This...I...Do...For...Me: Over 50, Black and Fabulous‪!‬ Robin Tillotson

I had the best time with Nakeisha Rodgers, M.D., a Geriatrician and Internist.  In this interview, Dr. Nakeisha shares what drew her to working with senior citizens, why she sees them as savvy seniors and how she approaches her training with medical professionals so that they begin to transform how they view and interact with this population.  Additionally, she shares the content of the progressive training she offers to her colleagues — other physicians, medical aides,  social workers/therapists, etc.

Dr. Nakeisha is a dual board Internist and Geriatrician, best-selling author, and national speaker from the beautiful island of the Bahamas. She is the daughter of two retired educators whose love for the classroom shaped her own passion for teaching.
She has over a decade of experience caring for hundreds of complex geriatric patients with multiple medical needs. Through her books, dynamic in-person and virtual workshops, and online educational resources, she equips medical professionals with the tools needed to help savvy seniors age like royalty.

Dr. Nakeisha earned her Associate's Degree in Biochemistry from the University of the Bahamas. She then completed her Bachelor’s in Biology at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada. She matriculated at the University of West Indies medical school graduating with an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery). She later completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the Yale New Haven Health Bridgeport Program. She was awarded a Fellowship degree in Geriatrics from the prestigious Harvard Medical School.

She is the CEO of Age Like Royalty LLC, geared at changing the perception of aging. A creative at heart, Dr. Nakeisha teaches key geriatric principles in a creative, simple format so that medical professionals can provide comprehensive, compassionate geriatric care the Dr. Nakeisha way!

Dr. Nakeisha has the pleasure and privilege of mentoring the next generation of brilliant minds. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Internal and Geriatric Medicine in Florida. To rejuvenate she enjoys spending quality time with her parents and family, listening to music, dancing, and engaging in the creative arts.

Dr. Nakeisha looks forward to sharing her priceless secrets with your organization, so your seniors can age like royalty.
 
Dr. Nakeisha’s Website
www.drnakeishamd.com 
 
Dr. Nakeisha’s book — SECRETS OF SASSY, SAVVY SENIORS
Secrets of Sassy, Savvy Seniors: Aging Like Royalty Roadmap
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Secrets of Sassy, Savvy Seniors: Aging Like Royalty Roadmap
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Dr. Nakeisha’s Online Course — SECRETS OF SAAVY ONLINE COURSE
Secrets of Savvy Seniors Caregiver Edition
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Dr. Nakeisha’s Advisory Board Consultancy
International Caregivers Association

 https://www.icacares.com/advisory-board 
 

Quilts by Khristel Johnson 
  
In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Fiber Historian 
Khristel Johnson, who in her own words says:  
 
“As a student of life, mother of two, and educator for over 30 years, I have always celebrated learning. I mastered my subject matter during my years as a teacher and engaged in retelling the story of American history as presented in the assigned textbooks. While I often questioned the universal narrative, I complied with teaching mandates. It would be years later when I was faced with a significant racially motivated challenge as an administrator that I began to seek comfort through the stories and history of my African ancestors.  I learned far more than I could have ever imagined. What began with a single discovery about "Pit Schools" quickly transformed into a series of unplanned fabric squares that I later constructed into my first 3-part series entitled, From the Plantation to the White House. 
 
Driven by a growing hunger for knowledge and a desire to answer plaguing questions about American history, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. The more I knew, the more I wanted to know.  Soon this singular self-serving mission broadened as I began to share the often-omitted experience of African Americans from the pages of textbooks used in classrooms across America.   This was the unplanned beginning of quilts by Khristel Johnson.
 
Utilizing authentic African fabrics and beads I began experimenting with colors and designs meant to be visually inviting.  My acquired knowledge and the integration of three-dimensional handmade art furthered this objective, resulting in a collection of 60 quilts.  
 
It is my sincere hope that I can in some way inspire others to embark on their personal journey and seek amore inclusive, accurate and comprehensive understanding of the African American Experience.”
 
NAMES OF QUILTS KHRISTEL HAS CREATED:
2020 African Americans Applique African Diaspora Art of the Steal American History Black Cowboys 1 Black Cowboys 2 (lg) Black Excellence Black Experience (plantation to WH) Black Lives Matter Black Minds Matter (BMM) Black Power (Past, Present & Future) Black Veterans 
ote (V) Blacknificant Buffalo Soldiers Change (Plantation to WH) Chickasaw Family Qlt Connections Descendents of Greatness Family Tree Freedom Riders Good Hair Herstory Honoring Our Ancestors (V) Hope (Plantation to WH) In My Lifetime Institutional Racism (BLM) Malcom X (Past, Present & Future) Red Summer of 1919 Ghana-Footsteps of our ancestors Quilt Codes (6/1/24) Black Farmers (5/1/2024) What have you got to lose? (Voting Series) We Are One (Gullah and Geechee)Tuskegee Airmen Tree of Wisdom Middle Passage Transatlantic 3/5th The Truth (BMM) Historical Reckoning Student Voices Strange Fruit A Stolen People (slavery) Stay Woke (BMM) Stevenson Family Quilt Resistence (Slavery) Power and Privilege (BLM) Plantations (slavery series) A Different PerspectiveMarketing of Human LivesMandelaHerstoryVote (part of Black vote series)Adinkra (small)
 
To view Khristel’s work, please visit her website:
 
 
Quiltsbykj.com
Email: kjohnson@quiltsbykj.com
 

Once a year, I get to interview someone who is under the age of 50 to highlight their body of work, especially when they have been intentional about involving older Black women.  
 
Tameka Lawson is a force, and her organization Restored Hope empowers Black women and girls to move beyond the everyday cycles of violence and trauma while working toward discovering inner peace and resiliency within themselves, their families and their communities. Restored Hope offers after school and in school programs that empower young women through trauma informed yoga, various social service resources, and workshops for women. Tameka Lawson is an Advocate for Social Change and is the Founder of the Selah Center for Healing.  
 
Tameka Lawson has been a revered community activist for years, advocating for social change through her work in mindfulness programs in Chicago's Englewood community. Through her efforts, she provided organizations with the tools of mindfulness and yoga to combat the violence that community members often faced. Tameka and Restored Hope received accolades from former First Lady Michelle Obama for the phenomenally impactful work that she is doing. 
 
During a public health brigade in 2019, Tameka recognized that Black diasporans returning to the continent often lacked a proper space to process their experiences fully. This realization led to the creation of the Selah Center for Healing. The center, located in Elmina, Ghana, will offer workshops, yoga, reiki and other forms of healing to help individuals process the information that their bodies receive after visiting the slave grounds. It is expected to open in the spring of 2024.  Tameka is also escorting five African American girls (ages 15-18) to Elmina/Cape Coast, Ghana. There she will connect them to the Ghanaian girls who she works with around the body-mind connection, meditation and leadership development. They will the tour slave dungeons and more importantly process jointly what this experience means for the girls from both sides of the Atlantic. If you would like to assist Tameka by sponsoring a girl, making a financial contribution or helping to provide feminine products, you can connect with Tameka through Restored Hopes’s social media pages, the website or by going directly to Amazon (see link below) to view the organization’s wish list.
 
 
Check out my list on Amazon
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Tameka is a certified trauma-informed yoga teacher, having trained under renowned teachers like Seane Corn and Catherine Ashton. Her vinyasa flow yoga classes challenge students to express their intentions as they work toward inner healing and empowerment. Her work has been featured in over 20 media publications, including People Magazine and The Doctors TV show. She is also a United Nations Delegate to the Commission of the Status of Women conference. But above all, Tameka is proud to be a mother of her four amazuping children Christopher Jr., Joshua, Ziya-Angeline and Elijah-Michael.

RESTORED HOPE’S FACEBOOK PAGE
Restored Hope | Chicago IL
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INSTAGRAM PAGE/LINK FOR RESTORED HOPE
 
https://www.instagram.com/restoredhopeorg?igsh=dnVsdWR5NW1mMnNw&utm_source=qr
 
 
 
WEBSITE FOR RESTORED HOPE
 
Reminding Women to Breathe
restoredhopechicago.org



 
 
 

Sharon Ehrlich (ERR-lick) is proud, Bronx-raised native New Yorker. 
 
Sharon’s business career started in the health care industry where she spent nearly a decade in hospital administration at a major NYC hospital.  
 
A love story led to her permanently relocate to Austria. With this move she pivoted her career to IT working for IBM for over a decade and led teams throughout Europe, Turkey, and Russia.  
 
Sharon followed her passion for educating future leaders and spent 14 years as an Adjunct Professor of Business Management at a local university.
 
Sharon’s interest in professional development resulted in a career shiftto Sales Readiness and Enablement where she provided strategic leadership for large multinational organizations at both the European and global executive level.
 
Sharon is a passionate advocate for female empowerment, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and has been invited to share her views and lived experiences as a keynote speaker, podcast guest and webinar panelist.
 
Sharon is the founder of Living While Leading, a premier executive coaching service which focuses on supporting women IT executives in their quest to optimize their lives so that they can live and work authentically and in alignment with their priorities and values. 
 
She also hosts the Living While Leading Podcast, a weekly podcast which focuses on topics related to women in leadership and female empowerment. 
 
Sharon resides in Vienna with her husband and has an adult son.
 
In this episode, Sharon highlights and expounds on how she works with executive women who want to either transition to a completely new area of their existing careers, move from corporate work to the nonprofit sector or those who would like to become more impactful and present as it relates to their increased inner satisfaction.  Through her work with executive women, Sharon has noticed a recurring theme — that women universally have a habit of putting everything and everyone else ahead of themselves. These are all areas that Sharon can assist you in addressing so that you are maximizing joy, comfort, advancement and self-awareness. She does this primarily through her 5-month Living While Leading Four Step System. 
 
During the interview, Sharon provides several examples of she has done this herself, along with identifying and exploring new areas that ultimately brought her new growth and fulfillment opportunities, both internally and externally. 
 
If you would like to connect with Sharon through an exploratory session, she can be contacted through her website www.livingwhileleading.com or via email sharon@ehrlich.or.at   

In Episode 60, I interview Regine Rousseau!!

Regine T. Rousseau, wine and spirits expert, writer, presenter, and media personality, focuses on making wine knowledge accessible to people at all levels of proficiency. She is recognized as 2022 Leader in the Wine Industry by Wine Business Monthly, a nominee of 2020 Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards, Wine Educator of the Year, a WSET Level 3 with Merit, an International Sommelier Guild Level II, and Executive Bourbon Steward, Stave and Thief. She received the 2021 Alumni Achievement Award from Knox College. Regine has traveled around the globe sharing her wine and spirits expertise. She has authored or been featured in articles in the The Drop, New Yorker, Wine Enthusiast, Pix Wine, Black Enterprise, Black Food and Beverage, Wine Spectator, the Zoe Report, Forbes, VinePair , Afar and Chicago Tribune.
Regine fell in love with wine while studying abroad during college in Besançon, France and began her career as a salesperson for a wine distributor. While in this role, she noticed a disconnect between wine professionals and consumers. Making wine approachable became a central premise of Regine’s work.
In 2013, Regine established Shall We Wine, a wine and spirits experiential marketing, event planning, and education company. Working with national and boutique winemakers, distilleries, importers, and distributors, she increases brand awareness, reach, and revenue for clients through innovative and traditional approaches. These include in-person and on-line activations, events, sponsorships, videos, media and social media services, and speaker and influencer marketing. She and her team are masters at translating complex terminology into language that individuals of every level of wine expertise and interest appreciates.
Regine’s speaking, keynote, moderator and panelist engagements include South Beach Wine and Food Festival (2022 and 2023), Blacks in Wine Symposium, Wonder Women in Wine, I.E.E.M Conference - Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, SoloCEO Summit, www.tastings.com, and Association of Writers and Writers’ Programs. She is columnist for Pix Wines and a blogger on shallwewine.com, has served as subject matter expert for VinePair, has been interviewed on You & Me Chicago, WGN Chicago, Windy City Live, and Great Day Washington. Regine was the virtual event moderator for Gallo International Women’s Month (2021 and 2023). Regine is a regular contributor for WGN’s Daytime Chicago television show.
Language is integral to Rousseau’s work as a poet and published author where wine and written word are often interwoven. In her book Searching for Cloves and Lilies: The Wine Edition, Regine illustrates the dynamics of personal relationships while pairing each poem with wine that echoes the mood of her writing.
Regine is recipient of the Wine Bloggers Conference Ethnifacts Diversity Scholarship, grants from McBride Sisters Collections and Allies for Community Business, and Knox College’s 2020 Alumni Achievement Award. She is fluent in French, Haitian Creole, and English.
She has a BA from Knox College, studied at L’Université de Franche Comte and Centre de Linguistique Appliquée.

In this episode, I interview Susan Millender, who shares with us information about a rare brain malformation (primarily diagnosed during pregnancy and sometimes diagnosed after birth). She wants us to know that her organization Families for HoPE is the only organization whose mission it is to support the entire family impacted by this disease.  She works, along with a dedicated Board of Directors and with volunteers to meet the direct service needs of the Holoprosencephaly community. Susan has always had an interest in community service and working in environments that have a strong mission to help ameliorate anxiety and isolation. 
Susan is currently the Executive Director of Families for HoPE, Inc., an Indianapolis based nonprofit serving children diagnosed with Holoprosencephaly and related rare brain malformations.  She is the first person to fill the role in the organization’s 17-year history.
 
Susan was born in East Chicago, IN and grew up in nearby Gary. She attended Ball State University and graduated from Calumet College, Whiting, IN, with a BA in Mass Communications.
 
Susan has worked as a health advocate in nonprofit settings in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years, specifically among children and families struggling to gain and maintain well-being and resilience.  She is a member of the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. Previously,she led Seattle-King County Washington’s Guided Pathways nonprofit family support organization as Executive Director. She has served as Program Director for the American Diabetes Association of Washington and Northern Idaho, and directed marketing communications programs for Seattle Counseling Services, Sound Generations of Seattle-King County, and Seattle’s Bloodworks.
 
She counts travel and reading among the leisure-time activities she most enjoys.
 
Susan can be reached directly through info@familesforhope.org