It's Where I Am with Zandra Polard

Join Zandra Polard in this insightful episode as she delves into empowering conversations on domestic violence awareness, mental health, and wellness. Special guest Shaitonna Nelson shares valuable insights and resources, emphasizing the importance of supporting those affected by domestic violence. The episode also explores Shaitonna's TV ventures and her advocacy for health through an upcoming discussion on nutrient-rich supplements. Tune in for engaging dialogue, impactful advice, and awareness-building on critical issues affecting individuals and communities.

What is It's Where I Am with Zandra Polard?

Its Where I Am focuses on the various mental health struggles that people all around the world face every day. Each episode covers a different facet of mental health with a new special guest. It's Where I Am airs on 91.5 Jazz & More every second Saturday of the month.

Unknown Speaker 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NBC Studios on public radio K, u and v 91.5. You're listening to special programming brought to you by it's where I am.com The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jobs and more University of Nevada, Las Vegas or the Board of Regents and the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Zandra Polard 0:50
Good morning Las Vegas, it's Zondra polearm. It's where I am. Thank you for tuning in to 91.5 Jazz and more. Today, we are talking about or we are continuing the conversation on domestic violence. However, I want to start by introducing my soundboard for today. My co host, my ace Boon ELS Jime make nice. Thank you for coming in today.

Unknown Speaker 1:27
It's my pleasure. You're my girl, man.

Zandra Polard 1:29
I met I met you and I call you Mr. McKnight. Because I have a hard time saying the first name and I don't want to be disrespectful.

Unknown Speaker 1:37
Said it right though. Actually,

Zandra Polard 1:38
I did. Well, hey now. But we met and we just hit it off.

Unknown Speaker 1:44
Yeah, it wasn't just click like that. It was one of my favorite connections are made in Nevada, actually.

Zandra Polard 1:49
Hey, well, thank you again, for being on the show. We're talking about some tough stuff today. But you know, we've been going through it all month, telling people how to stay safe, where you can go resource shelters such as safe nest, which is the largest in Nevada, and then talking to friends. You know, if you are not able to seek professional help, start with a friend. But talk to someone. Okay, family member friend, whoever someone you just met last week, I don't know, like Elgin. But anyhow, again, thank you all for listening and tuning in. You know, it's where I am deals with mental health and wellness. So we are always getting those resources for you out there. You can also find them on my website, which is it's where I am.com Also, if you've missed any part of this broadcast, you know, you can always find me on Apple, Spotify, Google and Amazon podcast platforms. And now I am going to introduce my girl should tonna Nelson is back. Hey John, and you know, should Donna has been around, she's come to Las Vegas. She's been a part of the women empowerment conferences I've had here. Whether it be by video or in person, and she is always there for me when I need to talk about some really good stuff to share with my community. So again, thank you, Donna was going on. You told me before you came on that you were going to be at the mayor's event or something out in Houston, right? Yeah. What is going on?

Unknown Speaker 3:55
You're not our current mayor is going out a new mayor is coming in. He's been there for quite some time. So tonight, we're gonna all get together. It's thrown by like Fox 26. And all of the elites kind of show up and you know, thank Him for everything that he's done. So that's what I'm doing tonight.

Zandra Polard 4:13
Okay, so the mayor that's going out? Is he the mayor that gave you your special day? Shut Donna Nelson day out in Houston.

Unknown Speaker 4:26
He's given me quite a few days but yes, he gave me the key to the city of St. to Houston and proclaim My birthday the subtonic Jay Nelson Bay he's also given days to my nonprofit and to my PR firms.

Zandra Polard 4:41
Right the finest our PR. So you do public relations for entertainers. Is that right?

Unknown Speaker 4:49
Actually do even more than public relations. I do strategy for some of the top entertainers in the country.

Zandra Polard 4:55
Okay, and as you're being one of them, right?

Unknown Speaker 4:58
Well, I don't necessarily do Wait for your baby. I have stepped in and did some things for us, especially when he's with Jermaine Dupri. Absolutely.

Zandra Polard 5:11
Okay. Yeah, because he's rockin Las Vegas. Let me tell you. He's bringing it

Unknown Speaker 5:16
out there. I'm getting ready to come again. Yeah. And I'll be right with you. Yes, ma'am. You will already I've already requested I told him when he's gonna cut up.

Zandra Polard 5:26
I know. That's right. Well, you know, I have to make sure I post those pictures of us when the time comes. So yeah, yeah, yes, absolutely. So my co host is like, is it okay? If I say period? Yes.

Unknown Speaker 5:47
Yeah, that's allowed.

Zandra Polard 5:48
She'll tell me about the nonprofit. Now, I didn't know about this other one, what's a call.

Unknown Speaker 5:54
So I have a nonprofit called paradigms of hope. As you know, for years, I've put together strategic events across the United States and also outside of the United States where I've partnered with people like Samantha feet and given out a million pairs of shoes a year. We fit 150,000 families last year there in COVID, over 200,000 families as a partner with the Ricky Davis Foundation, and we did feature city and we got the biggest entertainers in the country from Nick Cannon to check all of them guys to come out. Not just a lot of them donate money, but they actually came out pack the food, took it to the elderly, don't pass out the stuff. So now, my nonprofit, it's a venture off of this time of day, Nelson foundation. We're getting ready to do that again in 2024. But this time, we're going to spread literacy by giving a million parents a million different copies of books throughout the United States.

Zandra Polard 6:50
You're giving away books. Yeah, we get some books over this way. We need some books over this way check.

Unknown Speaker 6:57
is one of my spots. I've been actually talking to a couple of the senators there about coming into Vegas and let that be a stop. And obviously, we want to have a short come out if I can't, I'll put them on,

Zandra Polard 7:10
girl. I thought you were gonna say obviously, we're gonna have Zondra. There. Yes, I will be there. Sure. I'll be right there next Astro. No problem. Absolutely. So go on. I'm sorry to interrupt. So aside from the book,

Unknown Speaker 7:32
absolutely. He's gonna be there. And obviously, we want you to be there as well.

Zandra Polard 7:36
Okay. Just want to make sure we have that recorded. Right. We have that for evidence. Right, okay. But more than welcome, LJ, you don't have to whisper you can speak up. You are my guests. I'm so glad you are here. So do not hesitate to say whatever you have to say. Okay. So now she tanah. You have a background that deals with trauma. And it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And we want to make sure that we are giving out any and all information to help those understand and know that they are not alone. So what can you give us? What nugget Can you give us about domestic violence and you are domestic violence, and an organization or domestic violence, attach it to something and help the people.

Unknown Speaker 8:33
For years I worked in trafficking, and the message about violence around. So the best advice that I can give you is eat. Usually each city, each county has resources and they're there. Some people have, you can call 211 or 311, or whatever it is in your city. And they will be able to provide you with shelters. And also if you tell them it is an emergency. For instance, this is really bad. I don't know if I can get out there are systems in place in every single city across the United States that they can actually send someone out to help you out. You just have to let them know. Also, there are a ton of resources on state websites. And of course, if you know someone like me to talk to Jay Nelson, you can find me anywhere on social media and reach out and I have teens that actually come in and do extractions. The best advice I can give anyone who's going through the situation is you gotta get out as soon as you can. Nobody will judge you. And the sooner that you get out, the better. And if you think you're being abused a little bit, or maybe you're starting out verbally and you just don't know you're definitely been abused. Believe you believe your gut and do what you need to do to get to safety because the world actually does need you and there will be people who will appreciate you afterwards say exit

Unknown Speaker 9:58
shutdown. What advice would you Give someone being a third party witness to domestic abuse at like a young age or any age, actually. But the victim is really in a place where they don't want the third party to say anything or telling anyone and you felt like if you you would have betrayed betray their trust, if you did go out. So what advice would you give that third party? Person?

Zandra Polard 10:21
That's a great question.

Unknown Speaker 10:23
You can see someone in a casket, or you can see them be mad at you and make it to safety, domestic violence, most of the time, statistically, always escalates, and turns into a death sentence. We don't like to talk but rather that that's that particular beating, or you suffer some kind of rear punk real cage puncture or something that lead to your demise. Also, stress leads to you getting even sicker. So we see things like cancers develop and domestic violence victims, you can deal with someone being mad and saying, I don't want you to tell, or you can deal with being a part of their demise. Right? So I always tell people, if there's domestic violence, you talk to that person first. But if not, you find resources, right. And resources don't always look like calling the police, you know, sometimes resources is I have a friend who has been abused, but she came from a good family. And I need to talk to her family so that maybe someone can talk system to her. Or maybe she listens to this particular friend. And we need to have an intervention between the friends. Or maybe I'll snap a picture of the abuse. And I remind her and I saw them later on, right? You have to cater that to what works. But never, never, never do I ever advise anyone to do nothing. I don't believe in that. Some people will tell you that. I always say that when it comes to things like abuse in any form. A lot of people are so broken, they don't know how to say that they need help or,

Zandra Polard 11:50
or even realize that they need help.

Unknown Speaker 11:53
That's right, or they're already going through something. It takes a deep lack of self worth and self esteem, which has been related to mental health diseases like bipolar, schizophrenia, dementia, all of those things, a deep depression, depression turns into psychosis. They don't know that they need help. They only know what they're dealing with, you understand. So you have to understand a person that's willing to be harmed, to not be in their right mind to make a decision. Like don't get me help.

Zandra Polard 12:22
And you know, don't be confused and think that is always male, female. Because Oh God, talk to some penis across the board. Yeah, I see mother daughter. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. Yep, yep.

Unknown Speaker 12:36
And we see everywhere. And the thing is, we try to look the other way, what we think is funny, maybe they got into a fight at a party, and we say, Oh, they were drunk. Right? Or would you say, Oh, that was just a really hard weapon, but they're bleeding, you know, or, you know, or it's like getting beat with the fists. And you know, that you have to acknowledge abuse period.

Unknown Speaker 13:02
That's actually great advice, because I was a witness to domestic abuse. When I was younger, were younger. And I honestly didn't know what to do in the situation. I was told not to say anything. I was scared. For myself. I was scared for her. And it was so much things going on in my mind. And I just know, like, for her was 10 times worse than what I was thinking. But yeah, I totally understand that. Oh, wow.

Unknown Speaker 13:25
Yeah, it's a really hard thing, right? Because you being there for someone does not mean not doing the right thing. We don't know that. I'll tell right. So your friend who's an alcoholic, let's, let's put it in a different way. Your friend who is an alcoholic, or that uses heavy drugs to the point that they become belligerent or they don't remember or they, they self harm. A supportive friend and sitting there like Holden's just holding their hair back and support a friend is like, Look, you gotta get help. Because something's wrong here. Right? That's the same thing when we look at domestic violence, and, and anything of that form. And this is something I always warn people about people who are, who succumb to domestic violence also usually succumb to things like trafficking, mass rape, murder, suicide situations, all adults are directly linked to each other. You got to think about that, right? I've read that you'd be mad at me for the rest of my life and never speak to me again and be alive. Then we bury you aside and say, What could I have done? Well, you

Zandra Polard 14:29
know, we could have done something. Right. But you know, we did get some great advice from against a few weeks ago. And she was telling us to not actually it was your friend. It was Louisa Isler was on the show a few weeks ago. Yeah. So she was saying, don't get directly involved. Like don't be confrontational with the abuser because that could be a death sentence for you for getting involved. So

Unknown Speaker 14:57
yeah, and the victim will turn on you with therapy. Use it.

Unknown Speaker 15:00
Yes, yes. Yeah.

Zandra Polard 15:03
So it's it's kind of like a case by case thing.

Unknown Speaker 15:07
Yeah, there's so many different factors that go into it. Mm hmm.

Unknown Speaker 15:09
Never get directly involved with abuser, but unless the abuser is your friend or your relative, and you can, right, you got to think about that. But you have to realize, if a person has been beaten, is in isn't in a great state of mind, what do you think an abuser would have to be a conflict pain on another person? Something's got to be wrong with you as well. I mean, and we have to start acknowledging these things, right? What Where does mental health come in? And these things, right? And we don't do it enough, we just ultimately separate the situation is like, Nah, these people can't be a sound mind. It wouldn't make sense, right? So we have to start acknowledging that. So how would you handle someone with a mental illness with care carefully, that you will make sure they get the help that they need it, and that's what we have to start doing?

Zandra Polard 15:56
Absolutely. And that's why we have to continue to also talk about it. That's why it is domestic awareness, excuse me, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to continue the conversation for people to become courageous, to get the help that they need to step out, and maybe take one of those mentor led classes at safe nest, they have plenty of them, you can look on their website. And again, a lot of times, for my understanding, people don't even realize unless they're being beaten, you know, physically, that they're being abused, because there's different types of abuse. You know, there's emotional abuse. That's the big thing. Now that a very big thing extremely, because only this gaslighting has gone to a whole nother level.

Unknown Speaker 16:46
Yes, yeah. Especially in today's climate, like everyone is so social media base. And then also, if you don't even have to do it physically, like internet, like you can be abused. Like, it's just so cyber bullying, there's just so much to go into and out. During in

Zandra Polard 17:05
the wild. That's why we've been talking about it all month long, as well as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, make sure you get those mammograms. Take care of yourself, you first mask on you, then to your loved ones, right.

Unknown Speaker 17:20
Amen to that.

Zandra Polard 17:21
Yes. So she Tiana, thank you for giving us that. Those nuggets of support for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And that is, you know, this is the last Saturday of the conversation, you know, for a while unless someone reaches out and we need to have another conversation about it. Now, let's get to what else you're doing. Let's talk about shaitana now. Oh, boy, girl, what are you doing in television? Now? I know you have a television background, what's going on with that?

Unknown Speaker 17:58
I am actually we just ended the writer strike. So my writers are back up and writing Oh. The actors have kind of pretty much reached the deal. So we're waiting on that to surpass we see that happen in next week or so. Okay, then. Yeah, I got four different cells in development for two major networks and two major streaming platforms as in Netflix, Hulu, and things of that sort. And I'm excited to see them come to the TV and y'all. We got you know, the power versus 50 and all of them my bro that I'm always supporting and doing anything that I can for them. And Kirkland, who's the writer, my writer and 50s writer is just a lot to come with TV. Oh much to come.

Zandra Polard 18:46
That is so cool. Yeah, you had you introduced me to someone who is the head of his 50 cents Foundation came onto the show. And they talked about all of the great things that he does for his community. So thank you for that as well.

Unknown Speaker 19:02
Yeah, we're still very very tight and Dr. For trees. Alice, it should be up in here tonight. Yes, she leads Z unity foundation. So I said hello curriculums and schools. I will I definitely will

Zandra Polard 19:17
thank her once again for coming on and sharing that information with us and whatever they have going on. You know, feel free to reach out to me and let me know you know, I have no problem with putting you or anyone that you are associated with on the show. There Yeah, we

Unknown Speaker 19:34
got a series of things coming up and I will definitely be letting you know soon as we begin releasing though,

Zandra Polard 19:40
but you know who else I want to get on here. There was someone you were telling me about I was supposed to be but we couldn't get it together. We were playing tag a lot. She was with the vitamins. The nutrients

Unknown Speaker 19:54
Oh with so they they have the different Hello Is Tiffany Parker Yes, I will reach out to her and make sure she cycled back around with

Zandra Polard 20:04
me because you know what? They're taking all of the nutrients out of our fruits and vegetables. And although she is profiting from it, which is great. She's a nutritionist. She's not a nutritionist. She has a company that publishes, right. She's a publicist that deals with the company that sells those nutrients back to you. Yeah. But I want to talk about, you know, what's going on with our fruits and vegetables. You know, they're, they're all hybrid, you know, everything sucked out of them, and then you have to pay triple the amount to get what you, you know, would naturally get Yeah, right. Right. Yeah. So I think that would be a great conversation.

Unknown Speaker 20:46
They're, they're creating a series of different products, different supplements that help you and they, yes, they absolutely pull them out. So they have things called folding for gut health, just just an array of different things. Yeah. Tiffany Parker, I have to reach out to her in the owners and have them circle back around with you. They will be great to have her Absolutely. I'm really say they're, like, really taken away what we're seeing with cancer. And I mean, it's they're just doing great things. And I don't want to speak to it and, and not speak to it properly. But what they're doing is just Yeah, it's different. It's amazing. I just

Zandra Polard 21:27
want to be educated on it further educated on it, so that'd be great. Well, I appreciate you coming on. I know you've got to get I know you've got to get to the mayor.

Unknown Speaker 21:39
So Now usually I could talk all night, but yeah, I gotta go up in there. So my face

Zandra Polard 21:44
all right. All right. Well, stay in touch. Thank you for coming on. Have fun. We'll talk soon. All righty. Okay, thanks. Well, you know, I want to thank all of you guys out there for listening to our conversation about some of everything. But we did throw in that awareness. That is so important. I want to give a special shout out to peaceful mind psychiatric services. Dr. Michelle Giddings White is having her third annual Mental Health Awareness walkathon. It's Today, October 28. from nine to 12. They'll have music, games, vendors, and food so kids can enjoy. I hope you all enjoy your beautiful Saturday. I'm here every Saturday at 7:30am Enjoy your day. But before I let you go el Haim kick a song

Unknown Speaker 22:45
I'm gonna play a loan with you by Alina barres

Zandra Polard 22:48
All right bye

Unknown Speaker 23:07
Call Your face says you

Unknown Speaker 23:14
got it sell me

Unknown Speaker 23:21
baby's baby is the season we should get David?

Unknown Speaker 24:23
Mix

Unknown Speaker 24:59
I

Unknown Speaker 25:07
have stasis

Transcribed by https://otter.ai