Talk! With Audrey

The holidays are a very busy time of year! With many of us traveling home for the holidays again and the ever-growing popularity of online shopping, safety and security should be top of mind this season. Joining me with information to keep yourself and your family safe this holiday season, Crystal Pichon, CEO of The Safety Place.

Hartford Hough is an award- winning baker, chef and cake designer and author who is as passionate about the care of animals, as he is about baking and the culinary arts. His deep concern for the health and welfare of animals has led to his efforts to support other resources and organizations responsible for finding “forever” homes for lost, abandoned, and displaced animals. He is a true advocate who is determined to raise awareness for this cause, end animal cruelty and foster care. Hartford is a proud member of the Humane Society and the ASPCA.  He joins me to talk about his new book, Ginger The Journey of Two Hearts: One Animal, One Human.

“I left corporate America after my own experiences with systemic racism traumatized and nearly destroyed me,” says Abram. “Now, I spend my time trying to heal from my experiences by writing books that shine a light on systemic racism in the workplace to help others.” She joins me now to talk about her novel, HUSH MONEY: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism In Her Workplace and Kept Her Job. The book is a group effort by Abram and her two daughters, Deborah and Delilah Harris, and unveils the horrors of modern-day systemic racism in corporate America and chronicles the five-year journey of Ebony Ardoin, an ambitious, young, Black woman in search of a fulfilling and rewarding career path that allows her to live the American Dream.

From skinny-dipping presidents to toxic tooth fillings to hit singing groups that can’t carry a tune, authors Michael N. Smith and Eric Kasum  wrote 100 of the Worst Ideas in History. It's a celebration of humanity’s historical, hysterical stinkin' thinkin'—thundering brainstorms that turned into blundering brain farts, and the astonishing impact they carry to this day. Michael Smith is my guest.

As of 2020, nearly 1.8 million electric vehicles (EV's) were registered in the U.S., more than three times as many as in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency. Battery-electric vehicles were noted as the fastest-growing category soaring from fewer than 300,000 in 2016 to more than 1.1 million last year. With electric-powered vehicles on the rise, what do you need to know about the cars of the future? Co-Founder of #LatinaGeeks LaLa Castro  joins me with information about the latest trends and what the future holds.

Events over the last year have pushed companies to be more agile and thoughtful in their customer experience approach. Consumers have reevaluated their personal and financial priorities and enhanced their expectations of the brands they support. to celebrate National Customer Service Week (October 4-8, 2021), Ashley Ross, Client Care Executive at Bank of America, joins me to talk about how the customer experience will forever be changed in a post-pandemic world.

In October of 2013, Bew White was at the pinnacle of his career and success, Chairman of the Board of Gabriella White and its brands, Summer Classics, Gabby and Wendy Jane found himself in the emergency room, fighting for his life. It was that moment when he thought his life would end that led him to want to share his story with the world. His biography, A Summer Classic: The Bew White Story written by Christopher Taunton, is an Entrepreneur's Tale of Love, Life and Business.

According to Mark Lazar, a Certified Financial Planner, wealth advisor, “Contrary to what you may hear from friends, family, teachers, the government, or the media—regardless of your race, color, religion, where you grew up, or current social status, you have the power to change your life in ways you never believed possible,” and he wrote a book to help you get there, Pathway to Prosperity, to take the mystery out of money.

Ask any parent some of the things they do to keep their children safe and you’re likely to hear car seats, helmets and knee pads for bicycle riding. But when it comes to the Internet, parents often don’t know where to start in order to protect their children online.  Crystal Pichon, Children’s Safety Expert and CEO of The Safety Place talks with me about the importance of internet safety for children, especially during the back-to-school season.

Due to COVID-19, the need for lung transplantation is growing. Approximately 20-30 percent of patients who get COVID-19 can result in some form of lung damage. Lung transplantation is the last resort for patients with end-stage lung disease. However, there is currently a global shortage of donated lungs which sadly results in deaths among patients on the waitlist. And . . . many donated lungs are deemed unsuitable for transplantation and go un-utilized. Dr. Kalvin Lung - Thoracic Surgeon at Northwestern Medicine with information about a new device to help rescue potentially viable lungs, and those initially deemed “unacceptable” for transplant.

Alongside grammar and world history, another important subject to teach our kids is financial literacy. From budgeting and saving paychecks from a summer job to responsibly using a credit card, finances should be part of the curriculum starting at a young age through young adulthood. Erin McCullen, Head of Deposit Products at Bank of America has tips for parents to help their kids develop financial skills to set them up for post-grad financial independence.

As a result of the pandemic, 86% of Hispanic small business owners reported significant negative impacts, including complete closure, and were only half as likely as their white counterparts to receive PPP loans. Esperanza Teasdale, VP and GM of Hispanic Business at PepsiCo will be joined by Lupillo Ramirez, President of the Latino Food Industry Association  join me information about Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow).Their partnership to raise awareness about Juntos Crecemos, which will invest more than $50 Million in strengthening Hispanic owned businesses.

Despite the economic uncertainty over the past year due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the average U.S. FICO® Score currently stands at 716. Joanne Gaskin, Vice President of Scores and Analytics,  for FICO joins me with the latest credit score data released by FICO, what impact COVID-19 had on credit scores and FICO’s commitment to financial education, inclusion and ability to score more people.

Studies have shown that students who have health insurance, and access essential medical care, are less likely to miss class than their peers without coverage and are more likely to complete high school and graduate college. And unfortunately, there are still many who don’t have health insurance. Joining me with information about how uninsured eligible children and teens up to age 19 in families with limited incomes can get health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP, Dr. LaShawn McIver, Director of the Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Since 2014, 30 vehicles have been added to the National Historic Vehicle Register, a program created in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and Library of Congress to celebrate and catalog the world’s most significant automobiles.  Joining me live from the National Mall in Washington D.C. Diane Parker, VP, Hagerty Drivers Foundation and Jonathan Klinger, Executive Director of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation to talk about the cool and important cars that will be shown during “Cars at the Capital” this September.

A recent UNCF survey of more than 5,000 students across 17 HBCUs found that many are dealing with difficulties such as sick family members, trouble paying bills and general stress from the ongoing pandemic and recent protests against police brutality. Support is needed now more than ever as students and institutions are faced with challenges including COVID-19 and racial disparities. Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr., executive vice president for field development of UNCF has the details of the UNCF National Virtual Walk for Education® aims to raise funds to support HBCUs and the students they serve.

From ancient to modern times, battles, war campaigns, bureaucratic decision making and the psychological makeup of the main players is explored by author Jared Knott in his Amazon Best-seller ‘Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters 39 Tiny Mistakes That Changed the World Forever.

The economic disruption of COVID-19 has challenged small business owners and entrepreneurs to adopt fresh approaches to become more competitive in the post-pandemic marketplace. This is especially true for minority-owned and women businesses in underserved communities. To address this issue, Maggie Ference, Senior Vice President, BB Credit & Ops Director, Huntington National Bank joins me to offer tips  to help empower your small business and community.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Illinois wants to encourage us to learn the truth about organ and tissue donation. Most organ donations take place after the donor has died however, some organs can be donated while the donor is still alive. This can be a great alternative to waiting on the ever growing transplant list and can help save lives. Dr. Juan Caicedo, Director of the Liver Transplant Program, Living Donor Liver Program and Hispanic Transplant Program at Northwestern Medicine joins me to talk about organ donation and discuss some of the latest research available and Northwestern Memorial’s role in advancing treatment.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM jobs are projected to grow 8.8% from now until 2029. STEM education encourages critical thinking skills, innovation and creative problem-solving.  Competency in these areas is a strong indicator of future career success. Joining me to talk about the importance of STEM education as kids head back-to-school, Phil Cook, high school chemistry teacher and TikTok star (@chemteacherphil 3.3M followers.