This...I...Do...For...Me: Over 50, Black and Fabulous!

Episode 33 With Donna C. Lawrence

Donna C. Lawrence is the CEO, Creator and Owner of Painting it Pink Events. She sees painting as a therapeutic process, and an art form that can take you into another zone! In this episode, Donna, who grew up in Chicago, shares that she is a product of her parents, and she has a sister. She noticed even at an early age that her sister possessed an extreme talent at age five. She asked her mother "how could a five year old paint so well." This illustrated to Donna and family that she, herself, had an eye for talent and good art. As we fast forward, Donna created a career at Wilson Junior College, married and had a son. When her son passed, Donna found herself in an emotional slump until it came to her that she was not meant to live in that way. She thought intently about how she was in the past – light, happy and feeling whole and complete. In acknowledging that she needed to cook for herself, Donna realized that she didn't want to even enter the kitchen because the colors and the feeling of lightness was just not there. She began to wonder what it would look and feel like if her kitchen were painted pink. When she painted it, she loved the lift and the exuberance she felt afterwards. She found herself experimenting with painting other things (e.g. furniture) the color pink. She found that the color pink was a catalyst for greater creativity, productivity and self-expression. Being an open spirit, Donna was introduced to a Life Coach by her sister, who thought that Donna could benefit greatly from this type of relationship. Working with a Life Coach provided greater clarity for Donna on her purpose – joy, fun, laughter, happiness and peace. She eventually started hosting events. This ultimately led her to forming the business Painting it Pink Events. Here is how she describes herself "I have re-imagined and recreated my own life. I paint everything pink – mostly everything inside my home – chairs, tables, doors, walls, kitchen cabinets, etc." Donna is emphatic that age is just a number and that if you have a desire and a passion to do something, do it with your heart and with gusto! Even in the midst of Covid-19, Donna found a way to pivot by offering events online via the Zoom platform. She is looking forward to getting back to offering events onsite. She notes an experience where a customer brought her husband to a Painting It Pink event, and although he started out not being engaged in the activity, he soon found himself immersed in the activity and found great joy doing it. "Pink has the ability to transform moods and attitudes", says Donna. If you would like to contact Donna or you want to be inspired by how she started a business in her 70s, she can be found on Instagram @painting_it_pink on Facebook as Donna C. Lawrence and her website is paintingitpinkevents.com

Episode 32 With Anne Marie Davidson

Anne Marie Davidson has an extensive background in the senior housing arena. She was drawn to this field of aging and work with seniors based on her memory of her grandmother and how valuable and precious she was to her entire family. Because of these great memories, Anne Marie made an early commitment to lend her talents and gifts to senior citizens. She has a particular gift in educating families on what signs of memory loss families should look for once they begin to notice that something is amiss with their loved one. Anne Marie talks about the three levels of senior housing – independent living, assisted living and skilled (nursing home) living. She also shares what to look for as your loved one progresses along the memory care continuum. As a Senior Living Advocate, Anne Marie works with families to determine what the senior loved one needs currently. She does a thorough assessment that aids her in identifying desired housing and needs. She also works with family caregivers by providing them with resources that assist them in taking care of themselves. According to Anne Marie, resources like the Alzheimer's Association can be great life lines and aid them in better taking care of their aging loved one. Anne Marie also shares that once it is decided upon that a new living arrangement is needed, she explains that facilities, particularly in the memory care arena, offer a menu of services that allow the family and senior to select from inclusive budget. Anne Marie also talks about the career trajectory of working in senior housing and memory care, and she emphasizes that based on the statistics of the growing numbers of seniors (particularly Baby Boomers), there will be plenty of career opportunities in the field of aging spanning from housing, memory care to mental health. Anne Marie offers the following counsel to family members faced with dealing with dementia and other cognitive related diseases – recognize that whenever you may have become aware of the signs of memory loss, the problem has been there longer that you may realize, but just remember that there are resources available and that you are not alone.

Episode 31 With Danielle Bell

Danielle is a graduate of The University of Michigan (B.A.) and Marygrove College (Masters of Education). She also has a Certification in Hospitality and Tourism from Florida Atlanta University. This experience was one of many that planted the seeds of international travel and wanting to share this expertise with others. Danielle has an extensive background in the health and human services field (her full time job) with a focus on assisting families around eligibility for public assistance programs and resources. Danielle has traveled to five continents and eighteen countries. Along with friends, she initially began her travels within Canada and the United States. The death of both Danielle's father and grandfather impacted her to such an extent that she decided that she did not want to live a life that was not full and required some exploration and risk taking. As a result, Danielle planned her first big trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This was a daunting experience in that once she was on the plane, she panicked and asked herself, "what in the world am I doing?" The full weight of going to a country by herself with customs that were drastically different than anything she knew about. She took a deep breath, and relaxed into her knew found freedom. Of the 18 countries that she has visited, South Africa is Danielle's favorite. Danielle has started a travel business called Ms. International Lux Travel Group. She curates every aspect of customers' trips, and provides them with valuable information on travel safety and ways in which to save money. Although solo travel is Danielle's preferred mode of travel, she also organizes group excursions, as well. For her future professional and personal growth, Danielle would love to develop her skills in financial planning and investments with the ultimate plan of helping others to grow in theses areas. She would also include a financial component for those who believe travel is a near impossibility. You can connect with Danielle http://msinternationaltravel.com; on Facebook as Danielle Imaqueen; on Instagram as msinternational_lux_travel

Episode 30 With Jatuan Rollins

Jataun Rollins, LCSW is a native Chicagoan and a proud produce of the Chicago Public School System. Jataun is also a graduate of Eureka College in downstate Illinois. She speaks lovingly of Carol Gearing, a loving mentor who introduced her to the literary classics like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Richard Wright and countless others. Her parents, along with her mentor, made sure that she was well read and exposed. Her career trajectory has included working in a variety of capacities in child welfare, senior services and social welfare policy. Jataun is known in the community as a Subject Matter Expert and the "go to person" as it relates to children and family services. She also made a commitment during the early part of her work career that she would not remain working at someone's desk for the remainder of her life. She knew at some point she wanted to draw on her entrepreneurial gifts and her intense desire to make a difference within the African American community. After having taken on a whole new job, where she hoped to add to her repertoire and skill set, Jataun lost that job and was unemployed for quite a bit of time. Her faith in God was really tested, and just as she was at her lowest point financially, she was notified that a grant that she applied for had come through! It was then that she founded 1863FWD, LLC along with its non-profit arm called 1863 Care 2 Care. The mission and focus of 1863FWD is to empower and prepare the formerly incarcerated with the ability to bring their strengths to their communities. Although Jataun realizes that many of these clients will secure traditional job opportunities, she is highly committed to grooming entrepreneurs where their often hidden talents can come to the forefront. Jataun, along with her parents, siblings, children and other extended family members have always found themselves engaged in a number of entrepreneurial pursuits. As if being a renaissance woman were not enough, Jataun, is a doll maker. Her dolls have been commissioned by Therapists who work with children who are greeted with positive images of themselves during counseling and therapeutic sessions. She is also a published author of books that also speak to children's positive self-images. Her words of wisdom to women age 50+ include JUST DO IT! She wants us to operate within our passions and not listen to those voices that don't uplift our vision. Her mantra is "You are packaged perfectly!" She also feels it is imperative that we identify what is important to us first and foremost. "I feel the first half of my life went to rearing children and fulfilling the expectations of others," says Jataun. JUST DO IT! You can connect with Jataun on 1863FWD.org, as Jataun Rollins on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Episode 29 With Charla Draper

Charla Draper is a culinary phenom, who has held a variety of positions in the world of food. She is a Food Expert, Writer/Publicist, and Food Stylist. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Charla's interest in cooking emanated from her two grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks. She watched them in awe, and after trying out a number of other things, Charla soon learned that she wanted to cultivate a career in the culinary arts. After college, Charla landed a coveted position as a Home Economist in the Test Kitchen of Kraft Foods. It was there that she developed a strong foundation and an understanding of the proper way of testing recipes. She states, it was the perfect testing ground for building a career in the field. She eventually left Kraft and began working for Campbell Soup Company in Camden, New Jersey in their Test Kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Charla was offered a job as Food Editor at Ebony Magazine, a publication that had not done a lot around the coverage of food. Additionally, Ebony had very few food advertisers. As a result, Charla played a key role in developing (with a lean staff) the Food Department. She and her staff ran innovative contests; they found numerous creative ways to involve the readership, and they focused a great deal of their time on the cultural aspects of African American cooking. Charla also served a Food Editor at Southern Living Magazine, where she found it to be a much more formal environment. Charla is currently the owner of It's Food Biz!" The mission of her business is to provide consultancy services to businesses on how to market their services and develop a strong presence in both the community and on a number of media platforms. She and her business have been recognized by the Museum of Food and Drink as one of the key African American contributors to American cuisine. Also, through her business Charla has developed a Chicago Public Relations Plan for "The Story of The African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From The Washingtons to the Obamas. The plan was curated to increase awareness about the huge contribution and the service rendered to American presidents. Charla's public relations/media expertise has been contracted by The American Institute of Wine and Food, The Wisconsin Dairy Council, The Grits and Greens Conference, along with a multi-city media coverage project for The Pillsbury Bake-Off Recipe Contest. As a member of the prestigious Les Dames Escoffier and the organization Food Executive Women, Charla is excited about her next venture – to concentrate on writing her own cookbook. Charla's words of council for African American women age 50+ who want to get into the culinary arts is to read as much about the business, develop networks and mentors and believe in yourself. Charla is currently working on and promoting The National Soul Food Month Series in June 2021. It is a series of virtual programs recognizing the 20th year anniversary of National Soul Food Month. Programs are scheduled virtually during the entire month of June. Some of the workshop topics include "Soul Food Then and Now", "Slimmed Down Soul", From Family to Iconic Dessert Fame" and "Soul Food Beyond the United States". A cadre of outstanding speakers are slated. For more information, please visit www.nationalsoulfoodmonth.com Charla can be found on Facebook as Charla Draper; Instagram @charlaldraper; Chow,ChowandSoul.com; itsfoodbiz.com