the Fireside Theatre, Theatre Under The Stars, and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Maggie has also guest-starred in Showtime's The Big C starring Laura Linney, and has appeared in numerous commercials, print and radio ads. She is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.

In 2017, Maggie created Actor Aesthetic - a blog, podcast, and online learning community - to continue educating artists pursuing a career in the theatre industry. She currently has four online courses available, including The Essential Guide to Instagram for Actors, Build Your Audition Book, How To Successfully Submit To Casting Directors (Without An Agent Or Manager), and The Ultimate Guide To Preparing For Musical Theatre College Auditions (In 5 Steps!). In early 2020, she wrote her first e-Book, Marketing 101 For Actors: An Actor’s Guide To Successful Branding, and has since taught her workshop, An Actor’s Online Presence, to college programs in the United States.