Cool Soror with Rashan Ali

Stay Tuned with Nick Nelson

Nick is the Chief Marketing Officer of Liquid Soul - the country’s premiere strategic communications and marketing firm for entertainment and consumer brands. 

This man of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. takes us through the history of the company he started with his fraternity brother Tirrell Whitley and reveals the beauty of his journey to date. 

What started out as an online radio show has become the “go to” marketing agency for films and television shows produced by Sony, Paramount, LionsGate, Universal along with HBO, Fox, CNN, Bravo, OWN and so much more.

Their first huge success was implementing and executing the marketing strategy for the film - “The Gospel” which was written, produced and directed by two more of his frat brothers: Will Packer and Rob Hardy of then Rainforest Films.

Nick and Tirrell knew they were on to something once they received a call from the head honchos at Sony Pictures.

The enormity of all of his successes came to a halt in 2013, when he lost his father, William E. Nelson, Jr. and spiritual father, W. Ron Sailor all while dealing with his mother Della’s Alzheimers diagnosis. 

Fighting through the pain, he knew then he had to rethink his priorities.  That birthed the idea for his book, “Stay Tuned”.  (www.staytunedthebook.com)  

“Stay Tuned” - balancing faith, family and career without compromising you - is for everybody, but speaks particularly to the professional male balancing career and his everyday life.  

He gives honor to his wife, Tiffany and son Quinn to whom he dedicates his book, for helping him find what truly matters in life.

This “Cool Bruh” episode is compelling, thoughtful and emotionally complex and so is Nick Nelson.

@NickFNelson Twitter, IG, FB
@goiquidsoulmedia IG
@tirrellwhitley IG
@realrobhardy
@willpowerpacker

www.goliquidsoul.com
www.staytunedthebook.com

Werk, Pray, Slay with Koereyelle Dubose

Koereyelle Dubose is a Cool Soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She pledged at Tennessee State University in 2005. She is the founder of The Single Wives Club, an entrepreneur, educator, author and advocate of all things girl power.

Koereyelle was a second and third grade teacher in Rockdale County for four years, but circumstances had her degree in education steering her towards another direction.

She founded the Single WivesClub as result of an abusive relationship. She was engaged at the time, but 9 months before the wedding, she realized that she was not ready for the married life. Koereyelle felt that she needed support, but saw that there was lack of resources, so she invited girlfriends who might also need help.

She did not intend for the support group to be a business at first. However, the demand for such a tremendous support group had her empowering women and educating them to focusand invest in themselves.

The Single Wives Club has grown massively and now plays host to Werk-Pray-Slay - a weekend where women get pampered, educated, empowered, enlightened and recognized. The women leave with key takeaways on the weekend – not just a plan, but also the tools needed tofeel ready in real life to put their plans in place.

She also wrote Werk 101, a how-to-handbook on health, wealth and lifestyle lessons – 77 lessons on everything a woman might need: from personal finance, entrepreneurship,etiquette, to finding your purpose. It also has an app version which digests the lessons in the book to bite-size chunks of morning affirmations and blogs,as well as invites to events and classes.

With the amount of success she’s been having, it’s interesting to know that she doesn’t like making plansand would rather be open and trust God on what his plans are. She doesn’t knowwhat it’ll be in 5 years, but we’ll all know by then.

Hear more about Koereyelle’s inspiring and entertaining stories:

• Howthe idea for the Single Wives Club came about (3:20), establishing that the club’s goal is not to have the women find a man, but to find themselves (7:29),and the creation of the Wives Society, which is a celebration of the women whowere part of the Single Wives Club who are now happily married (5:20).
• How men who date her perceive her upon knowing that she spearheads the Single WivesClub (11:05).
• The process she had to go to finally write Werk 101, which entailed her to write 2 books prior at different states of mind (12:22), and the contents of the book which also pushed for the creation of the Werk 101 app (14:27).
• The structure of the Work-Pray-Slay Weekend that starts on a Friday Night with a private pampering session, a BYOB conference and Relationship Readiness Talk on Saturday, the Big Hat Brunch on Sunday, and the Claire Huxtable Award (16:00)

“We talk about building businesses and being bosses and all these stuff but if your health is not whereit should be, who cares about what’s in your bank account?” – Koereyelle DuBose

Behind the Lens of the Sorority Sister with Cat Harper

Catherine Harper, better known as Cat Harper is a Cool Soror of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. from Savannah State University. She is a photographer, actress and in her free-time, an inspiration.

Catherine discovered her talent for photography during high school as an employee in a local 1-hour photography studio. Enjoying photography so much, she found herself going back to the job during college and even after earning a degree under her belt.

With the encouragement of friends, she decided to take the experience to a higher level. 

She was taken under the wings of celebrity photographer, Derek Blanks as an intern for 6 months and eventually as his assistant for two years. She then decided to focus on her own dreams and gathered the courage to tell her mentor that she wanted to spread her wings.

Cat also starred in VH1’s Sorority Sisters. 

Despite the scandal and backlash received by the show, her participation made her appreciate the support and love she received from her sorors of Sigma Gamma Rho. 

She was able to reap the benefits from the exposure the show gave to her business as well as her story of starting from the bottom and making her way to success. Seeing all Greek organizations come together to get the show removed from air was riveting. She had hoped that type of power could be used in a positive way.

She also takes the time to give back and pay it forward with an advocacy for the homeless through photography. Hearing their stories gives she and the people around her the inspiration they need to make the most out of their lives. 

Her faith is what keeps her aligned, despite struggles, trusting that God has her back. She veers away from trying to control and pave a path, trusting God, whom she believes will present her all the opportunities and the path she needs to walk in this life.

The podcast will give you a peek into Cat’s life and some interesting anecdotes:

• Learn about her favorite photography subject (2:27), the importance of professional photography to businesses (3:12), and shooting celebrities (25:04), high fashion and beauty (34:05).
• The part of the job that makes it all worth it: Building relationships with clients and seeing them succeed (8:30), and being attached to the photoshoots, getting emotional and crying behind the lens (9:38).
• Insider scoop on the drama and scandal involved in shooting VH1’s Sorority Sisters (13:17) and the network pulling the plug on the show (20:42).
• The exciting experience as a student at Savannah State University (37:16) , choosing and being chosen by Sigma Gamma Rho (22:46) and staying active in the sisterhood long after graduation by showing support to neos, and how that community makes up a sizeable chunk of her clientele (35:50).

 

“Just start. You have to start. Whether it's big or small.” – Cat Harper

“Inspiring the world was just so cliché, but that’s really what I wanna do through any work I do.” – Cat Harper

 

To connect with Cat:

http://www.catharperphotography.com/

https://www.instagram.com/itsjustcat/

https://www.instagram.com/catharperphotography

https://www.facebook.com/CatHarperPhotographyStudio/

http://www.catharperphotography.com/

 

Organizations and people mentioned in the podcast:

• Love Beyond Walls http://lovebeyondwalls.org/
• Sorority Sisters  http://www.vh1.com/news/134721/whos-who-cast-of-vh1s-sorority-sisters/
• Derek Blanks http://www.dblanks.com/
• Terrence Lester https://twitter.com/imTerenceLester
• Cecilia Lester https://twitter.com/imcecilialester
• Mike Epps https://twitter.com/TheRealMikeEpps
• Young Joc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yung_Joc
• Jamie Grace http://jamiegrace.com/
• Jacob Latimore https://twitter.com/jacoblatimore

Mindfulness and Money with Roshawnna Novellus

The apparent shortage of funding for women and people of color who want to start a business is what motivated Roshawnna to start Bootstrap Capital (http://bootstrap-capital.co) so she can help these sectors jumpstart their entrepreneurial spirit. It has been her goal to help people manage their finances to the point of financial freedom.

Roshawnna, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is also known as The Wealthy Yogi. She’s been practicing yoga for the past 10 years and had her Yoga Teacher Training certification in Thailand in 2014, an experience that tested her determination. She hosts pop-up yoga classes as a way of giving back and paying forward. She swears by meditation, strengthened by her adherence to Buddhist principles of love and compassion.

Her entrepreneurial prowess (backed up with a PhD in Computer Engineering & Finance) and her passion for yoga and fitness intersects as she offers quarterly retreats in Atlanta, where participants do yoga, meditation, fitness, raw food classes and learn about business and financial strategies. The course touches on achieving Financial Freedom throughself-compassion and learning to re-focus energies to calibrate your strategies in case of ‘hiccups’.

In this podcast you’ll hear about:

 The characteristics of an attractive business, and women’s lack of confidence when it comes to presenting their entrepreneurial ideas to investors. She also discusses how Bootstrap Capital can assist them in seeing financialbudgeting as a positive exercise.

Her Yoga Teacher training inThailand, tips on meditating effectively and how the Buddhist teachings changed her life.

A day in the life of TheWealthy Yogi, what she does when under a stressful situation and her long term goals for Bootstrap Capital and herself.

Roshawnna Novellus pledged in 2000 at the University of California Santa Cruz. She is now a current active member in the grad chapter of Delta Sigma Theta in Oklahoma City.

You may connect with Roshawnna through various channels as The Wealthy Yogi.

Blog: http://www.thewealthyyogi.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wealthyyogi
Instagram: @thewealthyyogi
Twitter: @thewealthyyogi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roshawnna  
PR: PR@jamillahRahmaad.com

Get In the Water with Asherah Allen

Zeta Phi Beta member Dr. Asherah Allen is on a mission to get more children and women in the water. 

What started out as a blog, "Black Girl Swim" is a movement that is continually building.  

Coupled with a strong desire to educate, Asherah is a young professor who challenges her students to greater heights.  

This Decatur, Georgia native has an amazing body of educational work including a Ph.D. in Kinesiology and a specialization in physical education / motor behavior.

Her resume speaks volumes, but her fun personality invites you into her world! 

From 9 to 5 to One Musicfest with J Carter

This week's episode of The Cool Soror Podcast presents "Cool Bruh" with Jason"Jay" Carter; the creator of One MusicFest and member of Omega PsiPhi Fraternity. 

This Florida A&M University graduate discusses his journey from Harlem to Atlanta, corporate America to house parties and SolFusion to implementing one of the fastest growing music festivals the Southeast. 

Not only does he explore the need for cultural connections through music, he explains why he never took his innate ability as an actor or his love for film further than his first movie.  

On the heals of the next One Music Fest,Jay Carter says, "I want to write my own story" and he has done and continues to do just that. 

Seeking to constantly build bridges between generations, he has established a formidable brand that is rooted perfectly. 

 This funny and witty conversation will give you an inside look at what it takes to manifest an idea and make it magical.

No Mess, No Excuses with LaTasha 'Tadda' Lewis

LaTasha "Tadda" Lewis is a fitness guru who believes in transforming people from within.  

This member of Delta Sigma Theta believes that everyone has to dig deep and go!  

That's exactly what she did.  

While leading the trauma division of several hospitals as a trauma nurse and instructor, Tadda found a way to use her vast background in nursing and immerse it into her fitness facility.  

The rest is history!  

Her "No Mess" attitude and expectation for her clients yield life-changing results. 

Not only does she change her clients' lives, she drives in on the entrepreneurial spirits in each of us. 

She emphatically says, "Protect what you've created. Protect your dream and always be the brand you want to be."

Life. I Came to Win with Naitcole Michele

Naitcole Michele left North Carolina A&T after her freshmen year and decided to follow her true passion: cosmetology. 

The rest is truly history.  

This Alpha Kappa Alpha woman went on to own her salons, teach elite classes across thecountry and most recently launching her own hair product line: FORME. 

The journey was not easy. 



Losing her mother at 15, Naitcole was still drivento achieve her goals. 


Hear how she was able to overcome and push through, no matter the circumstances.

Create It Yourself with Jelisa Raquel

Sigma Gamma Rho member, Jelisa Raquel does not take "no" for an answer.  

This forward thinking young woman took her opportunity as an intern and created her own lane. 

As a millennial, she has set out on a mission to change the perception that, "we want everything fast."  

This creative also launched a signature event called, "The Sisterhood Brunch" - an event that brings women of all Greek Lettered organizations together to network and connect.

Tune in and learn how to "Create It Yourself!"

People are Tied to Your Obedience - with Ty Lewis

This week's episode features CEO Ty Lewis - a member of Delta Sigma Theta.  

She discusses her decision to walk away froma steady teaching job to starting Educationally Speaking Center For Learning, Inc.  

Not only is she a dynamic educator, she is also an author and has her own ministry.  

Ty believes and lives by the mantra: "People are tied to your obedience."  

She has been obedient in her walk as she continues to influence everyone around her.