The Black Woman’s Stress Solution Podcast: discover the connection between Black women’s stress in work, love, and health—offering real solutions to help you stress less and thrive more!

It’s easy to have high aspirations. It’s much less easy to make those dreams and goals a reality. The truth is, many of us struggle with committing to bet on ourselves and go after our dreams and goals. Instead, you settle for the status quo. After all, you’ve made it. You build the career of your dreams and now you have the goodt, goodt job, the house, and the car. You are living the life yet you have a desire for more. There is more growing to do but you just can't see it happening without messing up what you already created. Listen, it's worth taking some time to dig deep and figure out what’s holding you back from reaching the next level of success because once you’ve named the thing that’s holding you back, you stand a chance at stepping over it and moving on. In this episode, I share my journey of how I transitioned from my goodt, goodt job as a Nurse Anesthetist for 38 years to a full-time Life Coach. You will hear all the mind drama I experienced and the strategies I used to work past them. So take pen to paper, don’t be afraid to be a little audacious, and get to work on building a successful mindset to reach your next level. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Join the Next Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call 27 An interview with Dr. Koritha Mitchell, author of From Slave Cabins to the White House 26 Your Brain Needs a Detective 25 Wrestling With a Thought EP.10 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status - Part 2 09 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

You are in for a treat with this episode! I am joined by a special guest, Dr. Koritha Mitchell. Listen in as we discuss homemade citizenship, the concept of creating your own belonging; discursive violence, the cruelty of stereotypes determining people’s impressions regardless of what you do; and know-your-place aggression, the backlash against Black and Brown success. We will go into detail about these concepts and the formula that you can implement so that you can thrive and live in your purpose despite the existence of racism and sexism. Koritha Mitchell is a literary historian, cultural critic, and associate professor of English at Ohio State University. She is the author of Living with Lynching, which won book awards from the American Theatre and Drama Society and from the Society for the Study of American Women Writers. She is editor of the Broadview Edition of Frances Harper’s 1892 novel Iola Leroy, and her scholarly articles include “Love in Action,” which appeared in Callaloo and draws parallels between lynching and violence against LGBTQ communities. Her second monograph, From Slave Cabins to the White House: Homemade Citizenship in African American Culture, was published in August 2020. Her commentary has appeared in outlets such as Time, CNN, Good Morning America, The Huffington Post, and NPR's Morning Edition. Follow her @ProfKori. CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST — Twitter - @ProfKori Instagram - @ProfKori Facebook - Koritha Mitchell Website - korithamitchell.com Book - Living with Lynching Book- Iola Leroy Book - From Slave Cabins to the White House: Homemade Citizenship in African American Culture MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE — Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs Brooke Castillo - Modelthon - The Life Coach School Beyond Respectability by Brittney Cooper “I’m a Black Woman Who’s Met All the Standards for Promotion. I’m Not Waiting to Reward Myself.” LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

What do you think it takes to achieve your goals? Hard work? Lots of actions? While these are necessary to becoming successful in reaching our goals, neither of these are possible without a positive mindset. Success in reaching our goals is determined by our mindsets. When you believe that we can achieve a goal our energy and actions will reflect that also. In today’s episode, I will share with you my weight loss journey and the strategies I used to shift my mindset to a success mindset which resulted in me losing 50 lbs. These strategies can help you with any goal that you have. So grab your notebook and write these gems down for future reference. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Join the Next Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

When we know how our mind works, we begin to see our thoughts in a new, truly empowering way. When we truly see the nature of thought for ourselves, our thoughts no longer have the weight they used to. Oftentimes these thoughts will come and go like clouds passing by in the sky. But what happens when this is not the case. When a thought is more persistent. Those are the times that you have to wrestle with the thought until you have clarity. Listen in as I share the story of my first experience with through work and the strategy I used to get my breakthrough. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Byron Katie - The Work is a Practice Join the Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Relationships are challenging and when you enter a relationship while toting along all sorts of baggage and actively hiding parts of yours yourself in an effort not to appear as the angry black woman, this can cause stress, anxiety, and resentment. I am here to encourage you to not do that to yourself. Not only for your personal sanity, but also out of respect for the person you love. They deserve to know you in your truest form and you deserve to own your identity. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Sonia Wright, MD - The Midlife Sex Coach For Women Podcast Ep #32: Un-doctrination: Saying Goodbye to the Fairytale Join the Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

The angry black woman stereotype shapes how others read and interpret the actions of Black women including how we treat our men. The angry black woman is portrayed as a woman who is stubborn and unreasonably quick to anger who enjoys emasculating the men close to them. Now, to emasculate means “to make a man feel less male by taking away his power and confidence”. Is it really possible for another person to determine how someone else feels about themselves? This is a stereotype as pernicious as it is tired. Listen in to learn why. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Join the Angry Black Woman Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

In this episode we will focus on how the black woman’s experience is unique to that of black men and white women because even at home when we are relieved of the racial burden we are still carrying the load of the gender bias due to the Patriarchy. The patriarchy punishes women for having an opinion about anything because it wants us to forever remain within the straitjacket of niceness and politeness. For Black women, this pressure is felt even more because not only are we seen as not nice or polite, we are viewed as assertive and dominant even at home. How do you deal with this? Listen in to learn how! RESOURCES MENTIONED — Join the Angry Black Woman Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Today we are continuing the series on the angry black woman stereotype. We are on a mission to reject the labels society has assigned to anger and will instead choose to see anger as an emotion that is part of the human experience and a tool that can help you become a better person. In this episode, we will be focusing on how to use your anger for you. Anger can be positive energy and a very powerful motivating force if you know how to use it. Listen in as I share some ways to turn anger into productive action. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Join the Angry Black Woman Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LOL Moment - Face Mask Image EP. 18 Yes, I'm Angry and I'm a Black Woman, So what? EP. 19 Let Them Be Wrong About You EP. 03 Playing Fetch LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Today I have another client spotlight for you. This story is amazing and I am sure that you will gain some valuable insight that you can apply in your own life. My guest today is Angela. Angela is a rock star and her transformation has only made her light shine even brighter. You will hear as Angela shares her journey from being a high –achieving woman who focused on all the actions and not seeing results to the bada** wife, mom, and corporate success who now take clear, intentional actions with a focus on her thoughts and how she is showing up for herself. And guess what?! The results are now evident, she feels empowered, valued, and worthy. Listen in to learn more about her process and the strategies that she implemented to make this transformation possible. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Join the Angry Black Woman Master Class Book a Breakthrough Call LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

I love the quote that says “other people's opinion of me is none of my business”. It is so true. When others say something critical we tend to feel negative emotions about what was said because we make their judgments mean something about us in our minds. This can lead us to spend our limited and valuable emotional energy worrying about what other people think about us, instead of focusing on living our lives for ourselves. And so today we will discuss why what they think about you really does not matter, what really matters and why. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 18 Yes, I'm Angry and I'm a Black Woman, So What? LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Why do others get the right to be angry and not black women? Why are we charged with managing how others see us as if that is even possible? We are entitled to feel our anger and any other emotion. This is part of our experience and should not be shunned because of society’s narrative. If you have been conforming to this cultural stereotype, then I want to encourage you to start today by giving yourself permission to be angry. Allow yourself to process and feel this emotion. Good things happen when black women lean into their anger. Positive change is often the result because experiencing our anger gives us the opportunity to learn and grow from it. RESOURCES MENTIONED — Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice by David Pilgrim and Henry Louis Gates Jr. Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Is your mind stuck running on a hamster wheel that you can’t get off of? This is when your mind goes round and round with intrusive repetitive thoughts leaving you stressed out and exhausted. In today’s episode, my client Marcia will share with you her experience on the mental hamster wheel and how she used coaching with me to put her thoughts in check, get clear on her desires and take control of her life. Listen to catch some gems that you can implement today to get off of your hamster wheel. Enjoy! CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST — The Other Side of Divorce Community LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

If we want to evolve and grow into something more, the best gift that we can give ourselves is to love ourselves where we are, accepting ourselves where we are, and saying I want to choose something different as opposed to needing to change. The word need suggests that the desire is a requirement, duty, or lack of something deemed necessary. Therefore when we think we need to do something rather than choose to do something the feelings that come with that can be pressure, overwhelm, and anxiety because you are taking action from a place of scarcity. This does not have to be your experience. If you desire to grow into something more but want to do so with ease and empowerment, press play to learn how.----more---- LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Happy Black Girl Magic day #BlackGirlMagic! Today we celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women. This episode is especially important to me because as you know my passion is to serve high-achieving Black women. #BlackGirlMagic is all about celebrating yourself and celebrating your sisters. And so this rant is shining a light on our strength, our capacity to love, and the powerful magic we possess and share with this world. Enjoy xoxo. LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Did you know that the most important relationship that you can cultivate is the one with yourself? Having a relationship with yourself is, like any relationship, difficult and full of ups and downs. We must tend to it and nurture it in order to live a fulfilling life. Being kind to ourselves regularly is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. I believe that our relationship with ourselves comes in three parts. The relationship with our past self, our present self, and our future self. Today I want to talk about our relationship with our past self and how we tell the story of our past. It's imperative that we tell this story in a way that serves and empowers us. No matter what the story is, in that story, we must become our own Shero. Listen in to learn why this is so important. As a reminder, I am hosting a free Q&A session just for my podcast listeners. This is my gift to you and our growing community. It’s an opportunity for you to ask questions specific to you. Simply leave an honest review of the podcast, share on social media and tag me @johnsonbrig on IG or @coachwithbrig with FB, and I will send you the link to register. You can also email me with any comments or questions at [email protected]. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 02 Your Brain is F*cking with You EP. 03 Playing Fetch LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Have you ever had the thought “I am not capable or qualified enough for it”? This is often referred to as the imposter syndrome or limiting self-belief. I noticed this pattern of thinking throughout my client coaching sessions this past week and wanted to have a conversation about it because this type of thinking is keeping us from setting and reaching our goals. Listen in as I share ways to banish the belief that I ain’t all that and start taking action to be your most authentic and powerful self. I am truly grateful to you for listening each week and for being part of this growing community. So to help you further with this process, I am hosting a free Q&A session just for my podcast listeners. If you’ve listened to all the episodes in this month’s goals series this is an opportunity for you to ask questions specific to you. Simply leave an honest review of the podcast, share on social media and tag me @johnsonbrig on IG or @coachwithbrig with FB, and I will send you the link to register. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 12 Be A Boy Scout for Your Goals EP. 11 Be Your Own DOPA-MAN EP. 10 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status - Part 2 EP. 09 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

When we set goals it’s inevitable that we will struggle with mind drama. Mind drama is the drama that we create in our minds by setting a goal that our brain doesn’t yet know how to achieve. So we become overwhelmed with the fear and anxiety of not achieving and not knowing how to achieve the goal. I want you to know that NOTHING WRONG IS HAPPENING...this is totally normal. And if you allow it, mind drama is actually a tool to help you get what you want. Remember your goal is a new experience for you and it will make you feel uncomfortable so expect your brain to freak out. Understanding what to do when your brain starts the drama is key to overcoming negative thoughts and getting where you need to go. Listen in as I share how to be a boy scout for your goals and prepare for battle when your brain starts trippin’. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 11 Be Your Own DOPA-MAN EP. 10 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status - Part 2 EP. 09 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Now that we’re well on our way to shifting our goal relationship status from convenience to committed, how do we maintain that commitment to be able to see the goal through to completion? The key ingredient to staying motivated on our journeys and to remain in the space of constantly seeking whatever it is that we’re after is dopamine. Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter. Our bodies make it, and our nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells. It plays a role in how we feel pleasure. As it relates to our goals, dopamine plays a key role in keeping us focused on our goals and motivating us to attain them, rewarding our attention and achievement by elevating our mood. On our journeys, we have to know how to create dopamine over and over in order to stay motivated and focused. In today's episode, I will share with you exactly how to become your own DOPA-MAN so that you can produce dopamine on demand. If you find that you need some help with working through the mind drama that comes up for you as you work on your goals, reach out to me at www.brigjohnson.com to book a complimentary 30-minute session. I can help you get a breakthrough. And hey, if this podcast has been helpful for you, please leave a 5-star review, comment, and share. That way more people can find the podcast and benefit from its content as well. Thank you. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP.10 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status - Part 2 EP. 09 What’s Your Goal Relationship Status LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Today we are continuing our conversation about our goal relationship status. So last week we discussed three goal relationship statuses, the committed (‘til death do us part), the live-in (I’m good until you try me, then I’m out), and the booty call (you're my little secret, no one knows you exist). I hope that after the last conversation, the relationship status of your goals has shifted, if even from booty call to live-in. If you are still working on it, no worries. Today, I will share some more valuable insights that will have you on your way to committing to your goals and finally accomplishing them. If you need help with this work, feel free to connect with me. You can book a free consultation call by visiting my website, www.brigjohnson.com, or hit me up on social media. Looking forward to hearing from you. For now, let’s get started! RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 08 Wanting What You Have LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Commitment is one of the key ingredients for being successful in your goals. If you’re not fully committed to a goal, then the goal is just convenience. You’ll give up too quickly, work with less determination, and make unintentional decisions. Unfortunately, commitment is not something that falls out of the sky. It’s something you develop over time. Identifying why you are not committed to the goal is the first step in changing your relationship status with your goal. If you are ready to upgrade your relationship with your goal from a booty call to a committed relationship, this episode is just for you. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 08 Wanting What You Have LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Welcome back! I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas holiday. As we move into the goal-setting season, I want to challenge us to take some time to recognize where we are and what we have available to us before setting those goals. So if your goal is to lose weight, instead of focusing on all that you can’t have. Focus on the healthy tasty foods that you can eat and the increased self-confidence that you now have. This will lead to you loving and accepting your body the way it is right now AND still want to lose 10 lbs. It doesn't have to be either or. You can do both. When we set goals with the energy of wanting where we are and what we already have, this will actually help us show up to our goals even better. And this will help us see our lives and all of our experiences as a journey and will help us mindfully and intentionally define where we are headed and how we want to feel along the way. Listen in to learn how this is possible. LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

We may believe that self-love is simply a state of feeling good because of the actions that support our physical and mental growth. But it’s a bit more dynamic than that. Self-love is when we begin to accept our weaknesses as well as our strengths, have less need to explain away our shortcomings, and have compassion for ourselves as human beings struggling to find personal meaning. This becomes possible when we begin to intentionally have thoughts about ourselves that create the feeling of love. This is the key to loving yourself. Listen in as I explain how you can create thoughts that nurture self-love and turn them into beliefs that serve you. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 02 Your Brain is F*cking with You LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Amazing things can happen when we start loving ourselves more. This means loving ourselves through all seasons of life. Good things and bad things happen to everyone, but the individuals who are most happy are the ones who manage both with ease and grace. This means that we must love ourselves not only when we are living in the vibrant colors of life but also when we are living in the more dull, dark moments as well. There is great value in loving ourselves in the lowest moments in our life. You may be asking how you can make the shift in your life from beating yourself up when you're down to loving yourself regardless. Listen in and learn how. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 05 Celebrate Yourself LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Celebrating ourselves means taking time to recognize and acknowledge what we’ve done. Unfortunately, many of us don't take the time to celebrate our life and our daily accomplishments. We basically live in a world of achievement without acknowledgment. It’s as though we feel that by celebrating ourselves we feel guilty or think that we’ll come across as conceited. I want to tell you that accomplishing the goals that you once only dreamed of isn’t something that should go unnoticed. As a matter of fact, in this episode, I will share with you 3 reasons why you should start celebrating yourself now and challenge you to find a bragging buddy and start uplifting yourself by celebrating your journey on your way to your goal. If you find that you need some help with working through the mind drama that comes up for you as you walk out this assignment, reach out to me at www.brigjohnson.com to book a complimentary 30-minute session. I can help you get a mini breakthrough. RESOURCES MENTIONED — The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown, https://www.amazon.com/Power-Vulnerability-Teachings-audio-cd/dp/1604078588 The Life Coach School, Brooke Castillo, https://thelifecoachschool.com/ Stop. Dieting. Forever w/ Jennifer Dent Brown, https://jenniferdent.lpages.co/ Coaches of Color Collective Facebook Group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/209515800146003/ LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Do you keep on promising yourself that “one day” you’ll go after your goals, but you just can’t seem to push yourself outside of your comfort zone? You’re not alone. We have all had this struggle and still do in some areas of our lives. Our goals are constantly hijacked by debilitating thoughts which are like blind spots that are keeping us from growing and becoming powerful women who empower others. In this episode, I will share with you some tools that you can use to identify your limiting believes so that you can snatch back your thoughts and start to increase the span of your comfort zone and go after your goals. RESOURCES MENTIONED — 02 Your Brain is F*cking with You LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Today we are exploring the concept of mind management from the point of view that our mind is a heat-seeking missile. We have thousands of thoughts running through our minds at any moment and so whatever we choose to focus on and think is what our brain will seek evidence to prove. I will share how we can connect to our subconscious, reprogram our negative thought patterns, and create a new life for ourselves by changing the optional sentences in our minds. When we intentionally instruct our brain on what to look for, our life changes. Press play to learn how to train our brain to fetch evidence of our self-worth, value, and adequacy. LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

In today’s episode, I want to share with you a concept called the motivational triad. This concept is crucial because it explains how our brain works and why we do some cray-cray things. The primary purpose of our lower brain is straightforward. Its priority is to keep us alive. Our brains focus on three simple motivations: seek pleasure, avoid pain, and stay the same. When we desire to grow, this goes against our primitive brain function and often causes us to revert from chasing our goals or dreams. This is when our brain will start to F*ck with us! All the not-enoughness will come up. This behavior pattern can be corrected, and I will share with you the formula to stop thinking and playing it small and start to build the foundation to create the life that we want. RESOURCES MENTIONED — EP. 01 The Power of YOU LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Do you know that you have greatness within yourself? Yes, you are a masterpiece. Society tells us we need more, something outside of us to COMPLETE US. I want you to know you have everything you need right now to create your life exactly as you want it to be. Your greatness is not dependent on who you date, the titles behind your name, where you live, etc. Your greatness is YOU, and you are enough. In this episode, I will share some insight on how you can enjoy where you are now without thinking that there’s a there that you have to get to. Let’s start your journey of stopping the feelings of overwhelm and inadequacy and start loving and accepting yourself, flaws, and all. It’s time to understand the power of you. LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook

Welcome to Breakthrough with Brig! I am so happy that you are here. Thank you for taking this journey with me. This podcast will focus on the use of thought work to help you break through barriers and become your best self. I strongly believe that MIND MANAGEMENT is the greatest skill that you can learn. Learn to manage your mind and you will be able to manage your whole life in a way that makes you feel happy and fulfilled. As a Life and Mindset Coach, I will combine coaching, a little bit of neurobiology, and practical easy to use tools to empower you to break barriers and become unf*ckwithable. If you are a High Achieving Black Women looking to become your absolute best self, no matter the situation. Then you are in the right place. Let’s get to work on reaching your breakthrough! LET’S GET SOCIAL — Website Instagram Facebook