This past summer, we brought together some of the best experts for our first of a series of 3 digital events to discuss some survival techniques for women who are stuck in a COVID crisis. Our experts addressed how to cope mentally, how to pivot professionally, and how to keep your business afloat.

Thanks to Allegheny Health Network and Highmark for their Sponsorship
Our Panelists included:
1. Sharise Nance, LCSW, Founder, Speaker, Therapist, Award-Winning Author
COVID: Mental Crisis in Color (Mental Health)
2. Dr. Renee Galloway, Author: Done: Prioritize, Plan & Perform to Accomplish Your Goals
Get it Done: Get Out of Stuck While in Quarantine (General Lifestyle)
3. Dr. Anita Edwards – Medical Director, Gateway Health Plan
Self-care Survival: What You Need to Know (General Health)
4. Dr. Elizabeth A. Carter – Director, Market Segment Finance, Highmark, Inc
Planning Your Professional Pivot (Career advice)
5. Ola Jackson, Founder – OWN: Onyx Woman Network
Business on the Rebound; Now What? (Entrepreneurship)
Our second rebound digital event will focus on women over 40. Our panelists have already talked about how the adverse impact on older women will be greater in so many ways. The upcoming event will dive more deeply into the state of midlife women during this pandemic and how you can thrive in spite of the setbacks in your health, your finances, your personal life, and overall self-care.
On Tuesday, November 24, 2020 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm. we will hold the COVID CRISIS: Midlife Women Surviving and Thriving webinar.

Our panelists will be discussing how to reinvent yourself during the COVID. Managing money in a crisis, self-care recovery, and the state of mental health in middle-aged women, your career after the COVID. For more details and to receive a link for the event, send us your email at events@onyxwoman.com
Dr. Renee’ Galloway and Sharise Nance left us with some knowledge nuggets in the form of her CHANGE model
I’d like to share the first three letters of my C.H.A.N.G.E. Model since each one can actually stand on their own.
- Creativity – tap into your creative side; we may not be fully aware of what’s inside of us
- Habits – now is a good time to examine our habits both the ones working for us and the ones that aren’t.
- Attitude – Conducting a frequent attitude check is essential for healthy living.
Website: Https://www.sweetinspirationsllc.com
Email: Renee@sweetinspirationsllc.com
Sharise Nance’s Mental Wellness Tips
1. Give yourself some grace
Give yourself the same kindness you so freely give to everyone and everything else. Give care to your experiences. Acknowledge that you are surviving, thriving, and healing through a global pandemic. Engage in regular self-compassion talk such as “This is hard.” “I am doing the best I can with what I have in this moment.” Ask yourself, “May I honor myself?” “May I give thanks to this mind, body, and spirit?” “What is good enough for me?”
2. Complete the stress cycle daily: Each day, we encounter numerous external stressors (work, traffic, media, traffic, injustices, and now COVID-19 related stressors) many of which are out of our control. Each day, we must find time to complete this stress cycle through some type of physical activity to move the pile-up of stressors through our body to help us remain centered. The physical activity can include walking, running, stretching, high-intensity exercise, stretching, screaming in a pillow, crying. Get creative and have some fun with this physical activity.
3. Non-negotiable Self-Care: If you don’t have time for self-care, that means it is time to make time for self-care. We do not have to place a time restraint on self-care. The goal is for us to find time to select a self-care practice that can contribute to us thriving in a life we do not feel the need to escape. This may include taking 5 minutes to step outside for fresh air, deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, change in sleep routine, not skipping meals.
Take action: Click here to download a free non-negotiable self-care checklist for non-negotiable self-care ideas. Commit to one non-negotiable self-care activity for one week and notice physical, emotional, and spiritual changes.
Sharise Nance, LCSW, CCTP
Founder/Owner Vitamin C Healing, LLC
