🎙️ APM’s 21st Annual Sugarcane Festival
I speak with Emily Cordero, Director of Communications for Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM)—a trusted nonprofit serving Philadelphia’s Latino community for over 55 years. Emily joins us to talk about the 21st Annual Sugarcane Festival—a joyful, family-friendly celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, food, music, and culture happening Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 12–4 p.m. at 6th Street & Susquehanna Avenue in the heart of El Barrio. This free community event honors the legacy of sugarcane workers who migrated to Philadelphia and features live performances, traditional cuisine, children’s activities, and local resources.
📅 Event Details:
🎙️ VOICES of Black Women: A Historic Call to Action
I talk with three extraordinary women—Dr. Anthonise Fields, Plyshette Wiggins, and Dianne Hyman—who are national ambassadors for VOICES of Black Women, a groundbreaking research study by the American Cancer Society. This study aims to better understand how cancer and other health conditions affect Black women—and how we can collectively take action to reduce disparities. Backed by more than 70 years of trusted research, VOICES of Black Women is calling Black women from all walks of life to be part of this vital movement.
🔗 Learn more and enroll today: voices.cancer.org
🎙️ Healing and Self-Empowerment with Leslie Fletcher
I’m joined by Leslie Fletcher, President and CEO of Leslie R. Fletcher Consulting, Inc., also known as The Love Concierge. A relationship and empowerment coach, Leslie uses Universal principles to help individuals find clarity, confidence, and emotional healing. She’s one of the featured speakers at The Erased Network’s Second Annual Women’s Summit: Life and Love Lessons, happening Saturday, June 22 from 2–6 PM at Bensalem Country Club.
🔗 Event Info and Registration:
🎟️ Eventbrite Link
🌐 Leslie’s Contact info: 215.913.6356/novelles929@gmail.com
🌐 The Center of Peace: www.thecenterofpeace.org
I speak with Emily Cordero, Director of Communications for Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM)—a trusted nonprofit serving Philadelphia’s Latino community for over 55 years. Emily joins us to talk about the 21st Annual Sugarcane Festival—a joyful, family-friendly celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, food, music, and culture happening Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 12–4 p.m. at 6th Street & Susquehanna Avenue in the heart of El Barrio. This free community event honors the legacy of sugarcane workers who migrated to Philadelphia and features live performances, traditional cuisine, children’s activities, and local resources.
📅 Event Details:
- Event: 21st Annual Sugarcane Festival
- Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
- Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location: 6th Street & Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122
- Host: Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM)
- Event Info: apmphila.org/event/sugar-cane-festival-2025-june-14th
- Sponsorship/Participation Contact: Marilyn Rodríguez – marilyn.rodriguez@apmphila.org | 267-205-7586
- 🌐 Website: www.apmphila.org
- 📱 Instagram: @apmforeveryone
- 👍 Facebook: APM For Everyone
- X/Twitter: @apmforeveryone
🎙️ VOICES of Black Women: A Historic Call to Action
I talk with three extraordinary women—Dr. Anthonise Fields, Plyshette Wiggins, and Dianne Hyman—who are national ambassadors for VOICES of Black Women, a groundbreaking research study by the American Cancer Society. This study aims to better understand how cancer and other health conditions affect Black women—and how we can collectively take action to reduce disparities. Backed by more than 70 years of trusted research, VOICES of Black Women is calling Black women from all walks of life to be part of this vital movement.
🔗 Learn more and enroll today: voices.cancer.org
🎙️ Healing and Self-Empowerment with Leslie Fletcher
I’m joined by Leslie Fletcher, President and CEO of Leslie R. Fletcher Consulting, Inc., also known as The Love Concierge. A relationship and empowerment coach, Leslie uses Universal principles to help individuals find clarity, confidence, and emotional healing. She’s one of the featured speakers at The Erased Network’s Second Annual Women’s Summit: Life and Love Lessons, happening Saturday, June 22 from 2–6 PM at Bensalem Country Club.
🔗 Event Info and Registration:
🎟️ Eventbrite Link
🌐 Leslie’s Contact info: 215.913.6356/novelles929@gmail.com
🌐 The Center of Peace: www.thecenterofpeace.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballard morel. One important factor contributing
to health disparities in communities of color is the lack
of research engaging black and brown people. That's why the
American Cancer Society is asking for your help to participate
in Voices of Black Women's Research Project. We also speak
(00:22):
with Leslie Fletcher, President and CEO of Leslie Fletcher Consulting,
a lifelove and relationship coach who specializes in self empowerment.
But first, today we're joined by Emily Cordero, whose director
of Communications for pederg Kenos in Marja, better known as APM.
APM is a trusted nonprofit in Philadelphia that's been serving
(00:43):
the Latino community and more for fifty five years. Emily
is here to talk about the twenty first annual Sugar
Cane Festival, a joyful celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, food, music,
and community, happening on Saturday, June fourteenth, from twelve to
four pm at sixte and Susquehanna Avenue. Emily, for those
who've never been, what is the Sugarcane Festival all about?
(01:06):
And why is it so meaningful to the community.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Thank you so much for that great introduction of Lorraine.
I'm so happy to be here with you today. It
has so many meanings to everybody in the community. We've
been around for fifty five years, as you said, and
it means setting aside apart a day just to honor
your heritage where you're coming from community. So it means
(01:30):
just one day out of the many that you can
just relax and be with people who share your same
heritage and thoughts and beliefs on your culture. So we're
so excited, super excited. We're having Victoria coming from Puerto
Rico folksing or from Puerto Rico, a very known one, so.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
We're very excited to have her.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
And we just did the Bad Bonny contest and you
know that the Bad Bony album has been incredibly successful
and shedding some light, shedding some knowledge about what perto
Rico is going through right now. We're super pumped for
this one. We're super pumped every year, Lorraine, but this
year we're so super proud of the fact that we
(02:09):
were able to do so much with this, you know,
contest and Bad Bunny and the winner's going to be
with us that day, so we're super excited to share
that same excitement.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, it's a wonderful event and we're really looking forward
to being there. I wonder if you can tell us
a little bit about the historical and cultural significance of
sugarcane and how it inspired this festival.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It's been around for so many years, more than twenty years,
and it basically came The idea came about because there
were sugar crop workers that work in the refineries here
in Philadelphia. So we're honoring that era, that period when
they were here working in the refinery straight from Puerto Rico.
So it's an honor of those people that were working here.
(02:54):
So yeah, that's why it's called Sugar Cane Festival because
it's in honor of them.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yeah, I wonder if you can tell us more about
how this festival connects with apm's broader mission of community empowerment.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
It's what we believe is what we live for, is
what we wake up every day to come to do
to impact people that way. We have financial literacy, we
have preschools, we have adoption and faster care, and within
those programs, it's very important for us to instill the
importance of community and culture. So we're celebrating that day.
(03:29):
We're celebrating the work that we do within the people
here and are our clients. That's the whole you know point.
Culture is very important to many people, and so why
not celebrate the fact that all year round we're helping
all these people and we're just basically with them hand
in hand, helping them buy their first house.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
You know, I get chills.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And I get I get so excited because that's what
we do on a living today basis. So we get
to see them in person again in the festival a
more relaxed environment, and shake their hands and hug them
and tell them, hey, we're.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Here for you. You know, is for you too. It's free
to the public, Learne.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
So we were happy to just you know, share that
culture and the happiness and the community that was built.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah. Well, APM does so much for the community. I
can speak from a very personal standpoint because there's a
family that we love very much that APM helped them
not only move out of one of the toughest drug
areas in which they had to constantly deal with the
dealers and the needles and everything else and they got
(04:30):
to move into a new house, which they were able
to afford, but they wouldn't have been able to afford
it had it not been for APM. So I will
always be forever grateful to APM for helping this family
that we love so much. APM does so much more.
It certainly is very Latino facing, but you do cover
(04:50):
the community, so everyone is welcome to participate, not only
in the sugar cane festival, but all of the very
many resources and campaigns and aspects of our community that
you can provide, whether it's housing, financial, literacy, all the
different things. So it's APM is for everyone, right it is.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
We started off with four veterans, Puerto Rican veterans, just
offering services to Hispanics and Puerto Ricans, but now fifty
five years later, we'll offer everybody. We have been all along,
but people because of our name APM, A sosoci and
Puerto Macha, they associated just with the Latino community. But
I just want to say and reiterate that it's for everybody.
(05:36):
Piggybacking off your statement about you know the story, how
blessed am I to hear that story from you. Thank
you so much for sharing that because this is that
those stories that keep us going. Behavioral health is so important,
and we do have a behavioral health team who help
the people that don't know where to go to. Mental
health is so important, and we're having a campaign directed
(05:59):
and Geared two helping people basically get in tunes with
their mental health as a stigma in the community. So
we have a really really good show coming out on
Telemundo about that.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I think the other thing too is
although APM is for everybody, you are culturally competent, so
you're able to provide services that really do speak to
people's backgrounds and culture. And so it's one thing to
provide services, but to be culturally competent is so important,
(06:32):
particularly in communities where people don't speak in fluent English
or their other barriers to getting the kinds of services
that they require and they need and that you provide.
So that's what's so special about APM. It is for everyone,
but it also provides culturally competent resources and services for
so many people in the community. Emily, if people want
(06:55):
more information, not only about the Sugarcane Festival, which again
is Saturday, June fourteenth, from twelve noon to four at
sixth Street in Susquehanna Avenue. Please come. The food is awesome,
the music is fantastic. Of course, our iHeartRadio station Rumba
one oh six' one will be there as well. How
can people find more information about that and all the
(07:15):
great resources that APM provides.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
The website is APMFELA dot org. That's APM p h
I LA dot org. You can also call two six
seven two nine six seven two zero zero and they'll
connect you to any of our programs that are listed
in the APM website.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Absolutely wonderful. Emily Cordero, Directive Communications from APM for All.
They are a trusted nonprofit in Philadelphia serving the Latino
community and more for fifty five years. Thank you so
much for joining us, Emily.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Thank you so much always.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I'm so excited to have three extraordinary women here to
talk about Voices of Black Women, which is the American
Cancer Society invitation for Black women to join a powerful
new research study that aims to understand how cancer and
other health conditions uniquely impact Black women and how we
can change that together. Joining me right now is Plachette Wiggins,
(08:16):
Diane Heyman, and doctor Anthony's Fields. They are here to
talk about why it's so important for black women to
join this extraordinary campaign. So I'm going to start with
Plashette Wins, who is an American Cancer Society ambassador and volunteer.
Tell us why are you so passionately involved in want
other Black women to join Voices of Black Women.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
First of all, thank you so much for having us.
I am involved because I think it's important for black
women to be a part of the story of understanding
why we have such a low incidence of breast cancer
but a high death rate. The reason for the study
is to figure out why that is, and participate in
the study will give us some information about lifestyle decisions
(08:59):
we make, are we be and screened, what's happening when
we are screened, and how we can improve the outcome.
And the reason I'm passionate about it because when I
was an undergrad student, I learned that Black women have
the lowest incidents of breast cancer but the highest death rate.
That was nearly thirty years ago. When I gave breast
cancer talks in college and then in grad school and
in all my early career, I would start with that
(09:21):
conversation and if I gave a talk later today, I
would say the same thing. And that makes me sad, like,
why are we still saying the same thing that Black
women have the lowest incidents of breast cancer but the
highest death rate. So I'm passionate about this study because
i want to find out why. I want to know
what causes that, and more importantly, what can we do
to change it.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Absolutely, that's great, your passion is very evident. Another passionate individual,
Diane Hyman. You're an oncology nurse and you've spent a
lot of time working with breast cancer patients and you
have a special connection. Tell us why you believe in
the Voices of Black Women campaign.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Yes, Hi, and again thank you for this opportunity as well.
Working as an oncology nurse specifically with breast cancer patients
for the last twenty five years, I've seen from screening
throughout their trajectory of diagnosis, treatment, and onto survivorship, and
so I have a personal, in your face connection with
what disparity looks like. I've seen women present late diagnosis,
(10:25):
I've seen women present not having access and delay in
their care, and through that I was able to formulate
a breast cancer support group specifically for my minority women
to come together to share resources to get the support
and the education that they would need to help them
throughout their cancer journey. Sadly enough, I've been to my
(10:45):
share of funerals. I hate to say, although we've made
great strides in breast cancer, the work still continues and
must be done. And so I'm passionate about voices because
I get an opportunity to share my voice and to
encourage others that we can start to look.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
At this before women are even screened.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
With the age being twenty five to fifty five, we
can capture younger women on through the ages of fifty
five to see what is it that may be contributed
into the disparity of Black women in breast cancer. And
so our voices are important, there needed, and this study
is vital for us as Black women to change the
course of what our health can look like for future generations.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Doctor Anthony's feels. You are a lifelong researcher and you've
seen firsthand what the impact is of this disparity that
exists among Black women regarding specifically breast cancer, but certainly
overall cancer outcomes are impacting communities of color at greater rates.
(11:46):
So tell us a little bit about your story and
your passion for this issue.
Speaker 6 (11:50):
I've been a lifelong Stemmer, as I call it. Was
raised in Brooklyn, New York, came here for college at UPenn,
and it was there that I learned that the science
is not complete. Later on, I also learned that the
data that underpins a lot of our medicines doesn't always
represent Black women. And most recently, there's evidence that show
that there are not only just ancestral genetic differences, but
(12:13):
our lived experience, and that is the way that we
experience our life that also has an impact on our physiology.
Not just our physiology, but the way that we respond
to medicine and treatments. So what that means is that
if I am sick with a condition, it doesn't necessarily
I won't respond the same way to the same drugs as,
(12:34):
for example, a white male. And so therefore it's important
for us to understand some of the differences, not just
genetic variations, but also some of the epigenetic differences and
also some of the lifestyle factors that contribute to the
disparities that we're seeing. So the data that we get
from this study will have a significant and transformative impact
(12:56):
on how we treat black women. This is important for
me because I have a black daughter, I have a
black son, and for generations to come. We see that
this data will impact us for future generations.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Yeah, about that disparity regarding black folks involved in research studies,
We certainly know that there is a long history of
distrust of the medical and research institutions based on history.
But we also know that when black men and women
are presented with the opportunity to get into a research study,
(13:32):
that there is a high level of enthusiasm for being
a part of that. But oftentimes folks are not given
that option. Is that right?
Speaker 6 (13:40):
Absolutely, they're not given the option because of structural barriers,
systemic biases, and also perhaps distrust mutual distrust. Clinical trials
or health studies are not experimentation. There are controls that
have been put in place to ensure the safety of
the participant. Additionally, when individuals black individuals are asked to
(14:01):
participate and supported, their compliance is just as high, if
not higher, than our white counterparts. So it truly is
developing clinical trials or trials that work and are designed
to work with the lifestyle that most African Americans have.
For example, if I am disproportionately an hourly worker, then
(14:24):
pulling me out of work result in me not getting paid.
So what are the solutions that clinical trialists will put
in place to address some of those unique barriers that
are perhaps disapportionately impacting the black community. And that is
a holistic shift that needs to happen.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Yeah, that's very interesting because you don't really think sometimes
about the lifestyle issues that could get in the way,
whether it's lifestyle or whether it's economic. Certainly it's very
difficult for folks who are relying on that paycheck to
take the time in order to participate. But we have
to figure out new strategies and new ways of being
able to reach this population asolutely.
Speaker 6 (15:00):
And ACS is starting by understanding what are some of
those multi level factors that are truly causing the disparities
not only in incidents, but also risk and outcome and survivorship.
The information that we gain here will enable your daughter,
your son, and grandchildren to get the treatment that is
(15:21):
targeted and tailored for their unique needs.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Absolutely, and I certainly have a personal experience of someone
who is a stage four breast cancer survivor who went
into a clinical study after she'd been misdiagnosed four times,
but then she got into this clinical study and she's
still standing and she's doing great, but it was the
clinical study that saved her life. Each of you, Plashette,
Diane and doctor Anthony's feels, I want you to each
(15:46):
tell us why black women in particular should join Voices
of Black women.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Black women should join the study so that our voice
can be heard, so that we can be a part
of the solution to the problem. It's a problem that
black women are dying for breast cancer and we can't
lean on everyone else to solve that problem. We need
to lend our voice be a part of this study.
And I love that it's an observational study, so we're
just going to answer some questions and it's very minimally involved.
(16:13):
You're going to answer a survey and tell us about
your lifestyle. And the reason why you should join the
study is because you can be the solution to the problem.
So that's why black women should join the study.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Okay, very good, Diane.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
Just to add on to what plus Chetz just said,
we have a voice and it does matter and if
we want to know what has taken place in our community,
we have to be engaged in research. We have to
be engaged in studies so that we can get the sciences,
can get the information that we need for better outcomes
for us.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
And doctor Anthony's fields.
Speaker 6 (16:44):
Science is evolving at an incredible pace, and for us
to be the beneficiaries of that science, we need to
understand how the disease shows up in us and how
our lived experience impacts the disease. Think about the targeted
medicines that are coming out right now for cancer treatment,
targeting a certain gene, targeting a certain mutation. If that
(17:04):
mutation is not represented in Black women, then we can
take all of these medicines and all of these treatments
all we want, and it won't necessarily have the impact
that we intend it to have. So we need to
ensure that the medicines that are being developed truly will
work for us and not cause even adverse effect. Let's
transform the way medicine is conducted and let's make it
(17:25):
work for us, all right.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
And if you want more information about joining this movement
for health equity Voices of Black Women, go to Voices
dot Cancer dot org. Thanks to Plashette Wiggins, Dianeheyman and
doctor Anthony's Feels. They are all here to talk about
why it's so important on behalf of the American Cancer
Society for all of us to join Voices of Black
(17:48):
Women again. That's Voices dot Cancer dot o RG. I'm
joined today by Leslie Fletcher, President and CEO of Leslie R.
Fletcher Consulting, Inc. A Life, love and relationships coach who
specializes in self empowerment. Leslie uses universal principles to guide
(18:11):
clients towards personal clarity, confidence, and emotional healing. She's also
one of the featured presenters at the Erased Network's second
annual Women's Summit Life and Love Lessons, happening on June
twenty second, from two to six pm at Ben Salem
Country Club. Well, what a pleasure, Leslie to reconnect. We've
known each other for many years many yes, and ran
(18:33):
into you at a Tribune event which was delightful. What
inspired you to become a coach and how did your
personal journey lead you to this work. Well, Ran, it's
so good to see you too. It has been a
very long time. Coaching is something I grew into I
thought about it when I was a young person. I
thought I wanted to be a psychologist, but then I
found out it was going to take eight years to
(18:54):
do Then like, well, I don't have eight years to
do that. But so the evolution of my life has
led me to the place where where I've become a coach.
I've done lots of other things, as you may remember,
I've done lots of work with nonprofit organizations Point Parent
or an American Red Cross. I also was chief of
staff for Vincent Hughes for many years, so it's a
securitous route. But when I was in my forties, I
went on a spiritual retreat.
Speaker 7 (19:16):
I didn't know it was a spiritual retreat at the time.
I thought I was going to Jamaica to learn about
relaxation and dealing with stress. But it turned out to
be life altering for me. And so I came to
understand through a process at this retreat that my purpose
on the planet is to help with the self empowerment
of girls and women, and I learned to add starting
with me. So there I was in my forties and
(19:38):
I made some life changes of my own, and I
also joined a spiritual community called the Center of Peace,
which is in Philadelphia in Germantown on Green Street. And
it's there that I learned the spiritual principles because I
hadn't been a big church goer because I got distracted
by the humanness of church. But then when I began
to look at life from a metaphysical position, it really
(19:59):
changed everything for me. And so I use I said
those spiritual principles in my work. One of the first
things I did. It was back in the nineties, but
when of the first things I did was a program
called Girls of Promise, and I was working with girls
who've been put out of public school, mostly for fighting
or truancy. And I'm a big proponent of meditation, and
so I was meditating to find out what is it
(20:21):
I am to say and do and be for these
young ladies. And it occurred to me that many of
them think there's a problem with them, and so I said,
So when I first met them, I said, I'm not
here to fix you, because you're not broken. I'm here
to help you remember who you are. I love that,
and so that's the premise, I mean, that's that's the
road in for me.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, great example, can you explain the difference between coaching
and therapy and how you help people distinguish which path
might be right for them.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Yeah, so psychologists psychiatrists are the people who've done that
that level of work. I have a sister who's a psychologist,
and she must have taken my energy from when we
were younger. But therapists usually work with people who have
issues to work out, like from the past and that
sort of thing. And I will refer someone to a
(21:11):
therapist if I think that's more appropriate for them. Coaching
is more like someone who's going to help you see
the road ahead. And I also see myself as a
light bearer from a spiritual place. I'm able to kind
of see down the road a little bit and recognize
that everybody's an expert in their own life. And so
to use like a sports example, which you can tell
I'm not a sports person, but say you to say
(21:34):
I'm the basketball coach, okay, and you need to work
on your jump shot. I'll watch you and I'll say, okay,
you need to bring your elbow in a little bit.
So the purpose of the coach is to help guide you.
It's not to fix what happened in the past. Necessarily,
but to help you get the vision and lay out
a path for where you want to go in the future.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
You mentioned using universal principles and your coaching practice. What
are some of those principles and how do they show
up in your work with clients?
Speaker 7 (22:02):
Well, thank you so much for that. And one of
the things that how has it shown up in my life?
First and foremost, because like I said, I was really
not a church goer because I got distracted by the
humanness of church. But through through the Center of Peace,
I've learned to look at things differently, like everything is energy.
I wasn't a science student either, but I learned that
really everything is energy. The world is spinning. We don't
(22:24):
think about it. Our words have power coming from the
energy of what we say and how we conduct ourselves.
And so it just really took me in a direction
of looking at things through a different lens, looking at the.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
World with a different lens. So what you're saying is
that we are all connected on some level, right, Oh, yes.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
At a very deep level. So if we look at
the Creator, the beloved, the divine, it's energy. It's not
a no no offense, but it's not a guy in
the sky. For me, it is the creative energy that
exists totally. There's nothing outside of it. So we are
divine ideas in the mind of that God, so to speak.
(23:06):
And so you know, there's a Sanskrit word namastaea means
the God in me recognizes the God in you. And
when we can look in someone's eyes and see that
that spirit, then there're no barriers between us.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
I love that we see the essential person or the
energy of that person. Then we aren't blocked by the
perceptions that we have of each other based on the
color of their skin or how tall they are, horse shot,
we're a man or woman or whatever. I love that.
Now tell us more about the erased networks Women's Summit
(23:40):
and why it's important for women to gather in spaces
like this.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
Okay, yes, I can do that. I just want to
make a little I want to put a finer point
on what we were talking about before before I move
into that. So when I first started working with those
young ladies, and say, I was in my forties and
they were fourteen fifteen sixteen, coming from very diverse and
different generations, backgrounds, living situations, and so one of the
first things I said to them was I said, I'm
here to love you because I already know you. I'm
(24:08):
here to show you what it's like to be loved
because I already like missus. Leslie, you don't know us, you,
I said, no, but I really do. And so that energy.
So I would hug them. And back in that day,
you could still put you put your hands on a child,
and so I would give them a hug because it
was in love, and they would have their arms down.
Then eventually they'd start to lift their arms up and
they would just return the embrace. And then after a
while then they would they would hug me first. And
(24:30):
so it was a process. And so women have that
innate sense. And we're also acculturated to be the nurtures
of givers, the lovers of all, and so we often
give it away and don't remember to hold onto it
for ourselves. So a group like you know, the summit
(24:52):
that's coming up, that Erase Network does that. It provides
an environment and it's interesting how it started. One of
the founders, Terry Winton, is a hairdresser. Oh she's massed hairstylist.
I'm gonna get it right. It's gonna take me a
little bit, and I went to her to get my
hair done, and you know, when you're sitting in that chair,
you know, you hear things, you say things, and so
(25:13):
I'm always I'm always coaching, and so I was commenting
on other people, and so she and I got to talking,
and so she and her partner, her business partner, Sharon Robinson,
decided to start hosting some things in the shop, and
so that was the genesis of it. Then it just
grew and grew and grew, and so this year is
the second annual summit and their symbol is an eraser.
(25:35):
Let's get rid of the trauma from the past, whatever
energy that we're holding on to. And so that's how
that came together. And you know, I'm experiencing one of
my best friends just made her transition, and she's the
second one, as I said, in six months. And so
these are the women that held me up. They know
all my secrets. And when the first one died, I
was like, I was on the floor, okay, because it
(25:57):
was she was just ripped from me without any warning,
just she died very suddenly, and so I was trying
to figure out how to cope with it, and I
kept saying I've lost my best friend, and I was
just miserable. But but I, through my spiritual teachings and
that community center piece, I learned to say I didn't
lose her, she has made her transition. I have not
(26:18):
lost all the love, all the support, all the friendship
that we have had over the fifty seven years of
friendship without ever having had an argument. And so the
ability that women have to be that person for each other,
we give it to each other even more than we
think to give it to ourselves, because oftentimes if we
think about how we talk to each other, you're like, oh,
(26:39):
I wouldn't have a friend who talked to me that way.
So this summit brings together women of various backgrounds, generations,
lifestyles to be in community, to be in support of
one another. And I said, this is the second annual
event and highly successful. Highly appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Yeah, well, I love what you say about reframing with words,
because a lot of times when we lose people, we
do talk about grief, we talk about losing, but in
a sense, you can reframe that whole idea of losing
somebody by telling yourself that they still live in your heart,
so they still have an impact.
Speaker 7 (27:21):
Now, I just want to say that reframing is the
spot on word. It's perfect because what we think we
bring into creation. Okay, So that's another thing I really
focus on when I'm working with people is to look
at your feelings. What is it that you're feeling. What
you're feeling is based on what you think, and what
(27:41):
you think is based on what you believe. So we
always have the opportunity to evaluate a situation not looking
at the other person, but looking at ourselves. So whatever
somebody else is doing is about them. How you respond
to it is about you. So there's science that says
we decide how we're going to feel because you know,
(28:02):
oh she made me so mad, or he may know.
We actually that was a choice we made because once again,
think about your friends. Your friends can say things to
you that somebody else can't say. Your friends will say
something to you be like, okay, somebody else says it,
you want to fight. So there's that little opportunity we
have to make a decision, and we do so when
you look at at oh, I'm feeling this kind of way,
so you get the opportunity to say no, what am
(28:24):
I thinking? That results in that feeling, and then behind
that is what is it that I believe? And it's
mostly what do I believe about myself? And it's usually
not something that's affirmative. So we get the opportunity to
kind of like dig up things and so to a
certain extent, it is therapeutic. But I never hurt myself
out as a therapist. But that's the difference.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
If people want to know more about the Erased Network
second Annual Women's Summit Life and Love Lessons that's happening
on June twenty second, yes, tell us all the details.
Speaker 7 (28:57):
Well, the best way I can describe at this point
is that it's on event Bright. Like I said, it's
the details that you have or when I'm at liberty
to share at the moment. But it's but it's going
to be on the twenty second from two to six.
It's a lovely environment and the tickets are on event Bright.
So anybody who's interested in going could just you know,
go on to event Bright and they're looking for the
(29:19):
Erase Network Summit. Perfect And if people want to connect
with you, how do they do that? Well, I'm also
making a transition of my own in terms of my
outreach and so I'm working on a new website and
in the meantime, people can reach me at my telephone
number which is two one five nine one three six
three five six, or my email address which is novel
(29:42):
Less n O V E L L E S nine
two nine at gmail dot com. Fantastic Leslie Fletcher, President
and CEO of Leslie R. Fletcher Consulting, Inc. A lifelove
and relationships coach who specializes in self empowerment. She's also
going to be a featured person center at the Erase
Network second Annual Women's Summit Life and Love Lessons on
(30:04):
June twenty second, from two to six pm at Ben
Salem Country Club. So thank you so much for joining us, Rain.
Thank you, it's been a pleasure to be with you.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrow, and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(30:34):
You've been listening to Insight and thank you
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballard morel. One important factor contributing
to health disparities in communities of color is the lack
of research engaging black and brown people. That's why the
American Cancer Society is asking for your help to participate
in Voices of Black Women's Research Project. We also speak
(00:22):
with Leslie Fletcher, President and CEO of Leslie Fletcher Consulting,
a lifelove and relationship coach who specializes in self empowerment.
But first, today we're joined by Emily Cordero, whose director
of Communications for pederg Kenos in Marja, better known as APM.
APM is a trusted nonprofit in Philadelphia that's been serving
(00:43):
the Latino community and more for fifty five years. Emily
is here to talk about the twenty first annual Sugar
Cane Festival, a joyful celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, food, music,
and community, happening on Saturday, June fourteenth, from twelve to
four pm at sixte and Susquehanna Avenue. Emily, for those
who've never been, what is the Sugarcane Festival all about?
(01:06):
And why is it so meaningful to the community.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Thank you so much for that great introduction of Lorraine.
I'm so happy to be here with you today. It
has so many meanings to everybody in the community. We've
been around for fifty five years, as you said, and
it means setting aside apart a day just to honor
your heritage where you're coming from community. So it means
(01:30):
just one day out of the many that you can
just relax and be with people who share your same
heritage and thoughts and beliefs on your culture. So we're
so excited, super excited. We're having Victoria coming from Puerto
Rico folksing or from Puerto Rico, a very known one, so.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
We're very excited to have her.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
And we just did the Bad Bonny contest and you
know that the Bad Bony album has been incredibly successful
and shedding some light, shedding some knowledge about what perto
Rico is going through right now. We're super pumped for
this one. We're super pumped every year, Lorraine, but this
year we're so super proud of the fact that we
(02:09):
were able to do so much with this, you know,
contest and Bad Bunny and the winner's going to be
with us that day, so we're super excited to share
that same excitement.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, it's a wonderful event and we're really looking forward
to being there. I wonder if you can tell us
a little bit about the historical and cultural significance of
sugarcane and how it inspired this festival.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It's been around for so many years, more than twenty years,
and it basically came The idea came about because there
were sugar crop workers that work in the refineries here
in Philadelphia. So we're honoring that era, that period when
they were here working in the refinery straight from Puerto Rico.
So it's an honor of those people that were working here.
(02:54):
So yeah, that's why it's called Sugar Cane Festival because
it's in honor of them.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yeah, I wonder if you can tell us more about
how this festival connects with apm's broader mission of community empowerment.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
It's what we believe is what we live for, is
what we wake up every day to come to do
to impact people that way. We have financial literacy, we
have preschools, we have adoption and faster care, and within
those programs, it's very important for us to instill the
importance of community and culture. So we're celebrating that day.
(03:29):
We're celebrating the work that we do within the people
here and are our clients. That's the whole you know point.
Culture is very important to many people, and so why
not celebrate the fact that all year round we're helping
all these people and we're just basically with them hand
in hand, helping them buy their first house.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
You know, I get chills.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And I get I get so excited because that's what
we do on a living today basis. So we get
to see them in person again in the festival a
more relaxed environment, and shake their hands and hug them
and tell them, hey, we're.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Here for you. You know, is for you too. It's free
to the public, Learne.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
So we were happy to just you know, share that
culture and the happiness and the community that was built.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah. Well, APM does so much for the community. I
can speak from a very personal standpoint because there's a
family that we love very much that APM helped them
not only move out of one of the toughest drug
areas in which they had to constantly deal with the
dealers and the needles and everything else and they got
(04:30):
to move into a new house, which they were able
to afford, but they wouldn't have been able to afford
it had it not been for APM. So I will
always be forever grateful to APM for helping this family
that we love so much. APM does so much more.
It certainly is very Latino facing, but you do cover
(04:50):
the community, so everyone is welcome to participate, not only
in the sugar cane festival, but all of the very
many resources and campaigns and aspects of our community that
you can provide, whether it's housing, financial, literacy, all the
different things. So it's APM is for everyone, right it is.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
We started off with four veterans, Puerto Rican veterans, just
offering services to Hispanics and Puerto Ricans, but now fifty
five years later, we'll offer everybody. We have been all along,
but people because of our name APM, A sosoci and
Puerto Macha, they associated just with the Latino community. But
I just want to say and reiterate that it's for everybody.
(05:36):
Piggybacking off your statement about you know the story, how
blessed am I to hear that story from you. Thank
you so much for sharing that because this is that
those stories that keep us going. Behavioral health is so important,
and we do have a behavioral health team who help
the people that don't know where to go to. Mental
health is so important, and we're having a campaign directed
(05:59):
and Geared two helping people basically get in tunes with
their mental health as a stigma in the community. So
we have a really really good show coming out on
Telemundo about that.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I think the other thing too is
although APM is for everybody, you are culturally competent, so
you're able to provide services that really do speak to
people's backgrounds and culture. And so it's one thing to
provide services, but to be culturally competent is so important,
(06:32):
particularly in communities where people don't speak in fluent English
or their other barriers to getting the kinds of services
that they require and they need and that you provide.
So that's what's so special about APM. It is for everyone,
but it also provides culturally competent resources and services for
so many people in the community. Emily, if people want
(06:55):
more information, not only about the Sugarcane Festival, which again
is Saturday, June fourteenth, from twelve noon to four at
sixth Street in Susquehanna Avenue. Please come. The food is awesome,
the music is fantastic. Of course, our iHeartRadio station Rumba
one oh six' one will be there as well. How
can people find more information about that and all the
(07:15):
great resources that APM provides.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
The website is APMFELA dot org. That's APM p h
I LA dot org. You can also call two six
seven two nine six seven two zero zero and they'll
connect you to any of our programs that are listed
in the APM website.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Absolutely wonderful. Emily Cordero, Directive Communications from APM for All.
They are a trusted nonprofit in Philadelphia serving the Latino
community and more for fifty five years. Thank you so
much for joining us, Emily.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Thank you so much always.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I'm so excited to have three extraordinary women here to
talk about Voices of Black Women, which is the American
Cancer Society invitation for Black women to join a powerful
new research study that aims to understand how cancer and
other health conditions uniquely impact Black women and how we
can change that together. Joining me right now is Plachette Wiggins,
(08:16):
Diane Heyman, and doctor Anthony's Fields. They are here to
talk about why it's so important for black women to
join this extraordinary campaign. So I'm going to start with
Plashette Wins, who is an American Cancer Society ambassador and volunteer.
Tell us why are you so passionately involved in want
other Black women to join Voices of Black Women.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
First of all, thank you so much for having us.
I am involved because I think it's important for black
women to be a part of the story of understanding
why we have such a low incidence of breast cancer
but a high death rate. The reason for the study
is to figure out why that is, and participate in
the study will give us some information about lifestyle decisions
(08:59):
we make, are we be and screened, what's happening when
we are screened, and how we can improve the outcome.
And the reason I'm passionate about it because when I
was an undergrad student, I learned that Black women have
the lowest incidents of breast cancer but the highest death rate.
That was nearly thirty years ago. When I gave breast
cancer talks in college and then in grad school and
in all my early career, I would start with that
(09:21):
conversation and if I gave a talk later today, I
would say the same thing. And that makes me sad, like,
why are we still saying the same thing that Black
women have the lowest incidents of breast cancer but the
highest death rate. So I'm passionate about this study because
i want to find out why. I want to know
what causes that, and more importantly, what can we do
to change it.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Absolutely, that's great, your passion is very evident. Another passionate individual,
Diane Hyman. You're an oncology nurse and you've spent a
lot of time working with breast cancer patients and you
have a special connection. Tell us why you believe in
the Voices of Black Women campaign.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Yes, Hi, and again thank you for this opportunity as well.
Working as an oncology nurse specifically with breast cancer patients
for the last twenty five years, I've seen from screening
throughout their trajectory of diagnosis, treatment, and onto survivorship, and
so I have a personal, in your face connection with
what disparity looks like. I've seen women present late diagnosis,
(10:25):
I've seen women present not having access and delay in
their care, and through that I was able to formulate
a breast cancer support group specifically for my minority women
to come together to share resources to get the support
and the education that they would need to help them
throughout their cancer journey. Sadly enough, I've been to my
(10:45):
share of funerals. I hate to say, although we've made
great strides in breast cancer, the work still continues and
must be done. And so I'm passionate about voices because
I get an opportunity to share my voice and to
encourage others that we can start to look.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
At this before women are even screened.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
With the age being twenty five to fifty five, we
can capture younger women on through the ages of fifty
five to see what is it that may be contributed
into the disparity of Black women in breast cancer. And
so our voices are important, there needed, and this study
is vital for us as Black women to change the
course of what our health can look like for future generations.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Doctor Anthony's feels. You are a lifelong researcher and you've
seen firsthand what the impact is of this disparity that
exists among Black women regarding specifically breast cancer, but certainly
overall cancer outcomes are impacting communities of color at greater rates.
(11:46):
So tell us a little bit about your story and
your passion for this issue.
Speaker 6 (11:50):
I've been a lifelong Stemmer, as I call it. Was
raised in Brooklyn, New York, came here for college at UPenn,
and it was there that I learned that the science
is not complete. Later on, I also learned that the
data that underpins a lot of our medicines doesn't always
represent Black women. And most recently, there's evidence that show
that there are not only just ancestral genetic differences, but
(12:13):
our lived experience, and that is the way that we
experience our life that also has an impact on our physiology.
Not just our physiology, but the way that we respond
to medicine and treatments. So what that means is that
if I am sick with a condition, it doesn't necessarily
I won't respond the same way to the same drugs as,
(12:34):
for example, a white male. And so therefore it's important
for us to understand some of the differences, not just
genetic variations, but also some of the epigenetic differences and
also some of the lifestyle factors that contribute to the
disparities that we're seeing. So the data that we get
from this study will have a significant and transformative impact
(12:56):
on how we treat black women. This is important for
me because I have a black daughter, I have a
black son, and for generations to come. We see that
this data will impact us for future generations.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Yeah, about that disparity regarding black folks involved in research studies,
We certainly know that there is a long history of
distrust of the medical and research institutions based on history.
But we also know that when black men and women
are presented with the opportunity to get into a research study,
(13:32):
that there is a high level of enthusiasm for being
a part of that. But oftentimes folks are not given
that option. Is that right?
Speaker 6 (13:40):
Absolutely, they're not given the option because of structural barriers,
systemic biases, and also perhaps distrust mutual distrust. Clinical trials
or health studies are not experimentation. There are controls that
have been put in place to ensure the safety of
the participant. Additionally, when individuals black individuals are asked to
(14:01):
participate and supported, their compliance is just as high, if
not higher, than our white counterparts. So it truly is
developing clinical trials or trials that work and are designed
to work with the lifestyle that most African Americans have.
For example, if I am disproportionately an hourly worker, then
(14:24):
pulling me out of work result in me not getting paid.
So what are the solutions that clinical trialists will put
in place to address some of those unique barriers that
are perhaps disapportionately impacting the black community. And that is
a holistic shift that needs to happen.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Yeah, that's very interesting because you don't really think sometimes
about the lifestyle issues that could get in the way,
whether it's lifestyle or whether it's economic. Certainly it's very
difficult for folks who are relying on that paycheck to
take the time in order to participate. But we have
to figure out new strategies and new ways of being
able to reach this population asolutely.
Speaker 6 (15:00):
And ACS is starting by understanding what are some of
those multi level factors that are truly causing the disparities
not only in incidents, but also risk and outcome and survivorship.
The information that we gain here will enable your daughter,
your son, and grandchildren to get the treatment that is
(15:21):
targeted and tailored for their unique needs.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Absolutely, and I certainly have a personal experience of someone
who is a stage four breast cancer survivor who went
into a clinical study after she'd been misdiagnosed four times,
but then she got into this clinical study and she's
still standing and she's doing great, but it was the
clinical study that saved her life. Each of you, Plashette,
Diane and doctor Anthony's feels, I want you to each
(15:46):
tell us why black women in particular should join Voices
of Black women.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Black women should join the study so that our voice
can be heard, so that we can be a part
of the solution to the problem. It's a problem that
black women are dying for breast cancer and we can't
lean on everyone else to solve that problem. We need
to lend our voice be a part of this study.
And I love that it's an observational study, so we're
just going to answer some questions and it's very minimally involved.
(16:13):
You're going to answer a survey and tell us about
your lifestyle. And the reason why you should join the
study is because you can be the solution to the problem.
So that's why black women should join the study.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Okay, very good, Diane.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
Just to add on to what plus Chetz just said,
we have a voice and it does matter and if
we want to know what has taken place in our community,
we have to be engaged in research. We have to
be engaged in studies so that we can get the sciences,
can get the information that we need for better outcomes
for us.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
And doctor Anthony's fields.
Speaker 6 (16:44):
Science is evolving at an incredible pace, and for us
to be the beneficiaries of that science, we need to
understand how the disease shows up in us and how
our lived experience impacts the disease. Think about the targeted
medicines that are coming out right now for cancer treatment,
targeting a certain gene, targeting a certain mutation. If that
(17:04):
mutation is not represented in Black women, then we can
take all of these medicines and all of these treatments
all we want, and it won't necessarily have the impact
that we intend it to have. So we need to
ensure that the medicines that are being developed truly will
work for us and not cause even adverse effect. Let's
transform the way medicine is conducted and let's make it
(17:25):
work for us, all right.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
And if you want more information about joining this movement
for health equity Voices of Black Women, go to Voices
dot Cancer dot org. Thanks to Plashette Wiggins, Dianeheyman and
doctor Anthony's Feels. They are all here to talk about
why it's so important on behalf of the American Cancer
Society for all of us to join Voices of Black
(17:48):
Women again. That's Voices dot Cancer dot o RG. I'm
joined today by Leslie Fletcher, President and CEO of Leslie R.
Fletcher Consulting, Inc. A Life, love and relationships coach who
specializes in self empowerment. Leslie uses universal principles to guide
(18:11):
clients towards personal clarity, confidence, and emotional healing. She's also
one of the featured presenters at the Erased Network's second
annual Women's Summit Life and Love Lessons, happening on June
twenty second, from two to six pm at Ben Salem
Country Club. Well, what a pleasure, Leslie to reconnect. We've
known each other for many years many yes, and ran
(18:33):
into you at a Tribune event which was delightful. What
inspired you to become a coach and how did your
personal journey lead you to this work. Well, Ran, it's
so good to see you too. It has been a
very long time. Coaching is something I grew into I
thought about it when I was a young person. I
thought I wanted to be a psychologist, but then I
found out it was going to take eight years to
(18:54):
do Then like, well, I don't have eight years to
do that. But so the evolution of my life has
led me to the place where where I've become a coach.
I've done lots of other things, as you may remember,
I've done lots of work with nonprofit organizations Point Parent
or an American Red Cross. I also was chief of
staff for Vincent Hughes for many years, so it's a
securitous route. But when I was in my forties, I
went on a spiritual retreat.
Speaker 7 (19:16):
I didn't know it was a spiritual retreat at the time.
I thought I was going to Jamaica to learn about
relaxation and dealing with stress. But it turned out to
be life altering for me. And so I came to
understand through a process at this retreat that my purpose
on the planet is to help with the self empowerment
of girls and women, and I learned to add starting
with me. So there I was in my forties and
(19:38):
I made some life changes of my own, and I
also joined a spiritual community called the Center of Peace,
which is in Philadelphia in Germantown on Green Street. And
it's there that I learned the spiritual principles because I
hadn't been a big church goer because I got distracted
by the humanness of church. But then when I began
to look at life from a metaphysical position, it really
(19:59):
changed everything for me. And so I use I said
those spiritual principles in my work. One of the first
things I did. It was back in the nineties, but
when of the first things I did was a program
called Girls of Promise, and I was working with girls
who've been put out of public school, mostly for fighting
or truancy. And I'm a big proponent of meditation, and
so I was meditating to find out what is it
(20:21):
I am to say and do and be for these
young ladies. And it occurred to me that many of
them think there's a problem with them, and so I said,
So when I first met them, I said, I'm not
here to fix you, because you're not broken. I'm here
to help you remember who you are. I love that,
and so that's the premise, I mean, that's that's the
road in for me.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, great example, can you explain the difference between coaching
and therapy and how you help people distinguish which path
might be right for them.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Yeah, so psychologists psychiatrists are the people who've done that
that level of work. I have a sister who's a psychologist,
and she must have taken my energy from when we
were younger. But therapists usually work with people who have
issues to work out, like from the past and that
sort of thing. And I will refer someone to a
(21:11):
therapist if I think that's more appropriate for them. Coaching
is more like someone who's going to help you see
the road ahead. And I also see myself as a
light bearer from a spiritual place. I'm able to kind
of see down the road a little bit and recognize
that everybody's an expert in their own life. And so
to use like a sports example, which you can tell
I'm not a sports person, but say you to say
(21:34):
I'm the basketball coach, okay, and you need to work
on your jump shot. I'll watch you and I'll say, okay,
you need to bring your elbow in a little bit.
So the purpose of the coach is to help guide you.
It's not to fix what happened in the past. Necessarily,
but to help you get the vision and lay out
a path for where you want to go in the future.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
You mentioned using universal principles and your coaching practice. What
are some of those principles and how do they show
up in your work with clients?
Speaker 7 (22:02):
Well, thank you so much for that. And one of
the things that how has it shown up in my life?
First and foremost, because like I said, I was really
not a church goer because I got distracted by the
humanness of church. But through through the Center of Peace,
I've learned to look at things differently, like everything is energy.
I wasn't a science student either, but I learned that
really everything is energy. The world is spinning. We don't
(22:24):
think about it. Our words have power coming from the
energy of what we say and how we conduct ourselves.
And so it just really took me in a direction
of looking at things through a different lens, looking at the.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
World with a different lens. So what you're saying is
that we are all connected on some level, right, Oh, yes.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
At a very deep level. So if we look at
the Creator, the beloved, the divine, it's energy. It's not
a no no offense, but it's not a guy in
the sky. For me, it is the creative energy that
exists totally. There's nothing outside of it. So we are
divine ideas in the mind of that God, so to speak.
(23:06):
And so you know, there's a Sanskrit word namastaea means
the God in me recognizes the God in you. And
when we can look in someone's eyes and see that
that spirit, then there're no barriers between us.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
I love that we see the essential person or the
energy of that person. Then we aren't blocked by the
perceptions that we have of each other based on the
color of their skin or how tall they are, horse shot,
we're a man or woman or whatever. I love that.
Now tell us more about the erased networks Women's Summit
(23:40):
and why it's important for women to gather in spaces
like this.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
Okay, yes, I can do that. I just want to
make a little I want to put a finer point
on what we were talking about before before I move
into that. So when I first started working with those
young ladies, and say, I was in my forties and
they were fourteen fifteen sixteen, coming from very diverse and
different generations, backgrounds, living situations, and so one of the
first things I said to them was I said, I'm
here to love you because I already know you. I'm
(24:08):
here to show you what it's like to be loved
because I already like missus. Leslie, you don't know us, you,
I said, no, but I really do. And so that energy.
So I would hug them. And back in that day,
you could still put you put your hands on a child,
and so I would give them a hug because it
was in love, and they would have their arms down.
Then eventually they'd start to lift their arms up and
they would just return the embrace. And then after a
while then they would they would hug me first. And
(24:30):
so it was a process. And so women have that
innate sense. And we're also acculturated to be the nurtures
of givers, the lovers of all, and so we often
give it away and don't remember to hold onto it
for ourselves. So a group like you know, the summit
(24:52):
that's coming up, that Erase Network does that. It provides
an environment and it's interesting how it started. One of
the founders, Terry Winton, is a hairdresser. Oh she's massed hairstylist.
I'm gonna get it right. It's gonna take me a
little bit, and I went to her to get my
hair done, and you know, when you're sitting in that chair,
you know, you hear things, you say things, and so
(25:13):
I'm always I'm always coaching, and so I was commenting
on other people, and so she and I got to talking,
and so she and her partner, her business partner, Sharon Robinson,
decided to start hosting some things in the shop, and
so that was the genesis of it. Then it just
grew and grew and grew, and so this year is
the second annual summit and their symbol is an eraser.
(25:35):
Let's get rid of the trauma from the past, whatever
energy that we're holding on to. And so that's how
that came together. And you know, I'm experiencing one of
my best friends just made her transition, and she's the
second one, as I said, in six months. And so
these are the women that held me up. They know
all my secrets. And when the first one died, I
was like, I was on the floor, okay, because it
(25:57):
was she was just ripped from me without any warning,
just she died very suddenly, and so I was trying
to figure out how to cope with it, and I
kept saying I've lost my best friend, and I was
just miserable. But but I, through my spiritual teachings and
that community center piece, I learned to say I didn't
lose her, she has made her transition. I have not
(26:18):
lost all the love, all the support, all the friendship
that we have had over the fifty seven years of
friendship without ever having had an argument. And so the
ability that women have to be that person for each other,
we give it to each other even more than we
think to give it to ourselves, because oftentimes if we
think about how we talk to each other, you're like, oh,
(26:39):
I wouldn't have a friend who talked to me that way.
So this summit brings together women of various backgrounds, generations,
lifestyles to be in community, to be in support of
one another. And I said, this is the second annual
event and highly successful. Highly appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Yeah, well, I love what you say about reframing with words,
because a lot of times when we lose people, we
do talk about grief, we talk about losing, but in
a sense, you can reframe that whole idea of losing
somebody by telling yourself that they still live in your heart,
so they still have an impact.
Speaker 7 (27:21):
Now, I just want to say that reframing is the
spot on word. It's perfect because what we think we
bring into creation. Okay, So that's another thing I really
focus on when I'm working with people is to look
at your feelings. What is it that you're feeling. What
you're feeling is based on what you think, and what
(27:41):
you think is based on what you believe. So we
always have the opportunity to evaluate a situation not looking
at the other person, but looking at ourselves. So whatever
somebody else is doing is about them. How you respond
to it is about you. So there's science that says
we decide how we're going to feel because you know,
(28:02):
oh she made me so mad, or he may know.
We actually that was a choice we made because once again,
think about your friends. Your friends can say things to
you that somebody else can't say. Your friends will say
something to you be like, okay, somebody else says it,
you want to fight. So there's that little opportunity we
have to make a decision, and we do so when
you look at at oh, I'm feeling this kind of way,
so you get the opportunity to say no, what am
(28:24):
I thinking? That results in that feeling, and then behind
that is what is it that I believe? And it's
mostly what do I believe about myself? And it's usually
not something that's affirmative. So we get the opportunity to
kind of like dig up things and so to a
certain extent, it is therapeutic. But I never hurt myself
out as a therapist. But that's the difference.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
If people want to know more about the Erased Network
second Annual Women's Summit Life and Love Lessons that's happening
on June twenty second, yes, tell us all the details.
Speaker 7 (28:57):
Well, the best way I can describe at this point
is that it's on event Bright. Like I said, it's
the details that you have or when I'm at liberty
to share at the moment. But it's but it's going
to be on the twenty second from two to six.
It's a lovely environment and the tickets are on event Bright.
So anybody who's interested in going could just you know,
go on to event Bright and they're looking for the
(29:19):
Erase Network Summit. Perfect And if people want to connect
with you, how do they do that? Well, I'm also
making a transition of my own in terms of my
outreach and so I'm working on a new website and
in the meantime, people can reach me at my telephone
number which is two one five nine one three six
three five six, or my email address which is novel
(29:42):
Less n O V E L L E S nine
two nine at gmail dot com. Fantastic Leslie Fletcher, President
and CEO of Leslie R. Fletcher Consulting, Inc. A lifelove
and relationships coach who specializes in self empowerment. She's also
going to be a featured person center at the Erase
Network second Annual Women's Summit Life and Love Lessons on
(30:04):
June twenty second, from two to six pm at Ben
Salem Country Club. So thank you so much for joining us, Rain.
Thank you, it's been a pleasure to be with you.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrow, and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(30:34):
You've been listening to Insight and thank you
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.