In this episode of Support is Sexy, hear the ups and downs of Nadia Lopez’s journey. An inspiring educator of Brooklyn who “opened a school to close a prison,” Nadia speaks about her experiences with both the limelight and the day-to-day reality of running her school. She emphasizes the absolute necessity of self-care in the face of intense pressure and stress in this episode of Support is Sexy.

Elayne Fluker
Elayne Fluker is author of the new book, “Get Over ‘I Got It’: How to Stop Playing Superwoman, Get Support and Remember that Having It All Doesn’t Mean Doing It All Alone.” As host of the SUPPORT IS SEXY podcast, she interviews more than 500 successful women entrepreneurs around the world, who share inspiring, true stories of the ups and the downs of their entrepreneurial journeys. Elayne is also founder of SiS.Academy, an online learning platform for women entrepreneurs. For more information about Elayne Fluker, please visit elaynefluker.com. Thank you for listening!

About our Guest:
Nadia Lopez, a passionate educator and leader of over 10 years, is Founder of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a STEM focused public middle school in Brownsville, Brooklyn. After being honored in Humans of New York, Nadia was recognized by President Obama and has given a TED Talk. She’s been on The Ellen Show, Good Morning America, the Today Show, and she’s now the Chief Visionary Officer of The Lopez Effect. Check out her book The Bridge to Brilliance and her weekly Instagram show On The Low.

Insight from this episode:
How to prioritize mental health and heal yourself, especially during the pandemic.
Strategies for building a supportive team and the importance of having mentors and advocates.
Why we can’t dismiss all the work that goes into being an “overnight success.”
Strategies on listening to yourself and your body even when those around you say “you’re fine.”

Quotes from the show:
“The individuals who had the most significant influence, outside of my parents, were educators.” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“Rather than be part of the complaining committee, I wanted to know what was happening in the school system.” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“This door might have closed or doesn’t want to open, but what are your other ways of getting in? Or maybe you just need to go into a whole other building, and that building is the one you need to be opening doors in.” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“You cannot be defeated by one event in your life.” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“When you’re in a particular industry, especially like education, it’s so good to have people outside of it because if not, you get sucked up into this negative space.” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“It’s one post, one scholar, but actually it’s 10 years of work, all those years before, that you have poured into yourself and wanting to do this and getting denied and going through all the changes and then getting to the point where you are in this position…” –Elayne Fluker Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“Stress manifests itself in ways you can’t even understand” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740
“People tied my identity and work into this one moment in time, and I fell into that. Now I started to feel like, if I do leave, what’s my credibility out in the world?” –Nadia Lopez Support is Sexy Ep. #740

Resources Mentioned
Roadmap to Freedom

Stay Connected:
Elayne Fluker
Website: elaynefluker.com
Twitter: @elaynefluker
Facebook: Elayne Fluker
Instagram: @elaynefluker
LinkedIn: Elayne Fluker
Youtube: Elayne Fluker

Nadia Lopez
Website: TheLopezEffect.com
LinkedIn: @TheLopezEffect
Facebook: @TheLopezEffect
Instagram: @TheLopezEffect
Twitter: @TheLopezEffect

Support is Sexy
Website: Support is Sexy Podcast
Facebook: Support is Sexy
Instagram: @supportissexy
Youtube: Support is Sexy Podcast Playlist

Post-production for this episode was provided by Podcast Laundry.
[Music: “Stomp and Clap” by Scott Holmes from Free Music Archive]

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