Zee Clarke on Mindfulness for Racial Healing: Breathwork, Resilience & the Power of Black People ...

Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show podcast, the podcast show where we unlock potential one dream at a time. Today we have another guest whose journey is truly worth hearing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Moneyway experience. What's up, my good people? Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show in association with Believe Network, the podcast that brings you stories behind the success, resilience, and transformation. And I'm your host CJ Moneyway Johnson, and today we're diving into a powerful conversation on mindfulness, racial healing, and workplace wellbeing. Our guest today is Z Clark, a Harvard MBA corporate leader turned breathwork and resilience expert, and the author of Black People Breathe: A Mindful Guide to Racial Healing. Z has over 20 years of experience leading teams at Fortune 500 companies and tech startups. Now, Now she's on a mission to help individuals and organizations harvest the power of mindfulness and breathwork to reduce stress and improve productivity. Z, welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show. We're thrilled to have you today. How you doing?

I'm doing well. Thank you so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.

I appreciate you coming on, taking time out of your busy schedule to come on the CJ Moneyway Show. So Z, Let's jump right into this. You've had an incredible career leading teams at Fortune 500 companies, earning an MBA from Harvard, and now transitioning into breathwork and mindfulness. Can you share with us a little bit about your journey and what inspired you to make this shift?

Yes. Well, my journey at the beginning seemed pretty traditional. I did everything that everybody said to do to be successful. So starting from when I was little, right, I did my homework, I tried to get straight A's, I went I went to Harvard for undergrad and studied economics. I went back to Harvard for business school and I got all the corporate jobs that people wanted. You know, I had all of the big brands. I worked at Citigroup, American Express. I was a management consultant. I worked at Yahoo. I did all the things, but here is the problem. The problem is that we Black people in corporate America get treated differently. I mean, women too, right? And I'm a Black woman, so there's intersectionality. And what happened is I would start a job and my boss would say, "Oh, you know, I just want to let you know I didn't hire you because you're Black." But then another colleague would say, "Are you the new diversity hire?" And so I found myself in situations constantly where people were questioning my competence and kind of implying that I didn't deserve to be there. And so what I did instead is I was like, "Okay, you know what? Bet, I am going to prove to you that I do deserve to be here. And so I worked hard and I worked harder and I worked nights and I worked weekends and I did the most. And you know what happened? Burnout. Burnout is real. I didn't know that I was going through that at the time, but I wasn't eating. I wasn't sleeping. Every morning I would wake up being like, today's the day that I'm going to get fired. Today's the day that I'm going to get fired. And what people don't realize is that your mental health affects your physical health. And so I started getting sick all the time. My immune system was in the gutter. I had a cancer scare. And at a certain point, my doctor said, something's got to change with your stress levels. And now I grew up in a household. I grew up in Washington, DC. We talked about that earlier. And my parents, if I said anything about mental health, they'd be like, mental who? Go to work, go to school. Ain't nobody got time for that. But when it was about physical health, that's when I took it seriously. I was raised that physical health is serious. And so I took this seriously. And I finally quit my job. And I went to India. I joke that I did the Black girl version of Eat, Pray, Love because I was meditating. I was doing the yoga. I became a sound healer with Tibetan singing bowls. Like, my Harvard Business School classmates were like, What happened to Z? But I had never felt so good in my entire life. And that's why I made the shift to do what I do today.

Mm, you know, I was trying to find a young lady, well, she's a young lady to me, but she was an older lady. And she was one of the first Blacks to be like vice president or something at a Fortune 500 company. And I'm listening to you and it was kind of reminiscent of the story that she told me that sometimes they don't feel as though that you belong or that they just hired you because you're Black. And she said the same thing you did. She said, "I showed them that not only did I belong there, but I was worth more than what they could have ever imagined." You know what I'm saying?

Yes.

I can understand getting on that level, you have to show yourself more and prove more than somebody that's probably not doing as much as you are. But because of our You know what I'm saying? My background, you know, I get it, I get it. So you just said something, uh, Z, when you went to India and you found yourself in this and that.

Yeah.

And so you say you trained in India in yoga, meditation, and breathwork, uh, sound healing, and you do Reiki, right?

Yes.

How you pronounce it?

Reiki.

Reiki. Okay, that's a big thing because I've had like 3 or 4 people, oh, that say I'm a Reiki master, you know what I'm saying? And things of that nature. This is what they teach. So let me ask you, how did those experiences shape your perspective on wellness and influence your current work that you're doing now?

Well, I want to start by saying that I wasn't always open to all of these things. And I know a lot of people can relate to that. You know, I didn't grow up with meditation. I didn't grow up with yoga. And I'll say that in my adult life, when I would see it, in the media, it wasn't people that looked like me, right? You know, the first yoga class I ever went to was taught by a white woman. And that's fine. You know what I mean? I think that all these practices are for everybody, but I'll just say that I didn't see myself represented in this world. And so I thought to myself, this isn't for me. Now here's the thing is that yoga, meditation, breathwork, these were all created and developed by people of color around the world centuries ago. Right? But now it has been co-opted by the majority. And so I'll just say that I wasn't originally open to these practices until I started having problems, until I wasn't sleeping, until I was constantly anxious. And with all that, I was like, "I need something." I got desperate. That's when I started looking into these practices. I went to India to study these practices because I wanted to learn from the source. I was tired of things getting lost in translation. And how did it impact my perspective? Well, you learn through experience. And I'll just say, I didn't even realize that my shoulders were up to my ears always by default since I was 8 years old, since the first day of school. I told you I grew up in DC. I grew up in DC where I saw my first drive-by shooting when I was 7 years old. Okay. So that was my growing up. And I went to a private school, an all-white private school in a very expensive suburb. And so the first day of school, 8 years old, right? Then I was like, "Oh, I'm not safe here. I'm different than everybody else. People aren't speaking to me. They're treating me differently." And that stress stayed with me for the majority of my life. And so until I went to India, until I had this like turbo experience of like acceleration into peace, I had never felt this sense of inner peace, this sense of grounding, this sense that, oh, I am safe and I am taken care of. And it doesn't matter what's happening around me. Because I used to be like life was in a— like I was in a washing machine just getting spun around. Like I had no control and I was just getting flown from here to here, right? But those experiences in India taught me practices that reminded me that I have the power to determine how I feel. I can do these practices and I can feel better. Immediately. And so here's the thing is that this world, the yoga world, the meditation world, a lot of people use the word woo-woo. Okay. I don't like that word, but people understand it. And what I want to do in my life is get these practices because everybody needs to feel grounded. Everybody needs to feel calm and stuff happens. Life happens. Look at what's happening in the world today. Look at what's happening in the news. Look at the government. Look at the administration. Look at— how people are treated not just in this country, but around the world based on who has power, right? And so if we can take our own inner power and still feel good and still thrive, that's my goal. So I translate the woo-woo into actionable, practical things that people can do, right? And here's the thing. Black people, we need this because there is research that shows that these practices lower your blood pressure, lower your stress levels, help with heart disease, and so many things. And so we have those problems, and that's why I do this work, to bring it to not just Black people but all people that need to feel better.

Yeah, I get what you're saying, you know, not just trying to single out, I'm just doing it for Black people, but it's the point that there's certain things that we go through in our culture As far as bloodline generation, and these are some of the practices that can help us do some of the things that you're saying. So I get it, but it's for everybody just as it is with this diversity thing now. We label certain things, and so some people felt left out in certain instances, and so now we're at where we're at right now because now people feel like they're the minority. Okay, but that's a whole different subject.

Hmm.

See, let's talk about your book.

Okay.

Your book, Black People Breathe, addresses some of the things we were just touching on— racial trauma through mindful techniques. What inspired you to write this book, and what message do you hope to convey to readers?

My book is called Black People Breathe. And this idea came to me during a time when I kept hearing this phrase, I can't breathe. OK? I can't breathe. So let's rewind. Let's bring it back. It was 2020. Lots of stuff was going on, if you all recall. Like, sure, there was the pandemic. But let's talk about George Floyd. And let's talk about all of the people that were murdered by the police. And I, at that time, had a corporate job. I was a VP. I was running a team. I was on the leadership team. And I was dealing with things outside of work, right? Like, I went to play— I play violin, and I played violin in a violin vigil to honor the life of a young man named Elijah McClain, who was a Black violinist who was walking home from the store, and the police did what they did to him unarmed. And I went to play violin at a violin vigil. And a bunch of violinists at a park in Colorado honoring this man's life. When the riot police came and tear gas was everywhere and I found myself sprinting away from the police. And you know what helped me get through that? Breathing. You know what helped me to get through my colleagues that would say stupid stuff like, "When I see you, I don't see color"? Breathing, because this little Black girl from D.C. wanted to tell them what she thought in the language that she thought it. But— then I might have lost my job. So what is this book about? This book is about how can we breathe, because breathing impacts our nervous system, which impacts how we feel, which then impacts how we show up in this world and how we take care of ourselves. And so my book, Black People Breathe, what message do I hope to convey? Well, it depends on who the audience is. For Black people, for people of color, for people of marginalized communities, I want you to know that yes, of course, we know the world is hard, but I want you to know that while you can't control the world around you, you can control how you feel. And it starts with recognizing, how am I feeling right now in this moment? And then doing something about it. Every chapter in my book, it's an issue that we Black people face. There's a chapter called Safety Is a Privilege, where I talk about all the situations where we don't feel safe. And safety is not just physical safety. Sure, it is. It is also psychological safety. And I share breathing practices that you can do when you don't feel safe. There's a chapter in my book called "Shopping While Black." I tell a story of when I was racially profiled by the police at the grocery store. They said that I stole deli meat. CJ, I'm a vegan.

I'd say, first of all—

So you know how many hours it took them to search for the meat in my car? Because they went through everything. I was going on a cross-country camping trip. So I had a bunch of stuff in my car. My car was packed to the rim. They went through my clothes. They went through my sleeping bag. They went through my— because I spent $200 at this grocery store. And they just assumed that I stole deli meat. And I was like, I'm sorry, officer. Right? So when you have those situations where I could have been unalived if I told them what I thought, but instead my breathing practice allowed— especially the belly breath. I'm just going to throw that out there. The belly breath. You inhale deeply and stick your belly out like— And then you exhale and your belly comes towards your spine. So you make your belly big as you inhale, and that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. And that counters your fight or flight reaction, which causes you to do things maybe that might make the situation— look, I'm here today and I'm grateful for the breath. So my book has every chapter, some of the only, when you're the only Black person, R-E-S-P-E-C-T at work, and those microaggressions that happen. Countering imposter syndrome, because if you're constantly beat down and people are treating you like you're not smart, you're gonna start to doubt yourself. There's a chapter called To Code Switch or Not to Code Switch, right? And do we do that? Should we do that? Right? And so these issues that we face every day, and I share mindfulness and breathing practices that we can do when we're faced with those challenges. And the other thing in my book is around recognizing your emotion and knowing that there's a different breathing practice or mindfulness practice that you can do based on how you're feeling. So you can go to the back, and there's a glossary. Angry. I'm frustrated. I am sad. I am anxious. And there's a specific technique for you. So the big takeaway is, for Black folks and marginalized communities, is that you can't change the world quickly in this moment. We can. I actually believe that we can. It's a slow— it's a slow process.

Yes.

And while we wait, we can take care of ourselves. That's the message. And for the allies or aspiring allies reading my book, Black People Breathe, my message to you is get yourself educated. Be educated about the realities that happen. Because I have a lot of friends, especially from business school, old coworkers, that said, that would never happen to a Black person like you.

Hmm.

As if I have Harvard written on my forehead when I am in the store, right? And so I want allies and aspiring allies to not only be aware of what happens to us, but I want to inspire you to do something about it. Use your privilege.

Mm, that's a good point. Let me ask you something, Z. You said that there's different breathing techniques. And so for my audience, 'cause I know that a lot of us or some of us probably feel like this sometimes, especially at work. So tell me the breathing technique that I should use when one of my coworkers has just took me to that level and I'm ready to cuss somebody out. So how should I breathe?

Okay, well, it depends on whether they are physically in your presence or not. Okay, like, let me give you an example. A friend of mine, she was in a meeting, and her coworker said, you're a single mom, right? Why do you think I'm a single mom? You know what I mean? Like, you just want to be like, In those moments, there are two breathing practices that are helpful. I just shared one of them, which is that belly breath, that deep diaphragmatic breath where you inhale, belly goes out, exhale, belly goes in. Exactly. Now, here's the thing. The way you just did it, CJ, they're going to notice. So we can't do it like that. You can't because you don't need them to know what you're doing. So really, without them knowing it, you just, with your mind, you tell your belly to inhale and stick out. And then you exhale, your belly comes toward your spine. Another one for when you're in front of people is an extra long exhalation. So basically wherever you are in the breath, and it's not loud, it's a silent one because, you know, we all want to be like, "Ahh," right? No, that's not what I'm saying because we're trying to maintain the positive relations, you know, trying to still maintain, have our paycheck, right? And so just a long exhalation. Try it with me now, wherever you are in the breath, Just exhale silently as long as you can. And you know, your shoulders just went down. Mine did too. And your shoulders were up. You know what I mean? People's shoulders are up because of the stress. And so both of these breathing practices stimulate that parasympathetic nervous system to counter the fight or flight. So that's what you do if you're in the moment. Now, if you are by yourself and you are It's about, are you angry? Are you— you know what I mean? Like, there are different breathing exercises depending on how you're feeling. But I'll say one that for anger that, you know, I can share with you, right? Because some of them I need like video, you know what I mean? It requires a little bit more. But one of them is squeeze and release. Like, if you are angry and they're not with you, right? Or let's say you get the email and you want to just be like, I cannot believe that they said, you know, I'm going to tell them, right? Squeeze and release. Basically, I'll tell you about it. We can do it together. You're going to inhale and then at the top of the inhale, you squeeze all of your muscles, like you make fists, you squeeze everything for 3 seconds, and you exhale it all out and let it go. So let's try it together. You up for it?

Yeah, I'm up for it.

Okay. All right, so take a deep breath in. At the top of the breath, make fists, squeeze your butt muscles, your face muscles, your arms, everything for 3, 2, 1. Exhale it out. Ah.

I ain't gotta squeeze my butt muscles, do I? Is that optional?

It is optional, but I will tell you there is— there are actually a lot of yoga practices that involve— they call it a lock. In fact, they call it a root chakra lock. Okay, root lock is the technical term. But yes, because you're taking that tension and you're putting it together and you're like, it needs to come out, right? And so you squeeze it so then you can let it go. I mean, in the gym, they might say punch a punching bag, right? But you don't have a punching bag. So you could do that and then let it out.

That's a good technique. So I'm gonna try to go back to work and help some people with some of that anger management. Squeeze your butt cheeks. There you go.

It works.

It works.

I'm saying.

Oh, man. So, Z, Mm-hmm. In your book, you describe 33 mindfulness techniques. Could you share a few practical techniques that our listeners can use to manage racial stress and trauma in their daily lives? Yeah.

Well, you know, there's one technique that has been really powerful for me when dealing with anxiety and when I can't fall asleep. So, you know, we all know that there are things that we are worried about, right? Like layoffs, right? Or you have a meeting with somebody that you just don't want to deal with. You're worried about what's going to happen, right? And you're so worried that you can't fall asleep. This breathing practice is called 4-7-8 breathing. And again, it stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system. The way it works is you inhale for a count of 4, you hold your breath for a count of 7, and you exhale for a count of 8. You want to try it with me?

Okay, let's do the numbers again.

I'm going to lead you through it. You don't need to remember anything.

All right, cool.

All right. So sitting up straight so you can get your full lung capacity. We're going to breathe in and out through the nose. And let's go. Inhale for 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold your breath for 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale for 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Again, in for 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold for 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale for 8. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. One more. In for 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold for 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale for 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And relax. And allow the breath to be natural. And tell me how you feel.

I feel good. Maybe my lungs and stuff may be a little, you know, out of whack because I'm a little tired because you got me Breathe in 7, 8, 7, 6. Now, but now that's a good technique though. I get you. I see, you know, and I'm pretty sure that it takes time to, you know, develop these type of techniques and to get the real comfort that you're talking about.

Yes, I will say that if you've never done this before, it might be hard to hold your breath for that long. It might be hard to exhale for that long. And so in that case, you just count faster. Right? And then as you get more developed, you can count a little slower. But this practice, if you can't fall asleep, you're lying in bed and you're like, "I can't fall asleep. I'm worried about this thing. I'm worried about this thing." Without getting up, you can just lie there, do this breathing practice, and you will naturally fall asleep. So that's one of them. Another thing that I recommend is to be intentional about your morning and evening routines. So a lot of us are not intentional. You know what I mean? We wake up, the alarm clock, you're kind of in a rush, you go do all the things. But there is power to being intentional about how you start your day and how you end your day because how you start your day, that puts a little lens on the day, right? We've all had those days where we woke up discombobulated and then the rest of the day everything was just like a hot mess. You can't find your keys. You know what I mean? You're late for the meeting. Like there was traffic, you know, all the things. And that's not helpful. And then at the end of the day, right, you're tired. And if you had too many glasses of wine, you know, like, right. So I'll tell you before, before You asked me how my journey started, okay? In that period of being burnt out, let me tell you what my morning and evening routines were. So my phone was my alarm clock. So my phone would alarm, right? And I'd be like, snooze, snooze, snooze. And I finally pick up the phone and I'd be like, oh, Instagram notification, scroll, scroll. Oh, TikTok, TikTok, maybe not TikTok anymore, you know, with the government, but scrolling and scrolling. Next thing you know, That I'm like, ooh, work email. And I'm like, oh no, they didn't. And I'm writing an angry work email from my pillow without having brushed my teeth. Then I'm late. Then I take a quick shower. I don't have time for breakfast. You don't get the fuel that you need, right? I'm running to work. I get to work, back-to-back meetings, so much so that I do not have time to go to the bathroom. Finally, it's 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock, or depending on your job, what time is it, right? And then I get home and I'm exhausted and my brain doesn't want to do anything. So I plop down on the couch, I turn the TV on, I pour myself a glass of wine, I pour myself another glass of wine, right? Third glass of wine, that's too many for me. Okay, I'm not that big. And then next thing you know, I pass out. I wake up the next morning, do it all over again. I'm not surprised I was getting sick. And then to deal with the microaggressions at work. And so what I recommend in my book is to be intentional. We're all different. We are different people that need different things. So try out what works for you, but just some suggestions. Just some suggestions. And you don't have to do all these. Pick one, pick two. Right? In the morning, I invite people to do a daily check-in. So before I even get out of bed, as soon as my consciousness comes there, I say, "Good morning, Z. How are you?" Good morning. I use my name because I feel cared for. There's something powerful in using your name. And if I'm feeling energized and great, awesome. This is a day I'm going to do all the things. If it's a day I'm tired, I'm like, "You know what? I'm going to take this off my plate and this is not necessary." If I'm feeling sad and tender because hard things happen, then this is a day I'm going to call my best friend and I am going to get some comfort, right? So daily check-in, setting an intention for the day is very powerful. I want to share a little science behind that. The RAS, that is the reticular activating system part of the brain. That is the part of the brain that filters important, not important, important, not important. It happens in the background. And so if you set an intention, "Today, I'm going to find joy. Today, I'm going to be patient. Today, I'm going to be productive," then the background of your brain is looking for the things to make sure that that happens. You don't even need to think about it. What else? Drinking water, the best thing to go in your system. First thing is water. I bought an alarm clock, okay? I was like, "What is this ancient device used in the olden days called an alarm clock?" Right? But my phone is outside of my bedroom, right? So there are things that you can do in the morning. There are some things you can do in the morning or the evening depending on what works for you, like exercise. Some people don't have time. Some people do a gratitude list. So writing 3 things you're grateful for. There's so much research about how gratitude impacts your brain, right? And impacts your mood. Journaling, meditation. Clearly I teach mindfulness meditation. Even if you're like, my friends are like, "Z, I can't meditate. I just, it's not for me." 2 minutes, 1 minute. There are even apps. There are guided meditations you can do. And so something about the regularity of it. Then you get the impact, right? All the research that shows lowers your stress levels, lowers your blood pressure, improves your immune system, reduces anxiety, helps with depression, all of these things. Meditation. Aromatherapy is another thing. I do that in the evening. I have lavender essential oils. I got my little diffuser, helps me sleep. In the morning, different aromatherapies. So like orange and mint are good for like making you alert, waking you up. And then the evening, going to bed at the same time. Put your phone on do not disturb in the other room. Read a book. Make your plan for tomorrow. Family ritual routine is one I love. Family ritual routine. Um, I have a friend that combines that with the gratitude and her and her kids and her husband, they go around every night. That's part of the bedtime routine. What are we grateful for? Right. And so being intentional about morning and evening routines, like, just like you take vitamins to strengthen your immune system, these things help. And, you know, I share a bunch of techniques, but those are just a few.

That's a good one. I mean, I know we just did that on Thanksgiving when we had everybody here. You know, everybody went around like, what you thankful for? No, no, I take that lie back. That wasn't Thanksgiving. That was New Year's Day. We had company over, and everybody went around and, you know, just said what they was thankful for. But like you say, I like that, implementing that into your everyday practice. Especially with family, you know, 'cause you can do it with yourself, but when you, you know, you can hear from your loved ones and you know what I'm saying? You can see that everybody being grateful for different things in life, you know, especially kids that, you know, I can see how that helps. I can see how that helps. I'm gonna have to get your book myself, Z. So Z, let me ask you, one of the key things in your book is healing. In a world where racial inequality persists, How can mindful contribute to long-term healing for Black people and for people of color? How can we endure that?

Yeah, well, let's start with what are the impacts of racial inequality on Black people and people of color, right? So there is research from Harvard University, Harvard School of Public Health. There is research from Columbia University that says that microaggressions and racism are the cause of our higher rates of high blood pressure and heart disease. They cause diabetes. They cause chronic stress, which can lead to stomach issues, chronic fatigue, and all sorts of things. And then it's also our mental health. So we have depression. You know that Black women often go undiagnosed with depression because our symptoms are different. So while people without melanin, they might be able to be sad We can't be sad. No, we got to go to work. We got to be strong Black women. We got, right? And so it doesn't show up like that for us. Instead, we're irritable. Instead, we can't sleep. Instead, we have reduced libido, right? And so these practices actually can help with depression. And let's talk about suicide in our community, right? It's now in the news. You're hearing more and more about Black women committing suicide, right? And so how can mindfulness contribute to the long-term healing? Well, mindfulness, breathwork, self-care, stopping ignoring ourselves because I, you know, I grew up thinking that I was supposed to be a martyr, that like you are an admirable person if you put everybody else first until I felt broken, until I couldn't do anything for anybody else, right? I had to hit a rock bottom point. But if we proactively take care of our mental health, then we can not only be there for ourselves, but we can be there for other people. And let's talk about intergenerational trauma. Are you familiar with epigenetics?

Mm-mm.

Okay. Epigenetics. This is the idea that experiences of our ancestors get passed along in our DNA. There is a story by a book. I can't remember, Mark Wohler, maybe? It's called It Didn't Start with Us. And in this book, it shares lots of research, right? And so there's research about mice. So you have mice in an experiment sort of situation, and they are given a cherry blossom smell. Every time there's a cherry blossom smell, they get an electric shock, right? So they knew, they were trained. So they would smell the cherry blossom and their bodies would tense up. They're like, we about to get shocked. I'm scared. Right. Okay. That makes sense. Right. You learn that. Okay. Those mice had babies. Those babies had never been electric shocked, but every time they smelled cherry blossoms, they had the same reaction, like they're about to get shocked, that fight or flight reaction. Guess what? Those babies had babies. And the same thing happened, that that next generation, it was 3 generations that that stayed in the system, right? All right. Are you extrapolating what I'm trying to say here?

Yeah, I'm with you.

I'm with you.

Yes.

And so what I'm saying is long-term healing, that it is not just about the microaggressions that we experience on a daily basis. The things that happened to our parents, the things that happened to our grandparents are in our blood. They're in our DNA. There's a term that I learned as I was doing all the research, which I'm like, oh yeah, that makes sense. I would never use it in everyday language. It's called hypervigilance. Have you ever walked into a place and been like, oh, these people are going to get— like, this is not safe. Like something's about to happen. You get that feeling, right? Sometimes that feeling is very warranted. Other times, nah, everybody was chill but you because your grandparents and your great-grandparents knew that that wasn't safe. So you, you think that that is not safe, right? And so if we can be mindful of how we're feeling and even be aware, I am experiencing a feeling of being unsafe right now. And then that mindfulness being like, what can I do to nourish myself to feel better or just check myself? Is this a real threat or is this a generational trauma?

Threat. Yeah, I like that. And I overlooked it. Well, I went over the question. You said something earlier that another thing besides the being grateful thing, you said just daily talking to you, not talking to yourself, but self-checking. Yeah, self-checking. I like that. Like, hey, Corey, how you doing today? I'm doing great. You know what I'm saying? I just wanted to bring that back because I think that's a good point because you said something to the effect that once you feel good feel good about yourself, you know what I'm saying? Even if nobody else even compliments you for the rest of the day, I got a self-check-in. I feel fantastic today. There you go. Nobody is going to take that away from me. I just wanted to bring that back up because I thought that was a real good point that you made. So let me ask you, you know, we talking about the breathwork and things of that nature. You mentioned it earlier how you worked with major corporations like Google, Visa, and, uh, HSBC to implement breathwork practices. Tell us about your upcoming program, Breathwork at Work, and how is it designed to improve the well-being of the workplace?

Yeah, well, I have a couple programs out there. Breathwork at Work is the program that is for all people of all backgrounds and all levels, and that is to help folks at work deal with the stuff that happens. So I have a workshop called Stress Management 101 where I teach tools on how to manage stress, which By the way, they didn't teach me at the Harvard Business School, okay? Channeling focus and productivity, right? How do you do that? Countering imposter syndrome. How do you boost up your confidence when you're having a low day? I have a workshop called Managing Fatigue. What do you do when you are exhausted, but you still have work to do? And Prioritizing Self-Care. So those are my workshops that are for all people of all backgrounds. I incorporate breathing practices in all of them. So this is me taking the woo-woo and being like, no, no, no. But guess what? If you do this breathing practice for 2 minutes, you'll be more productive. Still woo-woo for you? You know what I mean? We're not in a yoga studio. We're not at an ashram. We are at work. But I'm going to take these. I'm going to take a 2-minute break so that I can be focused and get this thing here done right now. You know what I mean? I have another program called my Black at Work program. And this program is for Black folks, and it can be adjusted for different marginalized populations. So Latinx, women, et cetera. But I have workshops that are focused on the specific things that we deal with. One might be breathing through microaggressions. Another one is managing the need to outperform, right? Because, you know, we got to work twice as hard to get half as far, but then we get to burnout, right? I have one called Building Up the Courage to Ask for Promotions and Raises. I was so nervous, so nervous to do that for so long, even though I knew I deserved it. But the way we get treated— so how do you get that courage to ask, and how do you do it strategically so that you'll get it? I have another one called Mindfulness Around Seeking Sponsors and Mentors, right? And the sponsorship— this is, you're not in the room, but somebody who's more senior than you that has influence says, You know what, have you ever thought about Z for that project? Or you know that new senior role that's opening up? Z would be amazing for that. We need those people. But they don't tap us on the shoulder. They don't do that for us. So how do we get them to do that for us? And I teach breathing practices and mindfulness practices combined with tactical things. For example, you want this person who's on this, you know, X C-level to be a sponsor for you. I'll give you advice on how you can get close to them to get them to want to talk about you in the room. And that involves mindfulness and breathwork. The breathwork is, well, I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm gonna talk to that person. I am at a networking event and I'm in the corner because I don't want to talk to the C-level executive, they are scary. Breathing can help you get the courage to walk over there and be like, hi, I'm Z, I'm in the blah blah blah department, and this is the last thing that I did, and I'm really excited about this. What are you about and how can I help you? That's not exactly what you'd say, but you know what I mean, to get the courage to even walk up. Those are some examples. Of some of the things that I teach in the workplace.

Oh man, that sounds cool. You got a lot of stuff going on, Z. You know what I'm saying? Breathe. Let me do that.

Mm-hmm. Yes.

Hey, so, so Z, I'm almost, you know, I'm just about done. I appreciate you coming on, giving us all these nuggets and, you know, giving us the breathwork techniques and things of that nature. But I can't leave without asking you about your book promotion. Your book has received glowing praise from mental health experts and corporate leaders. What do you hope allies and non-Black readers take away from Black People Breathe?

Yeah, well, I want allies to just be educated, to be aware that these things happen, to not be in denial. About this, and I want my book to inspire folks to actually take action, right? And what does taking action mean? It means use your privilege to amplify Black voices. It means speak up when you see bad things happen. It means be mindful of how what you say can land, right? What the impact of what you say and do you can be, and then to be intentional about it. You know what I mean? So I want to inspire allies to be aware of your biases and then to act in a way because, you know, there's passive allyship. There is, what do you call it when it's like performative? When it's like, you know, you got all those bracelets people were wearing after the election last year, you know what I mean? Or the black box on your Instagram. Instagram. That's not it. That's not it. No, I want you to act, to take actual action to help change the world because it needs changing.

Yeah, it definitely needs that. So we were talking before we got on air, so I give you a chance to, you know, let out some of the things that— some of the upcoming projects that you got on. So before we close, what's next for you? Do you have any exciting upcoming projects or initiative we can look forward to?

Yes. Well, one thing that I do is it's called Roots, and it is an ancestral breathwork experience to help you heal from generational trauma. And so that's going to be coming up in June where we are going to actually talk about the generational trauma. I told you about epigenetics earlier, right? What are the things that you inherited that maybe no longer serve you and the bloodline? It must stop with us. It has to stop here. So Roots is an ancestral breathwork session to heal generational trauma. I have monthly events called Vitality Tune-ups. And in the Vitality Tune-up, that is where, you know, when you just need a little oomph, when you need— just like you take vitamins, your nervous system needs a little boost. So that's what that'll give you. And then one thing that I'm very excited about is a new album I'm working on. Now, you might be like, "Z, album? What you talk about? You just breathe." You might recall that I said that I play the violin.

Yeah.

I also am a sound healer with Tibetan singing bowls. And there are certain frequencies that your brain reacts to so that it lowers your stress level, helps with sleep, et cetera. And so I am very excited about working on a new album where I am making the music from scratch, right? So we got the beat. So the guided breathing practices, guided meditations, where I take 528 Hz frequencies— that's, that's one of the key frequencies for stress and sleep— and with that, there'll be some guided meditations, some guided breathwork, and me performing on many different instruments. I am very excited about that. It does not have a name yet, so you'll see, you'll see when it comes out.

Oh man, we got a Martin Day David, you know, when you said that, it made me think about how when the king, he would have these headaches and stuff, you know what I'm saying, and all these demonic things going on. And then David would go get the harp and he would play the music for him, and all the intentions and all these things would just, you know, saying, go away from him. So, hey Z, you on to something. I see you, I see you, I see you. So Z, I'm really thankful that you came on today and shared your insight. I liked your charisma, you know what I'm saying? How spontaneous you was, real energetic. Everybody I had today has been very energetic and it made me feel good today too. So Z, I thank you for joining us today. It's been an insightful and inspiring conversation. Your work is truly helping individuals and companies rethink wellness and healing. Before we go, where can people learn more about your book and the Breathe Work At Work program?

Yeah, so I invite you to go to my website, zeeclark.com. That's Z-E-E-C-L-A-R-K-E. Don't even know how to spell my name, y'all. Z-E-E-C-L-A-R-K-E. That's Z, Z-E-E, and Clark with an E. So zeeclark.com. Also on social media, Z Clark Breathes. I'm on Instagram and YouTube and LinkedIn, and I'm on all the channels, but I invite you to join my mailing list. I'm not somebody that sends a lot of emails. You will get one a month that has some self-care and some breathing tips and just some tips on how to, you know, live your best life with vitality. So I look forward to connecting with folks and to see you at my Roots Ancestral Breathwork session.

That's what's up, Z. So where we gonna be able to find this album at? Mm.

Well, that's going to be on the Spotify and the Apple Music. You know, when you put an album out, it goes on all the channels.

Okay.

It's going to be everywhere. Very accessible. Because my goal here is to make these tools accessible for folks that aren't trying to do that on a reg, you know what I mean? That's like, I'm not going to go— some people are like, well, I'm not going to a yoga class. I don't want to be around yoga people. Well, from the comfort of your own home, you just have it on your phone, slip some headphones in. Get some peace. Who doesn't want peace in 2 minutes? Come on.

I mean, I do.

I do.

8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I'm getting the hang of it.

You are. You are.

Again, I thank you for being on the CJ Moneyway Show. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. If you found this episode valuable, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share it with someone who might benefit from this message. Make sure to grab a copy of Black People Breathe and be on the lookout for the violinist. And she's playing her different instruments to make you feel good and to get those tensions to release some of that stress. But then again, like I say, grab a book of Black People Breathe and stay tuned for Z's upcoming Breathe at Work program. Until next time, stay motivated, stay mindful, and keep reclaiming your peace. This is CJ Moneyway signing off. We outta here. Peace. Thank you for listening to the CJ Moneyway Show. Don't forget to share this episode with your friends, leave a comment, and drop a review.

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