Visible Women Podcast

On this episode of our podcast, we are excited to welcome Lisa Cortes, an Academy Award-nominated producer of films and documentaries. We talk to her about how storytelling shaped her childhood, how she made the transition from music executive to film and why documentaries like "The Apollo" and "the Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion" are stories that must be told.  Original music: Richard D'Abreu (RD3 Music) 

On this episode, we are talking about picking up and moving to another country. Not as a Millennial or a retiree, but as a Black woman at the height of her career. Our guest, Heather Shaw, decided to pull up stakes at the age of 40 and start a new life in Dubai. With her we discuss why she made the decision, job hunting abroad, how she built community, dating, job loss and how faith was an important factor of her experience. Plus, why she didn't have time to be fragile during this experience.  Original Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

Why is having a serious conversation about race so difficult? We unpack this highly sensitive subject on this episode. We are joined by Audrey Rowe, Program Director of the South Orange|Maplewood Community Coalition on Race, an organization that has gained national attention for taking on this tough subject and working on going beyond diversity to strive for racial integration that is positive, meaningful and impactful. Learn what it means to be an upstander instead of a bystander, why social integration is the new frontier, and how Rowe's work continues changes to meet the needs of the communities she is serving. 

This show is a must listen for Black women of every age. On it, we discuss the pay gap that is a reality for many of us and how not getting paid what we deserve impacts both our careers and our lives. We are joined by Natalie S. Burke, President & CEO of CommonHealth ACTION, who shares her insights on how Black women, whether they are entrepreneurs or in a corporate setting need to look at negotiations as well as compensation discussions. The impact of accepting less than we deserve has on other women coming behind us and how we should consider what value we bring to organizations above all us. She also offers advice for young women entering the workplace and makes a strong case for bringing your whole self to work. 

On this episode of our podcast, we discuss “Thick And Other Essays” by Tressie McMillan Cottom. It is an important narrative that challenges ideas of societal norms, authenticity voice and contours and impact of racism and sexism. When we tell our stories we not only affirm one another but we also claim the space of resistance to the systems of oppression that keep both seek to dampen those precious lights within us.

As a woman of color, how do you navigate relationships at work? Do you make friends? Are those friendships real? Do you ask someone to mentor you or wait for the mentor to find you? We discuss this and more with our guest, Noelle C. Bonham, Founder and Chief Principal Officer of The Minority Exchange Network. We also discuss whether you need a mentor has to be of the same race and why sometimes Black women may not support one another and the reasons that can occur. Original theme music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

Are women over 50 invisible to the fashion industry? And what influence does style have on the success of women of color over 50? This week, Sonya Barnes, an international brand, style, and image expert joins co-hosts Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu to discuss her career journey, why your image is about more than the clothes you wear, how style impacts the success of women of over 50 and tells us the truth about executive presence. Plus, she tells us why luxury fashion brands cannot ignore successful women over 50 who have the means to make investment purchases.    Original Theme Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)    

Are you taking risks or playing it safe? Chances are as you've grown older you don't want to rock the boat. Well in this episode, we discuss how taking a leap and learning to play, skills you learned in childhood, can add joy to your life and work today. Vivian Rodgers-Hill, founder of Lady V's Second Time Around talks about the power she's found through style, living out loud and having an optimistic attitude. Original music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

Are you feeling stuck? It happens to everyone, even co-hosts Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu. In this episode, the two talk about the areas in their lives where they are feeling stuck, the challenges associated with being stuck and their plans for breaking these patterns. Tune to hear how their action plan can possibly benefit you.   Visible Women Podcast Theme Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

For this episode, hosts Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu are joined by Candace Simpson, faith and justice educator and an Associate Minister at the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY. Together, they discuss the complicated connections between traditional faith-based communities and Black Millennials, how those communities intersect with social action initiatives of today and the expanding definition of sacred space. And how to create connections that cross the generational divide, Original music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

As we begin to observe Black History Month we turn our attention to our legacy of political and social action and how that has changed over time. We are joined by Roz Lee, Vice President of Strategy and Programs, Ms. Foundation for Women who discusses how political and social activism has shaped her life. Why she has made her fight for social change a daily action. How her work has shifted since she began at 17, and how communities at the margins drive change. She also has some words of wisdom for white women who want to be allies in this work. Original Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

Today, Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu are joined by Dana Lorberg, Business Operations and Technology Officer of Mastercard and her colleague Marisa Grimes, who is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the company. We discuss why it is imperative to get more women and girls involved in technology and why their Girls 4 Tech Global Initiative and its partnership with Scholastic is engaging middle school girls in activities and exposing them to mentors that help them understand the future possibilities in the industry.  Original Theme: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

Instead of rehashing what happened in 2018, or speaking about New Year's Resolutions, co-hosts Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu, discuss ways they would like to make themselves more visible this year. Whether it is moving from task-oriented measurements to those that make the heart sing or changing their mindset from being an amateur to a professional when it comes to working, they discuss how they want to make choices that are more courageous, even if it is only to them.  Original Theme: Richard D'Abreu Jr., (RD3 Music)

Today, we want to talk about self-care. As many people think about self-care, practices like meditation, movement, art, music, therapy, journaling come to mind. Sometimes, self-care involves sitting down to watch your favorite movie for the 10th or even 15th time. And there's something called cinema therapy, where therapists prescribe specific movies to help their patient work through things like addiction, some serious issues that they may be dealing with in therapy. This show is not about that. For today's show, we're going to have some lighthearted fun. We'll talk about self-care, those movies that have encouraged us to listen to ourselves, to laugh, and to keep going. We've invited gal pal, Charlotte Hunter, who's both an educator and pop culture connoisseur to join us for today's conversation. We'll reveal our top five go-to movies (plus a couple bonus titles) that keep us tuning in again and again!   Original music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 MUSIC)    

Co-hosts Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu are joined by Thysha M. Shabazz, the founder of the Loud Girl Movement, a radical solution to one of the most pervasive stereotypes associated with Black girls and women. They discuss the challenges specifically facing Black girls which impact how they are treated starting in kindergarten and how those assumptions follow them throughout life. They discuss how being loud can be seen as a superpower when used to help girls find their voices and advocate for themselves.   Original Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

On this episode, we are talking about Michelle Obama’s Memoir, Becoming and why it strikes a chord with us. We reflect on our childhood upbringing in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn and St. Albans, Queens and how the people and places shaped the women we are today. We talk about how impactful Michelle Obama’s ability to remain intact and re-write the narrative about herself in the face of challenges is very much our story as well. Original Theme Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)  

What's it like to be a plus size person at some of the hottest fashion and media brands and also be a woman of color? Rosaliz Jimenez shares her 20-year journey with us and shares how her current role at Dia & Co. allows her to help women discover their power through style.  Original music: Richard D'Abreu (RD3 Music)

There were some wins and losses when it comes to the midterm elections but we wanted to take the time to acknowledge the audacity of some women of color who dared take part in the electoral process. Some made historic first, others showed tremendous tenacity in the face of obstacle after obstacle. Ultimately, we wanted our listeners to remember that small beginnings can ultimately yield big results and that we have to be willing to continue to fight for ourselves and those within our communities.    Original Theme Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 Music)

Have you ever wanted to quit and walk out of your job? Most women of color don't have that luxury. Our guest, Marsha Haygood, an Empowerment Coach, Talent Development expert and co-author of "The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women," gives us the strategies you need to know before you even think about quitting. She breaks down the best ways to job search, ask for assistance, and prepare for the entrepreneurial life. We talk about financial realities, why being too busy for others can work against you, and who shouldn't even think about entrepreneurship.  ORIGINAL MUSIC: Richard D'Abreu Jr., (RD3 Music)

Hosts Corynne Corbett and Kim D'Abreu welcome Ananda Leeke, a mindfulness teacher, author, artist, digital strategist and host of the Thriving Mindfully podcast to the Visible Women podcast to discuss mindfulness as a practice that may help women of color who have suffered from being silencing at work.    Intro and Outro Music: Original Theme by Richard D'Abreu Jr. (RD3 MUSIC) Music for this episode: "Thoughtful" by Lee Rosevere (Music for Podcasts 2)

This episode names and puts a spotlight on Silencing of Women in the workplace as a forced invisibility. Our guest, Dr. Carrie Arnold, a Human Development Researcher, and Professional Coach discusses the implications of feeling muffled, suppressed, and muted in an environment and the impact it has on a woman’s decision to stay and suffer in the workplace, to leave, or to recover, find their voice and heal. We discuss the implications of this research in the lives of women of color, and touch on issues of intersectionality, privilege and ultimately the importance of noticing silencing and engaging healing practices.

In Episode 2 of the Visible Women Podcast, we invite guest Shaunice Hawkins, author, academic, and executive, to unpack the topic of Sizeism in the workplace. Whether we are considering overt cases of discrimination in the workplace based on body size, or more subtle slights and microaggressions, the negative impact sizeism on a woman’s self-esteem, advancement possibilities and earning potential, can be significant. On this episode, Shaunice will talk about the complexity of this topic particular for women of color. She will discuss pertinent research on the topic of sizeism and the importance of understanding the personal journey for women of color in this context and of ultimately owning all of who they are. Original Theme Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr, RD3 Music

In this first episode of the (In)Visible Women Podcast, we invite a guest, Dr. Loretta L.C. Brady, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. She is the founder of BDS Insight and creator of Bad Ass & Bold. A Psychologist, Entrepreneur, Mom, Professor, constant striver. She joins us to discuss what it means to be authentic and resilient at work. We talk about authentic as the ability to show up as your full, intact self at work, and ask Dr. Brady to share how the authenticity dynamics may be different for people from different, ethnic, cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds who may communicate differently or use different languages for different situations. We highlight what it means to be visually authenticity, and the ways Millennial and Gen-Zers have been conduits for change in workplace practices, standards and policies related to women of color's beauty visibility. We discuss resilience in the context of women of color, and how weathering storms and absorbing the bumps of life foster a navigation system which can prove to be an effective workplace asset. Finally, we discuss the importance of being honest about what we're experiencing in the workplace, accessing sources of support, and ally-ship critical to navigating the turbulent political waters that can come up at the workplace. Original Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr.  Photo: Unsplash.com Resources To get more information about Dr. Brady’s Badass & Bold Planner, visit https://www.badassandbold.com/ Take a look at Dr. Brady’s Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFio4krAdE

Welcome to the (In)Visible Women Podcast, where we put issues related to diversity, inclusion, and appearance in the spotlight and examine how they impact the lives of women of color. In this introductory segment, we introduce ourselves and talk about our personal connections to this topic. As women of color, we both have struggled with being invisible, particularly when it comes to beauty standards. We are judged by what we look like, whether consciously or unconsciously. The criteria are often everything that we are not. (In)Visible Women Podcast challenges us to acknowledge our visibility and lean into, name and welcome our visible differences. Our podcast acknowledges that while women of color are participants in every aspect of American culture, there is still the underlying message that our hair, our skin tone, our body shape, are not important enough to be affirmed in pop culture, at work, or in school. Our podcast is intended to provide a space for dialogue, support, and solutions. It is for you no matter what sector you work in, whether you are still in school or an entrepreneur, no matter what dimension of difference you bring to the world, or what your identity intersections are. We want to send a clear message out to everyone this work touches, which is simply you are ENOUGH. Original Music: Richard D'Abreu Jr.  Resources  Brené Brown The Gifts of Imperfection Gregg Levoy Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life Mellody Hobson – Colorblind or Color Brave TED2014 Naomi Wolff The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women Vanity Fair 50 Latina Tech Founders