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00:00Hello, I'm Bevy Smith, TV radio host, author, actress, and all around gal about town.
00:14Speaking of being about town, I'm about to assemble my girlfriends for a day of beauté,
00:20wellness, and overall fabulosity.
00:23I've got Krystal.
00:27Hi, I'm Krystal.
00:29I am head of creative and co-founder of A Very Good Job, which is a creative agency
00:33that I co-founded with my partner.
00:35I'm also mom to an 11-month-old, and I'm so, so excited to be here today.
00:40I've got the baby of the bunch, Whitney.
00:42Hi, I'm Whitney Johnson.
00:44I work in sales at Essence, and I have a new title, which is mom to a 4-month-old.
00:49I am so excited to meet up with the ladies today.
00:52And of course, Ronika.
00:53My name is Ronika Alexander, and I'm the U.S. Medical Director for Health Equity for Vaccines
00:57and Antivirals at Pfizer.
00:59I feel wonderful about getting together with my girls today.
01:02We have so little time to just relax and enjoy each other and learn from each other.
01:07I'm really excited about it.
01:15I am so happy to be here with all of you lovely young ladies.
01:18Thanks for taking the time.
01:19Thanks for having us.
01:20Thanks for connecting us all.
01:21Of course.
01:22You know I love to connect our dots.
01:24I love to connect my good, good duties and everything.
01:27Yes.
01:28And making us take the time.
01:29Yes.
01:30Yes.
01:31Speaking of that, Ronika, what have you been up to?
01:32How have you been?
01:33I have been okay.
01:34I have been okay.
01:35I have been traveling to and fro, and I am exhausted.
01:39So this break is well-needed.
01:40Yeah.
01:41Well-needed.
01:42What you been so busy doing?
01:43So many things.
01:44I've been on stage, presenting, just spreading the good news about health equity.
01:50So just everything I can do to really just make sure we have vaccine equity.
01:54So that is not an easy job.
01:56It's good work.
01:57So glad to take a break, but I'm going to keep at it.
01:59Yeah.
02:00The good work.
02:01Yes.
02:02Speaking of the good work, Whitney, you've been up to your armpits and baby magic.
02:06Yes.
02:07Congratulations, my love.
02:08Thank you so much.
02:09That means so much.
02:10It's new.
02:11It's exciting.
02:12It's challenging at the same time, but you know, it's a new chapter for me.
02:17And motherhood is something that I've always wanted to embark on, and it's happening.
02:22Yeah.
02:23And last but certainly not least, my girl, Crystal, I know you have been so busy.
02:27And it really means a lot to me that you took the time out to let me pamper you.
02:32Anything for you.
02:33You don't have to pay for it.
02:34So I guess that's why you're my cane.
02:35Oh, yes.
02:36Yes.
02:37Even better.
02:38Even better.
02:39Even better, right?
02:40Yes.
02:41So what have you been working on lately?
02:42A little bit of everything.
02:44Events, activations, PR mailers, some fashion stuff, some red carpet commentary, and also,
02:51you know, my 11-month-old Big Jack.
02:53Oh.
02:54I've been taking care of him.
02:55He has me over the ropes right now.
02:57He's learning how to walk, so he's on the move.
02:58I can't just leave him where I left him.
03:00Yeah.
03:01Now I've got to be right up on him.
03:02So it's nice to just sit in this chair, have a little chit-chat with my girls.
03:05Yay.
03:06This is very, very needed.
03:07I'm really excited about being here.
03:09And I know that everyone is so busy.
03:11Yes.
03:12So thank you for taking out the time.
03:13So how are you taking care of yourself?
03:16Dating vigorously.
03:17Okay.
03:18Period.
03:19Period.
03:20Napping.
03:21All right.
03:22And saying no a lot to things I don't have to go to.
03:25Yeah.
03:26You know, really, I'm really good at setting boundaries anyway, but now with my work schedule
03:31just being so busy, I don't have time for a lot of shenanigans and nonsense.
03:36I know.
03:37That's right.
03:38You know, I'm trying to take care of my personal life as well as my professional life.
03:40There we go.
03:41So that's a two-pronged space that I'm in right now.
03:44Listen, I know we're in a bunch of different places in our career and our personal lives.
03:49I want to hear from y'all.
03:51How are you balancing everything, all the things that are happening, including, you
03:55know, the world is, a lot's going on in the world.
03:58So tell me about that.
03:59I'm going to say I'm in a space right now where I'm thinking about what is it that I
04:02want to leave in this world?
04:04What's the legacy that I want to leave?
04:06I'm focused on that.
04:07And there's a lot of noise out there.
04:10So one of the things I've done is restarted my yoga journey.
04:13Just taking some time, just 40 minutes each day just to reflect and meditate and try to
04:19move these bones, trying to get my pigeon fold together.
04:23Still working on that.
04:24Got a little, some inches to go, but definitely pulling things in like meditation and just
04:28taking some time to like push out those things that don't matter and focus on the things
04:33that really do and the things that I want to accomplish for myself.
04:36Befi, I was going to ask you, when you're traveling so much, you know, it's easy, easier
04:41to find balance when you're at home with your things and your places that you like to go.
04:45But how do you do that when you're in a new place that you maybe haven't been in a while
04:49or never been before?
04:50You know, I find that it's really easy for me to relax when I'm not home.
04:55I tend to, well, you know, my entire life is set up in such a way that I only do what
05:01pleases me.
05:02So that makes balance a lot easier than it does when you're doing things that you have
05:07to do.
05:08Yeah.
05:09But that means that whenever I travel, especially if I travel for work, I'm usually doing something
05:13that I really enjoy.
05:14Like I'm in a place that's really incredible.
05:17You know, the nature of my work is that it's sexy and fabulous and all the things.
05:23So I get to be in sexy and fabulous places.
05:25So it ain't too hard to be up in, you know, in a suite, you know, overlooking an ocean
05:29and finding balance, you know.
05:32And then even like when I'm home, the way I find balance is I'm really very, very diligent
05:38about making sure that I see my family.
05:41That's balance for me.
05:42It's like, you know, just kind of taking it down a notch, being at home, being with the
05:47folks.
05:48And when I travel, it's really a great getaway.
05:50I really use every single trip I take as an opportunity to just decompress.
05:56When I reflect upon all of my friends and the various ages and everything, I'm like,
06:01it really does get greater later.
06:02And we just have to kind of make sure that we understand that every single chapter of
06:08our lives is worth something and is of value.
06:12We need to be literally actively pursuing our passions.
06:16That's a word.
06:17That is a word.
06:19And in pursuing your passions, you're taking care of your body.
06:22You know, you're not waiting.
06:23I know a lot of people, especially, you know, a couple generations, oh, you know, I'll wait
06:28until I'm 50 and I'll start doing this thing.
06:30Or I'll wait until I retire and start a yoga practice.
06:33Yes.
06:34You know what I mean?
06:35It's like if you just, you know, kick the tires now, the car can run for, you know,
06:40years and years and years.
06:42So that's why I'm starting to really prioritize my health and my wellness as a practice every
06:47single day.
06:48Okay, ladies, I want to know how are we taking care of our physical health?
06:52You know, a lot of people have different things that they do.
06:55You know, I'm trying to learn.
06:57Let me know the tips and the tricks and everything else.
07:02Naps are quite literally the best thing that has ever happened to me.
07:07I have been a napper long before I was a parent.
07:10I've been napping like this since I was 18 years old in the dorms at Howard University.
07:14One thing about me, I'm going to sleep.
07:16I've never felt like when I woke up from a nap that it was a bad decision, you know,
07:20and it really does, you know, re-energize me in addition to like other things I do.
07:24I'm trying to eat healthier.
07:25My son gets the best of the best organic this.
07:28And I'm like, you know what, why am I only buying that for him?
07:31I need to be eating like that.
07:32I deserve a little organic chicken.
07:34You know what I mean?
07:35So I'm starting to incorporate a lot more healthier food choices into my daily physical
07:40wellness practice.
07:41Naps are very necessary.
07:43It's mandatory.
07:44And you don't even need a lot.
07:46You can do 15 minutes and it will change your day.
07:49Absolutely.
07:50Just lay it down, you know.
07:52But you've got to make sure that you're taking good care of yourself.
07:55I'm like, I cannot afford to get sick because the doll's got a lot of travel plans.
08:00Yes.
08:01No one wants to be sick in a beautiful hotel suite looking at the ocean.
08:05I'm going to be in the ocean.
08:06Okay.
08:07You know.
08:08And you're right.
08:09The weather is changing and the viruses are virusing.
08:12So, I mean, we really, it's really, really, I want you all to consider, consider staying
08:16up to date on your vaccines.
08:17I know I've been thinking about it and I do have a question since you brought that up
08:21and I'm asking for a friend.
08:22All right.
08:23So between me and you, when I said I was asking the question for a friend, the friend was
08:27me.
08:28Okay.
08:29I love that.
08:30Asking for a friend.
08:31So is it recommended that pregnant women or should I say black pregnant women get vaccinated?
08:38There are vaccines that are recommended during pregnancy, but it's really important to talk
08:42to your healthcare team about what vaccines are best for you and your baby.
08:46Some of those vaccines for moms are to protect mom and some for mom are to protect the baby.
08:51And so this is important to talk through this with your healthcare team.
08:55I think about vaccines the same way I think about putting my seatbelt on, locking my door
09:00before I go to bed at night.
09:01Yeah.
09:02Can things happen?
09:03Sure.
09:04Maybe.
09:05But I'm putting an extra layer of protection.
09:07I'm helping protect myself.
09:08You know what I mean?
09:09Helping protect my family.
09:10Yeah.
09:11So if there are vaccines available to me that I know can help protect me and my family,
09:15especially because we do like to gather so much.
09:17Yeah.
09:18I'm going to, you know, I'm going to talk to my healthcare team.
09:21If it works for myself or my son or my wife or even my, you know, my older parents.
09:25Yeah.
09:26Oh, we're going to, we're going to make it happen.
09:27Yeah.
09:28Oh, yeah.
09:29I've been thinking too, because I'm not up to date with COVID.
09:34And then of course, there's the flu shot as well.
09:38So I was wondering, like, can I just do both shots, but on the same day?
09:43Absolutely.
09:44You can do both the COVID-19 vaccine as well as the flu vaccine on the same day at the
09:50same visit.
09:51Always talk to your healthcare team.
09:53Again, it's that time of year.
09:55So make sure you're doing the best that you can to help protect yourself.
09:58You know, at my baby's pediatrician, they do a clinic.
10:02They're like, let's get everybody in.
10:04You go, you go, you go, you go.
10:05And then they also do it for the parents.
10:07You can get like, you know, they'll have a practitioner there who supports, you know,
10:11adult patients.
10:12And they're like, baby gets it.
10:14So baby can cry for a quick second.
10:16Mom, dad, whoever, partner, you can get your vaccine as well.
10:20I love that.
10:21Yeah.
10:22One stop shop.
10:23One stop shop.
10:24That's the name of the game for everybody.
10:25Yeah.
10:26That's how we maintain that balance.
10:27Right.
10:28There we go.
10:29And you take a nap after you're done.
10:30This is so important for us because you've heard this before and I almost hate to tout
10:35numbers, but folks who are black have really been disproportionately affected by vaccine
10:40preventable diseases.
10:42And please know that this is, there is nothing about being black that makes you more susceptible.
10:47There's so, I mean, we've been in our skin all of our lives.
10:51Racism is real and structural racism is real.
10:54It's a part of the system.
10:56And so these are things that have really made it harder for us to get quality care.
11:01Yeah.
11:02So we have our part.
11:03You make your plan.
11:04We do our own investigations and talk to our healthcare providers and make sure we get
11:09our information from trusted sources.
11:11But it's also.
11:12Can we stop down on that trusted sources?
11:14Yes.
11:15Yes.
11:16Yes.
11:17Right.
11:18That means you can't take advice from Cousin Pookie.
11:19Not Cousin Pookie.
11:20Because they've been to a hospital.
11:22Unless Cousin Pookie is a doctor.
11:25A physician.
11:26Yeah, exactly.
11:27But probably, but if not, I wouldn't go with Cousin Pookie.
11:30There's the CDC website that has information about vaccination during pregnancy.
11:35They have information about different vaccine preventable diseases.
11:38So that's a great place to go when you do your research on your own.
11:41But definitely, one more time, I'm going to say it.
11:43Talk to your care team about that because it's critical.
11:46And looking at you, we have someone who looks like us who can talk to us about these things.
11:50That is incredibly important to me.
11:53In thinking about the people that I have in my health care team.
11:56And just if I want to ask a question.
11:58Or if I see you and I see you talking about something that's so crucial to everyone.
12:04But specifically in our community.
12:06And so it's just the work that you do is so vital because of the skin you're in.
12:13And obviously the big brain you have.
12:15But it is so wonderful to be able to have this conversation with a black woman.
12:20I definitely, definitely appreciate that.
12:23And I just want to empower black women just like me.
12:26Black women around the world to be able to have these conversations as well.
12:29To advocate and have agency.
12:31We have to advocate for ourselves, right?
12:32We have to advocate for our own health.
12:34Because we have power.
12:35Yes, we do.
12:36We have power.
12:37Yes, indeed.
12:38Have any of you ever kind of felt like you haven't been listened to?
12:40Or had times when you had to advocate for yourself and for your health or for your family's health?
12:44Oh, yeah.
12:45I mean, especially as a black, queer, pregnant person.
12:49You know, going into spaces.
12:51And so being told that maybe what I was feeling wasn't what I was feeling.
12:56And so when it was time for me to pick my OB, I was out in the streets like, where is a black woman?
13:03Because I knew that the black maternal mortality rate is so incredibly high in this country.
13:10And mostly preventable.
13:13And a lot of it is because of, you know, medical apartheid and all these other, you know, things.
13:19And so finding a black health care professional to deliver my baby and to keep me safe was of paramount importance.
13:26There's no reason that any black baby should be without their mother if it can be preventable.
13:32So, you know, advocating for myself is always top priority.
13:36I have a coterie of black female doctors.
13:40Cardiologists, gynecologists, dermatologists, all the ologists.
13:44All the ologists.
13:45All the ologists, baby.
13:46And it really does.
13:48It takes so much pressure off of you because, as you mentioned, systemic racism in medicine is a real thing.
13:57And what I found is that I was kind of being kind of patronized before, you know, and I was not necessarily being heard.
14:08And now that I have my, like, coterie of chocolate wonder women that take care of me, it's just made a world of difference.
14:17Wow. I'm so glad to hear that because there is underrepresentation of black people, black physicians, and certainly black women, you know, across all those areas.
14:27So excited to hear that.
14:28I think we got maybe two new doctors that just came into the world.
14:32I think that's going to be a big thing.
14:34Seeing faces like ours, you know, doing that work.
14:37It's really so important.
14:39Yeah.
14:40I'll be honest.
14:41One thing that was heavy on my mind when I became pregnant was maternal health.
14:47You know, I suffer from a heart condition.
14:49So all of the advocacy that I could do for myself and my child, it was important to me.
14:55And just knowing that you have a trusted team, as you mentioned, care team, that really is sharing the same concerns as you is important.
15:04You know, you think about so many things while you're expecting a child.
15:08You're preparing your home.
15:09You're preparing your body.
15:11Your body is changing, you know, like, just rapidly.
15:15And you're dealing with so many emotions and mental health as well.
15:20So, yeah, I've been, you know, been through that.
15:24But it's important, as you mentioned, to just advocate for yourself.
15:27Yeah.
15:28I mean, it goes the same with, you know, vaccines.
15:31Like, we have seen in history, you know, we think about Henrietta Lacks and the HELA code that still lives on today, which is so incredibly important.
15:44But she wasn't able to consent to this very vital work.
15:48And so really making sure that we're talking to our family members and explaining to them and showing them faces like your own.
15:57There are black folks in this space who want other black folks to be as healthy as they can be and as protected as they can be.
16:05And a big way to do that is through vaccines.
16:08It's like wearing your seatbelt, locking your door at night.
16:10It's just one extra layer of protection that can keep you a bit healthier.
16:15Nothing's 100 percent.
16:16But we can we can really do what we can do to keep ourselves healthy.
16:23Yeah, exactly.
16:24One thing I can say about today, you are our chief health officers in your family.
16:30So I can't wait to see how you exercise that role, because I know you'll continue to take care of those ones that you love.
16:36And, you know, all the folks around you, those you know and don't know.
16:40I love that you've deemed us that.
16:42But we also have to be making sure that we're taking good care of ourselves.
16:46So before we wrap, I need to know what's one thing that you're going to do this month that's just for you, solely for you.
16:54And I want you all to say it aloud so that we hold each other accountable.
16:58So there's no slacking on this.
17:00OK, so Chris, I'm going to go with you first.
17:03I already know because I got it booked just last week.
17:05I'm taking a solo staycation.
17:08No wife, no baby, no dogs, no responsibility.
17:11I love that.
17:12I'm going to get in a hotel for the night.
17:14I'm going to order in.
17:15I'm going to watch trashy TV.
17:16I'm going to bedrock.
17:18I'm ready.
17:19I'm ready.
17:20That's great.
17:21That's my one thing for this month.
17:22OK.
17:23All right.
17:24I want that.
17:25I know, right?
17:26I'll give you all the tips and tricks.
17:27Yes, please.
17:28Whitney, what do you got on your list?
17:30You know, I feel like I could never go wrong with a good massage.
17:34You breathe.
17:35You just, you know, just kind of remove the stress, the worry.
17:41So I'm going to commit to that.
17:43OK, Renika.
17:45Mine may not sound fun to other people, but I am going to take some time to immerse myself in some reading.
17:52And not some of it will be, you know, maybe some fiction.
17:57But most of it just to help continue to learn so I can help continue to serve the community.
18:02I'm always pulling between, like, working and, you know, lots of other things.
18:06But I'm going to take some time to really kind of dig into what's happening now and thinking about what's happening out in the world and in our community.
18:12Looking at the literature.
18:14And that brings me joy.
18:15That brings me joy.
18:16So I'm going to really prioritize doing that without being unfocused.
18:21Well, ladies, I'm going to go back to Zumba.
18:26I love to dance.
18:27Movement makes me happy.
18:29And like a nap, to me, movement, when you move your body, you can never, ever, ever be like, well, that was a bad idea.
18:36Yes.
18:37One of the best things about getting together is that we hold each other accountable.
18:40We have a good time, but we also set intentions.
18:43And please believe we're going to make sure that we all hold true to the promises that we made to not only ourselves, but to each other.
18:51Oh, my gosh.
18:52You know what we need now?
18:53Some champagne.
18:54Ladies!
18:56Thank you, Rachel.
18:58Right on time.
18:59Oh, wonderful.
19:02Oh, and this rosé.
19:03Oh, yes.
19:04Damn.
19:05You already know I love y'all.
19:07And I just want to see us flourishing and healthy and happy for many more years to come.
19:12Many cheers to that.
19:14To us.
19:15To us.
19:16To us.
19:17You can find and schedule respiratory vaccinations by going to vaxassist.com.