Season 3

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. 

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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.  Episode Link

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” Episode Link

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. Episode Link

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.   Episode Link

 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.  Episode Link

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. Episode Link

In this episode, Yvette and Ericka chat about leveraging your superpowers at work and how to use your superpowers to help others.  Episode Link

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, repattern 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. Episode Link

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.  Episode Link

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. Episode Link

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. Episode Link