PublisHER’s Stumbling Through Adulthood
Date and Time
Nov 6, 2019 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Nov 6, 2019 6:00 pm
14th & V
Stumbling Through Adulthood is an account of short stories in an interactive journal for “adults” struggling to find purpose in their failure. From an impromptu date gone awry to being hustled by a sibling, Vivian recounts many of her outrageous debacles in hopes of inspiring other thought leaders to get out there and achieve their dreams - even if it means working at an adult entertainment company while attending a prestigious Catholic university.
Deran Young: Growing up with an incarcerated father and a mother who struggled with mental illness and substance abuse, Deran gained knowledge and experience of discrimination, poverty, and social services at a very early age. It was no shock that she later decided to pursue a career as a helping professional.
After obtaining her Bachelors degree in Social Psychology, Deran moved to pursue a Masters in Public Administration and a Masters in Social Work. While obtaining her Masters in Social Work at the University of Texas, she was blessed with an amazing opportunity to visit Ghana West Africa twice, first as a graduate assistant and second during a final field placement/internship.
During her six month stay in Ghana, Deran created a Guidance & Counseling Center at a High School in a neighborhood that has been historically identified as a population of lower socioeconomic status. During her work there, she also created a scholarship program titled "Choices" and conducted a cultural identity field trip for students to learn about African and African American History first hand. Although the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade has significant roots in Ghana, most citizens are not afforded the privilege to visit these historical sites due to financial difficulties and hardships. During this trip, fifteen students were able to visit the Cape Coast Slave Castle and the One African History Museum. Her passion for culture and diversity lead her to further explore issues of social justice and social psychology. Her current professional areas of expertise include International Social Work, Gender Issues and Trauma/Anxiety Disorders.
Deran created Black Therapists Rock as she noticed a gap in mentorship, knowledge sharing and unity among helping professionals. She saw this as an opportunity to organize counseling professionals towards ACTION in decreasing the stigma and other barriers to psychological and social well being among African Americans and other vulnerable populations.
Morgan Owen: Bubbly, passionate and determined are a few qualities attributed to Morgan Angelique Owens. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Morgan holds a Bachelor’s degree in English/Creative Writing with a Minor in Criminology from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).
In 2014, Morgan decided to launch her own fitness class. Thus, Curvy Cardio was born. Having struggled with weight issues all her life, Morgan is passionate about motivating others and sharing her story. “I am not a fitness expert, but I know what it takes. I’m never ashamed of my story because it may inspire others,” says Morgan. The purpose of Curvy Cardio is to help women embrace their curves (no matter what size) and love their bodies free of body shaming. Curvy Cardio offers four classes a week, offers online based challenges and partnered with Project Grad by participating in their after-school program at Ethel Taylor Elementary; teaching young girls the importance of having a healthy self-esteem and body image.
Curvy Cardio has been featured on WLWT, Issues with Jan Michelle-Kearney, Cincy Chic, WCPO Insider, The Cincinnati Herald, Fitness Blogs such as Black Women Do Workout, 1230AM. Morgan was recognized as a 2016 Bright Awards winner in Entrepreneurship. The Bright Awards honor African American young adults who have made a positive impact on the community through entrepreneurship, community service and professionalism.
Previously at the National Leadership Conference for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Morgan was invited to share her entrepreneurial journey on the P&G My Black is Beautiful panel discussion, where she spoke in front of hundreds. Curvy Cardio has been invited to set up national “pop up” classes in Oklahoma City, D.C, Columbus and Cleveland. Curvy Cardio’s social media presence has grown over the past year by 80% through Facebook, Instagram and twitter. Morgan was sought out to aid as an influencer for Procter & Gamble as a voice for African American millennials. Curvy Cardio also partnered with UC Health for Minority Health Month for its signature “30 days of werk” online program.
In 2016, the Morgan A. Owens brand was established as a voice for women who had a desire to become more marketable in their corporate careers as well as entrepreneurial endeavors. With the mission that women can be “powerful and pretty,” Morgan introduced a plethora of chic and trendy events that embodied this concept. These workshops serve predominantly minority women with a mission to climb the corporate ladder as efficiently as their counterparts, gain corporate appeal in their own business, start their own business, or a mission to increase their bottom line while embracing their feminine and authentic selves.
In 2018 she launched her first national conference, "Professional Pretty" where over 150 minority women learned about career, personal and business development skills. At the conference she surprised launched her first book, "Finding My Sparkle", a journey to self-love. She turned her first book into a curriculum and currently partners with Families Forward, Project Grad and Boys Hope Girls Hope teaching young girls about healthy self-esteem and confidence.
Stacey Ferguson:Stacey Ferguson is a sought-after influencer coach, media personality, digital brand strategist, and content creator. As Co-Founder and Chief Curator of the Be Blogalicious community and conferences, she seeks to elevate multicultural influencers and highlight the value of diverse storytelling. She is an expert community builder, both online and in real life, with Blogalicious emerging as the go-to resource for influential multicultural women and marketers. By trade, Stacey is also a technology, advertising and consumer protection attorney, with over a decade of experience. Since 2009, Stacey has grown the Blogalicious community to a movement of over 10,000 multicultural women influencers. Through The b-Link Marketing Network by Blogalicious, Stacey ideates and activates influencer outreach and blog and social media-based marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 brands and nationally recognized organizations. Campaign clients include Unilever, McDonald’s, Disney, The U.S. Department of State, Proctor and Gamble, and more.
Stacey regularly consults with entrepreneurs, startups and established brands on digital and brand strategy, as well as influencer outreach and social media disclosure guidelines. She also is an accomplished public speaker, presenting at conferences and events nationally – such as SXSW, the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, ESSENCE Women’s Conference, the Pennsylvania Women’s Conference, BlogHer, and Altitude Summit. Stacey has been featured in various media, including Inc.com, FastCompany.com, Entrepreneur.com, NPR, Fox, Southern Living Magazine, The Washington Post, EBONY, Mashable, Sirius-XM Radio, Uptown Magazine, Black Enterprise, JET Magazine, Rolling Out, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and all around the Web. She has been named as a Best Brand of the Year by Stiletto Media, a Top 10 Black Innovator by MVMT50 at SXSW, is a SaluteHER Mocha Maven Award recipient, a MogulAward recipient, and was spotlighted as a successful woman-run technology venture in EBONY magazine.
She is a wife, and mother of 3 and resides in the DC Metro Area, and was an attorney in the US Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices for 7 years, where she specialized in investigating unfair acts and practices relating to social media disclosures, spyware and adware, and peer-to-peer file sharing, among other hi-tech goods and services issues. Prior to her time in the federal government, she was a corporate attorney in private practice. Stacey currently consults as an Integrated Marketing Program Manager for MDR Education/WeAreTeachers.com - a Dun and Bradstreet brand. Stacey received her B.S. in Telecommunications, with a specialization in Radio and Television Production from the University of Florida, and her J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.
Vivian Olodun: Your Local & Global Marketing Connection Serial Entrepreneur, Micro-Influencer, and Author; Vivian Olodun is a rising star, speaking honestly with her peers about what it is like to build a business that serves the rich and famous. Vivian Olodun is the ghostwriter behind luxury real estate articles published in the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel. She co-founded a boutique marketing firm that has grown to over 6-figures in less than two years. Her nonprofit Behind The Leaf hosts Flourish Media Conference annually in Miami, FL, introducing her little-black-book of millionaires to small business owners looking for angel investors.
Unapologetically Black, she doesn't hide her Afro-Latino & Nigerian heritage. Vivian candidly jokes about her position as an advisor to thought leaders while facing the fact that she is often the only brown girl in the room. She is professional and witty; bravely pulling back the curtain to show that if she can do it, so can you!
Vivian happily lives in Miami, Florida USA; where she hosts workshops & consults with real estate professionals, small business owners and major brands. Her dynamic team of freelance marketing strategists, graphic designers, social media experts and writers partner to deliver custom messaging for savvy professionals.
