Advocating for Better Mental Health with Shatiera Porte'e

Shatiera Porte’e

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: [00:00:00] Um, You

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: finally had a chance to sit down and so welcome to the show Shaterra Tell us a little

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Thank you so much. Listen, we've both been outside, so I'm excited just to be here. Thank you for having me. I'm just truly honored and appreciative of you allowing me to be a guest. I am Shaterra Porte, school counselor and Wells owner and founder. I'm an education consultant. I live in New Jersey. I am a mom, a dog mom, also a foodie.

I love to travel. [00:01:00] I'm an author. I have a book named I Forgive Myself for Forgetting Myself. It's a self help, self love journal book that allows you to take some time at your own pace to independently learn how to fill up your cup, pour back into yourself. Learn to make sure that you're a priority and level yourself a little bit because especially in the education space, the service professional space, we tend to forget about loving on ourselves and filling up our cups.

So that was something that I had to learn. Um, very humbling to be able to do, but I'm excited just to have this great conversation in this talk. So thank you. Thank you.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah And we're gonna get into all the information about the book

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: all the things a little later But But let's just start where we always start. us what helped you decide that going into education was for you. Tell us your, your story. Oh,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I love this because it kind of jumps around and you'll see what I mean because when I was younger, [00:02:00] probably eight. Um, that was a conversation that was asked from our grandmothers to me and my brother when we was growing up. So, I remember distinctly two occupations and job titles that come to mind when I answer those out loud to my family.

And the first was a teacher. I said I wanted to be a teacher. While I was young and I was little, I used to play school with my brothers, with my friends. I used to also, my great grandmother, she had a, um, a boarding home and that's a home where you take care of people that live in your home and they live in.

So these are usually, um, adults, um, senior citizen adults who live in your home who don't have a place to go. And they also have some mental health. Um, issues going on. And they lived with my great grandmother and I used to practice with them. I used to give them homework

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: I

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I used to have used to have my notebook and do math and teach, and I used to just do that for fun.

And then I don't know what kind of [00:03:00] shifted. I don't know if it's, it was because it was the idea, but I also loved working with kids and helping people and loving on people. So then I would say maybe a year or two, I wanted to be a pediatrician. So I love the word I thought it was very unique and fancy, but I knew it meant doctor But I love saying pediatrician and I thought I was speaking another language or something And then as I got into school and got older, I would say definitely high school math was not my best friend Science was not my best

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: that. How many people say that?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: and because of just that this is where that mindset really can impact you Because I had that You know thought of it that relationship with it.

I really let it intimidate me and I didn't pursue it I didn't know to go get a tutor get some help Learn how to kind of navigate that I stood away from it and I ran away from it So I never so I always remember saying I want to be a pediatrician. I'm going to be a picture I'm going to be a doctor [00:04:00] because of those subjects all the way up into college.

I never really. Um focused on trying to explore that career path. And when I got into college, I did really well. I did, I did okay in math, but I did really well. All my science classes, I got A's. So I did well. Um, but it was more of a memorization, learning material, getting through it. Cause my grades were very important to me, but that's how I started first having the conversation.

Normal education looks like for me in high school. I was that go to friend. So I was just like, oh, I always talked about, you know, problems and different things. But when I really got into education, I would say it was after being in mental health. For 20 plus years, I went to school for psychology. I went to, I got my graduate, you know, my master's degree in counseling and I really did everything I could in, in psychiatric mental health wise and wellness.

And, um, I think my last job I was in, it was a clinical therapist slash school [00:05:00] counselor position. I worked at a company where it was a residential. facility for teenagers who were either coming out of jail, they were coming out of the system, they were homeless, it was a transitional living place. And, um, I was, I was also doing counseling, working with them on the outpatient side, the therapy side, but I also was going to their, you know, You know school and helping them and making sure I worked with their educators and their teachers while they were in school So they had their counselor clinical therapist school counselor with them on site At the special services type of schooling for them a behavioral school And from there I said, okay I like this a little bit more than the counseling and the group therapy and the counseling piece And after that I started looking at school districts in Philadelphia, New Jersey all over and really looking at what that looks like for me.

And then I landed a position about 11 years ago as a high school career counselor in [00:06:00] a charter school.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: So I want to interrupt you for a second. You spent 20 some odd years outside of the traditional school space, it sounds like, supporting educators, supporting students, but then saying, I'm going to take a hard left. And what an interesting, maybe it's not a hard left, maybe it's a slow merge, but just thinking about folks who we hear a lot the opposite. people

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Silence. Silence. Silence.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: working and once one occupation, and then to say, I want something different really speaks to, I think this, There's a permission that we need to give ourselves to do different things, try something new.

Yeah, I appreciate that. I wanted you to, I wanted [00:07:00] you to finish, of course, but I wanted to interrupt just to say that that's a really interesting way that you got into education.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: And I want to say one of the, I call myself like a little hustler back then, even in that space of mental health, I tried everything. So even while I was in school and in my graduate school, I had three or four internships. So it was a homeless shelter for teens. I did geriatrics. So assisted livings and nursing homes.

I've also worked in Correction facility. So I was a mental health therapist and professional in the county jail system for men and women There was I went I worked in methadone clinics. That was like for five hours child I was like, this is not for me. Like when you have to do those urine samples, I say yeah No, that's not for me.

I've worked in crisis. So I worked in the emergency Hospital room where you're screening You know, patients that are coming in either straight through the emergency room, or they're coming in to see you clinically wise. I was a psychiatric screener, excuse me, where you go out in the community in the middle of the night and you're assessing assessing people's [00:08:00] mental health with going being escorted with the police and being able to determine if they are a danger to themselves or others.

And if they have the capacity to

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: important. Mm

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right. Bringing them back. So when I tell you, I really had like really blessed to be able to look at the different components of being able to help somebody with their mental health wellness. I can say that to you now, like, wow, while I was doing it, I was just trying to figure out what did I want to do with myself?

So I was just going on this career path journey, but in real time through the experience to figure out what I wanted. And then, Going to the clinical side and like education. I said, well, let's try this and really look at it. Like, well, I don't have to work all night. I'm not working holidays, but I can have off in the summer thinking I was going to be in this different role.

And it wasn't the same. I still, because I was great in the mental health piece and now coming into the school system. They also saw my gifts and they said, okay, we want to utilize you more than just a school counselor. So I was [00:09:00] teaching and then quickly I became a coordinator and then going into a director of student services of programming curriculum piece.

And then I was working summers and I was doing all these things. But also still, even in the education realm, I was able to still use what I've been doing, but I feel like sometimes that worked against me, you know, being in there because then it was start having to advocate much more in the space that I may have been comfortable in those 20 years.

Not necessarily, I could be myself freely in the education space because sometimes that's taboo or not to be able to look at mental health first, but we're looking at education first.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, it's interesting that you now mental health is a hot right now Right, and it's been for a little bit but you're saying well, where was this all this heat?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Oh my goodness, I just had that conversation Friday. I said, okay, students are telling you they want you to look at the holistic, [00:10:00] the whole student. And I've been trying to do that all these years, but it was like, no, no, no. We got to focus on academics and test scores and all these different things. So you're right.

Like, it's kind of like, yes. Yay. We're talking about it and we're addressing it, but you feel like you was like put out there, you know what I mean? And then chastise for. Bringing that to the conversation when you're really looking at the student and how they're doing and performing academically and saying, okay, but what else is going on here

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: grades and besides low test scores and besides tardiness or truancy, what else are their basic needs met?

Are there things going home? Did they just lose someone? So, It was kind of like, okay, we're not here to counsel. We're not here to look at thing that those type of things. We just got to make sure are they, you know, getting a great going to the classes, different things like that. So it's just interesting to now that I can sit back and be able to look at it from that perspective.

Yes. But when you're in it, you're just moving, moving, moving, seeing thousands of [00:11:00] kids and, you know, trying to, you know, take care of your own self, you know, at the same time.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: I think you know, I'm thinking about again. I'm going back to how you started off and

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Mm hmm.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: supporting folks in their mental health and mental well being see the adults first, and then to

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Guess.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: into schools and say, I know what this person,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Oh,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: challenges for this person are 20 years from now, because

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: that person in my last career.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Wow. Wow.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: worked with adults and can see the future of our children if they don't get the support they need and the future of our children if they do get the support they need. We only see them, a lot of them, I, I, I know I was, I, I want to definitely hear you,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: No, no, [00:12:00] I loved it. Okay.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: never saw them again.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Mm hmm.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: was

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Mm hmm.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: on, I didn't teach high school.

I

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Mm hmm. It's fun. I love it.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: school students, how can I support fifth graders? I think if we all could have done that, or can do that, it would be such a more education experience for our students. But so many of us don't go in the direction you go in. So I just find that fascinating. Wow.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: because I've never saw it like that, the way you just put it together. But two things helped that, and that was me being able to, to have, [00:13:00] you know, To allow myself to push myself to do more than two internships at the bachelor's level and also in my master's level, I was able to manage, so I looked at different populations and age groups.

However, a lot of this comes from, and what I say to myself is, I was the mentee, now the mentor. So I had, you know, drug abuse in my family. I had mental health illness, you know, I've dealt with depression, anxiety, and different things myself. So not only was I able to get that experience, I know what it felt like not being seen, not being heard, you know, while you're coming up, especially in the educational space.

You know, in high school, My first school counselor, guidance counselor was called at the time, you know, didn't believe in me, you know, and made some comments to me as about like, you know, that I shouldn't even look at a four year [00:14:00] college, you know, that I wasn't worthy enough. And that's why I took it to be able to look at that.

However, when I was able to come home, tell my grandmother, like, she's not supposed to say this to me. I don't, I don't like the way this feels. We were able to go to the school. I was able to change my school counselor, guidance counselor at the time. And It was a older, um, African American woman. Very two different perspectives of how I was guided in my education, because not only, cause it really impacted me and I really gave up.

On school. I almost didn't graduate because I didn't think I could, and I got a new counselor and not only did I get accepted into a four year college and went, and even when I graduated from college, I had a 3. 7 GPA, right? I also, my senior year. Almost didn't graduate, but graduated, got accepted to four year school.

Also received the [00:15:00] NAACP of Black Women in Business scholarship to be able to have books to go to. Um, I did well. I was on the dean list. I got awards while in college as the psychology student. Like just all of these accolades, but what if I didn't have someone that, even at the last quarter, right? At the final hour, believe in me and still push me.

That's important never to give up on a student or someone despite what's going on, because what if I didn't have that push? What if I stayed? What if I didn't come home and tell my grandmothers? Many kids are experiencing things or people experience things, people say things to them. And what if you never speak about it?

What if you never advocated for yourself? And what if I just let myself, I don't care mindset and didn't graduate? I don't know where I would be, but I think the fight is for me even more. That's why full circle, I came back and now I'm a, I was a school counselor. And now I advocate [00:16:00] for the students, especially for the students that feel like they don't have the words to articulate or they don't feel seen or heard.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: this so, this so beautifully, explains why we need black folks in

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Um

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: right? Cause your story about the guidance counselor,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Obama's story about the guidance counselor.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: right Right Um

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: own guidance counselor, Dr. Jones, Dr. Carolyn Jones, who told her like, you're going to HBCU. You're going to Spelman. She's like, you're going to Spelman. And she did go to Spelman.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: See, well, shout out to Dr. Linda, I mean, shout out to Dr. uh, sorry. Dr. Jones, shout out to Linda Kornegay, that was my school counselor [00:17:00] that got it.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: with the shout

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yeah, we dropping names, yes, let's give them they flowers. Oh,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: was working with my daughter's school last year, like a full circle moment, right. just

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Silence. Um,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: we're literally changing the lives of our students and our colleagues. Um, and we'll

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yeah.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: the questions like,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yeah. Yeah. Silence.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: like, um, that's always the first sign, like we love your brilliance and they just keep the work piles on and the things and that. so tell us [00:18:00] about, and I don't want to make any assumptions, but tell us about that particular experience. Of the moving around and moving up in your district or in an education period 17

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I have to be honest, I went to the school and it was a charter school and the charter school was in an urban district, urban community, so. Um, I want to say 85 percent of the students were African American, African descent. Uh, 15 percent probably was Hispanic Latino, and then a few percent other.

However, coming in, I didn't know. I came in and I applied for a counselor's position, a high school counselor's position. My title was actually a high school career counselor position. But then, I was teaching 17 classes per week. 17 classes per week.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: classes per week

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Per week. So think about just Monday through Friday, where did that fall?

There's 17 different classes per week that went across the, went across the grades from 9 to [00:19:00] 12. I also was a school counselor of a, you know, I think my caseload at the time was a little under 200 at the high school level. I also was doing individual and having meetings with students with disabilities.

I also was in charge of graduation to graduate in class and making sure they are college and career ready and they have scholarships and I'm doing. I'm doing testing supervision as bad. That's the, you know, for the military. Uh, what else? I'm doing community service. I'm writing letters of recommendation.

I'm preparing for the high school commencement. I'm doing trips and I'm working, sitting on IEP meetings. And then, in April, my principal resigns.

And I had to step up. Mind you, before that, I was called the cluster leader. [00:20:00] So the cluster leader is someone that works with all of the teachers and the staff, support staff, teachers in the building, hear their thoughts, hear, uh, their different things. And we go to the admin to present and to kind of just to be the liaison between that.

So then my principal of many years, she resigns in end of April. So we have two months left and this is my first year.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: the most the most chaotic months the last two is just all uphill and downhill

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: So you got testing, state testing, you have graduation, you have students who are finding out if they're going to graduate or not, all these things. And your leadership is no longer there to either support you, guide you, and this is my first year. So that's how my first year went, but the part that I even, I fast forwarded a little bit.

Just dealing with teaching 17 classes, having no curriculum. I'm teaching different classes and lectures I've never taught [00:21:00] before. I'm working with parents. I'm doing this. Two months after I started that role in my first year, I wrote a resignation letter to my boss. She didn't accept it. We laugh about it now.

She was like, you know, I'm not letting you leave. Like, and I'm just like, First of all, where did I just apply? Where did I come to what's going on? What did I what did I sign self sign myself up to but I really felt like That environment was trying to make me fail. I really did. I felt some type of way felt like

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: felt that kind of way too

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I felt like it set me up to fail, I got the people, now I'm a new kid on the block, I'm doing all this work, and then I'm trying to make advocacy and change and policy and, and then you got the teachers who, they want that, but they don't want me to do it, so they're, like, I didn't, I feel like I had no allies, no support, anyway.

And I physically got sick, you know, but then I learned [00:22:00] to think smarter. So during that time, as I moved up, I started teaching myself. I always still made sure I went to my school counselors organizations, my meetings. I was going places and I always still would feed off or meet interesting people who were In education for a long time and were you could tell they about their business and the way they I always took notes I always paid attention But I have to say I taught myself a lot to be where I was in that role and if they said something of how it should be whether they taught you that or not i'm writing it down and i'm Every the next time I'm adapting and I'm learning and I'm implementing right to execute.

And I just started this kind of like on, on the books, on, on the scene job training, but I'm teaching myself. So I'll just imagine it. You know what I mean? Just imagine that for a minute being able to try to survive, teach yourself and learn as you're in a new role. And each year your role is changing. [00:23:00] Mm hmm.

Right.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: And you'll talk about your career now in a little bit, but you, you needed that type of energy to start a business. Is it someone who also, yeah, the seed

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: survival, um, wow, I didn't even see that right coming because at the, at the time you're, it's like, so basically I always, I always use, use this kind of metaphor and it's visual. It's like, I have a book bag on, then I have like plates, you know, on my head and I have things on my legs, but more people are just putting more bricks on my shoulder.

And as I'm walking, every step I take, I'm just getting more bricks on me.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yes.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I think All it is, is like, we know you need help, we know we're going to fix that, not now, later, but we hear you, but I need you to also do [00:24:00] this. So then I'm also getting added to be a supervisor of a college bridge program, a dual enrollment.

So these are when students are going to, and while they're in high school, they're taking college courses at the same time they're doing their high school, and they're getting credits. And at this time, I had two community colleges we were working with, so I have students that are on campus with one community college, and I have another set of students that are going to the college.

So, not only am I making sure that they're doing their college programs, I'm also supervising the staff, that's the advisor, on top of everything else that I'm doing.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Are you getting paid any extra for this

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: No, because the stipends are going to The staff that are coming in that are doing it, but not the supervise, not the supervise and then I'm fighting for it Like but no and then what happens is then you become salary. No, no, you become 12 months. [00:25:00] Excuse me So this was a 10 month, you know position effort.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Interesting.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: go into 12 months So when you know when you go into 12 month when more and more stuff is coming on There's no, there wasn't any for me. That's why I love to tell this story so that people can learn to ask for or get supplemented or making sure you get additional stipends or that it increases because I'm getting more experience.

I'm getting the work, I'm executing it, I'm surviving it, and then I'm flipping it to do it well, but there's no extra income coming in until the next year. Okay. When the salary goes up and that's a couple of thousand dollars and it's going to be taken out because of taxes. Yes, [00:26:00] yes

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: She said pay people for their labor. So many folks in education it's a gift or some kind of reward to give us more work to do

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: A title.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: the title with no compensation,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: No, no, no.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: you're just doing it for the heart.

They're just doing it for the heart

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: students.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right. Yes. Yes. Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: in.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes. Right. Right. And I've worked alongside [00:27:00] people and the people that still are doing that and they are. Getting more than I have and and they tell you i'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing like and they're still there Yes,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: working, but we're

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: yes

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: to get in trouble. We

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: team player. We want to make sure keep filling the blank. Well, we might one day, I might want to do that. So I don't want to burn the bridge. So I'm going to,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Mine was So it was so I don't want to say bad but toxic because it was like I don't want to let the kids down. That's what mine was

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: listen that, that I don't want to let the kids down. I was just speaking at a conference. Um, In our city in denver this past weekend And a woman was in our session sharing that she goes to all these meetings and does all this Because if she's not there who's gonna be there

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: And Dr. Asia, let me tell you something, also, I didn't know my worth during that time.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: yeah

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: So I didn't have the mirror in front of me to check [00:28:00] myself to be like, sis, do you know what you're doing? I didn't have that. And I didn't have, and that went on for years.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, of

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: so

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: did they'll let you

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: yes, they not gonna say, girl, you know, you should be getting more.

No, we got this young girl cause I probably started there, you know, like early, you know, you know, late twenties, thirties, like girl, keep, come on, keep going. Yes. And then, okay, we'll, we'll highlight her and give her, so instead of compensation, I feel like mine was definitely the titles, but they were nothing I asked for.

I didn't, like, it's not that I was creating roles and positions. It was like, okay, now you're our coordinator and now you're going to be our director of students and services and curriculum. And we want you to oversee, then it stepped up there. I moved up to, I want you to oversee all of our programs and our curriculums from K to 12.

Okay. And then I want you to be able to do this and work with this and do this and do this. And then, mind you, the accolades are coming, though. The school is rated number seven. You know, the school is in a top tier. You [00:29:00] got high performing. You got your, I got between 99, percent graduation rate in our urban community, right?

And with students, and they have, you know, thousands and thousands of college acceptances. They got college credit. Like, just think of the programs that are being built. And manage because they were there before I got there but being managed and being elevated Under my leadership and being able to do this and then You know, it's like wow, but so you get burnt out you're undercompensated You're stressed out and you're overworked all of these things

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, and then

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: So what?

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: and we and we We talked about on this podcast a lot about the like grace and its ways of showing up, but I want to be clear You That folks who are black in leadership do the same harm as

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: who are, and then you'd never said what race your

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: No, I did. It was like, yeah, but it was in an urban community. So that mostly the [00:30:00] school is under leadership of African American

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah. And

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: board, board of trustees and of the school.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: And the, and we'll we'll put it under black excellence.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: burnout under black excellence. And that's what black excellence is, is to burn our people up and throw bricks on our shoulders the name of the next generation. And because they did it, you can do it.

And we love to say, at least we're not slaves. At least we're like, can we,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: have to we're not, and we deserve rest. We deserve to be well, as Dr. Savanne Flowers says, um, wellness is our birthright.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes, oof.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: up in that and being allowed in a lot of cases to show up in that. And so, yeah, I definitely wanted to stop there for a second and

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: No, I have to be able to paint, right? It was definitely that. And

I also had, because I felt like the [00:31:00] environment, there was no one, I was no one in my department. I didn't have my own secretary, but I shared it. I didn't have an own staff. I shared, you know, things. But I also, because the resources were limited, it. didn't allow me to see where I could delegate because I felt like I couldn't.

So I, I, so I would have to say under that environment, I didn't want to fail after I changed my mind about walking away. So I flipped it to see how I'm going to master this and produce outcomes. But I did it at the cost of my health, my mental health, you know, different things, but I also, and it wasn't doing it so that I can get acknowledged for the outcomes.

I did it because you're not going to let me, I'm not going to fall. I'm not going to fail. I'm not going to like, you know what I mean? I was just trying to make it or survive through it. And then I got so used to it every year, every month or every [00:32:00] semester. I just started like, Being a beast, we call it at just making sure, okay, because I, I, I wanted to fight so hard that you are not going to kill me or not going to defeat me.

If that makes sense. Like, I don't know if it makes sense to anybody that's listening, but when you feel like some environments aren't created to improve, you don't want to be a product of that environment until you're able to leave or go somewhere else. All right, well, you know, you're not gonna like even though you're doing it like you're still not but it's not gonna be to this But i'm gonna make sure that no matter what while i'm here i'ma hustle i'ma make sure i'm good And so I started to take that that situation and try to flip it so that it worked for me in the sense Not 100 completely but in a sense that okay i'm here to do this I'm gonna make sure these this is going to be going away.

I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this I'm gonna produce it and then [00:33:00] by doing that I became isolating You So I isolated myself. I was isolated. I was pushing aside. Then you get compared about you think you're better, you know Um, you're not going with the okie doke. You want to change policy. You're sitting at the table and your voice It's starting to separate because you're not doing what everybody else is doing.

So the teamwork may be not there. You don't feel supported. So you're really on this island by yourself. And then when you start being able to walk and do things by the beat of your own drum. You're an outsider and Then when I start to advocate not since I'm not advocating for me and now and I'm putting it all in with the student You're the problem and then that's when things start to Not mix well and you start to bump heads and then you start to see that Only the boss is probably supporting you versus your teammates and people that are that you work [00:34:00] with every day And I you think you start to really get burnt out and you feel like is this worth it?

and I think I got to the point where I I Was tired of feeling like in a higher level, in a, in a administrative level that my voice was the only one that was really making sense when it came to advocacy policy, morals, smart goals, mission and vision, and making sure the student, the families and the parents were being heard.

You know, in, in a way that supported excellence in education and not saying I'm the only one that thought like that, but I was known to say what I felt. And I think sometimes when you're, you won't budge and you won't fall for or agree with the majority because you still feel strongly about something, especially when it comes to mental health.

Especially when it comes to student success and academic achievement on a different level, that's forward thinking and [00:35:00] maybe looked as innovate to me, innovative, creative, something different, a growth mindset. But if you're still with some that are on a fixed mindset and not open or not flexible. It doesn't work for the long run.

And I think I was just frustrated and tired and after COVID and just so much going on. Cause even during COVID, I was, I was in the building, teachers was home, students was home, but I was still getting up, going into the building, still fighting, still advocating, still pushing, still driving, still managing, still doing all these things.

And I think at the time I was like, is this is what education looks like. Or this is cause I'm so, My world is that now. I'm doing seven days, six days, you know, 70 hours a week. Doing this work. And I said, if this is what it looks like, I don't want to do this anymore. And I literally was going in every day, listening to, uh, Steve Harvey, um, T.

1. Jakes, Bishop T. D. Jakes, [00:36:00] Oprah, uh, different just, uh, motivational speaking, listening things, um, getting up and listening that throughout the day, going out to my coworkers. Trying to figure out just to get through the day. And I got to the point where I said, I can't do this anymore. My grandmother comes from, she raised me and comes from like, you don't leave a job unless you have one.

And I was like, but you're not living my life. And I ended up, um, halfway through the year, just speaking to, you know, my, um, Boss at the time and just saying, you know, this is not me. I didn't enjoy coming anywhere It's like a fight every day and um, especially sometimes being at the table at one point of it Where you're the only female and then, you know being at a point whether you're the youngest or younger one in the group So it just seems like you're My, my perspective, my thoughts, my expertise wasn't valued and I think I just said, and this is going into like six, seven years in and still feeling like anything that I bring to the table or say is not taken [00:37:00] seriously, even though I've shown I've produced in and shown these things.

And I think. Not only am I not getting paid enough and then you're not even listening to me or hearing my voice. I can't do this. So at that point I said, I'm done and I am going to take some time off. My mental health is bruised and really in my mind, I thought I was going to take time off my mental health.

I think I never thought, I never did this before, so I didn't think to save while I was going through that. I had money saved and I just said, okay, I'm going to take time off. I'm going to, you know, have some mental health, work with my counselor, my own therapist, different things. And then when I come back, I might do a DoorDash, Uber Eats.

Um, I'll figure it out. I'll do something. I'll go back to Marshall's when I, whatever, but I just don't want to be a part of this. And I had a great colleague of mine named Will Kramer, who he was writing books at the time and he helped me, pushed me to write my book. But he said, you could still do this. He [00:38:00] said, you could just be like the counselor that's mobile.

So I was like, what is he talking about? And then I really said, you know what, wow, I don't, all districts don't have to be like this. You know what I mean? So I started brainstorming what does life look like if I'm not here anymore?

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, this is know that

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I know.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: know your

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: A lot.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: powerful and so many folks that I talk to have the same experience, right? And I think a lot of folks think, well,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. All right.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: that white supremacy shows up inside of our bodies

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: upon generations, right?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: And so not to say that you're that the people you [00:39:00] work with were white supremacists.

Obviously,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right. Yeah.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: that's really powerful, right?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yeah.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: we can

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: you'll

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: right. That was like,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: somebody.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: And then people say, I look like I'm 12. So other than my boss, who was a female, I'm sitting at the table with two male principals,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: right? So they're going to respect her because that's their boss. But me at the table, and I'm like literally, and then I'm in this space, I don't want to come off as an angry black woman, but at the same time, they're saying, right, and it's just, it's so, so, it's so much, and then leaving, walking on the elevator, leaving, driving an hour [00:40:00] ride home, and being like, you know what I mean, or they yes you to death, and then when, when she's not there, when they're not there, they come up and be like, well, we're not, we decided, they decided all of a sudden, we're not going to do this that you said yesterday, we're going to do this, then they start to not include you.

Yeah. And isolate you. And like you said, I came from a high school that was predominantly white. So I was, I was so eager and driven to go into a district that looked like me and be around educators that looked like me. Cause I vowed that it was going to be powerful and different. And it was, and I did, but at the same time, I ended up quitting and leaving.

An environment that I feel like it was around my own people. And then I had to realize it's not education because I quit literally in my mind, I was giving up on education. I didn't want to do this anymore. It was just like mental. I'm not doing this. I don't know what I'm going to do. I didn't want to go back to the mental health piece that I was doing.

But I, after that, I didn't want to go back to another school district, do a counseling. So I got [00:41:00] to a point. And that's powerful when you're in something for like, you know, almost 10 years and you've been in different curriculum, policy, student, special needs, like you've done college and career, you know, you've done all these different things, clubs after school, you've done all these things and you want to just walk away.

You've ready to walk. I was ready to, and I did, I said, I'm out of here. I walked away from like, I don't want to do this anymore.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah. want to, I want to say too, that you said I was going to, I was taking a break. I was seeing my therapist. I didn't know what the next plan was. And I want to, to go back to that point for my audience, because there's so many folks who want to leave education and think that then going to another job right away is the cure.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Right, right. And I was already seeing my therapist before I left and I kept and I remember we probably had this leaving [00:42:00] conversation for almost a year and a half. And then we, every December we're like, okay, well the contract is going to be coming up, look, we're going to stick it to stay. And I told her I can't.

And we were weighing the pros and cons. And I said, no, and I did not. Cause that was the thing. My lifestyle has been getting into things right after things, another thing was over. No time for healing, no time for break, no time for re evaluating first what could I have done, or what do I want next, or what was my choices, or can I go into another new space thinking objective, like how am I going to be thinking, and I said, I knew that I was so fed up, cause you know why, I was angry, my conversation was just heightened, my voice was at a different level, I was frustrated, the end.

I just, you know, when you're in an environment and you're not as professional as you have been or would like to be, you're like, no, but I, I didn't apologize for it. Cause I know I was, my buttons were pressed, lack of sleep, health was not well, [00:43:00] mental health was not well. When you're feeling like you just don't care anymore about something you've been passionate about.

As we talked about earlier, something that I said I wanted to do when I was young or whatever the case may be, or really have worked hard to even. Learn how to manipulate the environment to make it work for me. And now I'm just like, I'm done. Something was wrong. And I was like, no. And I said, I need to continue to have this conversation.

And I did and got help and really started looking to see and not rush back. Like you said, or think about. What was the first thing I talked about? Yeah, they didn't pay me, but I wasn't rushing to try to go get a six figure contract because now I didn't, because I didn't have one. I knew if I went to any other place, I would not be as productive as I would like to be because I set myself at a higher standard.

You know and expectations for myself and I doctor asia. I didn't have it. I didn't have much It was affecting me at home. I wasn't able to do the things I [00:44:00] will used to do I was coming home angry or just tired and that wasn't fair to my son. That's not fair to my son

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah. This, this too, you, this, you must, I feel like you've seen my presentation because you were right into talking about the ways, how. Our and the harm that happens in our schools spills over and crosses over into our homes,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes, oh yes, yes,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: thousand percent.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: yes

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: I had a, uh, I guess Rhonda Belen, who came on a while back, who said when she quit, they said, well, my students need you.

Our students, she said, no, my

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes,

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: needs me,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: yes

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: right? And so they'll do that too. Like, well, we need you here.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: you know they said where are you going to go? You need it. That's what they said Well when I told him what I was doing after that we'll get into that they said when you need Benefits you need insurance.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I said I had that. Yeah. No, I'll go to the state [00:45:00] You get what I'm saying? Like no, no. No, I'm not no and at that point Dr.

Asia, I was barely being able to show up for my son. I needed, that's why I wasn't there because I needed to start showing up. I had to forgive myself for forgetting myself because I forgot everything that Shatira needed to show up as a mother, to show up as a daughter, to show up as a friend, to show up as a service professional, to show up as a counselor, to show up just to keep showing up.

And I didn't have anything left to show up. And if a job, anyone that's listening, anything, whether it's education or not, if a job is causing you to be that, I didn't want it anymore. I did not want to be in a space that didn't, that I was feeling that way. You know, and I had, and I haven't, I wasn't making the smarter decisions all these years by, you know, standing up.

So this was the first time where I really stood on business when it came to Shatira, when I had to walk away because [00:46:00] maybe I let things slide and may have not did it the best way, or maybe I didn't. It just, whatever the case may be. I mean, it's a learning lesson, but this is the first time that I did.

And I had to. And I was okay saying not no more. I can't do this anymore. And even at the time, I had to talk to myself and that self talk to say, but the students that you did, whether you were here for. They still call you.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: yeah,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: hit you up on LinkedIn. They still hit you up on the gram. They still come and stop by and they say, Well, you know what, they find somebody and that person calls you and says, Look who just here.

They told me to let you know that I graduated from Spelman. I'm, I'm, I'm, I just got a job, um, as a pilot for AVH. Like. They'll find you if that's the case. And if not, just know that you did everything that you could. So I truly believe that the work that I have done was, was great, but it took time to get there.

It took time to get there. And then [00:47:00] even so, okay, you don't want to do this anymore. Well, you don't have to do this title. You don't have to do this role, but if it's education that you want, then go for it. Think like, you know, and that's what I did. I started thinking, I had the conversation and I said, listen.

All right, what's next?

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: yeah. I think I'm gonna go out of order in our questions and ask the next question that I'm thinking of right away, which is, all right, so you've had this time, you took this break, you talked to Will Kramer. He's giving you some ideas.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yeah Right

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: back to the maybe, but what are you doing now?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: So, what I'm doing now is I have an education consultant company called School Councils on Wills and what I do is I work with students all the way from K to college and the educators that support them by basically [00:48:00] providing programs, strategies to be able to support and increase and boost academic, academic achievement through mental health.

So we look at social emotional learning, we look at leadership empowerment, and also co college and career readiness. But we really tap in the mindset and the wellness of the student student because in order to fully complete and look at the holistic student, you and for and through the academic achievement part and success, you gotta have mental wellness built in.

And I think that was a conversation that I wish we continually did have in the places that I were, and it allowed us to be able to infuse that somewhere. And I think doing that with my education consulting companies, I go around and look at students with emotional regulation, self confidence, self esteem, wellness, and then teaching them to be dope leaders and being able to do teamwork and team building, and then also looking at what does life look like when they're done with school.

And then, you know, being that you have these other skills [00:49:00] that we're focusing on to get them to be able to look at what they want to do. They can be able to strategically plan and say, based on my strengths and my gifts, also knowing that, you know, I have the confidence in myself, I'm taking care of myself.

I know to talk to somebody if I need it, they can be more successful in obtaining those roles and going after those career options or going to, you know, setting up a foundation and looking at their resources. If they go to college in that healthier mindset.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, that's fantastic much needed as you

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes, yes, yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: tell us about this book too, please.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: yes. So the book is I forgive myself for forgetting myself. And again, it gives you prompts. It gives you exercises, a seven day plan. It shares a little bit about my story and where I was in one of my most hard, depressive times. And it really allows you to have courageous conversations with yourself to ask you about your, why your purpose, what do you [00:50:00] need right now?

What do you need to talk about and hopefully navigates and guides you into getting some help or being able to jot things down that you've never talked about before. So it's a, it's a self expressive tool. It's a, um, encouragement tool. And it's a thought provoking, um, resource to be able to, especially those of us in our community, we don't want to go talk to somebody, we don't, we're not ready to go see a therapist, we don't want to tell anybody our business child, but it allows you to be able to start So, I think that's You know walking yourself, you know towards some healing and some journey and also identifying what's great What's not so really doing a self assessment of your life to where you are right now You can use it anytime you can use it for professionally you can use it personally you can use it for your relationship style Um, whatever it is and really being to look at yourself in a deeper way to see Um where your goals are if those are still your goals and then what you want to do next in your life[00:51:00]

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah. your information is going to be in the show notes. So folks can definitely find you

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yeah

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: all the links and things, in the

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes, come holler at me you guys.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah. Yeah. Please do. Please do. Uh, so. Going back, tell us, is there a Black educator or several Black educators that you would like to shout out on our show today?

Mm,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: would love to. I want to start off with my third grade teacher, Mrs. Freeman. She was the first black educator that I had. She was strict. She was stern. She looked very serious. But she, she was quiet, but she made sure that we did the work that we needed to do. I would say then, transitioning into my middle school, uh, my first, um, two, um, You know, well, first black educated male teacher was Mr.

Jackson, seventh grade and seventh grade was my toughest year because I got in a lot of trouble. I had to [00:52:00] move out of my home and go live with family because I didn't want to listen and was getting in trouble and being rebellious for a lot of different reasons, but I was still going in school. And I remember like he never yelled at me, never raised his voice, um, was quiet, but you know, I was doing my work.

I had Mr. Harris, he was a reverend, but he was also my science teacher. And he made sure that. The minority kids, the black and brown kids in his classroom, we did science, we did labs, we, we did things. And then I had an ELA teacher, Mrs. Amos. She was actually, when I was having some trouble in my home, um, I went on a missionary trip to, to Haiti.

But in school, I knew her as this strict teacher. You couldn't talk in her class. You couldn't breathe a sneeze in her class. But when I went to Haiti, I was able to see this difference. Side of her. So when I was in her class, it was just like, I just was like, everybody was giving her a hard time. And I'm like, no, she's really dope.

She's very smart, very educated. Um, and those would be, I would say elementary, but Mrs. Cornay, Linda Cornay, my guidance counselor, hands down. [00:53:00] She just like, just, just to believe in me and just to be able to make sure that I, I did get into a co uh, a college. I got a scholarship even at the. the role that I was talking about at that district.

She came and visited me in my role and supported the programs that I was doing. And then I have two amazing mentors, my old boss from that same district. Um, she, you know, Mrs. Thorpe, she is dope. I love her. I also have a mentor, Mrs. Simmons, who helped me write my book, who also checks in with me. So I have amazing, amazing mentors that even during those processes, they old school, they've been in education 40, 50 plus years.

You know, but being able to surround yourself around mentors that even when the toughest it's going, you know You'll still be able to learn and I was with this lady named Rochelle Hendricks. I just met her She called me yesterday and she said she invited me somewhere on Friday And she just said you deserve to be here.

You deserve to be in this room and she reminded me Yeah, [00:54:00] he said you are smart little cookie and my great grandmother used to say that to me You Call me her smart little cookie and just knowing that your expertise my advocacy work the things that I'm doing how I see and how I build report with students is needed and I think we all have special gifts.

Nobody's made the same and Sometimes people think oh I can do what they do something about you. That's unique So I just advise anybody that's listening. I do a session on your secret sauce. You have your secret sauce Can't nobody package up your secret sauce or do anything like you and I want to say right now in this moment for you being able to thank you to say thank you for highlighting my mentors and those that made sure that I knew I had a secret sauce in me and that didn't give up on me and pushed a little girl inside me to keep fighting and now I'm like a spitfire firecracker.

You can't tell me I don't got something special. You know, you can't tell me me. You know that I'm not doing something dope, you know, so I just love it and I'm so Appreciative and thank [00:55:00] and thankful

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: yeah, of course. you know, and I will say it's interesting that you talked about like having to move out of your home because you didn't want to listen. But I feel like there's a theme here, right?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes, yes

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: It is so needed, right? Maybe in our childhood is, you know, it's not doesn't land the same as it does when we're adults and we know how to navigate or push up against or resisting these other ways.

But I love it. I love it. The shout out

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Thank you

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, of course. And then our last question is. What's been bringing you joy these days?

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Oh my goodness. So what's been bringing me joy is just being able I've been spending a lot of time with my son and we set up these things like hug before school hug. Um, before bed. So being able to have that just like no matter what's going on, just being able like I'm proud of you. I love you. So that's really like even today I might be still like sleep sometimes and he'll come up and he's like, all right, [00:56:00] mom, I'm leaving.

Like he's giving me a hug before he leaves out the door and he's giving me a hug before he goes to bed. That is really giving me joy. I am enjoying connecting and going to conferences. Lately, and just, I love going to conference and learning things and being able to go and not only to network, but be able to get new information and taking that information, whatever it is, and thinking about how to apply it within myself personally or professionally.

And what else is bringing me joy these days? Going out to new restaurants. I'm a big foodie. So yesterday I went to this place called The Big Bear, and it's basically this, um, ice cream sandwich. You take two cookies.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: it in San Diego!

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes!

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: favorite place! I love the baked bear!

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: I just tried it yesterday for the first time. Guys, I had the cookies and cream cookie with the gooey butter cake cookie with cookies and cream in the middle. Whipped cream, you get it pressed with some sprinkles. [00:57:00] Amazing.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Listen, okay, this is taking me, usually I'd have to show up at the end with that, but every time someone says they're going to San Diego, the

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: You talk about the big bear.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: I say, go to the baked bear.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: have two in my, in my, in my, uh, two within 15 minutes apart.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Yeah, California folks, if you're in San Diego, if you're in New Jersey,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: the

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Big bear.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: sandwich place. Build

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: ice

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Oh.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Amazing.

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes. I have to shout out my best friend, Carlicia. She told me about it and then my other best friend, Corby, he wanted to go and he was taking too long to go and she goes all the time. And she just goes and don't take me so I took me and King Kai, my son, we went. And listen, after that I felt like sick cause I was like, I don't eat, cause I usually don't eat sugar.

I'm a savory person, so I really don't eat a lot of sweets. When I tell you I sat there and I finished that baked bear, shout out to the baked bear. [00:58:00] laughter laughter

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: Shatira, thank you so much for

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: lol Silence. Yeah. Silence. Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: you so much. Um, is there any last words you have for our audience? Well,

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Listen, thank you, Dr Asia for having me. It was a pleasure. It's always you always create a space for educators and just for people. I like to come on to be able to share what they do their journeys and what they In just the most loving way. So thank you for having us and creating a space to be able to tell our exit interview story, but also to help show that it wasn't an exit necessarily.

We just started a new journey in the beginning with something. And I just want to [00:59:00] say, remember, remember, remember that. It may not make sense when you're going through it, but just sit back sometimes, have some time to reflect and make sure you appreciate and remember the secret sauce and all the ingredients that you're making so that you can continue to go out there and be great and just do it.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: that's it. We're going to end on that note. Thank you so much for listening to

shatiera-porte-e_1_09-17-2024_114342: Yes.

dr--asia-lyons--she-her-_1_09-17-2024_094342: a podcast for black educators. see you later. Peace.

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