THE MELANIN PEARLS PODCAST

Get ready for a heart-warming, thought-provoking journey in this special episode of The Mirror Year, where your hosts bare their souls through seven transformative questions that will reshape your approach to 2025. From belly laughs over shared victories to vulnerable moments discussing tough lessons learned, we dive deep into what made our past year tick and how we're crafting an intentional path forward.Listen as we unpack the experiences that lit us up, the challenges that taught us resilience, and the surprising self-discoveries that changed our perspective. Our candid conversation reveals how different two paths can be, yet how universal the quest for growth and fulfillment truly is. You'll hear concrete examples of what we're leaving behind, embracing, and carrying forward into 2025 - and trust us, some of these answers will surprise you.

Everyone experiences being in a rut and it's hard to break out of a rut alone. In this episode, Yvette and Ericka discuss the importance of building a support system to help you on your journey. They also share their insights on the benefits of accountability partners, mentors, and community support. It's our hope that by listening you'd find something that could give you an idea to try or what we share resonates with you to let you know you are not alone. We all find ourselves in a rut sometimes. “What lies ahead of us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when you bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen.” - Henry David Thoreau

Our first episode in a bit because LIFE HAPPENS!! We missed everyone and are super happy to be back. So, consider this a welcome back episode, we talk about the reality of a FULL life and how it can be difficult to find time for everything we want to do. “Life Is What Happens While You Are Busy Making Other Plans” – John Lennon

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka tackle the topic of imperfect starts and how to use the power of imperfect starts to change your life. “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” - Denis Waitley

It's Women's History month and today is actually International Women's Day and this year's theme is Embrace Equity. In addition to celebrating the countless contributions and achievements of women throughout history, in this episode, Yvette and Ericka discuss the importance between equity and equality and how actualizing both can change the world. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” — Michelle Obama

It's Black History month and while Black History is officially recognized in the month February, its actually a longstanding history filled with firsts, innovation, science, medicine, architecture, engineering, art, music and sports. And such a rich and life changing history should be celebrated EVERY SINGLE DAY! In this episode, Yvette and Ericka highlight a few Black people making an impact. "The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression." - W.E.B. Du Bois, author and activist

Before we kick off Season 4, we wanted to go back and replay one of the highest rated, fan talked about episodes from Season 3, Your Tribe. So, take a listen and we will be back with a whole new Season 4 soon!

Wow, that was quick! It's the end of 2022 and we've come to the final episode of Season 3. In this episode Yvette and Ericka recap some of the major happenings of 2022, reflect on their year and what they have in store for 2023. “The bad news is that time flies, the good news is that you are the pilot.” – Michelle Altshuler

Being comfortable in one's own skin takes a long time, decades some say even a lifetime, but it's well worth it. In this episode Yvette and Ericka share their views on the importance of being OK with being alone – alone with one's thoughts, feelings, emotions and self. “Me, myself and I; all I got in the end – Beyonce Knowles”

By definition, microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color. Perpetrators of microaggressions are often unaware that they engage in such communications when they interact with racial/ethnic minorities. In this episode, Yvette and Ericka share how microaggressions affect them and share how, when and if they handle them.“The phrase “be realistic” used in any form is a microaggression.”

To say we're living through challenging times sounds like both a cliché and an understatement. In recent months, news about the pandemic, economic woes, and bitter political debates have triggered tremendous anxiety and sadness for many Americans. But when people look back on their lives, it is usually the most difficult challenges that gave them a new perspective or caused them to grow the most. Of course, in the midst of a crisis, it doesn't feel that way. In this episode Yvette and Ericka share how they go about keeping positive in stressful times. “Trying to stay positive in a negative world can be difficult. All it takes is one light to change darkness. Keep the light with you burning. – Davene Taylor”

Working from home is dominating our lives. If you haven't experienced the phenomenon directly, you've undoubtedly heard all about it, as U.S. media coverage of working from home jumped 12,000 percent since January 2020. This change in working arrangements is impossible to overhype. As big as it is, it's even bigger than people think – this is the largest societal change in America since the end of World War II. In this podcast, Yvette and Ericka discuss the state of working from home as well as their personal views to the pros and cons of working from home. “Successfully working from home is a skill, just like programming, designing or writing. It takes time and commitment to develop that skill. – Alec Turnbull”

Everyone has an inner voice that deep down is trying to be helpful and keep you safe – even when it's being harsh. In this episode, we share ways you can shift your inner critic and transform negative self-talk into a more supportive and empowering voice. Remember that you will never get rid of the inner critic forever – and you don't have to. You can, however, re-pattern it and shift your relationship with the negative voice in your head. In essence, taming your inner voice and use this powerful voice to keep you on the path to visualizing your best self. “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” ~ Maya Angelou

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka chat about leveraging your superpowers at work and how to use your superpowers to help others. “The things that make us different those are our superpowers” ~ Lena Waithe

In this episode, we will shine a light on Renee Belton, retired New York City Principal. Ms. Belton is a member of the first graduating class of the New York City Leadership Academy, the most intensive and costly principal training program in the country. The academy was created at the suggestion of the New York City Department of Education's Chancellor Joel I. Klein, who was chairman of its board, and supported by the Academy's Chief Executive, Robert E. Knowling Jr. Ms. Belton was the principal of The James McCune Smith Community School 200 for 18 years. She retired from her post August 31, 2022. This episode we shine a light on Renee to hear about her trail to Black excellence.

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka share how they use their influence to create meaningful impacts on those around them and how others have used their influence to impact their lives. “Each of us should be aware of the energy we are putting out into the world. Are we a positive influence or a negative one.” – Laurence Overmire

Steve Jobs said “your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is GREAT work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart you'll know when you find it.” In this episode Yvette and Ericka share how they found their passion(s) and go about loving what they do – everyday.

Providing and soliciting constructive feedback can be difficult, and in this episode Yvette and Ericka tackle how to handle constructive conversations, specifically, how to ask for and give constructive feedback. “Sometimes speaking the truth feels as if we are being unkind, especially when sharing difficult information or feedback. But in reality, dancing around the truth is unkind. When we avoid stating the truth—when we are vague or ambiguous under the guise of being kind—it is often because we are trying to lessen the discomfort for ourselves, not for the other person.” – Brene Brown

In this episode, we talk about the impact of everyday choices have on our lives.“At any moment, you have a choice that either leads you close to your spirit or further away from it. – Thick Nhat Hanh”

Do you let your light shine? Do you step into your greatness? Do you refuse to shrink or play small? Ah, yes, the power of giving yourself permission to glow. Many have a hard time wielding it. In this episode, Yvette and Ericka chat about how they give themselves permission to glow and share 5 ways that could help you give yourself the power, and the permission to glow. “As we let out light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. – Nelson Mandela”

In this episode, we will shine a light on Niani Skinner who joined the ranks of FDNY in 2019. There are more than 11,000 firefighters and fire officers in the New York Fire Department, making it the nation's largest. Black women have played a major role in the fire service ever since the 1800's when a slave named Molly Williams served as a volunteer firefighter in New York City. African American women continue to play a significant role in the fire service nationwide. Today, there's a total of 134 women in FDNY comprising of 1% of the 10,000 fire fighters. This episode we shine a light on Niani to hear about her trail to Black excellence.Black excellence.

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka discuss the importance of your tribe, building your tribe, how it evolves and the varying roles people play. It's important to note, your tribe is not you “squad.” Your tribe is a small group of people who want the best for you, are there for you, refills your well, tells you about yourself and vice versa. The level of vulnerability and intimacy that comes with a tribe makes it impossible to have a gaggle of people in it. During this episode, Yvette and Ericka share how they've built their tribes and who's in it.

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka tackle the elusive question of “how can you do it all?” But it's more about not doing it ALL but doing the right things for you. Stephen Covey reminds us that learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities comes down to one thing: focus. What do we truly value? He asks us to consider: “If you were to pause and think seriously about the ‘first things' in your life — the three or four things that matter most — what would they be?”"It is that a meaningful life is not a matter of speed or efficiency. It's much more a matter of what you do and why you do it, than how fast you get it done.” — Stephen R. Covey

The confirmation hearings of Judge Jackson highlighted what highly qualified Black women go through every single day in the workplace. Hostility and devalued for the breadth and depth of experience, and talent they bring. This episode, Yvette and Ericka dive into the disparities on the Supreme Court and how for the first time in over 115 years, a Black woman is nominated to be seated on the Supreme Court.

Being 'The Only Woman In The Room' is not the same as being the only Black woman in the room - while all women can face sexist discrimination at work, the stakes for Black women have always been much higher. In this episode, Yvette and Ericka share their experiences and a few tips on how they handle being the “only” in the room/concert/meeting and/or event."My mother would look at me and she'd say, 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last,'" "That's why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us." – Kamala Harris, VP of United States

EP35 is full of practical tools and self-reflection questions, that can help create a 'shift' towards positive change. It is our hope through our experience and strategies on how we started to see 'the bigger picture' in our pain and use it to catapult our growth.

Nevertheless, she persisted. The definition of perseverance is “persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” This episode is dedicated to notable women who persevered through incredible odds. “A woman is like a tea bag. She only knows her strength when put in hot water.” – Nancy Regan

The world premiere of the “Black Excellence Spotlight” with the Melanin Pearls. Each quarter Yvette and Ericka will highlight Black men and women who demonstrate and represent Black excellence. The inaugural episode highlights Stacy-Ann Burke, Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting.“I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent for racism or sexism. And that's how I operate my life. – Oprah Winfrey”

Join Yvette and Ericka as they highlight women out there doin' their damn thing! From inventions to freedoms we enjoy but are unaware of who paid the price for them. we are going to share elevate those who deserve it the most. “Define Goal. Take Action. Stay Focused. Expect Success. Nothing Less. – Michele Ruiz”

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka will share what it means to be Black to them.

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka highlight Black leaders then and now. Some you may know and some you may learn about! “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” – W.E.B. Du Bois

This episode is all about being brave enough to fearlessly live the life you deserve, what it means being fearless and how to use missteps and side steps as lessons into success. “You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, live out your purpose and to do it fearlessly – Dr. Steve Maraboli

We are starting 2022 with a question, are you willing to live your life intentionally? What does that mean? In this episode, The Melanin Pearls will unpack that question and Yvette and Ericka will dive into how they've embraced living intentionally and what that means to them.“An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.” John C Maxwell

The final episode of Season 2 and the year! This episode Yvette and Ericka reflect on the year, how fast it went, what they learned and hope for in 2022.Never miss an episode and subscribe to The Melanin Pearls podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Pandora, iHeartRadio or anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

One thing for certain is that the pandemic emphasized the impermanence of life. Life is short and tomorrow is not promised – for anyone, no matter your position in life, fame or how much money you have in the bank. So, why wait to live it? In this episode, Yvette and Ericka share how they embrace the impermanence of life and embody living each day to the fullest. “Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.” - Pope Paul VI

Many find talking about mental health needs extremely difficult, for a host of reasons, but supporting your mental health is critical to one's overall health. Just like we workout to maintain our physical well-being, we need to do the same for our emotional aspect as well. The purpose of this episode is to shine a light on the importance of mental health and help to remove the stigma and shame for asking for help. We've invited Dr. Maia Dr. Maia Mamamtavrishvili, MD., Ph.D., a board certified Psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience, help us unpack mental health and the importance of maintaining it. “Some of the most comforting words in the universe are ‘me too.' That moment when you find out that your struggle is also someone else's struggle, that you're not alone, and that others have been down the same road.” – Unknown

Preparing for the holidays…are you going to be zooming Thanksgiving and Christmas like last year? During this episode, Yvette and Ericka discuss how they are approaching and preparing for the holidays. “Christmas is a time when you get homesick – even when you are home. – Carol Nelson”Never miss an episode and subscribe to The Melanin Pearls podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Pandora, iHeartRadio or anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

It's a first for most of us of living through a pandemic. From restricted travel, social distancing to being completely sequestered in one's home; some people have a lot of anxiety of entering back to the new “normal.” In this episode, Yvette and Ericka talk about how they are handling going back to work, traveling, taking public transportation and if they are going to make any changes to their social life and activities.

Can you believe it? One year ago, Yvette and Ericka launched The Melanin Pearls Podcast and what a year it's been! During this episode, Yvette and Ericka reminisce about how it all started, where the podcast is going and how they've grown along the way.

Helping others achieve their success is most possibly the main key to your success. Sounds confusing right? It's not and during this episode Yvette and Ericka will share how helping others achieve success has impacted and propelled their own careers. Using their experiences, they will show you how you can start to help others reach their goals and how that effort brings you closer to your own. “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” Les Brown

Do you know what it means to “unlock your potential?” Better yet, do you even how to do it? In this episode, Yvette and Ericka share tips and actions you can take to unlock your potential by finding your WHY and resources to help you live it. “First, it's essential to determine precisely what you want to achieve. Just wanting to be “successful” is too general.” ― Derric Yuh Ndim

Gratitude. The pandemic forced people to take stock of their life, who and what brings them joy and what/who is important. But it's also super important to reflect on all that you have to be grateful for and all you have. Expressing gratitude isn't just left for the 4th Thursday in November, weddings or funerals. It's an everyday activity. In this episode, Yvette and Ericka share how having gratitude changed their lives. “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle

Continuing the important topic of food injustice, food deserts and food swamps, in this episode Yvette and Ericka are on location at East New York Farms! located in East New York Brooklyn. The community surrounding Pink Houses refused to wait for help as they watched the systematic reduction of green spaces and the health index of the community steadily decline. While on location, Yvette and Ericka interview the farmer and her team of dedicated volunteers who operate the farm and distribute its bounty to the neighborhood weekly for free. “Help the life of one person and you can help the community.” – Steven Sawalich

There's a lot of talk about the power of Yes. Yes supports risk-taking, courage, and an open-hearted approach to life whose grace cannot be minimized. But No…no is a metal grate that slams shut the window between one's self and the influence of others and is rarely celebrated. It's a hidden power because it is both easily misunderstood and difficult to engage. Many of us are unaware of the surge of strength we draw from No because, in part, it is easily confused with negativity. During this episode Yvette and Ericka talk about gaining perspective on what “no” really means to your life and its power to improving your life. “The power of NO is so much more than the power of saying YES.” – Julianna Margulies

We are mid-year so it's time to see where we are with our 2021 professional/career goals and how we can tracking from a progress standpoint in our current positions. This episode is all about assessing where we are, identifying any outstanding gaps, recapping and highlighting our wins to date and prepping for our mid-year review meeting with our people manager. Yvette and Ericka share their process on how they prepare for their mid-year reviews and share tips and tricks on how you can get started and/or enhance your preparation process. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca

This episode is all about relationships. Join Yvette and Ericka as they chat about how they learned how to keep healthy relationships with their friends, partners and family. No one is perfect and neither is every relationship but there is a balance between imperfection and unhealthy. During this episode, Yvette and Ericka describe the “definition” of a healthy relationship, what that means to them and how they maintain healthy relationships today. “Your relationships can only be as healthy are you are. – Neil Warren”

Food deserts, food swamps and food insecurity are ravaging urban and rural areas across the United States. Food insecurity is when you don't have enough money to buy the healthy foods you need or if you have to skip meals because you don't have enough money to buy more food. In New York City alone, before COIVID-19, 1.4 million people living in NYC were food insecure. Now, it's close to 2 million and one in every four is a child. What's even more concerning, food deserts generally exist in urban areas— predominantly inhabited by nonwhite people— which is why Black people are disproportionately affected by diet related health conditions. During this episode we discuss how food deserts are created, it's devastating impacts to brown communities and what can we do to help ensure no one goes hungry. “Many kids my age and younger do not know where their next meal is coming from, this is something no one should have to worry about. I know that with your help we can fight to end childhood hunger near us and all around America.” – Jocelyn Quinn (Generation No Kid Hungry – Hunger Hero)

Taking a page from Oprah, we've compiled a listing of our favorite things! During this episode we share some fun facts and some of our favorite things…things we didn't know we needed until we found them. Things that help us dive deeper into our well-being, make us more productive and are just plain awesome. Life isn't about waiting for the perfect time to do something, use something or go somewhere because tomorrow is never promised.“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition” – Steve Jobs

This is a special unscheduled episode on voter suppression. Record turnout will always be swiftly followed by a tidal wave of voter suppression efforts. This is a factual trend. Lawmakers in 47 states have introduced bills that would make it harder to vote. Do you that there are about 61 forms of voter suppression. Can you name a few? Ericka and Yvette discuss voter suppression and how WE THE PEOPLE need to make sure democracy remains in tact which means WE THE PEOPLE need to do the work as Americans.

Last episode Yvette shared her meditation journey and Ericka made the commitment to start. This episode Julie Stewart, meditation teacher from Kadampa Meditation Center in New York City is the special guest. Julie shares how society's definition of success and happiness leads most people to being perpetually unhappy, the basics of meditation, how to start and how integrating mediation into your daily habit can and will change your life. “Meditation is the journey from sound to silence, from movement to stillness from limited identity to unlimited space. – Sri Ravi Shankar

Meditation, we've all heard about it in some shape or form. But what is it? Does it work and more importantly is it hard? In recent decades, public interest in mindfulness meditation has soared. In this episode, Ericka interviews Yvette on her meditation journey and how it's impacted her life – for the better. During this episode we will talk about the different types of meditation and practice types as well as the benefits and how to start. “The quieter we become, the more we can hear.” – Ram Das