This weekend the 57th NAACP Image Awards is taking place in Los Angeles. Ahead of the event, Dr. Chreyl P. Williamson, whose podcast “Ageless, Fearless, & Unscripted” was nominated for its first award for Outstanding Podcast (Lifestyle/Self-Help), spoke to Our Weekly about the meaning of the nomination, the premises and goals for her podcast, and what is ahead.
A leader and lady who wears multiple hats with various roles, such as a bestselling author of 19 books, a motivational speaker, and a mindset coach, Williamson has been featured on Forbes, RollingOut, FOX, Black Enterprise, and more.
While she did not win the award, which was announced at the NAACP Pre-Show that aired on YouTube on Feb. 24, Williamson still expressed full gratitude and acknowledged the honor. She said the following on her Instagram account. “Family! We didn’t take home the award, but we still won. To be nominated at 59, moving in my #secondact, for an NAACP Image Award in the Self-Help Category for AGeless, Fearless & Unscripted is a win. My God.”
She continued in the Instagram captioned statement: “To be listed alongside powerhouse voices—and yes, our forever First Lady Michelle Obama—is an honor I don’t take lightly. Our sis won, and listen… if you’re going to lose to anyone, losing to Michelle Obama is a HUGE win.”
Her podcast focuses on topics that affect the Black community as a whole yet provides a space for women to discuss life happenings that occur for women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. She also discusses topics such as mental health and how Black men need more safe spaces and resources to aid them in their life journey as well.
Before the pre-show, she spoke to Our Weekly about when she first discovered she was nominated. “I actually was away speaking at a woman’s event, and I got a telephone call, and I just—I won’t say I was in shock and disbelief. It had been on my vision board since 2018. “She continued, “I went to an NAACP conference, and I took a picture of an award and put it on my board. So when I heard it, I just immediately began jumping up and down. I fell down on my knees; I laid out. It just was an overwhelming sense of accomplishment to know that something that I have prayed about for so long has come to fruition.”
In “Ageless, Fearless, & Unscripted,” Williamson also talks about an array of topics such as menopause, death in marriage and how to keep raising children, molestation in Black families, and many more topics that are often the ones that some may shy away from.
“I am digging in deep on this podcast to talk about things that may be taboo in our community, and mental health has definitely been one of those things. [Also topics such as] people who have been molested by family members and never said anything but started realizing as adults that that wasn’t right. [This] podcast gives space and a place to recognize that, and it’s opened up opportunities for people to have relationships and conversations with their family on issues and topics that did not get addressed.” She continued, “So, I’m able to keep it fresh, because people are looking for this information and… to be seen, heard, and valued.”
She will begin taping season 3 in April in Dallas, Texas. On March 20th, she will be holding the internationally recognized 4th Annual Women of Influence Awards Luncheon in Dallas, Texas, which also coincides with Women’s History Month. The event highlights distinctive leadership and directly invests in the future of women-owned businesses. A portion of the proceeds will fund grants, year-round resources, and programming designed to help female entrepreneurs scale and succeed.
Some of the honorees of the awards luncheon include April Ryan, Washington D.C. bureau chief and senior White House correspondent for The Black Press USA; Dr. Karri Bryant, first lady and executive pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; Valeisha Butterfield, award-winning business executive and founder and CEO at SEED Media; and Cicley Gay, philanthropic strategist and chair of the board of directors at Black Lives Matter Global Network.
She said that the event will be a space where business deals and philanthropy wll take place as her goal is to not gatekeep information from fellow women and creating a space of sisterhood.
“Information will be exchanged. It doesn’t matter whether you have a VIP ticket or a general admission ticket; the love in the room will supersede anywhere you are seated in the room, and that’s what I’ve heard from so many different people who have attended over the past three years: that it didn’t matter where they were seated in the room, they felt the power of the Holy Spirit move in the room in such a way that they were empowered to reach out to another woman.”
For more information, please visit cherylpwilliamson.com.
This is such an inspiring article.