The Black Woman’s Stress Solution Podcast: discover the connection between Black women’s stress in work, love, and health—offering real solutions to help you stress less and thrive more!

What if the voice you have been calling your inner critic is actually trying to protect you? In this episode, Brig introduces the idea of your “inner cutie,” the part of you that gets loud when you are about to do something new, uncomfortable, or important. That voice may sound like fear, hesitation, or self-doubt, but Brig encourages you to stop treating it like the enemy. Instead of trying to si...

In this episode, Brig speaks to the high-achieving Black woman who has worked hard, planted faithfully, and built so much, but still feels guilty slowing down long enough to receive the harvest. If rest feels like falling behind, or receiving feels harder than doing, this conversation will hit home. Brig breaks down the old thoughts that keep you proving, producing, and pushing, even when you have...

It's time to unpack the pictures in your head that shape your reality, because they often aren't the truth. In this episode, Brig breaks down the mental images we create about how life is "supposed" to be, and how these pictures can lead to unnecessary frustration and pain. Join in as she shares a personal story about a flat tire that showed her a massive lesson about expectations and reality. You...

Queen, you've been giving wife-level loyalty on a girlfriend-level container — and it's time to name that pattern without shame. In this episode, I'm getting into something tricky but necessary: the gap between what you're giving in a relationship and what's actually been established. This isn't about weakness, desperation, or low self-esteem. It's a program — and once you can see it clearly, you...

Queen, the question you've been asking after the betrayal isn't the one that will actually give you peace. If you've ever been blindsided by someone you trusted, this episode is for you. Grab your tea, find a quiet space, and let's talk — as friends, as women who've been there. Because there's something we do after we've been hurt that feels like healing but isn't. And today I want to give you the...

Queen, your decision is the sentence. Everything else is just a footnote — and it's time to stop leading with the footnote. In this episode, I'm getting into something I caught myself doing in real time: building a full legal brief for a woman I'd met once, just to say no. Big decisions, small transactions — the pattern runs everywhere. And today we're going to name it, trace it to its roots, and...

Queen, you were never the problem. You were just given a tool that wasn't built for you — and then blamed when it didn't fit. In this episode, I want to introduce you to Bob. Bob is fine. Bob starts every attempt at growth from baseline — neutral, stable, rested, regulated. You? You start already carrying. And that changes everything. This is the conversation bro self-help has never been willing t...

Queen, you didn't give up — you just stopped seeing yourself as the one who gets to create. In this episode, I'm getting into something that almost slipped past me completely — because it doesn't look like giving up. It looks like being responsible. Mature. Realistic. But here's the truth: at some point, protection becomes a prison. And if you've been living in the middle ground — no big dreams, n...

Queen, you've been a foreigner in your own life for long enough — and it's time to come home. After a real, unfiltered season away, I'm back. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what actually happened: the financial reality of my coaching business, the decision to return to anesthesia, the inner battle I fought for six months, and the hard-won clarity that came out of it all. This isn...

Queen, let's talk about the elephant in the room: that exhausting dance you're doing in your relationship where you're solving his problems before he even names them, managing his emotions while yours get pushed aside, and wondering why love feels like a second job. If you're tired of performing for love instead of receiving it, this episode is your wake-up call. It's time to stop auditioning for...

Queen, let's talk about the mindfuck breakup that's been keeping you stuck—the one with Mr. "Perfect on Paper" who left your soul starved despite checking every box society told you mattered. You know the type: well-dressed, well-traveled, well-paid, and wildly unavailable emotionally. This episode is your permission slip to finally name what you've been feeling and stop gaslighting yourself into...

Queen, let's talk about the confusion that nobody prepared you for: when your high-value man checks every box society told you mattered, but your nervous system is screaming that something ain't right. You're not crazy, and you're not asking for too much—you're just dealing with an emotional project disguised in designer suits and six-figure success. In this episode, I'm breaking down why status d...

Hey, it’s Brig! In this episode, I’m diving into de-centering men without dismissing them. This isn’t about being anti-men but becoming "pro-you." I unpack the stress women carry when our worth is tied to relationships with men, and how we can reclaim sovereignty.  What You'll Learn: Historical Conditioning: How laws and culture, like credit restrictions until 1974, mandated centering men. Everyda...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with a special guest, CJ, who recently completed the UNKAGED™ six-month coaching program. CJ shares her transformative journey from feeling unsafe and overwhelmed in her high-powered career to reclaiming her sovereignty and creating space for her passions. What You'll Learn: How feeling "unsafe" in professional spaces is a common experience for Black women that...

Today, I'm talking about a pattern that's silently robbing high-achieving Black women of money, joy, and energy: self-abandonment.  What is Self-Abandonment? Self-abandonment happens when you leave yourself emotionally, mentally, or physically to secure someone else's comfort, approval, or validation. It's when you side with others over yourself. We do this because somewhere along the line, we lea...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Something about me is just… wrong”? In this episode, I’m getting real about internalized wrongness — that quiet, exhausting belief that your identity is a defect to fix instead of something to celebrate. I’ve lived this, and I know how sneaky it is. From code-switching until you don’t recognize your own voice, to chasing every receipt and title just to feel...

Why I Had to Name This I created this episode because I’ve seen too many high-achieving Black and Brown women—myself included—blame ourselves for the very thoughts that helped us survive. We’ve been told to “think better,” “stay positive,” or “change our mindset,” without anyone asking where those thoughts came from or what they were protecting us from. That’s not healing. That’s cognitive violenc...

Hey y’all, it’s Brig. This one is personal. Equal Pay Day just passed—and it’s not a celebration, it’s a correction. A reminder that Black and Brown women are still months behind in earnings, every single year. This episode is for every woman who’s been grinding, staying late, over-preparing, and still being undervalued. I brought in the powerhouse Anita Miller to help us go deeper—not just into t...

I missed y’all! Life hit me with a virus, and instead of pushing through, I practiced what I preach—I rested. And in that stillness, something clicked: too many of us are walking around disconnected from our inner YAS—our sacred, soul-level yes—because it’s been buried under other people’s voices. This episode is for the queens who feel stuck, confused, or overwhelmed because they’ve been outsourc...

I recorded this episode on the 4th of July, a day that symbolizes freedom — but for many of us, true freedom starts when we stop shrinking to make others comfortable. Last week, we talked about the invisible ways we try to stay lovable by making ourselves small. This week, I want to speak to the sting of being seen as your old self — even after you’ve done the inner work. You’ve changed. But what...

Hey y’all—Brig here. Today I’m bringing you a topic that might hit close to home: playing small just to stay loved. Whether it’s at work, in relationships, or even around family, too many of us shrink ourselves to make others feel more comfortable. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to silence your voice, tone yourself down, and wear outdated roles just to keep the peace. But that strategy? It...

This episode isn’t just about fitness—it’s about redefining what’s possible. HYROX challenged me in ways I never expected. It wasn’t just about the workouts or the competition—it was about pushing through pain, breaking mental barriers, and proving that power doesn’t have an expiration date. I’m joined by my training partner Cynthia and our incredible coach, Coach O, to share the real journey: the...

What if the moment you thought signaled the end… was really the beginning? In this episode, I share what the "Old Lady Division" taught me about purpose, identity, and the quiet power of coming back to yourself—stronger, clearer, and more grounded than ever. This isn’t about reinvention. It’s about returning to the version of you that always knew. You’ll learn: Why turning 60 brought unexpected em...

This week, I’m pulling back the curtain on why I spell Unkaged with a “K.” Spoiler alert: it’s not just branding—it’s a sacred declaration. We’re diving into what it means to know yourself so fully that no one can gaslight, shrink, or silence you again. This episode is for every Black woman who’s ever felt like she had to perform, conform, or stay quiet to stay safe. That stops here.   You’ll lear...

High-achieving Black women aren’t stuck because we’re doing it wrong—we’re stuck because we’ve been conditioned to survive, not to thrive. In this episode, I get real about why I burned down all my coaching offers. I share the moment that changed everything, what I discovered underneath all the mindset work, and why I’m no longer coaching around the edges of the wound. What we often call procrasti...