Episode 324: The Business of Vaginas with Kimba Williams, CEO of Kushae

There’s no way to sugar coat this week’s episode; this week we are talking about vaginas and down-there-care with Kimba Williams, CEO and cofounder of Kushae. After becoming a mom, she realized things were acting up *down there* and in wanting to detoxify all the products she was buying for her own growing family, she knew she needed natural products to care for herself too. She tells us about her products, bad & good bacteria, and why choosing the right people to help grow your team can really make a difference in the long run. Kimba’s bubbly personality makes this topic easier to talk about, and she shares so much great information that we need to be sharing with all the women closest to us! 

More about Kimba: Kimba Williams is an award-winning pharmaceutical sales executive turned best-selling author, national speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur as the CEO and Co-founder of Kushae - a line of award-winning natural feminine health and hygiene products and has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, Essence, Black Enterprise, NBC News, and more. Kimba is known far and wide as the PitchPro, having won over 15 business pitch competitions and successfully raising over $1.3 Million dollars doing so…becoming one of the first 100 Black women to ever achieve this tremendous feat. 

Kimba is a 3x entrepreneur having had successful businesses in business consulting - teaching women how to pitch for millions as she has; as an education consultant - where she’s helped hundreds of parents and first-generation college students access and navigate the world of college admissions; and currently with Kushae - a line of natural, non-toxic feminine health & hygiene solutions that support women from menstruation to menopause. Created alongside her co-founder, Board Certified OB/GYN, Dr. Barb, Kushae is currently sold online at kushae.com and in stores nationwide, including Whole Foods Market

Though a native New Yorker of Jamaican heritage, Kimba is now a resident of South Florida and an avid traveler, having been to 5 of 7 major continents several times, with a special love for countries in Africa. She enjoys being a wife, mother to 3 sons, loves afrobeat & reggae music, and continues to inspire first-generation students to pursue their collegiate dreams as she once did.

Our Conversation with Kimba

What is Kushae?

Kushae = coochie

“Fixing one kushae at a time.” - Bricia

Bricia’s favorite Kushae product: Feminine Deodorant Spray

What is BV?

The business of vaginas

Kushae products

Team bare, team trim, team au natural

How big is the company?

The retail process

“I’m absolutely imbalanced and that’s okay. Not my ph, but 🤷🏻‍♀️😂.” - Kimba

Why its okay to be selfish

Pick or tip of the week

Bricia is just full of tips for blonde hair! She needed a silk pillow case and found this one from Amazon. Highly recommend for good hair, good skin, and a very luxurious sleep.

Paulina is still working on renovating parts of her home and she has been wanting a smart home for a while. She found these light switches from Kasa Smart home that make it easy to access your lights from your phone.

Links

Shop for down-there products on kushae.com. Take the quiz on their website to see what products are right for you! You can also follow the brand on Instagram @therealkushae

You can also follow Kimba on Instagram @Kimbathenaturaldiva and Twitter @williams_kimba

Episode 281: Keeping It Real with the Super Mamas: Living in a Post-Pandemic World with Pandemic Struggles

We’ve on a bit of a hiatus this month and in today’s episode, we explain why. Our family’s restaurant, Guelaguetza, has been extremely busy (in a good way!) as covid restrictions begin to lift. We’re getting back to our roots and putting in work at the restaurant as servers, bussers, bar backs - wherever we need an extra hand. We’re hustling to get things done in the restaurant everyday, but we also realized we need to practice what we preach and take some time for self care when we need it most. So we took some time off for ourselves to celebrate our little sister, Elizabeth, and enjoy her bachelorette party! This is still a crazy pandemic time we’re living in, but we’re taking every opportunity to be thankful and use the wellness tools we have picked up along the way to help ourselves get through the tough times. We’re excited to move forward in 2021, more normalcy and more business!

P.S. BE NICE TO PEOPLE! Especially service industry workers. When you listen to the episode, you’ll know why. 😉

Pick or Tip of the Week

Paulina’s tip - On the days you feel like you want to quit, don’t. Slow down, start small and don’t stop.

Bricia’s pick this week is an electric lighter (you might have caught her Instagram story earlier this week). All you do is charge it with a USB! It’s one of the best new inventions of the 21st century. 😂

Episode 251: Finding Our Core Selves & Changing the Likeability Trap with Alicia Menendez

This week’s interview is with powerhouse Alicia Menendez - MSNBC anchor, co-host of the podcast Latina to Latina, best selling author, and mother of two young daughters. Alicia is dropping straight GEMS 💎 in this episode! We talk about everything from how she balances her successful careers with motherhood to the meaning behind her book, “The Likeability Trap” and why it’s more complicated for women of color to feel likeable at work.

In Bricia’s words, Alicia “takes us to church” during this episode with knowledge she drops, but even Palina and Bricia were sharing real gems. Here are a few 💎:

“Sometimes you’re focusing on the work and sometimes you’re focusing on sharing the work and it doesn’t always have to be the same thing.” - Alicia

“You are no good to anyone else if you’re not taking care of yourself. “- Alicia

“It’s very rewarding to see what I am capable of doing. To know that I am more than what I thought I was.” - Paulina

“I look at her and I tell her, I want you to be a way better version of me and the only way you’re going to do that is if I become a better version of myself.” - Bricia

“If you grow up loving yourself and believing in yourself, how far can you go?” - Bricia

More about Alicia: Alicia Menendez is a journalist and multimedia storyteller. Named “Broadcast Journalism’s New Gladiator” by Elle Magazine, “Ms. Millennial” by The Washington Post, and a “Content Queen” by Marie Claire, Alicia has quickly become a force in American media. Alicia is the author of The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are and an anchor for MSNBC. She is also a contributing editor at Bustle and host of its Latina to Latina podcast. 

A native of Union City, New Jersey, Alicia is a graduate of Harvard College. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters.

Our Conversation with Alicia

The balance of career and motherhood

Has routine helped you?

Alicia’s book, “The Likeability Trap”

Finding the core version of yourself

The messages we give boys vs. the messages we give girls

Tips for being assertive, strong, and the most authentic versions of ourselves

Pick or Tip of the Week

All of Bricia’s tips right now are about babies! This month is Target Baby Month and there are new weekly deals for the whole month! Right now they are running their Car Seat Trade-in program where you drop off an old car seat to recycle and get a coupon to save 20% on select baby gear. Learn more about the program on Target.com.

Her pick for this week is more baby stuff, of course. Bricia’s favorite wipes of all time (for herself and Augustina) are the Honest wipes. They stay moist and don’t get stuck in the wipe warmer, making it easier for whoever is on diaper duty.

Paulina’s tip is Target Drive-up. It’s so much easier for her to load the girls in the car and get all of her items brought straight out to her car! Her other pick is the deep tissue percussion massager. If you’re keeping up with the podcast, you know she was injured a few weeks ago so she’s been focusing a lot on her recovery. Since she can’t go out to get a massage, she found this massager that’s really popular right now and has really helped her muscles after her workouts.

This episode was brought to you by our sponsor Target. Head to Target.com and shop Baby Month Deals for the entire month of September!

Links

Follow Alicia Menendez on Instagram @aliciamenendezxo and Twitter @AliciaMenendez.

Listen to her podcast Latina to Latina with co-host Juleyka Lantigua-Williams and follow their podcast on Instagram @latinatolatina.

Buy her incredible book The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are wherever books are sold.

Watch The Last Dance, the docuseries about Michael Jordan, on Netflix.

Episode 249 - Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas: Learning to Ask for Help

It feels like summer just ended, but the end-of-summer / back-to-school routine change has been tough so we are READY for this holiday weekend.

And speaking of a long weekend, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a brand new episode. Bricia is back from maternity leave and it’s been a while since the two of us kept it real. This week we talk about baby Augustina and how much Eduardo loves his “chuchis”, and about Paulina’s girls starting school again.

We also talk about the how important it is to communicate our feelings with our spouses during all stages of our relationships. Whether you’re just starting to date, postpartum with your first child, or married for over 50 years, telling our partner about what and how we’re feeling is crucial to a healthy relationship. We can’t expect them to do everything we need; they can’t read our minds! You should never be afraid to ask for help from anyone, and this latest vent session will help remind you it’s okay to do just that.

This episode was brought to you by our sponsor Target. Head to Target.com and shop Baby Month Deals for the entire month of September!

Pick or Tip of the Week

We have so many picks this week!

A listener recently told Paulina that Joyce Meyer has a podcast. Joyce talks about how to be joyful through in life and how to change our thoughts. Paulina especially loves them because the episodes are only 15 minutes long!

Paulina also found this YouTube page called Activ Chiropractic while she was searching for back exercises last week. Paulina attributes her quick recovery to stretching, core workouts, and the active chiropractive videos, like the one below (always consult your doctor prior to working out after an injury - Paulina’s doctor cleared her for low impact activity).

Bricia is still loving the Every Mother program for her abdominal wall exercises. She happened to find it via an Instagram ad but she truly feels helps heal your abdominal wall and pelvic floor muscles after kids. She’s knows it’s going to take time to get back into shape (she’s in no rush) but working on these muscles now is easy, low impact, and will make a difference of your body in the years to come. Paulina is a big fan too! 

Lastly, Bricia is loving this pajama set from Hatch that her girlfriend, Lucia, gifted her. The material of the robe is so soft, she could wear it all day!

P.S. We want to hear from you! Send us an email at hello@supermamas.com or call the Super Mamas hotline at (424) 326-3707 to leave a message. Tell us about how you’re feeling in quarantine, ask us your questions about us, life, & family, or vent about your partner and kids like we do. 😂

Episode 244: Clean Beauty for the New Mom and Beyond with Gabriela Babila creator of @MatanaOrganics

You know we are big fans of beauty products and self care. We find that incorporating our beauty and skincare routines into our days is one of the easiest ways to get self care as busy moms, and this week’s super mama guest understand that.

This week we interview Gabriela Babila, creator of clean beauty brand Matana Organics Skincare. She started her business when she realized she couldn’t find clean, safe beauty skin care products during her pregnancy and began making them at home. The line is nature-inspired skin care for pregnancy, postpartum and all mothers who seek clean, safe, and organic products and best of all it’s organic, plant based, and cruelty free.  Gabriela talks to us about how she became fascinated with the beauty & power of plants, and using nature to create her skincare line. Her passion & positivity for her family, her business, and motherhood really shine in this episode and she is dropping all the gems (or matanas, as you’ll learn) that we needed to hear. 

More about Gabriela Babila: Founder, wife, girl mom, LA Native and clean beauty enthusiast, Gabriela Babila is the heartbeat and face behind the brand, Matana Organics. With a background in psychology and expecting her first child, Gabriela knew how important it was to nurture the body AND mind during this transition. Struggling to find safe and effective skincare products to help manage all of the physical changes pregnancy would induce, she thought about her own mom, an immigrant + single mother, and how she would approach her concerns. Her mother didn't have much, what she used for skincare she made, teaching Gabriela the power of natural remedies. So she decide to make it. And now she is sharing it with all mothers. 

Matanas from this week’s episode

Matanas = gift in Hebrew

“I love being a mom but there’s more to my identity.” - Gabriela Babila

“The desire to become an entrepreneur, to do something that i was passionate about; I couldn’t hide that from myself.” - Gabriela Babila

“The fear is not enough of a reason to not go for it.” - Gabriela Babila

“I cant worry about what can go wrong because what if it doesn’t go wrong? What if it goes right? And I’ve wasted precious time and precious brain power thinking negatively.” - Bricia Lopez

LINKS

Follow @MatanaOrganics on Instagram and like their page on Facebook.

Learn more about Gabriela and to shop Matana Organics, go to matanaorganics.com.

Episode 191: Bringing Texas to LA, Briana Valdez from HomeState

This week on the show we have Briana Valdez, aka “Breezy” Chief Queso Ambassador of HomeState. Prior to opening HomeState, Briana had never run a business but that didn’t stop her from carving her way into the restaurant industry with one goal in mind- to share her and her families’ story of Texas through food. With her third location opening in Playa Vista soon, Briana takes us through her journey of opening her restaurant, the value of mentorship, staying true to herself, how she manages her time and self care.

Before the interview, Paulina and Bricia discuss last week’s episode and how they spend their Easter Weekend.

Our conversation with Briana Valdez

How did you get HomeState started? What did you do before and where did the inspiration come from?

What made you want to get into the restaurant business? & how did you “carve your way into it” ?

What do you love the most about mentoring? What have you gained?

Best mentor advice you’ve received?

Do you have any tricks on time management? How do you organize yourself?

Do you practice self care? & how?

What is the one thing that you told you yourself that you wouldn’t do as a mom that you’re doing now?

You can follow Briana Valdez on Instagram as @helloitsbreezy and her restaurant @HomeState. Find a HomeState location near you, on myhomestate.com

Pick or Tip of the Week

When she gets home, Breezy LOVES to watch Friends on Netflix. Also, her secret to her beautiful and glowing skin is Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate, Psssst, she says this is the cure to all the nights of not washing her face.

Bricia and Paulina bond over putting essential oils or perfume in their Eucerin lotion.

Episode 189: Following our Instinct, Finding Community & Prioritizing Self-Care with Zoila Darton

This week on the show, we have Zoila Darton- NY native turned LA resident and Head Dot Connector of WORD Creative. Zoila is a born connecter and believes fostering community creatively will save the world- basically, an incredible human. We talk all about her birthing story and the grueling aftermath, her journey in finding community in LA as an outsider, how she practices self care and her other baby, her thriving business.

Our Conversation with Zoila Darton

What was your birthing experience like?

How did you find community when you moved to LA ? Who helps you?

What inspired you to start WORD? What does it stand for?

What is your morning routine/ritual that helps you stay grounded & present?

What is the one thing that you told you yourself that you wouldn’t do as a mom that you’re doing now?

You can follow Zoila on IG at @ZoilaDarton, her agency at @word.agency and check out her new podcast, The Women I Know.

Pick or Tip of the Week

If you would also like to pull a card, pick up Zoila’s first pick-Sacred Symbols Oracle Deck by Marcella Kroll and find clarity and guidance through divination. While you’re at it, book yourself an 80-min massage at the very trendy the NOW Massage boutique. Take a minute for yourself.

Bricia’s pick this week is the Fighting with my Family movie. It’s all the things you want in a family-friendly movie: funny, empowering and incredibly inspirational. It’s now playing in theaters.

If you’ve been following Paulina on IG (which you totally should be!) she' recently organized her pantry. She used leftover glass containers and these cute chalkboard stickers to label everything. Check out her post about it here.