Sister Table Talk

In an unexpected corporate announcement, Party City declared the closure of its stores, leaving countless employees to face the shocking news that today would be their last day. The sudden upheaval is a stark reminder of how quickly life can shift, turning the familiar into the uncertain. But, when the rug feels pulled from under our feet, we must keep our eyes on the prize. The term keep your eye on the prize originates from the Civil Rights Movement, a rallying cry to stay focused on the ultimate goal despite challenges. Today, it resonates as a call to action for those grappling with Party City’s closure and the countless others who have experienced sudden life disruptions. Let’s explore how we can remain steadfast and turn these setbacks into opportunities for growth and transformation. Reframe the Narrative A job loss can feel devastating especially when done abruptly, but it can also be a moment to pause and reassess. Ask yourself the following: What skills have I gained in ...

In a recent congressional hearing, Representative Melanie Stansbury delivered a passionate and pointed critique of proposed legislation for the federal government's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Her speech reveals deep concerns about the bill's intentions beyond simple policy changes. The Proposed Legislation and Its Implications The bill, co-sponsored by Senator JD Vance, aims to dismantle DEI programs across all federal agencies. Stansbury argues the legislation is not about improving government efficiency but rather about implementing a systematic "purge" of federal employees. Key Criticisms: Blacklisting Concerns: The bill includes a controversial provision that would create lists of federal employees and contractors permanently ineligible for government work. Stansbury draws a stark parallel to the McCarthy era, calling it a modern form of blacklisting reminiscent of the 1950s House Un-American Activities Committee. Qualifications and ...

Resilience is the ability to recover from adversity. For women facing economic instability, it’s not just about bouncing back; it’s about rising stronger, becoming more determined, and having a clearer vision for the future. The SOFEI Group knows firsthand how resilience transforms lives by empowering women to overcome challenges and redefine their success stories. The Power of Resilience in Overcoming Economic Instability Women facing divorce, spousal abandonment, job loss, domestic violence, and health decline often experience economic instability, which can be overwhelming. However, resilience is the foundation for recovery and growth. It empowers women to adapt, learn, and persevere - even with insurmountable challenges. Consider Monica (name changed for privacy), a participant in one of our workforce development programs. After losing her spouse during the pandemic, Monica became the sole provider for her family without support and a safety net. With resilience and a readiness ...

In this age of technology, the tools professionals use to communicate are changing quickly and dramatically. One thing that has not changed is the need to share your message purposefully and with focus. Some of us struggle to communicate or express our ideas effectively.  Whether we are talking to new acquaintances, our friends, teachers, or family members, expressing ourselves can be frustrating and can keep us from being understood.  Conversing is imperative for obtaining and retaining your personal and career goals.  No matter how intelligent or sophisticated we may be, without a genuine interest in establishing personal bonds with people, we will limit our abilities to achieve our professional and career goals. Remember, we are what we say and do. We are constantly in contact with other people and with ourselves.  Once we send a message, it is sometimes irreversible.  So, let’s make our first impression a good one because we may never get a second chance to make a positive ...

Life can take unexpected turns - a job loss, illness, divorce, or spousal abandonment is one of those challenging detours. This can be a tough season, but it can present an opportunity to rediscover yourself and create a new future. Re-entering the workforce can be difficult, but you can have a prosperous career with a new mindset and the following strategies: Embrace Your Emotions - Embrace your feelings. The emotional aftermath of a job loss, illness, spousal abandonment, or divorce can be overwhelming. Give yourself time to grieve and heal, and consider obtaining support from a therapist or counselor who can help you process your emotions and rebuild confidence. Assess Your Skills and Interests - Take an assessment to learn your skills, strengths, and aptitudes. The assessment results will provide a wealth of information to help you find the right career that matches your assessment profile. Update Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile - Your resume and LinkedIn profile ...

Women of color face various challenges in the corporate culture, such as low representation in leadership roles, leading to feelings of isolation. To address this, companies should prioritize diversity in hiring and promotions and create mentorship programs. Implicit biases and microaggressions create a hostile work environment, so diversity and inclusion training and reporting mechanisms for discrimination incidents are essential. Pay inequality is a significant issue, impacting financial security and career satisfaction. Salary audits will ensure equitable compensation, along with providing negotiation training and resources. Access to professional development opportunities is limited, so equal training and leadership programs should be available. Balancing work and personal responsibilities is challenging, so flexible work arrangements and access to resources like childcare support are crucial. To create an inclusive culture, establishing diversity councils and training leaders ...

In today's competitive job market, having the right skills and certifications can significantly enhance your employability and career opportunities. SOFEIOnline - a training platform of The SOFEI Group , offers industry-developed courses with a top-quality e-learning experience that is on par with leading businesses and universities who deliver comprehensive online training programs and industry certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certification), ensuring individuals have the expertise needed to excel in various professional environments. Why Microsoft Office Specialist Certification? The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification is globally recognized and demonstrates proficiency when they pass one or more of the MOS certification exams (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, or Outlook). A MOS certification can open doors to new job opportunities, promotions, and increased earning potential because employers value this certification as a validation of their ability to ef...

The Certified Scrum Master (CSM) online course is a transformative approach for individuals seeking to enhance their project management skills. For women of color, this course offers benefits that can contribute to their career growth and foster leadership empowerment in the workplace. This blog post explores the specific advantages the CSM online course provides women of color, emphasizing the potential for skill acquisition, network expansion, and leadership development. Accessibility and Flexibility - One of the primary benefits of a CSM online course for women of color is the accessibility and flexibility they offer. Many women face unique challenges, like balancing self-care, work, and family; however, online courses allow women to tailor their educational journey to fit their schedules to pursue professional development without sacrificing other essential aspects of their lives. Inclusive Learning Environment - Online CSM courses foster an inclusive learning environm...

According to Fortune Magazine , the average Black woman will have finally earned the same amount the average non-Hispanic white man earned a year earlier—eight months later. That’s a problem, not just for Black women who lose out on $900,000 in lifetime earnings, but for everyone. Black women who normally are the heads of their households (i.e., primary breadwinners) earn 63 cents of every dollar a white man makes. Shannon Williams, director of Equal Pay Today - a project of Equal Rights Advocates stated, "The issue of equal pay is not just a woman’s issue because it trickles down into our families, communities, and the overall economy." The Black Women’s Wage Gap is a problem for everyone, but everyone isn’t working to address it! One way to close the wage gap is to close the skill gap. The SOFEI Group is working to decrease pay inequity among women of color through free professional, technical, and certification training for women who want to upgrade their skills to el...

The Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification program prepares small business owners and leaders to succeed in today's competitive business landscape. An ESB certification will validate the skills and knowledge for individuals to work in a middle-skill trade profession, as an entrepreneur, or to pursue small business career aspirations with an understanding of core business principles and essentials to launch and sustain a successful business. Candidates of the ESB Certification will need to have a conceptual knowledge of entrepreneurial and small business principles with a minimum of 150 instruction hours. However, students are not required to have real-world business experience to take and successfully pass the ESB exam. The ESB core concepts are: Entrepreneurship Recognizing and evaluating opportunities Planning, starting, and operating a business Marketing and sales Business financials and funding Exam criteria: Complete a one-year high school level cours...

Doctors write medical prescriptions to help patients heal. Training providers design or deliver training modules to meet the learning needs of their trainees. Patients must take their prescribed medicine according to their doctor's instructions. If they don't, the healing process may not reach its full potential. Trainees that participate in training and place their training material on a shelf will abort their potential to apply what they've learned in their training session. Doctors and training providers are not perfect, but they are skilled in their craft. If patients and trainees do not use or apply the information given to them to heal or perform better at work or in business, the outcome does not rest in the hands of the physician or trainer. It solely rests in the hands of the patients and trainees.

Where are you? Where do you want to go? How are you going to get there? These are the questions a technical instructor asked to help trainees learn how to change directories using DOS (i.e., Disk Operating System). Post-DOS days, the technical instructor realized these questions apply to our everyday lives, and we believe these questions can help individuals get unstuck in their careers, relationships, or finances. If you feel stuck, click here and download our guide that can help you get unstuck.

Industrialized jobs have depleted in America, and if you want to stay afloat in today’s economy, you need skills that people want and what they’re willing to pay for. Essentially, your work will be based on your key strengths, accomplishments, self-marketing, connections and your performance. And that’s authentic connections, not pretentious ones to simply make a sale or to gain a client. Social media is falsifying some efforts to connect. Some people think they’re gaining connections based on their followers. If followers aren’t being acknowledged or valued, there’s no connection. But information sharing to an audience that can relate to their content. The realities of today’s workforce have changed. Job security no longer exists, and safe careers are simply a myth. To achieve a successful career, entrepreneurial (i.e., always exploring opportunities) skills are a must. You have to rely on your inner resources to be self-managing to plan and execute your own career. No one ca...

”And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set amoung our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the curse of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6) ”But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:8-10) The danger of the tongue. James compares the tongue with fire because it cannot be controlled and the damage it causes cannot be reversed. And, sometimes when water is added, it spreads the fire instead of putting it out! When I worked in the corporate world, a manager attempted to assassinate my “working” characteristics with lies about my inability to perform tasks in a male-dominated career. The manager also stated, “I was not a team player and did not like to be critized.” I conf...

In 1980, Mary Catherine Swanson (an English teacher) created AVID - a program designed to help underrepresented students succeed in high school and college. The program's philosophy is: "Hold students accountable to the highest standards, provide academic and social support, and they will rise to the challenge." A group of AVID middle school students completed their assignments fifteen minutes early and wanted to watch YouTube videos which were unrelated to AVID. When asked to turn off their videos, a student responded with: "My mom watches YouTube videos all the time at work, so why can't we watch them at school?" What legacy are we leaving our children in reference to work, finances, or service? Students need role models to coincide with their lessons to advance academically, socially, or economically. And their parents should be their first point of reference. The industrialized workforce is depleting and individuals that choose to watch YouTube ...

If you’re not happy with your job, whose fault is it? Is it your manager’s, co-worker, the economy, your bills, or you? What impact does your hatred have on the people you serve through your job? To show up every day to a job you hate doesn’t benefit anyone but your creditors. Hatred is difficult to hide. It will resonate through your attitude and your work. Staying at a job you hate may seem logical with the high percentage of unemployed and underemployed people. But if you choose to stay, why hate it? Why waste your time and your employer's? It’s challenging to have a servant attitude through hatred. If you’re not willing to serve, you’re not willing to work at your best capacity. Work isn’t solely about us! It’s about service. If we’re filled with hatred about our work, does it mean we’re too full of ourselves? Sure, people can be difficult and challenging, but their actions should not contribute to our hatred. Every day we show up for work, we should know our pu...

A prospective partner contacted The SOFEI Group to offer their services to build their brand. This person was turned down because their main purpose to join wasn’t about helping us achieve our mission – it was self-serving. If your ultimate reason to secure employment or start a business is to make money, you’re off to a bumpy start. Many MLM (Multi-level Marketing) business owners plummet because they see an opportunity to make money, instead of an opportunity to improve the lives of others with their product or service. And, many businesses are not experiencing exponential growth because it’s replete with self-serving people who choose not to use their skills, experience, or education to serve. In this knowledge-based workforce, employers and business owners want to connect with believers, leaders, or servants. People who believe in the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives; leaders who can influence people to achieve greatness, and people who do not mind serving thei...

At least I have a job – but it’s not rewarding, fulfilling, or impactful. At least I have a man – even though he’s married with children. At least I know dynamic, elitist people - but don’t have authentic connections. At least I go to church – but don’t have a spiritual connection to God. At least I’m liked – but you yearn for unconditional love and encouragement. At least I have a GED – but was born with potential beyond a general education. Energy exhausted striving for the least is a fast race to the bottom. If you’re going to run, strive for the top (i.e., your best). No one spends time practicing to enter a race with the intention to lose or end at the bottom.

Emotional Intelligence is linked to an ability to identify, assess, and control emotions. Depending on a woman’s estrogen level or her season of life, controlling her emotions can be a challenge – even in the workplace. Here are some tips to strengthen your intelligence: Get Real With Yourself - Identify and deal with the source of negative emotions because nothing positive derives from them. Suppressing or camouflaging these emotions with shopping, smoking, or eating are temporary coping mechanisms that can lead to other challenges. Know Your Role – Be clear on your purpose for working; the benefits and impact your contributions have on your employer’s bottom-line, and how your role coincides with their mission and core values. Don’t React, Get the Facts – There are many women reacting to events based on their emotions instead of facts. Feelings should never be used as a deciding factor in the workplace because they aren’t tangible and cannot be validated. Define Your Outc...

After spending nine relentless months looking for work at a local one-stop career center, an unemployed single mother regained hope to find employment when she learned how to build a career in customer-service from the results of a complimentary MAPP assessment provided by The SOFEI Group, Inc. Filled with passion to provide great customer-service to her next prospective employer, this single mother landed nine interviews within nine weeks of attending The SOFEI Group's Microsoft Office Specialist certification training program. Her hope was restored and momentum to find employment soared, but something was preventing her from getting hired - her forgiveness for being unemployed! This breakthrough came when a career development facilitator of The SOFEI Group looked her square in the eyes and said, “Your smile isn’t in harmony with the way you really feel about yourself, and maybe this spirit is resonating during your interviews - preventing you from getting hired.” Tears s...