S2E10 - Building Community and Connection with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Brown

In this episode, we talk about building community and connection as a Black Woman Leading.  Many of our community members experience a unique isolation as  they are often the "only" Black woman on their level of leadership.  Because of this we put a huge emphasis on building community and having "mirrors" for validation, support, encouragement, and accountability.   Our special guest, Dr. Melissa Robinson-Brown (affectionately known as Dr. Mel), provides so much wisdom in this episode as we discuss how to develop meaningful and reciprocal relationships in our professional and personal lives.  Dr. Mel shares some of the common relationship challenges she sees in her practice as a psychologist.  She provides strategies to navigate "landmine" relationships at work, tips on how to take strategic risks to test if it's safe to bring your whole self to work.   On the personal side, we discuss insights on sustaining and building new relationships as a grown woman, and Dr. Mel shares the signs and symptoms that it may be time to clean house in your support circle.  Through vulnerably sharing one of her own personal experiences, Dr. Mel drives home the importance of checking in with yourself so past trauma and negative relationship experiences won't sabotage the new connections you create.  Whether talking about professional or personal relationships, the importance of creating your visibility, taking a risk, and putting yourself out there resonates throughout this episode.  Guest Bio  Melissa Robinson-Brown, "Dr. Mel," is a licensed clinical psychologist, educator, speaker, and fitness enthusiast.  After quitting her soul-sucking job, Dr. Mel founded Renewed Focus Psychology Services, where she helps women level up when life's structure just doesn't fit.  She wants women (including her daughters) to tap into their inner BADASS and BREAK THE DAMN MOLD!  Known for her funky, edgy style, Dr. Mel has been featured in several publications, podcasts, radio and digital media platforms, including Essence, Scarymommy, DevaCurl, NY Times, Vogue, Therapy for Black Girls, and HuffPost.     Dr. Mel resides in NJ with her three amazingly gifted, energetic, beautiful, and mini badass daughters and her supportive, ambitious, loving partner, AB.   Check out Dr. Mel's new webinar series - H.A.W.T. Sauce (Helping Authentic Women Thrive)   Connect with Dr. Mel:   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamdrmel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdrmel/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamdrmel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamDrMel/ Web: https://www.iamdrmel.com/ Web: Https://arenewedfocus.com   Credits: Learn more about the  Black Woman Leading™ learning experience at http://blackwomanleading.com/ Learn more about our consulting work with organizations at https://knightsconsultinggroup.com/ Email Laura: [email protected] Instagram: @blackwomanleading Podcast Music & Production: Marshall Knights  Graphics: Olayinka Ajibola   Listen and follow the podcast on all major platforms: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher iHeartRadio Podbay