Laughing With Letta

Sheletta's best buddy Jim Platten just pulled his Harley out for the summer and that always makes her anxious. She's nervous about bikers being on the road and wanted to find out if there's anything she can do, as a driver, to keep her friend Jim and other riders safe. So she asked the folks from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to join her on the podcast to motorcycle safety.   https://d...

To become a successful entrepreneur, Sheletta participated in great training programs to help her understand how to scale her business, which is why she invited the folks from Elevate Hennepin on the show. They talk about their CEO Now program that provides tools, resources and expert advice to help your business grow. https://www.elevatehennepin.org/stories/elevate-stories/Building-structure-and-...

 Sheletta chats with her friends from Rebuild Together Minnesota about their Safe at Home and Home Repair programs that ensure families can live in safe and healthy homes. The application opens October 1st. What do you need to qualify? Listen to the podcast to find out. https://rtmn.org/apply-for-help/

Sheletta chats with her friends from MEDA about how they help small business owners in Minnesota go from just surviving to thriving with the programs, resources and services they provide. https://meda.net/

Sheletta grew up in Kelly Village, a public housing property in 5th Ward. She credits the village in Kelly Village for helping her mature into the woman she is today. The host says she now knows that assistance was a safe space for her and a launching pad for her mother to get off welfare and eventually become a homeowner. That's why she wanted to make sure that her listeners knew that Housing All...

Sheletta chats with  Lisa L. Saul, MD, MBA, a maternal-fetal medicine physician executive, about the benefits of having a dula during your delivery and how it's now one of the new perks for patients who have UnitedHealthcare insurance.

With so many fraudsters going around and AI making it more difficult to tell if emails are real or fake, Sheletta invited her friends from AARP on the show to talk about how families can protect themselves and their money from bad actors. www.aarp.org/mn www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork  or  www.aarp.org/fwn AARP Fraud Watch Helpline - 877-908-3360

Sheletta chats with Dr. Rahshana Price-Isuk of NorthPoint Health & Wellness about the importance of Black women getting heart healthy. http://hennepincounty.gov/heart-beats

The problem with lead in children's bodies is that there are typically no symptoms. The only way to know is through a well check exam. If you notice your children are picking at the wall and eating non-food items, it's important to screen for lead at your pediatrician's office. https://www.hennepincounty.gov/services/grants-funding-opportunities/lead-paint-removal-grant . Soil Testing -  https://w...

Sheletta shines a spotlight on a new initiative in Washington County that brings mental health services to the community. 

For mental health awareness month, Sheletta wanted to make sure everyone knows about the 988 suicide line in case they are in crisis or someone they know needs to reach out for help.

Old National Bank just released a 2025 Community Action Report highlighting not just numbers and examples of how the bank and its foundation are putting money and resources in the hands of people who need it most.

Whenever Sheletta's family visits from Houston, they always tell her how clean St. Paul is and how they never see any trash while dining at a restaurant or enjoying a show. When she looked for answers, she found the St. Paul Street Ambassadors who do everything from picking up litter to helping lost children.

As an entrepreneur trying to make a dollar out of 15-cents, Sheletta was excited to find out about a new Xfinity program specifically for small businesses for just $60 a month that offers connectivity and cybersecurity. She chats with her friend Rachel Johnson at Comcast to learn more. https://business.comcast.com/small-business  

Many Black women share similar stories about the horror and health challenges of giving birth, but nobody was listening—until now.  The Maternal and Child Health staff at the Minnesota Department of Health wants to hear from you about what it is like to have a baby in Minnesota. Link: https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/womeninfants/womenshealth/story.html

Religious communities are not ready to help members battling opioid misuse, that's why Pastor Ed Treat is working with churches, mosques, synagogues and temples to talk to faith leaders about addiction. Pastor Ed tells Sheletta that his organization, The Center for Addiction & Faith, will work to educate and empower houses of worship so they know what to do and how to help.

After a few close calls and a near miss, Sheletta knew she's not the only distracted driver dodging crashes daily She invited her friends from the Minnesota Safety Council to join her on today's podcast to talk about their new campaign that stresses a message to drivers: put the phone down. https://www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org/

For Easter Sunday service, Sheletta decides, at the last minute, to look for a lavender hat to match her church outfit. She calls on Angie Sanditer of Angie's Hats in St. Paul, Minnesota to design her a custom fedora and gives the small business owner the impossible task of getting it done in just four hours. Angie accepts the mission and creates a one of a kind sexy and stylish fascinator for The...

With the national economy tightening, many small businesses are seeing their profits dip while their costs continue to climb. At Old National Bank, the relatively new Empowerment Small Business Loan Program is making capital available. It is aimed specifically at helping small business owners in underserved communities.  

The deadline is March 31st for you to apply for the good folks from Rebuild Together Minnesota to come and repair your home or make modifications. What's the Safe at Home program? Listen to Sheletta's latest podcast to find out.

The Washington County Opioid Settlement Council is looking for new council members. Sheletta chats with Sean Young-Stephens and Jamie Resch to talk about how this opportunity allows you to become part of an innovative public program that is supportive and takes a health oriented approach. 

It’s that time of year, high school seniors around the Twin Cities are announcing on social media their choices for college next year.   For some, a Big Ten school is a fit. But bigger is not better for everyone. That’s the unsaid motto at Dougherty Family College (DFC), which strives to offer incredible connections and student support.

Sheletta chats with the folks at the Minneapolis Parks Foundation about the North Commons Park expansion project and a grant that allows residents to create cool activities for their neighbors.

As Sheletta plans to put on her ropers and rope her a cowboy at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, she wants to make sure both she and her future Boo are safe before they get too serious. She asked her friends form Harris County to join her to talk about their HIV prevention programs and how residents can take advantage of the services they offer.

When Sheletta's son was chatting with a bot, she looked for a real person for him to text and found the Minnesota Warm Line. What's that? A live talk, chat or text line staffed with trained peer professionals who offer a listening ear when life gets lonely.