Season 1

Dr. Monica Goldson, CEO of Prince Georges County Public Schools (PGCPS), joins me in a fun, candid and raw, behind-the-curtain interview of an all-the-time mom and daughter, who is a full-time, Power-Woman-Boss.  We talk everything from communications surrounding the murder of George Floyd, to navigating a male-dominated industry, to the prayers for decision-making and even missed mommy-moments with her son.  Listen in as we chat learning, leadership and life.

We are going deep in this episode y'all!  Are you ready for self-discovery, realization, soul work x3 and some serious shifting of your mindset?  We are talking all things “truth.”  How do you define it?  How are you showing up in it? How are you living it?  Join Reiki Practitioner and TEDx Speaker, Manav Khanna, as we have an amazing dialogue of discovering and rediscovering the truth within you. You will definitely want to grab your CC&C Journal, as Manav walks me through an amazingly powerful exercise of soul-work.

This special episode is focused on The Ladies!  with a simple message:  IT IS YOUR SEASON!  For my faithful 10% male listeners, be sure to also pass this along to the power women in your life!  BECAUSE WHAT IF I were to tell you this is your season?

"Communication is a "how" we achieve great things in life.  It is not an end in itself."  These are the words from Damon Jones, a kid from Detroit and Chief Communications Officer for Procter & Gamble, the world's largest consumer packaged goods company...to name a few.  Have you ever had a conversation and wondered...hmmmm, how did we end up here?  I know I have.  Damon and I talk everything from his excitement of opening, Nostalgia, a Black-owned wine and jazz lounge in Downtown Cincinnati during a pandemic, to communications in and outside of the corporate space, to even strategies that will help you avoid communication entanglements, whether now or years to come.  Through a few laughs, pointed and transparent dialogue, and my "come as you are" round of questions, we jumped #allin.  You don't want to miss this three-layered, power-episode of Coaching, Cocktails, & Conversations!

There are moments in your life that simply take your breath away..in a good typa way!  This is one of them. Imagine being still while 52 others gift you feedback or share tidbits to you, about you.  Imagine their words being intertwined into the story that you are simultaneously telling of yourself, through a powerful interview, conducted by a close friend. Sounds uncomfortable right?    Imagine pointed questions, some of which make you feel vulnerable & others that have you talk aloud of your wins.  It’s my true journey to 43 years old and I am sharing the ups, downs, twists, and turns.  It was during these moments that I finally felt what Grandma Bea meant when she said, " you must find a way to smell your roses while you are here on this earth."  I must say that I am soooo grateful for each of you!

"If I'm smart enought to learn calculus, I'm smart enough to start a business."  Those are the words from guest, Ms. D'Shawn Russell, owner of Southern Elegance Candle Company and very first sponsor of my podcast! WOOHOOO! This is one of those episodes where you leave PUMPED UP! It's a "let me do something different today type of episode," with energy, nuggets, laughs, vulnerability, relatability, & even moments you find yourself saying YES! If you've ever felt stuck in complacency, lost with no direction, felt celebrating wins were showboating or bragging, that folks may be weighing you down, THIS IS FOR YOU! Most of us have been there, thus none of us are alone! As a matter of fact, my hand is raised too. D'Shawn takes us through her journey of being a math teacher turned profitable business owner, & more by simply GETTING CLEAR!

Do you ever wonder, how can the tides of life bring healing after your storm?  How can our ups and downs in life offer any type of healing, especially when our world can sometimes feel like we are in a constant storm?  In today's episode, I am so excited to be joined by The War And Treaty.  Michael Trotter, Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter are the phenomenal husand and wife, power duo who are bringing their voices of healing to the world, through gospel, country, contemporary, and rock and roll, just to name a few!  They are on fire and are joining us at the kitchen-table for some good-ole-fashioned conversations. In this episode, I share 4 strategies to begin to H.E.A.L. after a storm and Michael and Tanya jump right on in to leave you with even more.

Chef Keesha O'Galdez shares how adversity helped find her purpose.  When two Simmons Graduate School of Management grads get together, we have some good ole-fashioned conversations.  Today, we are having a bit of fun and leaving you with a few nuggets and experiences that you may be able to relate to.  From losing a job to moving to a new city, to hearbreak, then leaping into your purpose, we talk it all!  There's even an aha that stuck out, as I travelled down memory lane, to my Simmons days.  It had me giving a shout out to Dr. Stacy Blake-Beard, whose leadership course helped me find aspects of my inner voice that were simply waiting to be unleashed.

Who said that the stigmas placed on me will define who I am?  Who said that I (or you) must walk, talk, & behave in the stigmas that have been handed down for generations? Not me?  In today's episode, I walk you through 5 strategies of how to dismantle generational stigmas.  I share how to P.O.U.N.D. those stigmas, while also bringing yourself to the carpet.  It's time to challenge ourselves with the stigmas that we are knowingly or unknowingly perpetuating and passing down and around.  Whew!! This episode is a good one!  The affirmation that kicks us off is I am open , ready, & willing to unlock the endless possibilities within me. Are you?  Grab your affirmation deck at https://www.lolitawalker.com/shop

How often do we allow our limiting beliefs and those crazy negative talks in our head shut us down and make a u-turn on our journey's? How often do we sit in the comfort of complacency because it is easiest and most familiar to us? Well, in episode #10, I'm gifting you a pause and taking you through how to write your own "Journey Story."  You are invited to listen in...and then meet me on the virtual dance floor because....I'm celebrating my #smallwin of hitting 10 podcast episodes AND 1K listens for a single episode....yep! If you don't celebrate, who will? I'll see you there!

My first male guest, Mario Scott  is joining us at the kitchen table to talk all-things leadership.  A leadership expert working with executives and teams to lead more efficiently and effectively, he leaves us with a few laughs and take-aways on how we can begin to lead differently - from the inside out.   How do you define leadership?  Would you say that your leadership is untapped?  Are you leading yourself the same way you are leading those who are following you?  Hmmmm!

It's a bonus episode on Forgiveness!  Who is forgiveness for? Can you forgive?  Will you forgive?  Forgiveness Freeway is Stop 6 in my book, "The Intersection of You & Change" and this episodes journeys you through the various sections at this stop (chapter). Whether you have my book or it is still on your to-do list, we chat through how we each may better embrace forgiveness, are reminded that forgiveness does not mean "to forget," and we even find a bit of time to craft our own forgiveness story during the conversations portion of this episode.

How long will we stay seated at the bus stop watching our hopes, dreams, and endless possibilities pass us by?  How long will we hold the heavy bags of our past and allow them to keep us in the valley?  "I am the single approver of me and I trust myself completely!"  Let's let that sink in for a moment.  We are shifting and shaking in this episode to get each of up and moving toward the greatesness that awaits.  Today, I'm joined by Fitness Trainer, Former Brand Ambassasdor for Puma, and Plant-Based Chef, Ms. Ingrid S. Clay.  Most recently featured at the first virtual Essence Festival, I am so excited to welcome Ingrid to our "kitchen-table" for some good ole fashioned conversations!

I am the trustee of me and I claim my power" is what we declare at the onset of this episode!  Whew!! What do you think of when you hear the word "power?" We're answering questions + dropping nuggets on the definition of power, what to do when your power is at its lowest, how to grab it back, and so much more!  Power is that 5-lettered word that we can get lost in if we aren't careful!  I welcome you to the kitchen-table (minute 1:02), gift a bit of coaching & soul work (minute 3:39) to challenge your thinking, enjoy a few cocktails (minute 12:56) to celebrate all of the greatness you are, then we have some good ole fashion conversations, just you & I (minute 17:08).

!!EXPLICT LANGUAGE IN ON SECTION!!  “I am honest and live in my truth,” is the affirmation that kicks off this episode, which challenges your answer to the question of who is at your playground? and how do you acknowledge & engage? In a world where judging is often first of mind, assuming is a close second, & fear of our differences oftentimes crowd our space, we talk all about challenging our status quo with a focus on diversity and inclusion.  I gift a bit of coaching (minute 3:00) to challenge your thinking, with a bit of soul work and a story on bullies, enjoy a few cocktails (minute 12:03) to celebrate greatness, then we have some kitchen-table conversations with Mariangela Abeo (minute 13:37), suicide survivor, founder & photographer of The Faces Of Fortitude Project, TEDx speaker, & podcaster.  I ask you again, are you honest and live in your truth?

When I sprinkled a bit of supernatural on top of my natural....chillleeeee....my whole world shifted AND SO CAN YOURS! In this episode, I bring you #COACHING (Minute 1:57) via an exercise and a story of me on the floor like a baby in a fetal position AT 40 years old, #COCKTAILS (Minute 11:48), as we celebrate your wins, and #CONVERSATIONS (Minute 12:56), as Joy Sutton, Former TV News Anchor, Talk Show Host, & Communications Coach breaks all-things natural down for us!  She is giving us all of her supernatural to help you shine! MAKE MY NATURAL SUPERNATURAL...COME ON SOMEBODY!

This episode is emotion-filled and raw, yet still gifts coaching, cocktails, & conversations.  Yes, I'm angry and disheartened, yet conditioned to see always see a glimmer of hope. May you remind yourself that IT IS OK NOT TO BE OK!  It is ok to sit in the power of your pause, UNAPOLOGETICALLY!  With the violence that's been thrust upon our black boys and men, I am giving you all of me.  As a Black mother raising a Black Young Boy, the murders, senseless acts of violence, and hate-filled streets hit hard and spun me in a momentary interruption that I wasn't ready for.

When was a time when YOUR Courage met your Fear?  How did you feel? How did you overcome that fear? Wait....did you overcome it?  Hmmmm, worth the pause right?  In this episode, I bring you #COACHING (Minute 2:35) via an exercise and a story of fear at my 1st TEDx talk! ahhhhh, #COCKTAILS (Minute 17:55), as we celebrate your wins, and #CONVERSATIONS (Minute 18:25), as we listen in to Elmora Evans, a front-line nurse and survivor of Covid19, who returned in to work 21 days!  WHEN COURAGE MEETS FEAR!

I'm just getting started! We're talking YOUR FOUNDATION, how you define it, and how you strengthen it!  I use my inaugural episode to not only introduce the three components of my podcast, but to also gift you an exercise and the space to think through the challenge of each question.  Of course, you cannot leave without grabbing your "soul work." #LetsGO