032 | Overcoming Obstacles

If anybody knows anything about overcoming obstacles, P.J. Dixon does. Here's someone who has lived a chunk of his life in a wheelchair, yet that hasn't stopped him from living life to the fullest as a wheelchair athlete, international traveler, 10th degree black belt, and a martial arts and women’s self-defense instructor. So, how has P.J. done it???
In this energized interview, we go in about overcoming obstacles to strengthen personal leadership. From the power of awareness to dealing with baggage to choosing who we are in the moment to putting accountability in perspective, P.J. covers a lot of emotional ground.
Learn more about P.J. and connect with him at https://www.pjswisdom.com.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

031 | Lessons From Dogs

When my family talked about getting a dog, I talked about how much work it would be for us. What I didn’t anticipate is how much having a dog would teach us about ourselves. Who knew? Wilfred "Woofred" Hester knew.
As a professional dog trainer, Wilfred works with dog parents on helping them understand how their behaviors determine their dogs' responses. If things go well, the result is a host of personal leadership lessons that bring dog parents much closer to their pets.
My big three takeaways?
The thirst for instant gratification distorts vision.
Connect to life.
Know the capacity you have to fit things into your life.
Learn more about Woofred Dog Training at https://www.woofred.com.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

028 | No Shame in the Struggle, Part 2

Halima and I continue our conversation about how people struggle with shame. This part of the conversation goes deeply into leadership. We tackle how chaos aggravates one's feeling of shame while hiding others' feelings of shame. We also go into how organizational culture plays into individuals' feelings of shame and also how accountability can be weaponized.
So, how do we deal with feeling shame in the struggle? Halima believes that tapping into our creativity could be a great answer.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

027 | No Shame in the Struggle, Part 1

It's so refreshing to have Halima back on the mic with me! She had something serious on her heart and wanted to share it with the "For Our Edification" audience. Halima wants you to know that there's no shame in the struggle. 
She has ever so wise words about the importance of showing up when you're in the middle of the struggle and how she works through moments of struggle, even in her job as an educator. Finally, find out why Halima says it all comes down to your "why." This is part one of pure inspiration.
By the way, part of the inspiration for this episode is our good friend and mental health professional Leslie Brown who appeared on episode 4 to talk about the mental health benefits of giving and episode 12 to give her thoughts (along with Dr. Von Eaglin) about the psychology of fraternity and sorority hazing.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

016 | Motivational Speaking

Does motivational speaking get you...motivated? With so many motivational speakers out there, some question whether or not they hold real value. At the same time, maybe there isn't enough motivation out there. 
To talk this out, I turned to an old speaking colleague of mine, Mark Wiggins. Mark is a speaker, author, trainer and host of the "Off the Bench" podcast. We talk about how he got into the business, when he realized that his words were reaching people and what motivational speaking does for folks' identity and value. And Mark also talks about why the word "until" is special.

015 | On My Brain: My Obsession with Narcissism

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that, at times, I reference narcissistic leadership (#narcissisticleadership). You may even believe that I have somewhat of an obsession with narcissism. The reason narcissism tends to be such a big deal to me is 1) my professional experiences and 2) I researched narcissism in leadership for my master's degree. What a revelation! In this episode, I break down what narcissism does to followers' identity and value and I also explain why narcissism is an actual epidemic.
RESOURCES
The Narcissism Spectrum Model
"Why Is Narcissism Increasing Among Young Americans?"

014 | On My Brain: Kamala’s Divine Shout Out

During her vice presidential nomination speech, Kamala Harris gave a shout out to the Divine Nine after mentioning her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Many of us were pretty excited that she took the time to do so. But why, on the biggest stage of her career and in a such a critical moment, would she do such a thing?
I know exactly why--identity and value. Alpha Kappa Alpha, like so many of our sororities and fraternities, probably helped her figure out who she is and how she influences those around her. Not only that, Divine Nine organizations are built on causes. Listen to me break it down on this episode.
Some Divine Resources:
A Deeper Look at the Divine Nine's Impact | The Huffington Post
Black Greek Success Blog | BlackGreekSuccess.org
Sister Soldiers: A Look at Black Sororities in the Black Lives Matter Movement | Essence
Loretta Lynch hearing: Why all those red suits in the crowd? | Christian Science Monitor
Watch the Yard
Grown and Greek TV
Photo: watchtheyard.com

013 | Being Better: Eric and Maleka Beal

In 2018, on the old Eddie Francis Podcast Show, Halima and I thought it would be great to interview Eric and Maleka Beal, a husband and wife team that lost a combined 300 lbs. Their feat was so impressive that the couple had been featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Dr. Oz," in Essence, and People. Their success also led them to start the health and wellness company Better Choices.
In this great interview, Eric and Maleka talk about how their relationship blossomed and served as a foundation for their health and wellness success with Better Choices.

007 | On My Brain: Fyre Fest and Narcissistic Leadership

Social media was abuzz in early 2019 when two documentaries about the infamous Fyre Festival dropped on Netflix and Hulu. People could not believe how the event got so out of hand and how the festival's creator, Billy McFarland, seemed oblivious to the harm he caused several parties in the process. I believe the reason is McFarland's narcissism.
Using my professional experience and information I am gathering for my master's degree research, I lay out the signs of narcissistic leadership using the events surrounding Fyre Fest as portrayed in the documentaries. This isn't about McFarland so much as it is about helping people understand how working under narcissistic leaders can adversely affect one's identity and value. Trust me, I know. Not only do we look at warning signs in this episode but also ways people can protect themselves under narcissistic leadership. 
Click the image above for Dr. Ramani's web site. For her great TED talk on narcissism, click here.
SOURCES
Leader Narcissism and Outcomes in Organizations: A Review at Multiple Levels of Analysis and Implications for Future Research by Susanne Braun
The Narcissism Spectrum Model: A Synthetic View of Narcissistic Personality by Zlatan Krizan and Anne Herlache
How to Handle Narcissistic Abuse by Darlene Lancer
Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, the Inevitable Cons by Michael Maccoby
8 Types of Narcissists -- Including One to Stay Away From at All Costs by Kristen Milstead
Narcissistic Leaders and Their Victims: Followers Low on Self-Esteem and Low on Core Self-Evaluations Suffer Most by Barbara Nevicka, Annebel De Hoogh, Deanne Den Hartog & Frank Belschak
The Narcissism Epidemic and What We Can Do About It by Joe Pierre
EDITORIAL NOTE
I made a reference to the Op Ed Project during my "to be sure." Please take time to find out more about this great organization.

006 | Doctor Who? Identity and Value on Halima’s Doctoral Journey, Part 2

Halima and I continue to unpack her Ph.D. experience in part two of a conversation about how her identity and value were affected during her doctoral journey. Here, it gets even more interesting as we discuss the value of doctorates to greater society. Halima gives thoughts about how people who engage in doctoral studies shape important social issues. By the way, there are interesting segments where Halima gives her thoughts about how doctoral work had been adversely affected in Black America in the 1990's and cultural representation in scholarship.
Finally, Halima offers words of advice to anyone considering or just embarking on the doctoral journey. Pay close attention to her thoughts on maintaining a sense of mental wellness and wholeness on the quest for knowledge.
One more thing. You'll hear some odd noises at 12:55. Ignore it; we have no idea what was going on. *smiles*
Closing music by Swagg Beats.

005 | Doctor Who? Identity and Value on Halima’s Doctoral Journey, Part 1

The year 2018 was a great one for Halima. After defending her doctoral dissertation in November 2017, she received her Ph.D. in 2018 from New York University's Steihardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Having had so many conversations about the process, we thought it would be a good idea to pick her brain about how the process affected her identity and value.
In part one, Halima discusses why she chose to pursue a Ph.D. and why she chose her research. We find out how her passion for understanding fundraising capacity-building at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and being an alumna of Hampton University served as key motivators. This part goes deep as we find out how the inequities between HBCUs' and majority institutions' are more intricate than many realize.
That being said, we learn that the doctoral journey can be a very personal process. Halima also discusses who she was prior to her doctoral journey and her identity and value now.
Closing music by Swagg Beats

004 | Mental Health Benefits of Giving

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS
In this first installment of Halima's Write to Bear Alms segment, we take a look a the mental health benefits of giving. To do that, we're taking it back to her old "Write to Bear Alms" radio show which aired on the Dallas-based Radio Azad.
Halima's guest was Leslie Brown, a mental health professional who is pursuing her Ph.D. in Counseling. Leslie's mental health work includes stress reduction workshops for various groups and counseling military veterans. She explains the neuroscience behind the feelings of satisfaction that come from giving and how an attitude of gratitude relieves stress. Halima and Leslie also discuss the importance of leveraging giving to help youth develop their mental health.
Not only is Leslie a great friend but she also serves on the board of the Purposeful Philanthropy Foundation.