Rise Up Single Mom powered by KUDZUKIAN

This is part 2 of Rise Up Single Mom's live celebration. We continue our powerful conversations with special guests Megan Mottley and Tonya Braden. Enjoy!  

Health is wealth and wellness is everything. We had Tan Shakespeare and Samaria Grandberry visit us to talk about the power of meditation and mindfulness in your life and ways that you can aim to maintain over the holidays

So you wanna take your kid on an adventure? Or maybe just a vacation. This looks different at different ages. Guest Tomika Anderson is the founder and administrator of the Facebook group, Single Parents Who Travel, has lots of great advice. The holidays are a high travel time so whether you have plans or are still making plans, Tomika has shares advice and planning and budgeting tips to make travel - and your life - easier. Tune in moms!  

The holiday season is here. But it's not always a joyous occasion for some people. It can be a high-stress time where feelings of grief, loneliness, anxiety and even failure are at an all-time high. Therapist and mental health expert Victoria Traylor joins Clarissa to talk about how to cope during the holidays and manage these feelings. 

Sometimes the final decree or the final separation isn't that final. Sometimes things can get combative and contentious. Attorney and mediator Anne Johnson joins the show to talk about conflict resolution, reducing stress and trauma for the kids, avoiding ugly court battles, boundary setting and much more. For any moms that are going through these challenges, tune in!

Special guest Chantea Williams talks about entrepreneurship as a single mom. She has owned a bakery and now is the owner of Relentless Publishing House. She and Clarissa shares her journey, talks about how she had to shift from one career to the other, honoring your passion and building on natural talent. She says that "your circumstances don't dictate your finish." And she's right. We could put a period right here but there's so much more to this story. Check out the full episode!   

Rev. Dr. Karren Todd is an author, pastor, motivational speaker, certified life coach and Executive Director of Power Ministries. Her mission - and ministry - is providing people with guidance and tools for success. As October is domestic violence awareness month, Dr. Karren and Clarissa talk about intimate partner abuse, domestic violence homicides and her Project STAND initiative under Power Ministries. Through Project STAND, she hosts various fundraisers to support the various DV charities in the Memphis area.  She also talks about getting in position to thrive in the space God has prepared for you and expand, surrendering to "the pull" and pushing pasting the "until." Whether you are a survivor or not, there are some must hear Dr. Karren-isms sprinkled throughout this conversation moms!

Shunta Mosby is the host of the Mourning After podcast where she talks about the loss of her baby. She describes it as her form of therapy as she shares her experience and path to healing with others who share this same sense of loss. She joins Clarissa Joi on this episode to talk more to moms about grieving, coping and active recovery, the emotional side effects and the ways in which she's found support. It's a must-hear for anyone who has experienced the unfathomable pain of losing a child. 

 Kim Williams from Single Black Motherhood blog joins Clarissa to talk about starting over. After separating from her child's father, she was newly single in a new city. She talks about what that negotiation looked like and how they manage visitation (Note: she was actually in Memphis to drop her daughter to her dad!) She also talks about representation in the blogosphere for single Black moms and/or the never marrieds. Tune in to hear more of Kim's story and her perspective. And remember moms, just because your relationship is over, it doesn't mean that life is over!   

Melonee Gaines talks to Clarissa about kid free days. Many moms feel the need for "me time" and space - away from their children. However, they simultaneously feel guilty about these needs. Join us as we discuss finding freedom in kid free days.

There are many staggering statistics as it relates to teen moms. Our guests, Jarisha "Jae" Perry and Marlene Alexander beat the odds. They both graduated high school and college and have successfully moved forward in life. Join us as we have this spirited and important discussion on overcoming stereotypes and beating the odds!

Dr. Altha Stewart is one of the most respected mental healthcare professionals in the country. She and Clarissa talk about the need for moms in particular to ask for help. It isn't weak. It isn't a failure. It's just the reality of it all. The stigma of seeing a therapist or simply have an issue can weigh us down and keep us from getting the professional support we need before we are in crisis. Don't be held hostage by what others may think moms! Do what's best for you!

The phrase "self care" has been all the rage for the past several years. It wasn't a thing for our parents' generation but our generation has fully taken it on. We started with women can have and do it all in the 90s. Now we've realized we have to drop the superwoman myth. We cannot pour from an empty vessel. Elizabeth Merriwether is our guest today, shedding some light and sharing some insights on how best to take care.

On this edition of Rise Up Single Mom, Clarissa Joi sits down with Sandra Bailey, Founder of Women Financial Power LLC., to talk the ways in which single mothers can achieve financial power and the importance of financial independence. This is an episode you don't want to miss!  

On this special Father's Day edition of Rise Up Single Mom, Clarissa Joi sits down with Larry Robinson, CEO at KUDZUKIAN, to discuss his experience as a single father. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

On this episode, Clarissa Joi interviews Dr. Erin Luster, Community Engagement, Shelby County Schools to talk about childcare, food insecurity, children socializing with peers and concerns around learning loss during the pandemic. What are the resources in place to help parenting and schooling in a pandemic?  

Dating in 2021 is nothing like dating in our parent's generation! And when you layer on dating as a single mom, things get risky and complex. Clarissa Joi interviews Carly Means to gain the millennial perspective, versus the perspective of Gen X'er Leshundra Robinson. Is there a right way or wrong way to navigate this touchy topic?

Children have thoughts about divorce, separation and the relationship between their parents that we (adults) don't think to ask or consider. Clarissa Joi sits down with her daughter for the first time to reveal her side of the story. Also, CJ tenderly shares advice for other children being raised by single moms. This is an episode that both moms and dads will want to grab a notepad and listen intently!

In this episode of Rise Up Single Mom Clarissa Joi talks with consultant Katrina Kimble, Awaken Wellness LLC. about the importance of mental wellness as a single mom and dealing with being ok when you're not ok. 

In this episode of Rise Up Single Mom Clarissa Joi talks with publicist and 3BC producer/ host Joy Doss about co-parenting and distance, moving home to Memphis and everything that comes along with it as a single mom.   

What do you do when you are a single mom in the military? Especially if you are stationed overseas? This is a question most of us wouldn't think to ask. In this episode, Clarissa Joi has a candid and very enlightening conversation with retired Airforce Sergeant KeOnte Criswell about the challenges specific to being a single mom of four on active duty. 

We introduce you to KUDZUKIAN's upcoming new show, Rise Up Single Mom, launching March 2021.