A Journey to Being Soft and Strong

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09/06/22 • 48 min

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Shades of Strong® | Strength Without Struggle for Black Women

Do Black women GET to be soft and strong? Do they have the capacity to be soft, feminine, strong and receptive? There are so many layers to these questions, and Ivory Bennett stopped by to start peeling them all back. Join us in today's episode as she takes us on a journey of what it took for her to finally tap into being soft, feminine, and receptive. Ivory admits that arriving in this space hasn't been easy, and it is indeed challenging to remain there, but she's determined not to go back to that space where being hard was all she had. She gets really candid and transparent about how racism and spending seventeen years in foster care made it extremely difficult to be soft as a matter of fact, she tells a story how being soft was not an option until she got deliberate and intentional about making it one. Tweetable Moments: “Being strong doesn’t have to look, sound or feel a certain way, and being soft doesn’t have to go against our survival." "As Black women we can unconsciously, or sometimes deliberately make it difficult for other Black women to rest." “We need to get out of the mindset of hardening people up, or getting them prepared for the world in a way that is damaging...” ABOUT IVORY BENNETT Ivory Bennett (She/Her/Hers) is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native who is currently a Manager of Teacher Leadership and Development in Dallas, Texas. Additionally, Ivory is an active advocate for both education and foster care equity - she has 17 years of lived experience in foster care. Outside of Education, Ivory is an avid writer with a particular passion for poetry and playwriting. Ivory loves international travel, holistic health practices, vegan soul food, and tending to her plant babies. Check out Ivory's article mentioned in today's episode HERE. Connect with Ivory Bennett on Instragram, Facebook, and/or LinkedIn. Your Turn, Sis! We're using our My Strong IsTM campaign to encourage our listeners to give up a life of hyper-independence, hyper-productivity, and hyper-resilience in exchange for one of play and ease. My Strong Is is a campaign where we're highlighting Black women who are daring to do strong differently – Black women who are making a conscious and deliberate effort to give up a life of caping, masking, and hiding. We would love to hear how you define strong. All you have to do is complete the statement, "My strong is" and tag us (@shadesofstrong) on your favorite social media platform using the hashtags #shadesofstrong and #mystrongis. Alternatively, you can come be our guest on the podcast and share your strong with our listeners. Either way, we want to know!!! Connect with Shades of Strong on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn catch up with all things Shades of Strong at www.shadesofstrong.com. Catch up on Previous Episodes: S5 | Ep 004 The Journey Towards, Vulnerability, Grace, and Ease S5 | Ep 003 Mental Health, Resilience, and Postpartum Depression S5 | Ep 002 Steady, Present, and Free Even When Life Be Lifing S5 | Ep 001 Finding Comfort in Stitting with Uncomfortable Emotions Superwoman Must Die | Slaying the Strong Black Woman Syndrome

Previous Episode

The Journey Towards, Vulnerability, Grace, and Ease

Contrary to popular belief, Black women are extremely vulnerable. Whether we embrace that vulnerbility with grace and ease is a whole other Story. In today's epiosede Trezelle Morgain takes us on her journey towards grace, vulnerability and ease. She admits getting to a place where she wasble to stand in the totality of who she is was no easy feat, but she was tired of being hyper-independent and hyper-productive. When Covid graced us with her presence, Trezellefound herself feeling stuck and hopeless and she knew something in her life needed to change. After several years of "BEING STRONG", she finally begin to realize that being strong was not all she had and found the couragce to embrace and stand up in her vulnerability. In doing so, she is now able to do life from a place of grace and ease. Press Play and GET INTO THIS AWESOMENESS! ABOUT TREZELLE MORGAIN Trezelle Morgain is a multi-passionate business, fashion & lifestyle creative. The founder of Eco Onyx, Colony Coterie & Melanated Model. With goals of becoming a VC & living a life filled with grace, impact & prosperity, Trezelle shows up as a mom, stylist, model, business guide & consultant & many other passions. Trezelle Inclusive, what’s the main focus? Well it depends on the day. Connect with Trezelle on Instragram @trezelle.inc and on her website at trezelleinc.com. Your Turn, Sis! We're using our My Strong IsTM campaign to encourage our listeners to give up a life of hyper-independence, hyper-productivity, and hyper-resilience in exchange for one of play and ease. My Strong Is is a campaign where we're highlighting Black women who are daring to do strong differently – Black women who are making a conscious and deliberate effort to give up a life of caping, masking, and hiding. We would love to hear how you define strong. All you have to do is complete the statement, "My strong is" and tag us (@shadesofstrong) on your favorite social media platform using the hashtags #shadesofstrong and #mystrongis. Alternatively, you can come be our guest on the podcast and share your strong with our listeners. Either way, we want to know!!! Connect with Shades of Strong on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and catch up with all things Shades of Strong at www.shadesofstrong.com. Catch up on Previous Episodes: S5 | Ep 003 Mental Health, Resilience, and Postpartum Depression S5 | Ep 002 Steady, Present, and Free Even When Life Be Lifing S5 | Ep 001 Finding Comfort in Stitting with Uncomfortable Emotions Superwoman Must Die | Slaying the Strong Black Woman Syndrome Day 1 — Uncaping, Unmasking, and Unhiding the Strong Black Superwoman Day 2 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | When Love Becomes Kryptonite Day 3 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding |The Side Effects of the Black Superwoman Syndrome Day 4 Uncaping Unmasking Unhiding | Why We Become People Pleasers

Next Episode

Being Still & Embracing Quiet Moments

Being still and embracing quiet moments gives me Easy Like Sunday Morning vibes. It's liberating, you know? It's not necessarily about not physically moving, it's about creating a life with less stress, worry, and emotional overwhelm and Kimberly Sumpter is committed to mastering the art of it. In this episode, Kimberly gives me an inside look at what it took for her to finally go from a life of extreme overwhelm to one where she intentionally and unapologetically ceates time to play, breathe and connect. A few things she shared during our conversation: The defining moment when she realzied she needed to do life differently The importance of giving ourselves space to stop, breathe, rest and grieve How learned behavior [from her mother] contributed to her "need" to always be on the move Why she finds something once a week that makes her bawl cry and something every single day that makes her laugh A very POWEFUL practice she's integrated into her life to help her stay grounded. SN: It's not meditation or yoga, but it's just as powerful. A Couple of Quoteable Moments: “I can still have a voice, I can still do what I do without having to be on social media and in that game 24/7." "Making sure you're enjoy life is so important. It's hard to enjoy life when you feel so beaten down by the world and all the things you're doing" ABOUT KIMBERLY SUMPTER Kimberly Sumpter is a podcast instructor who encourages women of color to expand their reach and share their unique stories through the power of podcasting. Before launching "Podcast To Empower" during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimberly spent over seventeen years as a Radio Announcer, News and Traffic Reporter, and Promotions Director with a successful and rewarding career at major media brands including Clear Channel Radio, Service Broadcasting, and Radio One in Dallas, Texas. Kimberly now mentors and coaches emerging podcasters with her signature "concept to launch" approach to find their unique voice as they craft compelling content for their ideal listeners. She currently teaches the fundamentals of podcasting to students from around the world through the Classroom Au Pair program and at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City, NJ. Kimberly is the host of the Sistahs Connect Podcast and has been featured on MSNBC, the Podcast Business Journal, Authority Magazine, Izzy and Liv, and on Libsyn.com. Connect with Kimberly Sumpter on Instragram, Facebook, and/or LinkedIn. Your Turn, Sis! We're using our My Strong IsTM campaign to encourage our listeners to give up a life of hyper-independence, hyper-productivity, and hyper-resilience in exchange for one of play and ease. My Strong Is is a campaign where we're highlighting Black women who are daring to do strong differently – Black women who are making a conscious and deliberate effort to give up a life of caping, masking, and hiding. We would love to hear how you define strong. All you have to do is complete the statement, "My strong is" and tag us (@shadesofstrong) on your favorite social media platform using the hashtags #shadesofstrong and #mystrongis. Alternatively, you can come be our guest on the podcast and share your strong with our listeners. Either way, we want to know!!! Connect with Shades of Strong on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn catch up with all things Shades of Strong at www.shadesofstrong.com. Catch up on Previous Episodes: S5 | Ep 005 A Journey to Being Soft and Strong S5 | Ep 004 The Journey Towards, Vulnerability, Grace, and Ease S5 | Ep 003 Mental Health, Resilience, and Postpartum Depression S5 | Ep 002 Steady, Present, and Free Even When Life Be Lifing S5 | Ep 001 Finding Comfort in Stitting with Uncomfortable Emotions