Happy Ancestors Day QueenSiS! We had the pleasure of visiting with Kathryn Thompson in her beautiful Reiki Room to discuss energy and spirits and healing. You can purchase some of Kathryn's candles at this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheUCLife?dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Check out the full episode for this week on Ancestor Day!

Now, I know some of y’all are like, “Najmah, how is using a dayplanner a celebration?” Butstick with me okay? Because I’ve learned the hard way that planning is not just a work task or management strategy – planning is an act of self-love. It’s a way of honoring your time, your peace, and your purpose. Listen for more details!

In this episode, I’m reflecting on two incredible women in my family who shaped me, inspired me, and continue to guide me in ways I’m still discovering. I share that my Aunt Josephine had a podcast before podcasts were cool - here is a link to the channel she started in 2014 at youtube.com/@josieb4460 (“Enjoy and Love Your Life’s Journey").

Hermina Glass-Hill is a writer, historian, preservationist and sustainability advocate who has worked for more than two decades on environmental justice and human rights.  She is the founder and executive director of the Susie King Taylor Women’s Institute & Ecology Center in Midway, Georgia, having moved there in 2018 from Atlanta to anchor its work in Susie King Taylor’s birthplace. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History (with a minor in African American Studies) from Spelman College, and a Master of Arts in Heritage Conservation / Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University.  Hermina is widely recognized as the foremost and preeminent scholar in the United States on Susie King Taylor, the Civil War nurse and memoirist; she began her research into Taylor’s life in 2009 while working as associate director at Kennesaw State University’s Center for the Study of the Civil War Era. In 2019 Hermina received Georgia’s Governor’s Award for Arts and Humanities for her work preserving African American/Gullah Geechee history and culture. Her forthcoming epic on Susie King Taylor is highly anticipated in academic and public history circles. Connect with QueenSiS Hermina at these links: https://www.susiekingtaylorinstitute.org/ https://www.facebook.com/susiekingtaylor

Hey QueenSiS, its Najmah, your Dayclean Devotion Queen, welcoming you back to autumn and back to the DDQ Podcast. We’ve just about wrapped up powerful third season, all centered on Creativity and today, I want to take a little time to reflect on the wisdom our guests have shared, and the practices that I personally have carried with me. This season was all about creation, not the hustle kind, but the soul kind. About re-imagining, resting, resetting, and allowing our creative selves to breathe. Listen for some of my highlights from each episode of season 3.

Richmond, VA office for The Bair Foundation. She has been employed with numerous companies but when she sawthe opportunity with this organization, she knew that this is where God wanted and needed her to be. She has been with The Bair Foundation for a year and a half and is working to bring more awareness to fostering. Learn more about her work at ⁠https://www.bair.org/services/family-services/

In this solo session, I recap my "day away from adulting" at Disney World!

Basu Blaksis Nefertem aka Eboni Holmes was born in Boston, Ma and moved to Atlanta in 1998. Always an avid reader, and writer she began writing with the intent to perform, after a friend took her to Yin Yang Cafe, more recently known as Apache Cafe. Blaksis is an active member of her community and works and writes to free the minds of African people throughout the Diaspora. She has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Muta Baruka, Janelle Monae, and performed on the T.V. series Spoken. She has a powerful voice that penetrates souls and minds with Black Love and Power. She knows that words without action mean nothing and continues to be diligent in community activism, black economic sustainability, and repatriation efforts to Africa. Currently, she founded the Black Moses Freedom Festival, now in its fifth year. This festival celebrates Harriet Tubman in Beaufort, SC and uses that history to promote health, wellness, and sustainability in the Lowcountry. She is also an African Centered Yoga instructor, for 9 years, she continues to curate events that involve  Culture, Nature, and Healing. This Goddess has curated her life in a way that Holistically supports Africans at home and Abroad in reconnecting and reactivating the genetic codes that keep us whole and intertwined as One magnificent and magical people! Get connected with BlackSiS at these links: https://www.instagram.com/blaksisdagoddess blackmosesff@gmail.com https://www.blackmosesfreedomfestival.com https://www.instagram.com/blackmosesfreedomfestival

Clarenda "Farmer Cee" Stanley is a visionary entrepreneur, farmer, herbalist, and advocate for ethical business and sustainable living. Known affectionately as "Farmer Cee," she is the founding CEO of Green Heffa Farms, a wellness brand and herb farm that celebrates the power of nature to heal and nourish. Raised on her maternal grandparents' farm, with an awarded professional background in marketing and environmental fundraising and a deep and profound respect for the Earth, Farmer Cee dedicates her life to promoting holistic health and wellness practices that honor the interconnectedness of all living things.Beyond her work as an executive, farmer, and herbalist, Farmer Cee is also a passionate educator and community leader. Through workshops, classes, and speaking engagements, she empowers others to support their health by incorporating herbs into their wellbeing program. Farmer Cee's approach is rooted in her belief that everyone has the ability to cultivate wellness from the ground up, starting with the soil beneath their feet. Her mission is to inspire others to reconnect with the earth, embrace their innate healing abilities, and live in harmony with the natural world. Get connected with Farmer Cee and her projects at these links QueenSiS: https://www.greenheffafarms.com/ https://www.instagram.com/greenheffafarm/ https://www.facebook.com/greenheffafarms https://www.youtube.com/farmercee

Moment of transparency: I almost didn't get to post this episode...I'm feeling tapped-out-tyyyed QueenSiS! But I'm also giving thanks for the time and space to share a few of my creativity course-correction steps for this season. Drop your thoughts on our Daily DDQ Blog, IG or Substack page - let me know what you do to keep the creative energies flowing!

Kathryn Thompson is the Development Director for the Partnership for Housing Affordability in Richmond, VA.  She has a BS degree in Public Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is passionate about bringing creative and cultural arts opportunities to low-income youth.  She wrote her first film screenplay in Summer 2020, The Return To Me.  The short film was a feature in the Afrikana Film Festival (Richmond, VA), San Diego Black Film Festival (San Diego, CA) and the S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase (Los Angeles, CA).  She was awarded an individual artist grant from CultureWorks in 2022 to develop the short film into a pilot series.  In 2023 she was accepted into the Cadence Pipeline Fellowship as a screenwriting fellow where she finished writing her second short film, Kite Tails, and continued working on editing her TV pilot series.  Her passion for writing isn’t confined to screenwriting.  She explores the themes of Black culture and spirituality through other forms of writing and plans to resume work on her first novel.  She also enjoys blogging, writing poetry and hopes to write a memoir. See below for links to connect with Kathryn and her creative work! Kathryn Thompson | LinkedIn https://bherc.tv/films/the-return-to-me/   

We took a hiatus from the DDQ Podcast for a summer of romance & rest! After some much needed time to reflect, reset, revised approach…now it is time to relaunch!

**Before listening to this episode, you may want to listen to Episode 18: Holding Space - Honoring, Loss, Longing, and all Forms of Mothering** The DDQ Podcast: Mothers & Daughters series is a special collection of powerful conversations celebrating the unique bond between mothers and daughters across generations. In each episode, we share authentic stories, laughter, lessons, and love as we explore how these relationships shape identity, resilience, and purpose. Whether you're a mother, daughter, or simply someone who cherishes deep connections, this series offers inspiration, reflection, and a reminder of the strength we carry through one another.

**Before listening to this episode, you may want to listen to Episode 18: Holding Space - Honoring, Loss, Longing, and all Forms of Mothering** The DDQ Podcast: Mothers & Daughters series is a special collection of powerful conversations celebrating the unique bond between mothers and daughters across generations. In each episode, we share authentic stories, laughter, lessons, and love as we explore how these relationships shape identity, resilience, and purpose. Whether you're a mother, daughter, or simply someone who cherishes deep connections, this series offers inspiration, reflection, and a reminder of the strength we carry through one another.

**Before listening to this episode, you may want to listen to Episode 18: Holding Space - Honoring, Loss, Longing, and all Forms of Mothering** The DDQ Podcast: Mothers & Daughters series is a special collection of powerful conversations celebrating the unique bond between mothers and daughters across generations. In each episode, we share authentic stories, laughter, lessons, and love as we explore how these relationships shape identity, resilience, and purpose. Whether you're a mother, daughter, or simply someone who cherishes deep connections, this series offers inspiration, reflection, and a reminder of the strength we carry through one another.  

Hey QueenSiS, this is a brief episode of sacred pause. Next month, in honor of Mother’s Day, we are featuring special conversations between mothers and daughters. But first, we want to take the time to acknowledge that Mother’s Day can be a time of joy and pain for many. This episode is our way of showing honor and understanding for all paths of ‘mothering’.

Dorneisha M. Batson was born in Upper Marlboro, MD in 1981. She moved to Beaufort, SC in 1988. Coming from two different areas molded her creativity. She is predominately an abstract artist in the area of painting and drawing.  Her pieces are bold and colorful and meant to make the viewer escape the world around them. Dorneisha completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management at Park University in 2006 and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2010.  She had her first solo art show in Beaufort in 2013 and showcased her work in numerous cities in the United States as well as London, England. Her pieces are currently on display in numerous locations in Beaufort, SC, Washington, DC, New York, NY, and London, England. QueenSiS, you can connect with Dorneisha at these links: https://justdorneisha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/justdorneisha/

Angela Simmons has worked in higher education for 30 years at various mid-sized and large universities in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student Development at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.  She has her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Mississippi State University and an Ed.D. from Florida State University. Angela’s previous roles include Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech and Assistant Dean of Students at Florida State. Angela lives in Beaufort with her husband Dave and their very spoiled cat. In her spare time, Angela can be found reading a book, sitting on a beach, or Googling to support her curiosity habit. In addition to her work in higher education,  Angela has served on various boards, to include chairperson for Hopeful Horizons, and board member for Bluffton Self Help. Service missions resonate her on a personal level as someone who grew up in a family with limited financial resources and is keenly aware of how the services provided by charitable organizations can transform the lives of those most impacted by socioeconomic disparities and inequities. Angela is also an executive coach, with a particular focus on women of color in the academy. Connect with her today QueenSiS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-simmons-164043262/