My Lotus Moments

Chassity Nichole Crittenden is a Southern University graduate. Chassity is a 31-year-old fitness & sports enthusiast, current stress & anxiety fitness trainer, mentor, Life Coach & former NBA Houston Rockets Cheerleader. Chassity has approximately 15+ years of cheerleading experience. Having started cheer in her preteen years, she truly grew to love the sport. Chassity started her cheer journey as a "park league" cheerleader in Warner Robins, GA with the Robins Air Force Base Falcons, continued into Middle School as the captain both years for the Warner Robins Middle School Warriors.  Chassity moved to Baker, Louisiana the summer before High School and started cheering at Baker High her sophomore year.  Chassity went on to become a collegiate cheerleader at Southern University where she cheered 4 years and then went on to audition for the Professional NBA Houston Rockets cheerleaders, where she cheered for 5 years. Chassity has been featured in a published book called "Cheer" by Kate

Download Episode Chassity Nichole Crittenden is a Southern University graduate who majored in Therapeutic Recreation & minored in Psychology.  Chassity grew up a military kid, yet Baton Rouge Louisiana is the place she calls home. She is a 31-year-old anxiety & stress fitness trainer, Certified Recreational Therapist & Life Coach as well as a true advocate for mental health; especially in minority communities. Chassity has worked in behavioral health for 9 years as a Recreational Therapist and Crisis Prevention Instructor.  Encouraging healthy leisure & recreational activities as a means of therapy as well as educating communities, families, medical institutions and police departments on the importance of de-escalation and crisis prevention tactics when dealing with mentally ill populations. Chassity has found healing and peace by living transparently and shares that very energy and concept with many around the world! She recently founded an outreach organization called B.R.E.A.T.H.3 w

Today’s guest is Courtney Jacobs Courtney Jacobs has had 27 years of performance experience studying all over the United States. Receiving instruction from the likes of Debbie Allen, Renee Chatelain, Avery Wilson,  Maud Arnold, Jonas Vanderbilt, and many more, she is fluent in nearly 10 different forms of dance. As a former Southern University Dancing Doll and Gold 'N' Bluez member, background dancer and opening performer to chart topping artists such as Cupid, Keisha Cole, Young Jeezy, ‪Trey Songz‬, B5, Plies, Souljah Boy, and many more, she is no stranger to performing and loves to teach and execute her craft. She is the recipient of the 2013 Best Female Featured Dancer New V Award for her work in “The Wiz” as the Emerald City Fashionista and later choreographed New Venture Theatre’s “Women of Brewster Place” and “Shout”.   She coached the XLR8 Jasper dance team to a Red Line national championship in 2015. She is currently coaching the Fleur De Lis dance team at West Feliciana High School in St. Francisvil

Today’s guest is T-Kea Blackman. T-Kea Blackman is a mental health advocate, speaker and writer who lives by the Toni Payne quote, "I rather be living my truth happily than living a lie miserably.” She is the creator and host of the Fireflies Unite Podcast, a weekly podcast dedicated to bringing light into darkness (just like the fireflies) by sharing the stories of individuals thriving with mental illness within communities of color despite the disadvantages and racism that negatively impact their mental health. T-Kea’s articles have been published on The Mighty, Urban Faith, Blavity, and 21 Ninety. Making a digital footprint, her articles have garnered over 50,000 views and encouraged individuals to seek treatment.   Described as an inspiration, her heartfelt and powerful story is a testament that you can thrive despite having a mental illness. T-Kea was diagnosed with major depression and generalized anxiety disorders and is a suicide survivor. She previously worked in the television industry as a publici

Today’s guests are Daronda Parker-Lathan, LCSW. Daronda Parker-Lathan is the owner and Clinical Director of Generations Individual and Family Treatment Services, LLC (GIFTS, LLC).  She is also employed with the Office of Juvenile Justice as an LCSW.  She has over twenty years of clinical experience working with emotionally and mentally high risk boys and girls, and their families throughout the state of Louisiana.  Daronda earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in pre-Professional Social Work in 1989 at Louisiana Tech University and her Master of Social Work degree from Louisiana State University in 1991. Throughout her career, she has been active in writing grants, monitoring contracts, assessing youth and developing clinical programs. Her agency's motto is “Building healthy families…bridging kinship gaps”.   And Shontell Buffington, LCSW Shontell is a native of Baton Rouge, LA. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Social Work from Southeastern Louisiana. She later attended LSU where she received a Master's i

Download Episode In this episode, we bring to the forefront women such as Tamar, Deborah, Yael, & Abigail. These women and more fought back in revolutionary ways. Meet the guests Kina Reed is an educator and self-proclaimed social justice warrior. She currently works as an Instructor in Communication Studies. She lives her life in service to those in her community with a deep desire to see social reconciliation for all. Walks with her dog, vacations with family, and road trips with friends are her definition of “awesome sauce.” Kina is the facilitator of R.I.B. If you are interested in joining the group. Email her at kinareed@gmail.com   Noelle Allison is a mother, children's minister, musician, and sewist living in Baton Rouge. Tanya is the unofficial mayor of BR! She is a charming sweet Southern Socialite. She is a product of Louisiana, she breathes, eats, and drinks it and will definitely recommend it. She enjoys serving others in any capacity she can. Her community matters! Aisha is a Scientist who

Download Episode Today’s guest is Lisa Savage, LCSW. Lisa Savage, LCSW is a licensed therapist in the state of Delaware. She has been in private practice since 1998. She owns one of the largest practices serving children and families in the state. She has developed a model of practice in schools that has been very successful in increasing access to quality mental health services. Recently, she has expanded her services to consult with other mental health professionals who are looking for ways to expand their practices and increase revenue.   Lisa is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Her focus of study was on health and mental health. Most of her career has been focused on the provision of quality health care to underserved and poor communities. She began her career in Philadelphia working in the community to provide direct service and education to people affected by HIV. Lisa is a strong proponent of ‘taking services’ to people in their communities. To that end, she began working in schools and o

Today's guest is Dr. Natalie Jones, LPCC, PsyD.  Dr. Jones is a California based LPCC and PSYD with a private practice, Lifetime Counseling and Consulting. She is an expert at what she does with experience and training as a therapist with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Probation and Pretrial, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where she conducted her own research. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She later attended East Carolina University, where she complete double majors in biology and chemistry. After that, she went on to obtained her masters in Clinical Counseling Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She then completed her doctorate of Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University in San Francisco, California.    Dr. Jones' areas of expertise included Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), forensic mental hea

Download Episode These are the lessons I've learned over the past 2 years and according to the Thought Catalog, I am right on track. Check out the article and let me know if your zodiac is as accurate as mine. Also, I share with you 3 things I'm changing in the new year! 

  Download Episode For some, the holidays bring about the joyous opportunity to spend w loved ones but, for so many of us, the holidays can bring moments of sadness, grief, and isolation. This podcast is about how we manage the holidays when there are broken family ties.   "Sexual traumatic events are so common in women’s lives, that they can hardly be described as outside the range of ordinary experiences. Only the fortunate find it unusual" - Judith Lewis Herman, M.D. Key Take aways:  It is morally impossible for a bystander to remain neutral in sexual trauma In order to reconcile relationships between survivors and bystanders, bystanders have to respect the boundaries set forth by survivors of sexual trauma It’s ok to protect your peace and mental health. For those violated by a family member, you are not obligated to share your space with that person or any other people who make you feel uncomfortable or who deny your truth just because they are family Timeline of the show: :56 Introduction of Erin and

Download Episode Download Episode Imagine that you’ve been seeing this really great guy. He’s smart, sweet, funny, and just what you’ve imagined your ideal mate to be. You almost can’t believe how perfect he is… until you make it to the bedroom. No butterflies, no goosebumps, nothing… Whether it's his seeming lack of experience, his size, or underwhelming technique Things fall completely flat for you. This guy who’s so good on paper (and in person) just can’t seem to fire you up in the bedroom. WHAT DO YOU DO?!   Well, here to help us grow past situations such as these, let me introduce to you today’s guest. Kimi Levadge is a Florida based Natural and Medicinal sex health coach. She is a married mother with a degree from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Phoenix. Kimi has over 10 years of experience in blogging and educating the masses on sex health, sex- related topics and product reviews in the sex health realm. Kimi’s goal is to show the world that being sexually responsible doesn’t ha

Download Episode Hello from Bali, Indonesia! As you may or may not know, the last month has been a whirlwind and I haven’t been able to put out this series in a timely manner! MY APOLOGIES. However, it’s here now and I hope you enjoy. Being in Bali reminded me that I needed to keep you guys aware of the importance of maintaining proper health in every aspect: medical, mental, social, etc. In this second episode with Edward Williams of Health BAMN, we continue our discussion about holistic health, being yourself, getting your mind right for real change, psychological trauma, and more. A lot of the information we discussed were brought up in the new  Netflix documentary, What the Health. Look out for the blog post regarding my thoughts on that! Until then, enjoy! Key Take Aways: When you attempt to appeal to everyone, you have to dilute your message and in return, you lose the core group you intend to reach Don’t be afraid to talk about our differences   Timeline of the show: :20 Recap of last episode 1:4

In this episode with Edward Williams of Health BAMN, we discuss normalizing unhealthy habits, transgenerational trauma, and so much more that affect the physical and mental health of people of color. I really enjoyed Edward and he shared so much useful information and resources, I am sure you will enjoy the episode. They will only get better from here! Key Take aways: “Preventable diseases don’t run in our family. They are not inherited. The habits, the conditions, and our environment play a part impressing upon you how to eat and live” –Edward Dealing with the trauma of your experience is a part of the healing process. Culture evolves The hustle doesn’t stop on the street level. The hustle takes place way more on the academic level, the higher medical field, and pharmaceutical levels. Timeline of the show: 1:25 Edward introduces himself and explains the mission behind HBAMN 3:43 How we normalize unhealthy habits 7:00 Edward educates us about Gullah Geechee culture. Learn more here 8:42 Unhealthy cultural

Download Episode “Throw that ish on a chart on the wall… and connect the dots!” Find out what Travis is talking about in the second half of When Guys Go Ghost… Key Takeaways: How can you tell when someone is dominant or passive? Men can tell how Men “want it” but men want to be in the position to “earn” it. Never allow someone who makes you feel insecure or humiliated back into your life, no matter how positive you try to make the relationship out to be. Those who are willing to go ghost on someone, something inside of them is destroyed to where they lack the capacity to feel empathy for others, have any decency or feel the guilt of hurting someone else. It takes nothing to communicate your needs with others “You walk around effectively heartbroken but, you are afraid to admit at. It is a special open-ended kind of pain like a disease with no name.” There’s never a good explanation for a person to go ghost Play to win! Closure doesn’t require another person Timeline of the show: :22 Recap of the last episo

Download Episode We’ve all experienced having someone go ghost on us or we’ve been the who’s done the ghosting. Take a listen to how Travis shares a male’s perspective on the idea and reason most guys go ghost. Key Take aways: When someone shows you who they are, believe them. According to Travis, men can be labeled as an intellectual whore or a cuddle b*tch There is no woman that a man will be friends with and won’t potentially have sex with Sometimes he’s just not that into you, romantically. Understand that and move on. Regardless of age, people will continue to play the game of self interest You cannot force chemistry If a man is not where he wants to be financially or career-wise, he will not fully invest himself into a relationship. There’s never a good explanation for a person to go ghost If a guy is into you, he will show it and you will have no doubts Don’t assume a guy will possess the qualities you have or desire Timeline of the show: :20 Introduction of Travis 1:40 Hope shares listener’s submi

Download Episode Hey guys, I know its been a while but, the ladies of #GirlTalk are here to wrap up this conversation about side chicks! This episode is fairly short but, its entertaining and full of gems! If you need a refresher take a listen to the first #GirlTalk episode here. If you'd like to read the writers email to the show, check it out here. Key Take aways: Guys are not as naïve as we believe What are some ways you fight monotonous routines in your relationship? When you’re in a relationship that isn’t as good as it used to be, understand that you have to look at There is a level a maturity real long term relationships require  Why is “doing homework” such a major responsibility for women rather than trusting men to be honest. Are you and your mate private or open on social media? Is there a difference between being private on social media, or just hiding a mate to an extent? Women have to learn to define relationships, or set boundaries, to keep from being hurt… or at least having the conversation

Download Episode In this first episode of #GirlTalk, the ladies discuss their feelings about the Male's Perspective. Listen as we bury this "side chick" conversation [bctt tweet="What you accept is what you should expect" username="hope_in_her"] Key Take aways: • Always collect data, and come with FACTS as TLynn explained • Do you think it's ok to lash out at the other woman even though she owes you no loyalty? • Sometimes we give our men the benefit of the doubt because we choose to especially if he treated us better than previous guys • We choose to no force our guys to take responsibility • We often lash out that the women because we feel intimidated or feel as though we’ve dedicated time to our mates before they were “on” • FYI: Scorpio = automatic PI Skills! -TLynn • Pay attention to signs!! • Sometimes we are so blinded by love, we tend to apologize for the guy’s wrongdoing! • When men cheat, it's not always about looks…   [bctt tweet="We teach people how to treat us" username="hope_in_her"] Timeline

[bctt tweet="Just be done with the situation completely. " username="hope_in_her"]   Key Take aways: Shouldn’t the woman be made aware of what her significant other has done and have the choice of deciding how to take the relationship with all the information available? Jay believes that once the “other woman” learns of the main partner, she should only confront the man then walk away from the situation. Do you agree? Cornell- 2 things will happen when the main girl find out: She will leave, they will work it out. What’s wrong with keeping the girl code?  Men, being accountable for your actions is the best route. If you continue to lie, you will make it worst. The consensus of the group was that based on the information provided, this guy was a jerk. Even though women like the letter writer deserves answers, understand that it doesn’t mean women will get the answers. They have to learn to move forward without the explanation, apology, acknowledgment, etc. Do YOUR RESEARCH   [bctt tweet="Dating is unpredicta

Download Episode If you haven’t read the listener’s story, click here   In the first episode of A Males Perspective: Once a Side Chick, the guys provide us with a little bit of insight on the topic. [bctt tweet="Managing multiple women gets old" username="hope_in_her"] Key Takeaways: For Jay’s sake, keep your story short and concise In the case of once a side chick, do you think that sometimes men just get caught up in the euphoria of meeting a new woman, that they can never seem to find the best time to share that they are already in a relationship? Do you believe in a situation like this, the writer simply didn’t do her homework? Do women sometimes put themselves in a “side chick” situation when her idea of dating is different from the guy’s?  Communication is important, however, when a man is an upfront with you, accept that and resist the urge to turn it into something more Stop “going with the flow” Ask QUESTIONS!   [bctt tweet="There is still a great deal of grown men with teenage-like mentalities."

In this first installment of the Celebration of Love Series, Briana and Jamarious talk about their journey as a newlywed couple. Both Jay and Bri drop a lot of valuable gems in this episode so, enjoy the episode! Also, listen for Charlie to make his guest appearance. Look out for Jay as he and his boys will host a monthly show answering questions that you all send into the show. Head to www.hopeinher.com to get the full show notes.