MAGAZINE!
VMH
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Vikki M. Hankins!
al th y
Li fe
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yl e
or W ei gh tL os s
Ivan Kelley
Michael Jackson, Music & Social Media
Dawn Hudson CMO of The NFL
Top Executives Share Advice on
Marketing & Innovation
Zootopia: April 2016
4 Lessons on Diversity
Kxng Solo! Purpose & Creativity
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All progress takes place outside the comfort zone."
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Michael John Bobak
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THE ONLY WAY AROUND IS THROUGH
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Lose Weight or Healthy Lifestyle - Justine SanFilippo Shares Her Experience Justine SanFilippo teaches you how to lose inches off your waistline and keep them off! She offers quick, easy and healthy nutrition, wellness, and fitness tips. Her approach is to make things as simple as possible for her audience and fans to understand.
MAKE IT SIMPLE BUT SIGNIFICANT
By Morgan Amos!
DON DRAPER
14. 12. Word-of-Mouth or The Internet? The Best Practice Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is a good solid source of marketing, but if solely dependent upon word of mouth, will your business stand during our technology advanced, internet based world. By Vikki Hankins
VMHMAGAZINE.COM
Seven Symptoms of Bad Meetings and What You Can Do About Them Good meeting practice says that a specific agenda will almost always reduce the time wasted in a meeting. A poll of 471 management leaders noted that 90 percent of those polled attributed the failure of most meetings to a lack of advanced planning and organization. By Joel D. Levitt
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Should You Place Money in the Plate on Sundays? I used to hear people in the neighborhood talk about how preachers only wanted money to pay for their Cadillac and their homes. During that era I also noticed, when invited to dinner, the preachers normally ate better than the children of the household. They got the biggest part of the chicken & you couldn’t eat unless they ate first.
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By Garry Jones
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Kxng Solo - The Intellectual
In this day and age social media has become a major platform. It is easily accessible and used on a daily basis by people of all ages around the world. When utilized corrected it can be a major boost to your brands growth and overall recognition.
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By Vikki Hankins
Ivan Kelly Talks Career, Music & Michael Jackson
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With a career that spans back to the tender age of seven, Ivan Kelley played a strong role in ‘Joyful Noise’ (starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton), made a guest appearances on various stages including The Ellen Degeneres Show, and continues to lead the way as a recording artist. hear people in the neighborhood talk about how preachers only wanted money to pay for their Cadillac and their homes.
It’s very exciting that our health — and our ability to stay strong and live longer — are not just a matter of our genes. Men can take some simple steps to support your health, your family, and your future. Find out your body mass index, or BMI, to see if you're at risk.
By Vikki Hankins
Men, Live Your Best Life with Several Health Tips & Enjoy Your Family, and Your Future
Penny Baldwin, VP Global Marketing -
Intel
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“It’s Important to celebrate milestones along the way.”
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Publisher! VMH Vikki M. Hankins Editor-in-Chief Vikki M. Hankins Journalist/Contributors Vikki Hankins Garry Jones
Exec’s Insight & Expertise on Innovation & Marketing
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Contributors (Visiting) Morgan Amos Joel D. Levitt Photography Vikki Hankins Garry Jones Alisha Davis Sherman Hankins
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Media Assistant Alisha Davis
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#EconomistEvents !
P. 18 Photo Credit: Vikki Hankins
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V. Hankins Cover Photographer: Garry Jones
www.vmhmagazine.com
"Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them."
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Anonymous
“STYLE IS A WAY TO SAY WHO YOU ARE
WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEAK.” STYLISH MEN + WOMEN
RACHEL ZOE
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Justine SanFilippo “I think that success is measured by setting goals and reaching them, despite the obstacles and roadblocks that may come your way, but with each obstacle is a learning lesson.” - Justine SanFilippo
by Morgan Amos Photo Courtesy of Justine SanFilippo
Justine SanFilippo’s personal struggle with her weight while in college sent her down a path of self-discovery, which ultimately led to her becoming a Certified Health Coach for ten years, personal trainer, nutritionist, and author of the book Lose Your Inches Without Losing Your Mind!:10 Simple Weeks to a Slimmer Waistline and a Healthier You. Through her struggles, Justine was not only able to learn more about herself, but she was able to take what she had learned to help, inspire, and motivate others. Before pursuing a career in health and wellness however, Justine attended the University of Notre Dame to study information systems. “I really sort of fell into wellness as a career; I thought computers would be good to know one day, but it was during my college years that I put on a lot of weight especially my junior year,” she said. Justine said she gained 45 lbs. resulting in her joining the ‘diet rollercoaster’ that several people do where you try several diets and nothing works. “I felt like I was losing my mind,” she shared. Those diets consisted of one summer deciding to eat mostly cereal during the day and doing an hour of cardio afterwards, taking diet supplements, to even attending a juicing retreat with her mother at Martha’s Vineyard one year for her birthday. “I had never really done too many cleanses before and as somebody who loves nutrition, I’m always sort of experimenting with myself as a guinea pig to see
what things work in the long run. So we went there and I was so hungry. For three days, I was lightheaded, nauseous, and could barely function,” she expressed. The amounts of juice they gave you were so miniscule that we just basically felt terrible.” Not all hope was lost though because Justine lost 8 lbs. However, nearing the stint of their stay, guests were allowed to eat something before leaving the retreat. According to Justine, she had a bowl of soup and raw vegetables. She explained that the weight came back and she soon realized that the weight she had lost while at the retreat was simply water weight. Justine learned something valuable through this experience. “I realized that juicing should be used as a kick starter to your healthier lifestyle versus quick weight-loss because the weight doesn’t stay off and you can be really hungry.” She shared that what she tries to teach people with her coaching and the different seminars she does is, sustainable lifestyle changes. “Whatever a person’s goal is, whether it’s to shrink their waistline, gain more energy, or just feel better in general, I try different things. So, for example, juicing is a great way to get the nutrients in the morning before breakfast, but then eat breakfast,” she said. “So it was part of my homework to figure out what are sustainable lifestyle healthy habits that makes sense for a person. Only juicing in the morning and then eating real food during the day seems to be a fit for me.” Continued on pg. 11 15
Expand Your Brand
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VMHMAGAZINE.COM
Cont. from Pg. 9
Justine shared that she’s been able to keep the weight off for ten years, and explained that having gone through what she’s went through, she can relate to her clients and people who are having issues with their weight. “All of my clients can relate to me and why I’ve helped a lot of people is because I’ve been there and done that, and I understand what they have gone through or are currently going through in their lives.” She explained, “My goal as a health coach and nutritionist is to not have people go through what I went through, to keep them feeling sane and to establish healthy habits that can easily fit into their lives that I like to call baby steps and then at the end of the day they’ll feel better about themselves.” When asked what are five things people can do when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle she said to start small. ”Healthy weight-loss is one to two pounds a week. The weight didn’t come on overnight, it’s not going to go off overnight, but what’s great about losing those inches slowly is it will stay off in the long run.” She continued, “Somewhere in there I need to say hide the scale. The introduction of the book is called breaking up with your scale, so maybe breaking up with your scale would be good because again, we want to keep you sane…number four is to incorporate baby steps, baby goals; setting one to three goals that can fit into their life that are really easy.” Justine suggests having an extra glass of water, one less cup of coffee, or eating breakfast. “Number five is to stay focused on the long-term goal. Why are you doing this? Is it to fit into a different size pants or is it because you want more energy for your kids, to be more productive at your job or happier for yourself. When you stay focus on the overall goal of why you want to be healthier that keeps a person motivated,” she explained. Staying motivated and being persistent is exactly what’s helped Justine reach her goals, especially when it came to writing and publishing her book. According to her, it took six years before Lose Your Inches Without Losing Your Mind!:10 Simple Weeks to a Slimmer Waistline and a Healthier You was finally published. “After I completed the first draft, I sent queries and proposals out to numerous publishers and literary agents, only to receive numerous rejections,” she shared. “My lesson there was that the book needed to be edited and reformatted. I needed to make it more of a program that the reader can easily follow.” She reworked her manuscript, hired an editor to help with restructuring the book, and sent the book out again, and was able to obtain an acceptance letter from a publisher. “I was persistent and never gave up because I know that this book can help a lot of people be happy and healthy,” she expressed. The inspiration behind the book derived from not only Justine’s personal experience with weight-loss, but also with the relationship she has built with her clients. “A few years ago, I owned a women’s gym and we would do this challenge every quarter where a person had to work out three times a week for three weeks. So we would measure them at the beginning and the end of three weeks…we would measure weight and inches,” she
explained. “What I saw with that was hundreds of women would do this challenge during the year, and every single person always lost inches and sometimes wouldn’t necessarily lose weight.” Justine soon began to realize that losing inches seemed to have more of an effect on women than necessarily losing weight. “Sometimes they would look at the scale and only be down by a couple pounds, but if they lost ten inches, I would say, how do your pants fit, and they would say, I went down a size or two. I would then tell them to focus on that number on the scale.” And this is what Justine wants people to take away from her book. “They can do it,” she said. “They’re not alone in their struggles and what’s really great about the book is the person only needs to read one chapter per week which is unique. So that alone is not overwhelming, and then when they read the chapter I really act as their personal health coach guiding them to actually select their own baby steps and baby goals to focus on for that week.” “So for example, in week one which is also chapter one, I guide them to take their measurements, they have a few lessons and then they can pick one to three baby goals and then that’s all they focus on for that week,” she explained. For Justine, it’s the little things that have made her career worthwhile. “Just the little things that people tell me, make me happy, and give me gratitude for what I am able to do.” This also includes some advice she received from her father. He said, “Do what you love because then you’ll never work a day in your life.” “So every day, when I wake up, I think, what am I going to do today to continue on my goals because once you reach one goal, you’re always going to want to reach another one,” she expressed. Five years from now, Justine said she’d like to be on the Today Show or be able to build a platform similar to the show The Biggest Loser where she could help a lot of people at one time. She also plans to release one more book, possibly a follow-up to the first one, which could include documenting people’s experience with the first book to adding different sections such as a section on current health issues, and she will also be working on digital products that will be on her site to help people lose their inches if they can’t work with her p e r s o n a l l y. I f yo u would like to purchase Justine’s book visit www.happyhealthypeople.com. Her book is also available on Amazon.com and
BarnesandNoble.com.
Word-of-Mouth or The Internet?
The above is irrefutable, so why the hype about making use of internet marketing? Let’s take a look at a few more facts on the subject from Business 2 Community:
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The average person now spends more time online than with TV and all other media (newspapers, magazines, etc.) combined. (Branding Bricks) 52% of online adults now use two or more social media sites. (Pew Research) 70% of the U.S. population has at least one social networking profile. (Statistica) Of the 7.2 billion people on earth, 3 billion have Internet access; 2.1 billion are active on social media; and 1.7 billion use social networks from a mobile device. (Link Humans)
The Best Practice 2 by Vikki Hankins|
!Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is a good solid
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source of marketing, but if solely dependent upon word of mouth, will your business stand during our technology advanced, internet based world. For a strong number of consumers and businesses, it is difficult to embrace using such things as Facebook, and other internet platforms.
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!With that said, it is critical that entrepreneurs remove the fears associated with the internet. On the other hand, due to it’s credibility word of mouth marketing is still a force to be reckoned with.
ers to implement internet/digital marketing within their marketing plans/budget. There are a host of internet marketing options, so choose those that are best for you and expand your base. The ‘word’ spreads faster via internet than by word of mouth; yes, word of mouth is quite trustworthy, but it also competes with online ratings and comments from other consumers.
!Clearly
their is power in sharing a one-on-one personal experience, but is the internet the strongest marketing force? Below are a few statistics from Insightpool on WOMM to help us answer this question:
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Word of mouth is the prim a r y factor behind 20% to 50% of all purchasing decisions. (McKinsey & Co.) 92% of consumers trust recommendations from other people—even if they don’t know them personally—over promotional content that comes directly from brands. (Nielsen) 77% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from friends or family. (Nielsen)
This is an astronomical amount of people using the internet and social media sites. With this said, it is vital for marketers and business own-
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Here’s my solution, give excellent customer experience and let others talk about it (WOMM), but include internet marketing (social media, websites, online advertising, email marketing, etc.)
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To learn more about internet marketing or if you’re looking for help in this area, visit me at www.vikkihankins.net
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Vikki Hankins is an award-winning book publisher, and owner of a multi-media company. She is a business leader who’s empowered markets, and assisted entrepreneurs in various aspects of book publishing, and marketing. Further, she has successfully mentored college graduates in the field of journalism, marketing, publishing & production. To learn more about Vikki Hankins visit: LinkedIn
!Reference: Business 2 Community
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7 Symptoms of Bad Meetings & What You Can Do About Them By Joel D. Levitt
The door to the meeting room opens and it’s the person who called the meeting, running 10 minutes late because the previous meeting ended late and he had to stop by his office and pick up some notes to remind him of what this meeting was about. The folks already in the room are discussing last night’s game and wondering how long the meeting is going to last. Only one person remembers getting the notes from the last meeting. And he’s the only one that has a copy of the report they’re supposed to discuss.
Does this sound or feel familiar? You’re not alone. One topic that everyone can agree on is this: meetings are often a waste of time and money. Scary meeting statistics abound. Software company Atlassian’s infographic states that U.S. businesses waste $37 billion a year. Some of that meeting time may have been wasted in your organization. What is strange is why this situation isn’t on the top of anyone’s list to get fixed. If we are wasting billions, why don’t corporations make the effort to fix the problem? Perhaps it boils down to a lack of accountability. But this is something that is entirely within our control. Here are some symptoms of bad meetings and what you can do to fix them.
Your meetings ramble on without a clear purpose. if there’s an agenda, no one follows it. Good meeting practice says that a specific agenda will almost always reduce the time wasted in a meeting. A poll of 471 management leaders noted that 90 percent of those polled attributed the failure of most meetings to a lack of advanced planning and organization. So be sure to send out an agenda before the meeting. Review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting and gain agreement to follow it. It’s also important to empower people to point out when the meeting veers off the
agenda. That way everyone can share the responsibility to keep things on track.
People are doing their own thing during the meeting – texting, talking on the phone, responding to email, carrying on unrelated conversations.
One way to avoid this is to establish ground rules that everyone agrees on before the meeting begins. These rules include removing temptation by setting limits on texting, email and phone conversations, and requiring people to listen without interrupting. Even if people have agreed in advance to these rules, they may need to be reminded of the ground rules at the beginning of the meeting or during the meeting itself if the rule-breaking is particularly egregious. Such reminding may be done by fellow members or by the meeting leader if there is one.
People show up who are not prepared. They haven’t read the report, document or spreadsheet that the meeting was about or they have not done the research they promised to do. A well-run organization holds staff members accountable for doing their jobs and keeping their promises. But real life often falls short of how we know we should operate. Holding people accountable should be part of any set of ground rules for meetings. When you distribute the agenda in advance, state clearly the preparation that is expected of each member who will participate. Even when you reiterate expectations, there may still be people who don’t think they are the people who are supposed to be prepared. In a separate setting, the meeting leader or their manager needs to state the obvious:
Meetings are places where people report on their work, share information, etc. When members fail to do what they promised, they are being disrespectful of other people’s time – those who came to the meeting in order to participate and learn what progress had been made. Not only are they being rude to coworkers – they are also creating actual economic waste of organizational resources.
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There is no closure for decision-making. Decisions are discussed but nor decided. There is no agreement to support collective decisions once they are made and people continue to fight them, disavow them or bad-mouth them afterwards.
A good business process gets essential activities done with a minimum of waste. A good meeting process requires decisions or a decision that the topic be continued to the next meeting. Create the expectation that a decision will be made during the meeting and drive for consensus. If a decision still can’t be made, the decision may need to be kicked upstairs or assigned to a sub-group. Then, after everyone has their say and decisions are made, the decision needs to be supported by the entire group, even if some disagree. Otherwise the disagreements move underground and undermine the workings of all. There is one special exception: if the decision is illegal, immoral or dangerous. In such cases, dissent may be healthier for the organization in the long run than cooperating in the short run with bad decisions.
Meetings are dominated by a few talkers (not necessarily the leader) or there are knowledgeable people who never volunteer to speak up. Facilitation can improve both the process and the outcome of meetings. According to an article in the Fall 2006 issue of The Facilitator, using a skilled meeting facilitator increases the productivity of a project by 25%. Of course the magazine may have a bias, but having someone with training in meeting facilitation has the potential to improve most things. If that’s not an option, help the meeting leader develop some basic meeting facilitation skills that will help even out participation.
Meetings start and end late. Some people come late or leave before the end.
Timeliness is a matter of integrity. Here we are using the word “integrity” in the sense of being unimpaired or sound. Consider the integrity of the steel beams in a building. If one or more was missing or askew, wouldn’t the building sag or fall down? Similarly, the integrity of your work group or team is undermined when key people are missing during updates or decision-making times; it doesn’t matter why or how. They will inevitably miss important communications, updates, reframing of the issues under discussion, and waste everyone else’s time when they have to be specially brought up to date. Because they missed the original sequence of events, they may also leave the meeting with an erroneous impression of what was discussed or agreed upon. Set the expectation for timeliness in advance and then start and end the meeting on time. If you respect peoples’ schedules, they will be more likely to respect the integrity of the meeting and its objectives.
People leave meetings tired, frustrated, angry or depressed.
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Your current meeting style might not be healthy for you. If your meetings include donuts, coffee, soft drinks and bagels, they may spike your blood sugar and then cause it to crash. Are your meetings longer than necessary or are they run without breaks? Or perhaps you are holding the wrong type of meeting for the particular time of day. Consider the logistics of the meeting to see if your meetings actually help or hinder the work of the organization.
With more than 30 years of management experience in the maintenance and engineering fields, Joel D. Levitt is a leading trainer of manufacturing, operational and maintenance professionals – having trained more than 15,000 maintenance leaders from 3,000 organizations in 25 countries. Since 1980, Levitt has been the president of Springfield Resources, a management consulting firm servicing clients of all sizes on a wide range of maintenance issues, and is currently the Director of International Projects at Life Cycle Engineering. Mr. Levitt is the author of 10 popular books and over 150 articles on maintenance management, as well a frequent speaker at related industry conferences. 10 Minutes a Week to Great Meetings is available in paperback and ebook from Amazon.com, www.maintenancetraining.com andwww.meetingdefender.com.
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"Only He Who Can See The Invisible Can Do The Impossible"
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Frank Gaines
INNOVATION FORUM MARKETING UNBOUND Photographed & Written by Vikki Hankins!
In Chicago, The Economist Events' Innovation Forum brought together leading thinkers and practitioners from around the world to envision what the company of the future will be like and how today’s companies can achieve the transformation they will need if they are to flourish.
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In New York, The Economist hosted it's third annual marketing conference in the US. Marketing Unbound included stories of success and lessons of failures from chief marketers from the NFL, Casper, Tinder, PayPal, Intel, Moet Hennessy, General Mills and more.
The Economist hosted, Marketing Unbound which addressed the growing concerns for those looking to successfully navigate through today’s marketing process.
!Individuals that attended include those responsible for brand, digital, direct, content and e-commerce marketing. The program was of interest to senior executives in advertising, PR, communications, sales and social media.
!For very new entrepreneurs it’s difficult for them to grasp the important concepts of digital marketing, content marketing, cause marketing, product marketing, video marketing, social media marketing and the list of marketing variations go on and on. So which form of marketing is best.
!During
a panel discussion on ‘Balance Sheets: Planning at the Speed of Innovation’, the panelist said, “Planning is very hard when it comes to digital Audience Questions to Panelist marketing..” however, “Digital marketing is much easier to measure; it enables you to move faster when you have data.”
!When a company is able to measure marketing efforts,
Matt Holton, Senior VP, Digital Delivery - Mastercard
HSN’s Ryan Ross, Executive VP, marketing and digital commerce; Jeff Wright, VP of Customer Engagement at Autodesk and Rishi Dave, CMO of Dun & Bradstreet shared vital tips for marketers on customer engagement. Dave says it’s important to “connect to them (customers) and how they can be more successful.”
!Ross spoke of Home Shopping Network’s (HSN) long time
practices of personalization. “HSN is a 30 year old company that started with connecting with our customers and ‘understanding our customers.” Interacting with customers via email is a continued way of individualizing customer experience, however it’s important not to bombard one’s inbox.
simply put this allows gives green or red lights on redirecting or applying more.
!Geraldine
Calpin, Chief Marketing Officer of Hilton Worldwide, shared details on their innovative ‘Stop Clicking Around’ campaign. Says Calpin, “We’ve unified one campaign…” which has a “record high on return of investment.”
!The
Hilton owns 16 hotels, which requires a pretty large marketing budget for each of the h o t e l s . Instead of “Millennial’s want to be inspired” marketing Brian Fetherstonhaugh the hotels s e p a r a t e l y, they came up with the idea to market all of the hotels in one campaign, ‘Stop Clicking Around’.
How often is that we open emails and we’re flooded with promotion after promotion after promotion. There’s nothing wrong with email marketing, however email overload can become very annoying when you have to wade through unwanted emails. Jeff Wright of Autodesk says their company earns the right to send emails to customers.
company that offers multiple services or own separate companies that tie into one theme, it may be a good idea to market a unified campaign for the company/product.
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!Based on Hilton Worldwide, the implication is if you have a !
Matthew Bishop, Rishi Dave, Jeff Wright, and Ryan Ross
!“We (Autodesk), need to stop sending emails unless we’ve earned the right.” More quotes from the panelist: 1. “Build deep personalized relationships over time.” 2. “Go from mass media and talking ‘at’ people to engagement marketing.” 3. “It’s about business to ‘human.’” 4. “Having a diverse team helps get to the goals.” - Kristy Cook (Facebook - Product Marketing Manager) For more information on The Economist events visit: www.economist.com/events-conferences/americas
Matthew Bishop, Jay Kaplan, Jamil Farschi Panel Discussion on Security ‘Expect hacks…be prepared.’
Innovation Forum Chicago
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This event is designed for C-level and senior executives responsible for information, technology, strategy, and marketing, who are charged with driving innovavtion and new product developmentacross industries and sectors within their business.
Stanley McChrystal - US Army
Rodney Brooks - Rethink Robotics The military uses innovative ways to carry out duties
Irene Rosenfeld Mondelēz International
“Robots provides the elderly independence.”
Innovation in the cookie business includes analytics
Vijay Vaitheeswaran, China Business Editor The Economist
www.vmhmagazine.com
TITHING‌
Photo Credit: @istock
!Tithing
Is it Necessary to Put Money in the Plate? My Personal Growth
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Commentary by Garry Jones
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. -1 Corinthians 13:11 Author/Speaker Garry Jones
!Growing up I was
required to attend Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. This was a must in my grandmother’s home. I attended church but didn’t know the politics of the church. When my brother and I attended we would gather with our friends and have a good time. My brother was the Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday school and I chilled and did my own thing.
!The only thing I got excited about was making sure our
class won the banner of offering and the banner of attendance; I was always a competitor. My grandmother always provided money for us to put in church. When I tried to spend the money before church, the neighborhood owner of the store wouldn’t allow me to buy anything because he knew the money I had, was supposed to be used to put in the offering plate – R.I.P. Mr. Fuller.
!I used to hear people in the neighborhood talk about how
preachers only wanted money to pay for their Cadillac and their homes. During that era I also noticed, when invited to dinner, the preachers normally ate better than the children of the household. They got the biggest part of the chicken and you couldn’t eat unless they ate first. I also heard they slept with all the women in church and some members in the church would dislike each other for one reason or another. These things didn’t come from my grandmother but instead from the people in the community.
!After I joined the church I was given those same envelopes
that people put their money in. When church commenced the ushers would pass the plate around for tithes and offering. I would put my money in the plate while some people put their money in envelopes. I always wondered why people put their money in envelopes – that was the craziest thing to me. I thought I was a thither when I put my little money in church. I didn’t know any better but soon I would come to understand what tithing and offering was all about.
!As I got older I begin to learn more about the church. I
learned tithes and offering were needed to pay the church bills, to make us comfortable in the winter and summer, do outreach ministry in the community, help others in need and
made provisions to keep the church grounds looking good. The money was also used to pay the preachers their salary.
!The scriptures say, “Never tie up the mouth of an ox when it
is treading out the grain; let him eat as he goes along and in another place. Those who work deserve their pay.” I thought about Pastor Aaron L. Parker because when he preached you could feel the anointing on him and he also teaches at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. I paid close attention to Malachi 3rd chapter, verse 10... “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my temple; if you do, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in.”
!Noticed it said God would pour out a blessing not the preacher. My attitude was once I pay my tithes I cared less about what happens to the money because I don’t look for man to bless me I look for God to bless me. Don’t get me wrong when I joined another church I was reluctant to pay tithes. It was shocking to find out my pastor didn’t talk about tithing much and the church only took up one offering. I think this made me comfortable and I was able to enjoy service without wondering whether or not the church was going to take up an offering for the building funds, the pastor anniversary, and etc.
!Keep in mind, tithing doesn’t mean you are going to get a
big paycheck in the mail or someone off the street was going to bless you with a lot of money and some cases that may happen but God will bless you if you are a cheerful thither. If you are reluctant to pay your tithes you may as well keep the money in your pockets because you didn’t tithe willingly; you have to trust God. It took me over 40 years to trust God with my money or his money.
!I do think God gives us common sense with tithing. If we are getting ready to be put out of our house and we have a choice to pay your mortgage or rent or be put out, I think I would pay my rent or mortgage. The fact that you want to tithe and can’t tithe is a blessing within itself. God knows the heart. I know this is contradicting what I just said about trusting God to provide a way but beware of the preachers that only speak on prospering – you don’t see yourself prospering, you only see them prospering.
!The Holiday season is here and money may be short in some households. The children and grandchildren are going to be depending on you to break them off with a little something. The electric bill is normally high during this season. What are you going to do? My suggestion is trust God and pray about your situation because every situation is different.
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To learn more about Garry Jones, his work or to book him for your next event visit: garryljones.com
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Ivan Kelley, Recording Artist Photographs Provided Navic Entertainment
“Social media plays a part in everything now days!! It's a easier way to connect with your fans and get more out to the world. With that being said now days it's almost a must have to be successful.�
Ivan Kelley! Michael Jackson, Music & Social Media Marketing
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Interview Conducted by Vikki Hankins
Ivan Kelley is a multitalented artist, with a voice that comes very close to duplicating a ‘younger version’ of Michael Jackson in The Jackson Five’s song ‘I’ll Be There’. With a career that spans back to the tender age of seven, Ivan Kelley played a strong role in ‘Joyful Noise’ (starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton), made a guest appearances on various stages including The Ellen Degeneres Show, and continues to lead the way as a recording artist. Here’s what he had to say about his very exciting career.
VMH: One of the things I admire is your tenacity and innovation, how is it that you’re able to ‘keep going’ and what advice do you have for emerging talent?
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Ivan Kelley: Well it's really my support system! Without my team, f a m i l y, f r i e n d s , a n d m o s t importantly my fans. They keep me going. When you have a passion for what you're doing and love it. Then it's to do.
!For all up coming talent just stay focused get you a good team and keep your faith. Keep pushing!!
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VMH: You’ve had an incredible career in music and acting, specifically notable is your role in the film ‘Joyful Noise’ starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton and your performances during the Michael Jackson Tribute Tour; why music?
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Ivan Kelley: Music has always been around me from being in church singing and playing the drums to watching my dad preform on the stage and record in the studio. I was born into music and it has now became my life!! And I love it.
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VMH: Social media, in particular YouTube, was instrumental to ‘opening the door’ to your career; what are your thoughts on online video marketing? And should artist and other entrepreneurs use online video marketing to attract and maintain customers/followers?!
!Ivan Kelley: Social media plays a part in everything
now days!! It's a easier way to connect with your fans and get more out to the world. With that being said now days it's almost a must have to be successful.
!
VMH: At what point in your life did you know wanted to become a performing artist? And how were you able to focus on music while attending school?
VMH: What are we to expect from Ivan Kelley in the near future?
Ivan Kelley: I remember my dad having to leave and go to Japan for a while to perform and I just knew it was one of the coolest things ever. But I missed him a lot while he was gone and I told him I wanted to go back with him. I remember him telling me that I had to be able to sing to go back with him and I sang Jackson 5's ‘I'll be There’ in the car on the way to the studio with him. And the next day I was in the studio recording a Valentine's Day song for the ladies in my family.
recording and releasing great material and working with other artist. And continuing to build myself as a person and artist and be known and remembered even more worldwide.
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!With time I started getting busy and balancing school
wasn't that hard but it was a lot of moving involved eventually I transitioned into home schooling but I missed school a lot.
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!Ivan Kelley: In the near future I plan to be on tour. Still !
VMH: Thank you for sharing with VMH, anything you’d like to add?
!Make sure you guys follow me on:
Instagram: @Ivan_kelley Twitter: @Ivankelley Facebook: ivankelleyfans For Booking Info Contact: Terrence Smith smithmuzic2@gmail.com
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BUTT INJECTIONS BLACK MARKET BEAUTY Commentary by Garry Jones
ou are fat, skinny, black, light; you have large lips, a illegally, causing awful side effects even death! Our children large head; your ears are big; your eyes are protruding are growing up hating themselves, simply because it is embedded in their minds that they are not slim enough, light and you have big feet. skinned enough, don’t have wavy hair, blue eyes, small lips, How many times have we called people names growing ears, petite, smart or residing in fine homes and cars ultimately up? Name calling is one of the biggest reasons why feeling as though they are not worthy. Words don’t necessarily people develop inferiority complexes. At any given time have to be used to make a person feel inferior sometimes it’s we can walk outside and hear ugly words being hurled at the other person demeanor and how one is looked at when each other. If we don’t practice positive re-enforcement with they come around. our kids and instilled in them they are beautiful, handsome, and smart, our kids will grow up believing they are ugly and dumb. When I was a Lieutenant (supervisor) I participated in the mentoring program, I was only allowed to have three mentees My biological mother used to tell me I had a large nose like my according to policy but I had a total of ten. Seven of my father; she use to tell me I had a Danny Thomas nose. Later on mentees were unofficial. Most of the Correctional Officers in life I learned Danny Thomas was a comic and actor who wanted Lieutenant Jones to be their mentor. I remember asking bore a large nose, but it wasn’t out of the ordinary. If I didn’t one of my mentees, why she looked and acted so mean? I have positive role models – my aunts, uncle and grandmother – advised her to put a smile on your face and stop being so telling me how handsome I looked I would have a developed a defensive when others say something you don’t like. She terrible complex about my nose. shared with me, when she was growing up her father called her My Godmother never saw a child that was ugly. She called all ugly for many years until her mother separated from him. of them pretty. When I use to come around she would say. There are many children and adults who “Garry you look so handsome, ahh bless your are not comfortable with the way they heart.” R.I.P. Mrs. Letha May Sutton. The point I’m trying to look; at times society plays a big role in make is my mother’s words didn’t get a chance making people feel bad about their to PERMEATE in my head because of the positive re- physical appearance. Somewhere I read that we are made in the image of God; if enforcement I was getting. that is correct God looks like all of us so When a person dislike the way they look they will go as far as why are we changing the way God has having plastic surgery to change a feature on their body that made us. they don’t find appealing. I can recall Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, having plastic surgery; in my opinion he did this because his father teased him about having a big nose. I remember the singer Stephanie Mills had the same surgical procedure performed to her nose. A number of women are having butt implants, breast implants and lips implants to either increase or decrease the size of their body part. Unfortunately, a lot of these alterations are done
WHY?
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In Many Cases, Hardware Store Caulk is Used for Butt Enhancements
Photo Credit | istock
It’s a Matter of Security
! !Feeling protected and safe relieves people of fear and Interview Conducted by Vikki Hankins|
anxiety. How often is it that we read a story where something awful has happened as a result of little to no security; or even worse insufficient security. Saabu Bey, founder of Bey Watch Consultants (a security company), took a moment to discuss his work in security and law enforcement.
!Thank you for speaking with me Mr. Bey. I’d like to ask just a few questions surrounding your career, security and the future of your company.
!VMH:
Based on the information I’ve received your previous career involved enforcing the law or should I say law enforcement; why a career in law enforcement?
!Saabu Bey: Vikki, I chose Law enforcement and Security as
a profession because I’ve always seen myself as a person here to help others. I realized early on when I was a teenager, that I was born to provide safety and security to others. Far too many instances to mention.
!VMH: Fast forward a few years, you’re retired and decide
to start a security company. What made you decide to begin this type of business versus common businesses such as athletic wear or something more mechanical?
!Saabu Bey: My reasons for starting a private security and
investigative company came about after years of working for and running fortune five hundred security companies. After realizing that these corporations weren’t providing security, rather, they were simply staffing positions with people dressed in security uniforms with badges and knowing first hand that the average security guard would not possess the skillsets needed to discharge the duties entrusted to them; It was because of reasons like this, that I’ve decided to start a Security corporation that would hire, train and educate security officers that would be professional in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities. VMH: I’d like to step into national issues involving security; do you have an opinion on how or why such tragedies as Sandy Hook seem to slip passed ‘security’?
!Saabu Bey: First of all, as we all know, the Sandy Hook incident as we have come to understand it; based upon what we have been led to believe was a tragedy that may have been prevented, if there was some sort of security in place. I believe that having some form of security measure in place could’ve prevented or lessened the toll. Prior to the broadcast of the Sandy Hook incident, there weren’t any security plans, strategies or courses of action in place by school administrators to prevent or mitigate an active
shooter. Now they are desperate to find ways to keep their pupils safe. Strategies such as, locked vestibules with buzzers and ways to communicate, emergency preparedness drills, stronger glass with surveillance cameras-are some of the measures being considered today. VMH: I would think in order to start a security company which involve protecting the lives of others, one would have to have some sense of wanting to ‘save’ others from harm? Am I correct in my assumption? Please elaborate.
!Saabu
Bey: Yes, indeed, you are correct in your assumption! Whether it’s Security Officers, Firemen, Law Enforcement, Military, EMS, Doctors and Nurses, we all have a deep seated love and desire to serve and protect.
!VMH: In serious situations, your work involves risking your life. With that said, Bey Watch provides security for whom or what and what does the security entail?
Saabu Bey: On a daily basis, Officers from Bey Watch Consultants, LLC place themselves in harm’s way. From working at Warehouses, factories, industrial plants to Apartment complexes in depressed communities-where there have been people robbed and killed at gunpoint prior to our arrival, Bey Watch has deployed professional, well trained and educated officers to detect and deter criminal activities with positive results. The security measures that we employ are designed to prevent loss, shrinkage, and to safe guard people and their belongings, by implementing crime prevention strategies, risk assessments along with force alternatives tactics to deescalate incidents. Bey watch will partner with a company to develop safety drills and security plans, as well as work closely with local fire and police departments to conduct joint safety drills. We also provide Executive Protection for celebrities and special event details. VMH: One more question. What are your future goals for your company? And tell us how we can learn about your services.
!Saabu Bey: The future
goal of Bey Watch Consultants, LLC is to become one of the greatest providers of security services throughout this country and globally. We can be reached via Web: www.beywatch.com, Phone 678-964-0781 or Fax 678-298-8401 Thank you.
Saabu Bey, Founder of Bey Watch Consultants, LLC
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“The bottom of the cooler is where the cool kids hang. Not those following the rest of the crowd, but the ones just being themselves and waiting for their time.�
The Intellectual !
Kxng Solo Photo Courtesy of Kxng Solo
!VMH: You received a degree in Writing & Linguistics/ Interview Conducted by Vikki Hankins|
Creative with a minor in Music Technology; why music? And how King Solomon aka Kxng Solo. come into play?
completely produced by one of my producers Akeem J. Wells. It’s a special project because it took him out of his comfort zone has far as making beats befitting my style, while also taking me out of mine writing and recording music that involved me singing.
!Kxng Solo: Music has always been a huge part of my !The bottom of the cooler is where the cool kids hang. Not those following the rest of the crowd, but the ones life due to my parents and church background. My father used to DJ and was a decorated musician in college, while my mother has been a dancer her entire life-- ballet, modern, you name it. Thats actually how they met. He was in the band and she was on the dance team. Now she instructs the dance team at my fathers church where Ive played drums since i was 12 years old. I say all that to say, whether I was getting paid to do music or not, I would still do it. Its something Ive always loved and will continue to live. Its in my blood.
!The fact that I even have a degree is all because of my
Dad. He talked me into staying when I wanted to leave. School was always easy for me, but I didn't have a major my first year in college because I didn't quite know what I wanted to do. Around the time my friends talked me into taking rap seriously, one of my college professors told me i was a gifted writer and that I should consider Writing & Linguistics as my major. I took her up on it and never looked back. I added music technology simply because I wanted to learn and understand the programs I would be using to record my music. Sessions go a lot smoother when you can properly communicate to the engineer what you want.
!The King Solomon thing came into play a few years
back. I’ve always been the person that my people come to for advice and insight on certain things. One day i was riding home from church with my Dad and we got on the subject of Solomon and it just stuck. With that, we abbreviated Solomon with the all important dot and took the "i" out of King. There is no "i" in Kxng, because I always want to stress that we are ALL kings and queens. Once we realize the royalty within ourselves and treat each other as such, the world can finally evolve.
just being themselves and waiting for their time. The deeper you go, the cooler things get. "Sometimes you have to reach way down to pull out the best."
!VMH: Social Media Marketing (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc). have these platforms assisted your career? If so, how?
!Kxng Solo: Yes they have. In this day and age social media has become a major platform. It is easily accessible and used on a daily basis by people of all ages around the world. When utilized corrected it can be a major boost to your brands growth and overall recognition. It has been a major help in not only making sure people know about my music but it also helps me see how they feel about it. I can receive feedback almost instantaneously and continue making adjustments. I definitely wouldn’t make this the sole way of doing things, but it has definitely been a major help.
!VMH: Where do you see your music in let’s say five years? !Kxng Solo: In the next five years, I see my music evolving as I grow as a man. I will be a few projects in and have an even better understanding of my fan base. 5 years from now, not only will my music be on a much larger scale, but my label and artist will be as well. All I can say is keep an eye out for Kxng Solo., J. Harvard, DeVin Maze, Hayden Hendrix, Chrys J, and Akeem J. Wells-- R.I.P.A Music Recordings.
!VMH: It appears independent artists are using their
creative skills, coupled with everyday devices to produce music videos, do you feel this is a passing trend or do independents actually have more access?
!VMH: Do you feel music has purpose? Do share. !Kxng Solo: Independent artist definitely have more !Kxng Solo: Yes, but I feel its purpose differs given the access these days. There are so many different platforms to promote yourself and your work on these days its person and situation. For me personally, it is my life. It is what get me through a day. Its what calms me if Im stressed. Its my favorite way to show reverence to God. Whether Im writing music, playing music, recording music, or whatever the case is it just does something for me. I know so many people that say they have songs that have gotten them through certain situations. One of my goals is to have my music do the same for people.
!VMH: You worked on a project entitled, ‘Bottom of the
nothing for a guy to grab a camera and throw some things together. you have people these days that do it all- produce, rap, edit video, change your spark plugs, whatever; but I am a firm believer in the saying "A Jack of all trades is a master of none." It takes 10,000 hours to master something so I plan on getting every minute in. I don’t see this being a passing trend given the growth in technology and just overall knowledge of how things in the industry are changing, but one thing that will never change is the need for quality. Thats something you can get anywhere.
!Kxng Solo: ”Bottom of the Cooler" is my debut project !Tohimlearn more about Knxg Solo and his work follow on Facebook or Instagram. Cooler’; tell me a little about that and what’s really at the‘Bottom of the Cooler’? that we premiered at the end of last year. It was
31 31
Zootopia: 4 Lessons on Diversity Management
!by Sandra Diaz| !
I agreed to chaperone a group of teens to go see Zootopia, expecting a cute Disney cartoon. Instead, I found an action flick full of lessons about living and thriving in a world of diversity. Perfect material for my next cultural fluency presentation! Here are a few of the lessons that I have captured so far:
4. Diversity resists stereotyping. While Disney has
!
Sandra Diaz
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1. Diversity goes both ways. Both the token
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individual and the majority group need to be on guard about the assumptions they make about one another. We have to get to the individual level to accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of each member of a team to maximize everyone’s experiences and contributions.
Diversity Crisis post in the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG) blog.
created a rich movie full of lessons, it was also a film that involved humor based on stereotypes. Humor is tricky because as expressed by one character in the movie, when it is “us” laughing at ourselves it is OK but if “you” laugh at “us” it is not funny.
Considering that it has taken Disney 4 to 7 years to create previous animated films, the timeliness of the topic of this movie is uncanny. May it spark many productive discussions among our family, friends and coworkers on what it means to us in an increasingly multicultural America.
!
About Sandra Diaz: Sandra Diaz, founder of DIAZ & CO., advises corporations on how to increase sales and market share by meeting the unique needs of U.S. Hispanics, African Americans and Asian Americans. Drawing on over 15 years of experience as a marketing executive at L’Oreal Paris, Sears, Sara Lee and Colgate Palmolive plus a Kellogg MBA, Sandra delivers strategic solutions and business training that equip DIAZ & CO. clients to effectively capitalize on multicultural market growth.
2. Diversity takes courage. To embrace people who
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are different than us means giving them a chance to betray our trust. There is always a chance that given certain circumstances, people will behave in the negative ways we expected them to based on stereotypes. It also means we have to build full confidence in ourselves to be our best selves rather than conforming to the failure other people may be expecting from us.
3. Diversity is mission-focused. Both majority and minority stakeholders need to stay focused on their common issues that will deliver mutual benefit. In the case of a business, that is to deliver more growth, innovation and profit. While fear is a powerful motivator to action, it diminishes the pie. We must fight fear with specific facts rather than generalizations supported by a few incidents. For more about this read my 3 Ideas to Address the
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32
3rd Annual Women 2 Women Conference!
!
Inspired by Dr. Maya Angelou, the Women 2 Women Conference Highlights Intergenerational Women Sharing Real Life Lessons!
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Photography by Garry Jones & Alisha Davis! Press Release (partial): Perfect Pitch Media
Sharon Blain - World Famous Hairdresser
Hundreds of dynamic, diverse, influential women from across the country gathered at the Omni Hotel Saturday for the 3rd Annual Women 2 Wo m e n C o n f e r e n c e , sponsored by Young Eventions Group.
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“This is a different kind of conference. I strategically put diverse women of various age groups together to learn from each other’s trials, tribulations, and successes,” says Sonjia Young, founder of Young Eventions Group, Inc. “My mentor, Dr. Maya Angelou, encouraged me to launch Women 2 Women to pass on our blessings, knowledge and resources from generation to generation.”
Eudoxie Bridges (middle), Sonjia Young (right)
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Eudoxie Bridges, founder of Unspoken Angels Foundation and wife of actor, entertainer Ludacris moved the crowd with her personal story of abuse and survival in West Africa. “We have to create a sister code, just like the men have a code,” says the Gambon native. “Women have to be able to support one another so we can grow and blossom, and this conference does that.”
Jocelyn Dorsey
Aisha Davis Gives Pointers on Branding
!
Microsoft Provides Tools For the Kids
Atlanta’s First Lady Sarah-Elizabeth Reed recognized the two amazing women awarded the Dr. Maya Angelou P h e n o m e n a l Wo m a n Microsoft Technology Exercise for Kids Award. Bishop Dr. Barbara King, founder of Hillside Chapel and Truth Center; and Dr. Camille Davis-Williams, founder of Greater Atlanta Women’s Healthcare were both recognized for their outstanding commitment to women and to the city of Atlanta. “I have a special place in my heart for Sonjia, Dr. King and Dr. Davis-Williams,” says First Lady Reed. “In fact, Dr. Williams delivered our daughter so my husband Kasim and I hold her close in our hearts.” More information available at www.women2womenconference.com). 24
Health Ma ers
Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Men Tips for Men & A Healthy Life It’s very exciting that our health — and our ability to stay strong and live longer — are not just a matter of our genes or our luck. Here are two things you can do to take charge of your health. You can take a quiz to see how much you know about men’s health, and you can also take some simple steps to support your health, your family, and your future. Eat healthy. Nutritious foods give you energy and may lower your risk of certain diseases. Focus on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fatfree milk products. Learn nutrition basics and how to read a food label. Stay at a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Find out your body mass index, or BMI, to see if you're at risk. Eat healthy foods, control portion sizes, and be active to keep your weight in check. Get moving. Regular exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Find out how much physical activity you need. Be smoke-free. Smoking is linked to many of the leading causes of death, including cancer, lung disease, and stroke. If you smoke, quit today! Also, avoid secondhand smoke. Get routine exams and screenings. Ask your doctor how often you need to be examined. Ask about screening tests for certain diseases and conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, and certain types of cancer. Take any medications you need. Thousands of deaths could be prevented each year by taking medications properly. Make sure to follow your doctor's instructions for all medications, including those that help control conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. Learn about medication safety. Avoid heavy drinking. Heavy drinking can lead to many problems, including high blood pressure, various cancers, psychological problems, and accidents. For men 65 and younger, drinking in moderation means no more than two drinks per day. Men older than 65 should have no more than one drink a day. Find out about drink serving sizes. Manage stress. Balancing work and family obligations can be challenging. But it's important to protect your mental and physical health. Find healthy ways to cope with stress. Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can affect your mood and your health. Try certain changes that can improve your sleep. See your doctor if you think you have a serious problem. Sleep apnea, a common problem in which your breathing stops briefly, can increase the risk of accidents and certain health problems. Know your risks. Learn how your lifestyle affects your risk of health problems. For example, people who work with certain chemicals need to take protective steps. You also should keep track of your family medical history and share it with your doctor. Stay safe. Safety means many things, like wearing seatbelts and helmets, having working smoke detectors, and following safety rules at work. It also means washing your hands, taking care of your teeth, and wearing sunscreen. Take steps to protect yourself and others. Reference: Women’s Health.gov
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