Hello, and welcome back to the Intersection Podcast.

This is the first installment of three entitled "It’s Not You - Navigating Leadership As A Black Woman." The conversations over the next few weeks are near and dear to my heart. As a Black woman who spent 20+ years in Corporate America, often feeling unseen and unheard, I wanted to give voice to our unique experiences and provide resources, tools, and a community to let you know you’re not alone.

Over the course of the series, we'll explore what it’s like to work in environments that were not designed by us or for us. And before you turn away and say…"I'm not a black leader” I encourage you to listen as we can all learn and grow from each other.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Heather Lofton, LMFT, Founder of Dr. Lofton, LMFT Therapy & Consulting. She holds a doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialty in systems therapy. Dr. Heather also served as Core Faculty and Staff therapist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University's Master of Science Marriage and Family Therapy program.

Her specialty areas of treatment are professional women with depression, anxiety, and work-life balance concerns. Dr. Lofton's primary area of research and treatment specifically focuses on high-achieving black female professionals.

In this episode, we discuss:

➡️ The research on stress, anxiety, and mental health issues among high-achieving Black professional women.

➡️ Real steps organizations can take to support Black Women leaders like ensuring access to coaches and therapists, eliminating flawed assessments, and systemic barriers. All of which positively impact everyone in an organization.

➡️ Resources you can use to support your own healing such as personal audits which assess the risks and costs of overwork and setting clear boundaries around self-care.

Thank you for being a part of this community as we acknowledge the immeasurable contributions of Black leaders present and past.

Thank you for listening!

Resources:

Book: The First, the Few, the Only

Dr. Adia Gooden website is here

Dr. Dara Winley website is here

Therapy for black girls website is here

Psychology Today

Dr. Heather Lofton Linkedin