The Vault with Dr. Judith

Balanda Atis is a pioneering cosmetic scientist and chemist. When Atis realized that there were limited options for women of color in terms of foundation tones, she started a project with L’Oreal to study skin tones across the world. Her work led to the discovery that ultramarine was the tone needed to create rich and deeper shades of brown without leaving a muddy finish. Her pioneering work led t...

Erica Loewe was Recognized as one of The Root 100’s Most Influential Black Americans, Essence Magazine’s Power 40, ColorComm’s 28 Black Women in Communications Making History Now, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.’s 50 Under 40 and the Washington Association of Black Journalists Excellence in Communications recipients, Erica Loewe has over a decade of experience at the intersection of media, politics...

Cody Rigsby is a renowned fitness coach and Director of Cycling Content at Peloton. He is a New York Times Bestselling Author of “XOXO, Cody” and second runner-up on the thirtieth season of Dancing WithThe Stars. He has co-hosted the GLAAD Media Awards. Cody has been the face of major brands and has carved a niche in the romance and relationship space as a self-love enthusiast and motivational spe...

Dr. Sue Varma is a powerhouse. She Is a board-certified psychiatrist and professor at NYU who is known internationally as an on-air mental health expert for news and media. She guided the country through 2020’s trying times and is the author of Practical Optimism which is her book that is based on 8 pillars of practical optimism. We discussed how everyone can work on their mindset for daily growth...

Brittany Rae is a multi-faceted millennial who is an entrepreneur and leader in entertainment. She comes from a legacy of influential people in the music industry but did not let that make her complacent in her journey to becoming a stand-alone force. After graduating from university she started a production company while working for top radio stations. She was a part of the team at Hot 97 that br...

April Simpkins is a mental health advocate, founder of the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, Podcaster, C-suite executive, and a highly sought after keynote speaker on the topics of DEI, mental health in the workplace, leadership, and culture. She is the New York Times Best Selling Co-Author of “By The Time You Read This” a book that she co-wrote with her late daughter Cheslie Kryst, a Former Miss USA...

Donna Francis is an Award-Winning Journalist,Podcast Host and Real Beauty Pioneer who is known as the Beauty Editor, who pioneered the ‘real beauty’ movement 25 years ago. At a time when brands were still using overly filtered, unattainable marketing tactics, Donna was breaking the mold by directing beauty shoots that ditched the airbrush pen and was casting diverse models with relatable quirks fo...

Cheri Garcia is the founder of Cornbread Hustle, a staffing agency for second chances. And she has placed more than 2500 people with criminal records in jobs. She is passionate about helping people in recovery to find transformation through employment or entrepreneurship. As someone who is 5 years sober and had a second chance herself, she has championed her efforts to help those in recovery, whic...

Mariah Grumet is a certified etiquette trainer, and she puts a modern twist on old school etiquette. On this episode of The Vault we talked about how many people use social media and text messaging to communicate but a lot can get lost in translation which leads to miscommunications and disagreements. We also discussed proper text etiquette, offered tips to help people to cope with feeling anxious...

Did you know that many healthcare providers only get one class in menopause. So a lot of times they don’t know the signs of someone going through perimenopause or menopause. Dr. Salas-Whalen is a triple board-certified physician with broad experience across all facets of endocrinology, and her emphasis is  on women’s health and obesity. She explained why you can’t use a test to diagnosis menopause...

Corey Minor Smith’s moved 21 times and attended 14 different schools before graduating high school, and throughout her childhood she was a teenage caretaker to her mother who was living with a severe mental health condition. In spite of these obstacles, she became a successful attorney.” These adverse childhood experiences along with becoming a trained facilitator for the National Alliance on Ment...

Alison Malmon is the Founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults. Alison tragically lost her 21 year old brother when she was a college student and she turned that grief into action and started Active Minds, which is no on over 1000 college campuses, universites and K-12 schools, workpl...

Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN, is the pediatric registered dietitian, best-selling author, speaker, and single mom and top nutrition influencer dedicated to educating her combined audience of over 150,000 followers about infant and child nutrition.  Malina is a trusted expert in local and national media outlets and owns a nutrition consulting company and private practice that helps caregivers feed...

Dr. Brian Kim is an award winning dermatologist and researcher known as The Itch Doctor. His groundbreaking research has led to patents in itch molecules and he uses his platform to educate the public about different causes of itching. On this episode of the Vault we discuss how men and women experience itch differently and ways that skin and hair impact mental health. Dr. Kim received his M.D. fr...

Dr. Aletha Maybank is a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician, a public health professional, and a Senior Vice President within the American Medical Association. As Chief Health Equity Officer, she is the founding leader for the AMA’s Center for Health Equity, and a recognized speaker, writer, and expert on health equity and racial justice. In these capacities, she is influencing the embe...

Dr.  Dr. Siyamak Saleh (Dr. Siya), is an award winning content creator with a community of over 3.5 million followers. He debunks myths related to intimacy health and has received awards for working with South African communities to educate about topics that are taboo and that people feel ashamed talking about. Dr. Siya knows that most patients won’t read medical guidelines but they will get their...

Isis Asare is the CEO/Founder of Sistah Scifi. Sistah Scifi is the first Black-owned bookstore focused on science fiction and fantasy in the United States as validated by the American Booksellers Association. Located in cyberspace, Sistah Scifi is a national brand with over 50K points of contact.  In February 2023, the first three Sistah Scifi Book Vending Machines were launched in California and...

Dr. Mariel Buqué is an Afro-Dominican, Columbia University-trained Psychologist, intergenerational trauma expert, and the author of the book Break the Cycle: a book that focuses on healing wounds of intergenerational trauma. Her clinical framework is holistic and infuses ancient and indigenous healing practices into a modern, comprehensive therapeutic approach. She additionally provides healing wo...

I first met Dr. Jessi Gold at Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit on World Mental Health Day May 2024 in NYC. At this event, the US surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Selena Gomez and Dr. Jessi Gold talked about the importance of the mind-body connection in mental health and the role that community plays in mental wellness. Dr. Jessi Gold, MD, is a medical doctor and psychiatrist who h...

Dr. Ekta Yadav is an award-winning scientist, doctor and host of one of the top beauty podcasts in the world, Skincare Anarchy. On this episode of the Vault Dr. Ekta discusses how skin health supports mental health and how conditions like acne and hair loss can severely impact patients in terms of their confidence, decisions and mental health. Dr. Ekta’s work is Driven by a mission to democratize...

Dr. Amy Shah is an medical doctor and a nutrition specialist. She works in clinical medicine, allergy/immunology, and over the last 10 years has developed a world- renowned wellness education platform, written bestselling books, and has been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Mel Robbins Podcast, and Ed Mylett Podcast. She has worked with companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Alo...

Dr. Christine Crawford is a Harvard trained adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist who currently serves as the Associate Medical Director for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI).  She is an Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Education at Boston University School of Medicine within the Department of Psychiatry. She treats patients in the Boston Medical Center Child and Adolescent O...

September is Suicide Prevention Month and 988 Day is a national initiative dedicated to raising awareness about 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and emphasizing the importance of mental health and suicide prevention. On September 8, 2024 we share the theme “No Judgement. Just Help.”   During this episode of The Vault, Dr. Tia Dole discusses what every parent should know about raising boys, girls,...

August is Black Business Month and we are highlighting black women entrepreneurs because they are one of the fastest growing groups of entrepreneurs. Dr. Catrise Austin is an award winning cosmetic dentist to the stars and Hip Hop Recording Artist, Cardi B., Famously rapped about her in her music. Dr. Catrise understands the connection between dental health and mental health and we discussed the i...

Summer Forlenza is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California, where she runs a private practice specializing in EMDR therapy for trauma recovery. Summer is a practicing therapist specializing in trauma recovery since.  On This episode of the Vault we dive into different types of trauma that may impact our lives. In my research with High Functioning Depression, many people don’t realiz...