Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Marsha Evans.

Purpose of the Interview

• To highlight Marsha Evans’ work as a licensed professional counselor and founder of Willow Tree Counseling and Educational Center.
• To explore strategies for navigating life’s complex stages, breaking generational patterns, and building authentic relationships.
• To provide actionable insights for entrepreneurs and individuals on self-awareness, fear management, and relationship dynamics.

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding Complexity

   • Life stages vary in complexity for each person—middle school for some, adulthood for others.
   • Evans emphasizes listening and identifying what balance, peace, or contentment means for each individual.

2. Early Awareness and Discipline

   • At age 12, Evans set a goal to earn a scholarship, showing intentionality and discipline.
   • Athletics taught her teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience, shaping her leadership style.

3. Reading the Room

   • Start by reading yourself—know your energy and intentions.
   • Authenticity and confidence are key to building relationships and leveraging opportunities.

4. Fear and Family Systems

   • Fear often originates from family systems and generational patterns, not just personal experiences.
   • Example: Parents’ limited worldview can project fear of the unknown onto children.
   • Recognizing these patterns helps individuals break cycles and pursue their own paths.

5. Generational Patterns & Healing

   • Evans uses Genograms (visual family trees) to identify psychological and behavioral patterns across three generations.
   • Acceptance of parents and family history is crucial for personal and professional growth.
   • Rejecting parents = rejecting life and success; honor them while creating new narratives.

6. Practical Steps for Change

   • Build a relationship with yourself through solitude, meditation, yoga, and movement.
   • Reduce stress (cortisol levels) to improve clarity and decision-making.
   • Examine your money story—how family attitudes toward money shape your financial behavior.

7. Relationships

   • Romantic: Partners often mirror unresolved childhood issues; do inner work to avoid projecting.
   • Professional: Maintain boundaries; emotional needs should not be placed on workplace relationships.
   • Personal: Define roles clearly; avoid expecting friends to fill parental gaps.

8. Consistency and Authenticity

   • Success requires consistency with yourself before expecting it from others.
   • Ask: Are your goals truly yours or influenced by societal expectations?

Notable Quotes

• “I become a visitor in your world and start listening to your story.”
• “Reading the room starts with reading yourself.”
• “Fear is often not yours—it comes from your family system.”
• “You can’t reject your parents; when you reject your mother, you reject life.”
• “Consistency with yourself is key to achieving the results you desire.”
• “Your partner cannot carry the burden of your parents.”
• “People are divorced from themselves—I teach them how to get married to themselves.”

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Felecia Hatcher.

Purpose of the Interview

• To spotlight Black Ambition, a national initiative founded by Pharrell Williams that funds and mentors Black and Brown entrepreneurs.
• To share insights on entrepreneurship, access to resources, and strategies for scaling businesses.
• To inspire and educate small business owners and innovators on how to leverage opportunities for growth.

Key Takeaways

1. About Black Ambition

   • Founded by Pharrell Williams to close the opportunity gap for Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs.
   • Provides capital, mentorship, and masterclasses to help founders scale.
   • Has invested in 131 companies and awarded millions in funding.

2. Competition Structure

   • Annual national competition with 2,500–3,000 applications.
   • Categories include HBCU, National Finalists, Top Prize Winner, People’s Choice.
   • Process: Applications → 250 semifinalists → 3-month cohort → Demo Day for top 20–25 companies.

3. Unique Approach

   • Focus on high-quality mentorship, not “low vibrational” guidance.
   • Includes mental health and wellness support for entrepreneurs.
   • Partnerships with brands like Louis Vuitton for luxury retail insights.

4. Challenges for Entrepreneurs

   • Many fail by rushing applications and skipping info sessions.
   • Success requires clarity, traction, and persistence—sometimes multiple attempts.
   • Black women are the fastest-growing entrepreneurs but often remain solopreneurs; Black Ambition prioritizes team-building.

5. Pharrell’s Motivation

   • Believes in democratizing opportunity: “Talent is not equally distributed by zip code, but opportunity can be.”
   • Inspired by those who believed in him early in his career.

6. Felecia Hatcher’s Journey

   • Former founder of Center for Black Innovation and Black Tech Week.
   • Emphasizes resilience: “I’m a C student and a college dropout, but I never let that define me.”
   • Advocates for creative pathways to success and capital access.

Notable Quotes

• “Success leaves clues.” – On learning from past winners.
• “Talent is not equally distributed by zip code, but opportunity can be.” – Pharrell’s guiding principle.
• “If it doesn’t work on you in that moment, it works for you in that moment. Either way, it works.” – On persistence.
• “We have to start enjoying the process… be stretched, be cut by the process.” – On entrepreneurial growth.
• “Wealth has a need for speed.” – On urgency in closing the wealth gap.

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

Support the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Schenta D. Randolph.

🎯 Purpose of the Interview

To spotlight Dr. Randolph’s work as a nurse scientist, her leadership of the HEET Lab, and her efforts to address health inequities—especially HIV prevention—in Black communities in the U.S. South. The interview also aims to educate listeners on the broader scope of nursing, the importance of representation, and systemic challenges in healthcare.

🧠 Key Takeaways 1. Dr. Randolph’s Background

• HBCU graduate from North Carolina A&T.
• Associate Professor at Duke University School of Nursing.
• Founding Director of the HEET Lab (Health Equity through Engagement, Advocacy, and Trust).

2. The Role of Nurse Scientists

• Nurse scientists conduct research to develop evidence-based interventions.
• Less than 1% of nurse scientists are Black.
• Nursing extends beyond bedside care into entrepreneurship, behavioral science, and public health.

3. HEET Lab Mission

• Focuses on HIV prevention among Black women and young Black men.
• Engages communities through partnerships with beauty salons, barbershops, and nonprofits.
• Funded by NIH and other foundations, with a $4.4 million grant for HIV prevention research.

4. Health Inequities in the South

• Higher HIV rates in the Southern U.S. due to systemic racism, lack of access to care, and population density.
• Social determinants of health (e.g., education, food deserts, redlining) contribute to disparities.

5. Systemic Racism & Denial in Healthcare

• Systemic racism creates barriers in healthcare access and delivery.
• Denial within the Black community about health issues (e.g., HIV, obesity, diabetes) is often rooted in distrust of the healthcare system.

6. The Role of the Church & Messaging

• Churches can be powerful platforms for health education but often stigmatize HIV.
• Messaging around HIV prevention (e.g., PrEP) often excludes Black women, leading to low adoption.

7. Mentorship & Representation

• Dr. Randolph co-founded Black PhD Nurse Scientists to mentor future scholars.
• Conducts HBCU tours to expose nursing students to research careers.
• Only 3 of 33 HBCU nursing schools offer PhD programs—highlighting a gap in academic pathways.

💬 Notable Quotes

• “Nursing is so much more than the bedside.”
• “Less than 1% of nurse scientists are Black.”
• “HEET stands for Health Equity through Engagement, Advocacy, and Trust.”
• “Representation matters. I became a nurse because I saw a Black woman who looked like me.”
• “We are truly our brother and our sister’s keeper.”
• “We have to advance our own health and be opinion leaders.”
• “This means more to me than my New England Journal of Medicine article.”

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

Support the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.