Speaker 1: 0:00

And I do have to say this I appreciate the growth that I've seen in the church over the last decade, with the acknowledgement of what's going on with us mentally and emotionally. It's a lot of depressed preachers and pastors. It's a lot of lonely preachers and pastors. A lot of anxious preachers and pastors. A lot of anxious preachers and pastors. They're people, we're people, and so if you are afraid to preach, get help. Guess what you won't do. You won't get help. What's up everybody? Welcome to another episode of I'll Just Let Myself In which a girlish speaks. We're back for another week of inspiration, encouragement, of times where we let you know that you need to let yourself in to your God-given doors. I'm excited about this episode because I have someone in the building with me today who doesn't just practice wellness in the way of being a doctor, but also preaches it and does the things that she talks to us about. I have none other than Dr Erica Jones in the building with me today. Yes, give it up y'all, but we are going to have a good time just discussing a few things. Let me tell you a little bit about Dr Erica before we get into the best segment in podcast. What I'm stepping in with. She's actually going to participate with me this week. Yeah, dr Erica is a family medicine physician. She is a health advocate, a content creator. She's also a co-founder of the Soul Circle Foundation, which is an organization that focuses on community tech and mental health and financial literacy. She's fun, she's funny, she's a YouTuber, she's a traveler, she's fly, she's a black woman, all the things and so I am excited for you guys to get to hear from her today. You know, one of the things we were talking about before we turned the cameras on was I've been fortunate and blessed enough that the guests that I've had so far on the show have been people that I've interacted with, being online or in person, for some time, and I just go into the episode with a sense of certainty that you, the watcher, the listener, the follower you'll be edified, and this episode is no different. I already know she finna drop gems, but before we get into that, let's get into, like I said, the best segment in podcasting, which is what I'm stepping in Today. I'm stepping in the Anniversary Air Max 90s.

Speaker 1: 3:01

This is a special shoe. It's suede, it's sleek, it kind of reminds me of the holidays, which is why I put it on today. The shoe really gives off a sense of elevated fly, elevated street wear. It was for the 25th anniversary of Air Max that they put this shoe out and I love it. I've kept it in really, really great condition. I actually bought this shoe off of Liv Shout out to Liv just living. I bought this shoe off her a couple of years ago and I've kept them in great condition because I always wanted them from when they actually came out, and so I love these.

Speaker 1: 3:37

Yes, you can still get them on GOAT if you're looking for them, and you know what we say here. If you like them, go get you some. So Dr Erica, like I said, is going to join me. You know, not all my guests join me, but when there's a super fly person in the house I know they're going to come correct. So Dr Erica is going to join me and go ahead and let them know about what you're stepping in and why you love it. Greetings.

Speaker 2: 3:57

Greetings good people. I am stepping in the New Balance 9060. The New Balance 9060. And I really like these shoes because I move around a lot. They're versatile, so not only are they going to catch your eye from the fashion standpoint, but they're going to provide support. You know I'm of a certain age now, so when I'm moving around I really need some support. I need to be able to walk and feel like my foot is supported, like my whole body is supported. Once you get to a certain point in life, you know you need something that's going to be fashionable and something that's going to support your body. We got a long way to go. Life is a marathon, so you always want to make sure you're prepared with your footwear and I want to thank the people over at Soul Play for making sure you know they keep the fresh kicks.

Speaker 2: 4:45

I really like this pair because you can pair it up with anything. You can pair it up with the darker colors. Right now I have on denim and I feel like it was perfect for this outfit and it's versatile, so I like to travel with them. I don't have to worry about my feet hurting. After you know, I walk around and do my little tourism thing. I can actually wear them to the gym when I wake up in the morning. These days you really want to, you know, be able to travel light. So when I went to LA, this is the only pair of shoes I had literally for the whole five-day trip, and it worked out well for me.

Speaker 1: 5:19

Love it, love it. Y'all know what we say. If you like them, go get you some. And go get them from Soul Play. Yeah, go out to our family at Soul Play. We'll talk a little bit more about Soul Play in a bit. So, Dr Erica, all the things I said, did I miss anything? Did I miss anything about what you do?

Speaker 2: 5:33

Oh man, you know you did a really good job. I appreciate that warm welcome. I appreciate you know you just acknowledging the work. You know you just acknowledging the work. It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of dedication and it takes a lot of energy and resources to be able to produce things and I don't know that you know people understand that. So I just hope that the viewers are able to appreciate you know, everything we're doing here and I hope that they really get something from this and they understand that it's a lot of energy and it's a lot of manifestation. It's a lot of you know, resources that go into producing this for them.

Speaker 1: 6:09

Absolutely, and they will. They're going to get something out of it, cause I already know we get something out of just watching you on YouTube and on Instagram. So let me get into that. You know one of the things, one of the things that you do is that you're a content creator, right? And in this world of you know, almost needing to be a content creator, no matter what. Like you're a doctor, right, you would think I'm a doctor, I don't have to do anything. But if you want the message, to get you know, put out, especially to our people.

Speaker 1: 6:42

You know, young people, people who are in most need of the information that you have. Right, you kind of had to pivot into becoming a content creator. Tell me a little bit about your journey from oh, I have this information. I went to school for this information. I probably need to start creating content to get more of it out. What was that journey like for you?

Speaker 2: 7:02

You know, I've been in school for a very long time and I think, ultimately as a lifelong learner and someone who encourages people to take care of themselves, I realized that you know, I don't always have a lot of time. You know, in the office when I'm seeing patients, right and on the telemedicine visits, when I'm seeing patients, I don't always have the time to go into everything as much as I would like to, and that's the constraints of the United States healthcare system. You know what I mean. When you're seeing so many different people with so many different complex issues in a day, you don't always have time to explain things. And the other part of you know, showing up online is representation. So I might only see a certain amount of people, you know, during my telemedicine visits or when I'm in the office. But showing up online is important because people need to see who we are, people need to see the things that we're doing. And then also a part of showing up and trying to explain things that may be very complex, like diabetes, like high blood pressure, like strokes hopefully, you know, will encourage other people to do more research and encourage other people to understand that it's so complex.

Speaker 2: 8:30

30 minutes might not even be enough. You know, eight minutes might not be enough. Multiple times like actually having to talk about things and giving yourself time to get familiar with terms. Just the introduction of health literacy in our communities is something that's needed, right. So certain words and certain topics it's like okay, well, I might not have known what my doctor was saying, but I might have seen Dr Erica on that episode and she might have triggered something that really made me want to go and research this myself and really write down what I've been going through. So when I do go back to my own doctor, I'm empowered, I have a different level of understanding and you know it matters All of that matters.

Speaker 1: 9:20

It matters so much. I think about you know how we grew up seeing doctors and lawyers or teachers or writers on television. I think about how much certain things I saw on Living Single. I wanted to be Khadijah right. And I'm in media right, and I rap all these different things. Well, social media is TV. Now the kids watch social media. Actually, I watch more YouTube than I watch anything else.

Speaker 2: 9:47

Yeah, me too.

Speaker 1: 9:48

I watch YouTube so much, so I'm like I got to get premium YouTube because, I can't take all these commercials because I watch more YouTube than I watch any other streaming platform. And it lets me know that, wow these women, that I and I watch house stuff, fashion. I watch every type of YouTuber and it lets me know like, oh wow, these are my entertainers in a way now.

Speaker 1: 10:08

And so for people to see young people, more mature people, to see you as a doctor, as a young I know you said you're a woman of a certain age, but you're young as a young black doctor who still walks in her flyness and who she is, is not like assimilating in any way. Um, it is representation and I know you know that, but I want you to hear that that some young person is looking at you saying, oh, maybe I can be a doctor yeah maybe I can go, maybe I can finish school, maybe I can do this, and so, yeah, it's really important.

Speaker 1: 10:41

I also love what you said about health literacy. You know there's so many things that we don't know. You know we'll sit in an office and we'll hear something and we'll be too intimidated to ask further questions. Right, we'll feel like I don't, I don't, I don't even know what that means. Your doctor will tell you something about you. You don't know. You know I can't tell you how many people are on medications, don't know what the medication actually does, don't know what the medication is actually for, can't even really pronounce it, you know.

Speaker 1: 11:11

So having someone that looks like them or, if they're a little bit older, looks like their niece or look like their goddaughter, you know it helps us, myself included, to feel more empowered. That's because, myself included, to feel um more empowered. That's why I said that it helps me to feel more informed and empowered when I do go see my primary care physician to say, hey, you know, I saw this thing. What about this? Let's try this. Have we thought about that? So I think that's super important. Another question I have for you when it comes to you know your own wellness. Right, because I, like you, practice what you preach, you really do, and I love that, that's right. You really do, um, you know you, you travel quite a bit, right, um, and you do yoga and you, you know you have a couple different things going on. What would you say would probably be, let's say, your top three things that you do for wellness, physical and emotional.

Speaker 2: 12:03

I think number one is sleep Like. I try to make sure that I get an adequate amount of sleep. So I know, you know, in order for me to be the person that I am like, I have to get a good amount of sleep. And if the time doesn't permit, for whatever reason, you know, if I'm traveling on business and I have to wake up early, I'm going to catch a nap. You know I'm going to catch a nap and I tell people like you, you cannot buy sleep. And you hear older people say well, I sleep good at night, you know, no matter what, and I think that is one of the things that we need to focus on more and figuring out what is it that I can do to get some good rest, what is it that I can do to get some good sleep Outside of sleep, I try to make sure I carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go.

Speaker 2: 13:09

So I know the big trend with the Stanley cups that the ladies have. You know, um revived and everybody has like the Stanley cups. Whatever it is, whatever type of um water reservoir that you use, make sure that you stay hydrated. That's one of the other things that I do. So a lot of times the hotels might try to charge like six or seven dollars you know what I'm saying for a bottle of water. But if you have your water reservoir, you can go to the gym. Most of the gyms are going to have somewhere where you can refill your water bottle for free. So not only you know are you taking care of your health, but you're taking care of your pockets too. So another thing, like when you're eating out at restaurants or when I'm eating out at restaurants, I will opt out for water. So you know you can say it's being frugal or whatever, but at the end of the day you're taking care of your body and that's one of the you know, real small things that you could do. So sleep, water, nutrition. I try to have a snack with me. So if it's a protein bar, you know, or if it's like even that little packet of tuna, that's like $1.99 at the grocery store, $1.99 at the grocery store. So I'm not running to McDonald's or I'm not running to eat a bunch of you know fast food just because I'm hungry in that moment when I could just have a healthy snack.

Speaker 2: 14:29

The other thing is stretching. So I like to stretch in the airport or I'll stretch before I get in an Uber and then I'll stretch whenever I get to my destination. When you are moving around and things like that, and when you're in confined spaces cars, airplanes, trains however you're moving around you got to stretch your body, like anybody that has pets. I tell them, like, watch your cats, watch your dogs. They stretch multiple times a day. That is true. So we can learn a lot, you know, from the living things around us. Yeah, so my top three is going to be, you know, stretching water and then sleep. Okay, I love that.

Speaker 1: 15:11

I love that. Let's talk a little bit about the Soul Circle Foundation.

Speaker 2: 15:15

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 15:16

And how you co-founded that and why. And just anything you want us to know about it.

Speaker 2: 15:22

Yeah. So the Soul Circle Foundation. It's an organization that myself and TJ Bennett over at Soul Play started. You know, during the pandemic we saw a need, like we saw our communities hurting, and we just got on the phone one day and started, you know, talking about ideas and bouncing ideas back and forth, like what are the gaps? You know that we're seeing. So, as a board certified family medicine physician, I saw my people hurting mentally because this is also around a time where, um, it was a lot of, you know, murders um, happening with people that look like us. It was a lot of, you know, murders happening with people that look like us. It was a lot of strife in America and, as you know, black and brown people. We're seeing our people being persecuted in the streets like for no reason. So we're empathizing with our communities and we're seeing what's happening and we're seeing that our kids are falling behind in school. You know what I mean. Some kids don't have the computers to be able to take these digital classes. Some households might not have had the Internet. You know what I mean. Some households might not have even known how to get their kids on the devices and on the networks that were already present Just so many different gaps that we decided to start trying to fill.

Speaker 2: 16:46

And it really just started off over at Lawrenceville, at Soul Play. You know, sitting on these couches and talking about our feelings and talking about you know what we could do to improve the community and how we needed to come together. It started off like that and we've gone on to, you know, collaborate with 100 Girls of Code, our Conyers, the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Falcons, being able to produce different shoes for them from our daydreaming program, just really being able to lift the community up. We're doing like periodic yoga sessions, journaling workshops, meditation workshops for the communities. I mean, the work that we're doing now is just so expansive and it's so much fun. It's really fun just to see everything you know just blossoming yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:40

I love it. I love it. You know, I think about a person like you who's you're very dynamic. Right, you're being demure right now, but you have a very dynamic personality in terms of your influence on other people. Where does that come from? Tell me about little Erica before, before the letters, right? Before your name, who was she and and what part of her is in who you are now as a doctor.

Speaker 2: 18:07

And so little. Erica um was in a household with you know my grandmother, my grandfather um, my uncle, his son. You know in a, in a small house. You know what I mean In a small city in Alabama and I moved around a lot. You're from Alabama, yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:25

I didn't know that.

Speaker 2: 18:26

Okay, yeah, I moved around a lot as a kid and I have a really close-knit family, so I grew up in this small church. I grew up in a small church called Sardis Missionary Baptist Church. Come on, missionary Baptist. Yeah, I'm talking about that red dirt Like you get out the car to go to church. It's red dirt. And we had vacation Bible school, you know, every summer we were involved in the church. Like there was no church, there was no choice. Yeah, yeah, same.

Speaker 1: 19:01

I grew up the same way, you in the church, like there was no church, there was no choice. Yeah, yeah same. I grew up the same way.

Speaker 2: 19:05

You going to church?

Speaker 1: 19:05

Yeah, not only are you going, but you're going to be in a choir and you're participating, yeah, so we had uniforms for the choir.

Speaker 2: 19:17

I was an usher. You know my grandmother was a member of the usher board and I live with her. So you know I just grew up watching her, you know, iron her white dress and getting her uniform and putting her usher pin on, and I fell in her footsteps. So I was also a church usher, you know, making sure that we stood at the doors of the Lord and that's really where I started my public speaking career.

Speaker 2: 19:42

I tell people I've been doing public speaking for 30 years now and a lot of times what the communities that don't look like us don't understand is that's where our education starts a lot of times. That's where our life experiences yeah, it starts in a church. That's where our work history starts in the church. So I was a kid genius so I would go around and small church where my aunties and uncles and, you know, my grandmother they all went to this same church and it's really full circle, because now I'm able to still provide a scholarship as a physician. You know I can provide a scholarship for young people who do attend that church and who are interested in a higher education.

Speaker 1: 20:43

I love that. That is very full circle and beautiful. I think you know and I say this with no judgment but I really do feel like this generation is missing that community community, like they're missing church. You know, because when we were growing up and I grew up in Brooklyn, in the city right, so it was probably a completely different church experience. There was no red dirt, right. How was church there? Church was very much the church I grew up in. We met in school buildings Really.

Speaker 1: 21:15

So we didn't have a church building and so you know we would meet in school buildings and we had camps and summertime. You know, summertime we went to camp and different things like that. And what I always tell people is I really do appreciate the camaraderie, I appreciate I'm still very close friends with people that I grew up with in church Not everybody, but a few and I appreciate the respect it gave me, not just for God but for community, Like we are the church for people who are different than me, for people who think differently than me. Like it really put me in a, it gave me some safety, Right, it gave me some trauma too, but yeah, yeah, but you know, it comes with the bad.

Speaker 2: 22:06

It comes with being around people right, right.

Speaker 1: 22:08

But I feel like I wish that a lot of the young people that I encounter outside of church because I do go to a church that has a good amount of young people, but a lot of them feel very lonely, a lot of them feel you, you know, are struggling mentally and emotionally, and I don't think church is the the complete cure, but I think it would help. I think it would help for them to have some sort of community. Um, you can get this from a sports team, you can get it, but this isolation and the pandemic made it so much worse because they just didn't have a choice, they had to be home. This isolation that I see young people feel I'm like man. I did not feel isolated as a kid at all.

Speaker 2: 22:49

I did, though I was a kid genius, I felt different, but I didn't feel alone no-transcript a lot of times, and thank God I was, you know, from a big family, so, um, my cousins would come in the summertime and then, of course, I had my brother in the house, so that really helped a lot, but I did. I think that sometimes, when you have a different calling, like all your life it is, when you have a different calling, like on your life it is, it can be isolating, you know, and it's not always a bad thing, yeah, because I know Jesus had to isolate, right, yeah, for a certain period of time. You know, I think it's just one of those things. It's a part of life and we have to be able to realize when people around us may be isolated and try to pull them up out of that, yes, and try to make sure that we are ourselves offering up some type of friendship to someone who may seem a little more lonely.

Speaker 2: 24:11

Absolutely, you know what I mean Offer some type of companionship, even it's just like hey, you know digital messages, you know digital messages, and even though, like, we may physically be isolated, I think that the Internet has provided young kids and gaming platforms has been really, really helpful in terms of helping with their isolation Agreed. So I'm just happy that those things are in place. You know what I mean, that those things exist now to kind of help, you know?

Speaker 1: 24:41

Yeah, because every generation has their thing.

Speaker 2: 24:43

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 24:43

Every generation has their thing. The generation before us looked at us and, like, these kids don't know Exactly, they don't. You know every generation has their thing and so you're right. You're definitely right about that. I think you know, when I think about my childhood, I feel grateful that I was born, when I was born and had the childhood that I had. And you know, when you think about gratitude, it allows you to see things with rose colored glasses, right Like I see my childhood and going outside and playing and being gone for hours and hours is a good thing. But when I talk to Gen Z, they're like so your parents just didn't know where you were for seven hours and didn't care and sent you out with no money. And then I start thinking I'm like actually that's not good, actually that was pretty irresponsible.

Speaker 1: 25:32

Like you know but because of the gratitude I feel for it, I sit with rose-colored glasses, so let's talk about gratitude and how gratitude has the power to kind of like change how you see things in a good way. You have a journal about gratitude and you talk a lot about gratitude on your social media platforms. How powerful is gratitude to you?

Speaker 2: 25:53

Gratitude can change your life Literally. Gratitude will grab you up out of a hole If you're able to harness that power. There are even medical studies out there that are showing that gratitude has the power to help with anxiety, has the power to help with depression and even addiction and things like that. So it's one of those things where you know they're looking at it even more now in terms of just how it's able to change your health. So, if you're able to refocus you know your stress and you're able to take that stress, write it down in a journal, take that stress and go and transmute that energy into working out, because, although you might have had a stressful day, you're grateful that you can still move, you're grateful that you can still go walking. So when you take that and understand that gratitude is something that is going to allow you to transmute energy, right. So, even though you might be in the, you know, worst of situations and there's I don't know how many Bible verses I think it was the how do you say it? The Thessalonians yeah, you talked about it before where, if you're still able to praise God in the midst of despair, in the midst of, you know, strife, that you're still going to be able to move forward and whatever it is that you're doing, you can really really change your life. And one thing I want the viewers to start doing, if they're not doing it already thank God for your body. When you talk about wellness and gratitude, if you're able to thank God for the body that you have and you'll realize that, hey, I'm grateful for my feet, I'm grateful for my toes, I'm grateful for my legs. I need to move these. The more grateful you are for your body, the more mindful you're going to be about taking care of it.

Speaker 2: 28:05

My great grandmother actually ended up losing one of her limbs as a complication of diabetes. So because I have that perspective I saw her going to dialysis, I saw her putting that artificial leg on I'm able to have a different level of gratitude for my feet, for my legs. So, even the days that I don't want to exercise, the days I don't want to go for a walk because I'm so busy, I have to remember and it's all about reframing things. So that's another like psychological concept that I think, if we understand that we can reframe things no matter what they are, and like use that to push ourselves forward in life, not just focusing, like on our health, but also focusing on our mental. Sometimes we ruminate and it's like well, let me be grateful for this moment, Let me be grateful for right now. So, when we're able to harness that power, it's really life-changing.

Speaker 1: 29:02

I love that. It's so true. I think about a lot of times when you, you know, they say, when you're anxious, you are worried about the future or living in the future, when you're depressed, you're living in the past. But if you think about right now, you'll probably feel like you're okay. And there are times where that's not true, but most times, if you just think right, in this second, I'm okay, I can breathe, I can take a deep breath, I can go to the bathroom if I need to, I can take a sip of water. In this second I'm okay. And that's a grounding practice that I do. When I'm tempted to feel anxious, I'm like, okay, what do I need right now that I'm not expressing? If the answer is nothing, I need to take a breath because my needs are met.

Speaker 1: 29:47

And this is a temptation that I don't need to give into, a temptation to be anxious.

Speaker 2: 29:51

You said a word there. You said my breath right. So a lot of times I feel that sometimes we don't focus on our breath and whenever another exercise that you can do when you feel like everything is just chaotic around you, remember your breath Yep, Just take a deep breath. There's so many different deep breathing exercises that you can do for different feelings so different ones you can do for anxiousness, different ones that you can do for different feelings so different ones you can do for anxiousness, different ones that you can do for depression. So I just encourage everyone to research different deep breathing techniques and actually try and figure out what might work for you and at the end of the day, when you're able to focus on your breath, it's like you're centering yourself.

Speaker 1: 30:41

Breath is spiritual. Yeah, you know, the breath of God God put breath, he breathed into Adam Like this is a spiritual thing. It connects us because it connects us to who is giving us life. You remind yourself, you know, we just breathe without thinking, our heart beats without. If we had to think about every breath, we'd probably die because we got so much going on. It happens naturally. God is gracious enough to let our body function in a way that we don't have to consciously breathe or consciously make our heart beat. But when you do stop and think about your breath, it connects you to the one who's giving you that breath. And so I often do that, especially when I'm tempted to feel anxious, because a lot of times when I'm tempted to feel anxious, it is about what I can produce or what I can't produce, and when I realized, oh, but it's not about you. It's not about you. You know what God will have you do on this earth. He's going to give you the capacity to do it, or else it's not what he has for you to do, and you can just accept that and move on. It's okay, you know so it you can just accept that and move on. It's okay. So it really does help me.

Speaker 1: 31:40

One of the things I wanted to ask you as a physician, as a person who believes in science and also believes in God right, what would be your advice? What would you say to the person who just wants you to pray about it? When you're feeling depressed, you just need to go to church. You need to pray about it. When you're feeling depressed, you just need to go to church. You need to pray more. You need to. You know, because I've encountered people like that who really don't believe in I wouldn't say they don't believe, they are not impressed by therapy or breathing techniques or stretching. It's like, okay, you need to go to church. And so what would you say, as someone who has been educated in these things, to that way of thought?

Speaker 2: 32:30

That's deep.

Speaker 1: 32:34

I'm going to have to take my coat off for this one.

Speaker 2: 32:40

Oh Lord, yeah, I'm going to take my coat off for this one. Oh God, yeah, I'm going to take my coat off for this one. Oh God, God has given us the power of thought and understanding. God has given us the power of movement. God has given us books.

Speaker 1: 33:03

God has given us the internet podcasts information.

Speaker 2: 33:09

So what I implore people to do is to continue to pray for understanding, and when you're praying for understanding about what's happening in your life, when you're praying for guidance, god sends you people, god sends you tools that are going to help you get through whatever journey it is that you're going on. Some of these people and some of these tools just happen to be doctors. Some of these tools just happen to be medications. Some of them happen to be therapy. Now, there are some forms of depression that are treatment resistant, some forms of depression that you know the therapist couldn't get through. You know the the, the medicines didn't really help a lot. So I'm not going to sit here and act like, yes, you know, doctors and medicines are the end all be all, because there are some things that you know they're just resistant to certain treatments. So that that is a thing, and the other thing that is important to acknowledge is that the American healthcare system has not always been good to black and brown people. The American healthcare system has neglected us. It's also important to acknowledge that the American healthcare system is not easy to access. There are barriers in the way of literally accessing the healthcare system. So all of these things are true.

Speaker 2: 34:43

I implore the people who just want to pray to also Think about what God has given you, think about the tools that are accessible to you. So don't just pray, take action, take advantage of what God has given you, take advantage of the people that God has put in place, the people that God has guided along an educational journey, which look like therapists, which look like physicians, which look like nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants. I implore you to not just pray, but also take action and utilize what and who God has placed in your life to help you through this journey. Yeah, yep. Faith without through this journey? Yeah, yep.

Speaker 1: 35:36

Faith without deeds is dead. Ooh, we could talk all day long about just pray. You just need to go to church, okay, but what are the deeds that I need to do? Ooh, what are the walks? I need to take the gym. I need to join the therapist. I need to hire the nutritionist. A lot of times people don't know you can get a nutritionist with your medical coverage. Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 1: 35:56

You know, but people don't know. You would think, but people don't always know that. You know they think, oh, I can't afford a nutritionist, I can't afford, you know, a therapist. You can get these things. Yeah, you know, and I love what you shared about who are the people that God has put in your life. He put them here for a reason. You know what I mean. That's like saying, well, you know, I don't need a chair. Who built the chair? Somebody built the chair. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 36:21

Like so you're not going to sit in it because it just didn't fall out of heaven Like God equips someone to build the chair that you used to sit down.

Speaker 1: 36:26

He equips someone to help you understand your mental health. He equips someone to help you understand your physical health. And I do have to say this I appreciate the growth that I've seen in the church over the last decade with the acknowledgement of what's going on with us mentally and emotionally. It's a lot of depressed preachers and pastors. It's a lot of lonely preachers and pastors, a lot of anxious preachers and pastors. They're people, we're people, yeah, and so if you are afraid to preach, get help.

Speaker 1: 37:08

Guess what you won't do, you won't get help because to you that's a sign of weakness. When the Bible says, when the Bible says his strength is made perfect in our weakness that's what the Bible says about God, that his strength is made perfect in our weakness. So when we acknowledge I'm struggling, I've never felt this way before, I don't know what's going on, I need some help, guess what that makes God's strength perfect in us and then we're actually able to be of service. So I just I appreciate you making that point because I think sometimes people need to hear that you know, so for your own mental and emotional health.

Speaker 1: 37:47

I feel like one of the things you do is travel. Would that be correct?

Speaker 2: 37:52

I think, yeah, you know, I think that traveling is just one of those things that gives you a different perspective on life, right? So it also allows you to connect with people in different ways. There's just so much that comes from it and sometimes, when you can't get out of your own city, like I tell people like, go do a staycation in a suburb you know near you, Just being able to physically change where you are can sometimes give you the space to take more walks, you know. You may be able to access more yoga classes. You may be able to access different types of restaurants. If you don't have healthy restaurants in the area where you are, you can explore different types of healthy foods. The Mediterranean diet is a diet that you know, as physicians, that we tell people hey, this is one of the healthiest diets. So it's really cool to be able to go to Greece, right, and see that this is the lifestyle that these people are living. So, you know, it puts everything into perspective.

Speaker 1: 38:59

Yeah, you know what I mean. Out of all the places that you've been, where would you say, changed you Like I went to this place and I had this revelation and it changed me. What would you say?

Speaker 2: 39:12

Yeah. So I went to South Africa years and years ago probably about seven, eight years ago I went to South Africa with my friend Asia. We started off at a medical conference and we just moved on to about five different countries in that area and just seeing the joy in people who had little to nothing and the gratitude they did have for the things that they did have that looked nothing like the modern day world in America was extremely eye-opening. I'm so grateful for that opportunity to be able to travel and to be able to realize that, to be able to, you know, realize that life is different. You know, everywhere you go, and a lot of times in America we focus on overconsumption.

Speaker 2: 40:02

A lot of times in America we are focusing on production, right, and it just helps you put things in a perspective when you see people that literally are just getting up living, going on their day to day and it hasn't, you know, not a lot to do with. You know, the internet, not a lot to do with. You know the stress of producing, yeah, yeah. So here in America, you know we're worried about our GDP, so it's really cool to be able to in America. You know we're worried about our GDP, so it's really cool to be able to see that you know these people are focused on their ancestors and you know the spiritual world and you know their physical bodies and literally just you know focusing on nutrition.

Speaker 2: 40:54

Yeah, bali was another place. You know watching the Balinese people pray multiple times a day. You know watching the Balinese people pray multiple times a day. You know they do practice a different religion, but I think it's important to respect you know other religions and people who are practicing their way and getting through life and in their own way. So that was another place where you see that people are focused on, you know, their nutrition. They're focused on their spirits and they're focused on their communities.

Speaker 1: 41:19

Yeah, yeah, I love that. I think for me, one of the places as well, was South Africa. I've been to South Africa twice and Ghana also really changed me in a different way. But what you shared about people being, I think about the whole idea and we've heard it a million times of human beings, not human doings, and I feel like whenever I travel out of the country, specifically to the continent of Africa, I remember that I'm supposed to just be a human being. I tell people all the time the first time, the only time so far that I've been to Ghana but I will be back was in 2019.

Speaker 1: 41:59

I went to Ghana for the year of return in 2019.

Speaker 1: 42:02

It was the first time I ever felt at home and at peace and I'm an American right, I was born here, raised here but I felt a peace and a level of acceptance that I had never felt anywhere else.

Speaker 1: 42:20

You know, I think it has something to do with looking around and seeing people that look like you everywhere. It made me feel safe and it made me feel beautiful and it made me feel accepted and things that I had. Just I didn't even realize, I didn't, I didn't feel that stuff here until I felt it there and I do think that it feels traveling fills you with a sense of gratitude on two ends. Right, it fills you with gratitude for what you do have. Right, when you see people have less than you, but then it also fills you with gratitude for what you get, what you're getting to experience there, Like, wow, I get to experience the beauty of this place, I get to see this, and it's something that I wish more people were able to experience, especially older black people. I think my mom's like I'm not getting on a plane for that long.

Speaker 1: 43:10

I'm like I wish, I just wish I could pick her up and take her you know, because I know it would be so transformative and, especially as black people, I just try to. I want as many black people to go to the continent as possible. Just go see yourselves. See yourselves the way you were meant to be seen.

Speaker 2: 43:29

And if you can't get to Africa, go to South America. There's a lot of us in South America, we everywhere, for real. You know what I mean, honestly.

Speaker 1: 43:38

But I just really do love that. I want to talk a little bit more about the journal. We breezed past it a little bit, but you have a gratitude journal with prompts and things to help us think through being grateful. What inspired you to create the journal and what would you say to someone who may not think they need this journal about why they need to get it?

Speaker 2: 44:00

So I created the I Am Well, all Is Well, gratitude Journal to provide a tool to help people with their mental health. Once again, you know, I saw my people struggling and there are studies that prove that journal. You know if you're actually journaling, um, and then if you're gratitude journaling. So you got that combination of um, not only journaling, but focusing and reframing um, maybe some negative things that happen in a day, um to positive things, or you're actually able to get all these emotions out. It's powerful. So there are people who can't afford therapy. There are people who can't afford to go to the doctor. Now, telemedicine is helping with all of that. So there are some organizations out there, like BetterHelp, like Doctor on Demand. There are, you know, resources now where you can kind of find different things. But I wanted to be able to provide a resource to help people and I wanted to be able to have it affordable, right? So, even though some sessions might be $80 for therapy, well, my journals only like $20 for a paperback.

Speaker 2: 45:11

It's on Amazon, it's easily accessible and when you open up the journal, you're able to have a different prompt to help you reframe your thoughts. You know like some of the prompts might be. You know some of my favorite scents, so to really take you out of if you're having a really bad day, you could focus on. Oh, my favorite scents are. You know, the best thing that happened to me today was the person who has helped me the most you know this week.

Speaker 2: 45:41

So you go through different thought processes that help you to reframe your day. Yeah, I love that. It helps you set the mood for the day, depending on when you are journaling. So I just really want to be able to provide something and have a product right. So a lot of times, you know, as entrepreneurs, as content creators, as the people that we are, it's like we're consuming a lot, we're buying things from other people, but I wanted to be able to provide a product that's going to help the people who are supporting me. So on the front of the journal, you know, there's just affirmations, just letting you know, even if you don't get to the journaling part.

Speaker 1: 46:24

it's like you know, I'm well yeah.

Speaker 2: 46:26

I'm well Like, and you think about all of these things in the midst of chaos. You can bring yourself back to you know what, in this moment, I'm well, yep, all is well, I'm in one piece, yes.

Speaker 1: 46:38

I'm here. I think about the whole affirmation of I am well, all is well. It's a reminder that God is in control. It's a reminder that you have some control, right, I am well, I'm deciding. I have decided that I am well, all is well. I am what I'm deciding. I have decided that I am well, All is well. I trust the almighty that all will be well For me. It's a reminder that everything doesn't land on my shoulders. Exactly, I don't have to fix everything. It is not up to me. Right, there is something larger at play and I can rest and dwell in peace about what, what all is going on. We ask a question here to end our show, and that question is in the grand scheme of things, what would you want your legacy to be? Can you answer that?

Speaker 2: 47:24

for us? Oh, most definitely. In the grand scheme of things, I would want my legacy to be a legacy of life that encouraged other people to find their light and that empowered other people to find their light and their power and to realize that we're all connected. Everything is connected your mental health, your oral health, your physical health, your spiritual health. I would like my legacy to be a legacy of light and shining the light on the fact that we are all powerful, we're all connected and God has given us this light to shine.

Speaker 1: 48:04

I love that and you're well on your way to creating that legacy. This is another episode of I'll Just Let Myself In with your girl, lish Speaks, and Dr Erica Jones. The episode is called Into Wellness, and my hope and prayer is that we're able to you're able to take something that you heard in this episode and put it into practice. We're going to link the journal down below so you'll be able to click and purchase it. It is on Amazon and I guarantee it'll help you to reframe your mind, to think about the things that you have to be grateful for. If this episode blessed you, if you loved it, if something that one of us said spoke to you, please rate it, please review it, Please share it with someone. This information can definitely change lives. I want you all to go ahead and follow Dr Erica at Dr Erica Jones on Instagram. Are you different on anything else? Same thing on TikTok At Dr Erica at Dr Erica Jones on Instagram. Are you different on anything else?

Speaker 2: 48:55

Same.

Speaker 1: 48:56

Thing on TikTok At Dr Erica Jones and lock in because-.

Speaker 2: 49:00

YouTube. Same thing, yes, YouTube.

Speaker 1: 49:02

We didn't even get to the YouTube, but she has a YouTube channel that gives information. Her Instagram is very informative. You know. Lock in because, like we spoke about in this episode, there's so much information that you can get online that you may not be able to get in a 20 or 30 minute visit with your primary care physician.

Speaker 1: 49:22

Thank you so much, dr Erica, for being here. Thank you for your wisdom, your smile, your story. Thank you. Thank you for representing black female doctors. Thank you, we need to see you, we need your light, and so I appreciate you being here. Thank you, we need to see you, we need your light, and so I appreciate you being here. Thank you, you guys know what we do Same time, same place every week. I'll just let myself in the podcast. Go ahead and tell us what you're loving, what you're liking about the podcast. Send us an email at speakers at lishspeakscom. We'd be happy to read your questions and letters here on the show. I hope you guys have a blessed week and I'll see you back next week, and I'll just let myself in Peace. Bye.