Sex is a popular topic that we see discussed in TV shows, movies, podcasts, or just conversations with friends. What's usually highlighted is the excitement and intimacy that sex can bring, and what seems to be left out is the reality of STIs and STDs.
According to Sage Journal, more Black women are getting STIs than anyone else due to many contributing factors, "such as lack of access to healthcare and preventive measures, mistrust of the healthcare system, the stigma and lack of awareness of STIs, and gender inequality in intimate relationships."
"An article by Sage Journal examined data from 564 African American women who cited reasons such as the limited pool of eligible African American men, which led many to date men who were married, older, had sex with other men, had multiple sexual partners, and/or had been incarcerated, all of which increase the risk of STIs," Dr. Maxine Owusu tells xoNecole.
Dr. Owusu is a board-certified emergency physician, healthcare advocate, and children's book author, and in our Q&A, she dishes on the racial disparities in healthcare, safe sex, and more.
Dr. Maxine Owusu
xoNecole: You are a healthcare advocate. Why is it important for you to give back to the community and what are some ways you do that?
Dr. Maxine Owusu: I understand the significance of being an advocate for each patient, especially as one of the first doctors they encounter upon entering the hospital. I take the time to listen to my patients, educate them on their conditions, and offer resources, with the help of our social worker, to help them navigate the healthcare system and its pitfalls. I give back to the community by participating in health fairs and panels with my local church, Manifest Church, in Jonesboro, GA.
Additionally, I engage with students interested in medicine through mentorship and talks that highlight the need for diversity in healthcare. I also educate children about anatomy using my STEM KIDDOS sensory anatomy toys and children's book as a tool to capture their interest and pursue medicine. My impact extends globally through my involvement in medical missions in Ghana and the Dominican Republic.
xoN:Â You are also passionate about Black women's health and speak out about STDs. What do people get wrong about STDs?
Dr. Owusu: Most people think you can only get an STI (sexually transmitted infection) when you're symptomatic or only through vaginal intercourse. In many cases, both men/women (especially men) might not have symptoms or have mild symptoms, thus delaying evaluation appropriate/treatment while increasing the risk of transmission. You can also get an STI with just one through oral & anal sex. Many people also don't know that repeated STIs can lead to infertility in women.
Most people think you can only get an STI (sexually transmitted infection) when you're symptomatic or only through vaginal intercourse. In many cases, both men/women (especially men) might not have symptoms or have mild symptoms, thus delaying evaluation appropriate/treatment while increasing the risk of transmission. You can also get an STI with just one through oral & anal sex. Many people also don't know that repeated STIs can lead to infertility in women.
xoN: From my experience as a single woman who dates men, safe sex isn't something that some men make a priority. Do you see a decline in safe sex? If so, why?
Dr. Owusu: According to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, condom use among adolescent males has decreased significantly as the use of birth control has increased. With the increased use of birth control, many people falsely feel secure and forget that they aren't being protected against sexually transmitted infections. Some reasons for the lack of safe sex practices include forgetting due to the spontaneity of sex, not wanting to spoil the moment, women being forced into high-risk sexual behaviors, and male partners not wanting to use a barrier as an excuse for it not being pleasurable.
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xoN:Â How can we change the conversation about safe sex so that more people take it seriously?
Dr. Owusu: We need to have these conversations in a non-judgmental fashion where people feel empowered to make the best choices for their sexual health and future. Educating our community with free health talks and fairs in schools, campuses, community centers, and churches would be instrumental in bringing positive change. I believe targeted social media campaigns on the benefits of safe sex practices, along with sharing statistics and facts on STIs and collaborating with organizations and leaders to spearhead such conversations, would help eliminate the stigma of having an STI and encourage more open discussions.
xoN: What are some preventative measures Black women can take besides using a condom?
Dr. Owusu: Besides using a condom to prevent STIs, other practices to lower risks include being abstinent, using internal/female condoms, dental dams, getting vaccinated against HPV, advocating for a healthy monogamous partnership with open communication, and getting tested regularly.
For more information about Dr. Owusu, visit her website drmaxo.com.
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Here are a few tips to ensure you're having the best remote work experience and you're able to truly tap into why you chose to pursue remote work in the first place:
1. Set an alarm for when it's truly time to stop working.
If you're paid to work a certain number of hours, set reminders of when those hours are complete for the day. It's very important that when you do this, you're managing your time working at home well, and getting tasks done in an efficient way. Once that alarm goes off, no more responding to emails or finishing up projects. It's done and gone. Once that alarm goes off, stop what you're doing and take a walk, go out for happy hour drinks, or plan to attend that networking event so you'll feel a bit less isolated working remote.
After being remote working for almost a decade and finding myself still feeling the same Sunday Scaries as I'd felt while working a 9-to-5, this step really helped me to not only set boundaries with myself but with the people I work for. They'd know they wouldn't get any interaction from me after kindly signing off on Slack because I literally would shut down my computer for the day and not open it again until it was time to basically "clock in" the next day.
2. Schedule your "me time" on your calendar as if it's an important meeting.
Self-care appointments are indeed important, so give them the respect they deserve. Block out times in your calendar when you are fully off to do something that affirms how much you care about yourself and your own well-being. It could be something as simple as a morning walk or as grand as a spa date. Put it on your calendar and deliberately take prioritizing balance seriously.
I now have times and dates blocked off where I do not take meetings, and I instead do things that I love. As a remote worker, you can have a conversation with your employer or manager and find ways to make the time you have work not only for them but for you as well.
And no, this is not a "lunch hour" situation. Your lunch hour should be all about satiation and nutrition, not squeezing in appointments. Find ways to set aside time for fun or other wellness activities that are non-negotiable, even if it starts soon after your work day is over.
3. Create a peaceful playlist, set a timer, and meditate.
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These have been a game-changer for me over the years. Whether it's on Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube, I often listen to gospel, motivational speeches, ambient noise, prayers, or jazz and zone out during lunch or another short break during my work day. I set a timer to ensure I'm not getting too caught up in the relaxation, and I take in good vibrations. Listen to an audiobook or find some other auditory distraction to get you out of your own head, off of the computer, and into some peace and relaxation.
It's easy to feel isolated and get into an overworking habit when you're working from home (or even from paradise, as I often do---with a beach as my office) because you're able to simply get ish done. If you're like me, once you're in a groove, you can literally sit and crank out ideas, tie up loose ends of a project, answer 100 emails, and still have time to spare to do even more work. Before you know it, that "groove" has turned into a nonstop session of staring into a screen, and you've totally forgotten to breathe, take breaks, or to be sure you're using your time wisely.
These peaceful breaks re-center your mind and offer a reminder that while remote work is a privilege and pleasure, we must be mindful of balance.
4. Be deliberate about making plans with loved ones, acquaintances and friends.
When working remote, it's easy to become a bit of a hermit, especially when you're super-comfy in your loungewear, and your routine is pretty much set. You don't really want to get too comfortable with this because as much as remote work can feel quite lonely, you want to be sure you're not contributing to the loneliness by default.
Invite your friends out for coffee, lunch, or brunch. Start taking the steps to get social, and find other remote workers to connect with via coworking spaces or events. I once found myself feeling super anxious and out of it and realized it was because I was spending too much time working alone and not nurturing relationships with others.
Solitude is a great thing, within reason, and while one might loathe the annoying things that come with office work---like chatty cubicle mates, a manager constantly over your shoulder, or commuting costs---we still need to interact with others for our mental sanity and career advancement. Decompression isn't always done alone, and sometimes we need to vent, find support, or at least be able to talk to others in person, outside of a Slack message or Zoom call.
5. Use the tech tools at your fingertips.
Use that ScreenTime option on your iPhone to track how much time you're spending using your Slack, email, or other remote work-related apps. Download a few good productivity apps that remind you to take breaks, be mindful of your time, and schedule wellness appointments like 24Me or Clockify.
I love to work smart, not hard, since life is already hard enough. If there are ways to use tech to force me into better managing my self-care and time, I'm definitely here for them.
6. Talk to a therapist or coach to figure out how to lean more heavily into self-care.
Sometimes we can have all we need to truly tap into decompression and balance but we might feel overwhelmed with figuring out just what that looks like for us. This is where a good therapist or coach comes in. Even if you choose to only talk with them just to come up with some effective tools for creating balance in your life, it's a win.
These professionals can help remind you why you need balance, pinpoint triggers, and suggest ways you can tailor a plan for your own well-being that works for your unique needs and lifestyle.
For some of us, taking steps to balance out our work-from-home life includes really unpacking how and why we might need to make some adjustments and improvements when it comes to systems and boundaries and pinpointing what truly makes us happy.
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