We recently connected with Makeda Greene and have shared our conversation below.

Makeda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Blackmomsociety,Inc mission is to create a space for black mothers to feel empowered and supported by other black mothers. The story behind Blackmomsociety is simple, I wanted to fill a void that I saw within my community which was support. As moms, black moms and working professional black moms we are seen as being able to “do it all.” Studies have mythologized working black women as “superwomen”- we are there for everyone else, we ensure that everyone is safe, protected, empowered and strengthened but what about us? What about our needs? I wanted to create a space for black moms to not only be supported but to be heard, to navigate their voice through all of their spaces and most importantly to take care of themselves, their needs in a way that is customized to them and for them so that they can continue to foster empowerment and strength in themselves, their children and families.

Makeda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Dr. Makeda Greene is a bilingual school based psychologist. She was born in Trinidad, W.I. and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in School Psychology from Howard University, Masters of Arts degree in Global Gender Studies and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Global Gender Studies from the University at Buffalo. As a clinician, she has worked in traditional school districts, the public charter school system, and juvenile justice system with her primary focus being infants and toddlers, Spanish speaking students, and black immigrant students and families. I am most proud of being a mom and my family. Having my son changed my life and my perspective on career and prioritizing what is important in life.

As an African Caribbean woman, I became a psychologist to continue my investment in the continued development upward mobility of black immigrant families, and black communities across the diaspora. Throughout my career I am intentional about bridging the gap between schools, communities, and families and implementing interventions that will assist these families and students with their academics and acculturation in their communities. I created Blackmomsociety to position itself as a cultural, community space for parents to feel connected, empowered and safe. My expertise and knowledge of the work that I am tasked with allows me to disseminate information to diverse audiences in order to continue social action. We provide podcast sessions, parent coaching sessions, executive coaching sessions, group coaching sessions, consultation through focus groups, qualitative data, data analysis, quantifiable data and measurement. Per coaching, we provide coaching for our parents that focus on work transitions, parent empowerment , familial empowerment and co-parenting sessions. We also develop assessments and surveys for companies and organizations that need more work on how to develop and organize their data on their working mothers, , statistical analysis and trend analysis and professional development workshops. As a consultant, researcher and evaluator my role is to facilitate groups, identify problems, address problems , evaluate and provide functional data plan evidenced based strategy and action steps for their program or module. We approach all services and assessments from a research based evaluative,incorporating cultural competency within practice. I specifically use these approaches in our growing need to provide diverse, equity and inclusive coaching, connect with mothers, organizations and companies. Our work transcends into working with individuals, or organizations to train them on best practices and tactics for servicing black mothers and working mothers. Our purpose is to provide consultation and service for program effectiveness, sustainability, cultural competency, longevity for community development. As a group, coaching and consulting spaces, blackmomsociety takes pride in providing a supportive space for our mothers that identify as BIPOC and providing expertise to organizations and companies that want more knowledge or practice in servicing their working mothers. I noticed that community now more than ever is the most important and vital part of a mom’s life, especially for new moms. Having support and a network to help is part of the key to success. Building community has been one of the most enjoyable features of our business and I am excited to invite more moms to our BMS Community!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I love reading and referring to “The Little Black Book of Success: The Laws of Leadership.” It is an amazing book written by three African American corporate executive women. I continue to learn so much from these authors ranging from effective management, leadership, communication, collaborating with others and dealing with stereotypes pertaining to women of color. I have learned so much about myself per their wisdom and case studies of different schemas that black women face in leadership and in business. My pivot to being a business owner has been filled with great accomplishments, fulfillments and challenges. With this book, I have learned how to navigate the challenges within business and focusing on empowering myself and confidence. I have also been significantly impacted by the resources I have received from taking business coaches, colleagues that are in the business world. I think its important that we learn from our peers and continue to elevate each other as a community.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Kindness, consistency and compassion has helped to maintain and build my reputation as a professional. I pride myself on my work and being able to navigate and work with families and individuals with sensitivity and understanding. I understand that every family has a unique dynamic and every parent is on their own journey. I want to continue to elevate women, parents and empower the families that I work with. As a professional , I pride consistency in my aesthetic. I bring that to Blackmomsociety because that is what families deserve! I love my work, I love my profession and I especially love Blackmomsociety.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackmomsociety.com
• Instagram: @blackmomsociety
• Facebook: @blackmomsociety
• Yelp: blackmomsociety