>>On this episode of the Own Your Now Show... >>For me, textured hair is more than just the hair.

You kind of alluded to it when it comes to how neuroscience and things like that connect.

Because for us at Florae, we really believe that your internal wellness really does connect to the outside.

>>We're filling our cups with conversations that unite people with neuroscientist and beauty entrepreneur Dr. Natalie King.

>>Plus, hear from educator and entrepreneur Sylvester Chisom.

>>A lot of our students- it's not just their first time out of the country, they may be the first in the family to travel internationally, the first on an airplane, the first to own a passport.

>>As he shares life and career advice with a global impact.

>>And you don't want to miss our "Vibe in the Box," musician Malena Smith.

>>Oh, why do I [inaudible].

If I'm breathing.

If I'm screaming.

>>Grab your cups, and let's fill it up.

It's all coming up on the Own Your Now Show.

>>Funding for this episode is made possible by Frazier Automotive, friends and supporters of the Own Your Now Show.

Thank you for supporting this program.

♪ ♪ >>I am your host Tracie Berry-McGhee, also known as Divine Tea.

>>And I'm your co-host Yolonda Lankford, and you know what they call me?

Lady Yo.

>>And we want to welcome you to the Own Your Now Show, where it's all about wellness, opportunity, knowledge, and empowerment.

Lady Yo?

>>Yes, ma'am.

>>How are you today?

>>I am fantastic.

The best part is being here with you.

[laughs] >>Look, every time that I see you and I see your smile I'm like, "This is the best part."

But speaking of the best part, what's in your cup?

What are you sipping on today?

>>Tracie, you know, I'm going old school.

Now you know I'm a farmer's daughter, and I drank coffee all my life since I was 3 years old, so today I'm drinking coffee.

I have to disappoint you.

I have sugar and cream.

>>Oh my gosh!

You know, that is a problem.

But if it's sweet, just like you, then I guess it's okay.

>>Well, I'll take that.

Have to ask you, sis, what are you sipping on?

>>You know, I'm going to disappoint probably everyone.

Typically I drink my coffee black- no sugar, no cream, but today I'm sipping tea.

Okay, it's all about the tea.

I'm trying to take care of myself, and I have had way too much caffeine, and I'm sure plenty of other people have said you know what, it's time for us to just do a little bit better, so I'm sipping some green tea myself.

>>And you know we're all about wellness, so tea is the tea to be sipping on.

>>Yes, it is.

Speaking of tea, I wanted to talk to you about all of the exclusives and the different things that we have coming on for this show.

You know, you're all about exclusives, your Lady Yo one-on-one tips.

But I want to know about your wellness word for today.

>>Well, you said "wellness word," but I want to go back to "Don't forget my vibrant vibes," okay?

I love exclusives, but I have to have those vibrant vibes.

And I am going to say my wellness word today is 'inspire.'

>>Inspire, that's it.

I love it.

You know how we feel about the word 'inspire.'

>>Absolutely, because most people say, "I don't know if I'm inspirational," but if you walk the walk and talk the talk, someone is going to see something in you that's going to help them go down the road.

So even if you don't think you're inspirational, somebody's watching.

You are.

>>Even though you say that, you're 314-ish, you walk the walk, and that's what it's all about, because you know we are the Show Me State," right?

>>Yes, yes, yes.

Now I have to ask you, what's your affirmational word?

>>I'm going with the word 'joy,' joy today.

I always talk about just being original you, so joy is my word.

That's my word for today, and I love the fact that we're going to be inspiring everyone and we're going to fill up everyone's cup, and we're going to make sure that we have conversations that unite people.

>>Absolutely.

♪ ♪ >>Everyone grab your cups, it's time for conversations that unite people.

And we welcome our first guest, Dr. Natalie King.

Welcome.

>>So happy to be here, both of you.

>>Thank you.

>>Thank you.

Well you know, we have so much to talk about, but we have to get it started with what's in your cup.

What are you sipping on?

>>Oh, I'm going with green tea today.

Green tea.

It's just, it's so good for your body overall, and since everything is about wellness, I'm trying to stick with that for the season, so.

>>Trust me, I am too.

I am.

>>Now I don't even know how many times I've said the word 'neuroscientist.'

>>Oh my goodness, congratulations on that overall.

You studied neuroscience, however you are in the beauty business.

How in the world did that happen?

>>It seems like such a departure, I know.

But yeah, so I started my neuroscience degree- oh my gosh, I was looking at it the other day, 10 years ago.

So I've been out of the game, I feel like a rookie and a vet, you know how that goes.

And started in neuropsychiatry, actually.

So a lot of my research there was focusing on depression and suicide, and then ended up finishing on the grounds of like neurodevelopmental research, so we did a lot of autism research for my dissertation.

And I just thought, you know, this is going to be my career forever.

I love the sciences, I love neuroscience obviously, but I don't know, maybe that last year, something in me said, "You know, you have a bit of a bug for business," and so launched directly and worked for a startup, actually, right outside of grad school, and the whole premise was neurobusiness at the time.

And it's a bit of a buzzword now, but effectively just teaching C-suite leaders how to have more social and emotional intelligence.

So I did that for a couple years, and then I started to get the science itch again.

So I went back into medical affairs, and I still do that actually to this day, but based on your previous question, of course, we also know I have a hair wellness business called Florae.

So it's been an interesting sort of trajectory, but they're actually much more linked than I think people realize, so looking forward to getting into that.

>>So I'm a therapist, and so I love that social-emotional intelligence, and how you can bring that to the hair industry, and how that impacts us.

Talk to us about the value of celebrating diversity when it comes to hair textures, because I know we all have different hair, as we can see.

>>Yes.

It's so, so important, and I think we've had a number of different movements within the hair care space over the course of the last 20 or so years, right?

You've had the natural hair community, you've had so many other movements specifically.

But I think when it comes to textured hair specifically, we have to remember that it actually crosses race and ethnicity, right?

So I think most people naturally gravitate toward afro-textured hair, which I think is the largest demographic within that segment.

But globally, we are actually the global majority when it comes to hair.

And so I always try to encourage people to remember that you're not- this isn't a niche, this isn't a niche thing that it's just nice to have in the industry.

You're actually speaking to the majority of people who are going to be purchasing products, interacting with these products, and wanting to have a better overall way that they present to the world.

So for me, textured hair is more than just the hair, you kind of alluded to it when it comes to how neuroscience and things like that connect, because for us at Florae we really believed that your internal wellness really does connect to the outside, and there are plenty of things that connect when it comes to the sciences.

So neuroscience, you've got a field called 'neurotrichology' where it sort of looks at people who might be struggling with hair and scalp care conditions, and sort of the mental conditions that can come along with having that particular struggle, right?

So people are 2-6 times more likely to also have an adjoining mental health issue if they also have a hair and scalp issue.

So there's lots of connectivity, and then of course just based on physical health in general, if you think about me as a former healthcare provider, there are lots of conditions that actually present on the outside, right?

So thyroid issues- >>Yeah, I have thyroid issues, and it affects your hair.

>>It affects your hair, right.

So lots of things, lots of connectivity there, and I just feel like the industry overall has not necessarily bridged that gap effectively so women can really understand how those two things are connected.

>>Now you touched on it a little bit, what I wanted to talk about.

So we have good hair days, bad hair days, and as little girls, someone might say, "Oh she has good hair and she has bad hair."

How does that affect us as human beings when people talk about our hair like it is who we are?

>>Yeah, it's actually a really sad thing to me, because you definitely see- especially younger women and girls growing up, it is a part of our identity, right, and so I think if you're thinking about the industry and how it's typically presented, it's like, "Oh, it's just your hair," right?

It's just, you know, it's aesthetic, right?

But the reality is young girls are really growing up in this sense of your hair is your identity, or it's a part of your identity, right?

So when you have someone who says something like, "Oh, you have hair that's not good," or "You have good hair," it really sort of leads to this sort of split in someone's identity that I just think is so hard for women to find ways to come back to themselves over time.

So you'll see things where women want to change who they are to kind of fit a narrative, and of course here in the western world we have the Eurocentric standard of beauty which is continually perpetuated.

And so I think it starts with one thing, it starts with "Oh, you have good hair or bad hair," and then it leads to a host of other things that are really hard to work on as you get older.

>>That's true.

>>For me, I grew up in that same sentiment.

I come from a background of multiple ethnicities, I'm Afro-Latina, and so you hear it all the time.

We think of racism, we think of classicism, but there's texturism, right?

There's colorism within that.

And so there's a lot of different barriers we have to- not just me as an older person, I call myself an older person.

[laughs] >>Okay, sis.

[laughs] >>I call myself a "geriatric millennial."

But there's a lot of things that we can do who have gone through these periods to kind of help the younger women and the younger girls along in that sort of process.

>>We talked about that earlier.

I struggled with my hair growing up as well, and I mean sometimes I wear wigs and I decide I want to be natural.

And we always talk about how important that is for us to really own your now and be true to yourself, especially in the TikTok era.

You and your sister are both neuroscientists, as well as you're a model, but there's a lot that you're doing.

How are you owning your now?

>>Yeah, so we are both in the sciences.

She's in environmental science, and so I'm in neuro, and she has been such an inspiration throughout my life.

But absolutely, I would say in terms of "owning my now" it's not an easy thing all the time, because we have so many things- and I don't have to tell you ladies, that so many things going on.

You've got this business, that thing, you know, and I still, like I said, work in my corporate space.

And so for me right now, I know it's a crazy word, I think we overuse it, but finding some level of flow, right?

So it's not necessarily balanced, because I don't know if there's ever really time.

There's never really a situation where it's completely balanced, but finding the flow.

And when I'm focused on one thing, that's what I'm focused on.

And when I'm focused on a medical affairs position, that's what I'm focused on at that moment.

So finding a way for me to really channel my brain into this is what we're working on right now, this is what has to happen, and this is what the business needs or the medical affairs needs, just really sticking and focusing on that at the moment.

So it's really just finding the compartments that work best for me, and finding the flow.

>>Dr.

Natalie King.

First I want to say congratulations to you and your parents, because you are an outstanding young lady.

Thank you so much for being our guest.

>>Thank you.

I've enjoyed my time.

>>You filled up our cups.

>>Thank you.

♪ ♪ >>Lady Yo, my cup is full.

[laughs] >>Well you know what, our cups are full but we are about to talk to somebody who is going to help us sip off the saucer.

Welcome, Sylvester Chisom.

>>Oh, thank you.

Thank you so much, I'm so excited to be here with you both.

>>Yes, yes.

Show me the world.

We've got to ask you, what's in your cup?

What are you sipping on?

>>Okay, I'm glad you asked first.

So I am drinking our Honduras dark roast coffee, which has a nice caramel and brown sugar taste.

I drink it black, straight.

>>Tracie's kind of guy.

>>There it is.

>>Yes!

Black, no sugar, no cream.

And that's just a little blend right there, and that sounds perfect.

>>That sounds perfect.

I know you'll be brewing some today.

We have to ask, Show Me The World Project.

What is that all about?

>>Thank you for asking.

I'd first like to say, it's connected to the coffee, but we use coffee to increase educational outcomes for you.

So we have a mission to support you from under-resourced communities, with life-changing educational experiences at home and abroad.

So our students are involved in a year-long program where they're going through workshops, from STEM-connected to entrepreneurial experiences, working the Tower Grove Farmers Market, and learning those skills that are really important, like communication, collaboration, and teamwork.

And to help expand that worldview, we're taken to places like Costa Rica.

So we get a chance to see the farm-to-cup process.

They're hiking volcanoes, exploring rainforests, and really coming back with a truly global perspective.

>>Wow, wow.

When I think about the school, you all started this right here at Vashon High School, right?

>>Yes, absolutely.

>>My dad went to the V. [laughs] So there's a legacy there.

But the other thing that I've realized is the value of workforce readiness.

How does your program help to get them ready?

>>So this is something, a recent study, so this is like a real problem for the St. Louis workforce.

New hires are coming in with poor work habits, missing out on communication skills, not understanding how to work together in a team, how to collaborate.

And these are the real skills that companies are looking for.

So we're training and preparing our youth for that economic upward mobility to be equipped with those skills.

So while there at the Farmers Market they're working on their communication skills, they're using critical thinking and teamwork, and all of those different things.

So when you take that and you start that early in high school, they're really prepared for success in whatever career field they decide to go into.

>>That's good, that's good stuff.

>>Now you're taking groups of kids- I mean 10 kids at a time, 20 kids at a time?

>>This year we'll have over 100 students in our program from multiple high schools across the St. Louis area.

>>And for many of the kids, is it the first time going out of the country?

>>For a lot of our students, it's not just them, the first time out of the country, they may be the first in the family to travel internationally, the first on an airplane, the first to own a passport.

If you think about your first international trip, I know you both are well-traveled, what did that do for you?

So imagine if that happens to you when you're 13, 14, 15.

You know, like it expands your worldview, especially when you hear so much negativity about the things our teenagers are going through, the problems when they show them on television, so I mean this is something that we're truly proud to show here's a different perspective, and showing our teenagers like the world belongs to you, and they can own their now.

>>Oh honey, say that again.

The world belongs to you.

>>When I was thinking about- I was looking at your website, and it covered the four pillars.

For me, I know exposure is everything, but one of the things that strongly stood out to me was the leadership piece, because they're traveling to another country.

Talk to me about what that meant for you to see them step up and be able to be leaders.

>>I think to a student that was in our first cohort, Sep'Tisha Riley, she was a first generation high school graduate, first generation college graduate, and fast forward to today, she was in Teach for America, she's also an educator now here in St. Louis, and she works with our program.

To see her transition through all those different phases and to hear from her, to say like, this program was so influential in my life, it showed me a bigger version of myself, it showed me what the possibilities could be if I was willing to persist and understand the importance of delayed gratification.

So seeing those leadership skills in Sep'Tisha, it really shows me the possibilities of what happens when you really try to groom a student in the right way.

>>It's priceless.

>>That is priceless, and they come back.

That's the most important part, when they value it so much that they say, "I have to teach this to someone else."

You traveled the world, you have your own family, your own children, beautiful wife, and all the kids that you travel with.

How do you stay well?

What do you do for Sylvester for wellness?

>>I take walks, I take walks.

That's my thing.

I feel like getting connected to nature- there's a beautiful park near my home, so I like to walk around the park, take my son out.

He's a two-year-old, my little one.

Put him in a stroller, and- >>That's a real walk right there.

>>It is, right.

>>That's a workout!

>>It is, right, get a little extra workout in.

But I think that's something that's for me, it helps to clear my mind, get connected with nature.

Yeah, absolutely.

>>Of course, with all of the traveling that you do, you respect the parks and being able to get out there and walk.

Lady Yo, we're going to have to get out there and walk.

>>Okay, tell your two-year-old, his aunties are coming, the aunties are coming.

[laughs] >>And we'll have coffee as well.

When we talk about wellness, we always ask what is your wellness word?

What is your wellness word?

>>My wellness word would be 'authenticity,' to show up in the world every day as your authentic self.

As you said that, I'm thinking about a quote from Kamala Harris, she said, "The American dream belongs to all of us."

And so I think living through that in your authentic self, we should all be able to show off who we are, no matter what our unique differences may be, but celebrate those things.

Just be yourself.

>>That's it, that's what it looks like.

>>Alright, that's a word, we got that.

Thank you so much for joining us today and telling us about Show Me The World Project and the wonderful, I know they're beautiful souls, that you helped change their lives and the trajectory, possibly, of their family lives.

Thank you so much for being a part of The Own Your Now Show.

♪ ♪ >>My cup is totally overflowing.

>>Oh wait, wait, wait.

Overflowing, I thought we used the term "sipping off the saucer."

>>That's right, that's right.

>>Yes, we know, talking to Sylvester about what he's doing with coffee and the kids, it's just dynamic.

>>Yes, it is.

And then the diversity of what it looks like to take care of your hair.

Dr. Natalie King, she's so beautiful and smart.

Brains and beauty.

>>Yes, ma'am.

Neuroscientist.

[laughs] >>Yes, yes.

Well, speaking of brains and beauty.

What is your Lady Yo one-on-one tip for today?

>>Lady Yo one-one-one tip is simple.

Just be an original you.

I say that because there is only one you.

People may copy, mimic, but you are created to be one you, and it's never too late to be the best you.

So just be an original you, and I love my original Tracie.

>>And I love my original Lady Yo.

>>Thank you, ma'am.

>>Alright.

I know you call me Divine Tea, and I know you can call me Tracie, but you know what?

You will always be my Lady Yo.

>>Thank you.

>>Speaking of Lady Yo and the own your now flow, when I think about just being original, all I can think about is joy.

We talked about affirmation words, being well, and what that looks like for us.

And all I can think about is how we tie all that together.

And so we have a great performer coming up, but we want you all to know that when you think about the value of inspiring each other, it's all about being authentic.

And when you're authentic, you can find the joy and know that just being an original you is all you need to be.

And at the end of the day, when you're authentic and you're being all you need to be, you can go with the flow.

And that's what it looks like to be well.

>>I love it, Tracie.

You do it every time, you do it every time.

>>Well, who is our "Vibe in the Box" guest?

>>Our "Vibe in the Box" guest is the one and only Malena Smith.

>>Well, make sure that you all continue to listen to us and understand the value of what it looks like for us to come together and fill up each other's cup.

As we move into the "Vibe in the Box," we want to make sure that we wish you what, Lady Yo?

>>Peace, love, and positivity.

>>Now remember, tomorrow isn't promised so own your now.

♪ ♪ >>I don't trust myself lately.

I don't trust myself to choose.

I've been so afraid of failing, and I've been too afraid to move.

And I don't know if I can fix my mess.

And I don't know what I should do.

I've been too afraid to face myself, and I've been too afraid to move.

If I'm breathing and blood's running through my veins, then why do I feel paralyzed?

If I'm screaming and talking at the speed of light, then why do I feel paralyzed?

See, I've mastered looking busy from the outside looking in.

But if only they could see that I'm not in love with where I am.

If I'm breathing and blood's running through my veins, then why do I feel paralyzed?

If I'm screaming and talking at the speed of light, then why do I feel paralyzed?

If I'm marching to the beat and running away from my own dreams, then why do I feel paralyzed?

Should I listen to the voices?

They're saying I got left behind.

They said I'm made of the wrong choices, and they left me paralyzed.

If I'm breathing and blood's running through my veins, then why do I feel paralyzed?

♪