Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine and Media | May/June 2022

VISION & PURPOSE LifeStyle Magazine and Media

MAY/JUNE 2022

You Can Be ABCs Sam White

PAMELA PRICE A CHAMPION FOR JUSTICE

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THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN VETERINARIAN TO STAR ON DISNEY XD

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THE AFRICAN AMERICAN TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM JAIME-DUKE S. HAWKINS, PROGRAM DIRECTOR

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Dr. Aziza Glass Page 42

Dr. Walter McCollum

Chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College | Richmond Campus Page 26

VANDPMAGAZINE.COM

Building high-performance entrepreneurs, authors, and career professionals, who are prepared for life's unexpected curveballs.

Contact us at www.thewhatnowmovement.com info@thewhatnowmovement.com

VISION & PURPOSE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE AND MEDIA

CONTENTS

11 Women Who Lead

20 NC Feature

42 BookTalk

46 TechWorld

49 When It's Natural

2 Editor's Note 4 L.E.A.D. Women Who Lead In Business

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter 8 Let's Talk Politics Pamela Price, A Champion for Justice

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter 16 Business Spotlight CEO, Chantel George, SISTAS IN SALES

By Michelle B. Hauser

26 Dr. Walter McCollum Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College | Richmond Campus

22 Book Chat With the Baldwins Book Reviews, The Time Keeper and The Night Circus

By Becky V Baldwin and Lauren Baldwin 31 EducationFIRST You Can Be ABCs with Sam White

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter African American Teaching Fellows Program, Jaime-Duke S. Hawkins

By Dr. Essie McKoy 38 It's All Business ActionCoach Mid-Atlantic

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter 42 Lights Camera Action Dr. Aziza Glass

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter MAY/JUNE 2022 V&P MAGAZINE

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MAY/JUNE 2022

Editor-In-Chief

Dr. Sharon H. Porter Greetings V&P LifeStyle Magazine readers.

Welcome to the May/June 2022 issue. Thank you for your continued readership and support.

In this issue, we explore The Community College Experience of Ivy Tech Community College Richmond Campus through the lens of Chancellor, Dr. Walter McCollum.

PUBLISHER Perfect Time SHP Publishing EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dr. Sharon H. Porter Layout & Graphic Design SHP Media & Graphics Director of Sales Michelle B. Hauser Photographer & Design Consultant James Adéll Photography

The purpose and mission of V&P LifeStyle Magazine is to promote excellence in all aspects of leadership.

Innovation. Transformation. Collaboration.

Contact www.vandpmagazine.com info@vandpmagazine.com sales@vandpmagazine.com

@vandpmagazine MAY/JUNE 2022 V&P MAGAZINE

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VISION & PURPOSE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

CONTRIBUTORS Sharon H. Porter, Ed.D. President of SHP Enterprise, CEO of Perfect Time SHP, LLC, Owner and Editor-In-Chief of Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine, LLC

Dawn Marie Bornheimer Business Executive and Coach Founder, Dawn Inspires Chief Movement Officer, WNM Ventures, LLC

Michelle B. Hauser CEO & Owner, Sidez Catering Author

Oreadea Treadwell CEO, When It’s Natural

Jocelyn McDonald, Ed.D.

Erika McCormick, Ph.D., CLC, Renowned Master Coach, Serial Entrepreneur, Author and Speaker

iEducational Technologist, Podcaster, Blogger, and Technology Consultant

Essie Mckoy, Ed.D.

Jarita Hagans, M.D.

CEO and Founder o f Dr. Essie Speaks, LLC. Award winning educator and Six times best-selling author.

Board Certified Family Physician and owner of Zion Family Practice.

Lauren Baldwin

Beck y V B aldwin Founder of Baubles 'N Buttons Author and Host

Educator, Author, and Host

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L. E. A. D.

Learn. Excel. Achieve. Develop.

Women Who Lead In Business Dr. Sharon H. Porter

The Women Who Lead In Business Virtual Book Launch and Conference took place Saturday, March 19, 2022. The Women Who Lead Movement was created in 2018 with the release of Women Who Lead: Extraordinary Women With Extraordinary Achievements. After inviting many women with incredible experiences to speak to a mentor group, it was decided that the stories of these women should be captured and published. Volume 1 featured 20 women from various professions that shared their successes as well as challenges as they navigated through their careers.

Women Who Lead In Business book collaboration features, Dr. Erika McCormick, Stephanie Bolton-James, Dawn Marie Bornheimer, Maisha B. Hoye, and Chef Lavinia McKoy. Dr. Erika McCormick is co-founder of Abundant Living Consulting Corporation along with her business partner, Kerstin N. Driver. Abundant Living Consulting Corporation was founded in 2013.

Stephanie Bolton-James is the President and co-founder of Women of Prince George's, a premier professional resource for established entrepreneurs and businesswomen in the Greater Prince George’s County, Maryland area. The organization provides an educational experience, access to exclusive networking across industries, inspiring case studies, and a series of events to support business growth. I have the pleasure and honor of serving on the Board of Directors for Women of Prince George's.

Dawn Marie Bornheimer is a business executive, project manager, and best-selling author. She is the visionary of The Strength of Our Anchors. Dawn was named the Chief Movement Officer of The What Now Movement and WNM Ventures, LLC, mainly due to her incredible skills in activating others' potential for greatness.

Maisha B. Hoye is the founder and Chief Customer Officer for CustomerFirst Marketing. She recently created Kuubob, a platform that f focuses on three principles of Kwanzaa, Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Lavinia McCoy, an air force veteran, is the chef and owner of Gourmet Soul, located in St. Louis, Missouri. The restaurant was voted The Best Soul Food in Missouri.

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The Women Who Lead In Business Conference featured inspiring speakers and panelists. The event MCs were Janelle E. Taylor and Dawn Bornheimer, who did an excellent job keeping the audience engaged and informed.

Kiara Santos, Esq.

Three panels were presented, the authors' panel, moderated by mother and daughter duo, Becky and Lauren Baldwin, the Finance Panel that included authors of Women Who Lead In Finance, Pamela J. Sams, Chanay R. Robinson, Kerstin Driver, Leslie Flowers, and Amber Whitehead, moderated by Dr. Roz Gaskins and the final panel was the Branding and Marketing Panel, which included, Radhika Duggal, Olga Tsimaraki, Tasha Prados, Kaneesha Martin, Phoenix Jackson, and Lori Blatt. Each of them will be featured in an upcoming issue of Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine.

A great highlight was representatives from four women organizations sharing about their network. SchaChena Gibbs, founder of Real Sisters Rising Women Business Organization, Melissa Gilbo, Co-founder of the Women Business League, Attorney Elsa W. Smith, Vice President of American Business Women's Association -Maryland Capital Chapter, and Latika Vines, President of the International Association of Women Waldorf, Maryland Chapter.

The speakers for the event included Attorney Kiara Santos, Sharon J. Lawrence, and Sharvette Mitchell.

Attorney Kiara Santosf is the founder and owner of Santos Legal Group. She shared the importance of protecting your business and brand through trademarks. Attorney Santos

Sharon J. Lawrence

Sharon J. Lawrence, a highly regarded speaker and coach working in the areas of wellness, mental health, career planning, and professional development, helped us all understand the importance of "Leading Well and Balancing Boldy". Lawrence is the CEO of SJL Professional Services and the founder of Selah Wellness & Therapeutic Services, LLC. Sharvette Mitchell, who is referred to as The Platform Builder, works with small businesses to enable them to build their online platform so that they generate more revenue with an amazing personal brand. She shared her expertise in "Building Your Platform.

The Women Who Lead Annual Conference is held every March to commemorate and celebrate Women's History Month.

For more information, visit www.womenwholeadanthology.com

Sharvette Mitchell

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Visionary Author

www.womenwholeadanthology.com

https://www.mathnasium.com

Pamela Price, A Champion for Justice Pamela Price, Civil Rights Attorney, is currently running for District Attorney in Alameda County, California. Almeda is the seventh most populous county in the state and the 21st most populous in the nation.

By Sharon H. Porter, Ed.D.

Pamela Price is a graduate of Yale College and UC Berkeley Law School, and a survivor of the Ohio juvenile justice and foster care systems, her fighting spirit has trailblazed justice for everyday people in state and federal courts. She built a successful law-firm, coordinated teams of lawyers across the country and successfully argued a landmark racial harassment case before the United States Supreme Court.

Pamela has represented countless victims of retaliation, wrongful termination, sexual assaults, sex, age, religion, disability and racebased discrimination. Her clients included nurses, doctors, electricians, oil workers, teachers, office workers, police officers and correctional officers from all walks of life.

She plans to move Alameda County forward with her bold vision and platform for reform. Her priorities are to protect public safety, restore public trust, reduce gun violence, stop over-criminalizing youth, protect immigrant communities, hold police accountable, and fund effective re-entry strategies.

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Pamela has spent her entire career advocating for justice for women. Her compassion for survivors is deeply rooted in her own personal experiences with sexual harassment, domestic violence, and the criminal justice system. In 1977, Pamela joined the first sexual harassment lawsuit in education and led the fight to define sexual harassment both as an experience and a legal violation. The Alexander case made sexual harassment in education illegal and presaged the #MeToo, #TimesUp, and all the movements that followed.

As a survivor of domestic violence herself, Pamela is deeply aware of and sensitive to the needs of survivors of intimate partner violence. She takes these issues very seriously. In 1979, Pamela co-founded and coordinated the Bay Area Defense Committee for Battered Women. In 1981, she was maliciously prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney’s office as a survivor of domestic violence and was successfully acquitted at trial. As the lead plaintiff in the Alexander case, and as a lawyer, Pamela has represented dozens of victims of gender-based violence.

As the only woman in the race for DA, Pamela is fully committed to addressing violence in our community and especially against women and children, including the literally hundreds of crimes labeled as “domestic violence.”

Intimate violence cases that result in serious bodily harm or injury which include elder abuse, family violence, and intimate partner violence will be prosecuted as appropriate. When dealing with such cases, she says, she will always prioritize the safety, needs, and desires of survivors (and children, if they are involved) and seek long-term solutions that will keep families and communities safe.

In 2002, Pamela Price became one of only a handful of Black women to ever argue in front of the United States Supreme Court. In that case, she successfully advocated for her client, Abner Morgan, a Black electrician, who had been subjected to constant racial harassment at his place of employment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Morgan, and after a ten-year battle with his employer, Amtrak, her client finally found justice.

Pamela states, as a “Champion for Justice” I will create a justice system in Alameda County that doesn’t criminalize mental illness, addiction, youth, and homelessness. I’ll fight for a system that protects public safety, restores public trust, reduces gun violence, halts mass incarceration, and ends the racial, socio-economic, and gender disparities within the criminal justice system.

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n o t x u B n o s k c a J a c i n o M . r D

Women Who Lead

Pageant LifeBeyond the Crown...

Dr. Monica Jackson-Buxton

By Sharon H. Porter, Ed. D.

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The NC Miss Plus America Pageant, a preliminary to the National Miss Plus America Pageant, was held for the first time in North Carolina on March 11, 2022 in Winston-Salem. Dr. Monica Jackson-Buxton, Mrs Gastonia Plus America 2022 was second runner up, Covergirl winner, and the Essay winner.

The State Pageant Director, Dr. Stephanie Hurt, a native of Winston-Salem, introduced Dr. jackson-Buxton to the pageant.

Jackson-Buxton's initial thought was she didn't feel she was "cute enough" to be in a pageant. She discussed how society makes you think you have to be a size 2 and look a certain way to participate in pageants.

She goes on to say that many people don't realize is the pageant is about having a platform. After having the discussion with Dr. Hurt, she decided that she would enter the pageant.

Her platform is "Stepping Into Your Prepared Place". She mentors young ladies in high school and college. She believes that every young girl deserves an opportunity and the right connections to soar in to her destiny.

Her non-profit organization focuses their mentoring efforts in six categories: Self Confidence, Personal Branding, Leadership, Higher Education, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy.

Dr. Jackson-Buxton reflected on her winning second-runner up. Although, she was hesitant to enter the pageant

initially, once she commits to something, she is fully vested. She realized that coming as second runner-up was a lesson learned. "You go through things for a reason." It actually turned on a passion. As she reflected on how she wanted to mentor young girls, the lesson would be there is nothing that you can't do. There might be research you have to conduct, you have to have selfdiscipline, and some self-discovery. She thought to herself, she didn't win, but she was going on to continue with this newfound passion.

Shortly after the pageant, she was informed that she was invited to enter the National Pageant as an at-large delegate. She was told, she had what it took to be successful, she just needed to do some research, practice, and receive training.

Coming in as the second runner-up made her look closer at the differences between her and the winner.

Through this process, she became a mentor for Gaston Community College, working with the Early College students to help the young ladies build confidence and self-esteem.

The Miss Plus America Pageant is celebrating 20 years with the National Pageant being held in Houston, Texas on July 2, 2022, at the Omni Hotel Houston. Dr. Jackson-Buxton will be competing for the title as Mrs. Cardinal State Plus America 2022.

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The NC Miss Plus America Pageant Contestants

Dr. Jackson-Buxton is a Corporate Human Resources Manager for Parkdale Mills, the "World's largest yarn manufacturer". She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from North Carolina A&T State University,a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Human Resources from Guildford College, a Masters in Human Resources Development from Clemson University, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Capella University.

Dr. Jackson-Buxton says she is running for Mrs. Plus America 2022 because she is dedicated to elevating all young women into their "Prepared Purpose", their destiny."

She has had to build confidence, set goals, grow her wins, and continue to create a platform for every goal that she has.

Jackson-Buxton is finding herself involved in more and more activities. Whenever something comes to mind, she tries it right away, before she talks herself out of it and before she thinks what the world will think, or before someone tells her that it's not a good idea. "You have to have the courage to try and the confidence to see it through."

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I asked Dr. Jackson-Buxton where she sees herself in five years. She would love to have worked with at least 100 girls from middle school through high graduation in the areas of Self Confidence, Personal Branding, Leadership, Higher Education, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy. She also envisions her being able to motivate others through her speaking.

Speaking with Dr. Monica Jackson-Buxton, you feel her authentic self, you feel her genuine passion for helping others, and her will and determination to succeed.

I will be rooting for Dr. Monica Jackson-Buxton, Mrs. Cardinal State Plus America 2022, to win the national title in Houston, Texas, on July 2. Her intentions are pure and she has the heart to serve others.

Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine congratulates, Dr. Monica Jackson-Buxton!

Meet Chantel George

By Michelle B. Hauser

Chantel George, the founder of Sistas In Sales (SIS), - is the largest global organization for women of color in sales. She founded Sistas In Sales out of a determination to promote, support, and encourage women of color in sales across all industries. Sistas In Sales partners with Fortune 500 companies, tech start-ups, and consulting businesses to help them attract, hire and retain women of color sales professionals. SIS also provides world-class training, networking opportunities, and above all else, sisterhood for this underrepresented community.

Chantel is also an experienced Senior Enterprise Account Executive in AdTech, MarTech & SaaS. With her attention to detail, thoroughness, and client-first mentality, she has exceeded quotas, trained and managed Account Executives, as well as onboarded larger scale clients for her previous companies.

Her work experience spans from Public Relations for BonFun, an international cognac company to a 4-year tenure at Yelp as a Senior Account Executive for their National Business, Dataminr as an Enterprise Account Executive enabling Public Relations, Corporate Communications professionals with the same technology that over 400 newsrooms use to extract impactful events from Twitter, and LinkedIn where served as a Senior Account Executive for strategic tech B2B marketers from Alibaba, Sony, Lumen/CenturyLink, and Neilsen. Chantel is currently a Senior Client Partner for the Technology and Telco business at Twitter.

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Q & A with

Chantel George What part of your job do you find most challenging? Most rewarding?

CG: As a CEO and a Community Leader, I find it difficult to take my sales hat off most times. My craft and background are within the sales industry, I am accustomed to focusing on only one part of the business. Managing KPIs, and metrics for other departments such as Operations, Finance, and Marketing requires an entirely new skill set. Although, depending on who you may ask, this is a best-case scenario!

What advice can you give to an individual looking to break into the sales industry or seeking to pivot into it from other industries?

CG: Most people's biggest fear about sales is if they have the personality for the job, and the rejection that also comes with the job.

First, I would tell them that sales motion is a dialogue where both sides are looking to walk away happy. Both parties are looking for their needs to be met, we have instances of that in daily life. I would tell that person to think about all the different ways they negotiate in their current jobs, personal lives, and professional lives.

My advice is...Don't overthink the end goal. Professional sales are simply another negotiation in a different setting. Spend time learning the product inside and out to gain confidence and go out there and have conversations with new people every day. You will see how persuasive you can be!

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What steps would you recommend for high school students and college undergraduates to take if they are interested in working as a tech sales professional?

CG: Both large companies and start-ups have entry points for beginners. Spend time researching positions called, Sales Development Representatives, or Business Development Representative roles to get a head start.

What are some of the barriers you faced as you navigated through entrepreneurship and sales?

CG: In my early days in sales, I struggled to keep up professionally and navigate the corporate world as a black woman.

Often feeling like I was in a college course where everyone had the syllabus but myself, the world of corporate sales at the time was confusing, unwelcoming, and mysterious. Then I stumbled across a curious fact: within the Nielsen African-American Women: Our Science, Her Magic, “The most recent U.S. Census Survey of Business Owners showed that Black women are the majority owners in over 1.5 million businesses with more than $42 billion in sales.” Despite having a proven ability to achieve success outside of the workforce, women hold less than 4 percent of corporate board positions in Corporate America. It led me to wonder why black women weren't more prominent within industries that were seeking sales stars.

Even though many black women had sales skills and business acumen, and even owned small businesses, we remained underrepresented in corporate America, technology sales, and media sales. Nielsen continues to uncover the issue, “Career is an essential part of most women’s lives, and Black women are no exception. Sixty-four percent of Black women agree their goal is to make it to the top of their profession (95% higher than non-Hispanic White women), 58% agree that they don’t mind giving up their time for work (20% higher), and 64% agree they would continue working even if they won the lottery (19% higher).”Through observation and self-reflection, it came down to a lack of connections, an understanding of corporate politics, and most importantly, a lack of a community of black women in corporate sales.

Please share your insight on representation for women of color in the sales industry?

CG: McKinsey's report on Women in the Workplace reports that "Women of color continue to lose ground at every step in the pipeline—between the entry-level and the C-suite, the representation of women of color drops off by more than 75 percent”. Human socialization is built into our biology and physiology. We have an urgent need to socialize, create and advance together. Within groups were able to enact change, find mentorship with each other, and think through complicated problems. It became increasingly evident and obvious that a community dedicated to black and brown women in corporate sales was missing. As a result, I created a network around myself, initially consisting of strangers who were in sales and now powerful business connections. There are now 5,000 in that network, across 38 countries, and it is growing at 132 percent per year.

We have been able to connect thousands of women in the network, educate them at scale (in negotiation skills, sales methodologies, and pay equity), and became a strategic recruitment partner for some of the biggest businesses in the world. The innovation, “Community as a Service" is both a B2B and B2C business model. A range of resources - CEO, Sales, Marketing, and Finance - are required to grow the network of community members while creating a value proposition for partner companies. With all these elements, Community as a Service, CaaS, has a myriad of benefits for both the community member and the socially conscious business combined. *** Ms. George filled a gap by building a community of women of color in the sales industry that serves as mentors and thought partners.

The 5th Annual SIS Summit will be held in New York City, on September 21-23, 2022. For more information on the Summit or how you can join as a member or partner, visit www.sistasinsales.com

NCFeature Fayettville, NC

Dr. Erika McCormick Dr. Erika McCormick, renowned Award-Winning Business Consultant & Master Coach, Best-Selling Author, and Speaker.

Dr. McCormick is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Abundant Living Consulting Corporation, LLC, the umbrella entity for CreditFlex Technologies, TaxNest Financials, VARep Solutions, and Freedom Financial Group. She is also a contributing author of Sisters Inspire Sisters: Abundance, SelfLove & Manifestation and Women Who Lead in Business.

Erika is the visionary and co-author of “The Business Blueprint” {To include volume titles “The Money Management Manual '' and “The Interactive Self-Help Guide to Entrepreneurial Wellness} - a volume book series for aspiring and current business owners.

Erika’s Most honorable badge is motherhood, where she gets to experience abundant life with her daughter and teach her the valuable skills of education, success, and legacy. Erika is also a proud and active member of Delta Mu Delta, Chi Sigma Iota, Ps Chi, NSBE, W.I.S.E, U.S. Chambers of Commerce, Greater Fayetteville Chamber, and the Elevate Professional Women’s Network. She is also an ambassador of Project Semicolon and a Doctoral Studies Professional Development Mentor for her Alma Mater, Capella University.

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NCFeature Fayettville, NC

Kerstin N. Driver Kerstin N. Driver is the Co-Owner and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Abundant Living Consulting Corp (ALCC), a one-stopshop consulting firm for all things business and finance related.

Her mission is to help businesses and families alike attract, obtain, & promote abundance and legacy through education, effective planning, coaching, and mentorship.

Serving families and businesses for the past eight years, Kerstin has said there is no easy way to build a legacy. It takes hard work, sacrifice, drive, and a long-term strategic vision and plan. She helps her clients and community to achieve their goals with a solid and achievable business blueprint and money management manual which focuses on fundamentals and achieving milestone goals. Kerstin has eight professional finance licenses which she uses to educate, mentor, and coach her community. She is passionate about finance fundamentals and utilizing financial products as ways to help build generational wealth

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"Book Chat With the Baldwins"

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom, Reviewed by Becky V Baldwin The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Reviewed by Lauren Baldwin The Time Keeper Imagine living life without time. No work schedules. No scheduled time to eat or sleep. No rushing to a meeting or appointment because time is not even relative – it is nonexistent.

Dor was the first person to consider time. Counting and monitoring the sun and moon’s risings and settings. Capturing rainwater in bowls, to see how long the night is and observing weather patterns and the frequency of the change in climate. Dor was fascinated by time. In fact, he was the only person doing it, and God was watching him closely.

For Dor, time went from being fascinating to a curse to a prison to a gift. Dor is whom you might call ‘father time’.

Humankind are the only creatures on each that measures time so closely and although we move within the year, month, week, day, hour, minute and second making plans and attach time to everything we do or encounter. But, when we are with loved ones; enjoying a fun time with friends; savoring a great meal; a new relationship, and immortality we always wish for more of it – more time.

Dor grew up with his friends, Alli and Nim. Alli was faster than Dor. Nim was stronger than Dor, but they were good friends. Nim was competitive and strong. Nim became King. Alli married Dor and gave him three children.

Nim approached Dor to join his army, but Dor declined so Nim banished Dor from his home. Dor and Alli left their children with his family and moved to a cave up in the mountains. Alli was sad and missed the family very much. When another ostracized couple approached them in their cave Alli was so happy and welcomed them to join them for a meal.

The couple was sick and Alli got too close and became ill with the same disease that the couple had. Unfortunately, Alli died from the disease and Dor was so angry he ran into the city and ran up the tower King Nim was having built for only him to reach the heaven, defeat the sun, and moon gods for supreme power.

As Dor ascended the tower other men saw him and started to run up behind him. Now, it has been said that the thousands of men caused the Tower of Babel to disintegrate and only Dor is permitted to ascend into the clouds, but he felt someone lift him and he landed on the floor of a dark place.

Dor was inside a dark cave, with no light, but he could somehow see. Dor thought he was in the lair of the gods, but in fact, there was another older man in the cave with him. The man was a servant of the most high God. The man informed Dor he will live in this cave without aging. The man tells Dor about his work of tracking time, and now, time will continue to grow. The old man asked Dor what he has learned about “time” a word Dor had never realized or heard. Dor cried and his tears formed a pool on the cave floor. As the old man disappeared Dor asked him how long he would have to stay in the cave and he replied, “until heaven meets earth” and poof, the old man was gone.

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As father time, Dor hears each generation of people asking for more time, to slow time down, speed time up and so on.

Then, Dor singles in on two voices. Sarah Lemon and Victor Delamonte.

Sarah is a teenager excited to meet the popular boy in school for a date at eight-thirty and cannot wait until eight-thirty.

Victor is an elderly man who is dying from cancer and has been told there is nothing more the doctors can do, and he does not have much time left.

Dor becomes earth-bond to help Sarah and Victor realize the gift of time and the consequences of counting every moment. Both Victor and Sarah’s paths cross as their experiences with Dor collide.

I believe you will be captivated and surprised at how Dor, Sarah, and Victor each realize that time does not always yield you the outcome you planned or hoped for. Each learns that time should not be counted to determine how much has passed or remains, nor should time be used trying to figure out how to beat it.

The Time Keeper weaves a fascinating assumption of how time became. How time can be a curse and also a blessing.

I believe you will be captivated and surprised at how Dor, Sarah, and Victor each realize that time does not always yield you the outcome you planned or hoped for. Each learns that time should not be counted to determine how much has passed or remains, nor should time be used trying to figure out how to beat it.

The Time Keeper weaves a fascinating assumption of how time became. How time can be a curse and also a blessing. .

The Night Circus Have you ever read a book that sticks with you long after you’ve finished it? If you haven’t, I highly recommend you read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This book enchanted me like no other book ever has, so much so that I find myself coming back to re-read it at least once a year! In short, The Night Circus tells the story of the rivalry between two different forms of magic; the old and the new, and the competition and love affair between two young magicians who are destined to face each other in a magical duel to the death. The circus (which is only open at night, naturally) is their battlefield, where our young magicians, Celia and Marco, compete by adding mystical elements to the circus. Neither Celia nor Marco is aware at first that they are each other's rivals, thus they never know who to trust or what to expect from their opponents new addition to the circus.

Each magician must create something wilder and more grand than the other in order to advance in the duel. However, they also must be careful not to tip the scales too far in one direction, risking the discovery of actual magic afoot within the circus could cause utter chaos to not only Celia and Marco, but to the circus as a whole, and all who ventured there.

Ultimately, the fate of the circus lies in the hands of whichever magician’s choice of magic is stronger than the other. But who’s way is the right way? Marco’s old, or Celia’s new? Or is there even a “right” way to practice the mystical arts? That, dear reader, is what we are going to discover as this wonderfully lavish and beautifully detailed story unfolds. Part fantasy novel, part epic romance, I personally feel that this book is a great addition to anyone's book collection, but especially to those readers who love a good story they can really sink their teeth into and savor for years to come.

And now for my overall ratings of this book, I would give the quality of writing an absolute 10 out of 10. The author really was able to weave together not just a story about mystery and magic, but she was also able to capture within it a truly magical love story that never felt stilted or forced. The pace of the book for me was an 8 out of 10 simply because there are a lot of time jumps from past to present since the story is told in a non-linear format. This means it can lull in places but not for long, thankfully. Plot development was a 10 out of 10 for me as well. The way Morgenstern peels back layers of the story is such a unique talent. Her ability to set up a big reveal and have it play out in such a poetic way is incredible. Also, all of her words have meaning. If she mentions something seemingly as a throw away topic in chapter one, you can be sure she will bring that back up in a different chapter somewhere down the line.

The characters in this book were a 9 out 10 for me. The main duo Celia and Marco are great and each has their flaws of course, but most are forgivable. However other supporting characters (while fascinating) were more cruel which made for a slightly somber mood in an otherwise magical story. With all that being said, this book has been and will forever be one of my absolute favorites and I hope that if you decide to pick it up, that you’ll also enjoy the thrilling and magical ride that is The Night Circus.

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BOOKTALK Women Who Lead In Law Contributing Authors:

Women Who Lead In Technology Contributing Authors:

Nicole G. Ramón, Esq.

Dr. Jocelyn McDonald Alexis Nicole White Karen Walsh Laura Hart Dr. Sarah Thomas Dr. Sonja Jones Mandy Froehlick Kenyatta Powers-Rucker Chanel Johnson Patricia Brown Dr. Carol Gorst Foreword by Dr. Tracy Daniel-Hardy

Andrea L. Clark, Esq. Brittany Gardner, Esq. Ziara Rose, Esq. Rashondra Jackson, Esq

Publishing

Women Who Lead In Medicine

Women Who Lead In Real Estate

Contributing Authors:

Contributing Authors:

Dr. Courtney Yarbrough

Crystal Peace Mishonna Perry Jeanne Kelly Jenn Costigan Tahirah Stephenson Lauren Cohen Stacy Neir

Dr. Kimberly Braxton Dr. Antonia Neal Foreword by Dr. Jarita Hagans

Foreword by: Chairidee "Mrs. Mogul" ™Smith

Perfect Time SHP Publishing | www.perfecttimeshppublishing.com

The Community College Experience Meet Dr. Walter McCollum, Chancellor Ivy Tech Community College Richmond Campus

For several years now, I have been writing extensively about the HBCU Experience... Historically Black Colleges and Universities. HBCUs are definitely considered one of the backbones of education in the Black community.

Initially, there was no other space for Black people to be formally educated. I am a graduate of two HBCUs Winston-Salem State University and Howard University), an online university (Walden University), and two Predominately White Institutions (PWI) (Johns Hopkins University and National Louis University). The only box that I cannot currently check as a student or graduate is the Community College. This will more than likely change very soon, with the amazing selection of courses available to receive various certifications.

April is designated as Community College Month. I don't really hear many acknowledging the designation. As an elementary school principal, I have created College Monday at my school. Every Monday, students, and staff are encouraged to wear college attire. I highlight and feature a different college or university and have invited college chancellors and presidents across the nation to bring greetings that introduce their institution via video to the school community and social media. College Monday is simply an avenue used to expose elementary students to as many colleges and universities as possible.

This act led me to want to dig deeper into the experience at a Community College. I could not have chosen a better way to start this endeavor, than with the recently appointed Chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College Richmond Campus, Dr. Walter McCollum. I know Dr. McCollum to be a man of integrity, one who cares deeply for the greater good of humanity, and a passionate professional in higher education.

Let's journey together in the Community College Experience through the lens of Dr. Walter McCollum!

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Dr. Walter McCollum (Fulbright Scholar) is Chancellor, Ivy Tech Richmond Campus. In his previous role, he was Vice President/Senior Associate Vice Provost for Miami Dade College Online. He has worked in higher education for over 15 years at community colleges, 4-year institutions, and online universities. He worked for top multinational corporations for 14 years as a senior leader in change management, organizational development, quality management, and process improvement. Prior to his corporate experience, Dr. McCollum served 13 years in the United States Air Force (Desert Storm Veteran) both abroad and stateside in Information Management and Communication specialties.

As a professor of over 15 years, Dr. McCollum has taught at many institutions at all degree levels across multiple disciplines including, but not limited to, business, psychology, education, public policy, management, and leadership. His book “How to Use Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, and Spiritual Intelligence to Mentor Doctoral Learners: Best Practices and Tools to Help Mentors and Doctoral Learners Navigate the Dissertation Process” was reviewed and adopted

by Kansas State University which published the book review in Adult Learning Journal.

Dr. McCollum is passionate about impacting positive social change globally. As a Fulbright Scholar, he recently completed a Fulbright grant with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Amman Jordan, to evaluate the selection and evaluation processes for hiring university presidents in public universities in Jordan. He also designed/developed/automated rubrics for the search and evaluation processes and provided recommendations for the academic congressional mandate for hiring university presidents in the Kingdom of Jordan. In Komga, Eastern Cape, South Africa, he mentored an educator in the Local Township on the teacher certification process and the establishment of a non-profit organization. In Cahuita, Costa Rica, he led a delegation and assessed international development opportunities on an Indigenous Reservation and rebuilt homes to coincide with the Costa Rican culture of cooking on an open fire.

In Carrefour, Haiti he led a delegation to explore a partnership with Quisqueya University to identify opportunities to create student exchange programs and opportunities to bring technology into the Haitian educational system. In 2018, Dr. McCollum built a primary school in Haiti (with 208 students in the inaugural class/50 percent boys and 50 percent girls) to improve literacy and gender inequality.

Dr. McCollum holds an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in Business Management from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Liberal Arts/Psychology from The University of the State of New York SUNY Albany; a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change from Walden University. He has written seven books and is published in peer-reviewed journals. His doctoral research was “Process Improvement in Quality Management Systems: Case Study Analyzing Carnegie Mellon’s Capability Maturity Model”.

Q&A with Dr. McCollum SHP: Please share your experience in higher education.

WM: I am a first-generation college student, and I grew up in South Carolina. As a teen, I knew I needed a transformative educational and cultural experience to help guide my future, so I joined the Air Force following high school. Later, I attended Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and earned an associate degree with a specialty in Business Management, which sparked my passion for higher education, and eventually earned a master’s degree in Management and a Ph.D. in Applied Management Decision Sciences with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change. Subsequently, I spent 14 years in corporate America, while also teaching as an adjunct at many universities. Later I transitioned to full-time teaching and became an administrator. Before my appointment to Chancellor at Ivy Tech Richmond, I was with Miami Dade College and served in the role of Vice President, Miami Dade College Online. While there, I became familiar with Ivy Tech and its mission to provide all students with opportunities to access higher education, transfer options, and skills development to secure high-wage jobs.

SHP: Please share any highlights at Ivy Tech Richmond since your selection as Chancellor.

WM: Since I’ve been with Ivy Tech Richmond, I’ve designed five communities of practice to help us engage faculty, staff and students in the planning and execution of our strategic imperatives. I believe student centeredness and student voice is paramount – if we listen to students and engage them, they’ll support and advocate for the work we’re doing at Ivy Tech Richmond.

The five communities of practice I have established to guide the strategic imperatives for our service area include: Diversity, Equity and Belonging Enrollment Management Student Engagement and Student Success Social Mobility and Economic Development Faculty Excellence and Academic Programming SHP: Please discuss some of the advantages to students initially enrolling in a community college over a 4-year institution.

WM: The value of a community college is that it’s a foundational place where students can figure things out. What’s next for that individual? In a community college setting, the student can get started and then figure out what’s next, whether it is transferring to a four-year institution, or earning a special credential, certification, badge, or vocation. We provide students with options to meet their needs and demands but also provide opportunities for them to interface with the community. An advantage of community college is it also serves as an accelerator for high school students. Juniors and seniors in high school can earn dual credit while completing their diploma and associate's degree concurrently.

Additionally, community colleges provide upskilling, re-skilling, and reverse transfer opportunities for those students who might not have performed as best they could in previous programs of study and would like to take classes at community college to improve their GPAs. Students in a community college setting are also introduced to vocational and specialized trades which show them all the different possibilities they have for careers.

IVY TECH HIGHLIGHTS Founded in 1963 Ivy Tech is the largest singly-accredited comunity college in the nation.

Ivy Tech graduates the highest number of associates-level nurses in the nation.

Seventy-four (74) Academic Programs 19 Ivy Tech Campus locations across Indiana

SHP: What is special about Ivy Tech?

WM: As a community college graduate, I was first intrigued by Ivy Tech’s commitment to meeting all students where they are and providing transformative educational and life-changing experiences so students will be competitive in the workforce. As Chancellor for the Richmond campus, I am responsible for collaborating across five counties in the service area, assessing needs, and building education and training programs that will help those communities achieve growth, social and economic mobility, and long-term viability. We are building skills and competencies that are needed in these communities and creating high wage jobs.

One way Ivy Tech is meeting real needs of the community is through the partnership with 160 Driving Academy to address the truck driver shortage across the state of Indiana. Another way we’re meeting real needs is through our expansion of our nursing program. Ivy Tech produces more than 1,700 nursing graduates annually, but the need is even greater.

We’re expanding our program now to increase nursing admissions across the state by more than 600 students a year by 2025.

Additionally, one of the things Ivy Tech Richmond is doing is placing a special emphasis on providing support to military veterans, helping them navigate and obtain education and placement opportunities after their service commitment. This is extremely important to me as an Air Force and Desert Storm veteran and it’s important to the communities we serve.

SHP: Thank you for taking the time to provide our readers with your insight as Chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College Richmond Campus.

Ivy Tech Richmond recently held its Annual Car Show on its campus. The Chancellor's Pick was a 1936 Chevy Sedan.

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Sam White

SAM WHITE You Can Be... ABCs

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter

Sam White autographing his new book

Robert Samuel White, III, known as Sam White, recorded an ABC rap video that went viral on Facebook in October 2020. He raps about career options going through each letter of the alphabet. Sam's father, Bobby White, and Sam co-wrote the rap. Bobby White provided the beats. Sam hails from Memphis, Tennessee, and started reading at the age of two. His mother, Stephanie White, said she would read him lots of books while she was pregnant with him.

After Sam performed the rap at his school, his father decided to record it so others could experience his talent. The Whites hope the song will help and inspire and teach others.

Sam White

Sam is now celebrating his new book, You Can Be ABCs, that was published November , 2021. The book is based on the viral video of the same name. Sam White, and his dad, Bobby, want every kid to know that they can reach for the stars and make their dreams come true.

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Sam's mom, Stephanie, is the owner and CEO of Stephanie's Advanced Mentoring and is a television host for Memphians on the Move, a 30-minute television broadcast program that features individuals and organizations that contribute to the growth of Memphis. Stephanie is also a professional educator. Stephanie says the possibilities are endless.

Sam's dad, Bobby works for the Greater Memphis Chamber.

Sam has appeared on the Ellen Show, twice and has been interviewed on the Today Show, Good Morning, America, ActionNews 5 Memphis, Newsweek, and many other news outlets.

The video has now been viewed more than three million times on YouTube and over a million times on Facebook, including a post by former First Lady Michelle Obama.

We wish Sam White the best in all of his future endeavors.

You Can Be ABCs book is available wherever books are sold.

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Getting to Know The African American Teaching Fellows Program Through the Eyes of Program Director, Jaime-Duke S. Hawkins

By Dr. Essie McKoy Do you need a certified teacher? Do you want to diversify your teaching staff? Do you want an educator who has been educated from an accredited teacher licensure program? If so, you need to seek applicants who have been a part of The African American Teaching Fellows (AATF) Program.

Let’s take a journey as to how the AATF originated! The current Program Director, Jaime-Duke S. Hawkins, shared the following information about the historical perspective of The African American Teaching Fellows Program: On November 6, 2000, at the invitation of Jim Bundy, the Pastor of Sojourners United Church of Christ, several people, attended a brown bag lunch meeting at the Virginia Organizing Project (VOP) to discuss how to continue the work they had begun during recent dismantling racism workshops sponsored by VOP and other organizations. It was decided to continue to meet on a regular basis and share ideas on how to confront and dispel racism in our community. Some participated in Court Watch establishing a presence in courtrooms in order to broaden the base of those who witness proceedings and sentencing. Some participated in a forum on racial profiling. Some reported on individual acts to build awareness among local merchants, in their own workplaces, and faith communities. Often the discussions revolved around the public schools in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Several people attended the monthly meetings, and a core group began to form. In the spring of 2001, Lena Banks, a longtime African American teacher in the Charlottesville City Schools, invited three of her students from her English classes to address the school board about their experiences in general, advanced, and honors classes at Buford Middle School.

The 2000 - 2001 school year was the first time that Mrs. Banks had been given an Honors English class to teach. Honors classes had historically been enrolled almost exclusively with white students, General classes were enrolled almost exclusively with African American students, and Advance classes were enrolled with a mix of both groups. The students addressed the issue of the racial make-up of the classes when they addressed the school board.

After attending the school board meeting, Janet Ray, a member of the group who had been meeting at the VOP and whose daughter, Rosalie had been one of the student speakers, brought the experience back to the group. Other members of the group, particularly Michele Mattioli, Ellen Ryan, and Janet Evergreen spoke about their experiences as parents in the city schools which added to the understanding of the current situation. Michele shared that she had addressed the school board with the same concern over the racial makeup of the academically tracked classes several years ago. It was decided that the group should focus on the racial makeup of the stratification of the academic groupings in the Charlottesville City schools with the intent of confronting the issue of institutional racism in our schools.

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18 Over several meetings, it was decided to use the Friends model of a Listening Project where a list of questions was asked of several people and the answers are written down as close to verbatim as possible. A grassroots community organizing model was to be used to determine who was interviewed. If the person being interviewed identified themselves by race it was noted. If not, the race of the person was not assumed, and no note was made. The process was named the Buford Listening Project and the focus was on Buford Middle School in the city of Charlottesville. The group who conducted the interviews were Janet Ray, Michele Mattioli, Ellen Ryan, Janet Evergreen, Bob Gross, and Bruce Copeland. Near the end of the time that interviews were being conducted, Charlottesville High School student Elizabeth Ochs joined the group as an intern and helped collate the information collected. An effort was made to include as many members of the Buford community as possible and to be mindful that all races and socio-economic groups were included. There was never any intention or attempt to conduct a scientific study. A date was set for completion and all who were interviewed were invited to a meeting at Buford Middle School on May 22, 2002, to hear presentations on what had been learned and to begin to plan the next steps in addressing the issues raised. One thing that stood out was the lack of African American teachers, especially in academic areas such as English, social studies, and math. Many who were interviewed spoke about how they, as African Americans, felt that they were treated differently because of their race by the teachers who were white. African- American students who were able to enroll and be successful in honors classes refused to transfer because they did not feel comfortable in a class with all white students and almost always a white teacher.

The Buford Listening Project group invited many educators to its meetings and was soon joined regularly by John Baker, a former Albemarle County School Board president, a leader in the African American community, and for whom Baker Butler Elementary School in the county is named. He reported to the group about how he had worked for several years to recruit African American teachers to our area with very little success. The number of qualified African American teachers is small as top university students are not seeking a career in teaching, and many larger places such as Richmond and the District of Columbia are more likely to draw and keep young teachers due to the higher numbers of peers in other professions. Anecdotal evidence was presented by several members of the group regarding how teachers who did come, left after feeling unwelcome and unsupported in our public-school communities. It may be noted at this point that during that time a separate group consisting of Sojourner's members Enid Krieger, Bruce Copeland, Archie Thornton, and Jim Bundy approached the Albemarle County Superintendent, Kevin Castner, with a concern over the fact that although Baker-Butler was named after two African American men, there was only one African American teacher on staff.

This issue was raised in the context of a broader concern over the number of teachers of color in the school system in general.

Several conversations were held involving not only Dr. Castner but the principal of Baker-Butler and members of the county human resources team. While the group insisted on the need to make increasing faculty diversity a higher priority for the system, the difficulty of recruiting and retaining African American teachers was acknowledged and discussed. Ellen Ryan, a member of the group that had conducted the Listening Project, proposed the idea that we should “grow our own” teachers from the African American community that was already well established in Charlottesville. Such a community already understood the history, had roots here and therefore had a reason to stay in our community. It was felt that it was an untapped resource that had much to give to all children in the schools. The proposal included the idea that any financial assistance given by the group would be forgiven for years taught in the two local districts. The group began to explore the possibility of supporting local African American residents interested in teaching in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The group interviewed many local educators including superintendents, principals, human resource executives, and many faculty members of the University of Virginia.

Presentations were given by members of the group to local community groups, faith communities, and both local school boards. All responses were positive and there was great encouragement to make this idea a reality. Bruce Copeland, a member of the group, secured over $170,000 in the first half of 2004 as startup money to form an organization, hire an executive director and begin to support students towards licensure. The group was advised that if they were able to get a program up and running, they would then be more able to go after grants to support the program.

Group member Bob Gross made a trip to North Carolina to visit the statefunded program which recruits and supports undergraduates to become fully licensed teachers to see what could be applied in CharlottesvilleAlbemarle. In February of 2004, the group adopted the name the African American Teaching Fellows of Charlottesville and Albemarle and began meeting weekly to accomplish the task of becoming an incorporated, 501(3)c nonprofit in the state of Virginia.

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On May 24, 2004, several community leaders were invited to a spaghetti dinner at Catec for an informational meeting about the organization and its current progress. From that meeting, potential board members were actively recruited. Tasks that were completed before the first Board of Directors meeting held at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Unitarian Church Social Hall on Thursday, August 12, 2004, included raising $173,000 in start-up funds from individual donors, collecting more than 200 signatures in support of the program, contracting with the Virginia Organizing Project to carry out the AATF mission until such time as AATF could incorporate and seek independent tax status, developing and distributing more than 1000 brochures, and hiring Leslie Harris Scott as its first Executive Director!”Sometimes, we need to know the history before we can fully appreciate the present, engage in the future, and appreciate programs that were created to make an impact. The AATF is a prime example of such a program!

Currently, with the AATF Program led by Jaime-Duke S. Hawkins, she focuses mainly on recruiting, supporting, developing, and retaining African American pre-service teachers who are in an accredited teacher licensure program. She shared that their work is less about what they do for school districts and more about what they do to prepare the fellows' teacher candidates to work in local school divisions. The programming ranges from professional image workshops including resume editing, and social media presence to mock interviews with local administrators. Also, they provide a space of affinity for the fellows to meet monthly once they are in their first year of teaching locally. They work closely with the University of Virginia, James Madison University, Mary Baldwin University, and Virginia Commonwealth University to recruit African American students who are already enrolled in a teacher licensure program. “They are changing the future by educating today.”

Jaime-Duke has an extensive background in the field of education. She has served as a diversity and inclusion professional with over five years of experience and over twenty years of experience in education. As the Program Director, she provides support for twenty-nine teaching Fellows consisting of financial, professional, and social support. In addition, she develops, coordinates, and facilitates programs for teaching Fellows including a week-long summer institute supporting ongoing professional development, and communicates with local principals and human resource departments for Charlottesville City and Albemarle County Public Schools to facilitate the hiring and placement of job-seeking Fellows. Also, Jamie manages the admission process for prospective Fellows including reviewing applications and conducting interviews for admission into the program, coaches job-seeking Fellows throughout various hiring processes to secure employment in the education sector, observes and evaluates the progress of Teaching Fellows within the program to ensure positive progression towards goals, and oversees budget reconciliation to ensure the program operates within an approved budget.

Jaime-Duke believes the most rewarding aspect of the program is knowing the impact that she is making in the Charlottesville Community. She has had the opportunity to work with forty-four Fellows since 2012. It is rewarding for her to see the direct impact on the children who live in the Charlottesville and Albemarle counties.

Amazingly, when Jaime-Duke started teaching in Charlottesville in 2001, she did not have the support of The African American Teaching Fellows Program. She believes the financial support is great! However, she wished she had the opportunity to share the space with other African American teachers in Charlottesville and Albemarle who were in the same stage of their teaching careers as she was at the time. The networking and spaces of affinity that are provided to our fellows have been impactful for all participants. Jamie strongly believes that for an African American teacher education student who wants to be part of a community, even if staying in Charlottesville long-term is not their goal, the work that AATF does sets the foundation for their career!

The AATF provides many benefits, professional development, and support. There is an application and selection process for potential fellows, and one must meet the eligibility requirements. If interested, you may contact Ms. Jaime-Duke S. Hawkins at jaime@aatf.org or call her at 434-466-4977. To find out more information about the program, please visit www.aatf.org.

ActionCoachMid-Atlantic

ActionCOACH is the world’s largest and most successful Business Coaching company. The concept of business coaching, as it is widely known today, was pioneered in 1993 by the founder of ActionCOACH, Brad Sugars. Almost three decades later, the company that started it all is still on top. In fact, no franchise in the “business coaching” category is 10 percent of their size in total revenues.

MASTER FRANCHISOR, KELLY PEITZ

From a humble one-man-show operation to a multimillion dollar enterprise, ActionCOACH continues to blaze the trail and serves as the business coaching industry’s most innovative company. Currently, ActionCOACH is more than 1,000 coaches strong and operating in over 80 countries globally, and growing.

By Dr. Sharon H. Porter

CEO, Kelly Peitz, says "from the start, ActionCOACH has been set up with the business owner, in mind. As an alternative to conventional and costly consulting firms, ActionCOACH is designed to give business owners both short-term assistance and long-term training through its affordable and effective mentoring approach. "

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Peitz goes on to say, few companies have the experience in their field that ActionCOACH does. We have worked with business owners, both in group coaching sessions and one-on-one coaching programs, for 28 years.

All of the coaching programs are focused on their exclusive business-building framework that will help business owners achieve the ActionCOACH definition of a business; A Commercial, Profitable Enterprise That Works … Without You (the business owner).ActionCOACH works with more than 18,000 clients every week across the globe. The business owners, totaling in the hundreds of thousands, whom ActionCOACH has helped over the years, can attest to the power and strength of the ActionCOACH framework.

Based on sales, marketing, financial, and business management systems, ActionCOACH not only shows the business owner how to increase revenues and profits, often quite dramatically, but also how to develop the business so that you, as the owner, can work less, relax more and enjoy business ownership. ActionCOACH believes business should give you more life.

Peitz says it all starts with their coaches. "Our business coaches have broad and deep business experience and are fellow business owners who have invested their time, money, and energy to make their own various business ventures successful. They are truly every business owner’s unreasonable friend and because of that, your success truly does determine our success."

I asked Peitz, does everyone need a business coach? He responded, "every great performer, whether it is an elite athlete, business legend, or performing superstar, is surrounded by coaches and advisors. As the world of business moves faster and gets more competitive, it’s difficult to keep up with all the changes in your industry – in addition to running your business every day."

"Just like great athletes who find success by following the lead of a coach with a winning game plan, now more than ever business owners are turning to business coaches to help develop a winning game plan for their businesses. Why? First, it’s very difficult to be truly objective about yourself. A Business Coach can be objective for you and can see the “forest through the trees.” He continued, "A sports coach will make you focus on the game and will make you run more laps than you feel like. A good coach will also tell it like it is and will give you small pointers about the game and your competition.

A great coach will listen and guide you to success.

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"Likewise, a Business Coach will make you focus on your business and hold you accountable for the things you should do and where you want your business to be. Your ActionCOACH will also be like your oneperson Board of Directors. They will help you when it comes to your marketing, your sales, your training, and every other area of your business. Simply put, when you work with an ActionCOACH, they become your partner, your confidant, your mentor, and most unreasonable and best friend."

ActionCOACH's expertise is in the areas of sales, marketing, business development, business management, and team building, with literally hundreds of different profit-building strategies. When business owners work with ActionCoach, they quickly see how truly powerful their systemized approaches are.

ActionCoach's "14-points of culture" define the core values of the brand and community. While all points of culture are critical to the success of ActionCoach, I asked Peitz to share about three of the points of culture.

He first shared a few thoughts on culture to emphasize just how important it is to ActionCoach.

"Every business or organization has a culture. Cultural fit is crucial. If someone does not fit the culture, even if they have the skills to perform, it is only a matter of time before they fail within that organization.

Unfortunately, most organizations are not very intentional about culture and will often devolve into complacency, backbiting, politics, gossip, and distrust. This is very unfortunate, because of all the people impacted, but all too common. " "We are VERY intentional about our culture, and we also help our clients craft and build very intentional cultures in their organizations as well. While our business-building framework is the best in the world, I believe our culture and our community is our secret sauce."

"We have 14 points of culture we strive to live by and hold each other accountable to. While every family has a crazy uncle who just doesn't get it, for the most part, the franchise owners and the entire community within ActionCOACH fit and role-model our culture very well. It is an impressive group of people."

Out of the 14 points of culture, Peitz shared his favorite three: Ownership, Gratitude, and Abundance Ownership. I am truly responsible for my actions and outcomes and own everything that takes place in my work and my life. I am accountable for my results and I know that for things to change, first I must change Gratitude. I am a truly grateful person. I say thank you and show appreciation often and in many ways so that all around me know how much I appreciate everything and everyone I have in my life. I celebrate my wins and the wins of my clients, and team. I consistently catch myself and other people doing things right.

Abundance. I am an abundant person, I deserve my abundance and I am easily able to both give and receive it. I allow abundance in all areas of my life by respecting my own self-worth and that of all others. I am rewarded to the level that I create abundance for others and I accept that abundance only shows up in my life to the level at which I show up.

I asked, why do these three resonate with him so much. "To be honest and completely vulnerable, it’s because they are the ones I need to work on the most. They were, in a large part, what was missing in my life. It's what kept me from achieving what I wanted. That’s the amazing thing about becoming part of this organization. The growth, both personally and professionally, is incredible. I think most, if not all, in ActionCOACH would echo that."

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My next question was regarding ActionCoach's ideal client. Pietz states, "more than anything, we want someone who is open-minded, willing to try new ideas, and is coachable. We have a robust product ladder, something for every business and every budget. Our clients are selected more on attitude rather than company size or revenue. Our clients choose to work with us because we understand that people are critical to success. Because of our network of coaches all over the world, there is not a type of business, industry, or category that ActionCOACH hasn’t either worked with, managed, worked in, or even owned. Our extensive network means when you hire an ActionCOACH, you hire the full resources of the entire ActionCOACH team to find a solution for any and every challenge you may have. Imagine hiring a company with the collective knowledge of thousands of experts, in virtually every industry, in every corner of the world, ready to help you."

ActionCOACH is a franchise. So naturally, I wanted to know about their ideal franchise owner. "Our ideal franchise partners are business-minded individuals who share our vision of World Abundance Through Business Re-Education.

Those that want to build an asset for themselves while their team of business coaches coach other entrepreneurs and business owners in their local community to grow more profitable and sustainable businesses, while at the same time creating jobs, and truly contributing to a stronger economy. You don’t have to be a business guru or have an MBA to be a great business coach. Our framework will teach you all you need to know."

Peitz says there are four questions they ask potential franchise owners as they go through the due diligence process.

"I’ve found if any one of these questions is a NO, then ActionCOACH is not the right choice for them, and we tell them so."

1. Is this something you can be passionate about? Life is too short not to be passionate about your career. We want to make sure our franchise partners are passionate about helping others grow and succeed.

2. Do you have what it takes to succeed and are you willing to grow/learn to ensure you do? This isn’t about what they have done in the past, this is about the fire in their belly to succeed, the understanding that starting any business is not easy, it takes hard work and dedication, especially at the beginning. It’s also about their ability and willingness to learn our Intellectual Property and to follow a proven system, yet add their own critical thinking to it.

3. Will our model help you achieve all of your goals – professional, financial, or personal? Even if they love this and would be great at it… if it can’t get them to where they want to be in life, they shouldn’t do it.

4. Are you willing to live within our 14 Points of Culture and hold others within ActionCOACH accountable to live by those standards, as well? Our culture is very real and very important to us. As I mentioned earlier, it is our secret sauce, it must resonate with them or we are not a good fit.

As a Master Franchiser in the Mid-Atlantic Region, covering Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Kentucky, and West Virginia, Kelly Pietz owns a Master License (ML) Franchise for Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Kentucky, and West Virginia. He is also a Certified ActionCOACH Business Coach. His role as an ML is to help grow the ActionCOACH Global Franchise to achieve its overarching objective to get an ActionCOACH in as many businesses as possible. He does this by finding qualified candidates in his territory, guiding them through their due diligence process to ensure they are a good fit for them and they are a good fit for ActionCOACH, then determining if they will award them an ActionCOACH Franchise or not. Once a candidate is awarded a franchise, his team provides them with local support, in addition to what they get from the Franchisor. The goal is to have every franchisee be successful. He views his support role to be equally as important as growing the territory.

For more information about ActionCOACH Mid-Atlantic, visit mid-atlantic.actioncoach.com

Dr. Aziza Glass, Vetinerary Medicine

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Lights, Camera, Action...

By Sharon H. Porter, Ed.D.

Dr. Aziza Glass, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, is a graduate of Cornell University. Dr. Glass was born in Houston, Texas, where for years she nurtured her love of animals by watching television documentaries and performing her own animal behavior experiments.

Beyond clinical medicine, Dr. Glass has a variety of molecular biology research experience in the areas of animal science, synthetic biology, animal behavior, and space biomedicine.

She has studied extensively at top research institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Dr. Glass graduated from Prairie View A&M University, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a concentration in animal science.

She enjoys leisure reading, playing golf, and spending time with her close friends and family. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association, the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, and the American Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Glass is the owner of Personal Touch Veterinary Clinic, where she focuses on integrative medicine with an emphasis on acupuncture and other alternative modalities. She obtained her Certification in Veterinary Acupuncture (CVA) from the world-renowned Chi Institute.

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I asked Dr. Aziza, how and when she knew she wanted to be a veterinary. She calls herself a "late bloomer". She didn't know she wanted to be a veterinarian until she was in college. She observed the upperclassmen at her alma mater go through the process of trying to figure out what they were going to do post-graduation. She stated that some of them were applying for medical school. She knew she was going to graduate school and she knew she wanted to be Dr. Aziza. She thought the doctorate would be a Ph.D. It never occurred to her that she would become a veterinarian. She also found out that two of her professors, who just happen to be women, were also veterinarians and that's why they were called "doctors". A lightbulb went off for her.

Previously, Dr. Glass has been seen on NatGeoWild's "Vet School" television docuseries.

She was also featured as an animal health consultant on ABC and FOX morning news as well as in numerous publications including Southern Living Magazine, Veterinary Practice News, and The New York Times.

Dr. Glass is the expert veterinarian for Freshpet Foods, one of the fastest-growing pet food companies, dedicated to educating and promoting healthy diets and lifestyles for our pets. Make sure to watch Dr. Glass on the new television series “Roman to the Rescue,” which premiered on February 12th on Disney XD, DisneyNOW, and Hulu streaming platform.

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We talked about some of the barriers and challenges she's faced in her career as a veterinary. Dr. Aziza stated that less than two percent of veterinarians are Black.

"Veterinary school is very challenging." In addition to the challenge of veterinary school, she has had to deal with "the layer of what it means to be Black in that space and what it is to be a woman in that space, and what it is to be a Black woman in that space, makes it a lot more convoluted and challenging. What helped her through this was having good mentorship from other veterinarians with several years of experience. "It was important to have someone to go over cases with, but also

to allow yourself to be vulnerable... Did I mess up, Is there something that I missed, could I have done something better." She had to be receptive when the answer was yes, but also was validated when the answer was "no, you're not crazy, this is actually happening to you. They are actually being passiveaggressive, there are actually microaggressions."

She also stated that sometimes if you bring up these challenges to certain people such as colleagues, your medical director, or company executives, they are oftentimes the main people who are contributing to the toxic work culture.

Dr. Aziza opened Personal Touch Veterinary Clinic out of necessity. She was coming out of two bad work environments. She learned a great deal by working in those locations. It made her medicine much better, but she hated her job and hated going to work every single day. She had to ask one of her mentors, "Is this me or is this comes with being me?"

The mentor told her that she was very good at what she does and this comes with who you are. He told her the way to fix it is to create her own space and do her own thing.

She took a leap of faith and created her own space.

She now does veterinary acupuncture, consultation, and media and entertainment work. This new space enabled her to be prepared when Roman to the Rescue came her way. Her business has been growing and she has been free to be a working mom, create her own schedule, choose where to go, what to do, and grow her practice and her company in a way that fits her.

She will be partnering with another veterinarian and expanding to a brick-and-mortar.

Dr. Aziza has been working in media for about seven years. She started out on Vet School, a television docuseries of the behind-the-scenes of veterinarian school. She continued to stay relevant by being a TV news contributor in Houston, Texas, speaking on podcasts, parenting with FreshPet Dog Food, and constantly working on her craft.

She was contacted by Nomadic Films and The Dodo Partners about co-starring in Roman to the Rescue.

The series follows 10-year-old rescuer, Roman McConn on his journey to find homes and families for shelter dogs. Aziza says it was "preparation meeting opportunity." Roman to the Rescue can be viewed on Disney XD and Hulu.

Dr. Aziza desires to ultimately be behind the camera in a more influential role, helping to greenlight other projects, especially stories about the sciences. It was her interest in science and viewing nature documentaries that intrigued her.

As a pet parent, I appreciate the information Dr. Aziza shares through her blog and other media interviews. Catch her on Roman to the Rescue on Disney HD or Hulu.

I look forward to seeing what's next for Dr. Aziza!

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5 Ways to Use Technology to be More Productive

By Dr. Jocelyn MCDonald

Many of us take on many roles in our daily lives whether we are parents, have a spouse, an employee for a company or organization that leans on our skillset for productivity and performance, or even a small business owners with stringent obligations. For many of us, we play multiple roles in our lives and the lives of others who are dependent on us. Therefore, it is critical for us to maximize our time and efforts to be more efficient and productive.

In today’s digital world, there are many ways to leverage technology to support your daily interactions, increase your productivity, and be more efficient. Here are five ways to use technology to be more productive.

Self-Care Applications Sometimes we are so indulged in our daily roles and expectations from others, that we forget to plan time to care for ourselves. With our exceedingly busy lives, intrinsic drive to reach our goals, and diligent need to serve the ones we love, we tend to neglect taking care of ourselves. Here are some applications to help support you with self-care: Motivation: This application will send you reminders of positive thoughts throughout the day that you can easily share on social media or with others. Whether you are going through a tough time or need a boost of inspiration, the Motivation app can send you positive reminders to support your mental wellbeing.

Topics range from self-esteem, stress, relationships and so much more.

My Fitness Pal: Your physical health is an essential part of self-care. The My Fitness Pal application allows you to log your weight, food, and fitness goals to help you manage a healthy lifestyle. This application provided a personalized diet profile and can be customized to fit an array of diet lifestyles.

Headspace - This application provides science back meditation and mindfulness tools to support your mental wellbeing. It can help you create life-style changing habits to relax, improve focus, reduce stress, and improve sleep.

Digital Calendars One way to organize your time and stay abreast of tasks, events, and deadlines is to use a mobile or web-based calendar. Some of us may be accustomed to using the traditional, paper-based calendars and organizers that are only relevant for the current year in use. While tangible, those calendars expire and do not provide a continuous and fluid solution for today’s digital world.

There are various calendaring applications you can use to support streamlining the multiple roles you have in your life. With many free applications out there you can easily use Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or even your iPhone calendar.

Google Calendar: Many email providers provide access to a web-based calendar for ease of use and access. However, many of us use Google’s email client, Gmail, as our email servicer. With a Gmail account, you have access to many applications of the Google Workspace. This automatically includes Google Calendar. One of the benefits of having a Gmail account is that you easily have access to your Google Calendar in the same interface as your email account.

Google Calendar is also available as a mobile application and will automatically sync to any device you may be logged into. This means you can access your calendar on your laptop or your smartphone. Another benefit is that you can create additional calendars that can be separate from your personal calendar. You can also share your calendar with family, colleagues, or your assistant. As well as sent send calendar invitations for meetings or events to add to others' calendars no matter what email provider they may be using. Using your Google account can serve as a multifunctional way of taking charge of the multiple roles and tasks in your life to be more productive and efficient with your time.

Smart Devices: For smartphone and smart home device users, you could even take it even a step further and leverage smart assistants, such as Siri and Alexa-enabled devices to help you quickly schedule and access your upcoming events without having to stop to login into your device or find your phone. It's as simple as just saying “Alexa, what’s on my calendar?” or “Hey Siri, schedule a 3:00 pm dental appointment for Thursday.”

If you are not leveraging a mobile or web-based calendar, this is your year to take action in being more efficient and productive.

AI and Digital Assistants Artificial Intelligence (AI) is continuously progressing rapidly in our society from facial recognition and digital assistants to self-driving cars. AI encompasses an area of computer science in which machines are taught to perform tasks that are typically done by humans. This gives us an increasing advantage to be more efficient in our daily lives and can be used to help us with an array of tasks for productivity.

Whether you know it or not, there are many programs and services powered by AI in our daily lives. This includes map applications you may use to calculate directions and traffic, ride-share services such as Uber or Lyft, recommendations for movies and music, or even just connecting with friends and colleagues through social media. Although AI may collect data to learn more about your habits and preferences, it can also be used to support you in being more efficient and maximizing your time.

Facial Recognition: Facial recognition is a way of using biometrics to recognize, identify and confirm human facial patterns through technology. It offers a powerful way to not only protect your personal data but also quickly access your devices, accounts, and data. For example, unlocking your laptop or mobile device instead of having to type in a password or pin number.

More often we have mobile applications installed on our devices for ease of access to your bank account, credit cards or even quickly using Apple Pay for purchases. In addition, facial recognition can be used to better organize and filter through your photos on your mobile device Digital Assistants: Digital assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, or Microsoft's Cortana use AI to perform tasks and learn your interactions. This can may range from searching the internet for specific information, commanding other applications, enhancing communication, and managing your home. Devices such as Amazon’s Echo Show and even now the Fire Omni TV, have the capability of making phone calls, in-home announcements, access to your favorite music or TV show, and performing tasks through voice command. It is as easy as saying “ Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes” or “Alexa, remind me to call mom at 4:00 pm.”

Chrome Extensions Chrome Extensions are software programs that you can easily install on your Google Chrome browser through the Google Chrome Webstore. With so many options you can optimize your browsing experience through the use of these programs. Check out some of these extensions that will help you be more productive: Google Keep: This extension allows you to easily take quick notes, and save webpages, text, and images that you can easily access and organize with labels. You can even share or collaborate with others through this extension.

Grammarly: This extension allows you to eliminate grammar and spelling errors in real-time on platforms such as emails, social media, and even Google Docs.

Save to Google Drive: This extension helps you to easily save web content or browser screenshots to your Google Drive.

Google Translate: This extension allows to you translate text or entire pages into various languages.

SpeedTest: This extension allows you to quickly test your internet performance to measure how fast website pages load.

LastPass: This extension allows to you securely store passwords and addresses in a vault where you can easily access them from any computer or mobile device you may be using.

Social Media for Networking Whether you are trying to get that next promotion, promote a philanthropic cause, or grow your business, networking is an essential component of making connections and reaching your audience of interest. Many people use social media for personal connections to family, friends, and entertainment.

Some prefer not to use it at all as it is seen as may have some negative connotation meaningfulness in their life. However, social media is an amazing outlet to connect with others who you may not have been able to access without the platform.

With social media, you can be more productive in communication and collaboration, build a portfolio of your work or services. Applications like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Groups, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse can be used as a great way to help you be more productive whether you are looking for inspiration, self-care, or just looking to connect with like-minded individuals.

Clubhouse is an audio-based platform in which conversations are happening in real-time all over the world. With this app, you can listen to or even join conversations via audio. There is an array of clubs that can support developing new skills, connecting with people who have similar interests or work in the same industry, or just having access to people who are motivated to do the same work or have the same passion for a cause as you.

Connect with like-minded individuals, groups, or organizations via Facebook Groups. You can even start your own Facebook Group to support your cause or business efforts to make sure self more visible.

With Twitter and Instagram, you can follow people who inspire you, share resources or bring awareness to your products or services. LinkedIn is a platform for professionals, a great way to connect with other professionals in your area, market your skills for the next opportunity or scale your business.

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YOU FOUND OUT GOING NATURAL IS NOT EASY...

By Oreadea Treadwell

Are you feeling the aggravation in trials and errors of going natural? Are the elements of surprise a significant let-down? Is the shock factor beyond shocking? I know, going natural seems to be more than you first imagined. You researched, started the journey, bought products, and promised to embrace and love your natural tresses now there is a sigh. It is not easy. Do not lose hope.

Some will big chop others will transition; either way, it is an opportune time to make the best out of the journey.

I have conversed with ladies who are transitioning to natural and have transitioned. Across the board, the shared common denominator is frustration. There is a learning curve. However, learning curves happen in worthwhile matters of life? You may be a bit discouraged, do not stay there.

One young lady said, "My hair is so disrespectful!" Although humorous, there is a key point to make. If you are transitioning or are new to being natural be patient with yourself, including your hair.

Adopting such practices will allow you to observe products used and how the hair reacts to products and styles. Thus, comes an understanding of what works.

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18 Here are things of importance for your natural hair journey…

1. Pay Attention To Your Hair When washing, conditioning, applying products and styling your hair, you will see how your hair behaves in various phases of care. This provides some understanding of what works or what needs modification.

2. Give Love To Your Scalp The largest organ of the body is the skin. The scalp is skin that needs tender care. It is the garden from which each strand grows. How can hair be at an optimal health level if the scalp is unhealthy? Scalp massages are so important. They promote circulation, and stimulation of the follicles, which promote hair growth. Massages help to loosen product build-up. There are additional benefits to scalp massages; they can ease stress and tension. Massage your scalp at least (2-3) times a week for (5) to (10) minutes.

Yes, the scalp has natural sebum. However, oil your scalp and gently massage with the pads of your fingers or a batteryoperated or manual massager.

Apply oil before the first massage. More for the second or third massages may or may not be needed. It depends on the presence of oil still on the scalp.

If there is an overproduction of sebum make sure the scalp is thoroughly clean before applying a small amount of oil, which will provide vitamins and minerals to the scalp.

3. Protect Those Tresses Before bedtime, cover with a silk or satin scarf or bonnet. For added protection use a satin or silk pillowcase. Drinking an adequate amount of water daily helps to protect your crown too.

Drinking water supports hair growth, and scalp health by adding hydration.

4. Have A Consistent Healthy Hair Regiment Do not skip any steps. Be intentional about having healthy natural hair. When it is time to wash your hair, wash your hair. Be sure to deep condition. (Here is a side note be careful about applying protein too often. A treatment every 6 to 8 weeks help strengthen the hair.) Protein treatments more frequently can cause dryness and brittleness. Therefore, leading to breakage. Deep conditioning boost moisture, hydration elasticity, and softness of the hair.

As this happens - your hair will begin to respond to the new natural hair regimen. The idea of feeling "disrespected" by one's hair comes from not understanding how to manage hair in its natural state. You may discover curls, waves, loose or tight coils that you must learn. There are hair experiences that will not make you swoon. Eventually, you should love and embrace your naturalness.

Lastly, Trial and error is all a part of going natural. The frustration of it all is understandable. Yet, deciding to learn allows you to get a better feel of the phases of your beautiful hair. In time, those tresses will show off those dream styles. Here is a takeaway, practicing patience lends to the ability to learn hair type, hair needs, and hair behavior, decide to embrace the new journey, and be intentional in the care of your crown. Be good to your hair and scalp. In turn, They will be good to you.

Fall in love with your natural hair, Queen!!!

“Always Remember, You Are Stronger Than You Think” Oreadea Treadwell is a conqueror, CEO, credited poet, author, speaker, and advocate.

She graduated from Howard University and received her certification from The George Washington University. As a survivor of domestic violence and a single mom, Life's challenges pushed her toward her determination, her determination pushed her to work hard at accomplishing her dreams.

As the Chief Executive Officer of When It’s Natural, Oreada curates Ayurvedic hair and body products for men and women. When It's Natural began as a hair care product company, quickly expanding into skincare. Conducting, research, testing, and knowing the products allow her to help countless people achieve desired hair and skin goals. She educates consumers on proper care and best practices. Through When It’s Natural, Oreadea shows others the beauty and strength they encompass naturally. She intends to have products on shelves globally.

Oreadea performed spoken word tributes for the Former Ambassador of South Africa (Sheila Sisulu), the National Boys and Girls Club, the Red Cross, the National Medical Association, the Kunta- Kinte Alex Haley Foundation - just to name a few, was requested by a city Mayor to render her poetry. Oreadea's poetry was played on local radio.

Oreadea has been a keynote speaker for various organizations on the topics of Personal Growth and Leadership. She facilitated workshops on breaking cycles. She is a proponent of the youth growing a positive self-image and knowing their worth. Her work earned her an interview on 96.3 FM WHUR (The Daily Drum). Oreadea's domestic violence advocacy work began over 15 years ago. Former Senator Gloria Lawlah recognized her as the first in her region to organize a walk. Oreadea is committed to making a difference through her passion and purpose.

Connect with Oreadea:

Email whenitsnatural2@gmail.com | Website www.whenitsnatural.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whenitsnatural/ MAY/JUNE 2022 V&P MAGAZINE

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