The Hats Podcast

Welcome to the Focus on the Family Series! In the next few episodes, we will explore the ins and outs of family life - how they start, how they grow, what shape they take, etc. The notion of the nuclear family is so yesterday! Listen to each episode and see which elements of family resonate with you, which could not be more different, and which spark some intrigue! This week: daughters. In this ep...

Welcome to the Focus on the Family Series! In the next few episodes, we will explore the ins and outs of family life - how they start, how they grow, what shape they take, etc. The notion of the nuclear family is so yesterday! Listen to each episode and see which elements of family resonate with you, which could not be more different, and which spark some intrigue! This week: polyamory. Polyamory...

Welcome to the Focus on the Family Series! In the next few episodes, we will explore the ins and outs of family life - how they start, how they grow, what shape they take, etc. The notion of the nuclear family is so yesterday! Listen to each episode and see which elements of family resonate with you, which could not be more different, and which spark some intrigue! This week: polyamory. The nuclea...

Welcome to the Focus on the Family Series! In the next few episodes, we will explore the ins and outs of family life - how they start, how they grow, what shape they take, etc. The notion of the nuclear family is so yesterday! Listen to each episode and see which elements of family resonate with you, which could not be more different, and which spark some intrigue! This week: sisters. Books, movie...

Welcome to the Focus on the Family Series! In the next few episodes, we will explore the ins and outs of family life - how they start, how they grow, what shape they take, etc. The notion of the nuclear family is so yesterday! Listen to each episode and see which elements of family resonate with you, which could not be more different, and which sparked some intrigue! This week: delivery. You've se...

Welcome to the Focus on the Family Series! In the next few episodes, we will explore the ins and outs of family life - how they start, how they grow, what shape they take, etc. The notion of the nuclear family is so yesterday! Listen to each episode and see which elements of family resonate with you, which could not be more different, and which sparked some intrigue! This week: pregnancy. How cool...

Music is a universal language. And, it is one that The Hats Podcast guest Tanisha Hall speaks in many dialects. Tanisha plays multiple instruments, has a heavenly singing voice, writes music and has trained hundreds of students to do it all. In this episode, The Hats co-hosts Melissa Dumas and Kerri Harper-Howie answer the following (and other) questions: Am I too old to start taking music or sing...

The choice to wear multiple hats requires a sense of ambition. Without ambition, your chances of succeeding in any area of your life, let alone several, decrease. In this episode co-hosts Kerri Harper-Howie and Melissa Dumas answer the following questions you've always wanted to ask a lawyer and a therapist, but were afraid to ask: What is the defition of ambition? When is ambition good for you, a...

Reunited and it feels so good! We are happy to open Season 6 talking about reunions of all types - going back to a job, gathering family at the park in matching t-shirts, re-connecting with an old love, and more. Life often presents us with opportunities to revisit situations. In this episode we give you some tips to know when you should say yes to a reunion invitation, or leave an old thing in th...

HEELLLLOOOOOOO Hatters! Oh how we have missed you. And, oh BOY, what a fantastic season 6 we have in store for you. Are you ready for polyamory, pregnancy and patience?!?I We will have all of that for you and MORE! Listen in to get a feel for all the Hats we will explore in Season 6. New episodes launch NEXT WEEK!!!

The Renaissance Season has been truly ecclectic. We started with our video podcast 100th episode, "The Authenicty Hat", and finished with The Renovation Hat, an episode where we shared our renovation stories. In between, we talked about spirituality, envy, disability and so much more! Listen in to hear us share out favorite moments from Season 5 and a tiny little bit about Season 6. Connect with u...

Dust. So much dust. That's what stands out most when we think and talk about renovating our spaces. Co-hosts Kerri and Melissa both recently completed renovations in their homes. They did things very differently and with different budgets. Listen to this episode to get all sorts of tips to survive - yes, you have to survive a renovation! - your next attempt to update and beautify your space. All t...

Still today people of color and women find themselves marking that incredible milestone ... the first to ever INSERT ACCOMPLISHMENT. Our guest today is no exception. Vicki Phelps-Chancellor is the first Black woman to lead McDonald's almost $1 billion advertising co-operative, OPNAD. A successful McDonald's franchisee, she leveraged her previous successful career in marketing to ascend to this pos...

Some people get the jitters thinking about raising their hand in class to ask a quesion, let alone getting up in front of a large crowd to deliver a presentaion or speech. Others thrive on the stage and seek out opportunities to share their message with as many people as possible. This episode has tips for everyone on the spectrum - how to take the inital plunge into public speaking, and how to ge...

Healthy relationships require a level of interdependence that keeps couples connected and moving forward equally together. At some point, interdependence can transform into codependence, an unhealhy relationship status that prevents partnership and feeds on one person taking advantage of the other who serves in a caretaker role. Codependence can be detrimental to health, and can turn fatal. Listen...

Wear a lot of hats? You experience stress. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. But, stress does not have to have the final word! In this episode, co-hosts Kerri and Melissa tell you a surprising truth about stress that may help you better manage it. It's not rocket science. It's simple and straightforward information that will change the lens through which you view stress.  Resources:  What are the ma...

Individuals with disabilities move through our society with a desire to be treated just like everyone else. But, various obstacles - logististical and developmental - can get in the way. In this episode, co-hosts Melissa and Kerri welcome Tennille Tatum Evans who discusses her journey to becoming a mom and special needs advocate and entrepreneur in the wake of have a child born with severe cerebra...

Whatever kind of school your kid goes to, you're in the thick of the first quarter/trimester/semester. Homework has gotten very real! Do not fret. Helping kids with their homework is an actual thing! No, you are not alone in feeling like you are the only one struggling through it everyday. Listen to this episode as co-hosts Kerri and Melissa share their homework (war) stories and tips on how to ma...

If you are wearing the envy hat, it is probably green. Why is that? Because when you are feeling envious of others, it can make you feel sick - mentally and physically. On this episode, co-hosts Kerri & Melissa share their experiences with envy, discuss how it is different than jealousy, and offer tips for handling these green hat wearing days! Resources:  Conquer feelings of envy Connect with us:...

People who wear many hats often feel as though they have to bear the weight of all those hats alone. This feeling is grounded in a variety of different factors - superwoman syndrome, fear of vulnerability, lacking the words to ask for help, etc. In this epiode, co-hosts Kerri and Melissa dive into the subject of why so many of us struggle to ask for, and therefore receive, the help we need, and ho...

Co-hosts Kerri and Melissa both have hearts for service. They share a mission in life to positively impact the lives of others in a variety of ways. This week, they talk about how they continue to find time to serve others by wearing the community service hat, and bring in an expert on the matter, Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez, to discuss her long career in public service. You will be moved to get out...

If you follow her on any of her social media platforms, you know that co-host Melissa Dumas is all about maintaining her healthy lifestyle ... even taking workout equipment on vacation! In this episode, Melissa sits in the hot seat and answers questions from co-host Kerri Harper-Howie about what it took for her to finally get to the point where nothing came between her and her fitness goals, and h...

Co-hosts Melissa and Kerri have different needs as women, black women and people who are black. In this episode, they dive into what happens when the variety of hats that we wear in life - most of them which we did not choose - intersect and allow (force?) us to show up and present ourselves to the world in different ways. For this episode, they are joined by expert Eva Vega Olds, who speaks passi...

That moment, person, idea, opportunity that you said yes or no to that you wish you could go back and change. Regret. We can wallow in regret and agonize about how things can be different if only ...  or, we can find a way to learn from mistakes and move on. In this episode, Kerri and Melissa what regret is and feels like, and how we can use missteps we make to catapult ourselves into something bi...

Loyal Hatters know how often co-hosts Melissa and Kerri quote Donald Bell, Sr., pastor, author and life coach, whom they affectionately call Pastor Bell. His wisdom infuses their lives - their marriages, parenting, and day to day thinking. Pastor Bell shares that wisdom here (finally!). You will not hear him try to convert anyone to any particular way of thinking or system of beliefs. His words an...