Nurah Speaks

We have acclimated to a mediocre and inferior means of living- in nearly every aspect of our existence in North America. From areas of health, family, educational outcomes and finances-Black Americans lead in most negative statistics.  Whether through mental conditioning or forced enslavement, we are not generally positioned for successful outcomes. In consideration of our condition, we must rethink the standards by which we are living. If we take a close examination, many of us are conditioned to mediocrity and subpar circumstances.   I would suggest that we raise our standards and habituate ourselves to those standards. If we accustom ourselves to the basic principles of success, success will then become the norm. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeak

Grammy’s and academy awards are no qualifiers for leadership. Our entertainers are not the authority in matters of national, political, governmental, education and societal affairs. Why then are they sought to speak on behalf of the Black community when there are those who are qualified among us to address these matters? Celebrities (athletes and entertainers) are paid to play games, dance, play make believe and amuse us in general. How then do we accept their insights on signifiant matters of state when we have those on the ground doing the actual work of promoting change? Let the comedians make us laugh. Let the singers make us dance. Let the athletes make us cheer.  And let the leaders, whose experience qualifies them, speak for us. No other group like the Black community permits their performers to address matters of importance as if they are authorities in those fields. Why do we? If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.co

We must not let the frustrations of our past mistakes stain the joy our young people have in pursuing their own dreams and ambitions. We unfairly place the burden of our errors at their feet and pour out a cascade of our grief and regrets. It is selfish and unjust of us to do. Instead of discouraging our children with a litany of our failures, lift them up and push them towards what’s possible for their lives. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpeaks.com. Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Propaganda is the systematic dispersion of information (truth or untruths) to persuade opinions, attitudes and ultimately the behavior of people. It is a tool used in education, retail marketing, religion, entertainment, politics and healthcare.   Strategists use propaganda to create followers, manipulate emotions, behaviors and the financial investment of its targets. This episode shares ways to manage propaganda to get at the truth in all matters.  We cannot afford to be intellectually lazy in this day or we can fall victim to those who are skilled manipulators for the purpose of their own agendas. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpe

More and more I see requests on social media for followers to post pictures of the interior of their homes and for games which require followers to insert information that could be used for fraudulent purposes. Episode 166 features ten social media best practice tips for listeners to employ to protect themselves, their property and their loved ones. 1 Refrain from posting the interior of your home 2. Be conservative with your posts 3. Do not post intoxicated, either from substances or strong emotions 4. Do not play the games that ask you to list key details about yourself or family that could also be used to hack your accounts. 5. Use strong passwords such as sentences, phrases and use two factor authentication. 6. Protect your children by refraining from posting them in their bathing suits, beds and bedrooms and with identifying information such as their school or sports team. 7. Know your employer’s social media policies. 8. Do not accept every friend request. 9. Refrain from posting your personal fears a

To every extent possible we must exert control over that which influences our young people. They are too valuable and our future too precious to defer the responsibility and direction of their lives to outside persuasion. If we want a future of prosperity, longevity and security-the work is ours to do today to make sure that happens. Parenting and guidance of our young people is an active - not a passive - job. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpeaks.com. Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Standard Bearers are those who uphold values or ideas. They are those who champion the values and ideas in which they believe. They possess the strength to endure changing trends; they have the discipline to remain consistent and on message and the fearlessness to speak to that which is unpopular or unfavored by the masses.   If you want to be a leader and be successful, you must possess the qualities of a standard bearer. In this episode, I share a staunch example of a steadfast sister, Sharazhad Ali, a bold woman speaking on behalf of the Black family for over 30 years. She epitomizes what it is to be a standard bearer.  You can find links to videos featuring her here: https://youtu.be/nG8H4Jyd_no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9XQ4ia2j0k If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link

When we conduct ourselves without standards, we devolve into chaos - as evidenced by the outcomes in our community.  There must be some acceptable standard for language, dress and behavior - especially in public. We are so worn down that we’ve acclimated to our substandard conditions and argue with those who encourage us to do and be better.  It makes the words of Henry Berry true: “We have as far as possible closed every avenue by which light may enter the slave’s mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete; they would then be on a level with the beast of the field and we should be safe.” If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next e

Do not mistake correction for condemnation, they are not the same. To receive correction is to receive guidance when we have erred. We need not assume any judgement has been made upon us. Too many of us are uncomfortable, agitated and distrustful when receiving counsel that does not align with our attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. I have personal experience with working youth and some adults who perceive instruction as aggression and correction as an attack One remedy to this is rearing our children to respect authority and habituating them to training and coaching in their youth. Those who have not are easily identified by employers, teachers, mentors and coaches.  They are often the most difficult to train and the least receptive to guidance.   If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Fol

A New Jersey school principal told her faculty that pajamas, do-rags and bonnets are ‘their culture’, referring to the school's black pupils. If this would upset us, what argument do we have with Mo’nique? She is giving no less than what I received growing up from the women responsible for shaping and cultivating me into womanhood. The rearing, training and chiding (when needed) that I received in my youth conditioned me to appreciate mentorship and guidance as an adult. It is simple. We need to do better and stop hating the person giving the correction. We may want to ‘do as we please’ but if what we please defies decency and etiquette then we ought to be challenged. We should want more for ourselves than forcing society to accept our regressed attitudes and behaviors. This is not our culture. It is emblematic of our fall from grace and our own self regard. These words can be tough to hear for women who are so encouraged to ‘live your life’ and ‘do what makes you happy’. We are being misguided and are mi

Juneteenth, also known as ‘Freedom Day’, ‘Emancipation Day’ and ‘Liberation Day’ is the day that marks the enforcement of the freedom of slaves in Galveston, Texas. It was on June 19, 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger enforced the freedom of slaves still held in bondage despite the January 1, 1863 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the congressional passing of the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865. On June 16, 2021 Congress passed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021. This episode is a recording of remarks I gave at a Juneteenth event June 19, 2021, an event facilitated by the Black & Brilliant Events Team in Glassboro, New Jersey.  My subject is ‘Priority’. What are our priorities in this day and how do we address them? Be sure to share your thoughts and comments on this episode. Remember to subscribe to Nurah Speaks and share it with family and friends. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podc

Nurah Speaks is back with another fresh episode, this time talking about the ‘I Got It’ mentality?  Don’t know what that is? It is the compulsion of us Black women to reflexively say, “I got it” when offered assistance or support.  We say, “I got it” sometimes without even assessing if help is warranted for the given circumstances. Some of us are so in the habit of not needing anyone that we turn away aid when we could actually use it.  This episode examines why we do that and the implications of this behavior. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpeaks.com. Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

Nurah Speaks is a catalyst for change. It is a conversation piece, an information center, inspiration, guidance and love in words. Nurah Speaks listeners are informed, conscientious and committed community members on the front lines of change. I am grateful for all of the listeners and subscribers of the podcast and especially to those who have commented, rated the show, sent emails, provided critical feedback, contacted me on social media and those who have pulled me aside to share their thoughts on the show. I am thankful that the podcast is meeting its intended goal of tugging on the soul and consciousness of our people. There is so much work that needs to be done and ‘if we each do a little, no one has to do a lot.’ Those were the words spoken by Judge Charles Dortch, a guest on the show.  I have had the honor of featuring the great Judge Dortch and so many other wonderful folks doing incredible work in their communities. I urge you to listen or ‘re-listen’ to the those interviews because there is

It is with pleasure that I welcome Mandene Muhammad to the Nurah Speaks audience. Brother Mandene is the founder of Legacy Men’s Boutique, a store providing high end men's clothing and accessories at affordable prices located in the heart of Bronzeville Chicago. Additionally he is a member of the Coalition for Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad (CROE) and a producer at CROETV studios. He also hosts a weekly radio show ‘Elevated Talk’ on the historic WVON ‘Talk of Chicago’ every Tuesday evening. Brother Mandene and I discuss many subjects in this episode including his journey from behind the camera and working off stage to now sitting before the microphone hosting his own weekly radio show and being center stage in his business. He speaks to the need of abandoning one’s comfort zone for the sake of personal and professional growth. This was a conversation long time in the making and I appreciate Brother Mandene for joining me in this episode. His efforts in providing quality media and his acts of service via hi

Episode 156 challenges our unhealthy tie to dysfunction and deprivation within our community. We have accepted these unfortunate conditions within our community as norms and we ingrain these in our children and the cycle continues. We have to confront these unhealthy norms and challenge our thoughts and behaviors if we want better for our coming generations. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading her blog by clicking this link. Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To bring Nurah as a speaker at your next event, email info@NurahSpeaks.com. Remember, don’t just Join the Movement, Be the Movement!

We are wrapping up Women’s History Month with this week’s guest Wendy Tabor. Wendy is the President of the Tri County section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). She’s also a Registered Nurse, Entrepreneur, a dedicated community servant and an overall beautiful soul. Wendy and I touched on a variety of topics in this interview including: How her upbringing influenced her path in leadership and entrepreneurship  The history of the NCNW and the Tri County chapter’s community service goals Her experience with the COVID 19 Vaccine The NCNW was founded in 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and for more than fifty years, Dr. Dorothy Height served as president. Currently Johnnetta Betsch Cole serves as the elected chair. This was a great conversation with a woman who is passionate about service. If you would like to get involved or lend your support, you can contact Wendy by email: NCNWTriCounty@gmail.com. Follow the NCNW Tri County chapter @NCNWTriCounty on Facebook  and Instagram. If you

A boss says, “Go.” A leader says, “Let’s go!” There are important delineations between a leader, someone in charge, and a boss, someone who is also in charge. The delineations lie in the perspective they have of their role, how they operate within their authority or power, how they relate to their members/employees and how they take responsibility for the outcomes of the operation. In episode 154, I share key differences between bosses and leaders and important ways those in authority can help and support the team members that they lead. Here are some examples:   A boss takes credit.  A leader gives credit.   A boss commands.  A leader influences.   Bosses hold others accountable.  Leaders hold themselves accountable.   Remember, every boss is not a leader and every leader is not a boss.  Take a listen to this episode and let it inform how we engage with those with whom we work - whether on the job, in a civic organization, a family or your church or temple. Let me

Earlier this month a mother reported her 13 year old son was severely bullied and forced to drink urine at a school mate's sleepover. It is alleged that a video of the incident was circulated among his classmates. The story is unbelievably horrific and difficult to read. The trauma this child experienced and the anguish of his mother is unimaginable. Bullying and cruelty among children is not uncommon. We must take steps to protect our children from the sort of abuse that becomes nightmares. The greatest control that we have is in the protection we provide within our own homes. Sleepovers are fun, exciting and a great way for children to bond. They are also means for perpetrators (other children or adults) to victimize children.  I encourage parents and guardians to think very carefully before allowing their children to spend the night outside their homes. A link to the story follows with links to other incidents of abuse at sleepovers. Please be advised, the content in some of these links may be trig

We are back with another LIVE streamed episode of Nurah Speaks with this week’s guest Dr. Nicole Muhammad, founder of Sew Elevated. Sew Elevated is a luxury women’s fashion brand created to empower and elevate the women who wear her designs. In this conversation Dr. Nicole Muhammad discusses developing a consciously driven brand, the diverse partnerships needed to launch her line and a behind the scenes look at developing Sew Elevated. She shares important insights that will benefit listeners no matter what their vocation, interests or goals.  This episode was streamed live on Facebook and can be viewed on the Nurah Speaks Facebook page. Be sure to follow Sew Elevated on Instagram @SewElevated and Facebook to stay up to date with the brand and definitely visit the website SewElevated.com. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Listeners can also learn more about Nurah by visiting her website: NurahSpeaks.com or reading

Angela Lewis is this week’s phenomenal guest on the Nurah Speaks Podcast! Angela hails from St. Louis and is a former pro basketball player, championship coach, international speaker and author. Angela is the founder of Ignite Her Game Academy where she teaches girls about more than basketball. She delivers life skills using the game as an analogy for life. As basketball opened a world of opportunities for Angela, she wants the same for the girls in her programs. She has been featured on the Black News Channel, in the St. Louis Business Journal and on over 20 podcasts. Angela is committed to helping prepare the next generation of young women to lead the next and she started Ignite Her Game Academy to ensure they have the life skills to conquer any challenge. Visit her website angelarlewis.com and follow Angela on Twitter and IG @angela_r_lewis and on Facebook @angelalewisbasketball. If you would like to engage with the Nurah Speaks podcast, submit your listener questions to info@NurahSpeaks.com.  Lis