Successful Relationship Coaches and R&B Icons Strengthen Marriages through Walking

Written by Deja on . Posted in Featured, Influential People, Lifestyle.

When building relationships, building a bond that lasts the test of time is the ultimate end goal. This bond is important because it is the foundation of the family and sets the standard moving forward. Those are the same reasons the Married For Life Walk was founded. Founded by Professional Life & Marriage Coach Martez & Woodrina Layton, LPC and R&B Icons and Power couple, Ronnie and Shamari DeVoe, the movement is moving into its 5th successful year of “helping couples of different ethnicity, and backgrounds to build strong marriage relationships.”

This Marriage Movement was inspired by the founders’ own fight for their love. Martez states,  “Being a man full of faith,  he heard the spirit of the Lord speak to his heart by instructing him, “to hold Woodrina’s hand each day and simply walk and talk with her.” Over time this built an empowering bond of which they saw results. Today, they have been married for nearly 30 years. 

Married 4 Life Walk is a two-day event where couples will connect, share, and stand with one another in the name of love.  The M4LW Experience advocates for the importance of professional marriage coaching and counseling in relationships for prevention and to help couples navigate through challenging times. The movement is important because it combats the increasing divorce rate. Co-Founder Woodrina Layton states the M4LW helps to correct the course of failing marriages by equipping couples with practical tools that they can use in their relationship to build their emotional intimacy with one another and strengthen their marital bond. 

Having faced their own obstacles, Ronnie DeVoe (New Edition) and Shamari DeVoe (Blaque, and Encore on BET), decided to seek guidance from the Laytons. After successful coaching and understanding the importance of having a solid partner firsthand, they decided to join the Married 4 Life Walk movement as vision partners. 

Not only does the movement improve relationships, but it also strengthens entire families. Founder Martez Layton CPC finds that a healthy two-parent household benefits the family dynamic in many ways. One major benefit is being able to have combined resources of emotional support, financial support, and energy needed to raise children and to deal with the stressors and challenges of family life. It provides the opportunity for no parent or child to feel neglected or have feelings of low self-esteem. A healthy two-parent household also provides an environment that builds teamwork, unity, and acceptance for both parent and child.

The event begins with The Couples Conversation & Love Celebration where couples come together and network. It is followed by relationship enrichment while they enjoy DJ, dancing, a special performance by Ronnie & Shamari DeVoe, and more!. The goal is to start the weekend off with learning, having fun and celebrating your love, and remembering to “Never Let Go Of The Hand You Are Holding.“ The following Saturday, couples will participate in the 2-mile unity walk symbolizing their unity.  While holding hands during the 2-mile walk, couples experience firsthand the importance and benefits of taking time in their relationship to hold hands and walk together.

The 5th annual Married 4 Life Walk kicks off on April 22, 2022. Interested couples can learn more and register now at www.married4lifewalk.com. Also, keep up with all the Married 4 Life Walk updates @married4lifewalk on Instagram and Facebook.

Mercedes Johnson Goes Viral for Ripping the Band-aid off of Salary Negotiation

Written by Deja on . Posted in Featured, Trending.

What seemed like a simple learning ‘lesson’ on Facebook would turn into a worldwide uproar on social media for Mercedes Johnson. A simple post she made on her lunch break would change her entire life in only two hours. The post that originated on Facebook found its way onto Twitter, Reddit, and several social platforms—which opened up an explicit discussion on salary negotiation and the public’s sentiments about recruiters. 

Mercedes Johnson, who describes herself as a family-oriented, fun-loving faithfluencer, was offered a position in recruiting fresh out of high school and was able to work her way up fast through the ranks. The freelance recruiter would go on to work for some of the most prestigious corporations offering her expertise as a liaison within the hiring process.

The talent acquisition consultant that once lived a quiet life would soon garner the attention of the world with her controversial insight into salary negotiation. Her post (pictured left) would go on to explain how she gave a candidate what she offered versus what the budget allowed- which left a bad taste in the mouths of many. The post would go on to receive 35k+ retweets, 215k+ likes, and 2332K+ comments after the comment made its way from platform to platform and country to country. 

The conversation opened the door for various perspectives on the topic among those who were upset that she allegedly “lowballed” the candidate, while others felt that accountability shouldn’t have been solely based on Mercedes, and she should not be attacked for her opinionated social post. There were also plenty of stories told of those who were triggered by the situation. This backlash would cause the freelancer to be a social media outcast and lose various corporate contracts.

Mercedes Johnson, Corporate Talent Acquisition Consultant

Within a short period of time, she issued a statement in an attempt to provide clarification, but many still were not pleased. In the post, she states, “The purpose of that post was to empower others to not end up like this particular candidate. I want people to know their worth.” Since then, Mercedes has offered an exclusive interview via her YouTube Channel addressing the controversy. Her goal was to “shed light on the intent of the post, clean up inaccuracies, and  ultimately to clear the air.”

The video has helped turn some of the chatter in a different direction, but there are individuals that are still not pleased that continue to brutalize Mercedes through commentary about her size, perceived lack of experience, and other irrelevant subjects. It is on record that one unhappy follower posted her home address, prompting hundreds of letters arriving at her door. 

For Mercedes, there is hope that everyone can learn and grow from the situation and that candidates have more insight into the hiring process so that they can advocate for themselves. She insists that she has taken all of the commentaries into account and is processing the experience as a learning experience through the rest of her twenties. 

View the full interview here: Mercedes Johnson Formally Addressing The viral Social Media Post!

No Damn Excuses: Breaking Through Barriers With Dr. Jada Moore-Ruffin

Written by Kali A. Payton III on . Posted in Business, Featured, Health and Beauty.

Dr. Jada M.D.

Imagine an energy that is so contagious and eternal optimism  so infectious that you believe in that moment that ANYTHING is possible. 

That is what it’s like being in the presence of the phenomenal woman that is Dr. Jada Moore-Ruffin, affectionately known by her patients and social media as simply, Dr. Jada.

To say Dr. Jada is versatile in the way she serves humanity is an understatement. She is a renowned medical professional, entrepreneur and founder  of Atlanta’s wellness and weight loss studio, REAL Weight Loss and Wellness. She’s also the  established author of the amazon best seller boldly titled, “Girl, Get Ready to Lose the Damn Weight” an entrepreneur, a devoted mother and loving wife.

I was most amazed that she started a global wellness movement in the middle of what some considered a crippling   pandemic…but not Dr. Jada. Where some felt defeat, she forged a path forward to help enhance the lives of others.

She was absolutely beaming about her most recent contribution to the girl power universe with her 2nd installment of the virtual wellness summit titled “Girl, Get Ready 2K22 Healthy, Happy, and Hot” that took place on January 14-16th.

The free virtual summit is her yearly gift to  expand the consciousness of wellness and personal development for women worldwide. With a lot of strength and sass coupled with much needed cleansing crying and hugging,  the focus of the power-packed weekend was giving attendees tools to get out of their own way. Amazing heartfelt speakers that ranged from fired up millennials to the wisdom of baby boomers gave way to memorable activities like building “Envision Boards” to cultivate what was learned over the weekend. This year’s dynamic panelists included: Bravo TV’s Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Dr. Lauren Powell, mixologist Dr. Tenille Parris, Felicia Phillips and the outspoken powerhouse sex expert, Tracey Swint. 

Education was the position that she chose to be a part of the solution during these interesting times. She chose to focus the summit on how she could educate people on being the healthiest version of themselves that they can be mind, body and spirit. That’s another hat that she wears as a certified life coach. 

In 2021, Dr. Jada made a pivot from practicing family medicine exclusively to offering life and performance coaching services to C-Suite executives, fellow physicians, attorneys, judges and other high functioning women. Transitioning from what some would consider a “safe” career lane during  the pandemic was innovative, daring and well—ballsy!

With full confidence, Dr. Jada believes that with the recent pandemic, the world did not change but exposed us to our true inner selves. 

“The pandemic gave us the opportunity to co-create universally what we desire most”  —Jada Moore-Ruffin, M.D. 

As a #GirlDad, I love to see an amazing woman of color who does so many amazing things so well. I’m positive that her influence will benefit thousands to come. 

Dr. Jada, we salute you! 

Find her book, HERE!  

Follow her on Instagram HERE!

 

Up Close With NAACP DeKalb President Teresa Hardy

Written by Kelsey on . Posted in Business, Featured, Influential People.

Teresa Hardy, current president of the NAACP Dekalb County, Georgia branch has spent much of her career advocating for a growing presence in the community. That’s why she’s also known as the “Change Agent” when it comes to bridging that gap between the people, government, elected officials, businesses, and other communities. As a woman in the role of such great power, she’s received numerous awards for membership increases, political action, voter registration, and voter empowerment at Regional, State, and National NAACP conventions.

Teresa opened up about her path to becoming President of NAACP Dekalb, one in which she says aligned with the kind of person she says has always been—a leader. “For me personally, I’ve always been a leader. It goes all the way back to elementary school, high school, and college. I moved here 21 years ago and became the Homeowners’ Association president, and got skills with doing community activities and engagements there. I became a member of the NAACP about 16 years ago and pretty much started out as a regular member and got involved.” After volunteering and being an avid participator, Teresa went on to become assistant treasurer, Vice President, and eventually president in 2016. 

As a leader, not only just in this organization, but overall, Teresa says she was drawn to a service oriented mindset initially from a workforce perspective, stemming from her work as a management consultant. “I’ve always been on the advocacy side trying to support and promote Black people. To be able to go and do those things in the community, that’s when I switched.” Going into the community to do work, as well as being a recruiter for Clark Atlanta University is when Teresa says she noticed a gap in the knowledge and access to opportunities. From there, she knew in that moment it was a goal of hers to learn more on how to close that gap.

Ms. Hardy also took the chance to open up more about efforts and initiatives that are coming from the NAACP Dekalb branch as 2021 closes out. This past November, the branch held its Thanksgiving Turkey Drive-Thru Giveaway, as well as the promotion of voters to head back to the polls for the recent runoff elections. “Promoting local elections is more important to me than the presidential election. If you get a president in and have no congress, you get nothing. If we don’t go in heavily on these local elections, we won’t be able to thrive. We are also monitoring the redistricting efforts that our elected officials are doing down at the general assembly.” She says the branch will continue, as well, with their regular general membership meeting on the fourth Saturday of the month.

Teresa Hardy receives Women of the Year Award from Women Media Group

Success has definitely been a part of Teresa’s journey in her career. Past accolades include The Community Service Award with DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Bold and Fearless Award with NCBW Stone Mountain Chapter and Women of the Year Award from Women Media Group. She’s even helped the NAACP Dekalb branch with a huge increase in its membership by more than 50%.

Outside of her outstanding leadership role for the renowned organization, and as mentioned before, Teresa does work as a consultant, providing program management expertise to business solutions. In that role, she has been able to build even more of a resumé when it comes to helping others gain more knowledge and resolutions in whatever issues they are faced with. In her own words, Teresa describes herself as “a leader, passionate, and an innovator.” She also lives by the quote, “if they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

Regarding future goals and what’s on the horizon, Teresa says, “As far as personal goals, I’m still trying to figure that out. I do have some things in mind over the next five years. I do want to expand and expound on my businesses.” She also says that as long as she’s living and breathing, she will continue to do advocacy work and the possibility of a look into changing public policy.

You can keep up with what’s happening with the NAACP Dekalb branch, under President Teresa Hardy’s leadership, by following their Instagram page (@naacpdekalb).

 

Ebony Karim: Government Contracting Expert & Serial Entrepreneur

Written by Gabriela on . Posted in Business, Featured.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Ebony Karim  comes from a strong, close-knit family that encouraged her to be educated, assertive and to operate in excellence. She hails from a long line of courageous, hardworking individuals who paved the way for many others. Her paternal side of the family was among the first African-American families to settle and establish land ownership after being freed from slavery. This powerful background influenced not only her life but career.

Her pursuit of higher education did not stop after she graduated from Chicago State University. She went on to the University of Maryland University College, followed by earning certificates from the prestigious Wharton School of Business.

After years of working in the field, Ebony started her IT consulting firm in 2013. She had vast knowledge and insight  after supporting private industries and federal agencies as a consultant for 10 years. Through this business she provides public and private sector clients with high-end, full-service professional consulting. With 20+ years of experience, the firm effectively strategizes scalable solutions to enhance organizational infrastructure.

Ebony has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She shares,“ I never saw myself as a longtime employee.” She always had the dream of working for herself. The experience and knowledge that her career gave her  is what propelled her forward into her next step. Establishing Embarkus Solutions and later on, Emabrkus Wellness.

After starting Embarkus Solutions, she created Embarkus Wellness, which focuses on a 360 degree approach to wellness  focusing on your physical being, nutrition and mental health.Ebony thought all parts of wellness were crucial to focus on which is why this project was very important to her. It started with a partnership with a childhood friend who is an expert in nutrition and fitness. They brought both of their expertise to create and execute the program.

With all of the work she’s done in D.C, Ebony dreams of expanding to other Urban cities across the United States.

Aside from her professional achievements and personal accomplishments, she prioritizes quality time for her 4 children—who have always been her greatest motivation.

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