Couched in Color Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble

In this episode, guest Morgann Noble, daughter of Dr. Alfiee and an intern at The AAKOMA Project, gives unique insights for parents about the challenges that children of color experience.
With a passion for bringing ideas to life, Morgann calls herself “a dreamer” at The AAKOMA Project, with a long list of people of influence she would like to engage in the non-profit’s mental health initiatives.
 
Topics covered in this interview:
The anxiety that arose for Morgann growing up affluent as a person of color with well-educated parents in what was considered a progressive community.  Her school experiences did not reflect that external progressive image. In 7th grade, Morgann was taunted by two boys for her hair.  That story is now part of Morgann’s appearance in Dove’s “The Real Cost of Beauty Campaign”. Messages that parents need to hear about the challenges young people of color have trying to fit in, and how important it is also to have frivolous conversations as well as talk about more serious issues with their children. Morgann’s passion for business, with appreciation for the example of watching her mom, Dr. Alfiee, succeed as an entrepreneur. Her internship experience at The AAKOMA Project, which is Dr. Alfiee’s non-profit organization. The dream to get Jonathan Majors of The Harder They Fall and some role models in the NFL and elsewhere involved in the project. Morgann’s learning to assert herself with others to meet deadlines and set priorities at the non-profit.  
About Morgann Noble:
Morgann Noble is a rising sophomore marketing major at Howard University. She aspires to be Chief Marketing Officer in a Fortune 100 company and is passionate about business, social justice and reading. Recently, Morgann starred in Dove’s national campaign, “The Real Cost of Beauty,” where she recalls a time when her hair and skin were ridiculed by her peers. 
As an intern at The AAKOMA Project, Morgann works with different partners to move the conversation surrounding mental health from concept to action. She plans to pursue a career in sports marketing, public relations, or advertising.
 
Follow Morgann:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/morgann-noble-15682420a
Twitter: https://twitter.com/morgannnoble
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannnoble/
 
Follow Dr. Alfiee:
Website:  https://dralfiee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralfiee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dralfiee
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralfiee/
Website: https://dralfiee.com
 
Find out more about the AAKOMA Project here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTKmYKi24I
 
Season 3 Produced By: https://socialchameleon.us
More Couched in Color: https://dralfiee.com/podcast
Music Produced by: Mark “King” Batson (Super Producer of your favorite artists and Grammy award-winner for albums with Eminem and Beyoncé)

In this episode, guest Shaka Senghor shares his inspiring story from incarceration to becoming a two times bestselling author, influencer and one of Oprah’s “SuperSoul 100” – teaching lessons of redemption and vulnerability to the masses.
He grew up spending 19 years in prison, seven of them in solitary confinement. Through reflection and writing, he later came to understand his story of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  At age 17, he was shot multiple times, and also has two brothers who were shot, one of whom ended up paralyzed. 
At the same time, he takes full responsibility for the death of another, which sent him to prison. Shaka is grateful for the many “incredible mentors” who believed in him, and offered suggested readings for moving forward.


Topics covered in this interview:
The reflective time in solitary confinement that helped him create his first bestseller, Writing My Wrongs, Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-My-Wrongs-Redemption-American/dp/1101907312. How being a father impacted his second book that just came out in January, 2022, Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father's Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom
https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Sons-Society-Fathers-Invitation/dp/059323801X. Here is a review of that book by The Chicago Tribune: “If you want to peer into a heart, if you want a story of brokenness and healing and fury and redemption and humanity, if you want to envision a different, better way forward, Senghor’s letters are a beautiful place to begin.” Changing the narrative for Black men, into worthiness, beyond being a provider and protector.  Dr. Alfiee also noted research showing that Black men are the single most present ethnic group to their children even when they are the non-custodial parent.  Shaka being “an authentic survivor,” loved up by “brothers” who saw value in him in prison, and how he now mentors other “young brothers”--living what he talks about, and challenges them while winning.  Shaka shares three ways to instill a greater sense of self-love: Journaling, and start by asking: “How did I get here, to this point in life?” ”Meditate to get it straight,” which can be “horrifying” at first to sit with one’s self. Personal affirmations, to think into existence what you desire. Running  “a unicorn startup,” that went from $0 revenue to $7 billion valuation in 20 months, by helping build culture in corporations. Closing words, his mantra, which he contributed to in the song “Composure” by Nas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-gYa5dk-8M): “Keep your composure. And believe in the magic of who we are. 'Cause what you believe is everything. And what someone believes about you, is nothing. Keep your composure.”  
About Shaka Senghor:
New York Times bestselling author, speaker and influencer; one of Oprah’s “SuperSoul 100”
Shaka Senghor is the Head of Sales and Success Culture at TripActions. He is also the President of Shaka Senghor, Inc., and Founder of Redeemed Sole.
His memoir, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison, debuted on The New York Times and The Washington Post Best Seller Lists. Shaka’s widely anticipated sophomore book, Letters to the Sons of Society, was released in January 2022.
Shaka is a former MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow and a former Fellow in the inaugural class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network. His 2014 TED Talk was featured in their “Year in Ideas” roundup and has over 1.7 million views. In 2021, he was featured on the Nas track Composure.
Shaka is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2012 Black Male Engagement (BME) Leadership Award, the 2015 Manchester University Innovator of the Year Award, the 2016 FORD Man of Courage Award, and the 2016 NAACP Great Expectations Award. He was recognized by OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) as a “Soul Ignite

In this episode, guest Kheira Bekkadja, a Muslim Algerian American college student making an impact in mental health, inspires listeners with her insights on grounding in self-care and positive affirmations.

As an example, she shares the Muslim practice of praying five times, at set times during the day, as challenging as it can be to stay persistent.  There are movements that go with the prayer, including putting the forehead on the floor, which helps release negative energy and connect with God. “My faith is what rejuvenates me,” Kheira says.

Surrounding oneself with good people is another way she recommends staying grounded. 
 
Topics covered in this interview:
Kheira juggles being a college student, majoring in civil engineering, and doing mental health advocacy work. The importance of finding ways to “fill your cup” as it’s very easy to get burned out and saturated working in mental health.  The ways she builds bridges structurally (through civil engineering) and by de-stigmatizing mental health. Kheira’s selection for, and later participation in, the MTV Youth Action Forum sponsored by the Biden-Harris administration. The goal of the Forum is to “share and tell everyone healing is within you.” She continues working on creating culturally relevant campaigns for MTV. She and Dr. Alfiee both share poignant moments of what it was like to be at the White House that day, when the Forum came together, and meeting the president and his wife, and being in the nation’s capital. Kheira’s desire to be a role model, especially after not seeing herself fully reflected back with other Muslim Algerian Americans in the audience- as beautifully diverse and culturally rich as it was. She shares many inspiring quotes of self-talk and how she empowers herself, and listens to others with empathy versus judgment.  
About Kheira Bekkadja:
Kheira Bekkadja is a second-year student at George Mason University, working to build bridges [literally] by studying civil & infrastructure engineering and [figuratively] de-stigmatizing mental health and youth empowerment. 
Through her experiences as being a Muslim Algerian American Woman, Kheira worked alongside Our Minds Matter (OMM) which has enabled her with the courage to openly speak up about her challenges in hopes of inspiring others to be the healthiest versions of themselves. She has also had the chance to share her story at Harvard University’s National Muslim Women’s Summit 2020, The Global Health Leaders Conference at Johns Hopkins University, and advocate with VOICE-IAF, This is My Brave, and Promote Care Prevent Harm. This past May, Kheira had the incredible and life-changing opportunity to be selected as one of the mental health youth action forum participants where she and the #HiddenHealers team are working to cultivate creative mental health campaigns to help inspire culturally-relevant healing and action. Kheira finds great joy in making others smile and helping them to believe in their best selves! 
 
Follow Kheira:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kheirabekkadja/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kheirabekkadja/
 
Follow Dr. Alfiee:
Website:  https://dralfiee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralfiee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dralfiee
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralfiee/
Website: https://dralfiee.com
 
Find out more about the AAKOMA Project here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTKmYKi24I
 
Season 3 Produced By: https://socialchameleon.us
 
More Couched in Color: https://dralfiee.com/podcast

Music Produced by: Mark “King” Batson (Superproducer of your favorite artists and Grammy award-winner for albums with Eminem and Beyoncé)

In this episode, 24-year-old guest Gigi Robinson, a master content creator, graduate student and model, shares insights for living with chronic illness and addressing mental health issues, inspired to use her story to move the masses through her highly successful social media channels.
She calls the Internet “an oyster” for Gen Zers to see beyond the corporate world and live their dreams, based on their unique passions and dreams.
Topics covered in this interview:

Sharing the vulnerabilities that come with chronic illness and mental health issues to help others (and letting go of the stigmas related to getting therapy). Gen Z opportunities to create new careers for themselves on the Internet, as guest Gigi did, with an average of 100K TikTok views daily. The Internet has become “a game changer” for work and also for sharing chronic illness and mental health challenges. The “Elder Millennial” as described by Stand-Up Comedian Iliza Shelsinger on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWsJPr3ML4M and  her related Netflix Show: https://www.netflix.com/title/802136582. The burnout that comes from being an influencer, and “saying yes to everything.” Gigi’s contract with Spotify for “Everything you need is within” podcast (link below at end), which is Gigi’s mantra. Gigi’s selection for consideration as a model for the first “chronically ill” person to be represented in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition–as a 5’4” inch, 165-pound model of “empowerment.” Brands heavily female-dominated giving “everyone a seat at the table.” Struggle through college is “very normal”–mental health and weight will fluctuate, with this time period being the first time many are on their own. Know where to look for help, follow influencers and mental health resources. About Gigi Robinson:
Gigi Robinson is a digital artist, health & wellness advocate, current M.S. Candidate, and graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelors in Fine Arts, Design, and Photography. She has strong presences across TikTok (100k views on average)and Instagram (15.5k+ followers), and, as of this year, she has been developing her YouTube and Podcast content. 
Living with chronic illnesses, she has been challenged in many ways with everyday tasks, such as showering, cooking, walking, and even sitting down. Despite all of the physical and psychological challenges that threatened the path to becoming who she is today, she has challenged adversity and dedicated a majority of her life to become a master content creator, always keeping her values of creating positive and impactful messages to her diverse audience as a priority.
 
Follow Gigi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsgigirobinson/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsgigirobinson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsgigirobinson
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everything-you-need-is-within/id1584177000
 
Follow Dr. Alfiee:
Website:  https://dralfiee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralfiee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dralfiee
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralfiee/
Website: https://dralfiee.com
 
Find out more about the AAKOMA Project here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTKmYKi24I
 
Season 3 Produced By: https://socialchameleon.us
 
More Couched in Color: https://dralfiee.com/podcast

Music Produced by: Mark “King” Batson (Superproducer of your favorite artists and Grammy award-winner for albums with Eminem and Beyoncé)

In this episode, singer-songwriter Brooke Simpson, who just made her Broadway debut in the revival of 1776, shares the impact her culture as an Indigenous woman has had on her creativity.
From her early days dressing and dancing for her tribe’s “pow wow” ceremonies, she learned “to bleed creativity” into the foundation of who she is today.  
She has been a finalist for both The Voice and America’s Got Talent, and she also represents Nike's N7 campaign for Indigenous youth, supporting their mental health by promoting movement.  Brooke sees her style of movement as being on stage singing, and her message in the campaign is “When you hear me, you hear us.” She loves shining her light as an example for other Indigenous people, to see someone who looks like themselves successfully performing.
Topics covered in this interview:

–Brooke “camouflaging” herself as one of five people of color growing up to fit in, while in school.
–The power of her culture and community –from the trauma many moved through that is still “in the bones”–to their strength, resilience, passion and heart that manifests in her life in a different way today.
–Her regret at not trying out to be “princess” in her tribe.
–When performance anxiety shows up, Brooke remembers that she is a model for the next generation to look up to, so they know there is a space for them to succeed as well.
–Representing the Nike N7 campaign and changing the slogan for the song she sings. She got introduced to Nike from Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas, who is also Indigenous.
–Getting the part portraying Sir Roger Sherman in the revival of the Broadway musical 1776, which was like moving from “black and white to color, opening a whole new world of possibilities for creative sparkle.”  
–A poignant moment when she shares the piece of clothing she wears in the musical that belonged to her father, and was created by a cousin at age 12.
–The excitement, fun, and power of being part of a racially diverse cast.

About Brooke Simpson
Singer-songwriter, actor, creative, dancer and actor
From recording her first song at the age of two years old to charting Top 10 in the iTunes and Billboard charts, Brooke Simpson is no stranger to music. She is a powerhouse vocalist who is passionate about music, people and her culture. Brooke is a full blooded Native American and is a member of the Haliwa Saponi Tribe of North Carolina.
Brooke has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Sia, Taboo (of The Black Eyed Peas), Bishop Briggs, Allen Stone and more. She also was a Top 3 finalist on Season 13 of NBC’s The Voice and even more recently was a Top 4 finalist on Season 16 of America’s Got Talent, where Simon Cowell compared her vocals to legendary singers Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia!
While touring, writing, and recording her upcoming album, Brooke has released multiple singles including "Little Bit Crazy", "Stick Like Honey", and her newest release, "Haliwa." Brooke, as well as her new single, were recently featured in a global Nike7 campaign for Indigenous youth. https://www.nike.com/n7-native-american-indigenous-heritage.
Brooke is now in the midst of making her Broadway debut in the revival of the Tony Award-winning musical 1776, directed by Diane Paulus and Jeffrey Page.


Follow Brooke:
Website:  https://brookesimpsonmusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookesimpsonofficial
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/brookesimpsonofficial/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/brookesimpson
 
Follow Dr. Alfiee:
Website:  https://dralfiee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralfiee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dralfiee
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralfiee/
Website: https://dralfiee.com
 
Find out more about the AAKOMA Project here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTKmYKi24I
 
Season 3 Produced By: https://socialchameleon.us
 
More Couched in Color: https://d

Couched In Color | Season 3 | Episode 11
In this episode, guest Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, a pediatric psychologist, parent coach and widely followed social media expert, shares profound insights on ways to create a healthy mindset that takes the blame off the child. This mindset empowers parents and primary caregivers.
Many parents come to the role without a plan, based on what they saw growing up, not understanding that it is normal to experience both positive and negative sides to parenting.  “If I knew parenting was going to be this hard, I wouldn’t have signed up for it,” is one of the most common phrases she hears.
With compassion, and her own understanding as a mother of a 9- and 12-year-old, she talks openingly about her own parenting journey..
Raised as “an Island girl,” by a single mom in St. Croix,  in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dr. Lockhart grew up in a culture where you did not talk about your feelings or problems, and “everything was swept under the rug.”  In later life, she was drawn to psychology after witnessing disadvantaged groups and seeing they needed help.
She has a passion for intervening with children at an early age, which can have a huge impact.
Topics covered in this interview:
–The power of social media in allowing Dr. Lockhart to educate and inform in direct and real ways, versus all the “overprocessing” sometimes done in mental health.  Here is an example of a recent Instagram post:  “Five ways to restore your relationship with your tween/teen.”
–The parents’ unmet needs are often the cause of their reactions, such as getting mad or yelling, not the child’s behavior, according to Dr. Lockhart.
--Parents should ask: “What is this behavior from a child triggering for me?” 
–Overwhelmed parents need to have a goal.  They can be on different pages with each other, but they need to be on the same team, so they can better understand their kids/teenagers.
–You can influence your child, but It’s not good or bad parenting that creates good or bad kids. “They are a separate being with a free will just like we are,” she says.
–Two takeaways that parents of teenagers need to hear:
Teenagers often feel misunderstood. Helping them feel understood opens doors “to a lot of personal stuff” they normally wouldn't tell the parent.
Don’t take their behavior personally.
–The importance of mindset. All expectations of children–about why they’re supposed to obey, or stay in bed, when they are supposed to potty train, what kinds of grades they're supposed to get, and how athletic they are–are all mindset.
–Being “thoughtful, mindful and vigilant” as a parent is important, according to Dr. Alfiee.
–It’s often the parents who need to be educated, not the kids who need “to be fixed.”  Parents sometimes use the child as a shield for their own issues, afraid of the stigma around mental health to seek help for themselves.
About Dr. Ann-Louise T. Lockhart, PsyD, ABPP:
Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart is president and owner of A New Day Pediatric Psychology in San Antonio, TX. She is a pediatric psychologist, parent coach, wife of 23 years, a mom of two kids and has more than 16 years of experience in her field.
She serves as a parent coach for those who have kids and teens with behavioral and emotional regulation concerns, or been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, or who are highly sensitive.
Dr. Lockhart has spoken nationally at schools, conferences, online podcasts, summits, and corporate workshops for topics about ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning, emotional dysregulation, and racism.
She has been interviewed and quoted in multiple online and print publications, including ABC News, the New York Times, New York Post, Pure Wow, MSN, Fatherly, Essence, HuffPost, San Antonio Magazine, Veronica Beard, Parents Magazine, and Therapy for Black Girls podcast. She is a freelance writer for PBS Kids for Parents, PureWow, and a contributor fo