BWEL Presents... #LetsTalkSis

Healing vs. Coping (w/ Dr. Allisyn Swift)

Your stress responses aren't character flaws—they're survival strategies in systems designed to overwhelm you. In this episode, Kristen sits down with Dr. Allisyn Swift, Executive Director of the Coalition for Compassionate Schools. Dr. Swift shares her leadership journey and breaks down the crucial difference between coping and healing—and why it matters mightily for Black women in education. Dr. Swift invites listeners to reframe our stress responses not as weaknesses, but as adaptations we've developed in response to systems that weren't designed with our wellbeing in mind. Through their conversation, she unpacks how urgency-driven environments impact our wellbeing and offers a framework for moving beyond just surviving to actually addressing what we need to heal and thrive. 📍 Learn more about the Coalition for Compassionate Schools at https://cforcs.org/ [https://cforcs.org/]  📍 Learn more about the Black Women Educators League at ⁠www.bweleague.org⁠ [about:blank]

“To Whom Much is Given…” (w/Darlisha Barnes)

"...much is required." Your gifts come with responsibility. In this episode, Kristen sits down with Darlisha Barnes, founder of Gathered Coaching and Consulting, LLC. Darlisha shares her journey to leadership, including her growth from a more passive team member to an active leader who learned to recognize patterns that were no longer serving her, embrace her gifts, and walk fully in her purpose. Darlisha's leadership story showcases what it looks like to lead with our values at the center of everything we do and make decisions to "choose our own nest"—selecting spaces, places, and people that align with our values and empower us to live them fully. This conversation explores what it means to recognize that your gifts come with responsibility and understand that you have agency to make choices that honor who you are and what's best for you and those you serve. 📍 Learn more about Gathered Coaching and Consulting at www.gatheredcoaching.com 📍 Learn more about the Black Women Educators League at ⁠www.bweleague.org⁠ 🎙️ NEW episodes of #LetsTalkSis drop every Thursday!

The Power of Knowing What You Deserve (w/ Guerschmide Saint-Ange)

"I will not choose self-abandonment ever again." In this episode, Kristen sits down with Guerschmide Saint-Ange, Chief Operating Officer at the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). Guerschmide shares about her leadership journey, including the transformative moment she said no to an appealing opportunity because it didn't meet what she knew she deserved—and how choosing herself opened the door for something even better. In this conversation, we explore what it means to break cycles of settling for "close enough" and sacrificing your wants and needs in hopes of being 'seen.' From understanding that psychological availability matters more than just flexibility to recognizing that happiness isn't her job's responsibility, Guerschmide maps out what it looks like to know what you deserve and refuse to settle until it's yours. 📍 Learn more about the Black Women Educators League at ⁠www.bweleague.org⁠ 🎙️ NEW episodes of #LetsTalkSis return Thursday, September 4!

The Wisdom of Choosing You (w/ LaMecca Coates)

"You can't pour from an empty cup." In this episode, Kristen sits down with LaMecca Coates, founder of Inspire Ed, and veteran educator and leader. Through their conversation, LaMecca shares about a pivotal moment in her career when operating with integrity meant risking her job security - and how that experience taught her the profound wisdom of choosing yourself. Drawing from her journey across public, private, and nonprofit educational spaces, LaMecca reveals what happened when she was transparent about exploring new opportunities, only to have her contract rescinded. But as she learned, when you operate with authenticity and know your worth, doors close and better ones open - sometimes within hours. This episode explores what it looks like when we stop sacrificing ourselves for institutions that won't do the same for us, get clear on what we need in order to be our best selves before walking through any door, and recognize that choosing ourselves isn't selfish - it's the wisdom that comes from understanding we can't pour from an empty cup. 📍 Learn more about Inspire Ed including the upcoming Educator Wellness Retreat at ⁠www.inspireedlc.com⁠ [about:blank]  📍 Connect with LaMecca on LinkedIn or via phone at 202.600.9388 and be sure to follow InspireEd on socials @inspireEdLC!  📍 Learn more about the Black Women Educators League at ⁠www.bweleague.org⁠ and be sure to join our mailing list to stay up to date on upcoming events, new resources, and more! 🎙️ NEW episodes of #LetsTalkSis drop every Thursday!

Setting Your Own Bar for Excellence (w/ Travonnie Mackey)

What if performance reviews didn't suck? Performance reviews can become spaces of clarity and growth instead of anxiety and guesswork—and as Black women, we have the power to transform these conversations whether we're sitting across the table or leading them, creating the affirming professional experiences we've always deserved. In this episode, Kristen sits down with Travonnie Mackey, co-founder and Chief Program Officer of EmpactWork LLC. Through their conversation, Travonnie shares her journey to leadership - including a key moment where she decided she would create her own criteria for success, no longer allowing that to be defined by anyone else. Drawing from pivotal moments throughout her career as a math teacher, instructional coach, leadership development expert and now co-founder and executive coach, Travonnie has learned that there are multiple ways to reach excellence in leadership and work and our responsibility is to create spaces that nurture and support diverse perspectives.  This episode explores what it looks like when we stop performing excellence in the dark, demand the specificity we deserve, and become the managers we always needed.  📍 Learn more about EmpactWork LLC, download Empact’s white paper and access additional resources developed by their team at www.empact.work [http://www.empact.work] .  📍 You can follow Travonnie’s work on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/travonnie-mackey/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/travonnie-mackey/]  📍 Learn more about the Black Women Educators League at ⁠www.bweleague.org [http://www.bweleague.org]⁠ 🎙️ NEW episodes of #LetsTalkSis drop every Thursday!