Support is Sexy

Leslie Bradshaw is the proud descendant of six generations of Oregon trail pioneers and a family of farmers, so she knows intuitively how to make her own way. She also knows when to move on to new territory, and when it's time to let the land lie fallow until the nutrients return to the soil. For Leslie, a now Managing Partner of Made by Many -- a digital product and ventures company, that moment...

Are you willing to give up what you have to have what you don't? In order to create space for the things we want in our lives -- new experiences, new opportunities, new people, new beginnings -- this is something we have to consider. It's what I considered, among many other things, when I finally decided to make the move from New York to Atlanta, even though I was -- am still am -- nervous about d...

"I am a radical believer in reinvention," says life coach and Self-Help Socialite founder Rachel Tenebaum, who believes one of the most important things we can do in our lives is "live our truths." For Rachel, seeking support by way of finding coaches of her own and shifting her network helped her discover her own truth: that she is both an extrovert and an introvert who loves to curate her life a...

It's a slippery slope: Many of us, especially as entrepreneurs, get caught up in the fast lane -- appearing "busy" -- because we think it shows the world that we're up to something. Being busy must mean that we're gettin' busy when it comes to business, right?  Not necessarily. In the past week, I was reminded of this while listening to author and Good Life Project founder Jonathan Fields, who was...

What's the real reason that you're afraid to do that thing?  Be honest with yourself when you ask the question. Be honest with yourself when you say the answer.  I had to confront this question recently and share that experience -- and the answer -- in this episode. When we get to the bottom of the WHY of our fears, it creates space for us to confront it, and often, to realize just how silly (and...

Kathryn Finney, founder of Digital Undivided, is someone I consider an O.G. -- the flyest O.G. -- in the technology space. Kathryn, who grew up in the midwest learning about computers from very early on, started one of the first big fashion and lifestyle blogs, The Budget Fashionista, back when Google was "a baby," as you'll hear in the episode. She later sold the blog and the brand, and has since...

The moment Christy Haussler realized it was time to make the leap and become an entrepreneur, she was in her car, driving to work, listening to podcasts to pass the time. Christy spent hours commuting back and forth to an office for a job that didn't fulfill her, and decided it was finally time for her to make a move and give her own business a try. The first thing she did? Take the first step, an...

Maya S. Penn is remarkable -- and that is an understatement. I have been a virtual fan and supporter of the now-sixteen-year-old for several years via social media, with a true appreciation of her hard work and her clear vision at such a young age. To have the opportunity to speak with her more in depth now? I am completely blown away, and I believe you will be, too!   The Atlanta-based teenpreneu...

When all goes wrong -- where does your mind go? Does the issue stop you in your tracks, or do you figure a way to keep it movin'? If not, you should! In the past couple of days, I had the pleasure of having my web site elaynefluker.com going down (ACK!!!) and my mind's initial response was to spiral into all the reasons this was a disaster. Was it a bad 48 hours? Yes. Was it the end of the world?...

Some designers do not know how to sew, sketch or tell you the way a fabric will function on the body. Fashion designer Ashaka Givens is not one of those designers. Thanks to the powerful women in her family, the upstate New York native learned very early on how to use a sewing machine and make her own clothes, watched fashion shows at her mom's side, and eventually attended one of the most prestig...

Hey, you! Whaddya want? No, really. What do you want? Seriously. Have you given that some real thought lately? Beyond your to-do list, what's your vision for what you want, the life you want to create, what you want to spend your time doing each and every day, and with whom you want to do it? These questions are floating around in my head more frequently these days -- perhaps because it's a new se...

From very early on in her childhood, Abiola Abrams learned the importance of finding her own voice, being herself and creating her own path. As the daughter of immigrant parents who came to the United States from Guyana, Abiola and her family were often bullied and mistreated by some of the other families in their New York neighborhood for being "different." Rather than being crushed by this cruel...

This weekend, or whatever day it is that you happen upon this episode, be sure you have some YOU time in your schedule. YOU time is your time to replenish, to have some breathing space, to meditate, to hear your own thoughts -- or to not think at all, time to just be. As entrepreneurs and women who are creating something super sexy in the world, I get it, you're busy. You have a lot to do -- proba...

fayemi shakur is a rebel, a quiet rebel, but a rebel nonetheless. Artistic as a child from the very beginning, hip hop, photography, art and an interest in social justice shaped her life early on, but it was learning about -- and reaching out to -- political prisoners while in college and reading the autobiographies of Assata Shakur and Mumia Abu-Jamal that changed everything and shifted her aware...

When Monique Alvarez was in college pursuing a degree in communications, she knew one thing: It wasn't for her. The Syracuse, New York, native dreamt of moving to New York City and getting a career in fashion, which she did -- leaving college in her third year, and working from the bottom up in the fashion industry. Thirteen years later, rising through the ranks at luxury brands such as Valentino...

"For now is not forever..." This is a new mantra I've adopted thanks to the wisdom of one of my best friends, Erica, who said this phrase to me when I spoke to her about my trepidation about a move I'm planning to make. I've been having some ambiguity about the decision and going back and forth about whether it's the "right" thing to do. But the truth is: Who knows?!!! The only thing we can do is...

Julie Chan did everything she was supposed to do. She grew up on New York's Lower East side with hardworking parents who were immigrants from China and very focused on education for their children, so Julie studied hard and went to Yale University and graduated with a B.A., and then went on to MIT a graduated with a Master's degree in City Planning. She got a great job working with the city of New...

We all love a little something sexy... I don't care who you are. Something sexy is that thing that turns you on, that lights you up. And at the end of each Support is Sexy podcast episode, when I say "go out there and create something sexy," I mean it! A sexy life, a sexy relationship, a sexy business, a sexy contribution, sexy results -- you deserve it all and then some! But how? How do we create...

If you're like me, you have areas of your life where, yes, you've gone big, and yes, you've accomplished some, and sure, you're proud of that. But you also have areas where, if you're really honest with yourself, you know you can go BIGGER. What's holding you back from going bigger? Is it that you're afraid of failure? Or could it be you're afraid of success? Are you avoiding the warmth of a spotl...

"Never let them see you cry..." was some of the worst advice that conscious business coach Julie Zuzek says she has ever received during her 20-year corporate career. Instead of being the "tough guy" in her corporate gig, Julie realized that what she needed to do was get in touch with her divine feminine energy -- which has nothing to do with being female and everything to do with being grounded i...

For Kelly Roach, CEO of Kelly Roach Coaching, the word "no" is not the ending, it is just the beginning. Since she was a little girl growing up with her big family in Pennsylvania, Kelly says she heard "no" a lot due to limited resources and knew that if she wanted to make something possible, she'd have to work hard and figure out how to make adjustments to achieve her goals. This tenacity and per...

Filmmaker Nefertite Nguvu first fell in love with film when her mother took her to see Gordon Parks's classic film, The Learning Tree , at a local film festival when she was a child. Since then, the Newark, New Jersey, native has known that utilizing the powerful medium of film to reflect the images and experiences of people of color was something she was destined to do. Despite a few detours, she...

When it comes to decisions in your business, in your career, in your life, in your relationships, are you making it about an either/or choice? Have you even considered the possibility of a both/and experience? If not, why not?! This is something I have asked myself recently when reflecting on some recent decisions related to my business and my career in media, which I share here in this episode. N...

Dr. Yaba Blay takes this work seriously. Very seriously. And she creates content that celebrates the beauty and joy and being of Black women and girls decidedly. Purposely.   Dr. Blay -- who holds her BA in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Salisbury State University, M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from the University of New Orleans, M.A. and Ph. D. in African American Studies from Temple University and...

For Abbey LeVine, being an entrepreneur means you have to be in a constant state of creation, a constant state of evolution and a constant state of love and surrender. Love of what you're doing is what will carry you through the low times, the moments of rejection and self doubt. And for Abbey, a self-described rebel, surrender is what has carried her through in creating her own business as a cont...