Episodes Archives - Shades of Strong

    Thanks to social media and the news that seems to be broadcasting 24/7, we’re constantly inundated with horrific headlines painting vivid pictures of  one tragedy after another, making it is super easy for us to fall into a space of hopelessness. I get it!  Natty and I were there too.   But, thanks to  our good friend, Ife Madzimoyo who came through with some words of encouragement,...

    With so much happening in the world, it’s super easy to feel helpless, and maybe even hopeless, especially if you’re not out protesting. As podcasters, we have platforms where we can speak out against racism and police brutality. In this PSA, Natty and I encourage you to be educated, engaged, and to take action. Support the work of activists on the front lines of change, who risk the...

After years of emotional abuse, someone has finally convinced that you need to forgive your offender, let go and move on with your life. And you've committed to doing that because forgiveness is for you – not your offender, right? But something is still missing. You’re still not able to get back to that happy place that you once knew because you’re blaming yourself for letting this thing go on for...

If you enjoyed the previous episode on how we as parents unknowingly pass trauma down to our children, you'll also enjoy part 2 of the conversation as Shirl and Natty  offer tips and strategies on how you keep from passing down trauma and leaving a legacy of pain.

As  Black Women we have a tendency to bury our pain not realizing that it manifests  itself in every area of our lives -- in romantic relationships, through our relationships with our parents, our children, our siblings, on our jobs, and yes even how we parent our children. Generational curses ( or generational trauma) are nothing more than unresolved issues and wounds that we pass on to our child...

  TRIGGER WARNING. This episode details one woman’s story of religious trauma and emotional abuse and may be triggering for some.  Please proceed with caution. Religious trauma is a condition experienced by those who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian religion and coping with the mental and emotional damage of indoctrination.  Janine Maryland is included in that number.  She s...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but first it makes you build a wall. Today we're helping you tear it down brick by brick so you can finally live your live from a space where you laugh out loud and mean it.

I really wish I had ended it sooner. I wish we could have made it work. How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I see the signs? Did I even try? Any of this sound familiar? Breakups suck BIG TIME, right? Whether you're the breakup'er or the break-up'ee, it stings a little and A LOT. But, here's the good news, sis, there is life after the breakup. It may not feel like it while you're still in t...

Dear single black mom, you DO NOT have to cook and clean and wash everything, be everything, do everything! Mama, gotta have a life too, right? Check out this week’s episode as Shirl and Natty show you how to ditch the guilt that often comes with being a single black mom. But they’re not just talking about the cooking and the cleaning. They’re giving you a bird’s eye view of what overcompensating...

We're taking a break from our regular topic (well kinda sorta) to share some words of encouragement during this forced pause.  Join us as we talk about how to navigate disappointments when life lets you down.

Not all fatherless black girls come from broken homes and not all fatherless black girls have daddy issues, so let's stop with the labels and stereotypes. When we hear those words, we automatically go to the place of single parent homes, but being fatherless comes in many forms and...

It takes courage to live life without the mask, but it's time to look YOU in the face & say, "girl, it’s time to heal all the sh*t you’re not talking about"

Season 3 is about to be LIT because we're talking ALL THINGS healing.  If you're ready to set yourself free from the guilt, shame and blame of unfortunate circumstances (past or present), you don't want to miss any of season three's episodes!

How do you teach your Black Son how to thrive in a country where modern day Jim Crow laws and the school-to-prison pipeline are very serious realities?

    When’s the last time you asked yourself the question, “what makes me happy”?  I’d be willing to bet that the answer to that question is NEVER. Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt — maybe you have asked yourself, but have you really sat in it?  What does happiness look like for you? Do you even know? As Black women we are so consumed with m...

Some of you probably know Gina Neely as the FULL OF LIFE  celebrity chef on the Food Network’s Down Home with The Neely’s or Aspire TV’s Chop it up with Gina,  but  let me just tell ya, she is so much more than that. She’s an entrepreneur, a reality television star , New York Times Bestselling Author , she’s made guest appearances on Dr. Oz,   Good Morning America  and so many more. Gina Nee...

    “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” If ever there was a principality over this nation, it is definitely racism and white supremacy. What the heck kind of demon is that?   Four hundred years later and we are STILL fighting for...

    As Black Women, we don’t have the luxury (aka PRIVILEGE) of not seeing color because we’re constantly reminded of ours.   In this episode your hosts, Shirley (Shirl) Hubbard   and Natalyn  (Natty)  Bradshaw answer the question,   “Why was Shades of Strong created specifically for black women?”   YUP!!!  Someone actually hopped in the Shades of S...

    This episode is filled with poetry snaps and slow claps.  Seriously, Angela Roulette peels back every emotional layer while sharing her story of releasing the pain of the past and taking her life back from circumstances that threatened to kill her.   Some of the episode’s defining moments include:   How her self esteem suffered as a result of not being wanted by her f...

    I CHOOSE ME EVEN WHEN HE DOESN’T   Pick me! Choose me! Love me!  Remember that scene from Grey’s Anatomy when Meredith was practically begging Derek to choose her over his wife?    Although there were some extenuating circumstances that led up to that scene, I have to say it was undoubtedly the one of most pitiful things I had ever witnessed in my entire life an...

    Long gone are the days when being black women, single black women, single black women with children, strong black women was viewed as some hard to cure illness that we need to be rescued from… Black women are well educated, well accomplished individuals making things happen.   We don’t need a  Captain Save a Queen!!!   We’re saving our dam selves!   AND we look g...

    Black Women residing in what we’ve come to know as the Strong Black Woman or Superwoman Syndrom e often seek peace and refuge in retail therapy aka emotional spending .  She seeks this refuge online, in a mall, or even at a car dealership—she’s  just looking for something to comfort her mentally and/or emotionally and in more cases than not, that comfort comes with a heft...

    You asked!  We answered! Our listeners want answers to some really tough questions and we’re here for ALL OF THEM   How do you forgive people who are not sorry? How do you trust your child again after they break your trust? What are some steps to healing?   We took each of them one by one sharing our experiences and imparting some wisdom.  Do yourself a favor and tune...

    Does being a STRONG single mother for so long effect how you handle a new healthy relationship?   Mailbag Episode Part ONE: Without even thinking about this question, it’s a HARD YES. As black women we have this thing where (in more cases that not) we want to be independent. We want to do things on our own. We don’t like relying on others to do things for us.  That i...

    Self-care is about taking care of you so that you don’t feel like you want to run away from home, aka your life.     Michelle Goodloe, self-care blogger and author of the guided self-care journal, Self Explore, Self Restore stopped by the virtual studio to impart some wisdom on how to take care of you both in and out of “crisis season”.  Michelle is a licensed s...