The First-Gen Lounge

As one of my homegirls once said, “Self-care is an everyday practice, not just me reacting when I’m already burned out.” I know that just because you’re home a lot these days doesn’t change the fact that you’ve got a lot on your plate. In fact, at a time like this, I imagine that internally, you may be carrying a little more than usual. So, I was thinking now would be a good time to revisit a conv...

The past month of my life has been quite... Interesting. (When isn't it?) One of the things that I've been working on is building my team so that I can continue to grow my business, and I have to tell you... It's one of the best things that I've ever done. On that note, I want to share a few things to think about (now or for the future) when it comes to building a team. Don't forget to check out s...

Have you thought about rebranding at all? It’s what I’ve been up to lately because a part of being an entrepreneur is doing what you need to do to survive and thrive--at times, that means you’ve got to make changes. As I’m constantly assessing my brand and thinking about where I want to be years from now, I found myself thinking about a few things that are reasons why you should rebrand. Don't for...

Communication is becoming one of the essential skills to practice within families. Today, many people find it difficult to discuss specific topics and issues with their families. However, each family must find the best way to communicate with each other and build a stronger bond! I have some good news for you: There are methods that you can practice today to help talk with your family and overcome...

One of the most important things in our lives are the relationships that we have with other people. while we may think about how important it is for people to show up for us, it is also important that we take the time to think about how we are showing up for the people in our lives too. So, today I want to encourage you to think about being present for the people in your life and creating spa...

So, you’re thinking about starting a business OR you’ve just started a business. I’m glad that you decided to drop in to catch a session. In today’s throwback, we’re going to chat about five business tools for you to keep in mind when running your business. Over the years, I’ve come to find that these are just a few things that have been tremendously helpful for me, so I want to pass them along to...

All creatives must know today that it’s never too late to follow your passions, especially in the creative industries. Yes, I know that it can be difficult for black first-gen students to make it in these creative and film industries. However, all that hard work and effort that you put in will certainly show once you finally make it to where you want to be! Luckily, there are some ways to help you...

To all you first-gen superstars out there, I want you to keep your head up! I know that it may seem difficult being a person trying to make an impact in this world. However, it doesn’t have to be so difficult because there’s no better time to advocate for change than now. People are achieving this change through non-profit work, which is what this conversation will deal with. It’ll also include co...

Did you ever think we’d be in the middle of a global pandemic AND global protesting for Black lives in the year 2020? It feels like a few pages out of a history book--so unreal. It’s heavy. It’s overwhelming. It’s confusing. It’s scary. It’s heartbreaking. It’s unfair. It’s insane. It’s shocking. Most of all… it’s EXHAUSTING AS HELL. You’ve got to take a moment to process what you’re feeling, gath...

What kind of conversations did you have as a kid about money? With whom did you have these conversations? What have you done, or are you doing, to learn more about money? Knowledge is power and money is important. If a person does not have an understanding of money, how it works, what to do with it, and so forth… I can get why they would feel powerless when it comes to their money and financial we...

Broke people don’t talk about money. I realize this is because they believe they don’t have money to talk about, but I’m finding that this is why people stay broke. It can feel hurtful, maybe even shameful, to not have something that you desire... especially when it comes to money. The lack of financial peace and wellbeing can be pretty stressful, too. Yet, as with anything else, unless you’r...

Have you ever considered that your purpose and mental health are connected? Like… Has it ever crossed your mind that by not doing what's necessary to take care of your mental health may be what's keeping you from living out your purpose? I found myself thinking about this quite a bit after having this conversation with Tanya. As someone who has experienced significant loss (a sister, sister in law...

Whatday reading over there, fam? I really want to know! Last month, I did 21 days of gratitude with Mr. Dr. Hudson (it was SO moving and much needed). One of the things that I found myself sharing was being grateful for reading. When I get a good book, I don't want to put it down. Recently, I had an "ah ha!" moment when I realized how much reading has helped me with mental wellbeing by shifting my...

Are you doing what's best for you? Wait… Let me ask that question differently. Are you doing what's best for you so as long as it doesn't bother, disappoint, or upset anybody else? When we think about doing what's best for us, we must truly do the things that are going to make us happy even if other people don't agree. It's not always the easiest thing to do because of the concerns of disappr...

Is there such a thing as being too prepared? I hope not. In effort to continue to help you prepare for what's to come next in your life professionally, I thought it would be ideal to share with you this very timeless and timely throwback with Chandria Harris. In this session, we touched on strategies to help first-generation college graduates to be successful in corporate America. Many of the thin...

First comes the degree, then comes the J-O-B. How are you feeling about it? Do you feel like you’ve got the keys to success? Be it that you’re going into the workforce for the first-time, or using that graduate degree to move on up, this show is for you. In this session, Kimberly Barrett, shares with us how to level up professionally by networking and utilizing our resources in the workplace. Don'...

It sucks when something that you’ve been looking forward to for the longest doesn’t happen. It feels frustrating when you’ve worked hard for something just for things to not work out as you’d hoped. It hurts even more when things fall apart and there’s nothing that you can do about it. Graduation is upon us and this time around is like nothing we have ever seen before. At a moment such as this one...

What do you do when you know that you're created for something greater, but the life before you says otherwise? You choose to win anyways! From being born in Oakland and raised in South Central Los Angeles to becoming a graduate of Yale, later student of law at UC Berkeley, and now a first-gen professional--Antonio has not let anything, or anyone, stand in the way of the life he knew was meant for...

So, how YOU durin'? The last few weeks have been a lot to process--I'm with you. The thing is that it's a good time for us to press pause for a moment and think about what all of this means. In the midst of frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty... we might not like it, BUT it's a part of life that we learn to ride the wave. So, here's my take on sittin' with sh*t. Access the Show Notes: &nb...

A first-generation college graduate, it's important to surround yourself with people who are going to have your back. After all, you weren't created to do this thing called life alone, so be sure that no matter where you go that you'll make it a point to build community. Access the Show Notes:   www.thefirstgenlounge.com/session/106 . Track by The Boy:  https://theboy.beatstars.com/music...

Did you want to go to college? Was it something that you were excited for? Sometimes you don't go to college because you really wanted to, but because it was the best option at the time. For Sarah, she wasn’t motivated in high school but went to the one college that accepted her because she wasn't ready to start working. She soon found her drive and thrived in college. Tune in...

Have you ever struggled with owning your own identity? Well I know I have, and today we are going to get honest and a little vulnerable. Today, I want to talk about what being Black has come to mean to me. For a while, I have been scared of being too Black.. not wanting to step on anyone's toes or turn people off. Ironically? I wasn't always that way. So, in this week's session is all about b...

We are over halfway through Black History Month! Oh, doesn’t the time fly? Today, I thought it would be awesome for us to revisit a talk that we had last year about the “Crab in A Barrel” mentality. As a matter of fact, I think this is a good way to lean into to next week’s show where I’ll wrap up the month talking with you about being Black AND first-gen—a conversation I’ve tried so hard to avoid...

Have you ever been in a career that was successful, but that you knew that it wasn’t what you were meant to do? Dethorn Young was an assistant vice president at Capital One in New York City, when he decided that this was not what he was meant to do. So he made some big changes including living in other countries for a while, until he found out who he really was and what he wanted to be d...

Happy Black History Month! For the next few weeks, we'll be celebrating and sharing the stories of those who are #blackfirstgen. So, we're kicking things off with a chat with someone whose parents, as she stated, were "Black Revolutionaries." Not just that.. If you think you have a big family, today’s guest, Senemeht Olatunji , was one of 12 siblings. Growing up in New York City, her parents...