Thank You For You

Whitney and Kay Ten look back on season one of Thank You For You and share what they learned from their guests, from starting a podcast from scratch (for free), and how they plan to move forward. Each guest last season had a customized prescription to self-healing and overcame their situations with a willingness to share and help others. Kay Ten and Whitney give a special message to anyone starting a new podcast or project and gives a thank you to those who trusted the vision of TU4U. Whitney shares what she will be doing moving forward while stepping away from TU4U. Visit thanku4u.com or instagram.com/thank.u4u for more information about becoming a guest, to join a live panel discussion, and to hear past episodes.  

After many years of running, at age 25, Vanessa LeMaistre was forced to face the pains of her past. Unbeknownst to her, the difficult healing process that she underwent was preparing her for one of the most difficult losses a being may know, the loss of her 9 month old infant son, Kamden. In her story, Vanessa takes us through how she has navigated suicidal thoughts, growing up with out a physical father, shifting from Catholicism to Shamanism, the death of her son, traumatic early life experiences, adjusting to her new life as a woman of color in Boulder, Colorado, and how her transformations have led her to live her purpose with intention and urgency. Today, Vanessa is a studying for her masters degree at Naropa, a spiritually accredited university in Boulder, CO. She is preparing to take her nonprofit, Kamdens Room, to an international level in India, and Vanessa will soon be providing services and products that will assist others in their healing journeys.  Where to find Vanessa: www.vanessasoulxo.com Instagram: @vanessasoulxo Youtube:  www.youtube.fom/UAreArt

Nicki was living what she describes as a perfect life up until the age of 14. This was the age when new circumstances meant that Nicki no longer had to spend as much time at home as usual. In typical teenage behavior, this is when she began explore life outside of her normal routine. She met new friends, went new places, and found new parts of herself. As most do when presented with new opportunities. Unfortunately for Nicki, her new found freedom was short lived. She quickly caught the eye of her small town’s most notorious young trouble maker who decided to pursue her relentlessly. In fact, he went on to sexually assault her twice, stalk her at home and at school, send people to track her whereabouts, and slowly control every aspect of Nicki’s young life. In this interview, Nicki describes exactly how, in just a few short weeks, her life changed forever. She shifted into a fearful teenager who was being stalked by her abuser. And because she was afraid of the possibility of accusations and repercussions from her family and the people of her town she internalized the experience and decided that what was happening was her own fault, rape was sex, and that she needed to create an unattractive version of herself in order to survive. So, in turn, she withdrew, became mean, and started to dress in baggy clothes Later in life, she found therapy and landed her feet on a path towards healing. In this episode, Nicki helps us understand the signs of someone who may be silently crying out for help and she provides valuable tips on what to and not to say to a victim of abuse. Today, Nicki Hamilton works as a lawyer by day and serves as an advocate to women healing from abuses in her free time. She blogs and lends her heart and ear to women seeking support. Where to find Nicki:toomanyflavors.com or on her Facebook Page

Whitney’s first child was born prematurely of an emergency c-section. After being diagnosed during pregnancy with Preeclampsia, Whitney was told many times that she would need to give birth early, but she held on for weeks to give her son a better chance at survival once delivered. But when Whitney’s own survival came into question it was the simple wisdom of a nurse, “What is the use of having a baby if he wont have a mother?” that convinced her to induce labor. Whitney opens up about some of the resentment she felt towards close women in her life who have children and failed to give her information that she felt was vital for a first time mother during and after pregnancy. She also details what lead up to her surprising and rare diagnosis of Postpartum Anxiety and what that looks like in her life today. An unexpected blood transfusion, finding herself alone in a dark hospital basement, lying to nurses so that she could see her son for the first time, spending weeks in NICU, discovering truths about breastfeeding, and stories of anxiously monitoring the peephole in of her front door are a few of the topics she shares in this powerful interview.  *This is a rerecording of an earlier, now removed, episode with improved sound quality.* Where to find Whitney: IG: @WhitPits and @Thank.u4u

After a long and successful corporate career with a strong social network to boot, Michelle Dowell-Vest decided to leave everything behind and move from Washington, D.C. to Houston, TX. Michelle’s decision to leave everything behind meant more then what she could imagine, and she would quickly learn that before she could start a new chapter she would have to heal from the old. Michelle discusses how her decision to pursue a career in the healing field led her through her own darkness and into a discovery of Self. She opens up about the myths of hypnosis, being a nonreligious minister, the struggle of adult friending, overcoming the loss of friends and lovers, and how her new foundation in Self has helped her to build a brick and mortar business in a new city. As you can tell by the length of the episode, we discuss much more. Michelle has big plans and is on the move so catch her in this episode. How to find Michelle: https://michelledowellvest.com/www.WomensHHC.Comhttp://www.womenshhc.com/IG: @michelledowellvest & @womenshhc

This week we have an amazing story of patience and inner strength from our guest Shirley Bass. Among the stories she shares, Shirley explains how a government mistake led to losing her income for a year and details how she was impacted mentally, physically, and spiritually. Although she was without a steady income she was abundant in receiving wisdom and tools to power her through the next stages of her life’s journey. Shirley kept her faith and now that she can see the light at the end of the storm is sharing her jewels. Contact Shirley Bass: Love of God Ministries

Welcome to our first minisode!These are casual conversations between the hosts of TU4U, Kay Ten and Whitney.  This week: – Man rushing the stage at the Beyoncé & Jay-Z stage in Atlanta, GA – People overly obsessed with celebrity lives– Not sweating the small stuff and forgiveness– When people don’t change after high school– Religion vs spirituality Find more of Kay-Ten/Meraki and Whitney:IG: @thank.u4u @art.of.meraki @whitpits Websites: Work with Kay-Ten/Meraki – Visit Website ArtOfMeraki.com or Email Youtube: 

Having multiple heart surgeries at 3 months old, living from pacemaker to pacemaker, and thus lacking the strength and stamina to play with the “healthy” kids while growing up is enough for the average person to turn a cold shoulder to the world. But Derek Canas is not average, and while already living a life stacked against the odds of normalcy and survival, at the age of 16 it was discovered that during one of his blood transfusions as a 3 month old baby Derek contracted AIDS.  During his journey through the darkness of coping with his new AIDS diagnosis, Derek found a savior in his alter ego, DJ D-Rek. D-Rek showed up with the confidence and fighting spirit that Derek was lacking and saved his life. At the time of our conversation with Derek, he has created two AIDS foundations, written a book, lead toy drives for children’s hospitals, and most notable is his development of an undying inner strength with the ability to master both his body and mind. Derek’s bright outlook, vivid imagination, and intense tenacity has led to a current AIDS status of “undetectable”.How to connect with Derek: http://derekcanas.com/ Instagram: @dreksangelsandwarriors Twitter: @DJDREK84 Facebook:  Derek Canas Aids Activist #endthestigma Campaign

Trey has overcome low self-esteem and homelessness to become a personal chef and trainer. He shares how he learned to remove what’s toxic, set goals that matter, be a great father, create a healthy mindset, and keep his focus while striving to better his life. Trey also admits to his fears of trying new things and how some efforts have led to sweet rewards. How to contact Trey: Instagram: @chef_coach_trey Trey’s Youtube Channel 

We are presenting part 2 of our interview with Kimi Walker. In this episode Kimi talks about keeping it real on social media and we create #TheRealVersion and #RealStory hashtags and challenges. We discuss relapse after major lifestyle changes, the truth about “before and after pictures”, monetizing your passions with multiple streams of income, masterminds, and realistic dieting and body expectations for where you are in life. We have a fun conversation and think you’ll enjoy the conclusion of this episode. How to connect with Kimi Walker: earlyaccountability.com www.kimiwalker.com Twitter: @kimifitwell Soundcloud Early Accountability Podcast Apple Early Accountability Podcast Instagram: @kimifitwell @earlyaccountability Facebook: Kimi Walker, Weight Loss + Wellness Coach Nubian Wellness Early Accountability

Kimi Walker is a powerhouse in the Health and Wellness field, holding several certifications in addition to a degree in psychology. And she actually uses it all. A major lifestyle change sparked Kimi to start a number of brands as an Improvement Catalyst those looking to make lasting changes in their lives. Kimi gets real about the obstacles she’s faced with not guarding her energy output while learning how to be more vulnerable as her brands expand. Kimi’s honesty is refreshing, her business sense is on point, and she’ll leave you wondering if you using all of your greatness. This is a two parter. How to connect with Kimi Walker: earlyaccountability.com www.kimiwalker.com Twitter: @kimifitwell Soundcloud Early Accountability Podcast Apple Early Accountability Podcast Instagram: @kimifitwell @earlyaccountability Facebook: Kimi Walker, Weight Loss + Wellness Coach Nubian Wellness Early Accountability

Being raised in America by two traditional native Caribbean and Jehovah’s Witness parents made Samoa feel trapped as a young girl trying to discover who she was. The rigid expectations of her parents and their religion left her with little [perceived] freedom and a bit of an identity crisis. One thing that Samoa did know was that to break free of the mentality imposed on her she would need to find a way to weave together her own life. How to contact or work with Samoa: https://www.inkdbysamoa.com/ IG: @inkdbysamoa

Camille share’s with us the story of losing her first love. Camille was in a relationship for 12 years when he passed away. She allows us to relive their love story from the beginning. Then she speaks about grieving, and we are able to learn so much from her about healing and love. ❤

Kay Ten (aka Meraki) shares her life long journey of living in who she is, and breaking out of society’s expectations for her to do so. Growing up in a traditional family with traditional expectations, Kay Ten didn’t fit in most of those boxes. She tells us her journey of realizing that she didn’t have to mold herself to fit those expectations, and that she could create her own.

Give Birth or Die – Whitney’s Story Whitney shares with us her personal story of childbirth. Her son came 10 weeks early and was admitted to the NICU. Dealing with the emotions of almost dying during childbirth and with the worrying about her premature baby, Whitney details for us how she managed her emotions and decisions while in the middle of a tough time.