SPEAKER_06 0:38

With Dr. Julia Royston.

SPEAKER_08 0:43

Well, hello, I'm Dr. Julia Royston. Welcome to another episode of Live Your Best Life, where I'm always seeking to bring you people, places, tools, information, and resources to help you do just that. Live your best life. Now, you know, I am always seeking to interview authors. So, yes, my guest is an author. So get your paper and pencil out, get your phone if you're new school and find this author, support her, but also have a little conversation about her profession, her career, and all that good stuff that lends itself to her book as well. But sit back, relax, let's have a great conversation. Introduce yourself, tell us where you're from, tell us where we can find you on social media, and if you have a website. Take it away, dear.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Great. Hi. My name is Tasha D. Bryant, and I am a nurse practitioner from Texas. I am originally from Louisiana, a very small town called Doyleen, and it's very close to Shreveport, which is in the north end of the state. And I moved here to Texas close to 25 years ago. And I've been a nurse for 31 years. And back about 25 years ago, six years into my profession, I decided I wanted to do something a little different. I up and I moved to Texas, and that's where I've been ever since. As far as, and I can dive into a lot more about my background and my nursing experience, my passions, all of that in just a little bit. But as far as contacting me, I can be found on Facebook and Tasha D. Bryant. And then I'm also on Instagram, T Denise B is my handle there. And I'm learning more and probably could and should be a bit more active on social media than I am now. But I just also did a a um uh page on Facebook for my character from my first solo book that I wrote, and it's Nova Knows, K-N-O-W-S. And I can talk a little bit more about that once we dive into the book.

SPEAKER_08 2:56

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Okay, so no, I gotta ask you before we get to the book, let's go back, let's talk about nursing. What um and really what inspired you to be a nurse, and then really kind of what is your perspective on the current state of nursing? Because I know it's um that industry, that career market, well, medical field, period overall, no matter what your um position is, even if it's administration, um, down to uh you know everybody because it takes all hands on deck, it takes the um janitorial uh crew, it takes the food service, it takes all of it to make, especially hospitals and any kind of medical facility work. Um, I know we always champion the doctors, which we do, and the nurses, of course, but um we need everybody, everybody. So tell me first off, why a nurse? Why nursing?

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Well, I I laugh because I just recently told this story. I won an award um here in the city, and I had to think back to the why. How did you end up here and constantly telling my story? And you would think that I would have this elaborate, kind of lavish, oh, I've always wanted to be a nurse, and that's not the case for me. And so I keep coming back to my mama told me to. When I was graduating high school, I really didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I did love math. I did really well in math on the ACT, and I thought, uh, maybe I'll go be a math teacher, but wasn't really sure if that's what I wanted to do. And back then, my mom was a respiratory therapist, was working in in different hospitals, and we called her at work all the time, visited at work all the time back then. And so she told me to try being a nurse and that I should have a pretty solid career and be able to get and keep a job. And so that's mainly why. But I can tell you that once I got into the program, and and it's a lot of science, and science was not my strong suit, and so that was um eye-opening experience there, but uh dove in, learned all that I could about science and healthcare, nursing, taking care of patients. And I'm I'm still here 31 years later, and um actually talked my daughter when she was graduating from high school a few years back, trying to decide what she wanted to do. Of course, I pushed nursing, but she decided to be a respiratory therapist, and she is extremely happy in that field.

SPEAKER_08 5:44

So there's something that runs through y'all's blood, I can tell. Um something about it. Yeah, my dad said we should be teachers, and we said, no way, we're not doing that. Yeah, uh, I retired from teaching, and my sister is an assistant principal to this day. So, I mean, there is something uh about that, and believe you me, uh, in the area where I live, a respiratory therapist is absolutely necessary with the allergies and all the problems we experience uh in the Ohio Valley is it's a lot. And um, so we we need her. We we we need the respiratory therapist as much as possible. So let's just speak to the nursing industry because you're basically second generation nurse. Now your daughter is in the medical field, that's third generations. You know, what does um what does it look like now that it did 31 years ago? What what is the biggest changes? And for those that are still, there are some kids who graduated and they still trying to figure it out. Like they're trying to figure out what what avenue they should go to and through, not just the high school route, but some of them even for college are still trying to figure out because what was championed four years ago, four years later, maybe uh definitely a little questionable. And I'm not even just talking about the AI situation, I'm just talking about the economy period that um we've been inundated some things. So over the 31 years, nursing, what has been one of the vast changes that you've seen?

SPEAKER_02 7:22

I think the biggest change that I've seen, which is something that I support wholeheartedly, which is safety and the focus on patient safety and the fact that I'm taking some classes and having to go and look into research articles and searching through a lot of journals, and it takes me back to to Air's Human, and that's something that was drafted years ago that talks about patient safety. And um, when you start looking into those types of articles, and you find that the amount of harm and the amount of death that has occurred just over the years because of a lack of knowledge, and then I'll say also a lack of standards, and so just the improvements that have happened over the last years, well, over time, shall I say, with patient safety, I think is top-notch, and healthcare is becoming a lot more um safer, and there's a big focus on those things, even clinical teams and departments that are now in place to help to keep our population safe.

SPEAKER_08 8:40

Right. Absolutely, absolutely. And I know that I've seen the the what I want to say, the respect level for nurses rise. I know that traditionally, you know, the floor nurse and all that was um, you know, always respected and supervised and all that, and there was a hierarchy in nursing, but now we're um I'm seeing the more team uh approach in uh not just the doctors' teams, but also the nurse's input and what the nurse saw and what the nurse experienced and what was going on. And so um it's great to see the respect level for a nurse's rise. And I know there's a shortage of nurses, and I have a niece who's a nurse, and I have, you know, and and other friends that are that are nurses or have worked in the nursing field. So I'm glad to see, you know, the respect level and congratulations to you. I know that you're in the doctoral program as well, and I'm like, I didn't know nurses had doctors, and I now I know several of you. So congratulations on that level. That's a level of uh knowledge and also a level of expertise and a level of influence that's uh to be uh congratulated. And as they say, oh folks, they shouted from the rooftops, and uh we're you know, opportunity, you know, our as I say, uh our forefathers and ancestors would be like, you got a what, baby? You went and got a piece of paper, what they let you in the door, you know, there's so many, there's so many things today that I I think we probably do take kind of for granted, but uh realizing Lord, you know, first God, we thank you, but then we thank you, the others that you allowed for us to to sacrifice and actually uh be able to have the opportunity, let alone walk in and actually do it, having the pass, having the door hung open. Um, and my grandfather said, I just need a toe hold. So somebody stomped a big toe in and did that thing, and uh now we can walk our whole bodies in and come out with a piece of paper. So congratulations to you.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

So I would like to say, if I could, um, about nursing education, because that's something over the years that has changed, still changing. And I remember when I graduated years ago in 1995, and back then the BSN or the back the Bachelor of Science in Nursing was the entry-level degree. And over time they were saying that it would be the master's, and then as you fast forward years later, now it's the doctorate level. The DNP is becoming very popular, and there's even talk of the DNP versus the PhD. And when you talk with younger nurses, that's one of the bigger questions outside of do I do primary care or do I do acute care, where you can work in hospitals and specialties. And so, just for anyone that's thinking about nursing as a career, the biggest piece of advice I give these days is just to do your research and to know which program you're truly interested in, have your goals in mind, because we have had, and I did something similar, but you go into one track and then you decide that you're going to work in another track.

SPEAKER_08 12:03

And guess what that means and calls for more schooling and more education and a bill and uh hopefully a scholarship, but if not a loan and all the things, yeah. Yeah, it's a it's a it's a lot, and I think too, um we've seen the um definition of what it's like to be um participating in certain fields changing. I'm looking for some more change to happen in the educational field, but that's another conversation for another day with some different people. But to be able to see the advancement and movement shows um being open, none of it's perfect because we're still dealing with people, but at least we have the opportunity, and at least it's open um for that. So congratulations. I think that's simply wonderful and phenomenal. So let's talk about um your book. Yeah, uh Nova knows. So tell me the the backstory. We know you're a nurse, but tell us the backstory of who's Nova.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Yeah, so Nova and I have have her here. She is available on let's see, I don't know the best picture, but Nova knows caregiving is the name of my book, and my main character, her name is Nova, and family name is Nose. And so with this one, Nova is finding out about caregiving. And with the family structure, we have the mother, we have the father, we have an older brother, his name is Nova, then we have no Nova, who is in the middle, and then Nora, which is kind of a tongue twister there, but that's what I landed on. But Nora is the younger sister, and so Nova is an innovator and she reminds me a lot of myself. She is creative, and create being creative is something I've had to grow into and learn my way into and to accept. But Nova is innovative, she's creative, and she is finding her way in the family when the family has some little twists and turns that happen throughout the book, and that's that's who she is.

SPEAKER_08 14:14

Yeah, well, um, you know, one of the things that I don't think we talked about when we were working on the book, but really the caregiving space for okay, Nova's younger, but even seeing that younger is great. But I'm in my 60s and caring for parents and in-laws and everything in their 80s. I don't think we have that conversation too much. We just assume certain things, and even though Nova Knows is a great book to start, so I I don't care if if we're talking about um siblings taking care of each other and and um, but we need to have that conversation and transfer Nova Knows caregiving to that next level. Like, Big Mama, where is your uh long-term care? Where do you have an insurance policy? Do you did you pay for your and and you know it's a morbid conversation because I I had to have it with my husband, and and uh I was like, oh, we don't have to worry about that yet. Oh, we still young, whatever. He was like, No, he was the one who put his foot down. We've got to get all the paperwork in order, everything. We don't have any children, so we have to, you know, you know, determine and designate and you know, all those things. And I'm gonna be honest with you, this is this is an adorable book, and yep, it should be for kids, uh, classrooms, community, ministry, all over it. It can it can go everywhere. But then after the kids get through looking at it and and looking at the pictures, because it's all beautiful, we needed to turn it over to the uh the young adults and let them and we have that conversation with the senior citizens and big mama and the young adults and uh what happens if this happens? What happens if that happens? What happens if, you know, are you prepared? Are you just uh we're gonna have to do a GoFundMe again? You know, it can though this conversation can be transferred to other things, yes, and um, so I'm I'm really excited about it, but as someone who's going through caregiving, we need to have those conversations even more. I know we just we need to uh so when people ask about no vanos, like okay, when they say what age group is it for people to read it, okay, people to know it, there's everybody because we all need to talk about it, you know. Uh the maybe for uh young ones, second, third grade, first, second, first through fourth elementary age, it's great, but then it it has extensions, yeah. It really does. It really does. So, what is your takeaway that you really want people to get out of the bug?

SPEAKER_02 17:03

Well, I I think the the big thing is to just what you said, start having conversations about caregiving. And I'll start with uh a quick example. I went to a conference, sort of a business development conference, and I didn't didn't have an exact idea. I was there for learning and I was there to glean things from the conference so I could come back and I could think what direction I wanted to go with from a business perspective. And in when I started talking about caregiving, it seemed no matter who I was talking with, one lady, and this was when AI was coming out, and we were learning more about AI, and that was her lane. And here I am talking about caregiving, and she did just what you did. She started talking about how she's taking care of her mother and how she took care of her father, and then the rest of the family is coming along, and every conversation that I have in settings like that, it feels as if most people are in some way dealing with caregiving. And we're hearing a lot about that sandwich generation. And once people read the book, they'll see that's exactly what this family is experiencing. And being in the sandwich is basically being in the middle where you have your own family, but as you have your children, and then you also have your parents that you are trying to help take care of and figure things out, estate planning, which we haven't really talked about, but that is that's a very heavy topic, but it's definitely necessary. And we don't dive into that in the book, but it's more of the children helping out and just for them to learn about the sacrifice, because if you are home in your normal environment, and then maybe your mom or someone else, uh, it could be anyone, has to move in, and the family has to adjust that from sleeping arrangements and even carpooling, it still affects the children. And so for them to know that even the small things, if it's bringing a glass of water, if it's bringing slippers, that you can you can sacrifice and you will sacrifice in those situations, but there's also good things that happen with bonding in the family, and so those are the big things from the book. Just learning that children are affected by caregiving as well, and that there is a um a light at the end of the tunnel that's actually bright for them.

SPEAKER_08 19:48

Absolutely, and it'll it'll continue to happen from one generation to the next because even when the little ones under 12, when they see it, hopefully they'll transfer that because it's one of their time, they're not gonna stay 12 ever. They'll be 21, and then it'll be time for college in their own families, and they need to show the their generation behind them what they've seen with the generation uh ahead of them. So that sandwich, as they say, it keeps on growing, and uh the ingredients may change, but the the task re definitely remained the same. So um it's a great conversation starter, and um hopefully not only some conversations can start, but some um solutions can be uh can be done and some non I only uh just all about me. Did you know it was all about me? It's all about me, you know. You know, you know, you can always tell a child who who's never had to share, or who's never had to what do you mean? It's just me, you know, like why she she got her own stuff or he got his, you know, and so therefore it it has a lot of themes, it has multiple themes that can be a conversation piece. So please, no one knows uh caregiving, please support that book. Um, and you know, buy purchase multiple copies. Um, find um Tasha, that's T-A-S-H-A-D Bryant. There may be a lot of Tasha Bryant's online, but look for Tasha D Bryant online and purchase her book, support hers, follow her. Um, and you know, if so, invite her to one of your podcasts and let's have that conversation. Yeah, no, me, I'm all about get a nurse, get a doctor, get an uh uh insurance agent, get a funeral director, and put them in a room and let's have the conversation from the perspectives because it's truly gonna take a village and it's gonna take all of us. I I was gonna mention before even I got here was that certain some cultures are better at that than others. Like the Asian culture, they people don't go in nursing homes. We all you you see them on vacation, everybody's there, you know, great granddad. Daddy, granddaddy, grandmama, everybody's there. The little ones, they got the little ones, the people, you know, the son-in-law's at the counter got the order and all the food, everybody, you know, taking care of everybody. And so it's uh it's more of a village. And so some other cultures, you know, need to do it. I know plenty of others who do it, not just them, but I have seen it as a whole for the especially the Asian culture. They're very, very good at uh making sure that all generations are cared for and taken care of and go on vacation, even if they look like they're tired, don't want to be there, they there, they make sure they there, they alive, they moving with us. Yeah. So that's something we all have to do as well.

SPEAKER_02 22:41

That's true. And I I when I think back to my own grandmother, um thinking way back and realizing that when she took her own mother in and took care of her and used the hoister at home to to change positions in bed and and all of that, when I think back as an adult, back when I was a child, that is caregiving. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it is, and it's sacrifices that we had to go through back then. And you cannot just leave and leave great grandma at home by ourselves, and so caregiving is not a new topic, but for me, it feels like it's a new generation because we're all dealing with it or or will, especially if we have a heart and we want the best care for our family members. Right. And I would like to say with nursing homes, which I um have had a family member that has been in a nursing home before, but in conversations through school, and when you start looking at information that is at the state level and uh at the national level as well, and health care and problems that we're trying to fix, you will find things there about the care in your own state about nursing homes. And so I invite everyone to start looking into that information so that you can glean ideas and to see if that's really what you want for your family member and if that's what you need, because sometimes it is a need, you cannot avoid it because we're we're in the sandwich generation, we're still working, we have children, some people have grandchildren, we also have our parents and grandparents, and so you cannot take in a family member. So we all have to do what is best for our family dynamic. Absolutely. There's definitely information that's out there where you can learn and um always tell people to ask questions, don't be afraid to ask questions of your medical teams and those that you're trusting to make sure you're getting the best care possible.

SPEAKER_08 24:52

Absolutely. And and you have to be an advocate for your family member too as well, because recently we had a family member who's unconscious, so he wasn't able to speak for himself, he wasn't able to talk for himself, and so having those Sunday dinner around the table conversations, they may be uncomfortable, but they have to happen, and also knowing what the laws are in regards to what your financial state has to be for certain facilities. I mean, it used to be you you know, you could leave money to your family member and you didn't have to worry about that, but now we gotta have it gone for four years, maybe five years. I don't know what your state is. So being informed as much as possible is really, really key until that my grandmother lived 104. She lived in her own house, but my aunt lived with her. So basically, you know, she they did caregiving at home, and then when she came very ill, um great granny, she wasn't staying in no northern home. She she wouldn't 30 days, she was like, Y'all can stop bringing them trays now. I'm out. I'm going to see Jesus. She was like, peace, I'm out. And 30 days, great granny was gone. So uh she was and my aunt did the same thing. She had to go on rehab, and they told her about her illness. She's like, Y'all can stop bringing them. It's the same thing. Her daughter, youngest daughter, y'all can start bringing them trays because I'm going to see Jesus. And it was 30 days later, Auntie was gone. So it's different, you know. They they went quickly. The other people, it may be a long-term for real care and knowing what that looks like and knowing what your wishes are. You know, I'm the same way. We don't need to have this conversation. We're alive. You know, we don't need to have this conversation, but even if you're not, uh, as they say, laying on your dead bed ready to see Jesus, you can fall.

SPEAKER_09 26:43

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 26:44

You know, you can slip a fall, you can, you know, hurt your arm, you could, you know, have a fire, you could all kinds of horrible things can happen that I wouldn't wish on nobody. But it's life, you know, life be life, and as a kid, say, life be life and uh being prepared for it. So come on, Nova knows caregiving. She understands assignment is an adorable book uh by author Tasha D. Bryant. And I hope this conversation it spurred some other conversations. Not only purchase a book, of course, that's number one. Uh follow Tasha D. Bryant on Facebook and Insta on Instagram, but even more importantly, after that, share it. And let's have that conversation so we can build the community and build the kingdom so that we can live the best life that we can. Thank you so much for being my guest. It's been a pleasure. It's got my brain while I'm talking, it's got my brain thinking and uh uh rotating and um understanding that that's a conversation we need to have even more and more and more. So congratulations on all that you're doing uh besides the book and nursing, and I know the impact and influence you'll have with the next generation of nurses will continue to be great. So congratulations on everything. Be blessed in all that you do. My prayer is always live your best life until next time. Be blessed. Bye-bye. We'll be right back. You're listening to Live Your Best Life with your host, Dr. Julia Royston, right here on envision-radio.com where praise meets talk 24-7. And we're back. Well, hello, I'm Dr. Julia Royston. Welcome to another edition of Live Your Best Life, where I'm always seeking to bring you people, places, tools, information, and resources, and especially new books, especially for kids. Shh, hen, um, so that they can enjoy reading and the benefits of literacy and reading, and especially uh boys who are normally normally, I say normal because I do know some uh boys who are ravenous readers, but I digress. And so I want um this author to and my guest to introduce herself, tell us where she's from, tell us where we can find her on social media as well as her website. Take it away, dear.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Hi, my name is Tandra Spencer Porter, owner and sole operator of Peach Perfection Wax Studio here in Louisville, Kentucky. And I can be reached on Tandra Likes to Write on IG, Tandra Spencer Porter on Facebook, and TandraWhat's Next at Yahoo.com.

SPEAKER_08 29:31

Absolutely wonderful, wonderful spell Spencer. Some people spell it with an S, some people spell it a C-E. I spell it with a C-E-R, S-V-E-N-C-E-R. Well, um, so I have uh so first off, if you have a business, I want you to go ahead and shout it out. So tell me about Peach Perfection Wax Studio.

SPEAKER_03 29:52

Well, Peach Perfection Wax Studio is located here in Louisville, Kentucky, and I specialize in body waxing. Um, there's a variety of services that I do, but waxing is my specialty.

SPEAKER_08 30:05

Wonderful. If you're near and uh can get in the Louisville, Kentucky area, avoid 65 South in certain areas. Hello. Yes, but we're using 264.

SPEAKER_03 30:17

We're going around just streetways and everything.

SPEAKER_08 30:20

Oh, yeah, we are. Yes, we're learning how to get through the back way, baby. Yes, ma'am. Listen, listen, listen. 65 I65 is under construction. But if you're in the Louisville, Kentucky area, be sure and um shout out and um go to Peach Perfection Wax Studio and locate and find her and schedule a uh consultation, schedule appointment and make that happen. I'm all about shouting outing those who are in business, whether it's virtually or in person. But if you have a brick and mortar, we're gonna strive to drive traffic to you as much as possible. So for those that are, I digress, and yes, we're gonna get to your book, but um, for those of uh, how long have you been in business? Let me ask that first.

SPEAKER_03 31:04

I've been in business now for seven years.

SPEAKER_08 31:08

Wonderful, wonderful. Okay, so for those of you listening, she's past the three minute and I'm on fold mark. That's right. So um, yeah, and some people don't maybe don't even last three years. So just one or two nuggets for since you've been in business seven years. What are two things? No matter what business they're in. They don't have to be an esthetician or anything like that. But what are um see, I had to go to uh speech. I had speech two years to be able to say that many estes. But uh what are two major things that as a business owner, just two nuggets, now if they want some more, you have to schedule a conversation and you gotta pay for it. I'm all about that, not picking your brain for free. But uh, what are one or two things that people, especially in the climate that we're in, whether you're in the US or outside the US, jobs are great and I had one. I didn't retire for eight years, but sweetheart, sir, gentlemen, you're gonna have to have another hustle too as well. Most definitely. Yeah, I don't think a job is gonna be able to do uh it all the way for you, just all the time. I mean, Mr. Royston, 32 years, UPS, uh plaque, watch, jackets, t-shirts, all that. Well, not so much. I can't say that's gonna be in your future. So if you do need to think about whether it's a brick and mortar, whether it's mobile, whether it's virtual, online, what are one or two real nuggets that you would think are important for uh business owners?

SPEAKER_03 32:50

Well, first off, you you can't be scared. I worked in the medical field for 14 years. I got laid off and I said that's it, I'm not working for nobody else. And I went back to school to get my esthetician license. And I've been in business ever since. It's not easy, but it's very rewarding. Um, making your own schedule, being able to do what you want to do, when you want to do, and make it work for you.

SPEAKER_08 33:13

Um, but yeah. Well, my biggest thing too is, and you're exactly right. I mean, I think a lot of times people get in their own way. They the the fear of, oh, what if I fail? Oh, what if it don't work? What if nobody comes, nobody pays, whatever. But you don't know. I I think one of the that is a real place. I'm I'm not gonna lie and say, Oh, you don't have to worry about that. No, no, no, you do. And it is something that is an ongoing thing. That's the part that's not the easiest, but I think a lot of times what surprises people today is not the it didn't work, I had to close, I had to pivot, whatever. Is are you ready to win? That's it. They don't prepare for that part. Now, what if you do win?

SPEAKER_03 33:58

What if you do exactly because you have to gamble on yourself for sure?

SPEAKER_08 34:02

Absolutely, absolutely. And I I had somebody uh talking about business, and they were like, Oh, I I can't even let myself imagine that. And I said, But what if somebody did roll up? They money was well, I don't know if they'll pay. I know, okay, let's take all that out of there. Exactly. Let's take all the they don't have the money, I don't want to what if they rolled up with a black American Express that has no limit on it. You know, they have it and it works, right? Yes, and it goes through. Are you ready to win? If they said I have, you know, uh uh I don't know, party attend. Here's the card. Yes, what you gonna do? That's right. Are you able to accept cards? You know, some people are cash only. Actually, no, no, no, I'm not paying in cash. I'm only doing cards. So can you accept cards? Yes, or are you only accepting cash? Or can you send me an invoice? Or so those things are being scared. I think more more more people are scared to fail than they are prepared to win. That's right. Absolutely, absolutely. So the fear factor, so we'll get you up every morning. What gets you up every morning to go?

SPEAKER_03 35:16

God gets me up every morning, hunt that grandson of mine, he gets me up every morning. I I it gets to be done. Yeah, that's no excuses. No excuses, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_08 35:26

Yeah, and and that that's a great thing. You gotta have that motivating factor.

SPEAKER_03 35:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_08 35:31

And I know a lot of people, even especially, well, COVID was around the world, not just in the US, but just paralyzed by that's when I started my business.

SPEAKER_03 35:41

I it was it was during COVID time that I started my business. And so it was very scary at that time. But you know, I made it through. I'm thriving. Like I said, I I have a storefront, a salon, so and and I love it. It's a thousand square foot uh building and it it's it's all it's all me.

SPEAKER_08 35:59

Yeah. And that what I would think the only thing I would add to that is you make sure you have the personality for it.

SPEAKER_03 36:08

Oh, most definitely. Customer service, it's all about the customer service.

SPEAKER_08 36:13

Yeah, but even even that, because you think about it, if people are, I don't care if they're paying online or in person, if people are pulling out the credit cards today, cash app, Mozilla, invoice, whatever you're paying with, whatever, cash, whatever. After pay, after pay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, whatever. Tap to pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, all the pays. Yes. Um, you know, you gotta make sure that you're appreciative. Thank you, and please, and appreciate you and all the things they have to do. Uh a thank you later autoresponder that says, Thank you for your purchase. Um, yes, here's where Merry Christmas, Merry, Happy Mother's Day, New Year's, uh, Thanksgiving, and Happy New Year again. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Thanking people for what they did and for what that how they supported your business. All those things do matter. A lot of people like, oh, oh, they bought it now, it's over. No, come on. That's right. You want to hear it.

SPEAKER_03 37:22

You want them to pass it along.

SPEAKER_08 37:24

Exactly, exactly. And if it's not a pleasant experience, some things are just not so much it wasn't pleasant, it may not be for somebody else. We know that. I mean, you know, oh, I had a horrible experience and blah blah blah. No, you can't you can't worry about that. You gotta keep going. I tell people all the time there's nine billion people on the planet. Come on, boo. Yes, we'll be all right. We'll we'll find somebody else who who wants what we want and pay for it and all that good stuff. But I'm providing top quality customer service. I'm here for you, whatever. Now, not round the clock because that's tied up for my family and babies and all that. Exactly. But we can schedule an appointment and I'll be there, you know. And so is a great thing. All right, now this has probably wouldn't have been one of the cutest. I've y'all know I've published more than 500. So, you know, I I uh books are my thing. They have been since before I could read. I love books, but this one is probably one of the cutest ones we've done. It's one of one of my favorites, and um I'll shout it through the rooftop and everywhere. But so tell the people about your book and why you wrote it. Tell um, and also, of course, absolutely tell them where they can find it and purchase it, etc. But tell the people about your book.

SPEAKER_03 38:46

So it was the night before Monster Truck Jam was wrote, probably about three years ago, and it was really um, it was kind of an event that I took my grandson, his uncle, and my nephew to. And um, after that night, I looked at all the pictures and and and it just snapped in my head to write it. I wrote it, and um it was just an adventure that uh the the boys and I had, and uh they they had a really good time um at the show, and I decided to write a book about it.

SPEAKER_08 39:18

Oh my gosh. So um three boys in this book, uh the mama, grandmama, auntie taking them to the monster. Now, I didn't have no brothers, so monster truck, WWE, and all that. I don't know nothing about that. Me and my sisters is girly. So, like what? And they mud and dirt and uh what this is probably one of one of my favorites. When I've I have a lot of favorites, but monster truck is towards the night before monster truck is really one of my favorites. And if you have a boy that is a reluctant reader, and they're just like, huh, and and I and I'm no hate on the classics I know we should be exposed to a little bit of everything, but if you have a reluctant reader in your life uh who's like too many words, too many words. There are words in this book, not enough words to overwhelm them.

SPEAKER_03 40:15

That's right.

SPEAKER_08 40:16

It's enough words in here that they get the story, but the images are over the top. I love them. Very huge. So um it is an opportunity for um children, especially boys. Now, there's people in the book, but girls, y'all, y'all got thousands of books. Yeah, the girl book thing is just oh it's running. But uh, we need some books that attract boys that are specifically rough and tumble and do and crash into stuff, and you know, it is really, really uh important and something that I just like. Oh, absolutely, we gotta do this, we gotta do this. So, where can people find it and buy it?

SPEAKER_03 41:00

Um, as of right now, it is on Amazon. You can purchase it on there, uh, softback book. And then I have a heartback book. Also, you can purchase that on um Barnes and Oval. Yep. Hello, Brandon Barnes.

SPEAKER_08 41:19

And if you want a sign copy, be sure and go to Peach Perfection Wax Studio and find and say, I want to purchase a signed copy. Yes, and uh hopefully the all the boys will have put their signature on it and it can be mailed directly to you. Yes, I think that is vastly important too as well. And we'll figure out a way for us to have an event so you can see um um the the stars of the show. Yes, the boys, the boys, yeah, the stars of the show to be able to do that. So I think that is uh incredibly important. Um, teachers, when you're preparing, because by the time this airs, you'll be uh working on uh classroom sets and classroom um getting ready for those kinds of things back to school. It didn't look like they out of school but a minute, and then it's time to go back to school.

SPEAKER_03 42:08

I mean it's getting earlier and earlier the thing.

SPEAKER_08 42:10

It is it is summer, used to be a whole summer, yeah, June, July, and August. Now it's just yeah, June, a little bit of May, and most of July, but the end of July, we go into school supplies is on sale. Most definitely. Absolutely, absolutely. So um, when you're thinking about it, this is this is one you need to add to your list because it does come in hard copy. Uh shout out for those who are interested in and publishing children's books with BK Worse and Publishing. I'm now offering that standard that paperback and hardback come together. There's no sense in doing this now and then we're gonna do that later because it's gonna have a later if it's yes, if it's in demand at all, it just needs to be in paperback and hardback and ebook. So that just comes standard for children's books. Now, the other one that's that's something else, but yeah, children's books absolutely that that should be standard. So for those of you who say the paperback, the keys, they tear them up too quick. Don't worry about it. It's in worry about it. Don't worry about it. We got it in hardback already for you and already ready to go. So be sure and reach out to Miss Uh Tandra and please uh make sure that you purchase a book, one, ten, classroom set, whatever you need, um, so that we can get the boys back reading. We can get the boys back excited about something that they want to read, and then it will spill over to other things. All right. So, as you know, what we're working on. Let's talk about book two. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

Okay, so what's book two about? So, book two is the actually the very first book that I wrote. It's called Greenfangers. And I originally wrote this book when I was like in the fourth or fifth grade, and it was inspired um by my aunt. Um Who used to take us to the flea market all the time. And our teacher had had us write books. Um, and they were gonna be put into a competition, and my book won. And of course, in fourth or fifth grade, it wasn't much detail. Um, so as I grew older, my aunt ended up um getting cancer, and I decided to rewrite it. And of course, with more detail, um and it's just been sitting, just been sitting in my Google account, and and I said, you know what, it's it's it's time to get it published. It is so so that's that's that's what we've been working on.

SPEAKER_08 44:36

So that'll be out soon. So so you know when it's gonna be available, that means you need to follow her on social media. Yes also the video from the um Towards the Night Before Monster Truck. I thought I thought I saw that on Instagram and I shared that. So um be sure and follow Tandra, find her on Instagram, find her on Facebook, and um so that you'll know when book two is out because you're gonna want to get both, okay? So we're working on book two now. You'll be it'll be ready in time for the holidays and all that good stuff, and uh ready to roll out pretty quickly, and then um then you'll have two. So super excited, Tandra writes. We're so um um glad to have you and appreciate all that you do, especially in the boy uh book arena. We gotta more stuff that they like, more stuff that they want to see, and uh inspired by. So it's a wonderful book. Get your copy today, and uh, thank you so much for being my guest until next time. I look forward um to uh green fingers coming out too. Yes, and oh to flea markets, believe you me, we're in the market space all the time. So um, shout out to the flea markets, peddler small, yeah, all the business owners, honey. We in this economy, and no no shame in nobody's games. As long as it's legal, let's do it.

SPEAKER_03 46:05

I know that's right. And I wanted to thank you too, uh, Julia, you and Brian for just you know guiding me and and helping me and just being an inspiration as far as you know, just you know, being in um what's the word I want to use? Um just as I guess a support and just really just helping me, guide me the whole way.

SPEAKER_04 46:27

I appreciate you guys for that.

SPEAKER_08 46:29

No problem at all. That's that's a part of what we're supposed to be doing, and more than anything else, I really in this um stage of my business, I really want authors to be independent. Now I'm here to guide you, I'm I got your hand all the way, but I want people to understand that this is their intellectual property and this is the um um stock, bond, money, cash, yes, uh, investment that they're gonna pass on to the next generation and even beyond. So we're striving at BK Royston Publishing, not only to just get your book done, but to create generational wealth. Yes, ma'am. Create stories that we can pass on to the next generation. So thank you so much for being my guest. I'm Dr. Julia Royston. This has been Live Your Best Life. Praying today, tomorrow, and always that you live your best life. Until next time, bye-bye.

SPEAKER_07 47:25

Each and every day, love and live your way. Your very best, learn and lead today. The best you can, it's your life, take a step a live.

SPEAKER_06 47:45

Live Come on and live your best line with Dr. Julia Royston.

SPEAKER_00 48:01

This is UNN, Urban Network News, with information for and about people of color. Let's take a look at a couple of stories that happened just a few days ago, just in case you missed it. The only black governor in the United States, Maryland Governor Westmore, says he will not shy away from discussing issues affecting black Americans. Republican officials and GOP controlled election boards in North Carolina are moving to reduce early voting on Sunday and keep early voting sites off college campuses. Atlanta City employees recently discarded tents, medication, identification, and other possessions belonging to unhoused people at a public park and did so without any warning. Two Philadelphia black women pleaded guilty to a $3.4 million Minnesota Medicaid fraud scheme. Candace Langley, a former Essence magazine model, and Cynthia Allen, an actress who starred in Netflix Concrete Cowboy, pleaded guilty to the healthcare fraud charges. Trump delivered his primetime address last week, and it was the same old. Well, you know. As the family of 18-year-old Nolan Wells prepares to lay him to rest, his grieving mother says they're now being targeted with hateful mail for demanding answers about his death. Civil rights leaders announced plans for a Washington march on August 28th to defend voting rights, saying recent court decisions have weakened key federal protections against racial discrimination in voting. You've been listening to UNN, Urban Network News, with information for and about people of color, sponsored by a HintOfmoss.com, featuring 100% wildcrafted sea moss in a variety of flavors along with other fine products. That's a hintofmoss.com.