Life in the Overflow - Spring 2021 by Shanica Bell, Editor

LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

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LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER

BellHouse Publishers Limited EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Shanica L. Bell P/R & ADVERTISING SALES

Treva R. Gordon P/R & ADVERTISING SALES

Latorie Smith

ART DIRECTOR

Bella Creative Consulting

STAFFWRITERS

Shanica . Bell D’Andrea Bolden Kacie Long Treva R. Gordon Life in the Overflow Magazine is published quarterly by BellHouse Publishers, LLC. The models photographed or used in this publication are for illustrative purposes only. Life in the Overflow Magazine does not suggest that the models actually engage in the conduct discussed in the articles or stories they illustrate. MAIN OFFICE M E M PH IS , T N 38118 PHONE NUMBER 8 47- 497- 0 035 WEBSITE

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CONTENTS

BE inthe flow! 14 FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS YOU

SHOULD BE FOLLOWING A few female entrepreneurs that you should know

20 STRANGE WOMAN

COVER FEATURE

An excerpt from the forthcoming, “Woman”, gives insight on Proverbs 31 and King Lemuel’s mothers teaching.

06 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Be sure to read our letter from our Editor, Shanica LaShay Bell

10 35 TOP PODCASTS FOR WOMEN Check out what companies are on the list for the top podcasts for women

12 COVER FEATURE: ANDRA DAY Vindicating her legacy through the Billie Holiday film

24 MY LOVE, HATE RELATIONSHIP

WITH SOCIAL MEDIA How an introverted entrepreneur feels about social media and tips on how to make it work for you as an introverted business owner.

24 LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK BE inthe flow!

Dear Reader, I watched the Billie Holiday story and was impressed by the tenacity, resilience, and audacity of such a phenomenal woman. Though it was a difficult time for any African-American to live in, as a woman she refused to be oppressed and was strong in her determination to not have her voice suppressed. A time when women were to be seen and not heard and when her worth mattered not, Billie Holiday stood against all odds, unlawful imprisonment and more. Until the day she died, even in the presence of her enemies she remained strong in her convictions. She was one of many that held her reigns to blaze a path for other women like you and me. Many of us would not be here had it not been for the trials and tribulations of our ancestors. In this issue, we celebrate women bringing recognition to a few. If you are reading this issue, I would like to encourage you to continue to stand for what you believe in and never waver in your stance. Continue to evolve and be the best version of yourself that you can be. Keep producing and reproducing your greatness!

Shanica L. Bell

Life in the Overflow Magazine, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief E D I TO R l i f e i nt h e ove r f l ow@ g m a i l.c o m

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LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

VISIONARY MARKETING & ADVERTISING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

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get in the flow!

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CELEBRATE WOMEN’S HISTORY

LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

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LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words: Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. -Proverbs 2:16 -19

The Strange Woman Excerpt from “Woman” by Shanica Bell

King Lemuel’s mother first warned him about this type of woman before she went on to tell him the type of woman that he should look for in a wife. There is a certain type of woman that destroys kings. She will bring men, not just ordinary men, but those that rule over many by way of leadership down to nothing. Her way is the way that destroys kings. Her ways makes men of power and those that are in leadership forget the law and fall into perversion (Proverbs 31:3, 5). There is nothing but evil in her wake and her kisses are manipulative and empty. She only cares for herself and anyone that gets in her way will have to pay a huge price. This is the Strange Woman. Let’s read what the Bible has to say about the Strange Woman. Once intertwined with the strange woman, it is very difficult for a man to end this relationship. It is often fueled by lust and perversion and a soul tie web spun by the Black Widow herself. You will have to be delivered from the strange woman. She’s a smooth talker and she flatters you with her words. She will sweet talk you and shower you with gifts and compliment you, tell you how good you look; luring you with her flattering words while deceit is in her heart. The Strange Woman is estranged from God. The word Estranged is defined as removed from association or fellowship, mutual enmity or indifference. She would most likely be unfriendly, unsympathetic and not going to church anymore, because she is back in the world spending more time in the club than in her Word. Her faith with works is at the morgue and she is not concerned with God anymore. She is estranged and most likely in a reprobate state. Once you have given your strength to the Strange Woman, you are at the point of no return. Her ways are those of death! Remember this is a woman that brings down kings. I have seen it happen in secular settings as well as in the church. You follow her and get on her path, you are not coming back from that. She is also referred to as an evil woman in the Proverbs. The strange woman is also likened to as a narrow pit. 20

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“For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.” -Proverbs 23:27 It would be very difficult to get out of a narrow pit that you’ve fallen one way in. It is not going to be so easy to get out of a narrow pit. Somebody is going to have to dig or pull you out. Remember you have to be delivered from the strange woman. You will definitely need to be rescued from this type of woman. Samson gave all his strength to a strange woman. Samson loved her dearly, but she was ultimately his downfall. The Hebrew meaning of the name Delilah means, she who weakens. My God! Samson was anointed by God in strength and power. He could not be defeated because his strength was in his hair. Delilah was approached by Philistines and was convinced with money to uncover her man’s secret to his strength. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. After questioning him a few times and getting only lies from Samson, he grew vexed by her daily interrogation. What I did not understand is that every time he told her a lie, she tried to succeed by going through with it. He was awakened out of his sleep a few times bound by rope and other things because of a lie he told her. So, I did not understand why he finally told her the truth, knowing that there was a chance that he would be awakened without his locs or his strength. While Samson slept (Judges 16:19) Delilah allowed the Philistines to shave his hair off.

“And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.” - Judges 16:19 King Lemuel’s mother warned him of a strange woman that could destroy kings. If only Samson could have held on to his warning that was given to him about his hair he would not have gone through the narrow pit experience. Samson’s eyes were gauged out by the Philistines and he became their prisoner. Some may say it is a story of redemption because his hair grew back and with his last mustered up strength, in a plot to avenge his fall, he collapsed the pillars of the house of the head of the Philistines bringing the roof crashing down on them all, killing himself. Samson was never rescued or delivered of the strange woman and lost his life because of he didn’t guard his strength. There is a strength that every man possesses, but once he loses it to a strange woman it leads to his demise. Men of God, your strength is the anointing of God on your life. Many women will be drawn to it and not even realize that is where their attraction dwells. Remember the anointing draws, but it doesn’t always draw the good people to us. Most of the time, the anointing draws out spiritual leeches, time thieves and those who come to distract you from your purpose. You definitely have to be diligent in guarding your heart and circumspect with anyone that comes into your life. You want to be sure that your strength, power, and anointing are not being compromised by the Spirit of Delilah. LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

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LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

by S. L. Bell

I started my business in 1999 when there was still AOL dial-up for internet service. Social media was not a thing and cell phones with cameras and awesome pixels were unknown of! I know I am not the only one. We have come a long way in business and technology in the past 30 years; the world has made tremendous strides. Now that we are decades into it, it has been sort of difficult to navigate my business to keep up with what’s trending. The world of communications has become digital. I do not know if it’s me being an introvert that contributes to my love/hate relationship with social media but keeping up with it hasn’t been one of my strong points. I am not dolled up all the time to capture these moments where I am ‘marketable’ and I spend a lot of my free time at home, not thinking about being out and about to catch the next photo opportunity to post on Instagram or Face Book. I am rarely on social media and do not desire to share my life with the world. I love my privacy, free time and minding my business. How does that play into my business? How does that play into a time where we as entrepreneurs are supposed to be connecting on a personal level with followers? Does it hurt my business to not be visible and transparent online? While it is important to show authenticity of who you are, I believe there should also be a balance. With the world going under quarantine in 2020, social media became a necessity for the world. Businesses, schools and other institutions now had to navigate curriculum, work and information online! Whether via video streaming, live videos or zoom meetings social media was needed! Without it we would be lost during this unprecedented time. While I sometimes hate social media and go weeks without posting anything concerning my business, on the flip side of the coin, it has been a great way to connect with other business owners and glean from them as well. Here are a few ways to stay connected and consistent without having to engage online every day. If you’re like me, and rarely want to be seen – pick a day where you’re feeling extra cute and block out some time to record all of your content for the month. Make a production day each month and put it on your calendar. You can even change your outfits or simply wear your brand’s t-shirt for each video. 24

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Start a podcast where you can connect often without having to be seen. You can re-use this content on other platforms. It is also important to find the social media platform that works for you. Every social media platform has a culture, and you should know what culture you want to market to before you go into it. For example, Face Book is more connecting with friends and family. Its algorithms connect you with family and people you may have grown up with, and even those that live in the same city or area as you. This platform may not be so good if you are trying to connect with people outside of your immediate surroundings. Instagram on the other gives you some of those same connections and more. With Instagram you have an opportunity to connect with celebrities, influencers, and brand ambassadors on a personal level. Your target market opportunities also increase with the use of hashtags on your posts. Schedule your posts ahead of time. Facebook has an easy-to-use scheduling tool for business pages. Hootsuite is also a great platform the post to multiple social media platforms simultaneously. Take a day out of the month to schedule posts. These will post on the set date and time you choose automatically. Now you can go about your day, while you are still engaging with your target audience. This also gives you time to take a break from social media, which can take a toll on you mentally. Please train yourself to disengage often. Maintain your balance with work and life - so that you can continue to be in a healthy space to show up for your business. You can also hire a social media specialist to handle your social media for you. This person can handle all of your social media posts and engage with your audience so that you can focus on other aspects of your business. This can get costly, so you may desire to train someone within your organization to do it for you. LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

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LIFE IN THE OVERFLOW MAGAZINE

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Life in the Overflow - Spring 2021

Articles inside

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR