Speaker 1: Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
Speaker 1: My Heart Radio and The Black Effect. Hey, y'all, it's
Speaker 1: Michelle Williams. I'm so excited about this episode of Checking
Speaker 1: In with Michelle Williams. I get to talk to my sister,
Speaker 1: my best friend, Dr Amira Ogn y'all might even get
Speaker 1: it inside look of Tanitra Michelle Williams. So, y'all keep
Speaker 1: it locked. We've got so much to talk about right
Speaker 1: here on Checking In with Michelle Williams. Now, I know
Speaker 1: when you have your sister, family, your best friend sitting
Speaker 1: with you, listen, the conversation can go in many directions.
Speaker 1: So I'm just gonna tell y'all to stick with us.
Speaker 1: But because she's a safe person and I know she
Speaker 1: loves me, I might let her say a thing or
Speaker 1: two about what she thinks about me. Y'all. She has
Speaker 1: been with me through thick and thin. I met a
Speaker 1: Mirra in I think twenty thirteen, and she is such
Speaker 1: a delight. I'm so excited to have Dr amirau with me.
Speaker 1: Leaning Um, We're gonna have fun. So stay with us
Speaker 1: for this episode of Checking In with Michelle Williams. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: thanks again for tuning into another episode of Checking In
Speaker 1: with Michelle Williams. This is another family and friends episode.
Speaker 1: Not saying that the past guest I'm not cool with,
Speaker 1: because we we are definitely cool. But there are some
Speaker 1: folks that are actually in my inner tribe. There are
Speaker 1: five people probably that I can count on, you know,
Speaker 1: my one hand, and doctor Amira Ogul is one of them.
Speaker 1: She is an amazing friend. But we have to give
Speaker 1: her her flowers as far as what God has blessed
Speaker 1: her to do. She is a dentist of a thriving
Speaker 1: dental practice in Miami called Beautiful Smiles, and we'll get
Speaker 1: into more of that. Amazing wife, mother, friend, philanthropist, um,
Speaker 1: she's a mentor as well. But y'all please welcome. I
Speaker 1: call her my best friend now I do look on
Speaker 1: social media and everybody there's a lot of other people
Speaker 1: that call her best friend to But she does have
Speaker 1: an amazing way, an amazing unique way of giving you
Speaker 1: your time. She's able to, like I said, make you
Speaker 1: feel like you are the only friend. Please welcome to
Speaker 1: my podcast on this amazing episode, Dr amiragl A welcome. Sis.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1: I am so happy to be sitting here with you,
Speaker 1: and I'm just everything you're doing. You know, I tell
Speaker 1: you all the time, but man, it's just so amazing
Speaker 1: to really see it emotion just how impactful you are
Speaker 1: and all the lives that you're touching that you probably
Speaker 1: don't even know just because of who you are. So man,
Speaker 1: thank you for for having me today. Listen. Now, I'm
Speaker 1: not gonna be water works already, but I also watch
Speaker 1: the amazing things that you are doing. I'm watching you grow,
Speaker 1: I'm watching your dreams literally come true, even if it's
Speaker 1: the certain meetings you're having. You're starting to do more
Speaker 1: speaking engagements. The world is about to see all that
Speaker 1: there is of you. You're just not only a dentist,
Speaker 1: but you are one who inspired your one who in courage.
Speaker 1: Is y'all our friendship. Listen. She's one of the ones
Speaker 1: that sees the real me. She's one of the ones
Speaker 1: that can reel me in and be like, sis you tripping?
Speaker 1: He gonna call you back, don't leave yet. We're gonna
Speaker 1: get into that later, but I will say this, in
Speaker 1: some of my personal lowest moments, she has been there
Speaker 1: without judgment. She is someone who I respect. I respect
Speaker 1: her perspectives. I watched to see what God is doing
Speaker 1: for you, and it's beautiful. Amen says Amen. Man, I
Speaker 1: love you to the moon and back. You already know
Speaker 1: that I'm a ride for you till forever and um
Speaker 1: having your support. Um. And I always say that's why
Speaker 1: the people you you have around you, the energy you
Speaker 1: keep around you is so important because people can either
Speaker 1: lift you up and make you feel like you can
Speaker 1: do anything, or you could have that energy around you
Speaker 1: that that literally just sucks everything I and so you know,
Speaker 1: everything that that I'm being able to do recently and
Speaker 1: and everything that's happening is a testament to to the
Speaker 1: tribe that I have around me and that energy, including you,
Speaker 1: because you know you and if those of you who
Speaker 1: know her, I mean what you see of her, she
Speaker 1: is so authentic. That's one thing I gotta say about you.
Speaker 1: You are so authentic. It's it's not fake what you see,
Speaker 1: even once you put out on social media. This is
Speaker 1: really her, y'all. And so when I tell you, if
Speaker 1: I call you with my good news, I see the
Speaker 1: little dance, yeah, you know, for me, like a literally
Speaker 1: a whole dance and screaming on the phone for it
Speaker 1: for some excitement, and it's just it's a blessing. It's
Speaker 1: a blessing to have to have people like that, you
Speaker 1: know around you. Yeah, because you know what, you'll really
Speaker 1: see who your friends are in two matters when stuff
Speaker 1: is going good you and stuff is going bad. Come on, now,
Speaker 1: I know we always talk about you'll see who your
Speaker 1: friends are when stuff is going bad. They'll just start
Speaker 1: kind of dropping off the face of the earth. But
Speaker 1: you know, there's the saying that says, watch who doesn't
Speaker 1: clap when you're winning? You were so connected. I literally
Speaker 1: was waiting to say, that's waiting to say, look around
Speaker 1: at the people who do not clap when you are
Speaker 1: achieving your high moments. And I noticed that within the
Speaker 1: last year, and it was interesting. It was interesting to
Speaker 1: see because it's just a way that I don't understand,
Speaker 1: you know, because when my friends, I want to see
Speaker 1: you get that new job. I want to see I'm
Speaker 1: so happy. Oh my god, you got engaged. Oh you're
Speaker 1: having another child. Oh you got this promotion. You know,
Speaker 1: your your skin is cleared up, you looking fabulous, like
Speaker 1: you got your come on, whatever it is, It's like
Speaker 1: I've always been that friend and so um to not
Speaker 1: see that from you know, reciprocated, it tells you so much,
Speaker 1: they say, when when when someone says so little, it
Speaker 1: actually says so much. So yeah, it's it's true. It's
Speaker 1: the it's it's the good times and the add that
Speaker 1: people have to really pay attention to those people around you.
Speaker 1: That's so good. Y'all are really getting a glimpse into
Speaker 1: just our phone conversations are daily conversations. When we talked
Speaker 1: about you coming on my podcast, there were so many
Speaker 1: nuggets even on that conversation that I was like, wait, wait, wait,
Speaker 1: I want people to hear. I want people to hear.
Speaker 1: But guess what, We're gonna recreate it. But I want
Speaker 1: to give people a background of, um, who you are.
Speaker 1: You were born in Egypt? Can you tell us exactly
Speaker 1: where in Egypt? Yes, I was born in Alexandria, and y'all,
Speaker 1: I was born in a house, not a hospital, like
Speaker 1: a house on a bed. Wait a minute, wait wait
Speaker 1: wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait.
Speaker 1: My mama was born in the house and she's sixty nine.
Speaker 1: You are in your thirties. What that tells you everything
Speaker 1: you need? To know about the humble beginnings that I
Speaker 1: started at. I was born in a house in a
Speaker 1: third world country on a bed right, and we immigrated
Speaker 1: to this country. You know, when I was a few
Speaker 1: years old. My father traveled a single parent with his
Speaker 1: three kids, for a better life, you know, for the
Speaker 1: American dream. No wonder why you have little space for excuses? Girl,
Speaker 1: Come on, just those two sentences. You were born in
Speaker 1: the house and you're an immigrant. Two things, well one't
Speaker 1: for sure. Being an immigrant, we know for a fact,
Speaker 1: could eliminate your chances. It's a possibility, I should say.
Speaker 1: I think that when people who have have really come
Speaker 1: from uh so little. And my father, even though we
Speaker 1: came here young, my father never let us forget where
Speaker 1: we came from. And he never let us forget what
Speaker 1: it's like to have little, you know. Um And I
Speaker 1: don't want to use the word poor on purpose, because
Speaker 1: you know, sometimes you might have little in finances or
Speaker 1: the world called a poor. But we were rich in
Speaker 1: spirit and and that is big. And my father, man,
Speaker 1: I credit him so much. She was so strict, but
Speaker 1: he really really placed in us uh ignited a flame
Speaker 1: of hard work, you know, work ethic, you know, believing
Speaker 1: in yourself confidence, just pushing you know, excellence, excellence, excellence,
Speaker 1: no room for excuses. And so therefore, everything that I
Speaker 1: was able to to achieve, thank God God first, is
Speaker 1: because of those circumstances that later on shaped me. So
Speaker 1: Born in Alexandria, Egypt, once again on a bed. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I can't even fathom. My sister and best friend, she
Speaker 1: was born on a bed at no shade. I'm just
Speaker 1: like yo. And to see where you are, so you
Speaker 1: go from that. Your father brings you here, He instilled
Speaker 1: all of these amazing values in you. Then you chose
Speaker 1: to go to an HBCU. Out of all the universities
Speaker 1: that I know, you got accepted into. You are an
Speaker 1: HBCU grant from Howard University. Give us the t on
Speaker 1: that listen. Going to an HBCU was one of the
Speaker 1: best decisions I could have made. Where could you have gone?
Speaker 1: What was another choice? Anywhere? I could have gone anywhere? Honestly,
Speaker 1: my father was so strict in school. So I I
Speaker 1: graduated like a three point nine something g P A
Speaker 1: high test scores. You know, I was a young black woman.
Speaker 1: I was a captain of the cheerleading squad. You know,
Speaker 1: I did all the extracurricular stuff, so I could have
Speaker 1: went anywhere. You know, UM and UH. To be honest,
Speaker 1: I almost went to the University of Florida in Gainesville,
Speaker 1: and UM they had a seven year program, which meant
Speaker 1: I could I could finish my my bachelor's degree in
Speaker 1: three years and go on to dental school, which is
Speaker 1: four years. Last minute, my father found out that Howard
Speaker 1: University had a six year program, and at the time,
Speaker 1: it was the only place that it was offering a
Speaker 1: six year program, which meant I could be a doctor
Speaker 1: in six years instead of eight. I just want to
Speaker 1: focus something on that for just a second, because there's
Speaker 1: the stigma that comes with HBCUs, right, which is like
Speaker 1: less than or subpar. And it's interesting to me because
Speaker 1: that was the only place that allowed me to excel
Speaker 1: at that level. It wasn't it wasn't an n y U,
Speaker 1: it wasn't a Harvard, it wasn't. It was Howard who
Speaker 1: offered this program for accelerated students. So it was it
Speaker 1: was a no brainer. And and the crazy part is
Speaker 1: when I chose it, it wasn't even because of the
Speaker 1: rich history, because I didn't know about it. I was young, right.
Speaker 1: It was they offered this great program, I'm going to
Speaker 1: be in d C, something new. But then when I
Speaker 1: went to Howard, the way you value being black. The
Speaker 1: world makes black so often feel almost an insecurity right,
Speaker 1: like we're not good enough because we're we're black, or
Speaker 1: or you know, you're constantly having to perform to prove yourself.
Speaker 1: Howard made you feel so proud to be black. You
Speaker 1: walked from Howard made you feel like you could do anything,
Speaker 1: including being the first woman vice president of the United States.
Speaker 1: Who went to Howard, who went to Howard. So um,
Speaker 1: so yeah, there is so rich with history and it's
Speaker 1: one of the best decisions I could have made, and
Speaker 1: I'm so I'm so proud to be from Howard. They
Speaker 1: joked that how are people were already arrogant, and they're like,
Speaker 1: now that Kamala is the vice president, you're not gonna
Speaker 1: be able to tell someone from Howard anything, show nothing, nothing. Now.
Speaker 1: In your studies at Howard, you were the youngest to
Speaker 1: get a the youngest to get a Doctor of Dental
Speaker 1: Surgery degree at the time. I was UM twenty three,
Speaker 1: which those initials that if I'm correct, E d S
Speaker 1: correct come on a doctorate of dental surgery. Correct, amazing,
Speaker 1: So say that again the youngest, Come on, come on
Speaker 1: to your own horn. It's okay tout to the youngest.
Speaker 1: Uh graduate with a doctor of dental surgery degree from
Speaker 1: Howard University. When I graduated, I was three. Y'all. Listen.
Speaker 1: Let me tell you what focus can do. Determination, and
Speaker 1: I want to say, gratitude. You're always so grateful for everything.
Speaker 1: You're even grateful for the tears you shed. Yes, you're
Speaker 1: grateful for the for the joy of your children and
Speaker 1: your husband. You're grateful um that they bring. You're grateful
Speaker 1: for um life. You're grateful for your career and passion.
Speaker 1: And I also want to note that since graduating with
Speaker 1: a doctorate and dental surgery. So we'll move forward into
Speaker 1: you running a successful, thriving dental practice with your sister,
Speaker 1: Dr Ronya Baker. Yes, we I graduated. My sister is
Speaker 1: also a dentist and she had a practice already that
Speaker 1: I joined when I graduated. And you know, as as
Speaker 1: as many people say, you know, when you truly love
Speaker 1: what you do, when you really love it, you have
Speaker 1: a passion for it. You don't get up every day
Speaker 1: and you don't. You don't go to work, you don't
Speaker 1: call the work. You get up every day and you
Speaker 1: go to change someone's life, right, You go to impact someone,
Speaker 1: You go to to do what what God has has
Speaker 1: placed in your heart. Right, Because we all have a purpose,
Speaker 1: we all have some type of purpose, whatever it be,
Speaker 1: and and I'm thankful for that. We've been able to
Speaker 1: build a great, great, great practice. I'm so grateful for
Speaker 1: the clientele that we have, the people that trust us,
Speaker 1: and um just to be able to be in the
Speaker 1: position we are in a a male, a white male
Speaker 1: dominated field. You know, people don't know of all dentists,
Speaker 1: only six percent are black. Now is that the lowest
Speaker 1: in any field medically or just so in dentistry it's
Speaker 1: six percent. I actually think in medicine, like medical doctors,
Speaker 1: I think their percentage is very very similar. We're talking
Speaker 1: like a point something percent. It's it's very low. It's
Speaker 1: very very low. And the number of black women obviously lower.
Speaker 1: It's lower. It's lower. But let me tell you how
Speaker 1: how life is and how the way we think changes things. Right,
Speaker 1: we can we can look at those numbers, and I
Speaker 1: can look at myself and say, you know, woe is
Speaker 1: me and poor me. You know, there's there's not enough
Speaker 1: of us, or I could say, you know what, this
Speaker 1: is why I'm a commodity. This is why I'm a commodity,
Speaker 1: because you know, I'm in a position that few are.
Speaker 1: And my goal and my dream has always been to
Speaker 1: change the ratio right, to make more of us because
Speaker 1: we all know, we see what's going on in the world,
Speaker 1: representation matters, especially in the medical field. Even with COVID,
Speaker 1: what we're dealing with, this pandemic that's going on, it's
Speaker 1: really been highlighted more and more how there is racial
Speaker 1: bias in the medical field. There's racial bias with women
Speaker 1: black women who are are getting pregnant and having children.
Speaker 1: And there's racial bias um in the dental field too,
Speaker 1: you know when it comes to to black and brown patients.
Speaker 1: So representation matters. We you know, there needs to be
Speaker 1: more of us. And I look at myself as you know,
Speaker 1: a commodity, and I'm thankful to be in this position.
Speaker 1: And my goal has always just been who else can
Speaker 1: we we get to be in these positions? Right? We
Speaker 1: need more of us here, We need more people advocating
Speaker 1: for us. Well, you are advocating for sure, because you
Speaker 1: have a mentorship program where you mentor other female dentists
Speaker 1: who want to be a dentist. If I'm not mistaken, correct, Yes,
Speaker 1: So the program is UM is all women, and it's
Speaker 1: some are already dentists, uh, some are specialists, UM, some
Speaker 1: are aspiring dentists. And this is a diverse group we're
Speaker 1: talking about. I have someone who's from El Salvador, someone
Speaker 1: from Palestine, Nigeria. So we're talking about all these different
Speaker 1: women who UM are in this program and the goal
Speaker 1: is really just to see how can we impact them
Speaker 1: to really shine in their avenue. If they want to
Speaker 1: become dentists, how can we get them there? If they're
Speaker 1: already dentists, how do we get them to the level
Speaker 1: they need to be to really make an impact. And
Speaker 1: so it's something that I'm so proud of. People always
Speaker 1: ask me like, oh my gosh, your success and you know,
Speaker 1: whatever achievement achievements that you might have, but this is
Speaker 1: something that really means the world to me. It's bigger
Speaker 1: than than all that other stuff that people see, because UM,
Speaker 1: this is what life is about, you know, pouring into
Speaker 1: people and making a difference, and you know in any
Speaker 1: way we can, big or small. Listen, I see your
Speaker 1: passion whether you're entering someone. I've had the pleasure of
Speaker 1: being in her chair. She's passionate about that. But a
Speaker 1: mirror dr ogula. She's very humble ladies and gentlemen. She
Speaker 1: and her sister run a thriving dental practice. They have
Speaker 1: a few locations in the Miami area. Now what I
Speaker 1: love about a mirror She does not tell y'all who
Speaker 1: her clients are, because, first of all, that can kind
Speaker 1: of be a violation of privacy. I'm not going to
Speaker 1: name names. But she's got entertainers, she's got NBA All Stars,
Speaker 1: she's got NFL Pro Bowlers, folks that has been to
Speaker 1: the super Bowl. Honey, some of your favorite actors, actresses,
Speaker 1: maybe singers, rappers. I don't know. I'm one of them.
Speaker 1: I can name myself because I don't care me and
Speaker 1: her privacy. It is what it is. But she's so humble.
Speaker 1: Whether she's is servicing folks that I just named, But
Speaker 1: I walk into her office and I just see everybody
Speaker 1: from all walks of life getting the same level of care.
Speaker 1: I love her giving back. She's always doing smile makeovers,
Speaker 1: for people. Now, y'all, don't go drown her page asking
Speaker 1: for smile makeovers. Most of them you've got to follow
Speaker 1: certain instructions to get that. But I want to run
Speaker 1: it back to because I'm sure there are some listeners
Speaker 1: who are also entrepreneurs and you're kind of on the
Speaker 1: fence about doing business with family. Okay, so let's talk
Speaker 1: about how it is to work and run a business
Speaker 1: with your older sister. I love you, Ranya. I don't
Speaker 1: mean like much older, but you are the oldest, you know. Honestly,
Speaker 1: I hear horror stories all the time about people doing
Speaker 1: business with family, and we're blessed. You know. We get
Speaker 1: along great when it comes to anything in the in
Speaker 1: the business atmosphere. But one thing I can say to
Speaker 1: y'all and advice I want to give you if you're
Speaker 1: considering business with family, a friend, a partner, whatever it
Speaker 1: is in any business endeavor. The reason I believe my
Speaker 1: sister and I work so well together is because we
Speaker 1: have complementary skills and that is important in business. So
Speaker 1: what I mean by that is where we excel. Her
Speaker 1: and I are completely different, right, So I'm more of
Speaker 1: you know, the bubblier one on the face of our practice.
Speaker 1: You know, I'm good with you know, our social media,
Speaker 1: for example, I'm more savvy with that. I walk in
Speaker 1: the office, I'm very detailed, so I'm looking at the pillows.
Speaker 1: They're not aligned right. This needs to be organized, this
Speaker 1: needs to be looked like this. You know that there's
Speaker 1: kind of my lane. I deal with more of the
Speaker 1: numbers in our office because I'm very O C D. Now,
Speaker 1: my sister, she's like a little bookworm kind of, so
Speaker 1: she researches the dental magazines and she researches the latest trends.
Speaker 1: And you know, I I showed up to the office
Speaker 1: the other day and I finished with a client. This
Speaker 1: is funny, I called her, laughing at her. I'm like,
Speaker 1: you're so boogie. And all of a sudden, my my
Speaker 1: dental assistant comes out with a little plate with a
Speaker 1: warm towel to present to our patient after their procedure,
Speaker 1: which I thought it was amazing. Yes, this is so fancy.
Speaker 1: And but aside from being fancy, it is nice because
Speaker 1: you know, by the time you finish, everybody's mold and whatever,
Speaker 1: and their face looks crazy, and we're like, all right,
Speaker 1: we'll see you next week. So you follow up, you know,
Speaker 1: and so my sister will will read, you know, all
Speaker 1: these different publications and and she'll have staff meetings. But
Speaker 1: the bottom line is we are good at opposite things
Speaker 1: and and it works out for us. You know, we're
Speaker 1: not trying to step on each other's toes, so it
Speaker 1: can work. I would say, if anyone who's thinking about it,
Speaker 1: I would do a little trial run if you can
Speaker 1: before you guys, but you know, sign any official documents,
Speaker 1: because there is a line that can get crossed, you know,
Speaker 1: if things go bad one way or the other. Um.
Speaker 1: And then with everything, prey on it, prey on it.
Speaker 1: Number one thing. So much in business, I believe that
Speaker 1: people get so caught up in um you know, the
Speaker 1: contracts and the words and you know and all that.
Speaker 1: But I can't tell you how many nights I've come
Speaker 1: home from from work and we're trying to make a
Speaker 1: decision to expand, to add this, to do that, and
Speaker 1: I say, let me, let me pray on it, let
Speaker 1: me ask God, what is God gonna come on check
Speaker 1: in with God, Come on check in with God. Yes.
Speaker 1: And I wake up in the morning and I'm like,
Speaker 1: and it's just it's like it's there, like I feel
Speaker 1: confident about it. So yeah, I really love that because well,
Speaker 1: first of all, I love seeing two sisters work it out,
Speaker 1: two black sisters working together. I don't know, I feel
Speaker 1: like I don't see enough of that. I don't see enough.
Speaker 1: And I'm not saying they don't exist. It's just maybe
Speaker 1: I gotta get my exposure game up. As far as
Speaker 1: seeing more women owned businesses, they're actually working together and
Speaker 1: doing great because I see so many men who are
Speaker 1: working with their homies from the hood that they grew
Speaker 1: up with, and I don't see enough of women um
Speaker 1: doing the same thing. Well, that is so good to know,
Speaker 1: and I've seen it for myself, guys that it does work.
Speaker 1: But like she said, do a trial and error. Make
Speaker 1: sure that y'all's traits and values are complementary to one another.
Speaker 1: Complimentary meaning what you might lack, but what I have
Speaker 1: can compliment and raise it up, you know. So I'm
Speaker 1: really really excited to continue to hear more. Let me
Speaker 1: also reverse back a little bit and tell everybody how
Speaker 1: myself in a mirror met so I met her husband
Speaker 1: while I think around two thousand four, two thousand five
Speaker 1: in Chicago. Um, he played for the Chicago Bears at
Speaker 1: the time, and I think I first saw him. I
Speaker 1: was walking into a restaurant. It was after one of
Speaker 1: their games, and it's where all the players meet up
Speaker 1: for I don't know, dinner or something. And so when
Speaker 1: I walked in, I was dating somebody on the team.
Speaker 1: And when I walked in, while was looking at me like,
Speaker 1: what are you doing? Furthermore, what are you doing with him?
Speaker 1: And then um we knew um a publicist there, and
Speaker 1: so she began to invite me to like certain events
Speaker 1: that he was having. He would have a lot of
Speaker 1: philanthropy events and galas or whatever. And so fast forward
Speaker 1: ten years later and Um I was in Miami doing
Speaker 1: a play and while they came to the event and
Speaker 1: we went out to dinner, and so I noticed he
Speaker 1: ordered some extra food and I was like, just like
Speaker 1: a bachelor ordering food to go because he knows he's
Speaker 1: not Finn cook nothing for the next day. But then
Speaker 1: he's like, so, yeah, I gotta take this to somebody's house.
Speaker 1: I was like, Oh, that's nice. Maybe one of his
Speaker 1: homies or somebody was like, yo, you know, bring me
Speaker 1: something to eat, you know. But it was a mirror
Speaker 1: and he was like, yo, her name is a mirror.
Speaker 1: I don't even remember. He didn't even really go into
Speaker 1: detail about who she was. But I was like, well,
Speaker 1: I'm not going into no other woman's house because I
Speaker 1: don't want her thinking nothing. I don't. I ain't got
Speaker 1: time to be shaking tables and for extensions to be
Speaker 1: flying all over the place. I don't have the time
Speaker 1: for it. And we go into your house and me
Speaker 1: and you hit it off so well that we kind
Speaker 1: of was like, w who Yeah, that's how he feels today. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's exactly how he feels that. We just shoved him
Speaker 1: to the side. And you know, I remember that day
Speaker 1: because he didn't tell me. He just said, hey, I
Speaker 1: have a really good friend in town, Michelle. So I
Speaker 1: knew the name was Michelle. I knew it was a panel.
Speaker 1: And he said, and we're going to eat. I want
Speaker 1: to take her to get truffle fries. He really liked
Speaker 1: some truffle fries. And I said, okay, so I like
Speaker 1: mentioned some places or whatever, and then he still did something.
Speaker 1: He's like, hey, I'm downstairs. You know, he's gonna come
Speaker 1: up my condo and he says, and I have her
Speaker 1: with me and I said okay, and I was like
Speaker 1: in pajamas and then here you come up up the
Speaker 1: you know, the elevator, and I and I saw you
Speaker 1: and I was like, oh hey, girls like you know,
Speaker 1: and it was just it was it was it was
Speaker 1: love at first sight, honey, Oh my god, I love her.
Speaker 1: Now there's a lesson in there, because how many women.
Speaker 1: First of all, you're not gonna call me tell of
Speaker 1: me you going out with another woman because she like
Speaker 1: truffle fries and we're can That's a whole another level
Speaker 1: of maturity and confidence that I don't think I would
Speaker 1: have had at the time. I think I would have
Speaker 1: it now, but back then you you would have it now,
Speaker 1: but you tell it, call me friend, you would sure that,
Speaker 1: I sure in the hell would. Let's be honest with
Speaker 1: the listeners. You would call me and say, girl, he
Speaker 1: tried it. I ain't saying nothing, but he tried it.
Speaker 1: Come on, what happens Is he trying to tell me
Speaker 1: he got a friend in town about truffle fried I'll
Speaker 1: be like, well, remember how I met you, Remember how
Speaker 1: I suld tell me? You sure would say now t now,
Speaker 1: remember how much you know we can't put all men
Speaker 1: in the category and think that they're trying it, and
Speaker 1: but I was like, oh my gosh, and I think
Speaker 1: within the next two weeks, I'm flying to Miami staying
Speaker 1: at your house. You know, absolutely that's what happened. That's
Speaker 1: exactly what happened. And he was just shocked. He was shocked.
Speaker 1: And to be honest, part of me thinks that him
Speaker 1: even calling me to tell me he was he was
Speaker 1: gonna have lunch with his friend and asked me about
Speaker 1: truffle fries. A part of me looked back at it
Speaker 1: now that I know my husband, well, like that was
Speaker 1: probably some little tests. You know. He loved to test someone,
Speaker 1: like let me see how she's gonna react to my
Speaker 1: friendship or something like that. But you think men do
Speaker 1: stuff on purpose to test to see how how how
Speaker 1: does she react because there's a difference between responding versus
Speaker 1: reacting different Come on, come on, man, we're hip to
Speaker 1: your game. But listen to this. Okay, everyone, this is big.
Speaker 1: This is really big. Yes, I was confident, and yes
Speaker 1: I was trusting of him until you gave me a
Speaker 1: reason not to. But there's the big part. When I
Speaker 1: met you, your energy, your respect, there's little things women do.
Speaker 1: If you are a female friend to somebody and you
Speaker 1: are meeting their significant other, it's a way you made
Speaker 1: me feel right, So I'm not gonna take all the
Speaker 1: credit like I'm just this super You made me feel
Speaker 1: comfortable and confident in respect. I remember getting in the
Speaker 1: car and we were in this little, small two door
Speaker 1: car and and and I'm kind of short, y'all, and
Speaker 1: I don't have along his legs, and you know, Michelle
Speaker 1: has these long legs, and she was trying to spend
Speaker 1: her little body to get in the back seat because
Speaker 1: you know it was it was Wallet's car and we
Speaker 1: were going to and I'll never forget that. I'm like, girl, no,
Speaker 1: because sit in the front. You're so much taller than me,
Speaker 1: Like you're gonna be so uncomfortable. And me and you
Speaker 1: went back and forth about sitting in the front, and
Speaker 1: it just really it said a lot about you. And
Speaker 1: that's why you you are so close to us, um
Speaker 1: not just me, my husband too. But there's a way
Speaker 1: that you carry yourself with class and um as a
Speaker 1: as a friend and with respect and with love. And
Speaker 1: so a lot of women, I hate to say it,
Speaker 1: don't always care to go to extra mild to make
Speaker 1: someone feel comfortable, and maybe they feel like, well, why
Speaker 1: should I have to, Like, there's certain things I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna do just because I'm friends with the person's husband
Speaker 1: and I was friends way longer. I'm not gonna have
Speaker 1: his woman sitting in the back seat, and I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna have his mother because even if you know, but
Speaker 1: that's awful limits Like, no, mom, you sit up front.
Speaker 1: I don't care. I can have any of his kids. Mom,
Speaker 1: you are you sit in the front. I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: put his mom in the back. But some mothers they're like, no,
Speaker 1: you're his wife, you're his girl. I'll take the back seat.
Speaker 1: You know. So I've had that experience too. But you're
Speaker 1: so right. I do not play when it comes to
Speaker 1: the respect of my friends relationships. I don't play that
Speaker 1: at all, because this can be a whole another conversation.
Speaker 1: Can men really be friends with a woman and nothing
Speaker 1: suspect happened? And I just wanted to let you know, like, Sis,
Speaker 1: ain't nothing moving, ain't nothing happened, you're sit in the front.
Speaker 1: You don't know, ma'am. I'm saying, um m mmmmmmm, but
Speaker 1: you were um y'all. There are times where I've called
Speaker 1: Amira because I can be a hothead, or I can
Speaker 1: jump to conclusions. I don't know if y'all seen that
Speaker 1: mean Or a person is jumping on a trampoline and
Speaker 1: then before you they then jumped into out of space
Speaker 1: because they didn't jump to a conclusion. Like a couple
Speaker 1: of weeks ago, I was so irritated with somebody because
Speaker 1: they weren't calling me back, and I was like, Sis,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna pack I'm gonna go to the airport, or
Speaker 1: what do we talk about the other day? How I
Speaker 1: actually need pack up and leave. No, you're not gonna
Speaker 1: tell the truth. O Listen, I'm not. I'm not about
Speaker 1: to hide. You didn't call me on this show, so
Speaker 1: it is what it is. Time, Yes, it's time. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna tell the truth. This woman took her behind. She
Speaker 1: was she was, you know, dating a person, and you
Speaker 1: know she they were enjoying themselves. And I don't know
Speaker 1: what happened or what the argument was or the disagreement, y'all,
Speaker 1: because we all have disagreement. But next thing I know,
Speaker 1: I talked to her. She's like, I'm tired of this.
Speaker 1: I'm not the one her favorite thing. He tried it,
Speaker 1: I said, well, well, what happened did you? Did you
Speaker 1: just take a minute and go to the living room,
Speaker 1: living room, I'd have packed up my whole suitcase. I'm
Speaker 1: on the way to the airport. I love, like, Dee,
Speaker 1: you cannot do this. You cannot just pack up your
Speaker 1: stuff and leave child. And she's like, because I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna do this and I'm not gonna do that. And
Speaker 1: you are a hot head. You are a hot head.
Speaker 1: Michelle will go from zero to one so fast, y'all.
Speaker 1: I think of the worst sometimes, like not too long ago.
Speaker 1: I literally like, you know what, he's trying to play
Speaker 1: me for some old bobble head or something. And then
Speaker 1: she was like, six, just be patient, just be patient,
Speaker 1: and then he ended up doing what he was supposed
Speaker 1: to do. But a mirror helps me to just take
Speaker 1: that extra five minutes because what you do sometimes in
Speaker 1: that extra five minutes can make or break or relationship.
Speaker 1: You walk out that door and you might not see
Speaker 1: that person again. But see, y'all need a friend like
Speaker 1: a mirror who can be like, sis, chill out. He's
Speaker 1: he's gonna call, he's gonna do what he's supposed to do.
Speaker 1: But yes, they're what she is speaking of. I have
Speaker 1: definitely gone to the airport and then I've definitely gone
Speaker 1: on to get my own hotel room. Sure did, um.
Speaker 1: But I just love how you've even been on this
Speaker 1: journey with me as far as my mental health journey.
Speaker 1: Can I get your take on this current movement that
Speaker 1: we're seeing as it relates to our mental health? And
Speaker 1: how do you guard yours? How do you pour into
Speaker 1: yourself as it relates to your mental health? Because y'all,
Speaker 1: this show is called checking in right, and the basis
Speaker 1: of this show is definitely as it relates to mental health, relationships, finances,
Speaker 1: and travel. But what while I've got my best friend
Speaker 1: on here, I am curious to know, um, how you
Speaker 1: keep yourself going as it relates to your mental health.
Speaker 1: It's it's interesting we're talking about this now because as
Speaker 1: you know, uh, just a week ago, I literally had
Speaker 1: to to check in with myself and and and and
Speaker 1: literally tell myself, you need a break, you need to rest.
Speaker 1: And I am so used to going going going. You know,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm married, I have kids, I have a practice.
Speaker 1: You know the thing about me, even with friendships I
Speaker 1: get so invested. If my friend needs me, I want
Speaker 1: to be there. And sometimes I'm I'm just pulled so
Speaker 1: many different ways, and and I'm blessed, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 1: And I had to tell God, like one, thank you
Speaker 1: that everything that's happening are things I prayed for um.
Speaker 1: But I also had to remind myself and this is
Speaker 1: really big for those of you who have this mentality
Speaker 1: that I have to, which is that grind mentality. You know,
Speaker 1: we've got to do this, We've got to achieve that.
Speaker 1: We've got to keep going. You know, you will will
Speaker 1: sleep later. You know. I had to say and listen
Speaker 1: to my body and my spirit because I could feel it.
Speaker 1: For the first time in a long time. I felt
Speaker 1: my energy just I need to rest. And so I'm
Speaker 1: learning to listen to myself more. And I took which
Speaker 1: I never do. I took a whole week off. We
Speaker 1: were so grateful. At least I was so grateful you
Speaker 1: took some time off. It was funny because you text
Speaker 1: me and it was like, I am so happy because
Speaker 1: I I might have said, like I might have pust something,
Speaker 1: I'm out of the office, and you were just like,
Speaker 1: I'm so happy you did this, and the way you
Speaker 1: said it to me even I was like, wow, it
Speaker 1: must be very obvious that I needed I need to
Speaker 1: take a break sometimes. And so I took a week
Speaker 1: off and for me that week of not worrying about
Speaker 1: what's going on with in business and and just really
Speaker 1: allowing myself to rest, I could feel your heaviness. I
Speaker 1: know we laugh at joke because you wear things so well,
Speaker 1: but one thing about having having a relationship with God,
Speaker 1: and when you're close to somebody sometimes got to drop
Speaker 1: you a little nugget and say check on so and so,
Speaker 1: check on your strong friend, check on the ones that
Speaker 1: you think are doing it, and a mirror dr ogula
Speaker 1: you are doing it. But I am just so glad
Speaker 1: that you checked in with yourself because you could have
Speaker 1: eventually you could have worn your nerves and before you
Speaker 1: know what, you could have been in doing a some
Speaker 1: surgery and have a mental breakdown or and we don't
Speaker 1: want that, a nervous breakdown. And so so you took
Speaker 1: time off, and we saw that. I saw the pictures.
Speaker 1: You know, you were with your sister, her child, you
Speaker 1: were with your children on the ski slopes. Y'all made
Speaker 1: it of course look so fashionably cute. Um, so I'm
Speaker 1: so glad that you were able to you checked in
Speaker 1: with yourself. I hate the same while you were sleeping,
Speaker 1: we was grinding. Baby. No, I'm gonna take a nap, now,
Speaker 1: that's just I'm just sorry. Even brain wise, you have
Speaker 1: to regenerate if you have to take a step back
Speaker 1: from that not not saying take a step back permanently
Speaker 1: from that goal or from that mission. But thirty minutes
Speaker 1: of a nap, thirty minutes of going on a walk
Speaker 1: is not going to keep you from that level of success.
Speaker 1: You are so passionate about your life. I was gonna
Speaker 1: ask why, but the first two sentences of our talk,
Speaker 1: when you were talking about how you come from Alexandria, Egypt.
Speaker 1: You're an immigrant, and is or is there more to
Speaker 1: your passion? You know, it's bigger. It's bigger than me.
Speaker 1: And and what I mean by that is there was
Speaker 1: a time in my life where I honestly, and I
Speaker 1: don't even know how open I've been about what I'm
Speaker 1: about to say, but I was married to someone who
Speaker 1: I love very much, and I wanted very much, and
Speaker 1: I found to be so handsome and and everything I
Speaker 1: wished for. Chemistry is great. We had two beautiful, healthy children,
Speaker 1: and I loved being a mom. I had a thriving
Speaker 1: career and I was doing what I love and I
Speaker 1: felt something missing. I would wake up several days and
Speaker 1: feel something missing, and I almost felt unappreciative. And I
Speaker 1: remember praying to God saying, you know, there's people who
Speaker 1: wish that they were in this position. I wish this.
Speaker 1: I prayed for that, you know, and I just kept
Speaker 1: saying that there's something missing, right. And then one day,
Speaker 1: I don't even know how or when, it just hit me,
Speaker 1: and that something was, You've worked this hard, you've achieved
Speaker 1: all this, and you've got this family, But what are
Speaker 1: you doing to help other people, to impact other people?
Speaker 1: What are you doing in a positive direction right other
Speaker 1: than dentistry? And and and that's I think the time
Speaker 1: when I really when it became big for me, and
Speaker 1: it made me realize that the passion that I have
Speaker 1: now is it stems from a point of there are
Speaker 1: young brown and black women, Um, they're young brown and
Speaker 1: black little girls even who are looking up to someone.
Speaker 1: They want to see someone who they can see themselves
Speaker 1: in right who who I have this saying if you
Speaker 1: can see it, you could be it, right, come on.
Speaker 1: And so my passion lately has really just been about
Speaker 1: wanting for these young girls who maybe didn't grow up
Speaker 1: with with much like me, maybe who are immigrants, maybe
Speaker 1: who came from broken families. You know, Um, everyone has
Speaker 1: a story. I wanted to be a mirror or a
Speaker 1: reflection to them of the possibilities and and not not
Speaker 1: for us to determine what we can be just because
Speaker 1: of where we came from, you know, or or our
Speaker 1: our past and our history. And so lately this passion
Speaker 1: and this drive and why I go as hard as
Speaker 1: I go, and in the way that I feel. Yes,
Speaker 1: I love dentistry. I love the teeth, you know. I
Speaker 1: love the they're doing these small makeovers. But more than that,
Speaker 1: I love the way that maybe I can help somebody
Speaker 1: else out. Maybe I could um encourage them, inspire them
Speaker 1: to keep pushing no matter what they're doing. It doesn't
Speaker 1: have to be in the medical field. If they can
Speaker 1: do if I can do that, even for if it's
Speaker 1: just one person. To me, that is success. Come on,
Speaker 1: that is success. You never know what goes behind the
Speaker 1: passion that somebody has for what they do, and nothing
Speaker 1: is wrong with even asking say, hey, why do you
Speaker 1: go so hard for this? And you will learn. You
Speaker 1: will learn because somebody probably had it or has it
Speaker 1: worse than you. But they say, you know what, now
Speaker 1: it's my duty to make it easier for someone else.
Speaker 1: A mirror. You have been so fun but so insightful,
Speaker 1: full of wisdom. We're definitely gonna have to do a
Speaker 1: part two. I want to do more. If you you
Speaker 1: bring a piece in the calm to this show and
Speaker 1: you're you, you need to be put in the hot
Speaker 1: seat more because these these listeners need to hear about
Speaker 1: your behind. Well, okay, so give him one more hot seat.
Speaker 1: I was wanting to let you go so we I
Speaker 1: don't take up all your time. No, no, no, so
Speaker 1: real quick, this is in the hot seat thing. But
Speaker 1: I think that it is interesting for the listeners to
Speaker 1: know that two things happened in our friendship me you
Speaker 1: and Wallets friendships that were funny. So there was let
Speaker 1: me tell y'all how how life this is so funny?
Speaker 1: When while and I were dating seriously at this point,
Speaker 1: Michelle was going to Nigeria to um to perform, and
Speaker 1: that is my you know, that's my husband's you know,
Speaker 1: home country, and he's like, oh my gosh, you know,
Speaker 1: Michelle's going, you know, you think I should go? I
Speaker 1: was like, yes, you should go. That's amazing this this
Speaker 1: and that. I don't even remember what happened because he
Speaker 1: didn't even end up making the trip, didn't go. But
Speaker 1: next thing, you know, Tabloid's everywhere. Michelle Williams new Man,
Speaker 1: NFL started. It was everywhere, right, and um, I remember,
Speaker 1: I don't even know if you remember this. You called
Speaker 1: me because while I told me about it first, and
Speaker 1: I laugh, I'm like, people so crazy. And he's like
Speaker 1: Michelle's wondering if she should like make a statement or something.
Speaker 1: I'm like, for who and for what? Like like no,
Speaker 1: for like whatever, you know, And I remember you calling me,
Speaker 1: and I just remember you feeling like you were almost
Speaker 1: and this again, it just it just speaks to who
Speaker 1: you are as a woman. But you were almost apologetic,
Speaker 1: like you did something. And I'm like, sis, I know,
Speaker 1: you know, while I knows who cares, Like why would
Speaker 1: you need to make a statement for me? They were
Speaker 1: trying to make me a sister wife and I wasn't
Speaker 1: here for it. I was like, girls, cool, don't worry
Speaker 1: about it. And then fast forward four or five years
Speaker 1: later that we get married, and you know, we asked
Speaker 1: Michelle if she would do us the honor of um
Speaker 1: singing at our wedding for us, and she did and
Speaker 1: um I even chose one of her her songs to
Speaker 1: be a part of us walking down the aisle and
Speaker 1: it was so meaningful to me. And even after all that,
Speaker 1: they still job. We're in the tabloid saying, wow, that's
Speaker 1: amazing that his wife is is so close with her
Speaker 1: after they had a relationship together. And so our story
Speaker 1: is yes, because it said something like WHILEY had his
Speaker 1: ex girlfriend or ex girl friends also at the wedding
Speaker 1: or perform at the perform and chall they were like, honey,
Speaker 1: that girl that'sked a new level of company's baby. She
Speaker 1: had the ex girlfriend singing at the wedding. Be like
Speaker 1: they've like, now, wait a minute, they've got some type
Speaker 1: of arrangement going on. We're sure they must have. And
Speaker 1: then fast forward to having kids and you you're rocking
Speaker 1: my babies to sleep so I can go to sleep
Speaker 1: and sing it to them. I mean, yes, yes, y'all,
Speaker 1: we have. Let me tell you something I'm blessed to
Speaker 1: have um Dtor and mirror in my life, her family
Speaker 1: and my life. We have so much fun, y'all. And
Speaker 1: I promise y'all, one day, one day, a mirror, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna get it right. My relationship, I'm gonna get it right.
Speaker 1: You will be a matron of honor some way, someday, somehow,
Speaker 1: Amen from your lips to God. But I know you
Speaker 1: go tell me now, sis, I need you to pipe
Speaker 1: it down. I need to calm down. I need you
Speaker 1: to call me before you jump off the roof. Okay, UM,
Speaker 1: so y'all listen. I hope that y'all have enjoyed this
Speaker 1: episode as much as I have. I could talk to
Speaker 1: a mirror all day, but um, she's got work to do. Um.
Speaker 1: I'd love to have you back on a mirror. Thank
Speaker 1: you so much. I love you, love you, and man,
Speaker 1: we'll see you again soon. Alright, alright, wait a minute, y'all.
Speaker 1: I can't. I can't. I can't. As they say, I'm weak.
Speaker 1: This episode was so much fun. I really want a
Speaker 1: mirror to come back. I'm very very soon. We have
Speaker 1: loads to talk about. You know. There's seven years of sisterhood,
Speaker 1: seven years of friendship, seven years of happiness and tears,
Speaker 1: years of I've seen her getting married, I've seen her
Speaker 1: have children, I've seen her business thrive. I am walking
Speaker 1: away from this episode so inspired to hustle more. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, y'all, like I said, I get
Speaker 1: my sleep. The mirror is a true test meant of
Speaker 1: hard work, no matter where you come from. Y'all heard
Speaker 1: her say she was born in Egypt and Alexandria, Egypt,
Speaker 1: which is a beautiful place, right. But then, I know
Speaker 1: y'all kind of tilted your head a little bit when
Speaker 1: she told you she was born in a house, Like
Speaker 1: how many of us can say now, unless you chose
Speaker 1: like home birth, you know where they have more um
Speaker 1: sexier home births where you can be in a tub
Speaker 1: and you have music playing and candles burning. Again, you
Speaker 1: have your do lack and all that stuff up In
Speaker 1: some places and in some countries, it is not a
Speaker 1: luxury you are born at home, right. Not only that,
Speaker 1: then her father uprooted her and her two other siblings
Speaker 1: to come to America for a better life. And I'm
Speaker 1: just so inspired to see what she has done with
Speaker 1: her life. So I, like I said, I hope y'all laughed.
Speaker 1: I hope y'all felt inspired. I hope you'll pray for
Speaker 1: me as I continue to be the woman that I
Speaker 1: really want to be. You know, I'm very transparent, but
Speaker 1: there's a part of me that sometimes anxiety tries to
Speaker 1: rear its ugly head. And I have friends like a
Speaker 1: mirror that can be like sis, chill out. So I
Speaker 1: hope you'll enjoy this episode. Subscribe, Share, y'all have been
Speaker 1: doing so good. The numbers are growing, that downloads are growing,
Speaker 1: so tell your friends to tune in. The reason why
Speaker 1: I really want you guys here is because I pray
Speaker 1: that I continue to cultivate a safe place where you
Speaker 1: can just wind down, whether it's on your drive home
Speaker 1: from work or school, or before you're headed out for
Speaker 1: a night out, that I say something or my guests
Speaker 1: as something that sparks some creativity, that sparks some inspiration,
Speaker 1: that gives you some mode of vation, And last but
Speaker 1: not least, I hope that it shows you that you
Speaker 1: can overcome. You know, there are some things in my
Speaker 1: life that you all have been privy too, and I
Speaker 1: thank God that I can overcome these things. But I
Speaker 1: can't do it without you and this is a safe place,
Speaker 1: so continue to check in with me, and I will
Speaker 1: continue to check in with you until next time. See
Speaker 1: you later. Be safe, m m hmmm. Checking In with
Speaker 1: Michelle Williams is a production of I Heart Radio and
Speaker 1: The Black Effect. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.