November 14, 2025 • 46 mins
Hey lady! While the Make America Healthy Again movement is in full steam the proponents seem to only offer conflicting messages about exactly what will make America healthy again. And, while you may be no stranger to doing your own research, these days it’s nice when you can find a source you trust.
Enter Sherece Brown, the founder of Dr. Pabs, Pineapple is a Berry a holistic company dedicated to vitamins and supplements for your littles all the way up to your teens. Sherece shares how her Caribbean upbringing made a big impact on how she approaches wellness and why her attention to detail makes her company one that families can rely on for additional nutritional support.
Tune in to find out about Sherece’s unique journey and how you can grab a bottle or two for your family.
Quote of the Day:
"The foundation of good health begins with what we put in our bodies."
– Sherece Brown
Where to find Sherece Brown:
Website: DrPabs.com
Instagram: @Dr.Pabs_
Facebook: Dr. Pabs Pineapple is a Berry
TikTok: @Dr.Pabs_
Goal Mapping Starter Guide
Cultivating H.E.R. Space Sanctuary
Resources:
Dr. Dom’s Therapy Practice
Branding with Terri
Melanin and Mental Health
Therapy for Black Girls
Psychology Today
Therapy for QPOC
Where to find us:
Twitter: @HERspacepodcast
Instagram: @herspacepodcast
Facebook: @herspacepodcast
Website: cultivatingherspace.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cultivating-h-e-r-space-uplifting-conversations-for-the-black-woman--5470036/support.
Enter Sherece Brown, the founder of Dr. Pabs, Pineapple is a Berry a holistic company dedicated to vitamins and supplements for your littles all the way up to your teens. Sherece shares how her Caribbean upbringing made a big impact on how she approaches wellness and why her attention to detail makes her company one that families can rely on for additional nutritional support.
Tune in to find out about Sherece’s unique journey and how you can grab a bottle or two for your family.
Quote of the Day:
"The foundation of good health begins with what we put in our bodies."
– Sherece Brown
Where to find Sherece Brown:
Website: DrPabs.com
Instagram: @Dr.Pabs_
Facebook: Dr. Pabs Pineapple is a Berry
TikTok: @Dr.Pabs_
Goal Mapping Starter Guide
Cultivating H.E.R. Space Sanctuary
Resources:
Dr. Dom’s Therapy Practice
Branding with Terri
Melanin and Mental Health
Therapy for Black Girls
Psychology Today
Therapy for QPOC
Where to find us:
Twitter: @HERspacepodcast
Instagram: @herspacepodcast
Facebook: @herspacepodcast
Website: cultivatingherspace.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cultivating-h-e-r-space-uplifting-conversations-for-the-black-woman--5470036/support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
On this week's episode of Cultivating her Space.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Another thing that I want people to know as a
business person is again, own your stuff. No copyright, trademark,
trademark your logos, trademark your thing, protective because there are
vultures out there that want your creativity.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hey lady, have you ever felt like the world just
doesn't get you? Well, we do.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Welcome to Cultivating her Space, the podcast dedicated to.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Uplifting and empowering women like you.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
We're your hosts, doctor Dominique Brussard, and educator and psychologists.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
And Terry Lomax, a techie and transformational speaker.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Join us every week for authentic conversations about everything from
fibroids to fake friends as we create space for black
women to just be.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Before we dive in, make sure you hit that follow
button and leave us a quick five star review.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Lady, We are.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Black founded and black owned, and your support will help
us reach even more women like you.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Now, let's get into this week's episode of Cultivating her Space.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next steps,
this is for you. Hey, lady, is Tea here and
I just want to invite you to my free goal
map like a pro coaching workshop, where I'll share the
five proven steps to get unstuck and achieve your goals.
Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by all your ideas, juggling scattered ideas,
(01:43):
or maybe you just need confidence to start, this workshop
will give you the clarity, tools and the motivation to
take back control. Reserve your spot for free by visiting
her spacepodcast dot com and clicking on the goal map
like a pro webinar link. Lady, don't miss this chance
to build a road map that fits your life and
sets you up for success.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
I hope to see you there, ladies.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Today we have a very special guest who is here
to help us choose the best, the very best for
our children or the kiddles in our lives when it
comes to nutrition. Chares Brown is the visionary founder of
doctor PABs. Pineapple is a berry, and she's always been
passionate about health and wellness. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents,
(02:29):
Charesa's journey is a testament to hard work, resilience, and
a deep commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
Charis graduated from Howard University, a prestigious hu They.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Say they real. Ah you, that's what they say, right.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
A prestigious unit, and it's a prestigious institution known for
its rich history and commitment to excellence. With a degree
in hand, she embarked on a successful sixteen year career
in corporate America. However, her passion for health and her
desire to create something meaningful led her to a new path.
Charise found it doctor PABs. Pineapple is a berry, and
(03:09):
her goal was to provide high quality, plant based vitamins
that support children's health, growth, and overall well being. She
wanted to create products that were not only nutritious, but
also inclusive and accessible to all children. There is so
much more that we could say about Charise, or we're
gonna let you hear that in her words. So Charies
(03:31):
welcome to cultivating her space.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Thank you for having me. Wadies, you are so welcome.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
And we are so looking forward to this important conversation.
And so our quote of the day, Charis, will sound
familiar to you because these.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Are your words.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
The foundation of good health begins with what we put
in our bodies. I'm going to say that one more
time for the folks in the back to make sure
that they heard this the foundation of good health begins
with what we put in our bodies. Mmm.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So terse, yep, go right ahead. Yes, when you.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Hear that quote, like, tell us what comes up for you?
What inspired that particular quote.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Gosh, it would have to be my grandmother. My grandmother
is one of my largest supporters and my inspiration. You know,
my grandmother had diabetes. She was the woman that taught
me everything, how to be a lady, how to you know,
wear my watch on my left hand like things of
that nature, leave my house with my purse like stuff
(04:43):
like that. And I looked up to her, you know,
she had diabetes, like I said, when I was, you know,
a child, and then from diabetes, she developed high blood
pressure from the medicine that she was taking and she
could not keep the weight off of her no matter
what we did. Exercise, she did that, she went to
the YMCA, she would go swimming, she would do all
(05:04):
types of things just to help her diet. But the
medication just helped her balloon even though it was helping
her stay alive. So, you know, my grandmother would say,
you know, prevention is better than a cure of put
what you put in your body, isn't you know, keeps
you alive, keeps you healthy, or can turn you the
other way and make you sick. So she wanted us
(05:26):
to take care of our bodies the best way we could,
because you know, she was the example of Okay, I
didn't take the best care of my body. I had
what I wanted to eat, whether it was sugar or
too much whatever. She enjoyed that type of her life
and because of that, she developed diabetes. And she wanted
us to know, if you take care of your body,
(05:48):
it would last longer. You know, you would last, you
would be on this earth a lot longer.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Also, such wise words. And I love that she shifted
her perspective and was able to share that knowledge with
you all, because I think for many of us, we
see our elders, like some of the black folks and
my family, they will eat all the foods and there
I know some of them are just like I'm just
gonna eat it.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I want to eat and I'm just gonna enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
But for her to be able to see the effects
on her body and then share that wisdom with you
all and impact you in such a great way, that's
so incredible. And so I have a couple other questions,
but first we want to talk about your origin story.
How did you become the Sherris Brown that sits with
us today.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I mean, there's so many My story is long. You know,
things have happened life. But for to say that, I,
you know, went to Howard. I wanted to go to
a school where the professors looked like me because I
went to high school in New York and my teachers
were I learned a lot about the Holocaust to say
(06:45):
the least we got you. No, No, I want to
go where my teachers had experienced that I will have
when I get into the workforce. Now they teach me
what I need to know. So going to how it
was the best decision I think I made in my life.
(07:06):
And you know, coming from New York work ethic, you know,
working hard, paying attention in school and things of that nature,
and having really really good professors who instilled courage, hard
work and owning your stuff like it was important, own
(07:27):
your craft, own your art, own anything that you call yours,
your body. You know, be careful. I remember one of
my professors, she would say, you know, when you go
and take these photographs, you be sure to know who
has control of these photos of you when you go
out to parties and own your image, you know. So
(07:50):
that also helped the wheels turn of who is the
person that she re wants to be and the legacy
that she wants to leave on earth. And so my
parents were entrepreneurs and they wanted me to be an entrepreneur.
I remember my dad would say to me, and I
think I was like maybe ten or eleven, he would say,
think about a business that you want to start, you know,
(08:13):
and I'm like, okay, Dad, you know Polish. I didn't
have a clue. But in our household, what was very
important was you know, that was my first experience having
farm to table because my dad grew like tomatoes in
the backyard, green peppers and red peppers and peppermints, and
he was really into earth and taking care of your
(08:34):
body with instead of medicine. It was full start there,
you know. And then I would then go, you know,
play with my friends school, you develop a cold, and
it's something like that. Then he would then he implemented
vitamins into our diet. So when he did that, even
though we did do the bush tea and you know,
(08:57):
all types of other things that came from Jamaica. He
also gave us vitamins and the sniffles went away. Either.
You remember, I remember wanting flintstones and like, Dad, don't forget,
you know, give me my midstones. So, you know, a
lot of that comes from my story of my childhood,
(09:17):
just remembering how enthusiastic I was wanted to take care
of my body because of my parents, my grandmother, and
you know, we wanted to put a stamp on the world.
That's the way I knew. How wow that you know.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I think we often underestimate the influence of our family
when we're little, and how the things that interest us
or the things that we remember from childhood have a
huge impact on our adulthood and some of our career paths.
(10:03):
And so schuries tell us what happened that you graduate
from Howard. Well, first, let's back up a little bit,
Like you're you're at Howard, what are you studying? Dad
is telling you all your life be an entrepreneur? So
what did you get your degree in? And then how
did you make that transition from college educated working in
(10:27):
corporate America to developing these amazing children's vitamins.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Okay, so remember I mentioned my parents were entrepreneurs, so
I saw the ups and downs. You know, I'm not
I was used to. You know, sometimes you didn't have it,
and then there are times things were a fantastic business
was flourishing, and then again it was like an up
and down roller coaster. So I knew I love TV
(10:57):
and I would sit and watch a Conisby show, and
you know, representation means everything to a little black girl.
And I said, I can do that. I want to
do that. I want to ask, I want to be
on TV. I want to do something with TV. So
I started doing theater in New York, auditioned for Ed Howard,
and I studied acting for television and film, and then
(11:20):
I took a my senior year, I took a directing
class and I was, oh, I was that was it.
I knew then I wanted to be a TV director.
So I went back home to New York and I
started out at CBS as a page as a page,
which is a page paid intern, okay, and you know,
(11:43):
I was a gopher. They would go for my coffee,
go for my donuts, go for my mail, go for
my lunch. That was my job. But I was so
happy to be like I'm here, I did. I can
now I have the foundation to develop this, right, I
can make this into something like I know that I
wanted to be an entrepreneur, but how right? So I'm
(12:03):
still working. I'm still trying to figure myself out, still
learning about myself, and I work my way from a page,
which is a paid intern, to being a production assistant.
There was one in the control room in TV. There's
a control where a director directs a show. I happened
to go in there and I saw the director directing
(12:26):
like he was directing an orchestra, like you know, take
one reading, and I'm like, oh my god, this is it.
I want to do this. So I basically, you know,
worked really hard to make sure this director knew and
I stood out from all the other you know, pages,
(12:49):
and he gave me an opportunity to be his production assistant,
which dealt with the lower thirds on screens, so if
they were interviewing you or into viewing Joe, it would
say Joe's first name, Joe's last name, and Joe's title.
I was responsible for making sure that hit air correctly
with spelling, title, and you know anything else that was
(13:15):
any lower third on the screen. That's my responsibility. Then
I had to tell the director when to put it
on TV and when to take it off of TV.
And then from there I moved on to be a
graphics PA, which you dealt with anything behind the anchor.
So that could be the graphic behind the anchor that
(13:37):
said Howard Homecoming one hundredth year, you know what I mean,
and I would have to make sure how its logo
was correct, homecoming was correct, the colors were correct, or
for instance, a map location Syria or Istanbul like, I
had to make sure those that was correctly, those dots
(13:58):
on the map were placed correctly, so with my job
to make sure that the director's vision came true. From there,
I'm up to being an associate director, which made me basically,
you watch the packages that news packages. You have to
time those, you have to make sure those, you know,
the shots are perfect before it hits air for the
(14:20):
world to see. And then from there I moved on
to become a news TV news director. Well, this is
so interesting.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I'm over here just like visualizing you in the in
the room like directing, and that is so okay. We
may have to we may have to take a detour
and at the end of the conversation and get back
to this because that is so intriguing and it makes
me think about.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
It's just interesting to me. I would love for black people,
black children to help these kinds of jobs. Yes, you know,
like how does TV get on TV? Yes, And it's
so we're not represented there. Maybe a lot of times
(15:05):
you have watched the news where they'll say this football
player did this and did this, but they put the
wrong picture up it, or this actor did this and
did this, but they used the wrong actor. But we
would know because we're part of the community and they're
talking about our community. So it's good for us to
represent us in that aspect because some people don't know,
(15:29):
you know, is it any fault of their own or
they just didn't take the time to research, or Google
has the wrong picture up there, you know, things of
that nature. So and I want kids to know there
are other types of jobs, not just to be on camera,
not just to be the actor. Be the director, you know,
be the associate director, be the producer, be the stage manager,
(15:51):
you know, be the lighting director. They're all types of
TV jobs. That is so important to know.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And you literally read my mind because I was going
to say, it makes me about when they put the
wrong pictures up. So I'm like, all right, it's a
production assistant that was supposed to be doing the research
for that.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Now the producer too, and the producer also. You know,
if it's your po, you should know what your piece
entails and who you're.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Talking about exactly. I love that you mentioned that representation matters.
And I want to go back to the quote of
the day because that was such a great grounding quote
for this conversation. Many people talk about body goals and
how they want to look at, how they want to feel,
but it's like a lot of times when we miss, well,
what do you put it in your body? Because obviously
what you put in is what you get out in
(16:36):
many cases, right, And so what do you wish people
understood or knew more about when it comes to the
connection between food behavior and also child childhood development in general.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
That foundation matters, you know? For me, For I would say,
taking it back to when I was I would be
going to the vitamin store and looking for vitamin for myself.
It was hard finding things that did not have gelatin.
I don't consume pork, you know, and a lot of
people do not know that gelatin is pork beef byproduct,
(17:13):
and if you don't consume that, then you're not you know,
a lot of things on the market when I was
younger did not have non gelatin. So it's like inclusion
and information and understanding that. You know, if you build
a child, it's like it's like building a house. You
start with the foundation. If the foundation is good, then
(17:35):
no matter what kind of wind comes by, you know
it's gonna be. It might shake a little, but it's sturdy,
you know. So I would I would love for kids to,
you know, parents to then think about, you know, what
it is you're feeding your child and why and who's
to gain from certain things that may may even confuse you.
Just try to bring it back to the basics. Be
(17:58):
as simple as you can, and be inclusive. There are
a lot of times I think even you know, I
would go to like my aunt's house as a kid,
and it's like you have to eat this, you must,
And it's like, you know, if you explain to me,
then I can understand, right then I can then also
make better choices.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
So good, thank you, yes, and so tell us more
about doctor paths, pineapple and a berry, and so tell
us tell us more about doctor paths and why it's
so important for children to consume vitamins in addition to
(18:44):
the other healthy things that they take in well.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Doctor PABs is you know a lot of people don't
know pineapples are actually berries. You know, they're a massive
berries form to a central stought. So I wanted to
want to inform people, like, it's one of my favorite fruits.
You should know this. Kinders are actually very so let's
have a conversation about it, you know, And why do
(19:09):
I think children should take vitamins Because we all were
picky eaters, right, I didn't like necessarily I didn't like carrots,
So in carrots, you need carrots. Carrots are good. They're
filled with vitamin A. You know, it's good for your
your hair, your skin, your teeth, like things of that nature.
So you're just kind of supplementing what they don't want
(19:32):
to consume. They may not like broccoli. Okay, you don't
have to eat the broccoli today, but take your you
know you're getting that. Because one, you want focus, you
want them to retain the information that they're getting in school,
and you want strong, healthy bones, strong healthy teeth, you know,
and you start with them young, so they'll take these practices.
(19:55):
When they get older, they'll carry these practices with them.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
You know.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
It's like I think about the story of like, you know,
in elementary school and having you having to wear a
uniform and when you came home, what did they tell
you is take your uniform off, you know, because we
want your uniform to last longer. And as an adult,
I find myself doing that now. Like when I come home,
I undress and take my blazer off, what I want
(20:22):
it to lae longer. I don't sit on my bed
with my outside clothes, you know, things of that, take
my shoes off at the door, you know. So it's
almost like you know, you're building or even brushing your
teeth when you wake up in the morning. Like these
all foundational things that we take now with ourselves as an adults.
So I also you know, contribute that to vitamins or
(20:44):
you know, just taking care of yourself because we only
have one body. Let's love on it, Let's make it last.
It's so true and so important. Such a great reminder
is there.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
And I'm going I'm just going back to what you
said about representation right thinking about creating a vitamin and
I'm wonder in my mind was I was like going
doing the research and learn them about you? I'm like,
how did you even learn how to make vitamins?
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Like who did you see that was doing this?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Like how did you even start creating solutions for children's health?
Like what does that path even look like? Like tell
us more about that taking up space being in the
US that we are not normally in and like looking
at the stairs and the faces and the why are
you here?
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Like, oh, yeah, I'm here because I'm going to be here, Okay,
I'm here. This is important. It is important, you know.
And I think about how they say children or black
children that can't focus or ADHD and things of that nature,
and then you're pumping them with medicine instead of finding
(21:49):
the root cause or giving them Omega three that would
help their brain focus on in school. You know, why
are we It's energy all we needs. Run off the energy,
play exercise, do some sports before you take medicine. Let's
try that first before we're giving these kids medicine is
(22:12):
also a foundational thing. You start them young with medicine,
then they're going to keep taking these drugs because they're drugs,
you know, and then then you start developing these habits
like oh, you know, I don't feel good, let me
take an ad whatever whatever drug it is, and it's
meet your liver, kidney, whatever, doesn't start to work anymore
(22:33):
because you're pumped with all these drugs. So it was
like I wanted to find a solution, be a part
of the solution. And you know, during my journey, I
realized a lot some of these vitamins don't say or
don't carry what they say they carry, and I'm like, no, no, no,
(22:54):
I If anything, I want someone my you know, people
to understand that I follow this process step by step
by step. I'm talking to doctors. It doesn't cost anything
to have the conversation of like, what are these when
kids come into your office, what is it that they're lacking?
(23:17):
And that is when the wheels started to churn. You know,
what is it that they're lacking? How can I help?
Because I wanted this. I want my line to be
a wellness line. The goal is to develop for children
and teenagers, adults, women, men, you know, and believe that
what you're doing, what I'm providing for you is real.
(23:37):
You know it works, it's good for you. And what
was also very important to me is making sure my
envitamin was developed in the United States. You know, there
are a lot of regulations for things that are made
here that cannot be controlled elsewhere. It was very important
for me. Even the bottles. The bottles are washed because yeah,
(24:00):
I get the maid somewhere else they have to then
ship them to me, but they have Like there's no
way I could feel safe giving a child a bottle
that has dust or anything in it. It's all washed
and cleaned and packaged, you know, and checked. So you know,
following the stages and the steps of making sure that
(24:22):
I'm giving the best quality that I can provide was
very important to me. Wow, I mean.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
You had me at like having clean ingredients, but and
like knowing being able to pronounce the names of like
the things that are going into the vitamins. But I
appreciate the thoughtfulness behind even the packaging of the products,
(24:56):
because you're right that we don't know when we're anything
that we're buying these days. We don't know what facility
is processed in. Like our rice might be being processed
in a facility that just processed some wood and that's
how we end up with a random wood chip in our.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Bag of rice. But I'm sorry to cut you off,
but when you know your cookie, you know my father
and my grandmother, you wash your rice because that part
it feed or hit it, you know what I mean.
Which it was so important for me, like I gotta
give the best that I can do.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
I can deliver, yes, yes, and we definitely appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
And so talk to us.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
A little bit about how how you're going about marketing
so that because I'm hearing you say that, you know
you're being very intentional about how you're packaging and getting
these products out to consumers. But talk to us about
your marketing and how you're going about making sure that
(26:11):
people get the word and that and the representation is
out there.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Okay, Well, you know, I was very lucky to have
people reach out to me that wanted to try parents,
and I appreciate that so much. And if anyone wants
to just try and DM me, I'll send them the
product for free so that they can test it out
and see if they like it. Because we all were
(26:36):
picky eaters, right, Everything is not for everybody, and you
have to find what's best for you and your child,
you know, what's the least path of resistance to giving
them the best thing that you can, you know can
So you know, part of it is word of mouth.
You know word of mouth, like you know, my friends
(26:57):
and give I give them itams and they tell their
classmates and their you know parents because other parents hang
out with other parents and things of that nature. Is
more so like word of mouth. I haven't done major marketing,
I haven't done anything. Just people just reaching out to
me like, hey, we know that you're a black woman,
this is your business, and you just you know, this
(27:17):
is your child and we want to help you. And
that's typically what has happened. That's so amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
We would definitely love to support and you know, of
course we can put the link in our show notes
and all that stuff, but yeah, it's so important to
you know, just to understand who the people are behind
some of these companies. I'm looking at my vitamins and
then my little vitamin in case I forgot to take
this morning, and I'm like, I mean, I hope what
they say is in here is in here.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
So it's so good to like to be able.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
To see the person who's you know, actually reducing and
helping to make this product in the experience for people.
Do you have any I don't know, I guess any
best practices or advice when it comes to just general
overall health because they has me thinking about. I know
you mentioned making vitamins for larger groups as well, so
you mentioned children, but also teens and then adults. What
(28:07):
is the best practice now for people who are just
out there looking for things just in general, because I'm
sure you have a wealth of knowledge as it relates
to vitamins. Just in general what we put in our bodies.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, well, you know, it's most important what you're eating. Yeah,
if you can try organic. But you know, the food
that we're consuming now is not the food that we
were consuming in the eighties. It's different. So take that
into consideration. Understanding what you're eating, you know, understanding the
(28:39):
cravings that you're having so that you can combat those right.
Like you know, if they say, you know, women, be
like chocolate. It releases endorphins in our brains. It's like
shopping like the same effect chocolate gives us. Something like,
think about that, Think about why your body is reacting
to certain things that you're doing and try to heal
(29:03):
yourself the best way you can without medication. If you can,
you know, try, you know, for me, I had to
realize that I have I do have sugar cravings. And
because my mom and my dad they own a little
bodega we call a bodega in New York at a
corner store. So every night they would come home and
give me a large Hershey bar. So I think, eat
(29:25):
a Hershey bar, not like a little piece of it,
all of it up for them. Yes, okay, so I
have to remember that, Okay, although this feels good and
it tastes good, really back because diabetes, like I said,
is real. Right, My grandmother had it, my aunt had it,
(29:46):
so therefore I can have it. Like understanding what happens
or your your family, you know what I mean, Like
how are they dealing with things? Because it can also
affect you, and you know, do the research if you can,
you know, peer to peer research, and also listen to
(30:07):
your body. You know, don't push yourself too hard. That's
one thing I knew. Like I feel like, okay, I'm
really tired, but I'm not doing anything different. I'm eating well,
I'm getting enough sleep. That's it. I forgot to take
my vitamin. So then it's like, you know, little things
of that nature do you do, Like you just take
notes on your own body, Like I know when I
(30:29):
eat too much sugar, I get all itchy. You know,
I can dry this is you know, this is a thing.
So I would say, pay attention, pay attention to your
body because it's telling you. It's telling you something that
is so practical. Thank you, Yes, that does.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
It's perfect and it's practical stuff we can actually start
doing like today. So thank you for that.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Sure. And you know, one thing you know about doctors,
it's important to know that they're not there to help
you fix the root call us. They're just trying to
help you medicate the issue. They're not trained in nutritional health,
you know. So a lot of it is going back
to like the grassroot things that our grandparents, great grandparents
(31:17):
were doing because they were doing something right, you know.
And the medicare industry is the medical medical industry is
a billion dollar industry. There's a reason why we're sick,
and there's a reason why they say if they give
you blood pressure medicine that you can't get off of it,
you need to stay on that so it's like try
(31:40):
to evade the bad drama. You don't need that, you know,
take care of yourself the best way, you know how
That is.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
So important and so and so I can appreciate you
creating doctor pebs for kids because it's setting, it's the
building a healthy foundation for them so that they it's prevention, right,
so that they're not growing into teens and adults who
end up having these health issues. And so you mentioned
(32:11):
at one point that, so right now doctor PEVs is
for the kids, and so are there any updates, is
there any progress, any anything you can share on getting
these vitamins out for the teens and adults, because I
know I'm as we're having this interview, I'm like, listen,
(32:34):
where are these vitamins for me? Like? Can I actually
take the kids vitamins so help us out?
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Yes, you actually can take them. But you know, I
before I release anything, I test it on myself. So
I take them. I take it for a year. I
see how I'm feeling, how I'm like, I am the
guinea pig, So give me some time.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yes, we got you, we got you.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
You will be.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
I want to ask. I feel like we could just
talk to you for everyone, like pick your brain. I
want to know, like, what are some of the other
I guess surprises are things that you've noticed in your
journey of research and like you said, testing things out
for yourself. I wondering, like, have you taken something in
particular and you notice, like your body feels a certain way.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
You mentioned sugar make you itch?
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Is it about a positive experience that you've had with like
a different herb or medicine that you're making for yourself?
Like what are some of the other things that you've learned?
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Well, you know when I go and speak to doctors
or sit in on there they go and they study
with other doctors and name kind of escapes me at
this moment. But it's important to know that there are
sales people going to these doctors and say, Hey, this
medicine does this and does this. You can now prescribe
(33:57):
this to your clients. Know it's it's a sales pitch.
These medicines start out as a sales pitch. So knowing that,
I'm like that this is how the doctors are being educated,
So I behoove anyone, Like if they stay tell them
(34:18):
they tell us try to exercise three times a week,
drink your water, you know, stay away from sugar white flower,
like really truly do that.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
You know.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Another thing that I that I that I learned is,
you know, cleansing your body is super duper important. There
was an herb that my father would give us as
a tea to cleanse us. It was called circe and
my aunt was a nurse. Now Circe if anyone from
(34:58):
the West Indian community, it is horrible. It is not
It doesn't smell good, it doesn't taste good, but it
d It was a d wormer. It d wormed you.
And he would give that to us twice a year.
(35:18):
When he stopped giving us to us, my face broke out,
my skin went haywire, Like it's so important. And now
right now people are marketing all types of cleanses and
things of like. And to me it was like wow,
this was an herb that we just boiled and drank
(35:39):
as a tea every every six months, you know, after
school before we started school again. And of course you
had to make sure that you were close to a toilet, okay,
because it was a rupture, an explosion. But it's like wow,
and now people are marketing all types of cleanses and
(36:01):
d wormers and and another thing. I would say that
my aunt, who was a nurse, she would watch us
sleep and if you were grinding our teeth, you have
you had you had a parasite you that was a sign.
That was a sign that you needed to be cleansed.
(36:21):
So it's like all of this like just you know,
taking that information like wanting to like yell at the
top of my lives. You know, we've had this stuff.
It's literally in the backyard. You know, we've had these
stuff that can help us sustain a healthy lifestyle. Is
just amazing to me. That is so good. I'm looking
(36:45):
at the tea as you as you speak, I c s.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Fell ce r a see says it's a bitter melon
plant used for internal and external cleaning.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
So thank you for that. I wind my tee.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
So I definitely need to take this and get whatever's
in me up out of me. So you know, Domini,
you're putting us on. Girl, We appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Take my anti. She would do it. We would tell her, no, no,
we had it already. You don't have to give him.
He made sure, and she just didn't believe us. She
was like, Nope, you have to either have have this
teeth or take this belt. Yeah, okay, we just didn't
want to get beat zo.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
D what she said.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Well, I mean we appreciate that insight. And so when
you think about some of all of the lessons that
you have learned over the years, what would be some
of the what would be your top three lessons in
(37:51):
terms of overall like what we put into our bodies? Like, so,
what are the top three things? So for those of
us as adults who aren't going to be taking doctor
PABs just yet, what are like the top three things
that we should consider consuming that are that's good for us.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
I would say omega. Omega is really good for the brain,
the heart. You know, I believe that the percentage I
might have this a little off, twenty two point six
percent of kids are affected by obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
I know you this is for adults, but it's so important.
You know, that's the high number of that number are
(38:35):
black kids because we're not getting the right nutrition. You know,
we're not eating the organic foods. We're not you know,
we're eating stuff that's stuck with for us. So I
would say omega three, especially for kids. Focused brain is
so important. Retaining the information that you're learning, so we
can have conversations, we can you know, take in the
(38:58):
lessons and I would say K two and D three,
which is good for the bones, the bodies, cell development,
you know, renewing of the cells. And I would you know,
vitamin C, vitamin C. We're you know, we're coming off
(39:19):
of having you know, COVID and your immunity. We're all
working doing a million things, wearing fifteen million hats. You know,
people are not washing their hands, people are sneezing without
covering up their noses like stuff like that. You want
to keep your immunity high. You want to you know,
the less germs that get in that can affect us,
(39:42):
the better we are. So I would say that would
be you know, the basics that is so helpful. We
had taking notes over there.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Show you okay, thank you, and then I guess another
question I want to ask you is what other topics
are you passionate about or what are some questions topics
that people rarely ask you about.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Oh well, I feel like I randomly kind of just
say things. You know. My inspiration for most of this,
like I said before, was my grandmother and my mom,
and you know, when I'm you know, at presentations and
or trying to learn about other you know, things and
(40:23):
being in spaces that we are not typically there. Like God,
I just I just want us to like think outside
the box and like you know, think about why we
why do we do the things that we do? And
and and one of them is like you think about
(40:44):
the shower curtain. How simple the shower curtain is, Like
that is a patent thing that somebody's owns, that somebody
is wealthy all of shower curtain. Another thing that I
want people to know as a business person is again,
own your stuff. You copyright, trademark not trademark your logos,
(41:08):
trademark your thing, protect it because there are vultures out
there that want your creativity. And we as a people
are talented, We are creative, We are innovative. So protect
your logos, protect your things, get on your paperwork, because
it's as important as anything else than the product. Is
(41:32):
more important than the product. You know, your name is
so important and you if you came up with that,
that that doesn't give anyone the right to take it.
So I wish people would ask more about how they
can do things like that and then therefore do it.
It's caught. It may call be costly, but it's better
(41:52):
to pay now than to have to pay later, you know,
to get an attorney, get a lawyer to then have
to fight to get your things back, you know, get research,
do the research. Hold your stuff dear to you because
it's yours, like it's it should be, like your social
Security number, how important that is, Like your your birth certificate,
(42:12):
that's important, that's locked away. You can hold your stuff
down tight because there's so many vultures out there that
want to take you know, your things from you.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Yes, that is yes, that is so so important.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
And so.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Is there anything about doctor paths or usuaries that we
haven't asked yet that you that you want folks to
walk away with after.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
They listen to this interview. Well, just know that my
product is credible. My product is joyful. I want everyone
to feel the love that I have for their kids
that my grandmother had for me. And when from the
day they receive their box in the mail and know
(43:06):
when they open up, it's like, oh, like the sun
comes out and raise such things is it's really it
comes from a loving place that I want our kids
to flourish. I want them to do well and be well.
And that is the basic. That's how what I want
(43:28):
you to know and walk away with and feel. And
it's so amazing.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
We appreciate you and the work that you're doing in
the world that we love to let people know how
they can support you, how they can connect with you.
I know I'm going to be ordering these videmars for
mind Cutters, so I'm so excited about that. So thank
you so much. I am sold. I'm excited, and we
can't wait for the adult ones. We're going to be
here to support you, talk to your journey. Yes, so
feel forey to let our listeners know where they can
find you and how they can support.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Okay, so on the website you can support a doctor
d R period ads p A b s dot com
and you could find you on social media Scherise the
founder us on Instagram or doctor pads Underscore on Instagram.
And yeah, send me any type of feedback. This we
(44:17):
are developing and we take will take aby you have
to say. Just know that you know we hear you,
We're listening, and we want to make this product for
you the best way we can so whatever it is
that you don't like, what if that you do like,
please let me know. Thank you, Chares.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
Yeah, it's doctor dom here from the Cultivating her Space podcast.
Are you currently a resident of the state of California
and contemplating starting your therapy journey? Well, if so, please
reach out to me at doctor Dominique Brusard dot com.
That's d R D O M I N I q
(44:59):
U E Brussard dot com to schedule a free fifteen
minute consultation. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks
for tuning into Cultivating her Space. Remember that while this
podcast is all about healing, empowerment, and resilience, it's not
(45:22):
a substitute for therapy. If you or someone you know
needs support, check out resources like Therapy for Black Girls
or Psychology Today. If you love today's episode, do us
a favor and share it with a friend who needs
some inspiration or leave us a quick five star review.
Your support means the world to us and helps keep
(45:44):
this space thriving.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
And before we meet again, repeat after me, I release
the old with gratitude and prepare for the new with intention.
Keep thriving, lady, and tune in next Friday. For more
inspiration from cultivating her space in the meantime, be sure
to connect with us on Instagram at her Space podcast
On this week's episode of Cultivating her Space.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Another thing that I want people to know as a
business person is again, own your stuff. No copyright, trademark,
trademark your logos, trademark your thing, protective because there are
vultures out there that want your creativity.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hey lady, have you ever felt like the world just
doesn't get you? Well, we do.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Welcome to Cultivating her Space, the podcast dedicated to.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Uplifting and empowering women like you.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
We're your hosts, doctor Dominique Brussard, and educator and psychologists.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
And Terry Lomax, a techie and transformational speaker.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Join us every week for authentic conversations about everything from
fibroids to fake friends as we create space for black
women to just be.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Before we dive in, make sure you hit that follow
button and leave us a quick five star review.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Lady, We are.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Black founded and black owned, and your support will help
us reach even more women like you.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Now, let's get into this week's episode of Cultivating her Space.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next steps,
this is for you. Hey, lady, is Tea here and
I just want to invite you to my free goal
map like a pro coaching workshop, where I'll share the
five proven steps to get unstuck and achieve your goals.
Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by all your ideas, juggling scattered ideas,
(01:43):
or maybe you just need confidence to start, this workshop
will give you the clarity, tools and the motivation to
take back control. Reserve your spot for free by visiting
her spacepodcast dot com and clicking on the goal map
like a pro webinar link. Lady, don't miss this chance
to build a road map that fits your life and
sets you up for success.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
I hope to see you there, ladies.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Today we have a very special guest who is here
to help us choose the best, the very best for
our children or the kiddles in our lives when it
comes to nutrition. Chares Brown is the visionary founder of
doctor PABs. Pineapple is a berry, and she's always been
passionate about health and wellness. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents,
(02:29):
Charesa's journey is a testament to hard work, resilience, and
a deep commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
Charis graduated from Howard University, a prestigious hu They.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Say they real. Ah you, that's what they say, right.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
A prestigious unit, and it's a prestigious institution known for
its rich history and commitment to excellence. With a degree
in hand, she embarked on a successful sixteen year career
in corporate America. However, her passion for health and her
desire to create something meaningful led her to a new path.
Charise found it doctor PABs. Pineapple is a berry, and
(03:09):
her goal was to provide high quality, plant based vitamins
that support children's health, growth, and overall well being. She
wanted to create products that were not only nutritious, but
also inclusive and accessible to all children. There is so
much more that we could say about Charise, or we're
gonna let you hear that in her words. So Charies
(03:31):
welcome to cultivating her space.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Thank you for having me. Wadies, you are so welcome.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
And we are so looking forward to this important conversation.
And so our quote of the day, Charis, will sound
familiar to you because these.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Are your words.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
The foundation of good health begins with what we put
in our bodies. I'm going to say that one more
time for the folks in the back to make sure
that they heard this the foundation of good health begins
with what we put in our bodies. Mmm.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So terse, yep, go right ahead. Yes, when you.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Hear that quote, like, tell us what comes up for you?
What inspired that particular quote.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Gosh, it would have to be my grandmother. My grandmother
is one of my largest supporters and my inspiration. You know,
my grandmother had diabetes. She was the woman that taught
me everything, how to be a lady, how to you know,
wear my watch on my left hand like things of
that nature, leave my house with my purse like stuff
(04:43):
like that. And I looked up to her, you know,
she had diabetes, like I said, when I was, you know,
a child, and then from diabetes, she developed high blood
pressure from the medicine that she was taking and she
could not keep the weight off of her no matter
what we did. Exercise, she did that, she went to
the YMCA, she would go swimming, she would do all
(05:04):
types of things just to help her diet. But the
medication just helped her balloon even though it was helping
her stay alive. So, you know, my grandmother would say,
you know, prevention is better than a cure of put
what you put in your body, isn't you know, keeps
you alive, keeps you healthy, or can turn you the
other way and make you sick. So she wanted us
(05:26):
to take care of our bodies the best way we could,
because you know, she was the example of Okay, I
didn't take the best care of my body. I had
what I wanted to eat, whether it was sugar or
too much whatever. She enjoyed that type of her life
and because of that, she developed diabetes. And she wanted
us to know, if you take care of your body,
(05:48):
it would last longer. You know, you would last, you
would be on this earth a lot longer.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Also, such wise words. And I love that she shifted
her perspective and was able to share that knowledge with
you all, because I think for many of us, we
see our elders, like some of the black folks and
my family, they will eat all the foods and there
I know some of them are just like I'm just
gonna eat it.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I want to eat and I'm just gonna enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
But for her to be able to see the effects
on her body and then share that wisdom with you
all and impact you in such a great way, that's
so incredible. And so I have a couple other questions,
but first we want to talk about your origin story.
How did you become the Sherris Brown that sits with
us today.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
I mean, there's so many My story is long. You know,
things have happened life. But for to say that, I,
you know, went to Howard. I wanted to go to
a school where the professors looked like me because I
went to high school in New York and my teachers
were I learned a lot about the Holocaust to say
(06:45):
the least we got you. No, No, I want to
go where my teachers had experienced that I will have
when I get into the workforce. Now they teach me
what I need to know. So going to how it
was the best decision I think I made in my life.
(07:06):
And you know, coming from New York work ethic, you know,
working hard, paying attention in school and things of that nature,
and having really really good professors who instilled courage, hard
work and owning your stuff like it was important, own
(07:27):
your craft, own your art, own anything that you call yours,
your body. You know, be careful. I remember one of
my professors, she would say, you know, when you go
and take these photographs, you be sure to know who
has control of these photos of you when you go
out to parties and own your image, you know. So
(07:50):
that also helped the wheels turn of who is the
person that she re wants to be and the legacy
that she wants to leave on earth. And so my
parents were entrepreneurs and they wanted me to be an entrepreneur.
I remember my dad would say to me, and I
think I was like maybe ten or eleven, he would say,
think about a business that you want to start, you know,
(08:13):
and I'm like, okay, Dad, you know Polish. I didn't
have a clue. But in our household, what was very
important was you know, that was my first experience having
farm to table because my dad grew like tomatoes in
the backyard, green peppers and red peppers and peppermints, and
he was really into earth and taking care of your
(08:34):
body with instead of medicine. It was full start there,
you know. And then I would then go, you know,
play with my friends school, you develop a cold, and
it's something like that. Then he would then he implemented
vitamins into our diet. So when he did that, even
though we did do the bush tea and you know,
(08:57):
all types of other things that came from Jamaica. He
also gave us vitamins and the sniffles went away. Either.
You remember, I remember wanting flintstones and like, Dad, don't forget,
you know, give me my midstones. So, you know, a
lot of that comes from my story of my childhood,
(09:17):
just remembering how enthusiastic I was wanted to take care
of my body because of my parents, my grandmother, and
you know, we wanted to put a stamp on the world.
That's the way I knew. How wow that you know.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I think we often underestimate the influence of our family
when we're little, and how the things that interest us
or the things that we remember from childhood have a
huge impact on our adulthood and some of our career paths.
(10:03):
And so schuries tell us what happened that you graduate
from Howard. Well, first, let's back up a little bit,
Like you're you're at Howard, what are you studying? Dad
is telling you all your life be an entrepreneur? So
what did you get your degree in? And then how
did you make that transition from college educated working in
(10:27):
corporate America to developing these amazing children's vitamins.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Okay, so remember I mentioned my parents were entrepreneurs, so
I saw the ups and downs. You know, I'm not
I was used to. You know, sometimes you didn't have it,
and then there are times things were a fantastic business
was flourishing, and then again it was like an up
and down roller coaster. So I knew I love TV
(10:57):
and I would sit and watch a Conisby show, and
you know, representation means everything to a little black girl.
And I said, I can do that. I want to
do that. I want to ask, I want to be
on TV. I want to do something with TV. So
I started doing theater in New York, auditioned for Ed Howard,
and I studied acting for television and film, and then
(11:20):
I took a my senior year, I took a directing
class and I was, oh, I was that was it.
I knew then I wanted to be a TV director.
So I went back home to New York and I
started out at CBS as a page as a page,
which is a page paid intern, okay, and you know,
(11:43):
I was a gopher. They would go for my coffee,
go for my donuts, go for my mail, go for
my lunch. That was my job. But I was so
happy to be like I'm here, I did. I can
now I have the foundation to develop this, right, I
can make this into something like I know that I
wanted to be an entrepreneur, but how right? So I'm
(12:03):
still working. I'm still trying to figure myself out, still
learning about myself, and I work my way from a page,
which is a paid intern, to being a production assistant.
There was one in the control room in TV. There's
a control where a director directs a show. I happened
to go in there and I saw the director directing
(12:26):
like he was directing an orchestra, like you know, take
one reading, and I'm like, oh my god, this is it.
I want to do this. So I basically, you know,
worked really hard to make sure this director knew and
I stood out from all the other you know, pages,
(12:49):
and he gave me an opportunity to be his production assistant,
which dealt with the lower thirds on screens, so if
they were interviewing you or into viewing Joe, it would
say Joe's first name, Joe's last name, and Joe's title.
I was responsible for making sure that hit air correctly
with spelling, title, and you know anything else that was
(13:15):
any lower third on the screen. That's my responsibility. Then
I had to tell the director when to put it
on TV and when to take it off of TV.
And then from there I moved on to be a
graphics PA, which you dealt with anything behind the anchor.
So that could be the graphic behind the anchor that
(13:37):
said Howard Homecoming one hundredth year, you know what I mean,
and I would have to make sure how its logo
was correct, homecoming was correct, the colors were correct, or
for instance, a map location Syria or Istanbul like, I
had to make sure those that was correctly, those dots
(13:58):
on the map were placed correctly, so with my job
to make sure that the director's vision came true. From there,
I'm up to being an associate director, which made me basically,
you watch the packages that news packages. You have to
time those, you have to make sure those, you know,
the shots are perfect before it hits air for the
(14:20):
world to see. And then from there I moved on
to become a news TV news director. Well, this is
so interesting.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I'm over here just like visualizing you in the in
the room like directing, and that is so okay. We
may have to we may have to take a detour
and at the end of the conversation and get back
to this because that is so intriguing and it makes
me think about.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
It's just interesting to me. I would love for black people,
black children to help these kinds of jobs. Yes, you know,
like how does TV get on TV? Yes, And it's
so we're not represented there. Maybe a lot of times
(15:05):
you have watched the news where they'll say this football
player did this and did this, but they put the
wrong picture up it, or this actor did this and
did this, but they used the wrong actor. But we
would know because we're part of the community and they're
talking about our community. So it's good for us to
represent us in that aspect because some people don't know,
(15:29):
you know, is it any fault of their own or
they just didn't take the time to research, or Google
has the wrong picture up there, you know, things of
that nature. So and I want kids to know there
are other types of jobs, not just to be on camera,
not just to be the actor. Be the director, you know,
be the associate director, be the producer, be the stage manager,
(15:51):
you know, be the lighting director. They're all types of
TV jobs. That is so important to know.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And you literally read my mind because I was going
to say, it makes me about when they put the
wrong pictures up. So I'm like, all right, it's a
production assistant that was supposed to be doing the research
for that.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Now the producer too, and the producer also. You know,
if it's your po, you should know what your piece
entails and who you're.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Talking about exactly. I love that you mentioned that representation matters.
And I want to go back to the quote of
the day because that was such a great grounding quote
for this conversation. Many people talk about body goals and
how they want to look at, how they want to feel,
but it's like a lot of times when we miss, well,
what do you put it in your body? Because obviously
what you put in is what you get out in
(16:36):
many cases, right, And so what do you wish people
understood or knew more about when it comes to the
connection between food behavior and also child childhood development in general.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
That foundation matters, you know? For me, For I would say,
taking it back to when I was I would be
going to the vitamin store and looking for vitamin for myself.
It was hard finding things that did not have gelatin.
I don't consume pork, you know, and a lot of
people do not know that gelatin is pork beef byproduct,
(17:13):
and if you don't consume that, then you're not you know,
a lot of things on the market when I was
younger did not have non gelatin. So it's like inclusion
and information and understanding that. You know, if you build
a child, it's like it's like building a house. You
start with the foundation. If the foundation is good, then
(17:35):
no matter what kind of wind comes by, you know
it's gonna be. It might shake a little, but it's sturdy,
you know. So I would I would love for kids to,
you know, parents to then think about, you know, what
it is you're feeding your child and why and who's
to gain from certain things that may may even confuse you.
Just try to bring it back to the basics. Be
(17:58):
as simple as you can, and be inclusive. There are
a lot of times I think even you know, I
would go to like my aunt's house as a kid,
and it's like you have to eat this, you must,
And it's like, you know, if you explain to me,
then I can understand, right then I can then also
make better choices.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
So good, thank you, yes, and so tell us more
about doctor paths, pineapple and a berry, and so tell
us tell us more about doctor paths and why it's
so important for children to consume vitamins in addition to
(18:44):
the other healthy things that they take in well.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Doctor PABs is you know a lot of people don't
know pineapples are actually berries. You know, they're a massive
berries form to a central stought. So I wanted to
want to inform people, like, it's one of my favorite fruits.
You should know this. Kinders are actually very so let's
have a conversation about it, you know, And why do
(19:09):
I think children should take vitamins Because we all were
picky eaters, right, I didn't like necessarily I didn't like carrots,
So in carrots, you need carrots. Carrots are good. They're
filled with vitamin A. You know, it's good for your
your hair, your skin, your teeth, like things of that nature.
So you're just kind of supplementing what they don't want
(19:32):
to consume. They may not like broccoli. Okay, you don't
have to eat the broccoli today, but take your you
know you're getting that. Because one, you want focus, you
want them to retain the information that they're getting in school,
and you want strong, healthy bones, strong healthy teeth, you know,
and you start with them young, so they'll take these practices.
(19:55):
When they get older, they'll carry these practices with them.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
You know.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
It's like I think about the story of like, you know,
in elementary school and having you having to wear a
uniform and when you came home, what did they tell
you is take your uniform off, you know, because we
want your uniform to last longer. And as an adult,
I find myself doing that now. Like when I come home,
I undress and take my blazer off, what I want
(20:22):
it to lae longer. I don't sit on my bed
with my outside clothes, you know, things of that, take
my shoes off at the door, you know. So it's
almost like you know, you're building or even brushing your
teeth when you wake up in the morning. Like these
all foundational things that we take now with ourselves as an adults.
So I also you know, contribute that to vitamins or
(20:44):
you know, just taking care of yourself because we only
have one body. Let's love on it, Let's make it last.
It's so true and so important. Such a great reminder
is there.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
And I'm going I'm just going back to what you
said about representation right thinking about creating a vitamin and
I'm wonder in my mind was I was like going
doing the research and learn them about you? I'm like,
how did you even learn how to make vitamins?
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Like who did you see that was doing this?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Like how did you even start creating solutions for children's health?
Like what does that path even look like? Like tell
us more about that taking up space being in the
US that we are not normally in and like looking
at the stairs and the faces and the why are
you here?
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Like, oh, yeah, I'm here because I'm going to be here, Okay,
I'm here. This is important. It is important, you know.
And I think about how they say children or black
children that can't focus or ADHD and things of that nature,
and then you're pumping them with medicine instead of finding
(21:49):
the root cause or giving them Omega three that would
help their brain focus on in school. You know, why
are we It's energy all we needs. Run off the energy,
play exercise, do some sports before you take medicine. Let's
try that first before we're giving these kids medicine is
(22:12):
also a foundational thing. You start them young with medicine,
then they're going to keep taking these drugs because they're drugs,
you know, and then then you start developing these habits
like oh, you know, I don't feel good, let me
take an ad whatever whatever drug it is, and it's
meet your liver, kidney, whatever, doesn't start to work anymore
(22:33):
because you're pumped with all these drugs. So it was
like I wanted to find a solution, be a part
of the solution. And you know, during my journey, I
realized a lot some of these vitamins don't say or
don't carry what they say they carry, and I'm like, no, no, no,
(22:54):
I If anything, I want someone my you know, people
to understand that I follow this process step by step
by step. I'm talking to doctors. It doesn't cost anything
to have the conversation of like, what are these when
kids come into your office, what is it that they're lacking?
(23:17):
And that is when the wheels started to churn. You know,
what is it that they're lacking? How can I help?
Because I wanted this. I want my line to be
a wellness line. The goal is to develop for children
and teenagers, adults, women, men, you know, and believe that
what you're doing, what I'm providing for you is real.
(23:37):
You know it works, it's good for you. And what
was also very important to me is making sure my
envitamin was developed in the United States. You know, there
are a lot of regulations for things that are made
here that cannot be controlled elsewhere. It was very important
for me. Even the bottles. The bottles are washed because yeah,
(24:00):
I get the maid somewhere else they have to then
ship them to me, but they have Like there's no
way I could feel safe giving a child a bottle
that has dust or anything in it. It's all washed
and cleaned and packaged, you know, and checked. So you know,
following the stages and the steps of making sure that
(24:22):
I'm giving the best quality that I can provide was
very important to me. Wow, I mean.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
You had me at like having clean ingredients, but and
like knowing being able to pronounce the names of like
the things that are going into the vitamins. But I
appreciate the thoughtfulness behind even the packaging of the products,
(24:56):
because you're right that we don't know when we're anything
that we're buying these days. We don't know what facility
is processed in. Like our rice might be being processed
in a facility that just processed some wood and that's
how we end up with a random wood chip in our.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Bag of rice. But I'm sorry to cut you off,
but when you know your cookie, you know my father
and my grandmother, you wash your rice because that part
it feed or hit it, you know what I mean.
Which it was so important for me, like I gotta
give the best that I can do.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
I can deliver, yes, yes, and we definitely appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
And so talk to us.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
A little bit about how how you're going about marketing
so that because I'm hearing you say that, you know
you're being very intentional about how you're packaging and getting
these products out to consumers. But talk to us about
your marketing and how you're going about making sure that
(26:11):
people get the word and that and the representation is
out there.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Okay, Well, you know, I was very lucky to have
people reach out to me that wanted to try parents,
and I appreciate that so much. And if anyone wants
to just try and DM me, I'll send them the
product for free so that they can test it out
and see if they like it. Because we all were
(26:36):
picky eaters, right, Everything is not for everybody, and you
have to find what's best for you and your child,
you know, what's the least path of resistance to giving
them the best thing that you can, you know can
So you know, part of it is word of mouth.
You know word of mouth, like you know, my friends
(26:57):
and give I give them itams and they tell their
classmates and their you know parents because other parents hang
out with other parents and things of that nature. Is
more so like word of mouth. I haven't done major marketing,
I haven't done anything. Just people just reaching out to
me like, hey, we know that you're a black woman,
this is your business, and you just you know, this
(27:17):
is your child and we want to help you. And
that's typically what has happened. That's so amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
We would definitely love to support and you know, of
course we can put the link in our show notes
and all that stuff, but yeah, it's so important to
you know, just to understand who the people are behind
some of these companies. I'm looking at my vitamins and
then my little vitamin in case I forgot to take
this morning, and I'm like, I mean, I hope what
they say is in here is in here.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
So it's so good to like to be able.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
To see the person who's you know, actually reducing and
helping to make this product in the experience for people.
Do you have any I don't know, I guess any
best practices or advice when it comes to just general
overall health because they has me thinking about. I know
you mentioned making vitamins for larger groups as well, so
you mentioned children, but also teens and then adults. What
(28:07):
is the best practice now for people who are just
out there looking for things just in general, because I'm
sure you have a wealth of knowledge as it relates
to vitamins. Just in general what we put in our bodies.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, well, you know, it's most important what you're eating. Yeah,
if you can try organic. But you know, the food
that we're consuming now is not the food that we
were consuming in the eighties. It's different. So take that
into consideration. Understanding what you're eating, you know, understanding the
(28:39):
cravings that you're having so that you can combat those right.
Like you know, if they say, you know, women, be
like chocolate. It releases endorphins in our brains. It's like
shopping like the same effect chocolate gives us. Something like,
think about that, Think about why your body is reacting
to certain things that you're doing and try to heal
(29:03):
yourself the best way you can without medication. If you can,
you know, try, you know, for me, I had to
realize that I have I do have sugar cravings. And
because my mom and my dad they own a little
bodega we call a bodega in New York at a
corner store. So every night they would come home and
give me a large Hershey bar. So I think, eat
(29:25):
a Hershey bar, not like a little piece of it,
all of it up for them. Yes, okay, so I
have to remember that, Okay, although this feels good and
it tastes good, really back because diabetes, like I said,
is real. Right, My grandmother had it, my aunt had it,
(29:46):
so therefore I can have it. Like understanding what happens
or your your family, you know what I mean, Like
how are they dealing with things? Because it can also
affect you, and you know, do the research if you can,
you know, peer to peer research, and also listen to
(30:07):
your body. You know, don't push yourself too hard. That's
one thing I knew. Like I feel like, okay, I'm
really tired, but I'm not doing anything different. I'm eating well,
I'm getting enough sleep. That's it. I forgot to take
my vitamin. So then it's like, you know, little things
of that nature do you do, Like you just take
notes on your own body, Like I know when I
(30:29):
eat too much sugar, I get all itchy. You know,
I can dry this is you know, this is a thing.
So I would say, pay attention, pay attention to your
body because it's telling you. It's telling you something that
is so practical. Thank you, Yes, that does.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
It's perfect and it's practical stuff we can actually start
doing like today. So thank you for that.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Sure. And you know, one thing you know about doctors,
it's important to know that they're not there to help
you fix the root call us. They're just trying to
help you medicate the issue. They're not trained in nutritional health,
you know. So a lot of it is going back
to like the grassroot things that our grandparents, great grandparents
(31:17):
were doing because they were doing something right, you know.
And the medicare industry is the medical medical industry is
a billion dollar industry. There's a reason why we're sick,
and there's a reason why they say if they give
you blood pressure medicine that you can't get off of it,
you need to stay on that so it's like try
(31:40):
to evade the bad drama. You don't need that, you know,
take care of yourself the best way, you know how
That is.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
So important and so and so I can appreciate you
creating doctor pebs for kids because it's setting, it's the
building a healthy foundation for them so that they it's prevention, right,
so that they're not growing into teens and adults who
end up having these health issues. And so you mentioned
(32:11):
at one point that, so right now doctor PEVs is
for the kids, and so are there any updates, is
there any progress, any anything you can share on getting
these vitamins out for the teens and adults, because I
know I'm as we're having this interview, I'm like, listen,
(32:34):
where are these vitamins for me? Like? Can I actually
take the kids vitamins so help us out?
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Yes, you actually can take them. But you know, I
before I release anything, I test it on myself. So
I take them. I take it for a year. I
see how I'm feeling, how I'm like, I am the
guinea pig, So give me some time.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yes, we got you, we got you.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
You will be.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
I want to ask. I feel like we could just
talk to you for everyone, like pick your brain. I
want to know, like, what are some of the other
I guess surprises are things that you've noticed in your
journey of research and like you said, testing things out
for yourself. I wondering, like, have you taken something in
particular and you notice, like your body feels a certain way.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
You mentioned sugar make you itch?
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Is it about a positive experience that you've had with like
a different herb or medicine that you're making for yourself?
Like what are some of the other things that you've learned?
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Well, you know when I go and speak to doctors
or sit in on there they go and they study
with other doctors and name kind of escapes me at
this moment. But it's important to know that there are
sales people going to these doctors and say, Hey, this
medicine does this and does this. You can now prescribe
(33:57):
this to your clients. Know it's it's a sales pitch.
These medicines start out as a sales pitch. So knowing that,
I'm like that this is how the doctors are being educated,
So I behoove anyone, Like if they stay tell them
(34:18):
they tell us try to exercise three times a week,
drink your water, you know, stay away from sugar white flower,
like really truly do that.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
You know.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Another thing that I that I that I learned is,
you know, cleansing your body is super duper important. There
was an herb that my father would give us as
a tea to cleanse us. It was called circe and
my aunt was a nurse. Now Circe if anyone from
(34:58):
the West Indian community, it is horrible. It is not
It doesn't smell good, it doesn't taste good, but it
d It was a d wormer. It d wormed you.
And he would give that to us twice a year.
(35:18):
When he stopped giving us to us, my face broke out,
my skin went haywire, Like it's so important. And now
right now people are marketing all types of cleanses and
things of like. And to me it was like wow,
this was an herb that we just boiled and drank
(35:39):
as a tea every every six months, you know, after
school before we started school again. And of course you
had to make sure that you were close to a toilet, okay,
because it was a rupture, an explosion. But it's like wow,
and now people are marketing all types of cleanses and
(36:01):
d wormers and and another thing. I would say that
my aunt, who was a nurse, she would watch us
sleep and if you were grinding our teeth, you have
you had you had a parasite you that was a sign.
That was a sign that you needed to be cleansed.
(36:21):
So it's like all of this like just you know,
taking that information like wanting to like yell at the
top of my lives. You know, we've had this stuff.
It's literally in the backyard. You know, we've had these
stuff that can help us sustain a healthy lifestyle. Is
just amazing to me. That is so good. I'm looking
(36:45):
at the tea as you as you speak, I c s.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Fell ce r a see says it's a bitter melon
plant used for internal and external cleaning.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
So thank you for that. I wind my tee.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
So I definitely need to take this and get whatever's
in me up out of me. So you know, Domini,
you're putting us on. Girl, We appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Take my anti. She would do it. We would tell her, no, no,
we had it already. You don't have to give him.
He made sure, and she just didn't believe us. She
was like, Nope, you have to either have have this
teeth or take this belt. Yeah, okay, we just didn't
want to get beat zo.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
D what she said.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Well, I mean we appreciate that insight. And so when
you think about some of all of the lessons that
you have learned over the years, what would be some
of the what would be your top three lessons in
(37:51):
terms of overall like what we put into our bodies? Like, so,
what are the top three things? So for those of
us as adults who aren't going to be taking doctor
PABs just yet, what are like the top three things
that we should consider consuming that are that's good for us.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
I would say omega. Omega is really good for the brain,
the heart. You know, I believe that the percentage I
might have this a little off, twenty two point six
percent of kids are affected by obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
I know you this is for adults, but it's so important.
You know, that's the high number of that number are
(38:35):
black kids because we're not getting the right nutrition. You know,
we're not eating the organic foods. We're not you know,
we're eating stuff that's stuck with for us. So I
would say omega three, especially for kids. Focused brain is
so important. Retaining the information that you're learning, so we
can have conversations, we can you know, take in the
(38:58):
lessons and I would say K two and D three,
which is good for the bones, the bodies, cell development,
you know, renewing of the cells. And I would you know,
vitamin C, vitamin C. We're you know, we're coming off
(39:19):
of having you know, COVID and your immunity. We're all
working doing a million things, wearing fifteen million hats. You know,
people are not washing their hands, people are sneezing without
covering up their noses like stuff like that. You want
to keep your immunity high. You want to you know,
the less germs that get in that can affect us,
(39:42):
the better we are. So I would say that would
be you know, the basics that is so helpful. We
had taking notes over there.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Show you okay, thank you, and then I guess another
question I want to ask you is what other topics
are you passionate about or what are some questions topics
that people rarely ask you about.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Oh well, I feel like I randomly kind of just
say things. You know. My inspiration for most of this,
like I said before, was my grandmother and my mom,
and you know, when I'm you know, at presentations and
or trying to learn about other you know, things and
(40:23):
being in spaces that we are not typically there. Like God,
I just I just want us to like think outside
the box and like you know, think about why we
why do we do the things that we do? And
and and one of them is like you think about
(40:44):
the shower curtain. How simple the shower curtain is, Like
that is a patent thing that somebody's owns, that somebody
is wealthy all of shower curtain. Another thing that I
want people to know as a business person is again,
own your stuff. You copyright, trademark not trademark your logos,
(41:08):
trademark your thing, protect it because there are vultures out
there that want your creativity. And we as a people
are talented, We are creative, We are innovative. So protect
your logos, protect your things, get on your paperwork, because
it's as important as anything else than the product. Is
(41:32):
more important than the product. You know, your name is
so important and you if you came up with that,
that that doesn't give anyone the right to take it.
So I wish people would ask more about how they
can do things like that and then therefore do it.
It's caught. It may call be costly, but it's better
(41:52):
to pay now than to have to pay later, you know,
to get an attorney, get a lawyer to then have
to fight to get your things back, you know, get research,
do the research. Hold your stuff dear to you because
it's yours, like it's it should be, like your social
Security number, how important that is, Like your your birth certificate,
(42:12):
that's important, that's locked away. You can hold your stuff
down tight because there's so many vultures out there that
want to take you know, your things from you.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Yes, that is yes, that is so so important.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
And so.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Is there anything about doctor paths or usuaries that we
haven't asked yet that you that you want folks to
walk away with after.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
They listen to this interview. Well, just know that my
product is credible. My product is joyful. I want everyone
to feel the love that I have for their kids
that my grandmother had for me. And when from the
day they receive their box in the mail and know
(43:06):
when they open up, it's like, oh, like the sun
comes out and raise such things is it's really it
comes from a loving place that I want our kids
to flourish. I want them to do well and be well.
And that is the basic. That's how what I want
(43:28):
you to know and walk away with and feel. And
it's so amazing.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
We appreciate you and the work that you're doing in
the world that we love to let people know how
they can support you, how they can connect with you.
I know I'm going to be ordering these videmars for
mind Cutters, so I'm so excited about that. So thank
you so much. I am sold. I'm excited, and we
can't wait for the adult ones. We're going to be
here to support you, talk to your journey. Yes, so
feel forey to let our listeners know where they can
find you and how they can support.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Okay, so on the website you can support a doctor
d R period ads p A b s dot com
and you could find you on social media Scherise the
founder us on Instagram or doctor pads Underscore on Instagram.
And yeah, send me any type of feedback. This we
(44:17):
are developing and we take will take aby you have
to say. Just know that you know we hear you,
We're listening, and we want to make this product for
you the best way we can so whatever it is
that you don't like, what if that you do like,
please let me know. Thank you, Chares.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
Yeah, it's doctor dom here from the Cultivating her Space podcast.
Are you currently a resident of the state of California
and contemplating starting your therapy journey? Well, if so, please
reach out to me at doctor Dominique Brusard dot com.
That's d R D O M I N I q
(44:59):
U E Brussard dot com to schedule a free fifteen
minute consultation. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks
for tuning into Cultivating her Space. Remember that while this
podcast is all about healing, empowerment, and resilience, it's not
(45:22):
a substitute for therapy. If you or someone you know
needs support, check out resources like Therapy for Black Girls
or Psychology Today. If you love today's episode, do us
a favor and share it with a friend who needs
some inspiration or leave us a quick five star review.
Your support means the world to us and helps keep
(45:44):
this space thriving.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
And before we meet again, repeat after me, I release
the old with gratitude and prepare for the new with intention.
Keep thriving, lady, and tune in next Friday. For more
inspiration from cultivating her space in the meantime, be sure
to connect with us on Instagram at her Space podcast
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