Welcome to the first episode of the Authentic Wellness Podcast in a very long time. I didn’t realize how much I missed sharing with you until a few days ago. I want to blame life for the hiatus, but I have to blame myself. I had too many irons in the fire, I had relationship stuff going on, and I was just going with the flow of life. I wasn’t plann…

It was a pleasure to record this episode with Carmen. She has such a beautiful spirit and it shines through in our conversation. Carmen brings up a very good point concerning how the lockdowns suddenly turned our lives upside down. It was so sudden that a lot of us didn’t have the opportunity to process what was happening. Now that we are on the ot…

It’s the end of Daylight Saving Time again. Early Sunday morning, the clocks reversed themselves giving us an additional hour’s sleep and by proxy throwing off the equilibrium of everything else. Personally, I hate this time of year. There is very little sunlight so I am not able to work out outside. I really enjoy getting outside for walks and gar…

What is an end-of-life doula? A person who works with clients who have received a terminal diagnosis. A doula working in this capacity spends time with the dying person for a number of reasons. It could be to help them write about their life, keep them company, to support the family members as they begin to grieve or help prepare the atmosphere for…

Jeanne worked for a government agency for more than twenty years. She loved her career working with international communities and providing services to them and their families. She had the ideal work schedule, in at 8 and out by 5. That schedule is great for a single person, but it’s not always conducive to raising a family. In this episode of the …

A birth plan doesn’t take the responsibility off of you and put it on your provider. If anything, it places the responsibility on you because you will have to make sure you employ the three Ps: Pick the items for your plan. Prepare your body for the birth you want. Provide copies of the plan to everyone involved. Your birth plan is a living documen…

Healing Hands, Healing Hearts You’d be surprised how many people have never had a massage. I was one of them until 2016. I thought they were only for rich people and way out of my price range. I’d just started my coaching practice and a client, as a gift, booked a session for me at a popular massage chain. I WAS HOOKED. I purchased a membership and…

I wanted to create show notes for this episode that would do it justice, but I couldn’t. I have struggled with what to say since we recorded the interview. Finally, I decided that this is an episode that cannot be explained. It's sort of like the one we recorded years ago called Lies about Self Care. You can listen to it HERE. Dionne Thomas is the …

The Other Side of Addiction When addiction is mentioned, your mind automatically goes to the addict. You start to ask questions like: What drugs do they take? What did they steal? When did this start? Why did I miss the signs? How can I trust this person again? ….and many more. Do you take time to consider what it’s like for the person the addict i…

YOU MEAN THERE’S MORE Yes, there is definitely more to the story. In addition to training to become a birth doula, I’ve also decided to take on End-of-Life doula training. You may ask yourself, “what does an end-of-life doula do?” That’s the perfect question because this episode of the Authentic Wellness Podcast holds the answer. IN A NUTSHELL In s…

It’s been a while since I’ve released a new episode. I appreciate your understanding during this time of transition. You see, I haven’t just been sitting around eating red velvet cake and eating buttered pecan ice cream; two of my absolute favorite desserts, by the way. I’ve been immersing myself in all things birth doula. WHAT IS A DOULA? A doula …

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKBOOK A hard slap in the face. A cold splash of water. An unexpected knee to your gut. It makes you lose your balance. It leaves you dazed and confused. It makes you want to look around to make sure it’s directed at you; there’s no need – you already know. You’ve been rejected. Whether it’s your very first reject…

To be totally honest, this episode was supposed to be live weeks ago. Something kept me from publishing it. I know now that it is going live at the right time. I hope you receive this information in the loving spirit it was intended. Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019 jumped off of a high-rise building on Sunday, January 30, 2022. When I heard Ms. Kryst’…

Intimate moments, namely sex, are a touchy subject. Either you don’t discuss it enough or you are made to feel like you discuss it too much. Is there a balance? Sex is a basic human need. With that need comes the responsibility to learn how to meet it in a responsible and loving manner. A lot of people weren’t taught how to do that. Many women were…

I don’t know about you, but I am glad to be on the other side of the Thanksgiving holiday. Although I had a wonderful time with my family; my husband and I traveled to visit my sister, her husband, and their daughter. On top of that, it was my birthday. My sister surprised me with a cake and some balloons. This was the first birthday we’ve spent to…

Sheniqua Johnson is a nurse by trade, but her bedside manner extends way beyond the hospital. She is an advocate for wellness. This means Sheniqua has a passion for a life filled with balance and mindfulness. So much so that she developed an online learning platform called A Better U Academy. A Better U Academy is an online school that launched on …

I never gave real estate much thought. I always knew I wanted to own a house with lots of land one day, but that was the extent of my interest. Well, until I met Mel. Our conversation took place on a quiet Sunday morning. When we were getting ready to record, we found out we were both wondering why we willingly decided to get out of bed so early wh…

During our last check-in, we discussed boundaries. If you didn’t get a chance to check it out, you can click HERE. There is a blog post and a podcast episode there to help you understand why healthy boundaries are important. As we get closer to the winter holidays, I feel it’s important to touch on people-pleasing. Don’t get me wrong, this bad habi…

Having credit makes life so much easier. You are given the ability to get something - an item or service - now and pay for it later. The marketing tactics employed by many companies are designed to get you to buy regardless of your ability to repay the money or not. Credit card offers are sent via email and snail mail daily. They make you feel spec…

A big part of Authentic Wellness is setting good boundaries. A few months ago, I presented a workshop on boundaries to a small group of people and it went well so I decided that I would touch on it during what I have dubbed our biweekly check-ins. This is the time between interviews for us to have a little conversation and share what’s going on in …

Money can elicit many emotions: fear, guilt, shame, security, love, envy, belonging, rejections, anxiety, stress, happiness, and anger, just to name a few. You can experience the aforementioned emotions at any point in life, but there seems to be a difference when it comes to money. The feelings are more intense and seem to linger after the fact. T…

What is Authentic Wellness To be authentically well means to do wellness on your own terms. It means to take control of every area of your life and mold it into what it needs to be for you to peacefully exist. Authentic Wellness looks different for everyone, but you will definitely know it when you see it. Part of becoming authentically well is to …

We are starting the month off right. We are setting our intentions and making sure we exit May better than we entered. In this episode, we discuss monthly, weekly, and daily observances that are important to our audience. There is something for everyone. Listen, share, and participate. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/mes…

Welcome Back!! I am terribly sorry it seems like I left you high and dry, but as you'll hear in this episode, my life kind of fell apart. I am committed to being more consistent as my life gets back to normal. Glad to have you on this journey again. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anc…

I'm sure you've heard, "you are what you eat" before, but did you know that eating can be categorized as ANYTHING you put into your body? Are you aware that you are affected by negativity much like foods that are deemed unhealthy? Listen in as I share another lesson in the 40 Days to 40 series. When you're done with the episode, connect with me on …

I didn't truly appreciate what bonus (step) parents brought to the table until I started putting this series together. All of the memories started flooding back. My social media timelines seemed to be filled with blended families. What a sight to behold. Listen as I recount my experiences, good and bad, of having a step parent and how it shaped my …

This is the first episode in a series leading up to my fortieth birthday. I am sharing lessons I've learned throughout the years, in no particular order, in hopes that I can shed light on what you're feeling. At the very least, let you know that you're not alone.Day One is all about the importance of birthdays. No matter what age you are, you are t…

Jessaca Rowe is an author and transformational speaker. She started with a passion for at-risk youth then when she wasn't able to find a job in her field of Criminal Justice she decided to blaze her own trail. Jessica inspires women in person and online with her posts and live stream content. Be sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and …

This episode was inspired by a billboard that said Abortion is Self Care. It depicted so-called African American women and it seemed to insinuate that deciding to terminate a pregnancy is the best way to practice self-care. It also seemed to say the men in their lives or at least one man who got them pregnant don't play a role in caring for the fam…

This episode explains how the show went from Courageous Coaching to Sophia Speaks. It's not very long and a bit on the fly, but you'll get the idea. If you'd like to contribute to future episodes, you can do so by going to bit.ly/ineedanswers You can add your name to the list and each time a survey is available, you'll be sent an email. Answering a…

Some call it seduction. Some call it using what you got. Some call it manipulation. No matter what you call it, it can have detrimental side effects on your relationship. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/support

If you are looking to buy a home, a car, or another big-ticket item, you should listen to this episode first. Essie Christensen Baines shares with us simple tips to increase your credit score. She explains how anyone can take care of their credit if they pay close attention to detail and exercises patience. Credit repair takes time. Please consider…

Today we chat with Wellness Mentor and Lose Weight Taste Great founder, Tamira Johnelle. She joins us to discuss the dangers of following fad diets and provides practical tips on how to take care of your body the right way.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/support…

This is one of the most honest episodes I've ever had with a man. Professor Griff, speaks freely about modern-day relationships and shares a few pointers on how to increase communication and decrease conflict.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/support…

Intimate partner abuse happens more often than we know. It probably happens more often than we would like to admit. Dorothea helps women come to terms with what's going on, assess the situation, and come up with a plan to get out safely. Dorothea has also formulated a program to help young ladies be safe on their college campuses. Visit www.sophiaa…

Joy Voltaire is the Trendy Savings Diva. She teaches women and the occasional man how to spend only $25 per week on groceries and strategically use coupons to save on everything else. Visit www.sophiaantoine.com to get the links to connect with Joy. She is an accidental comedienne and will keep you in stitches while teaching you to save.--- Send in…

In this episode, Richetta Blackmon shares what it means to have a personal brand. She also shares practical examples of what it means to show up consistently online. If you've ever had questions about branding, this is the episode for you. There is also the opportunity to join the Brand Boss Club when Richetta will teach you how to show up how you …

Lean in as V Taybron, Owner of SavorV.com shares with us how she went from being almost homeless and reading books by candlelight to baking sweet treats and shipping them halfway around the world. Place an order and get a special discount. Listen to the episode to get the coupon code.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messa…

Tiffany recounts her bout with severe depression after finding out that she will be a single parent. She shares how she recovered and has made it her mission to support other single mothers.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/support…

Chiquita Lindsay is the self-proclaimed Queen of Real Estate. She's worked at a job for more than 30 years when she began to wonder what retirement would look like for her. When she saw the big picture, she did something about it. Lean in to this episode and take notes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this…

It's important to wrap things up a good as you can prior to starting something new. In this episode, I officially close the door on June. I let you know what worked and what didn't. I share my results from my first Wants & Wins board. Best of all, I share what we have to look forward to in July.Feel free to submit questions/comments on the hotline …

Star Realtor, Antoinette Gabriel shares how she went from a renter that was getting her car towed to a thriving homeowner turned realtor helping others to find their dream homes. In addition to that, Antoinette shares how important it is to have a positive and steadfast mindset when setting goals for home ownership. --- Send in a voice message: htt…

In this episode, we chat with Amanda Panda. She is the founder of Mammals for Mental Health as well as the parent of children who had their share of mental health challenges. She is dedicated to being an advocate and stomping out the stigma.We welcome your questions and comments. Call 786-749-TALK (8255) to submit your feedback.--- Send in a voice …

Shaneequa shares how her stepfather never made her feel like a stepdaughter. She tributes her love of reading to him taking her and her siblings to the library and encouraging their love of learning. Listen as she recounts the beautiful memories from her childhood.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podca…

Destiny Thomas, a published author and entrepreneur, shares her struggles with growing up without her father, reconnecting with him as a teenager and how wonderful her husband is with their son. We welcome your questions + comments: 786-749-TALK (8255)--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://a…

In this special Father's Day episode of the podcast, Sheniqua Johnson, RN joins us again to share how her father was an integral part of her life. She readily admits that he wasn't a typical Dad, but he was exactly what she needed WHEN she needed him.Your questions and comments are always welcome: 786-749-TALK (8255)--- Send in a voice message: htt…

This interview had me floored. Trinette Stanford shared so many nuggets about health and wellness that she rendered me speechless. I joined her Facebok Group during the interview. If you have questions or comments, call 786-749-TALK (8255).--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sop…

A solo episode with Coach Sophia Antoine talking about June Goals what to expect from the show in the future.On the heels of losing two well-known celebrities, I am asking that you reach out if you need help.Suicide Hotline - 800-273-TALK (8255)Text Line - crisistexline.org or text HOME to 741741Spanish - 888-628-9454To leave a comment or ask a que…

In this episode, we chat with Laura Templeton. She helps women network and make lasting connections with the people they meet. She shares the many shifts she's made in her life and how she's still a Daddy's girl.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/support…

In this episode, we chat about May goals and June self-care activities. It's just me us today, no guest, no fluff. Let me know what you think. Call with your questions or comments 786-749-TALK (8255).--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sophiaspeaks/support…