In this special episode of No Crystal Stair Podcast, Habeebah pays tribute to her beloved brother, Hashim Rasheed, by welcoming the first male guest to the show. Habeebah sits down with Archie Green, widely known as The Cope Dealer, a remarkable individual who is a son, mental health advocate, hip-hop artist, and the founder of Peel Dem Layers Back—a non-profit organization with a mission to educate, empower, and equip Black men and boys with the essential tools needed to live mentally healthy lives through healing hang-outs and cultural artistic expression, all while representing the hip-hop culture.

In this episode of No Crystal Stair Podcast, host Habeebah engages in a profound conversation with Kyonna F. Brown, The Forgiveness Expert. Kyonna's inspiring story encompasses multiple roles in her life as a mother of a son, suicide survivor turned advocate, pastor, author, and owner of Pooch Styles pet care salon. Kyonna reveals the mental imprisonment she endured before finding herself behind bars for a challenging four-year period. She opens up about the struggles she faced while desperately seeking the love and acceptance of her absent father. Kyonna shares her transformative journey of forgiveness, which began by extending forgiveness to her father before extending it to herself. Kyonna invites listeners to embark on their own personal journey of forgiveness, emphasizing the importance of confronting pain head-on and detaching from traditional beliefs about self-prioritization.

In this episode, host Habeebah sits down with Tiffany Lewis, a remarkable woman who wears multiple hats: mother of three, community servant, Army Veteran, and the Founder of TJL Collections. Tiffany's brand caters specifically to tall women, providing fashion that combines style, fit, and length. Tiffany opens up about the unique challenges faced by tall women when it comes to self-confidence. She shares her personal journey and how she has navigated through the complexities of embracing her own height.

Habeebah sits down with Alta Felix, a mother of three plus two step-children, mother-daughter relationship expert, and founder of Sacred Heart Circle Experience, a space for mothers and preteen daughters to recreate the terms of their relationship. Alta shares how she overcame the challenges of creating a friendship with her mother and their relationship in the present moment along with how the role of other maternal figures has influenced her calling and purpose. Alta offers listeners the opportunity to engage with their children with love and care, as opposed to through the attitudes and beliefs of others.

Habeebah sits down with Gloria Ware, the mother of a free-thinking adult son and founder of two successful businesses: Get The Bag and GTB Advisors. Gloria shares her personal story of setting boundaries as a working mother, which was a first step toward liberating herself from the limiting beliefs that work life so often demands. She cautions listeners about the cost of holding a scarcity mindset and explains how the path of entrepreneurship opens the door for mothers to exercise choice. Gloria also invites listeners to tap into the rich history of Black women entrepreneurs for inspiration to persevere through tough moments in business and encourages us all to incorporate self-care into our business plan.

Habeebah sits down with Rabbi Tamar Manasseh, an ordained Rabbi, a mother of two, and founder of MASK (Mothers and Men Against Senseless Killings), an organization focused on interrupting violence and crime by building a sense of community and shared responsibility that teaches children to grow up as friends rather than enemies. Rabbi Tamar shares that as a Jewish person of faith and Black mother she is uniquely positioned to act in response to the difficulties facing the Black community by responding to the command to leave the world a better place than she found it.

Habeebah sits down with Attorney Corey Minor Smith, a mother of two sons, mental health advocate, and author of #Driven, a personal memoir of caregiving for a loved one (her mother) with severe mental illness and the “drive” to propel forward through the obstacles. Corey shares the challenges of mental health advocacy and the importance of boundaries in the relationship with her sons along with her mother. Corey offers listeners her story (both on the show and a physical book) and how she continues to support her mother despite the complex nature of their relationship as a result of severe mental illness.

Habeebah sits down with Rennee Hubb Johnson, a mother, grandmother and author as she tells the story of how she went from "bound to found." Rennee shares her experiences after becoming a mother during her teenage years and she describes the challenges she had to overcome in order to find peace and fulfill her purpose as she raised her children and younger sister.

Habeebah sits down with Carleeka Basnight-Menendez, a mother to two sons and international consultant, speaker and author who offers her wisdom on navigating menopause and the many physical, emotional, and psychological changes that accompany this period of women's development.

Habeebah sits down with Trina Jones, a mother of two, who is using her personal knowledge of special education to assist parents and caregivers who need help navigating the public eduction system when their children have unique learning needs. Trina shares the story of building her own, and her children's advocacy skills so that both her children, and especially her daughter would get the support they needed.

Habeebah sits down with Rachel Socorro, a SurThriver and mother to two sons as she shares her powerful story of overcoming. Rachel describes how she survived human trafficking, began her healing journey and helped her sons to heal, and ultimately began to live a life of faith and service. Rachel also shares her passion for supporting other people to achieve wellness.

Habeebah sits down with Kori E. Whisenant a mother to two boys and licensed attorney in the State of Ohio who has spent her career in the fields of Estate Planning, Probate Administration, and Guardianship. She shares her passion and urgency for Black mothers to prepare for the unanticipated as well as the inevitable through legal estate planning and protection.

Donnella Jefferson and Erica Merritt return to No Crystal Stair Podcast to help Habeebah count down the Black motherhood moments that inspired them most in 2022.

Donnella Jefferson and Erica Merritt return to No Crystal Stair Podcast to help Habeebah count down the Black motherhood moments that inspired them most in 2022.

Habeebah sits down with De'iona Monay, a mother and entrepreneur who is using and sharing her knowledge of critical financial skills in service to the economic well-being of teens and adults. De'iona describes how doing inner work has helped her overcome limiting beliefs and she shares how being intentional in relationship to her businesses and to herself, her own mother, and her son has helped her find peace and build a life that allows her to experience success and to help others.

Habeebah sits down with Derrica and Natalie Wilson who are mothers, sisters-in-law, and founders of Black and Missing Foundation, a transformational organization bringing national attention to the plight of Black families whose loved ones are missing. Derrica and Natalie share what inspired them to create an organization dedicated to making sure that when Black children, adolescents, and adults are missing, their cases receive adequate resources from law enforcement and attention from local and national media in order to "help us find us."

Habeebah sits down with Phyllis "Seven" Harris, a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and transformational non-profit leader. Seven has over 25 years of non-profit experience and is the executive director of the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland. She is also the co-founder of Sage and Maven, a consulting business that specializes in equity and inclusion, social justice, non-profit management, and leadership development. Seven offers listeners an intersectional perspective as she shares her experiences in leadership and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community and talks about how she sustains the capacity to do the work that the community needs. She also shares the powerful wisdom and beautiful insights that she has gained through motherhood.

Habeebah sits down with author, personal growth coach, and consultant, Carmen Hall, to discuss her work and experiences as she stepped fully into her purpose, navigating uncertainty and discomfort but guided by God, to respond to her calling to use her gift of writing to empower others. She candidly shares how mothering her three sons and two daughters influences and is influenced by her work in the mental health wellness space. And she helps listeners understand the depth of healing that Black mothers are seeking given the societal factors that have caused trauma and harm.

Habeebah sits down with Marlia Hall whose story of faith and obedience to her calling brought her through a season of despair to the point of fulfilling not only her own dreams, but helping other women to fulfill their dreams as well. Marlia and her team at her consulting agency, M Bryonne LLC, “show women how to obtain daily peace, live in purpose, and have prosperity.”

Habeebah sits down with Meryl Johnson, a retired teacher, member of the Ohio Board of Education and a fierce advocate for young people, particularly who are marginalized and facing the most difficult of circumstances. Meryl's life of service and activism is a testimony to the cultural tradition of "othermothers" who nurture and protect children who are not biologically their own. This cultural tradition of people of African descent was first shared with No Crystal Stair Podcast listeners by Dr. Shemariah Arki. Meryl provides listeners a testimony for how meaningful and absolutely essential othermothers are in our community and in the lives of our children. Learn more about othermothers here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othermother.